JP2007237891A - Upper body structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To weaken the presence in appearance of a front header while sufficiently ensuring the cross sectional area of the front header in a vehicle equipped with a roof window panel which continuously extends from the upper end of a front window. <P>SOLUTION: The front header 15 is constituted of a member equipped with a closed cross section 16, and is arranged to be positioned while tilting downward at an angle θ from a horizontal line HL. The tilting angle θ is preferably set so as to approximately meet the viewing lines of passengers on second and third seat trains 3 and 4. The front end section of the front header 15 is constituted of a slope 16a, and a front window 11 and a roof window panel 13 are bonded to the slope 16a. In a recess section 19 at the rear section of the front header 15, the front end section of a sun visor 23 is housed, and the sun visor 23 under the housed posture is positioned on the extended line of the front header 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an upper body structure of a vehicle, and more particularly to a vehicle in which at least a front portion of a vehicle body roof is made of a light transmissive roof window panel such as glass.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle that includes a roof window panel that is formed integrally with a front window, and a part of the roof is configured by the roof window panel. This type of vehicle has a form in which a so-called glass sunroof is brought close to the upper end of the front window, so that a large amount of external light is taken into the vehicle interior, the vehicle interior is bright, and there is an advantage that an occupant can feel open.
EP1405744

  As a basic structure of the vehicle, both side edges of the front window are supported by front pillars, and upper ends of the left and right front pillars are connected to each other by a front header extending in the vehicle width direction. Needless to say, the front header is one of the members that affect the rigidity of the vehicle body.

  In a vehicle as disclosed in Patent Document 1, that is, a vehicle in which the front end of the roof window panel is close to the front window, there is a problem that the appearance of the front header affects the appearance. To deal with this problem, it may be possible to reduce the front header cross-sectional area to weaken the presence of the front header, but this is not necessarily a preferable countermeasure because it is a technique to reduce the rigidity of the vehicle body. .

  An object of the present invention is to improve the appearance by weakening the presence on the appearance of the front header while ensuring a sufficient cross-sectional area of the front header on the premise of a vehicle in which the roof window panel is close to the upper end of the front window. An object of the present invention is to provide an upper body structure of a vehicle that can be used.

According to the present invention, the above technical problem is
It is disposed in a front opening formed between the left and right front pillars, and is provided substantially continuously at the upper end of the front window supported on both side edges by the left and right front pillars, and at least constitutes the front portion of the roof. A vehicle with a light transmissive roof window panel,
A front header that extends in the vehicle width direction for connecting the upper ends of the left and right front pillars and is configured by a member having a closed cross-sectional structure;
Achieved by providing an upper body structure of a vehicle, wherein the front header has a flat shape in the vertical direction, and at least a rear portion of the front header is inclined downward and separated from the roof window panel. Is done.

  That is, according to the present invention, instead of arranging the front header along the boundary portion between the roof window panel and the front window, the front header is constituted by a member having a closed cross-sectional structure, and at least the rear portion of the front header is formed on the roof. By separating it from the wind panel, the presence of the front header is weakened in appearance. That is, the roof window panel that is substantially continuous from the upper end of the front window generally has a curved shape at the boundary between the front window and the roof window panel, regardless of the curved shape at the boundary. By designing at least the rear part of the front header, it is possible to obtain a degree of freedom in design so that the front header does not stand out in appearance even if the front header has a relatively large closed cross section.

  In the present invention, the front window and the roof window panel may be integrally formed, or may be formed of separate members. However, if they are separate, the front window and the roof window panel are adjacent to each other. A front header is arranged at the part to be.

  In a preferred embodiment, the sun visor disposed in the front header is set to take a storage posture extending in substantially the same direction as the front header. Thereby, the presence in appearance including a sun visor can be diluted. As a specific example, a recess opened downward and rearward may be formed in the rear end portion of the front header, and the front end portion of the sun visor may be accommodated in the recess. You may make it take the storage position along the lower surface. Thereby, it can reduce especially that the front vision of the passenger | crew of the back row seat behind a 1st seat row is obstructed by a sun visor. In addition, you may make it utilize said recess as an accessory case.

  Further, in the case of a vehicle having the second seat row or the third seat row, it is preferable to set the inclination angle of at least the rear portion of the front header along the line of sight of the occupant of the rear row seat behind the first seat row. . According to this, an occupant seated in the rear row seat feels openness by the roof window panel, but it is possible to reduce the obstruction of the line of sight due to the structure and arrangement of the front header described above. Can be given. This can provide a passenger with a more open feeling in a vehicle in which the second seat row is set higher than the first seat row. In particular, in a vehicle in which the second seat row is arranged at a higher position than the first seat row and the third seat row is arranged at a higher position than the second seat row, the passengers in the second and third seat rows On the other hand, it is possible to reduce the disturbance of the line of sight by the front header.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a one-box car according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied. The illustrated one-box car 1 has three rows of seats 2 to 4 as can be understood from FIG. 2, and the occupant of the first seat row 2 located in the foremost row of the passenger compartment is a front side door that opens rearward of the front hinge. The passengers in the second seat row 3 and the third seat row 4 located behind the first seat row 2 can get on and off through the rear side door 6 that is a sliding door.

  The height dimension of the cabin of the one-box car 1 is designed to be relatively large, and the second sheet row 3 is arranged at a height (H2) higher than the height level (H1) of the first sheet row 2. In addition, the third sheet row 4 is disposed at a higher position (H3) than the second sheet row 3. That is, the first sheet row 2 to the third sheet row 4 provided in the one box car 1 are arranged at a higher position in the rear row. In the figure, reference numeral 7 is a handle provided in the driver seat of the first seat row 2, 8 is a front wheel, and 9 is a rear wheel.

  The one-box car 1 has a front window 11 disposed in a front opening formed between the left and right front pillars 10, 10. As is well known, the front window 11 has both left and right front pillars 10. 10 is supported.

  The roof 12 of the one-box car 1 includes a light transmissive roof window panel 13 at a front portion thereof, that is, a portion from the front end of the roof 11 to an overhead position of the second sheet row 3. The front end of the roof window panel 13 is disposed adjacent to the upper end of the front window 11, and the front header 15 is disposed at a site where the upper end of the front window 11 and the front end of the roof window panel 13 approach each other.

  As is well known, the front header 15 is a member extending in the vehicle width direction, and the left and right ends of the front header 15 are connected to the front pillar 10, respectively. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view in which the front end of the roof window panel 13 is cut in a portion adjacent to the upper end of the front window 11.

  Referring to FIG. 3, the front header 15 includes a closed section 18 formed by welding a header upper 16 and a header lower 17, and the front end surface of the header upper 16 gradually increases toward the rear. There is an inclined surface 16a located above, and the inclined surface 16a is formed by a surface along the inclination of the portion where the upper end of the front window 11 and the front end of the roof window panel 13 approach each other. The header upper 16 also has an upper surface 16b extending rearward in a substantially horizontal direction from the upper end of the inclined surface 16a. Similarly, the header lower 17 also includes a lower surface 17a extending substantially in the horizontal direction, whereby the front header 15 has a flat shape in the vertical direction as a whole.

  Preferably, the lower surface 17a of the header lower 17 is provided with a stepped portion 17b at a rear end portion thereof, and a recess 19 opened rearward and downward is formed by the stepped portion 17b.

  A line CL in FIG. 3 shows a center line that divides the cross section of the flat-shaped front header 15 substantially vertically. As can be seen from the center line CL, the front header 15 is disposed so as to be inclined downward from the inclined line X of the portion where the front end of the roof window panel 13 and the front window 11 are adjacent to each other. Preferably, the front header 15 is disposed such that the center line CL of the front header 15 is inclined downward by an angle θ with respect to the horizontal line HL. The inclination angle θ is most preferably set so as to substantially coincide with the line of sight of the occupant of the second seat row 3 or the third seat row 4 (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 2). preferable. In other words, the front header 15 has the upper surface 16b of the header upper 16 and the lower surface 17a of the header lower 17 along the line of sight of the occupant of the second seat row 3 or the third seat row 4 (indicated by arrows in FIG. 2). It is preferable to set so as to extend.

  The front end portion of the roof window panel 13 and the upper end portion of the front window 11 are joined to the inclined surface 16a of the front header 15 (header upper 16) described above. Reference numeral 20 in FIG. 3 is a dam, and 21 is an adhesive. Reference numeral 22 is a trim, and the front header 15 is covered with the trim 22.

  Due to the configuration and arrangement of the front header 15 described above, the front end of the roof window panel 13 is joined to the inclined surface 16a of the front header 15 (header upper 16), and the roof window panel 13 is located at the rear of the inclined surface 16a. The state is separated from the header 15. The front header 15 is flattened up and down, and is arranged almost horizontally, so that when viewed from the outside, the front header 15 has a sufficiently large closed cross section even though it is a front header 15. The presence on the appearance can be weakened.

  In particular, when the front header 15 is inclined and arranged along the line of sight of the occupants of the second and third seat rows 3 and 4, the front view of the occupants seated in the second and third seat rows 3 and 4 is provided. Is obstructed by the front header 15. In particular, in the vehicle in which the second seat row 3 and the third seat row 4 are arranged higher than the first seat row 2 as in the vehicle of the embodiment, the second seat row 3 and the third seat row 4 The occupant's forward view is important to give these occupants a more open feeling.

  Further, by forming a recess 19 that opens downward and rearward at the rear end portion of the front header 15, an accessory case or a sun visor 23 can be disposed using the recess 19. FIG. 3 shows an example in which the front end portion of the sun visor 23 is disposed in the recess 19. The sun visor 23 is positioned at a position extending substantially along the extending direction of the front header 15, that is, along the line of sight of the occupant of the second seat row 3 or the third seat row 4 (indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2) in the illustrated storage posture. Preferably it is done. As a result, the sun visor 23 is positioned on the extension line of the front header 15 that is flat in the vertical direction and can be stored in substantially the same plane as the front header 15, so that the second sheet row 3 and the third sheet row 4 It can be reduced that the front view of the seated occupant is obstructed by the sun visor 23.

  FIG. 4 shows the second embodiment. It should be understood that the front header 15 and the shape of the second embodiment are substantially the same as those of the first embodiment. In the second embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the sun visor 23 is disposed adjacent to the lower side of the front header 15 and is stored at a position along the extending direction of the lower surface 17 a of the front header 15.

  As described above, since the sun visor 23 is stored along the front header 15 which is largely inclined downward from the roof window panel 13, the second sheet row 3, substantially the same as the first embodiment described above. It is possible to reduce the obstruction of the front view of the occupant seated in the third seat row 4 by the sun visor 23. Further, by arranging the sun visor 23 as described above, it is possible to place an accessory case in the recess 19 between the rear end portion of the front header 15 and the sun visor 23 and use this recess 19 to accommodate sunglasses or the like. it can.

  FIG. 5 shows a third embodiment. In the third embodiment, the front portion 16c of the upper surface 16b of the header upper 16 constituting the front header 15 that is flat up and down has a shape protruding upward, and the upper end of the front window 11 is sandwiched between the raised portions 16c. The front end of the roof window panel 13 is disposed opposite to the roof window panel 13. Further, the rear portion of the upper surface 15b of the front header 15 has a shape that is inclined downward, and is thereby arranged to be separated from the roof window panel 13 toward the rear end of the front header 15. By adopting such a shape of the front header 15, the height Y of the front header 15 facing the second and third sheet rows 3 and 4 can be made smaller, whereby the second sheet row 3 and the third sheet row 3. It is possible to reduce the obstruction of the front view of the occupant seated in the seat row 4 by the front header 15.

  FIG. 6 shows a fourth embodiment. In the fourth embodiment, basically the same configuration as that of the third embodiment is adopted, but an additional step 17c is formed on the lower surface 17a of the header lower 17 constituting the front header 15, An additional recess 25 is formed in the center portion of the front header 15 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body by the additional step 17c. That is, the front header 15 shown in FIG. 6 has a first recess 19 that opens downward and rearward at the rear end portion thereof, and a second recess that opens downward and rearward in the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 25.

  The second recesses 19 and 25 may both be provided with an accessory case. However, in the illustrated example, an accessory case 26 is disposed in the first recess 19, and sunglasses, for example, are accommodated in the accessory case 26. Is possible. On the other hand, the second recess 25 is used to receive the front of the sun visor 23. In the storage posture shown in the drawing, the sun visor 23 extends along the lower surface 17a of the front header 15 (header lower 17), whereby the front header 15 visible from the second and third seat rows 3 and 4 can be seen. The sun visor 23 can be stored within the height range. Therefore, as in the above-described embodiment, it is possible to reduce the obstruction of the occupant's front view seated in the second seat row 3 and the third seat row 4 by the sun visor 23.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described with the example in which the front window 11 and the roof window panel 13 are formed of separate members. However, as shown in FIG. Needless to say, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 can be similarly applied to a vehicle in which is integrally formed.

It is the perspective view which looked at the one box car of the example from diagonally forward. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of the 1st thru | or 3rd sheet row | line | column of the one box car of FIG. It is sectional drawing of the surroundings of the front header of the one box car of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows 2nd Example around a front header. It is sectional drawing which shows 3rd Example around a front header. It is sectional drawing which shows 4th Example around a front header. FIG. 2 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing an example in which a front window and a roof window panel are integrally formed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 One box car 2 1st sheet row 3 2nd sheet row 4 3rd sheet row 10 Front pillar 11 Front window 12 Roof 13 Roof window panel 15 Front header 16 Header upper 16a Inclined surface (front end surface) of header upper
16b Upper surface of header upper 17 Header lower 17a Lower surface of header lower 17b Stepped portion of header lower 17c Additional stepped portion of header lower 18 Closed section of front header 19 Recessed portion of front header 23 Sun visor 26 Small container

Claims (8)

It is disposed in a front opening formed between the left and right front pillars, and is provided substantially continuously at the upper end of the front window supported on both side edges by the left and right front pillars, and at least constitutes the front portion of the roof. A vehicle with a light transmissive roof window panel,
A front header extending in the vehicle width direction for connecting the upper ends of the left and right front pillars and configured by a member having a closed cross-sectional structure;
An upper body structure of a vehicle, wherein the front header has a flat shape in the vertical direction, and at least a rear portion of the front header is inclined downward and separated from the roof window panel.   The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front window and the roof window panel are integrally formed.   The front window and the roof window panel are configured as separate members, and the upper end of the front window and the front end of the roof window panel are disposed adjacent to each other, and the front window and the roof window panel are adjacent to each other. The upper body structure of the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the front header is arranged.   The upper body structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a sun visor is disposed on the front header, and the sun visor has a retracted posture extending in substantially the same direction as a rear portion of the front header. .   The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 4, wherein a recess opened downward and rearward is formed in a rear end portion of the front header, and a front end portion of the sun visor is accommodated in the recess.   The upper body structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sun visor takes a retracted posture along a lower surface of the front header.   The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 6, wherein a recess opened downward and rearward is formed in a rear end portion of the front header, and an accessory case is disposed in the recess.   The vehicle includes a plurality of rows of seats in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and an inclination angle of at least a rear part of the front header that is flat in the vertical direction substantially coincides with a line of sight of a passenger in a row behind the first seat row. The upper body structure of the vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein

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