JP2014159194A - Roof side rail structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a roof side rail structure which prevents the occurence of cracks in a panel without deteriorating the rigidity of a vehicle body against the road surface input.SOLUTION: A roof side rail 7 includes: a side reinforcement panel 10 disposed between a side outer panel 8 and a side inner panel 9; an upper spot welding point 12 where an upper end part of the side outer panel 8, an upper end part of the side inner panel 9, and an upper end part of the side reinforcement panel 10 are welded; a lower spot welding point 13 where a lower end part of the side outer panel 8, a lower end part of the side inner panel 9, and a lower end part of the side reinforcement panel 10 are welded; and an intermediate spot welding point 14 where the side inner panel 9 and the side reinforcement panel 10 are welded between the upper spot welding point 12 and the lower spot welding point 13.

Description

  The present invention relates to a roof side rail structure located on both the left and right sides of a vehicle roof.

  As a conventional roof side rail structure, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 is known. The roof side rail structure described in Patent Document 1 includes a rail outer panel and a rail inner panel facing each other in the width direction of the vehicle body, and a rail reinforcing panel interposed between these panels, and an upper edge of each panel. And the outer edge of the roof panel of the vehicle body are coupled to each other by spot welding, and the lower edge of each panel is coupled to each other by spot welding. A groove-shaped bent portion extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is formed in a part of the rail reinforcing panel. As a result, even when a large external force is applied to the roof side rail via the seat belt anchor and the pillar at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the bending portion bends and a large external force is applied to the joint by spot welding. Is suppressed.

JP 2004-82885 A

  In the prior art, as described above, a groove-shaped bent portion is formed in a part of the rail reinforcement panel (side lean reinforcement panel). For this reason, even when a load is applied to the spot welding point between the upper edge of each panel and the outer edge of the roof panel by the road surface input from the suspension, the bent part is deformed, so that the spot welding point is instantaneously The application of a large load is suppressed and the occurrence of cracks is prevented. However, in the above prior art, the bending portion is deformed, so that the rigidity of the roof side rail is lowered, and accordingly, the rigidity of the vehicle body is inevitably lowered. As a result, the amount of deformation of the vehicle body with respect to the road surface input increases, and the steering stability deteriorates.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a roof side rail structure capable of preventing the occurrence of cracks in a panel without reducing the rigidity of the vehicle body with respect to road surface input.

  The present invention relates to a roof side rail structure located on the left and right sides of a vehicle roof, and is disposed between a side outer panel, a side inner panel disposed inside the side outer panel, and the side outer panel and the side inner panel. A side joint reinforcement panel, a first joint that joins an upper end of the side outer panel, an upper end of the side inner panel, and an upper end of the side reinforcement panel, and a lower end of the side outer panel and the side Joining the side inner panel and the side reinforcement panel between the second joint part joining the lower end part of the inner panel and the lower end part of the side reinforcement panel to each other, and the first joint part and the second joint part And a third joint portion. .

  Thus, in the roof side rail structure of the present invention, the first joint portion in which the upper end portion of the side outer panel, the upper end portion of the side inner panel, and the upper end portion of the side reinforcement panel are joined to each other; The side inner panel and the side lean between the first joint and the second joint, in addition to the second joint that joins the lower end and the bottom of the side inner panel and the bottom of the side reinforcement panel to each other. By providing the third joint that joins the force panel, the load input applied to the first joint by the road surface input from the suspension is distributed to the third joint. For this reason, since it is suppressed that a big load is input into the 1st junction part even if it does not form especially a bending part for stress relaxation in a side reinforcement panel, a side outer panel, a side inner panel, a side Lean reinforcement panels are less likely to crack. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks in the side outer panel, the side inner panel, and the side reinforcement panel without reducing the rigidity of the vehicle body including the roof side rail.

  Preferably, the third joint portion is provided on the first joint portion side between the first joint portion and the second joint portion. In this case, the load input applied to the first joint due to the road surface input from the suspension is more easily dispersed to the third joint, so that it is possible to further suppress the input of a large load to the first joint. become. Therefore, the occurrence of cracks in the side outer panel, the side inner panel, and the side reinforcement panel can be further prevented.

  Preferably, quarter windows are disposed on both the left and right sides of the vehicle, and the second joint is provided at the edge of the quarter window. The quarter window is disposed above the rear suspension. Therefore, it is effective to provide the above roof side rail structure between the roof and the quarter window.

  Further preferably, the roof has a sunroof panel, and a groove-like portion is formed between a side end portion of the sunroof panel and an upper end portion of the side outer panel, and the first joint portion is a groove-like portion. Is provided. Since the rigidity in the vicinity of the groove portion formed between the side end portion of the sunroof panel and the upper end portion of the side outer panel is low, road surface input from the suspension is provided when the first joint portion is provided in the groove portion. As a result, the load input applied to the first joint is likely to increase. Therefore, it is effective to apply the above roof side rail structure to a vehicle body having a sunroof panel.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks in the panel without reducing the rigidity of the vehicle body with respect to road surface input. Thereby, the deformation amount of the vehicle body with respect to the road surface input is reduced, and it becomes possible to suppress the deterioration of the steering stability.

1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body including a roof in a vehicle provided with an embodiment of a roof side rail structure according to the present invention. It is a side view which shows the rear part of the vehicle body shown in FIG. It is the III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the conventional roof side rail structure.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a roof side rail structure according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vehicle body including a roof in a vehicle provided with an embodiment of a roof side rail structure according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a rear portion of the vehicle body shown in FIG.

  In each figure, the vehicle body 1 includes a roof 2. The roof 2 is formed with a rectangular roof opening 2a. The roof opening 2 a is covered with a panoramic roof panel (large sunroof panel) 3. The panorama roof panel 3 is formed of a resin transparent plate made of, for example, polycarbonate. The panoramic roof panel 3 is supported by a frame (not shown) provided on the vehicle interior side.

  Side doors 4 that can open and close the door openings are respectively provided on the left and right sides of the vehicle body 1. On the rear side of the side door 4 on both the left and right sides of the vehicle body 1, triangular quarter windows 5 are provided. The quarter window 5 is disposed immediately above the rear tire 6. Therefore, the quarter window 5 is disposed at a position directly above the rear suspension (not shown).

  Roof side rails 7 according to the present embodiment are provided on both the left and right sides above the passenger compartment of the vehicle body 1 so as to sandwich the roof 2. In particular, at a position directly above the rear suspension, the roof side rail 7 is disposed between the roof 2 and the quarter window 5.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the roof side rail 7. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. In FIG. 3, the quarter window 5 is omitted.

  The roof side rail 7 includes a side outer panel 8, a side inner panel 9 disposed on the inner side of the side outer panel 8 in the vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and between the side outer panel 8 and the side inner panel 9. A side reinforcement panel 10 that is disposed and reinforces the side outer panel 8 and the side inner panel 9 is provided. The side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10 form a closed structure.

  Between the side end portion of the panorama roof panel 3 and the upper end portion of the side outer panel 8, a groove-like roof mohawk portion (groove-like portion) 11 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is formed. In the roof mohawk section 11, a roof molding (not shown) for concealing the connecting portion between the panoramic roof panel 3 and the side outer panel 8 is accommodated. Note that a sealing material 3 a is interposed between the side end portion of the panorama roof panel 3 and the upper end portion of the side outer panel 8.

  At the bottom of the roof mohawk section 11, an upper spot welding point (first welding point) is formed by joining the upper end of the side outer panel 8, the upper end of the side inner panel 9, and the upper end of the side lean reinforcement panel 10 to each other by spot welding. 1 junction portion) 12 is provided. A plurality of upper spot welding points 12 are provided along the vehicle longitudinal direction.

  At the edge (not shown in FIG. 3) of the quarter window 5, the lower end of the side outer panel 8, the lower end of the side inner panel 9, and the lower end of the side lean reinforcement panel 10 are combined with the edge of the quarter window 5. Lower spot welding points (second joint portions) 13 are provided which are joined together by spot welding. A plurality of lower spot welding points 13 are provided along the upper portion of the quarter window 5.

  Further, between each of the upper spot welding points 12 and each of the lower spot welding points 13, an intermediate spot welding point (third joint) formed by joining the side inner panel 9 and the side reinforcement panel 10 by spot welding. Part) 14 is provided. A plurality of intermediate spot welding points 14 are provided along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The intermediate spot welding point 14 is preferably provided on the roof mohawk portion 11 side (upper spot welding point 12 side), that is, at a position close to the roof mohawk portion 11.

  An example of a conventional roof side rail structure is shown in FIG. In the roof side rail 50 shown in FIG. 4, the upper spot welding point 12 and the lower spot welding point 13 are provided, but the intermediate spot welding point 14 is not provided. That is, the side inner panel 9 and the side reinforcement panel 10 are not spot welded between the upper spot welding point 12 and the lower spot welding point 13. Other configurations are the same as those of the roof side rail 7 described above.

  By the way, in the vehicle body 1 provided with the panoramic roof panel 3 as described above, since the large roof opening 2a is provided, the vehicle body 1 is compared with a vehicle having a normal roof, that is, a roof having no opening. The rigidity of the vehicle body 1 decreases and the deformation amount of the vehicle body 1 with respect to the load (external force) applied to the vehicle body 1 increases. Thus, with respect to road surface input caused by road surface unevenness from the rear suspension (described above), a part of the upper spot located above the rear suspension among the plurality of upper spot welding points 12 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 1. The load input is easily concentrated on the welding point 12. For this reason, in the roof side rail 50 shown in FIG. 4, for example, when traveling on a rough road, endurance shortage easily occurs at a part of the upper spot welding point 12, so around this part of the upper spot welding point 12, The side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10 are easily cracked.

  As countermeasures, the material of the side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10 is changed to a hard material, or the thickness of the side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10 is changed. It is possible to increase the thickness. However, in this case, the mass of the roof side rail 7 is increased and the cost is increased.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, an intermediate spot welding point formed by joining the side inner panel 9 and the side reinforcement panel 10 by spot welding between the upper spot welding point 12 and the lower spot welding point 13. 14 is provided, the load input applied to the upper spot welding point 12 by the road surface input from the rear suspension is also distributed to the intermediate spot welding point 14 in the vertical direction. For this reason, for example, when traveling on a rough road, the occurrence of the end-of-durability of the upper spot welding point 12 is suppressed, so that the side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10 are prevented from cracking. The

  Therefore, since it is not necessary to change the material and thickness of the side outer panel 8, the side inner panel 9, and the side reinforcement panel 10, an increase in the mass of the roof side rail 7 and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  In addition, since it is not necessary to form a bending portion for stress relaxation in the side reinforcement panel 10, a reduction in rigidity of the vehicle body 1 including the roof side rail 7 can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to avoid deterioration in steering stability.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the roof side rail structure of the above embodiment is provided between the panorama roof panel 3 and the quarter window 5, but the roof side rail structure of the present invention is provided between the panorama roof panel 3 and the pillar, for example. Also good. Also in this case, it is possible to suppress the breakage of the adjacent upper spot welding point with respect to the load applied to the roof side rail via the pillar.

  The roof side rail structure of the above embodiment is applied to the vehicle body 1 having the panoramic roof panel 3 having a large area. However, the roof side rail structure of the present invention is applied to the vehicle body having the normal sun roof panel having a small area. The roof side rail structure of the present invention may be applied to a vehicle body that does not include a sunroof panel. Even when applied to a vehicle body that does not include a sunroof panel, the durability of the upper spot welding point can be improved more than before.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle body, 2 ... Roof, 3 ... Panorama roof panel, 5 ... Quarter window, 7 ... Roof side rail, 8 ... Side outer panel, 9 ... Side inner panel, 10 ... Side lean reinforcement panel, 11 ... Roof mohawk part (Groove-shaped part), 12 ... upper spot welding point (first joint), 13 ... lower spot welding point (second joint), 14 ... intermediate spot welding point (third joint).

Claims (4)

In the roof side rail structure located on the left and right sides of the roof of the vehicle,
Side outer panel,
A side inner panel disposed inside the side outer panel;
A side reinforcement panel disposed between the side outer panel and the side inner panel;
A first joint that joins an upper end of the side outer panel, an upper end of the side inner panel, and an upper end of the side reinforcement panel;
A second joint portion joining the lower end portion of the side outer panel, the lower end portion of the side inner panel, and the lower end portion of the side reinforcement panel to each other;
A roof side rail structure comprising: a third joint that joins the side inner panel and the side reinforcement panel between the first joint and the second joint.   The roof side rail structure according to claim 1, wherein the third joint portion is provided on the first joint portion side between the first joint portion and the second joint portion. Quarter windows are arranged on the left and right sides of the vehicle,
The roof side rail structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second joint portion is provided at an edge portion of the quarter window. The roof has a sunroof panel;
A groove-shaped portion is formed between the side end portion of the sunroof panel and the upper end portion of the side outer panel,
The roof side rail structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first joint portion is provided in the groove-like portion.

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