Vehicle comprising a sunroof frame

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle including a sunroof frame. The vehicle comprises a side wall assembly, a top cover assembly and a skylight frame arranged between the side wall assembly and the top cover assembly, and the top cover assembly and the skylight frame are each of an annular structure. Wherein the inner edge of the skylight frame is connected to the inner edge of the top cover assembly, and the outer edge of the skylight frame is clamped between the outer edge of the top cover assembly and the top of the side wall assembly in the vertical direction; wherein the sunroof frame comprises a front part and a rear part which are fixedly connected with each other in the longitudinal direction, the front part comprises a first cross beam extending in the transverse direction, the rear part comprises a second cross beam extending in the transverse direction, and the front part and the rear part have different thicknesses. According to the vehicle comprising the sunroof frame, the front portion and the rear portion of the sunroof frame are arranged to have different thicknesses and are fixedly connected with each other, so that the whole sunroof frame forms parts with different material thicknesses, the rigidity of the sunroof frame can be improved while materials are saved, and the NVH performance of the vehicle is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of vehicles, and more particularly, to a vehicle including a sunroof frame. Background Art

[0002] NVH is the abbreviation of Noise, Vibration and Harshness, and is an important parameter for measuring the quality of automobile manufacturing. NVH research can model and analyze the automobile, find out the factors that have the greatest impact on ride comfort, and improve ride comfort by improving the vibration condition of the excitation source or controlling the transmission of the vibration noise of the excitation source into the car interior.

[0003] Through simulation, it is found that the stiffness of the sunroof frame will affect the NVH performance of the vehicle. However, the existing method of manufacturing the sunroof frame by fixed thickness reinforcement will result in insufficient stiffness of the sunroof frame, poor NVH performance of the vehicle, and greater vibration and / or noise during vehicle driving, reducing riding comfort. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle including a sunroof frame to overcome at least one of the above-mentioned defects of the prior art. That is, the vehicle according to the present invention can improve the rigidity of the sunroof frame and enhance the NVH performance of the vehicle.

[0005] To this end, the present invention provides a vehicle, the vehicle having a longitudinal direction indicating a driving direction, a transverse direction forming an angle of 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal direction, and a vertical direction indicating a direction perpendicular to the ground, the vehicle comprising a side panel assembly, a roof assembly, and a sunroof frame arranged between the side panel assembly and the roof assembly, the top cover assembly and the sunroof frame both having an annular structure; the inner edge of the sunroof frame is connected to the inner edge of the top cover assembly, and the outer edge of the sunroof frame is clamped between the outer edge of the roof cover assembly and the top of the side panel assembly along the vertical direction; wherein the sunroof frame comprises a front portion and a rear portion connected to each other along the longitudinal direction, the front portion comprises a first cross beam extending along the transverse direction, the rear portion comprises a second cross beam extending along the transverse direction, and the front portion and the rear portion have different thicknesses.

[0006] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the front portion is greater than the thickness of the rear portion.

[0007] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the front portion is between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

[0008] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the rear portion is between 0.8 mm and 1.5 mm.

[0009] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the front part includes a first longitudinal beam and a second longitudinal beam extending rearward from two lateral ends of the first cross beam along the longitudinal direction, and the rear part includes a third longitudinal beam and a fourth longitudinal beam extending forward from two lateral ends of the second cross beam along the longitudinal direction, wherein the third longitudinal beam is fixedly connected to the first longitudinal beam, and the fourth longitudinal beam is fixedly connected to the second longitudinal beam.

[0010] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the third longitudinal beam is welded to the first longitudinal beam, and the fourth longitudinal beam is welded to the second longitudinal beam.

[0011] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, a bottom surface of the third longitudinal beam is flush with a bottom surface of the first longitudinal beam, and a bottom surface of the fourth longitudinal beam is flush with a bottom surface of the second longitudinal beam.

[0012] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the sunroof frame is provided with a plurality of recessed portions so that the sunroof frame has an undulating shape.

[0013] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the inner edge of the roof assembly at least partially covers the inner edge of the sunroof frame.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the outer edge of the sunroof frame is adhesively connected to the top of the side panel assembly.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the vehicle including the sunroof frame according to the present invention has multiple advantages, especially: by setting the front and rear parts of the sunroof frame to have different thicknesses and fixedly connected to each other, the sunroof frame as a whole forms parts of unequal material thicknesses, which can save materials while improving the rigidity of the sunroof frame and improving the NVH performance of the vehicle; in addition, this sunroof frame has a simple structure, is easy to manufacture, and is widely used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Other features and advantages of the present invention will be better understood through the following preferred embodiments described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar components.

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A perspective view of a top structure of a vehicle in FIG.

[0019] Figure 3 is along Figure 2 Partial cross-section taken from mid-plane AA;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A perspective view of the skylight frame in the top construction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The implementation and use of specific embodiments are discussed in detail below. However, it should be understood that the specific embodiments discussed are merely illustrative of specific ways to implement and use the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0022] In this specification, when describing the structural position of each component, directional expressions such as "upper" and "lower" are not absolute, but relative. When the components are arranged as shown in the figure, these directional expressions are appropriate, but when the position of the components in the figure changes, these directional expressions should also change accordingly. In addition, "inner" and "outer" are defined with reference to the inner and outer directions relative to the vehicle, for example, "inner edge" refers to the edge facing the inside of the vehicle, and "outer edge" refers to the edge facing the outside of the vehicle.

[0023] In this specification, "front" and "rear" are defined with reference to the front-rear direction of the vehicle X. In addition, in this specification and the drawings, the X direction represents the longitudinal direction of the vehicle V (i.e., the driving direction of the vehicle), the Y direction represents the lateral direction of the vehicle V (i.e., the left-right direction at an angle of 90 degrees to the driving direction), and the Z direction represents the vertical direction of the vehicle V (i.e., the up-down direction perpendicular to the ground).

[0024] Below with the help of Figures 1 to 4 A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the vehicle V includes a side panel assembly 1, a top cover assembly 2, and a sunroof frame 3 arranged between the side panel assembly 1 and the top cover assembly 2. The top cover assembly 2 and the sunroof frame 3 both have an annular structure. The sunroof frame 3 may also be referred to as a sunroof reinforcement, a sunroof reinforcement ring, a roof reinforcement, etc.

[0026] More specifically, the sunroof frame 3 is arranged on the top of the side panel assembly 1, and the top cover assembly 2 ( Figure 2 The sunroof frame 3 and the upper edge 111 of the top 11 of the side panel assembly 1 are covered. The sunroof frame 3 includes a front portion 34 and a rear portion 35 fixedly connected to each other along the X direction, the front portion 34 is overlapped to the front roof beam 6 of the vehicle V, and the rear portion 35 is connected to the rear roof beam 7 of the vehicle V, for example, through a connecting plate 39.

[0027] like Figure 3As shown, the inner edge 31 of the sunroof frame 3 is connected to the inner edge 21 of the top cover assembly 2, and the outer edge 32 of the sunroof frame 3 is sandwiched between the outer edge 22 of the top cover assembly 2 and the upper edge 111 of the side panel assembly 1. In the embodiment shown, the inner edge 21 of the top cover assembly 2 at least partially covers the inner edge 31 of the sunroof frame 3. More specifically, the inner edge 31 of the sunroof frame 3 extends downward along the Z direction, and the inner edge 21 of the top cover assembly 2 extends downward along the Z direction and then folds upward to form the edge 23, and the inner edge 31 is fixed in the edge 23 by welding or the like. The bottom of the outer edge 32 of the sunroof frame 3 is provided with an expansion glue 4, and the expansion glue 4 abuts against the upper edge 111 of the side panel assembly 1 after expansion, so that the outer edge 32 of the sunroof frame 3 is glued and connected with the upper edge 111 of the side panel assembly 1.

[0028] like Figure 4 As shown, the front part 34 of the sunroof frame 3 includes a first crossbeam 341 extending in the Y direction and a first longitudinal beam 342 and a second longitudinal beam 343 extending backward from the two lateral ends of the first crossbeam 341 in the X direction. The rear part 35 of the sunroof frame 3 includes a second crossbeam 351 parallel to the first crossbeam 341, and a third longitudinal beam 352 and a fourth longitudinal beam 353 extending forward from the two lateral ends of the second crossbeam 351 in the X direction. The third longitudinal beam 352 is fixedly connected to the first longitudinal beam 342, and the fourth longitudinal beam 353 is fixedly connected to the second longitudinal beam 343, so that the front part 34 and the rear part 35 define a substantially rectangular opening 36. The opening 36 is used to install a sunroof glass (not shown in the figure) that is selectively opened and closed.

[0029] According to the present invention, the front portion 34 and the rear portion 35 of the sunroof frame 3 are set to have different thicknesses. It should be understood that the front portion 34 and the rear portion 35 are each a component of substantially equal thickness, and the "thickness" herein is the average thickness of the front portion 34 and the rear portion 35. Preferably, since the front portion 34 is generally more sensitive than the rear portion 35 under torsion conditions, the thickness of the front portion 34 is set to be greater than the thickness of the rear portion 35. For example, the thickness of the front portion 34 is set to 1.5 mm-3 mm, preferably about 1.9 mm-2 mm, and the thickness of the rear portion is set to 0.8 mm-1.5 mm, preferably about 1.3 mm. By flexibly setting the front portion 34 and the rear portion 35 to have different thicknesses according to the strength and rigidity requirements of the vehicle body, the sunroof frame 3 is formed as a component of unequal material thickness as a whole, which can reduce the weight of the sunroof frame 3 while improving its rigidity and NVH performance.

[0030] The front part 34 and the rear part 35 can be connected by welding. According to one embodiment, the front part 34 and the rear part 35 are first respectively set as "door"-shaped parts with different thicknesses, and then laser welded by TWB (Tailor Welded Blanks) process to form welding seams 37 between the first longitudinal beam 342 and the third longitudinal beam 352 and the second longitudinal beam 343 and the fourth longitudinal beam 353. More specifically, during welding, the bottom surface 3421 of the first longitudinal beam 342 is kept flush with the bottom surface 3521 of the third longitudinal beam 352, and the bottom surface 3431 of the second longitudinal beam 343 is kept flush with the bottom surface 3531 of the fourth longitudinal beam 353, so as to achieve welding of two parts with different thicknesses. It can be understood that the front part 34 and the rear part 35 can also be connected by other welding methods, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0031] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the sunroof frame 3 is provided with a plurality of recesses 38 to form the sunroof frame 3 into an undulating shape. For example, each of the first crossbeam 341 and the second crossbeam 351 is provided with at least one first recess 381 extending in the Y direction. Similarly, each of the first longitudinal beam 342, the second longitudinal beam 343, the third longitudinal beam 352 and the fourth longitudinal beam 353 is provided with at least one second recess 382 extending in the X direction. In addition, in the embodiment shown, the inner edge 31 of each of the first longitudinal beam 342, the second longitudinal beam 343, the third longitudinal beam 352 and the fourth longitudinal beam 353 is slightly higher than the outer edge 32 in the Z direction, so that the inner edge 31, the outer edge 32 and the body part located between the inner edge 31 and the outer edge 32 are respectively located in different planes, and combined with the above-mentioned recesses 38, for example, provided in the body part, the sunroof frame 3 is formed into an undulating shape as a whole, thereby improving the strength and rigidity of the sunroof frame 3, and further improving the NVH performance of the vehicle.

[0032] like Figure 4 As shown, the front portion 34 of the sunroof frame 3 is provided with a plurality of through holes 8 extending substantially along the Y direction, so that the sunroof frame 3 is connected to other components of the vehicle V (eg, a sunroof motor, etc.) through the through holes 8 .

[0033] In addition, if Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, a plurality of connection points 5 are also provided on the sunroof frame 3, so that the sunroof frame 3 is connected to the top cover assembly 2 through these connection points 5. For example, two circular and / or elliptical connection points 51 are evenly provided along the Y direction on the second crossbeam 351. A plurality of long strip connection points 52 are evenly provided along the X direction on each longitudinal beam. It can be understood that the number, shape and position of the connection points 5 are set according to actual needs, and the present invention does not limit this. According to one embodiment, the connection points 5 are welding points, that is, the sunroof frame 3 and the top cover assembly 2 are welded and connected at these connection points 5.

[0034] The technical content and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed above. However, it can be understood that under the creative ideas of the present invention, technicians in this field can make various changes and improvements to the above-disclosed concepts, but all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

[0035] The description of the above embodiments is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. The protection scope of the present invention is determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle (V), the vehicle (V) having a longitudinal direction (X) indicating a travel direction, a transverse direction (Y) forming an angle of 90 degrees with respect to the longitudinal direction (X), and a vertical direction (Z) indicating a direction perpendicular to the ground, The vehicle (V) comprises a side panel assembly (1), a top cover assembly (2), and a sunroof frame (3) arranged between the side panel assembly (1) and the top cover assembly (2), wherein the top cover assembly (2) and the sunroof frame (3) both have an annular structure; It is characterized in that The inner edge (31) of the sunroof frame (3) is connected to the inner edge (21) of the top cover assembly (2), and the outer edge (32) of the sunroof frame (3) is sandwiched between the outer edge (22) of the top cover assembly (2) and the top (11) of the side enclosure assembly (1) along the vertical direction (Z); The skylight frame (3) includes a front portion (34) and a rear portion (35) connected to each other along the longitudinal direction (X), the front portion (34) includes a first cross beam (341) extending along the transverse direction (Y), the rear portion (35) includes a second cross beam (351) extending along the transverse direction (Y), and the front portion (34) and the rear portion (35) have different thicknesses.

2. The vehicle (V) according to claim 1, characterized in that The thickness of the front portion (34) is greater than the thickness of the rear portion (35).

3. The vehicle (V) according to claim 2, characterized in that The thickness of the front portion (34) is between 1.5 mm and 3 mm.

4. The vehicle (V) according to claim 2, characterized in that The thickness of the rear portion (35) is between 0.8 mm and 1.5 mm.

5. The vehicle (V) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The front portion (34) includes a first longitudinal beam (342) and a second longitudinal beam (343) extending rearwardly from two transverse ends of the first transverse beam (341) along the longitudinal direction (X), The rear portion (35) includes a third longitudinal beam (352) and a fourth longitudinal beam (353) extending forward from two lateral ends of the second cross beam (351) along the longitudinal direction (X), wherein the third longitudinal beam (352) is fixedly connected to the first longitudinal beam (342), and the fourth longitudinal beam (353) is fixedly connected to the second longitudinal beam (343).

6. The vehicle (V) according to claim 5, characterized in that The third longitudinal beam (352) is welded to the first longitudinal beam (342), and the fourth longitudinal beam (353) is welded to the second longitudinal beam (343).

7. The vehicle (V) according to claim 5, characterized in that The bottom surface (3521) of the third longitudinal beam (352) is flush with the bottom surface (3421) of the first longitudinal beam (342), and the bottom surface (3531) of the fourth longitudinal beam (353) is flush with the bottom surface (3431) of the second longitudinal beam (343).

8. The vehicle (V) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The skylight frame (3) is provided with a plurality of recessed portions (38) so that the skylight frame (3) has an undulating shape.

9. The vehicle (V) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The inner edge (21) of the roof assembly (2) at least partially covers the inner edge (31) of the skylight frame (3).

10. The vehicle (V) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The outer edge (32) of the skylight frame (3) is adhesively connected to the top (11) of the side enclosure assembly (1).

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