JP7415279B2 - Vehicle upper body structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an upper body structure for a vehicle, and more particularly to an upper body structure for a vehicle that includes a roof opening/closing unit that can open and close an opening formed in a roof panel.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a roof opening/closing unit (sunroof unit) having a glass panel (lid member) that can open and close a substantially rectangular opening formed in a roof panel of a vehicle has been known.
This roof opening/closing unit includes a pair of left and right side frames, a front member that connects the front ends of the pair of side frames in the vehicle width direction, and a front member that connects the rear ends of the pair of side frames in the vehicle width direction. It has a unit frame member that is substantially rectangular in plan view and is made up of a rear side member and is mounted on the vehicle body via this unit frame member.

If an opening is formed in the roof panel, the rigidity of the upper body of the vehicle is reduced, which may reduce the transmission efficiency of the load input to the side of the vehicle body in the event of a side collision.
Therefore, techniques have been proposed to improve load transmission efficiency in the event of a vehicle side collision.
The vehicle body upper structure of Patent Document 1 connects a pair of left and right roof side rails, a roof opening/closing unit having a lid member that can open and close an opening of a roof panel, and a pair of roof side rails in the vehicle width direction. The horizontal frame is composed of a center frame extending in the vehicle width direction and a mounting member connected to the roof side rail, and the mounting member is connected to a longitudinal section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. It is formed by first and second reinforcing members that form a closed cross section.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-137156

When trying to improve cabin comfort for occupants, the sunroof opening formed in the roof panel is enlarged in the front and rear and left and right directions to increase the sense of openness perceived by the occupants and the amount of sunlight brought into the cabin. A method is used in which the opening area is made larger than the area of the opening. Therefore, if the opening of the roof panel is enlarged, there is a risk that the load transmission efficiency in the event of a side collision of the vehicle will be reduced.

In the vehicle body upper structure of Patent Document 1, the second reinforcing member, which is a part of the columnar closed cross-section structure, has an inner end in the vehicle width direction joined to an inner end in the vehicle width direction of the first reinforcing member, and also has an inner end in the vehicle width direction. The outer side portion is fastened and fixed to the center frame and rail inner panel (roof side rail).
Since the edges of the opening are limited by the inner ends of the first and second reinforcing members in the vehicle width direction, when the opening is expanded in the vehicle width direction, the horizontal frame can be attached to the rail inner panel. It is difficult to form columnar closed sections at both ends of the center frame while fastening and fixing the center frame.
That is, it is not easy to achieve both indoor comfort for the occupants and safety in the event of a side collision.

An object of the present invention is to provide an upper body structure for a vehicle that can provide both interior comfort and side collision safety.

The upper body structure of a vehicle according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a pair of left and right roof side rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle; a roof panel installed between the pair of roof side rails and having an opening; and a roof panel having an opening. and a roof opening/closing unit having an openable/closable lid member, wherein the roof reinforcement connects the pair of roof side rails in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion of the opening in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The roof reinforcement includes an outer panel extending in the vehicle width direction and an inner panel disposed below the outer panel, and the outer panel and the inner panel cooperate with each other. a closed cross-section part that forms a closed cross-section and extends in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right attachments that extend outward in the vehicle width direction from both outer ends of the closed cross-section part in the vehicle width direction and are fastened to the vehicle body side member. The cross-sectional area of the closed section is set to be larger towards the center in the vehicle width direction, and the longitudinal length of the attachment part is set to be larger towards the outer side in the vehicle width direction. .

In the upper vehicle body structure of this vehicle, a roof reinforcement that connects the pair of roof side rails in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion of the opening in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body is composed of an outer panel and an inner panel, and the roof reinforcement is composed of an outer panel and an inner panel. The inner panel has a closed cross-section part that cooperates with an outer panel and an inner panel to form a closed cross-section and extends in the vehicle width direction, and a closed cross-section part that extends outward in the vehicle width direction from both outer ends of the closed cross-section part in the vehicle width direction, and a closed cross-section part that extends in the vehicle width direction. Since it is equipped with a pair of left and right mounting parts that are fastened to the side members, in the event of a vehicle side collision, the opening formed in the roof panel is sandwiched between them to provide a transmission path for the collision load from the side. can be formed.
Further, since the cross-sectional area of the closed cross-section portion is set to be larger toward the center in the vehicle width direction, buckling at the middle portion of the closed cross-section portion in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed in the event of a vehicle side collision.
Since the longitudinal length of the mounting portion is set to be larger toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction, the length of the mounting portion in the vehicle width direction is suppressed and the opening is enlarged, while roof reinforcement is applied to the roof side rail. can be strongly connected.

The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion includes a plurality of fastening portions fastened via fastening members, and the plurality of fastening portions are arranged substantially in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. It is characterized by its location. According to this configuration, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the side collision load can be applied equally to each fastening portion, and damage to the fastening portions can be suppressed.

The invention according to claim 3 is the invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle body side member is a gusset fixed to the roof side rail, and the gusset is arranged on a lower surface of the closed section near both outer ends in the vehicle width direction. It is characterized by being arranged so as to be substantially parallel to and at the same height position as the above. According to this configuration, a side collision load can be smoothly transmitted from the input side roof side rail to the other roof side rail.

The invention according to claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3, which has a pair of left and right center pillars extending in the vertical direction at the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the roof reinforcement is connected to the center pillar via the gusset. It is characterized by According to this configuration, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, the load transmission path from the center pillar to the other roof side rail via the roof reinforcement can be shortened.
The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the outer panel is press-molded into a substantially hat shape, and the inner panel is press-molded into a substantially double hat shape having two downwardly bulging portions. The vertical dimension between the bulge portion of the inner panel and the outer panel is set to be larger toward the center in the vehicle width direction.

According to the vehicle upper body structure of the present invention, by setting the specifications of the roof reinforcement, it is possible to achieve both indoor comfort and side collision safety.

1 is a perspective view of an upper vehicle body structure of a vehicle according to Example 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the upper vehicle body structure. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part of FIG. 2; It is a view corresponding to FIG. 2 with the roof opening/closing unit omitted. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the main part of FIG. 4 with the first roof rain omitted. A first roof rain, in which (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a front view. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line IX-IX in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line XI-XI in FIG. 4. FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line XII-XII in FIG. 4. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.
The following description is an example of the present invention applied to the upper body structure of a vehicle, and is not intended to limit the present invention, its applications, or its uses.

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described below based on FIGS. 1 to 12.
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle V includes a pair of left and right roof side rails 1 extending longitudinally, a roof panel 2 spanning between the pair of roof side rails 1, and a pair of roof side rails. a pair of left and right front pillars 3 extending downward from the front end of the roof side rails 1; a pair of left and right center pillars 4 extending downward from the middle of the pair of roof side rails 1; and a pair of roof side rails 1. A four-door type equipped with a pair of left and right rear pillars 5 that extend downward from the rear end, and a roof opening/closing unit 20 that can open and close an opening 2a (see FIGS. 4 and 5) formed in the roof panel 2. It is a passenger car.
Hereinafter, in the drawings, the direction of arrow F is assumed to be forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the direction of arrow L is assumed to be the left side in the width direction of the vehicle, and the direction of arrow U is assumed to be upward in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

First, the schematic configuration of the vehicle V according to the present invention will be explained.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the roof side rail 1 includes an outer roof rail 1a, an inner roof rail 1b that cooperates with the outer roof rail 1a to form a closed cross section extending back and forth, and an upper end portion of the outer roof rail 1a. It has a roof rail reinforcement (hereinafter abbreviated as roof rail rain) 1c which is held between the roof rail inner 1b and serves as a reinforcing member that divides the closed section of the roof side rail 1 in the vehicle width direction. Both left and right end portions of the roof panel 2 are welded to inner end portions in the vehicle width direction of a pair of roof rail outer 1a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the pair of roof side rails 1 include a front header 6 extending left and right, a rear header 7 extending left and right, and first and second roof side rails extending left and right between the front header 6 and the rear header 7. They are connected in the vehicle width direction by two roof reinforcements (hereinafter abbreviated as first and second roof rains, respectively) 8 and 30.

The front header 6 has a pair of metal header gussets 6a at both left and right ends, and is connected to a pair of inner roof rails 1b via the pair of header gussets 6a. The front header 6 has a substantially hat-shaped cross section, and cooperates with the front end portion of the roof panel 2 to form a substantially rectangular closed cross section extending left and right. Like the front header 6, the rear header 7 has a substantially hat-shaped cross section, and cooperates with the rear end portion of the roof panel 2 to form a closed cross section extending left and right.

The first and second roof rains 8 and 30 are roof reinforcing members.
The first and second roof rains 8 and 30 are constructed of iron plate-like structures.
As shown in FIG. 4, the first roof rain 8 connects the pair of roof side rails 1 at a position near the connection between the roof side rails 1 and the rear pillar 5, in other words, at the rear end position of the opening 2a in the longitudinal direction. is configured to do so. The first roof rain 8 has a pair of rear fixing plates 12 at both left and right ends, and is connected to a pair of inner roof rails 1b via the pair of rear fixing plates 12.

The rear fixing plate 12 made of iron is formed into a substantially L-shape in plan view.
This rear fixing plate 12 cooperates with a front fixing plate 11 made of iron and a pair of left and right side fixing plates 13 to reinforce the outer edge of the opening 2a from the back surface of the roof panel 2. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front fixing plate 11 is formed into a substantially U-shape in plan view, and is connected to the front header 6.
The side fixing plate 13 is formed into a substantially I-shape in plan view, and is connected to the inner roof rail 1b. These fixing plates 11 to 13 constitute a reinforcing member for attaching the roof opening/closing unit 20.

A substantially rectangular opening 2a is formed in the roof panel 2 from a position near the front header 6 to a position near the connection between the roof side rail 1 and the rear pillar 5 in a plan view.
The front pillar 3 extends rearward and upward from the upper end of a hinge pillar (not shown) and is connected to the roof side rail 1 and the header gusset 6a. The front pillar 3 forms a closed cross section with an outer panel and an inner panel, and has a reinforcing pillar rain within this closed cross section (both are not shown).

As shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 11, and 12, the center pillar 4 extends upward from the side sill and is connected to the roof side rail 1. The center pillar 4 forms a closed cross section with an outer panel and an inner panel 4b connected to the roof rail inner 1b, and has a reinforcing pillar rain 4c connected to the roof rail rain 1c within this closed cross section.
The rear pillar 5 extends upward from the side sill and is connected to the roof side rail 1. This rear pillar 5 forms a closed cross section with an outer panel and an inner panel, and has a reinforcing pillar rain connected to the roof rail rain 1c within this closed cross section.

Next, the roof opening/closing unit 20 will be explained.
The roof opening/closing unit 20 includes a tilt-up mechanism (not shown) that partially opens the glass panel 21 by changing the posture of the front half of the transparent glass panel 21 (lid member) so that it tilts upward backward; It has an opening mechanism (not shown) that fully opens the glass panel 21 by overlapping the front half with the rear half, and a sunshade mechanism that blocks sunlight passing through the glass panel 21.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the roof opening/closing unit 20 includes a glass panel 21 consisting of a front half and a rear half, a pair of left and right side frames 22, and a front end of the pair of side frames 22. The main components include a front member 23 that connects in the width direction, a shade device 24 that connects the rear end portions of the pair of side frames 22 in the vehicle width direction, and the like.

The side frame 22 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. This side frame 22 is formed by extrusion molding using an aluminum alloy material. The front member 23 has a substantially U-shaped cross section. This front member 23 is molded using a synthetic resin material.
The shade device 24 includes a sheet-shaped shade that covers the lower surface of the glass panel 21, a roll shade part for freely pulling out and winding up the shade, and an iron storage part for accommodating the shade and the roll shade part (all not shown). It is formed into a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

Next, the second roof rain 30 and the mounting structure for the second roof rain 30 will be described.
In this vehicle V, the opening 2a is formed from a position near the front header 6 to a position near the connection between the roof side rail 1 and the rear pillar 5. A second roof rain 30 is provided which extends from side to side so as to connect the pair of roof side rails 1 at the so-called intermediate portion in the front-rear direction of the opening 2a.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second roof rain 30 has a closed cross-section portion 30a that has a substantially uniform longitudinal length and extends left and right, and a closed cross-section portion 30a that extends from both left and right ends of the closed cross-section portion 30a to the outside in the vehicle width direction. A pair of left and right mounting portions 30b are provided. The pair of attachment portions 30b are formed into a substantially trapezoidal shape in a plan view, and are each provided with four bolt holes h1 (fastening portions) arranged substantially in a straight line and at equal distances in the front-rear direction. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the closed cross-section portion 30a has a vertical dimension that increases toward the center in the vehicle width direction. In other words, the vertical cross-sectional area perpendicular to the left-right direction increases toward the center in the vehicle width direction. is formed. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the longitudinal dimension of the mounting portion 30b is set to be larger than the longitudinal dimension of the closed cross-section portion 30a, and is formed to be longer toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The second roof rain 30 includes a plate-shaped outer panel 31 extending left and right, and a plate-shaped inner panel 32 disposed below the outer panel 31.

The outer panel 31 is press-molded into a substantially hat shape, and includes a main body portion 31a, a pair of mounting portions 31b continuous to both left and right ends of the main body portion 31a, and a pair of flange portions 31f continuous to both front and rear ends of the main body portion 31a. It has The inner panel 32 is press-molded into a substantially double hat shape that bulges downward, and includes a main body 32a, a pair of attachment parts 32b connected to both left and right ends of the main body 32a, and a pair of attachment parts 32b connected to both the front and rear ends of the main body 32a. It has a pair of continuous flange portions 32f. By joining the flange portion 31f and the flange portion 32f by welding, the main body portion 31a and the main body portion 32a constitute a closed cross-section portion 30a, and the attachment portion 31b and the attachment portion 32b constitute an attachment portion 30b. .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 10 to 12, the second roof rain 30 is connected to the roof side rail 1 via a pair of left and right gussets 15 (vehicle body side members). These pair of gussets 15 are each formed into a substantially L-shaped cross section by pressing a steel plate material, and have a horizontal portion 15a that extends substantially horizontally, and a horizontal portion 15a that is bent from an outer end in the vehicle width direction. and a flange portion 15f extending downward. The gusset 15 (horizontal portion 15a) is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to and at the same height as the lower surface of the closed cross-section portion 30a. Thereby, in the event of a vehicle side collision, the side collision load is smoothly transmitted from the input side roof side rail 1 to the other roof side rail 1.

As shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal part 15a is provided to extend inward in the vehicle width direction from the roof rail inner 1b, and has four bolt holes h2 at the inner end in the vehicle width direction, and the front and rear positions of these bolt holes h2. A bolt hole h3 is formed at each side position.
The four bolt holes h2 correspond to the four bolt holes h1 and are arranged substantially on a straight line and at equal distances in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 10, the mounting portion 30b overlaps the horizontal portion 15a from below and is fastened and fixed by bolts b1 inserted through bolt holes h1 and h2.

The bolt b2 inserted into the bolt hole h3 is fastened and fixed to the brackets 14b and 14c, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, four brackets 14a to 14d are arranged on the lower surface of the side fixing plate 13 in order from the front. These brackets 14a to 14d have a substantially hat-shaped cross section, and have a front flange portion and a rear flange portion welded to the side fixing plate 13, respectively. A side frame 22 (roof opening/closing unit 20) is fastened and fixed to the brackets 14a and 14d via bolts b3, and a gusset 15 (attachment portion 30b) is fastened and fixed to the brackets 14b and 14c via bolts b2. .

The flange portion 15f is welded to the inner roof rail 1b that extends to the upper extension portion of the inner panel 4b. The outer part of the gusset 15 in the vehicle width direction is directly connected to the inner roof rail 1b, and the inner part in the vehicle width direction is connected to the inner roof rail 1b via the brackets 14b, 14c and the side fixing plate 13. As a result, when a side collision load acts on the center pillar 4, the load is transmitted from the center pillar 4 to the roof side rail 1 (roof rail inner 1b), and the load transmitted to the roof rail inner 1b is transmitted to the brackets 14b, 14c and the gusset 15. The signal is transmitted to the second roof rain 30 through the transmission line. The second roof rain 30 distributes the load to the roof rail inner 1b on the opposite side without buckling in the middle of the closed cross section 30a.

Next, the effects of the upper body structure of the vehicle V according to the embodiment of the present invention will be explained.
According to the present embodiment, the second roof rain 30 is provided in the middle part of the opening 2a in the longitudinal direction and connects the pair of roof side rails 1 in the vehicle width direction. A closed cross-section portion 30a extending from the outside in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right mounting portions 30b extending from both outer ends of the closed cross-section portion 30a toward the outside in the vehicle width direction and fastened to the gusset 15, which is a vehicle body side member. Therefore, in the event of a side collision of the vehicle, a transmission path for the collision load from the side can be formed with the opening 2a formed in the roof panel 2 in between.
Further, since the cross-sectional area of the closed cross-section portion 30a is set to be larger toward the center in the vehicle width direction, buckling at the intermediate portion of the closed cross-section portion 30a in the vehicle width direction can be suppressed in the event of a vehicle side collision.
Since the longitudinal length of the mounting portion 30b is set to be larger toward the outer side in the vehicle width direction, while suppressing the length of the mounting portion 30b in the vehicle width direction and enlarging the opening 2a, the roof side rail 1 is Two roof rains 30 can be firmly connected.

The mounting portion 30b includes a plurality of fastening portions that are fastened via fastening members, and the plurality of fastening portions are arranged substantially in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, so that when the vehicle side collides, the side impact load is reduced. can be made to act equally on each fastening part, and damage to the fastening parts can be suppressed.

The vehicle body side member is a gusset 15 fixed to the roof side rail 1, and the gusset 15 is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to and at the same height as the lower surface of the closed cross-section portion 30a. Load can be smoothly transmitted from the input side roof side rail 1 to the other roof side rail 1.

It has a pair of left and right center pillars 4 extending in the vertical direction at the rear in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the second roof rain 30 is connected to the center pillar 4 via the gusset 15, so that in the event of a side collision, the second roof rain from the center pillar 4 The load transmission path to the other roof side rail 1 via the roof rain 30 can be shortened.

Next, a modified example in which the above embodiment is partially modified will be described.
1] In the embodiment described above, an example of the gusset 15 was described as the vehicle body side member, but the gusset 15 does not necessarily need to be used and may be omitted. When the gusset 15 is omitted, the attachment portion 30b of the second roof rain 30 is fastened and fixed to the roof rail inner 1b. Furthermore, it is also possible to fix the attachment portion 30b of the second roof rain 30 to the side fixing plate 13.

2] In the above embodiment, an example of the roof opening/closing unit 20 including the shade device 24 has been described, but the shade device 24 is omitted and the rear end portions of the pair of side frames 22 are connected in the vehicle width direction. Side members may also be used. This is effective for a vehicle V in which the rear edge of the opening 2a is located behind the center pillar and the outer edge in the vehicle width direction is located close to the inner roof rail 1b.

3] In the embodiment described above, an example of the second roof rain 30 having four bolt holes h1 as fastening portions has been described, but the number of bolt holes h1 may be three or less, or five or more.

4] In addition, those skilled in the art can implement various modifications to the embodiments described above or combinations of the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented in such a manner. It also includes any modifications.

1 Roof side rail 2 Roof panel 2a Opening part 4 Center pillar 15 Gusset 20 Roof opening/closing unit 21 Glass panel 30 Second roof rain 30a Closed section part 30b Mounting part V Vehicle h2 Fastening part

Claims (5)

A pair of left and right roof side rails extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, a roof panel constructed between the pair of roof side rails and having an opening, and a roof opening/closing unit having a lid member capable of opening and closing the opening. In the upper body structure of a vehicle equipped with
a roof reinforcement that connects the pair of roof side rails in the vehicle width direction at an intermediate portion of the opening in the vehicle body longitudinal direction;
The roof reinforcement includes an outer panel extending in the vehicle width direction and an inner panel disposed below the outer panel,
The outer panel and the inner panel have a closed section that extends in the vehicle width direction while the outer panel and the inner panel cooperate to form a closed section , and a closed section that extends in the vehicle width direction continuously from both outer ends of the closed section in the vehicle width direction. A pair of left and right mounting portions each extending outward and fastened to the vehicle body side member,
An upper vehicle body structure for a vehicle, wherein the cross-sectional area of the closed section is set to be larger towards the center in the vehicle width direction, and the longitudinal length of the attachment part is set to be larger towards the outer side in the vehicle width direction. . The attachment part includes a plurality of fastening parts fastened via fastening members,
The upper vehicle body structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of fastening portions are arranged substantially in a straight line along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The vehicle body side member is a gusset fixed to the roof side rail,
The vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the gusset is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to and at the same height as a lower surface near both outer ends of the closed section in the vehicle width direction. Upper body structure. It has a pair of left and right center pillars that extend in the vertical direction at the rear of the vehicle body in the longitudinal direction,
The upper vehicle body structure of a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the roof reinforcement is connected to the center pillar via the gusset. The outer panel is press-molded into a substantially hat shape,
The inner panel is press-molded into a substantially double hat shape having two downwardly bulging portions;
2. The upper vehicle body structure for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a vertical dimension between the bulge of the inner panel and the outer panel is set to be larger toward the center in the vehicle width direction.