Roof side structure for vehicle

Abstract

To provide a roof side structure for a vehicle that can prevent occurrence of cracks at a welding point.SOLUTION: A rail inner panel 31 forming a roof side rail 30 is formed of a bead 40, a body 32 continued to an upper side of the bead 40, and an inner flange 35 continued to a lower side of the bead 40, so as to have a hat shape in a cross section along an orthogonal direction of the bead 40. The rail inner panel 31 has a plurality of reinforcing beads 42 bulging out from the bead 40 toward a vehicle inner side and extending in the orthogonal direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a roof side structure for a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] A roof side structure of a vehicle has side walls that form C-pillars extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and also has roof side rails that extend forward from upper ends of the side walls in the vertical direction of the vehicle (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In Patent Document 1, the roof side rail is supported by the pillars, with its center joined to a center pillar and its opposite ends joined to a front pillar and a rear pillar (C-pillar), respectively. The roof side rail has an outer panel located on the vehicle exterior side and an inner panel located on the vehicle interior side. The roof side rail is formed by joining a joining flange of the outer panel to a joining flange of the inner panel. The joining flanges are generally spot-welded to each other at welding points. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-218979 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a vehicle, the intersection of the inner panel and rear pillar of the roof side rail is a corner. Stress tends to concentrate in the corner due to downward thrusts, for example, when the vehicle is traveling on rough roads. Repeated stress concentrations in the corner can cause the inner panel to deform in a direction that separates the joining flanges. This can cause stress to build up at the welded joint, potentially resulting in cracks at the welded joint. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle roof side structure for solving the above problems has side wall portions forming C-pillars extending in the vehicle vertical direction, and has roof side rails extending forward from upper ends of the side wall portions in the vehicle vertical direction, a rear door opening defined in the rear part of the vehicle body has a corner portion formed by the C-pillars and the roof side rails, the roof side rails are formed by welding together an inner panel on the vehicle interior side having an inner flange that fits along the rear door opening, and an outer panel on the vehicle exterior side having an outer flange that fits along the rear door opening, and has a plurality of weld points where the outer flange and the inner flange are spot welded together, and the inner panel has The roof side structure for a vehicle has an inner flange, a main body extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, an extension portion extending from the rear end of the main body toward the C-pillar, and a bead that bulges a portion of the main body toward the interior of the vehicle along the corner portion, and the inner flange extends from the main body and the extension portion and extends along the corner portion, and the bead, the main body continuing above the bead, and the inner flange continuing below the bead form a hat-shaped cross section along a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the bead, and the inner panel has a plurality of reinforcing beads that bulge from the bead toward the interior of the vehicle and extend in the perpendicular direction.

[0007] According to this, in the inner panel having a hat-shaped cross section, the bead is reinforced by a plurality of reinforcing beads. Therefore, even if an external force is applied to the corner portion from below, the reinforcing beads can prevent the bead from bending upward. As a result, the inner flange can be prevented from deforming upward in response to the deformation of the bead. As a result, stress generated at the weld point due to deformation of the inner flange can be prevented, thereby preventing cracks from occurring at the weld point.

[0008] In the vehicle roof side structure, the inner panel may further include an auxiliary bead that bulges out from the main body toward the interior of the vehicle cabin at a position forward and spaced apart from the bead.

[0009] This allows the inner panel to be reinforced with the auxiliary bead at a position spaced forward from the bead, thereby suppressing deformation of the inner flange at a portion located below the auxiliary bead.

[0010] In a roof side structure of a vehicle, the inner panel may have a base that bulges from the main body toward the interior of the vehicle for attaching interior parts, and the auxiliary bead may be aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to the base.

[0011] This allows the base to be used to reinforce the auxiliary bead, and the base and auxiliary bead can suppress deformation of the inner flange even at a position away from the bead. Therefore, stress can be suppressed from occurring at the welding point even at a position away from the bead, and cracks can be suppressed at the welding point. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The present invention can suppress the occurrence of cracks at the welding points. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view that schematically shows a roof side structure of a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the roof side structure of a vehicle from the inside of the vehicle. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a rail inner panel. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view at the bead. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view at the reinforcing bead. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, one embodiment of a vehicle roof side structure will be described with reference to FIGS. <Vehicle> As shown in Figures 1 and 2, vehicle 10 has a rear wall portion 11 at its rear end. The roof side structure of vehicle 10 includes side wall portions 12 on both sides of the rear side of the vehicle body in the vehicle width direction. Side wall portions 12 are located forward of rear wall portion 11. Side wall portions 12 form C-pillars 15 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the roof side structure of vehicle 10 has side wall portions 12 that form C-pillars 15 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0015] The vehicle 10 includes a B pillar 14, a C pillar 15, and a D pillar 16. The B pillar 14, the C pillar 15, and the D pillar 16 each extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle on both sides in the vehicle width direction. The roof side structure of the vehicle 10 has roof side rails 30 that extend forward from the upper ends of the side wall portions 12 in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The roof side rails 30 are provided on both sides in the vehicle width direction at the upper part of the vehicle. The roof side rails 30 extend in the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle. The roof side rails 30 are installed between the front ends of the side wall portions 12 and A-pillars (not shown).

[0016] The vehicle 10 has a rear door 18 and a quarter window 19 on both sides in the vehicle width direction. The B pillar 14 is located in front of the rear door 18, and the C pillar 15 is located behind the rear door 18. The D pillar 16 is located behind the quarter window 19.

[0017] An opening 12a is formed in each side wall portion 12. A quarter window 19 is attached to the opening 12a. The opening 12a opens between a C-pillar 15 and a D-pillar 16. A rear door opening 17 is defined by a side sill (not shown), a B-pillar 14, a C-pillar 15 of the side wall portion 12, a rear wheel house 13, and a roof side rail 30. The rear door opening 17 is opened and closed by a rear door 18. In the roof side structure of the vehicle 10, the rear door opening 17 defined at the rear of the vehicle body has a corner portion 27 formed by the C-pillar 15 and the roof side rail 30.

[0018] 3, the side wall portion 12 is formed by welding together a roof side inner panel 20 and a roof side outer panel 24. In detail, the side wall portion 12 is formed by welding together the roof side inner panel 20 on the vehicle interior side and the roof side outer panel 24 on the vehicle exterior side.

[0019] 2 and 3, the roof side inner panel 20 has an inner panel main body 21 and an inner flange 22. The inner panel main body 21 is frame-shaped. The inner flange 22 is provided on the front edge of the inner panel main body 21.

[0020] 1, the roof side outer panel 24 has an outer panel main body 25 and an outer flange 26. The outer flange 26 is provided on the front edge of the outer panel main body 25. The side wall portion 12 is formed by spot welding the inner flange 22 and the outer flange 26 together, and is also formed by spot welding other locations not shown.

[0021] <Roof side rails> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the roof side rail 30 is formed by welding a rail inner panel 31 as an inner panel and a rail outer panel 51 as an outer panel.

[0022] The rail outer panel 51 is disposed on the vehicle exterior side relative to the rail inner panel 31. The rail outer panel 51 has a main body 52 with a gutter-shaped cross section and an outer flange 53 extending from the lower edge of the main body 52. ​​The outer flange 53 is welded to an inner flange 35 of the rail inner panel 31, which will be described later.

[0023] The rail inner panel 31 is disposed on the vehicle interior side relative to the rail outer panel 51. The rear end of the rail inner panel 31 covers a part of the roof side inner panel 20 from the vehicle interior side.

[0024] <Rail inner panel> The rail inner panel 31 has the inner flange 35, a main body 32 extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, an extension portion 33 extending from the rear end of the main body 32 toward the C-pillar 15, and a bead 40 formed by bulging a portion of the main body 32 toward the vehicle interior along the corner portion 27. The rail inner panel 31 also has a plurality of reinforcing beads 42 bulging toward the vehicle interior from the bead 40. The inner flange 35 extends from the main body 32 and the extension portion 33 and also extends along the corner portion 27.

[0025] The rail inner panel 31 also has a plurality of upper joint pieces 34 extending from the upper edge of the main body 32, an auxiliary bead 43 that bulges from the main body 32 toward the interior of the vehicle at a position forward and spaced apart from the bead 40, and a base 50 that bulges from the main body 32 toward the interior of the vehicle. Furthermore, the roof side rail 30 has a plurality of welding points 38 where the outer flange 53 and the inner flange 35 are spot-welded together.

[0026] Therefore, the roof side rail 30 is formed by welding together a rail inner panel 31 on the inside of the vehicle, which has an inner flange 35 that fits along the rear door opening 17, and a rail outer panel 51 on the outside of the vehicle, which has an outer flange 53 that fits along the rear door opening 17.

[0027] The main body 32 has a gutter-shaped cross section along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The main body 32 has a main plate 32a extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an upper wall 32b extending from the upper long edge of the main plate 32a toward the vehicle exterior, and a lower wall 32c extending from the lower long edge of the main plate 32a toward the vehicle exterior. Of both sides in the plate thickness direction, the main plate 32a has an interior side surface 321 on the vehicle interior side and an exterior side surface 322 on the vehicle exterior side. The exterior side surface 322 is covered from the vehicle exterior side by a rail outer panel 51.

[0028] The upper joint pieces 34 extend from the upper wall 32b toward the rail outer panel 51. Each upper joint piece 34 is spot welded to the upper surface of the rail outer panel 51. The inner flange 35 extends downward from the lower edge of the lower wall 32c and the lower edge of the extension portion 33.

[0029] The extension portion 33 overlaps the inner panel main body 21 from the vehicle interior side. The extension portion 33 is a long plate extending diagonally downward from the main body 32. The longitudinal direction of the extension portion 33 intersects diagonally with the longitudinal direction of the main body 32. Therefore, the rail inner panel 31 has a curved portion 36 formed at the point where the main body 32 and the extension portion 33 intersect. The rail inner panel 31 is arranged with the curved portion 36 aligned along the corner portion 27.

[0030] <Bead> As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the bead 40 is provided at the rear end of the main body 32. The bead 40 is formed by bulging a portion of the main body 32 toward the interior of the vehicle. The bead 40 has a pair of standing wall portions 40a and a top portion 40b that is bridged between the pair of standing wall portions 40a. The pair of standing wall portions 40a protrude toward the interior of the vehicle from the interior side surface 321 of the main body 32. Of the pair of standing wall portions 40a, the upper standing wall portion 40a protrudes from the interior side surface 321 of the main plate 32a. Of the pair of standing wall portions 40a, the lower standing wall portion 40a is continuous with the lower wall 32c. A bead 40 is also provided on the extension portion 33. The bead 40 of the extension portion 33 is formed by bulging the extension portion 33 toward the interior of the vehicle.

[0031] When the rail inner panel 31 is viewed from inside the vehicle, the top portion 40b and the upright wall portion 40a of the bead 40 each extend in an arc-shaped curve from the main body 32 toward the extension portion 33. Therefore, the bead 40 extends in an arc-shaped curve from the front end to the rear end of the bead 40 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. In the following description, the direction in which the bead 40 extends in an arc-shaped curve from the front end to the rear end in a front view of the rail inner panel 31 viewed from inside the vehicle is referred to as the extension direction. In addition, the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the bead 40 is referred to as the orthogonal direction.

[0032] 4, the cross section of the bead 40 in the orthogonal direction is shaped like the gutter, with a pair of upright walls 40a and a top 40b. The dimension of the top 40b in the orthogonal direction is about 10 to 15 mm, but can be changed as desired depending on the vehicle 10.

[0033] 3, when the rail inner panel 31 is viewed from inside the vehicle, the bead 40 is curved along the inner flange 35. Since the inner flange 35 is curved along the corner portion 27, the bead 40 is curved along the corner portion 27. When stress is generated in the corner portion 27 due to an upward thrust from below the vehicle 10, the bead 40 suppresses deformation of the corner portion 27.

[0034] 4, the cross section of the rail inner panel 31 taken along the orthogonal direction is hat-shaped due to the main plate 32a, the bead 40, and the inner flange 35. In other words, the cross section of the rail inner panel 31 taken along the direction orthogonal to the extension direction of the bead 40 is formed into a hat shape. Therefore, the cross section of the rail inner panel 31 taken along the direction orthogonal to the extension direction is formed into a hat shape due to the bead 40, the main body 32 continuous above the bead 40, and the inner flange 35 continuous below the bead 40.

[0035] <Reinforcing bead> As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , two reinforcing beads 42 are provided in the bead 40. Each reinforcing bead 42 bulges toward the vehicle interior from the apex 40b of the bead 40 and extends in a perpendicular direction. Each reinforcing bead 42 bulges toward the vehicle interior in a direction perpendicular to the interior side surface 321 at the apex 40b. Each reinforcing bead 42 bulges over the entire vehicle vertical direction at the apex 40b. Therefore, the dimension of each reinforcing bead 42 in the vehicle vertical direction is approximately 10 to 15 mm, the same as the dimension at the apex 40b of the bead 40. Each reinforcing bead 42 bulges by a dimension of approximately 1 mm from the interior side surface 321 at the apex 40b. The reinforcing beads 42 bulging from the apex 40b of the bead 40 strengthen the bead 40 against stress in the vehicle vertical direction. The two reinforcing beads 42 are spaced apart in the extension direction of the bead 40. The two reinforcing beads 42 are provided in the bead 40 so as to be positioned along the curved portion 36 of the rail inner panel 31. The distance between the two reinforcing beads 42 is arbitrary as long as it can reinforce the bead 40. The cross section of the rail inner panel 31 taken along the orthogonal direction at the reinforcing bead 42 is hat-shaped, consisting of the main plate 32a, the reinforcing bead 42, and the inner flange 35. The welding points 38 near the corner portions 27 are provided in the hat-shaped cross section that includes the reinforcing beads 42. In other words, some of the multiple welding points 38 are provided in positions that are aligned vertically with the reinforcing beads 42.

[0036] <Auxiliary bead> As shown in FIG. 3, the auxiliary bead 43 is provided below the base 50. The base 50 and the auxiliary bead 43 are aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The base 50 and the auxiliary bead 43 aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle reinforce a portion of the rail inner panel 31. The base 50 is cylindrical. The base 50 is provided for attaching interior components. Some of the welding points 38 are aligned below the auxiliary bead 43 in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0037] [Operation of the embodiment] The operation of the embodiment will be described. First, a comparative example will be described. As shown in Fig. 6, the roof side structure of the comparative example differs from the embodiment in that the rail inner panel 31 is not provided with a reinforcing bead 42 or an auxiliary bead 43. For this reason, in the roof side structure of the comparative example, the same members as those in the embodiment are assigned the same member numbers.

[0038] When an external force acts from below the vehicle 10 via an absorber (not shown), stress concentrates at the curved portion 36 of the corner portion 27. In the comparative example, the bead 40 suppresses deformation of the corner portion 27, but if stress is repeatedly applied to the corner portion 27, the bead 40 will deform and bend upward. This will cause the rail inner panel 31 to deform in a direction that causes the inner flange 35 to peel from the outer flange 53. As a result, stress will be generated at the welded point 38, which may cause cracks or even peeling at the welded point 38.

[0039] In contrast, the roof side rail 30 of this embodiment has two reinforcing beads 42 in the bead 40. Therefore, even if stress is repeatedly applied to the corner portion 27, the reinforcing beads 42 can prevent the bead 40 from deforming in an upward bending manner. As a result, the rail inner panel 31 is prevented from generating a deformation mode in a direction that causes the inner flange 35 to peel off from the outer flange 53. As a result, it is possible to prevent stress from being generated at the weld point 38 due to deformation in the direction that causes the inner flange 35 to peel off.

[0040] [Effects of the embodiment] According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. (1) In the roof side structure, two reinforcing beads 42 are provided in the bead 40 of the rail inner panel 31. Therefore, the bead 40 is reinforced by the reinforcing beads 42. Even if an external force from below is applied to the corner portion 27, the reinforcing beads 42 can prevent the bead 40 from deforming upward so as to bend. This can prevent the inner flange 35 from deforming so as to be pulled up in response to the deformation of the bead 40. As a result, stress generated at the weld point 38 due to deformation of the inner flange 35 can be prevented, and therefore, cracks can be prevented from occurring at the weld point 38.

[0041] (2) The roof side rail 30 has an auxiliary bead 43 provided at a position forwardly spaced from the bead 40. The auxiliary bead 43 reinforces the rail inner panel 31 at a position forwardly spaced from the bead 40. This prevents the inner flange 35 below the auxiliary bead 43 from being deformed, thereby preventing stress from being generated that would cause the weld point 38 to peel off.

[0042] (3) In the rail inner panel 31, a base 50 for attaching an interior component bulges out above the auxiliary bead 43. The base 50 is aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle with respect to the auxiliary bead 43. The base 50 can be used to reinforce the auxiliary bead 43, so deformation of the inner flange 35 below the auxiliary bead 43 can be more effectively suppressed.

[0043] (4) The reinforcing bead 42 can be molded integrally with the bead 40 when the rail inner panel 31 is molded. The reinforcing bead 42 can suppress the generation of stress at the welding point 38, thereby suppressing the occurrence of cracks at the welding point 38. For example, the weight of the vehicle 10 can be reduced compared to a case in which the thickness of the rail inner panel 31 is increased to suppress deformation of the inner flange 35 and suppress the occurrence of cracks at the welding point 38.

[0044] [Example of change] This embodiment can be modified as follows: This embodiment and the following modifications can be combined and implemented within the scope of technical compatibility.

[0045] The auxiliary bead 43 does not have to be provided on the rail inner panel 31. The base 50 does not have to be located above the auxiliary bead 43. In other words, the auxiliary bead 43 and the base 50 do not have to be aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

[0046] The number of reinforcing beads 42 provided on the bead 40 may be three or more. The reinforcing bead 42 may bulge out from the vertical wall portion 40a of the bead 40 in the vertical direction of the vehicle. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 10...vehicle, 12...side wall portion, 15...C-pillar, 17...rear door opening, 27...corner portion, 30...roof side rail, 31...rail inner panel, 32...main body, 33...extension portion, 35...inner flange, 38...welding point, 40...bead, 42...reinforcing bead, 43...auxiliary bead, 50...base, 51...rail outer panel, 53...outer flange.

Claims

1. a side wall portion forming a C-pillar extending in a vehicle up-down direction, and a roof side rail extending forward from an upper end of the side wall portion in the vehicle up-down direction; a rear door opening defined in a rear portion of the vehicle body has a corner portion formed by the C-pillar and the roof side rail, the roof side rail is formed by welding together an inner panel on an interior side of the vehicle, the inner panel having an inner flange that aligns with the rear door opening, and an outer panel on an exterior side of the vehicle, the outer flange having an outer flange that aligns with the rear door opening, and has a plurality of welding points where the outer flange and the inner flange are spot-welded together; The inner panel is the inner flange, a main body extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction, an extension portion extending from a rear end of the main body toward the C-pillar, and a bead formed by a portion of the main body bulging toward the vehicle interior along the corner portion; the inner flange extends from the main body and the extension portion and along the corner portion; A roof side structure for a vehicle, wherein a cross section taken along a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the bead is formed into a hat shape by the bead, the main body continuing above the bead, and the inner flange continuing below the bead, The inner panel has a plurality of reinforcing beads that bulge from the bead toward the vehicle interior and extend in the perpendicular direction.

2. 2. The vehicle roof side structure according to claim 1, wherein the inner panel further comprises an auxiliary bead that bulges out from the main body toward the vehicle interior at a position forward and spaced apart from the bead.

3. 3. The vehicle roof side structure according to claim 2, wherein the inner panel has a base that bulges from the main body toward the interior of the vehicle for mounting interior parts, and the auxiliary beads are aligned in the vertical direction of the vehicle relative to the base.

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