JP2024072444A - Vehicle upper body structure - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To suppress cross-sectional deformation of a roof rail when the vehicle is traveling without increasing mass and cost as much as possible. [Solution] A roof rail 11 is provided, which is made up of a pillar inner 33 and a pillar outer 32 and extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and a closed cross section 11s extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed by the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13. The roof rail outer 12 has an upper end flange portion 121 joined to an upper end 131 of the roof rail inner 13, and a side portion 122 located below the upper end flange portion 121 and outward in the vehicle width direction, and an upper end portion 34 of the pillar outer 32 located within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 has an outer main body flange portion 35 fixed to the side portion 122, an inner fixing portion 36 fixed to the roof rail inner 13, and a main body portion 37 that linearly connects the outer main body flange portion 35 and the inner fixing portion 36 along the vehicle vertical direction. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

This invention relates to an upper body structure of a vehicle that includes, for example, a pillar member extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and a roof rail extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with the upper portion of the pillar member joined to the roof rail.

At both ends of the roof in the vehicle width direction, which is located above the vehicle interior, roof rails extend in the vehicle front-rear direction. The roof rail is a vehicle body frame member in which the roof rail outer rain and roof rail inner rain form a closed cross section extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The upper part of the pillar member is joined from below to the middle part of such a roof rail in the vehicle front-rear direction.

When the roof rail is in motion, the upper end of the roof rail swings inward in the vehicle width direction at the joint with the upper part of the pillar member, which may cause cross-sectional deformation that causes the roof rail outer and inner roof rails to move closer to or farther apart relative to each other.

To address these issues, a structure is known in which reinforcing members or fillers are provided in the lower region of the closed cross section of the roof rail to reinforce the corners of the lower region, as exemplified in Patent Document 1, thereby suppressing the above-mentioned cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail and improving the rigidity of the vehicle body.

However, since the reinforcing members and filler in Patent Document 1 are provided only partially in the lower region of the closed cross section of the roof rail, they can be made lighter than, for example, joint members that are provided over almost the entire closed cross section. However, they require the provision of separate members for reinforcement, which complicates the assembly process and increases costs, leaving room for further improvement.

JP 2019-023083 A

The present invention was made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide an upper body structure for a vehicle that can suppress cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail while the vehicle is traveling, without increasing mass or cost as much as possible.

The upper body structure of the vehicle of the present invention comprises a pillar rain composed of a pillar inner rain and a pillar outer rain and extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a roof rail in which the roof rail outer rain and the roof rail inner rain form a closed cross section extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the roof rail outer rain having an upper flange portion joined to the upper end of the roof rail inner rain and a side portion located below the upper flange portion and outward in the vehicle width direction, the upper end of the pillar outer rain located within the closed cross section of the roof rail has an outer fixing portion fixed to the side portion, an inner fixing portion fixed to the roof rail inner rain, and a main body portion that linearly connects the outer fixing portion and the inner fixing portion along the vertical direction of the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, when the vehicle is traveling, the upper end of the roof rail falls inward in the vehicle width direction, causing the roof rail to attempt to deform in cross-section; however, by the main body fixing the side portion and the roof rail inner rain in a straight line along the vertical direction of the vehicle and connecting the roof rail inner rain and the roof rail outer rain vertically, the behavior of the upper end of the roof rail bending deformed inward in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed by a tensile action, and the cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail can be suppressed without providing a reinforcing member, including in the upper region of the closed cross section.
Therefore, the cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail can be suppressed without increasing the mass or cost.

Here, the main body portion that is connected in a straight line along the vertical direction of the vehicle does not have to be completely parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle, and preferably the angle between the main body portion and the horizontal direction is between 90 degrees and 45 degrees.

In one embodiment of the invention, the pillar outer rain may have a vertical wall portion that extends upward from a rear wheel house located below the roof rail to within the closed cross section of the roof rail and faces in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the pillar outer rain extends upward from the rear wheel house to within the closed cross section of the roof rail and has a vertical wall portion facing the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the load input from the suspension can be efficiently distributed and transmitted from the rear wheel house to the roof rail.

Furthermore, since the vertical wall portion faces the vehicle fore-and-aft direction within the closed cross section of the roof rail, it functions as a node that divides the closed cross section of the roof rail in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, and can efficiently suppress the above-mentioned cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail during driving.

As a further aspect of the present invention, an upper end of the vertical wall portion may be connected to the main body portion via a corner portion.
According to the above-mentioned configuration, the vertical wall portion and the main body portion cooperate to enhance the above-mentioned pulling action of the upper end portion of the roof rail, thereby contributing to suppression of cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail when the vehicle is traveling.
Furthermore, since the vertical wall portion and the main body portion are connected via the corner portion serving as a ridge line, the strength of each portion can be increased.

As a further aspect of the present invention, the vertical wall portion may be fixed to the side portion of the roof rail outer rain.
In this way, by fixing the vertical wall portion to the side portion rather than to the upper end flange portion of the roof rail outer rain, the vertical wall portion and the main body portion work together to increase the tensile action of the upper end of the roof rail, thereby effectively suppressing deformation of the roof rail outer rain and the roof rail inner rain such that they move away from or towards each other when the vehicle is traveling.

In another aspect of the present invention, the outer fixing portion is formed of an outer main body flange portion extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the main body portion, the outer main body flange portion is fixed to the side portion at multiple locations along the vehicle longitudinal direction, the vertical wall portion is formed with an outer vertical wall flange portion extending in the vehicle vertical direction along the vertical wall portion, the outer vertical wall flange portion is fixed to the side portion at multiple locations along the vehicle vertical direction, and the outer main body flange portion and the outer vertical wall flange portion may be formed continuously with each other.

According to the above configuration, the outer main body flange portion is fixed to the side portion at multiple locations along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the outer vertical wall flange portion is fixed to the side portion at multiple locations along the vehicle vertical direction. Furthermore, since the outer main body flange portion and the outer vertical wall flange portion are formed continuously with each other, deformation of the roof rail outer rein and the roof rail inner rein that causes them to move away from or approach each other while the vehicle is traveling can be effectively suppressed.

In another aspect of the invention, the inner fixing portion may extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the main body portion and be fixed to the roof rail inner rain at multiple locations along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the rear end of the inner fixing portion and the inner end of the vertical wall portion in the vehicle width direction may be connected via a corner portion.

According to the above configuration, the inner fixing portion is fixed to the roof rail inner rain at multiple fixing points along the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the upper end portion of the pillar outer rain can be firmly fixed to the roof rail inner rain.

The upper end of the pillar outer rain can therefore firmly connect the roof rail inner rain and the roof rail outer rain by the inner fixing portion and the outer body flange portion described above, enhancing the effect of the roof rail as a node that divides the closed cross section of the roof rail in the vehicle width direction.

Furthermore, since the inner end of the vertical wall portion in the vehicle width direction is connected to the rear end of the inner fixing portion via a corner portion, the vertical wall portion can also be fixed to the roof rail inner rain at multiple fixing points along the vehicle front-rear direction.

Therefore, the vertical wall portion can firmly connect the roof rail inner rain and the roof rail outer rain by means of the inner fixing portion and the above-mentioned outer vertical wall flange portion, thereby enhancing its effectiveness as a node dividing the closed cross-section of the roof rail in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.
Furthermore, since the inner fixing portion and the vertical wall portion are connected to each other via the corners serving as ridges, the strengths of the inner fixing portion and the vertical wall portion can be mutually enhanced.

This configuration makes it possible to suppress cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail while the vehicle is traveling, without increasing mass or cost as much as possible.

FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a main part of a rear part of a vehicle body equipped with a vehicle upper structure according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the main part of the vehicle upper structure shown in FIG. 1, showing a part of the roof rail outer in phantom lines. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main part of the vehicle upper structure of the present embodiment, seen from the right side, front, and bottom of the vehicle. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along line AA of FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along the line CC in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along line DD in FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along line E-E of FIG. 2 . FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along the line F-F of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part taken along line G-G of FIG. 2.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
In addition, since the upper body structure 1 of the vehicle of this embodiment has a substantially bilaterally symmetrical shape, the following description will be based on the structure of the right side of the upper part of the vehicle. In the drawing, the arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow U indicates the upper part of the vehicle, the arrow OUT indicates the outer side in the vehicle width direction (outside the passenger compartment), and the arrow IN indicates the inner side in the vehicle width direction (toward the passenger compartment). In the drawing, the marks "x" indicate the main spot welding locations.

The vehicle V of this embodiment is a door hatchback type automobile, and the upper body structure 1 applied to such an automobile is equipped with roof rails 11 that extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle along the left and right edges of the roof panel 2 of the vehicle body, as shown in FIG. 1, and an intermediate pillar 31 that extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle between the door opening 7 and the quarter window opening 8 on the side of the vehicle.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the upper end 34 (see Figures 2 and 3) of the intermediate pillar 31 is connected to the roof rail 11, forming a T-shaped connection part J when viewed from the side of the vehicle. The intermediate pillar 31 will be described later.

The roof rail 11 forms the upper edge of the quarter window opening 8 with its portion 11r rearward of the connecting portion J, and forms the upper edge of the door opening 7 with its portion 11f forward of the connecting portion J.

As shown in FIG. 1, below the upper body structure 1 are a rear wheel house 4 that houses the rear wheels (not shown) from above the vehicle, and a rear side panel 5 that forms the side wall of the rear of the vehicle.

The rear wheel house 4 has a wheel house outer 41 with a bulge 42 that protrudes outward in the vehicle width direction, and a wheel house inner 43 (see Figure 7) that protrudes inward in the vehicle width direction.

The rear side panel 5 is provided between the rear wheel house 4 and the rear portion 11r of the roof rail 11, and its lower end is joined to the upper end of the rear wheel house 4. The rear side panel 5 forms the rear edge and lower edge of the periphery of the quarter window opening 8.

The roof rail 11, also called a roof side rail, is a rigid body member that forms a closed cross section 11s extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the upper part of the vehicle body as shown in Figures 2 to 10, and as shown in Figure 1, its rear end is joined to the front end of the rear pillar 6.

The rear pillar 6, also known as the D-pillar, is a vehicle body rigidity member that, as shown in FIG. 1, has a closed cross section 6s extending downward and rearward from the rear end of the roof rail 11 along both left and right edges of a rear opening (not shown) that opens in the fore-and-aft direction at the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in Figures 2 to 10, the roof rail 11 has a roof rail outer rain 12 (hereinafter abbreviated as "roof rail outer 12") located on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and a roof rail inner rain 13 (hereinafter abbreviated as "roof rail inner 13") located on the inner side in the vehicle width direction.
2 and 3, the connecting portion J and the panel member located at a rear portion 11r of the connecting portion J in the roof rail outer portion 12 are shown by imaginary lines.

As shown in Figures 1 and 10, the rear portion 11r of the roof rail outer 12 relative to the connecting portion J is formed with an upper end flange portion 121, a side portion 122 extending downward from the upper end flange portion 121 and outward in the vehicle width direction, and a lower end flange portion 123 extending downward from the lower end of the side portion 122, forming an arc shape in which the orthogonal cross section in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction bulges outward slightly in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the area 11f forward of the connecting portion J of the roof rail outer 12 is formed by an upper end flange portion 121, a side portion 122 extending downward from the upper end flange portion 121 and outward in the vehicle width direction, a lower surface portion 124 extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the side portion 122, and a lower end flange portion 123 extending downward from the inner end of the lower surface portion 124 in the vehicle width direction, so that the upper portion of the orthogonal cross section in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction is arc-shaped and the lower portion is stepped and convex.

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the roof rail inner 13 is formed with an upper flange portion 131, a side portion 132 extending below the upper flange portion 131 and outward in the vehicle width direction, and a lower flange portion 133 extending downward from the lower end of the side portion 132, with the orthogonal cross section in the vehicle front-rear direction bulging slightly inward in the vehicle width direction.

The roof rail 11 has upper end flange portions 121, 131 of the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13 joined together (see Figure 10), and lower end flange portions 123, 133 joined together (see Figure 7), thereby forming the above-mentioned closed cross-section 11s between the two components 12, 13.
4 to 6, the vehicle width direction outer end 21 of the roof panel 2 is located above the upper end flange portion 121 of the roof rail outer 12, and the upper end flange portion 121 of the roof rail outer 12 and the vehicle width direction outer end 21 of the roof panel 2 are joined to each other via the upper end of a cab side outer panel (not shown) that forms the design of the side of the vehicle body. Also, the lower end flange portion 133 of the roof rail outer 12 is formed at a portion of the roof rail inner 13 in the vehicle fore-aft direction other than the connecting portion J.

As shown in Figures 1, 6 to 8, an opening 20 is formed between the lower end of the roof rail inner 13 and the lower end of the roof rail outer 12 at the connecting portion J, with the closed cross section 11s opening downward. The lower surface portion 124 of the front portion 11f of the roof rail inner 13 is formed continuously rearward beyond the front end of the intermediate pillar 31 until its rear end is positioned at the front edge portion 20f of the opening 20.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 6, the intermediate pillar 31 is also called a C-pillar, and forms the front edge of the quarter window opening 8 and also forms the upper part of the rear edge of the door opening 7 .
The intermediate pillar 31 includes a pillar outer rein 32 (hereinafter abbreviated as "pillar outer 32") located on the outside in the vehicle width direction, and a pillar inner rein 33 (hereinafter abbreviated as "pillar inner 33") (see Figures 4 to 6) located on the inside in the vehicle width direction. The pillar outer 32 and the pillar inner 33 each have front end flange portions 321, 331 (see Figures 2 and 4) that protrude forward of the vehicle at their leading edges, and rear end flange portions 322, 332 (see Figure 2) that protrude rearward at their trailing edges, both of which are formed over substantially the entire length in the vehicle up-down direction.

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the intermediate pillar 31 has front end flange portions 321, 331 and rear end flange portions 322, 332 overlapping each other and welding them by spot welding or the like, so that the pillar outer member 32 and the pillar inner member 33 are integrally formed.
As shown in the figure, in this embodiment, the pillar inner member 33 and the roof rail inner member 13 are integrally formed from the same panel member.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the pillar outer part 32 extends downwardly beyond the lower end of the intermediate pillar 31 , i.e., beyond the lower end of the front edge of the quarter window opening 8 .
More specifically, the pillar outer 32 has an upper portion 32U formed as an intermediate pillar outer rain (32U), and a lower portion 32D below the intermediate pillar 31 extends downward to the wheel house outer 41 via the rear side panel 5. The lower end of the pillar outer 32 is joined to a position slightly forward of a peak 44a of an upper surface 44 of an arch-shaped bulging portion 42 of the wheel house outer 41 in a side view.

As shown in FIG. 1, the lower part 32D of the pillar outer 32 extends in the vehicle vertical direction, and its cross section perpendicular to the vehicle vertical direction opens inward in the vehicle width direction, in other words, is formed in a hat shape that bulges outward in the vehicle width direction, and the front end flange portion 321 and the rear end flange portion 322 are joined to the rear side panel 5 and the wheel house outer 41 from the outside in the vehicle width direction. As a result, a closed cross section 32Ds extending in the vehicle vertical direction is formed inside the lower part 32D of the pillar outer 32.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper portion 32U of the pillar outer 32, i.e., the intermediate pillar outer rain (32U), includes the rear end flange portion 322, a vertical wall portion 50 extending inward in the vehicle width direction from the front end of the rear end flange portion 322, a side portion 324 extending from the inner end of the vertical wall portion 50 in the vehicle width direction toward the front of the vehicle, and the front end flange portion 321 extending forward from the front end of the side portion 324.

As shown in Figures 2 to 10, at the connection J, the pillar outer 32 has an upper end 34. The upper end 34 extends upward beyond the lower end of the roof rail 11 and is located within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the upper end 34 is formed wider in the vehicle front-rear direction than the lower part of the upper end 34 of the pillar outer 32. Accordingly, the base part of the upper end 34 at the upper part 32U of the pillar outer 32 is formed to gradually widen in the vehicle front-rear direction as it moves upward. As a result, the front and upper corner 8C of the quarter window opening 8 and the rear and upper corner 7C of the door opening 7 both have corner Rs.

As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the vertical wall portion 50 of the pillar outer 32 is formed continuously over approximately the entire length of the vehicle in the vertical direction, including the upper end portion 34, at least in the upper portion 32U of the pillar outer 32, i.e., the intermediate pillar outer rain (32U).

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 6 to 8, the vertical wall portion 50 extends upward through an opening 20 (see Figures 2, 3, 6 and 7) provided in the connecting portion J of the roof rail 11 up to the upper end portion 34 located within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11. As shown in Figure 6 etc., the vertical wall portion 50 is positioned so as to face the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle within the closed cross section 11s.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 5, etc., the upper end 34 of the pillar outer 32 is integrally formed with an outer body flange portion 35 that extends inward in the vehicle width direction at the upper end of the upper end 34, an inner fixing portion 36 that extends inward in the vehicle width direction at the lower end (base end) of the upper end 34, and a main body portion 37 that connects these respective ends between the outer end of the outer body flange portion 35 in the vehicle width direction and the inner end of the inner fixing portion 36 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figures 2 to 6 and 10, the outer body flange portion 35 is formed along the upper end of the body portion 37 over the entire length of the upper end portion 34 in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in Figures 2, 3, 5 and 7, the inner fixing portion 36 is formed along the lower end of the body portion 37 in the vehicle front-rear direction.

As shown in Figures 2 to 6, 8, and 9, the main body 37 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle at a slight incline with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle so that the upper part is positioned slightly inward in the vehicle width direction. In this example, as shown in Figures 4 to 7, the main body 37 extends in a direction that is approximately the same as the vertical direction of the vehicle, that is, in a direction that forms an angle of 80 degrees with the horizontal direction within a range of 45 degrees to 90 degrees. Furthermore, the main body 37 extends in an approximately straight line in the vertical direction of the vehicle without having a bend in the middle part in the vertical direction.

2 and 3, the outer body flange portion 35 of the pillar outer 32 is overlapped with the side portion 122 of the roof rail outer 12 from within the closed cross section 11s. As shown by the thin "x" marks in Figs. 2 and 3, the side portion 122 and the outer body flange portion 35 are joined and fixed by spot welding or the like at multiple locations (five locations in this example) along the vehicle front-rear direction at the overlapping portions. The thin "x" marks in Figs. 2 and 3 indicate the spot welding locations of the overlapping portions of the two panel members, the roof rail outer 12 and the pillar outer 32, at the connection portion J between the roof rail 11 and the intermediate pillar 31.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 2 to 5 and 7, the inner fixing portion 36 of the pillar outer 32 is overlapped so as to be sandwiched between the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13. As shown by the bold "x" in Figures 2 and 3, these three panels are joined by spot welding or the like at multiple points along the vehicle front-rear direction in the overlapping portion where the inner fixing portion 36 is located. Note that the bold "x" marks in Figures 2 and 3 indicate the spot welding points in the overlapping portion of the three panel members, the roof rail outer 12, the pillar outer 32, and the roof rail inner 13 (or the pillar inner 33) (see Figures 4, 5 and 7).

As shown in Figures 4 to 6, 8, and 9, the main body 37 of the upper end 34 of the pillar outer 32 is disposed so as to face the vehicle width direction within the closed cross section 11s. Therefore, the upper end 34 of the pillar outer 32 connects the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13 so that the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 is partitioned in the vehicle width direction by the main body 37.

As shown in Figures 2 to 10, the vertical wall portion 50 located at the upper end portion 34 has a vertical wall main body portion 51 (see Figures 2 to 9) formed in a vertical wall shape relative to the main body portion 37, and an outer vertical wall flange portion 52 (see Figures 2, 3, and 7 to 10) that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle from the outer end of the vertical wall main body portion 51 in the vehicle width direction.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, 8, and 9, the upper end of the vertical wall main body 51 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and the rear end of the main body 37 extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle are integrally connected via a corner 53 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle within the closed cross section 11s. In other words, the vertical wall main body 51 and the main body 37 are provided continuously via the corner 53 in an orthogonal cross section viewed in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

2 and 3, the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle along the outer end of the vertical wall main body portion 51 in the vehicle width direction, and overlaps with the side portion 122 of the roof rail outer 12 from the closed cross section 11s side at multiple points along the vehicle vertical direction (see Figs. 7 and 8). As shown by the thin "x" marks in Figs. 2 and 3, the side portion 122 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 are joined and fixed by spot welding or the like at multiple points (four points in this example) along the vehicle vertical direction at the overlapping portions.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the rear end of the outer main body flange portion 35 and the upper end of the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 are integrally connected. In other words, the outer main body flange portion 35 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 are formed continuously to form an L-shape.

In addition, the spot weld located at the corner between the outer main body flange portion 35 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 serves as the weld between both the outer main body flange portion 35 and the side portion 122 and the weld between the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 and the side portion 122.
In this manner, by setting spot welding points at the corners between the outer main body flange portion 35 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52, it is possible to firmly join to the side portion 122 with as few welding points as possible.

As shown in the figure, the lower end of the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 and the upper end of the rear end flange portion 322 of the pillar outer 32 are integrally formed and continuous in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 7, the inner end of the vertical wall body 51 in the vehicle width direction is integrally connected to the rear end of the inner fixing part 36 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction via a corner 54. In other words, the vertical wall body 51 and the inner fixing part 36 are provided continuously via the corner 54 in an orthogonal cross-sectional view in the vehicle up-down direction.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the upper body structure 1 of the vehicle of the present embodiment described above includes an intermediate pillar 31 as a pillar rain that is composed of a pillar inner 33 (see Figure 4) and a pillar outer 32 and extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a roof rail 11 in which a closed cross section 11s extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is formed by the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13, and as shown in Figures 4 to 6, the roof rail outer 12 has an upper end that is joined to an upper end flange portion 131 of the roof rail inner 13. It has a flange portion 121 and a side portion 122 located below the upper end flange portion 121 and outward in the vehicle width direction, and as shown in Figures 2 to 6, the upper end portion 34 of the pillar outer 32 located within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 has an outer main body flange portion 35 fixed to the side portion 122, an inner fixing portion 36 fixed to the roof rail inner 13, and a main body portion 37 that linearly connects the outer main body flange portion 35 and the inner fixing portion 36 in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

According to the above configuration, the side portion 122 of the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13 are connected by the main body portion 37 that extends linearly along the vertical direction of the vehicle without any bent portions within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11. Therefore, even if the upper end portion of the roof rail 11, i.e., the upper end flange portions 121, 131, tend to collapse inward in the vehicle width direction while the vehicle is traveling, the upper end portion (121, 131) is pulled outward in the vehicle width direction by the upper end portion 34 of the pillar outer 32, thereby suppressing cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail 11 caused by the upper end portion (121, 131) collapsing inward.

In particular, the outer body flange portion 35 at the upper end portion 34 of the pillar outer 32 is fixed to the side portion 122 rather than being sandwiched between the upper end flange portions 121, 131 of the roof rail 11, which effectively prevents the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13 from deforming or moving away from each other while the vehicle is traveling.

As described above, the main body portion 37 can reduce mass and costs compared to conventional configurations in which, within the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11, for example, it extends upward on the vehicle from the side of the roof rail inner 13 to the upper end flange portion 121 which is located further upward on the vehicle than the side portion 122 of the roof rail outer 12, or which have a bent portion.
Therefore, the cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail 11 can be suppressed without increasing the mass and cost.

As shown in Figures 2 to 9, in one embodiment of the invention, the pillar outer 32 extends from the wheel house outer 41 to the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 in the upward direction of the vehicle, and has a vertical wall portion 50 that faces in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle within the closed cross section 11s.

With this configuration, the pillar outer 32 can efficiently distribute and transmit the load input from the rear suspension from the wheel house outer 41 (see Figure 1) to the roof rail 11.

Furthermore, the vertical wall portion 50 facing the vehicle front-rear direction in the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 connects the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13, and therefore serves as a node that divides the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 in the vehicle front-rear direction, and functions to connect the roof rail inner 13 and the roof rail outer 12 with a surface. Therefore, the above-mentioned cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail 11 when the vehicle is traveling can be efficiently suppressed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 8 and 9, the upper end of the vertical wall portion 50 is connected to the main body portion 37 via a corner portion 53.
According to the above-mentioned configuration, the vertical wall portion 50 and the main body portion 37 cooperate to enhance the above-mentioned pulling action of the upper end portion (121, 131) of the roof rail 11. This can contribute to suppressing cross-sectional deformation of the roof rail 11 while the vehicle is traveling.
Furthermore, since the vertical wall portion 50 and the main body portion 37 are connected via the corner portion 53 serving as a ridge line, the strength of each portion can be mutually increased.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 7 to 9, the vertical wall portion 50 has an outer vertical wall flange portion 52 fixed to the side portion 122 of the roof rail outer member 12.
In this way, by fixing the vertical wall portion 50 to the side portion 122 instead of the upper end flange portion 121 of the roof rail outer 12, similar to the main body portion 37, the vertical wall portion 50 and the main body portion 37 can cooperate to increase the pulling action of the upper end portion (121, 131) of the roof rail 11. Therefore, deformation of the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13, such as moving away from or approaching each other, can be effectively suppressed while the vehicle is traveling.

As an embodiment of this invention, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer main body flange portion 35 provided at the upper end portion 34 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the upper end of the main body portion 37 and is fixed to the side portion 122 at multiple points along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the vertical wall portion 50 is formed with an outer vertical wall flange portion 52 that extends in the vehicle vertical direction along the outer end of the vertical wall portion 50 in the vehicle width direction, and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 is fixed to the side portion 122 at multiple points along the vehicle vertical direction, and the outer main body flange portion 35 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 are formed continuously with each other.

In this way, both the outer main body flange portion 35 and the outer vertical wall flange portion 52 are firmly fixed to the side portion 122 at multiple fixing points, and are formed continuous with each other, which effectively prevents the roof rail outer 12 and the roof rail inner 13 from deforming and moving away from each other or toward each other while the vehicle is traveling.

As shown in Figures 2, 3, and 7, in this embodiment of the invention, the inner fixing part 36 extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction along the lower end of the main body part 37 and is fixed to the roof rail inner 13 at multiple points along the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the rear end of the inner fixing part 36 and the inner end of the vertical wall part 50 in the vehicle width direction are connected via the corner part 54.

According to the above configuration, the inner fixing portion 36 is fixed to the roof rail inner 13 at multiple fixing points along the vehicle front-rear direction, so that the upper end portion 34 of the pillar outer rain 32 can be firmly fixed to the roof rail inner 13.

The upper end 34 of the pillar outer reinforcement 32 can therefore firmly connect the roof rail inner 13 and the roof rail outer 12 by the inner fixing portion 36 and the outer body flange portion 35 described above, enhancing the effect of the pillar outer reinforcement 32 as a node that divides the closed cross section 11s of the roof rail 11 in the vehicle width direction.

Furthermore, the inner end of the vertical wall portion 50 in the vehicle width direction is connected to the rear end of the inner fixing portion 36 via the corner portion 54, so that the vertical wall portion 50 can also be fixed to the roof rail inner 13 at multiple fixing points along the vehicle front-rear direction.

Therefore, the vertical wall portion 50 can firmly connect the roof rail inner 13 and the roof rail outer 12 by the inner fixing portion 36 and the above-mentioned outer vertical wall flange portion 52, thereby enhancing its effectiveness as a node dividing the closed cross-section 11s of the roof rail 11 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.
Furthermore, since the inner fixing portion 36 and the vertical wall portion 50 are connected to each other via the corner portion 54 serving as a ridge line, the strength of each portion can be increased.

In the correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, the pillar rain corresponds to the intermediate pillar 31, and similarly, the upper end of the roof rail inner corresponds to the upper end flange portion 131, and the upper flange portion of the roof rail outer rain corresponds to the upper end flange portion 121, but this invention is not limited to only the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, and many embodiments can be obtained.

For example, in the above embodiment, an example of a hatchback type passenger car was described, but the present invention can be applied to any vehicle type, such as a sedan type passenger car with a trunk opening at the rear of the vehicle body and a trunk lid.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Upper body structure of vehicle 4...Rear wheel house 10...Closed cross section extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle 11...Roof rail 12...Roof rail outer rain 13...Roof rail inner rain 31...Intermediate pillar 32...Pillar outer rain 33...Pillar inner rain 34...Upper end portion of pillar outer 35...Outer main body flange portion 36...Inner fixing portion 37...Main body portion 41...Wheel house outer 50...Vertical wall portion 52...Outer vertical wall flange portion 53...Corner portion 54 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle...Corner portion between inner fixing portion and vertical wall portion 121...Upper end flange portion of roof rail outer 122...Side portion of roof rail outer 131...Upper end flange portion of roof rail inner

Claims (6)

A pillar rain that is composed of a pillar inner rain and a pillar outer rain and extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle;
A roof rail having a closed cross section extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle formed by the roof rail outer rain and the roof rail inner rain,
The roof rail outer reinforcement member has an upper flange portion joined to an upper end of the roof rail inner reinforcement member,
a side surface portion located below the upper flange portion and outward in the vehicle width direction,
An upper body structure of a vehicle, characterized in that an upper end of the pillar outer rain, located within the closed cross section of the roof rail, has an outer fixing portion fixed to the side portion, an inner fixing portion fixed to the roof rail inner rain, and a main body portion that linearly connects the outer fixing portion and the inner fixing portion along the vertical direction of the vehicle. The pillar outer rain is
2. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a vertical wall portion extending upward from a rear wheel house located below said roof rail to within said closed cross section of said roof rail and facing in the front-rear direction of the vehicle. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2 , wherein an upper end of the vertical wall portion is connected to the main body portion via a corner portion. 4. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the vertical wall portion is fixed to the side portion of the roof rail outer rain. The outer fixing portion is formed of an outer main body flange portion extending in the vehicle front-rear direction along the main body portion,
The outer main body flange portion is fixed to the side surface portion at a plurality of points along a vehicle front-rear direction,
The vertical wall portion is formed with an outer vertical wall flange portion extending in a vehicle up-down direction along the vertical wall portion, and the outer vertical wall flange portion is fixed to the side portion at a plurality of points along the vehicle up-down direction,
3. The vehicle upper body structure according to claim 2, wherein the outer main body flange portion and the outer vertical wall flange portion are formed continuously with each other. The inner fixing portion extends in a vehicle front-rear direction along the main body portion and is fixed to the roof rail inner rain at a plurality of points along the vehicle front-rear direction,
6. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein a rear end of the inner fixing portion and an inner end in the vehicle width direction of the vertical wall portion are connected via a corner portion.

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