Upper vehicle-body structure of vehicle

Abstract

To suppress distortion of a roof panel without sacrificing vehicle body rigidity and strength reliability in the roof panel provided with a sun roof opening.SOLUTION: A plurality of joint flange parts 12 having spot welding parts 13 spot-welded in a vehicle width direction to a roof reinforcement 5 reinforcing a hanging flange part 11 and hanging down are provided along an opening edge part 7 on the hanging flange part 11 hanging down from the opening edge part 7 of a sunroof opening 6 having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view in a roof panel 3. The joining flange portion 12 includes a first joining flange portion 12a, and a second joining flange portion 12a adjacent to the first joining flange portion 12a on a side opposite to a side of the corner portion 8 of the sunroof opening 6 with respect to the first joining flange portion 12b in an opening edge portion direction along the opening edge portion 7, and between the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b, a notch 14 is provided in an upward concave shape so as to divide the spot-welded portion 13 in the opening edge portion direction SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an upper body structure of a vehicle having a roof panel with a sunroof opening. [Background technology]

[0002] In an upper body structure of a vehicle equipped with a roof panel with a sunroof opening, a reinforcing panel that reinforces the edge of the sunroof opening is usually provided along the edge from the passenger compartment side. When joining the reinforcing panel to the edge of the sunroof opening of the roof panel, as exemplified in Patent Document 1, the two components are often joined by spot welding in the vertical direction while the reinforcing panel is superimposed on the edge of the sunroof opening from the passenger compartment side.

[0003] Specifically, the tip of the gun, also called the tip (electrode) of the fixed welding gun (rod part) and the movable welding gun (arm part) provided on the welding jig, applies pressure to the parts to be joined of both parts by clamping them from above and below, and then spot welding the parts to be joined.

[0004] In response to this, it is conceivable to provide a hanging flange portion on the roof panel that hangs down from the edge of the sunroof opening toward the passenger compartment, and spot weld the hanging flange portion to a reinforcing panel that overlaps the hanging flange portion in the vehicle width direction in the vehicle width direction. However, in this case, the movable and fixed welding guns would be affected by downward deflection due to their own weights acting in a downward direction that differs from the pressure direction along the vehicle width direction, and therefore, during spot welding in the vehicle width direction, the tips of the guns may apply pressure to the joint locations of both components while being misaligned relative to each other in the vertical direction.

[0005] In this case, at the joining point, the hanging flange portion, which has lower rigidity than the reinforcing panel, will be subjected to an external force (displacement force) that will cause it to shift in position in the vertical direction from the tip of the gun, which may result in distortion of the outer surface of the edge of the opening in the roof panel equipped with the hanging flange portion. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-142927 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] This invention has been made in consideration of these problems, and aims to provide an upper body structure for a vehicle that suppresses distortion of the outer surface of a roof panel provided with a sunroof opening without sacrificing the rigidity and strength reliability of the vehicle body. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The upper body structure of a vehicle of this invention comprises a roof panel having a sunroof opening that is approximately rectangular in a plan view of the vehicle, a hanging flange portion hanging down from the edge of the sunroof opening, and a reinforcing panel that reinforces at least the hanging flange portion at the edge of the sunroof opening, the hanging flange portion having a spot weld joined to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction by spot welding and provided with a plurality of joining flange portions hanging down along the edge of the sunroof opening in the opening edge direction, the joining flange portions comprising a first joining flange portion and a second joining flange portion adjacent to the first joining flange portion on the opposite side of the corner of the sunroof opening in the opening edge direction, and a notch recessed upward between the first joining flange portion and the second joining flange portion so as to divide the joining flange portions in the opening edge direction.

[0009] According to the above configuration, in the roof panel provided with the sunroof opening, distortion of the outer surface of the roof panel can be suppressed without sacrificing the rigidity and strength reliability of the vehicle body. In detail, the first joining flange portion, which is located closer to the corner of the sunroof opening than the second joining flange portion and therefore has higher rigidity than the second joining flange portion, can be formed into a strip shape that is separated in the direction of the opening edge relative to the second joining flange portion via the notch.

[0010] As a result, even if an external force (displacement force) in the vertical direction that displaces the first joint flange portion in the vertical direction with respect to the reinforcing panel is applied to the first joint flange portion during spot welding to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction, the external force can be absorbed. In other words, the deformability of the first joint flange portion in response to distortion in the vertical direction due to an external force (i.e., the ability to restore to the shape before distortion) can be improved.

[0011] Therefore, by setting the first joining flange portion closer to the corner of the sunroof opening than the second joining flange portion, the rigidity of the first joining flange portion can be ensured, and even if a vertical shear force occurs on the first joining flange portion relative to the reinforcing panel when the first joining flange portion is spot welded to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction, the shear force can be absorbed, thereby suppressing residual distortion on the outer surface of the roof panel having the first joining flange portion.

[0012] Here, in the present invention, the sunroof unit mounted in the sunroof opening may have a light-transmitting panel that is either movable or fixed, and if it is movable, it is sufficient that it is configured to open at least a portion of the sunroof opening.

[0013] As an aspect of the present invention, the first joining flange portion may be configured to be located closest to the corner portion among the plurality of joining flange portions. According to the above configuration, the first joining flange portion, which is located closest to the corner portion among the plurality of joining flange portions in the opening edge direction, has the highest rigidity among the plurality of joining flange portions.

[0014] Therefore, the rigidity of the first joining flange portion can be firmly secured while achieving the above-mentioned effect of providing the notch between the first joining flange portion and the second joining flange portion, that is, being able to absorb distortion that occurs when the first joining flange portion is spot welded to the roof rain in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] Here, the first joint flange portion may be located at the corner portion itself or in the vicinity of the corner portion, as long as it is located on the side of the corner portion in the direction of the opening edge portion.

[0016] As a further aspect of the present invention, a step portion forming a step shape in the thickness direction of the first joining flange portion may be provided near a base portion of the first joining flange portion. According to the above configuration, when the first joining flange portion of the roof panel is spot welded to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction, even if an external force in the downward direction is input from the welding gun to the first joining flange portion, the displacement caused by the downward pull can be absorbed by the step portion.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention, the spot welded portion of the first joining flange portion may be joined at a distance below the step portion. According to the above configuration, at the spot weld portion, thermal distortion that occurs during spot welding between the first joining flange portion and the reinforcing panel overlapping the first joining flange portion can be prevented from being transmitted beyond the step portion to the upper outer surface of the roof panel.

[0018] As an aspect of this invention, the first joining flange portion and the reinforcing panel spot-welded to the first joining flange portion at the spot weld portion both have a corner side edge portion that rises from below the spot weld portion on the corner side in the direction of the opening edge portion, and the corner side edge portion of the first joining flange portion rises above the step portion and is located on the opposite side of the corner side than the corner side edge portion of the reinforcing panel.

[0019] According to the above configuration, the corner side edge portion of the first joining flange portion is located on the opposite side of the corner side than the corner side edge portion of the reinforcing panel in the direction of the opening edge portion, so that the step portion can be interrupted at a position closer to the spot weld in the direction of the opening edge portion, compared to a conventional structure in which the corner side edge portion of the first joining flange portion is located closer to the corner side than the corner side edge portion of the reinforcing panel, for example.

[0020] This further enhances the effect of providing the step portion, which is that even when an external force in a downward direction is input to the first joining flange portion from a welding gun when spot welding the first joining flange portion to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction, the step portion can increase the absorbency of the displacement of the first joining flange portion in the downward direction.

[0021] In another aspect of the present invention, the edge of the sunroof opening has an arc-shaped opening edge portion corresponding to the corner, and a straight opening edge portion that connects the ends of adjacent arc-shaped opening edge portions along the direction of the opening edge in a more linear manner than the arc-shaped opening edge portions, and the first joining flange portion may be provided on the straight opening edge portion of the arc-shaped opening edge portion and the straight opening edge portion.

[0022] According to the above configuration, by providing the first joint flange portion on the opening edge straight portion, which has lower rigidity than the opening edge arc-shaped portion, the ability of the first joint flange portion to absorb distortion in the vertical direction relative to the reinforcing panel when the first joint flange portion is spot-welded to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction can be improved, thereby further suppressing distortion of the outer surface of the roof panel including the first joint flange portion.

[0023] As a further aspect of the present invention, the base portion of the first joining flange portion may be formed into a constricted shape when viewed from the front. According to the above configuration, the rigidity of the base of the first joint flange portion against a load in the vertical direction can be reduced, and therefore, when the first joint flange portion is spot-welded to the reinforcing panel in the vehicle width direction, the ability of the first joint flange portion to absorb distortion in the vertical direction of the reinforcing panel can be improved, thereby further suppressing distortion of the roof panel having the first joint flange portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0024] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an upper body structure for a vehicle that suppresses distortion of the outer surface of a roof panel provided with a sunroof opening without sacrificing the rigidity and strength reliability of the vehicle body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an external view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, which is provided with a roof outer panel having a sunroof opening, as viewed from the rear. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of a roof panel equipped with the upper body structure of this embodiment; [Figure 3] Rear view of the roof panel [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the roof panel of this embodiment, viewed from above on the left side of the vehicle. [Figure 5] (a) is an enlarged view of region Xa in Figure 4, and (b) is an enlarged view of region Xb in Figure 5(a). [Figure 6] 6(a) is a perspective view of the right and rear edge of the sunroof opening as viewed from below, and FIG. 6(b) is an enlarged view of area Xc in FIG. 6(a). [Figure 7] FIG. 5B is an enlarged view showing a modified example of the upper body structure of the present embodiment. [Figure 8] An enlarged view of the conventional upper body structure corresponding to Figure 5(a) [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the problem of spot welding a roof panel and a roof rain along the vehicle width direction, using a jig for spot welding. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, arrow F indicates the front of the vehicle, arrow U indicates the upper side of the vehicle, arrow U indicates the widthwise direction of the vehicle, arrow Wr indicates the right side of the vehicle, arrow Wl indicates the left side of the vehicle, arrow IN indicates the inside of the vehicle width direction (towards the passenger compartment), and arrow OUT indicates the outside of the vehicle width direction. In the following description, the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions refer to the front, rear, left, right, up, and down directions of the vehicle body, respectively, unless otherwise specified, and the above directions of the vehicle body are based on the position of a passenger seated in the driver's seat. In the drawings, "x" marks indicate major spot weld locations, and "o" marks surrounding "x" marks indicate the welding area. In the following description, "reinforcement" will be abbreviated to "rein."

[0027] As shown in FIG. 1, an upper vehicle body structure 1 of this embodiment is provided on a roof portion 2 of a vehicle V, which is an automobile. The roof portion 2 includes a roof panel 3, roof side rails 4, a roof rain 5 (see FIG. 3), and a sunroof unit 10. The roof portion 2 has a symmetrical structure, and the structure of the right side of the vehicle V will be mainly described.

[0028] The roof panel 3 is a metal outer plate arranged on the ceiling side of the vehicle compartment facing upward. As shown in Fig. 2, the roof panel 3 has a sunroof opening 6 that is generally rectangular in plan view and elongated in the front-to-rear direction relative to the vehicle width direction, formed at least directly above the driver's seat and passenger seat. The edge 7 of the sunroof opening 6 (hereinafter abbreviated as "opening edge 7") has an opening front edge 7a that runs along the front edge of the sunroof opening 6, an opening rear edge 7b that runs along the rear edge, and opening side edge 7c that runs along each of the left and right side edges. Of these, the opening side edge 7c is formed spaced inward in the vehicle width direction relative to the roof side rails 4 (see Fig. 1).

[0029] 2 and 3, the opening edge 7 has rounded opening edge portions 7R where four corners (also called corners) 8 in the front-rear and left-right directions of the sunroof opening 6 are rounded, and opening edge straight portions 7S that linearly connect the ends 7Rt of the four rounded opening edge portions 7R. The opening edge straight portions 7S extend more linearly than the corners 8.

[0030] The opening edge straight portion 7S has opening edge straight portions 7Sc on each of the left and right sides that connect the ends 7Rt of the front and rear opening edge R-shaped portions 7R in the fore-and-aft direction, and opening edge straight portions 7Sa, 7Sb on each of the front and rear sides that connect the ends 7Rt of the left and right opening edge R-shaped portions 7R in the vehicle width direction.

[0031] In this example, the left and right opening edge R-shaped portions 7Ra on the front side are formed with the same curvature, and the left and right opening edge R-shaped portions 7Rb on the rear side are formed with the same curvature, but the rear opening edge R-shaped portion 7Rb is formed with a larger curvature (i.e., a smaller radius of curvature) than the front opening edge R-shaped portion 7Ra.

[0032] As shown in Fig. 4, the roof panel 3 is formed with a hanging flange portion 11 (only the right side of the vehicle is shown) that hangs down from the inner ends of the left and right opening side edge portions 7c in the vehicle width direction. The hanging flange portion 11 is formed along the opening side edge portions 7c and has a surface that faces the sunroof opening 6. The hanging flange portion 11 will be described later.

[0033] The roof side rails 4 extend in the front-rear direction along the side edges of the roof panel 3, with their front-rear middle portions arching upward on both sides. The roof side rails 4 are framework members that include an outer panel 41, an inner panel (not shown), and a rein (not shown), and have a closed cross section extending in the front-rear direction between the inner panel and the rein. As shown in FIG. 1 , the front end of the roof side rails 4 is joined to the upper end of a front pillar 91, the rear end of the roof side rails 4 is joined to the upper end of a rear pillar 92, and the middle of the roof side rails 4 is joined to the upper end of an intermediate pillar 93.

[0034] In addition, the outer edge flange portion 19 formed on the outer edge of the roof panel 3 in the vehicle width direction is overlapped and joined in the vertical direction together with the inner edge flange portions (not shown) that protrude inward in the vehicle width direction from each of the outer panel 41, inner panel (not shown) and rain (not shown) of the roof side rail 4.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the roof rain 5 is attached to the underside (compartment side) of the roof panel 3 along an opening edge 7 of the roof panel 3, and reinforces the opening edge 7. The roof rain 5 includes an opening leading edge rain 51, an opening trailing edge rain 52, left and right opening side edge rains 53, and left and right rear corner rains 54. The opening leading edge rain 51 is a metal plate that extends linearly in the vehicle width direction along the opening leading edge portion 7a.

[0036] The opening trailing edge rain 52 is a metal plate that extends linearly in the vehicle width direction along the opening trailing edge 7b. The opening side edge rain 53 is a metal plate that extends mainly in the longitudinal direction, including the opening side edge 7c and its front and rear corners 8F, 8R. The rear corner rain 54 is a metal plate that extends in a substantially L-shape along the left and right opening edge R-shaped portions 7Rb on the rear side, and is fixed to the underside of the opening side edge rain 53, as shown in Figures 3 and 6(a).

[0037] The opening leading edge rain 51, the opening trailing edge rain 52, and the rear corner rain 54 are provided with a plurality of reinforcing beads 51a, 52a, 54a extending along the vehicle width direction. Of these rains 51, 52, 54, the opening leading edge rain 51 and the opening trailing edge rain 52 are attached from below to the opening leading edge portion 7a and the opening trailing edge portion 7b along the trailing edge, respectively.

[0038] The opening side edge rein 53 is connected to the roof side rail 4 and the hanging flange portion 11 of the roof panel 3 at the opening side edge portion 7c. In detail, as shown in Figures 3 and 6(a), a plurality of outer edge flange portions 57 that protrude outward in the vehicle width direction are arranged at the outer end of the opening side edge rein 53 in the vehicle width direction and are spaced apart from each other in the front-to-rear direction. Although not shown, the outer edge flange portions 57 of the opening side edge rein 53 are joined by spot welding to the inner edge flange portion 4a of the roof side rail 4 in a vertically overlapping manner together with the outer edge flange portion 19 of the roof panel 3.

[0039] Meanwhile, a rain-side depending flange portion 55 hangs down from the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the opening side edge rain 53. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 6(a), the rain-side depending flange portion 55 is disposed so that substantially the entirety of the rain-side depending flange portion 55 overlaps with the depending flange portion 11 from the outer side in the vehicle width direction. The depending flange portion 11 of the roof panel 3 and the rain-side depending flange portion 55 of the opening side edge rain 53 are joined by spot welding at multiple locations along the opening side edge portion 7c.

[0040] As described above, by spot welding the hanging flange portion 11 and the rain side hanging flange portion 55, which both hang down from the opening side edge portion 7c, both members 4, 53 can be joined by spot welding in the vehicle width direction.As a result, at the spot welded portion 13, for example, the vertical load from the sunroof unit 10 can be resisted by the shear direction joining force, thereby increasing the vertical support rigidity of the sunroof unit 10. The joining structure between the hanging flange portion 11 and the rain side hanging flange portion 55 will be described later together with the shape of the hanging flange portion 11.

[0041] The sunroof unit 10 includes a sunroof glass 10a (see FIG. 1) that covers at least a portion of the sunroof opening 6, a pair of left and right guide rails (not shown) that guide the sunroof glass 10a so that it can slide back and forth, a sunroof frame that supports the guide rails along the left and right edges of the sunroof opening 6, and a sunshade that can cover the sunroof glass 10a from the passenger compartment side.

[0042] In the sunroof unit 10, the sunroof frame is attached to the opening edge 7 from below via the roof rain 5. For example, the sunroof frame is configured as a rectangular frame that follows the periphery of the sunroof opening 6, and side frame portions extending in the front-to-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the frame are attached to the underside of the opening side edge rain 53 via brackets 95 (see FIG. 6(a)).

[0043] Next, the shape of the above-mentioned hanging flange portion 11 and the joining structure with the rain-side hanging flange portion 55 will be described. As shown in Figures 4, 5(a), and 6(a), the hanging flange portion 11 is formed into a protruding piece shape by being bent downward at an angle of approximately 90 degrees relative to the left and right opening side edge portions 7c of the sunroof opening 6 by bending the roof panel 3, etc.

[0044] Furthermore, by providing the roof panel 3 with a hanging flange portion 11 at the inner end of the left and right opening side edge portions 7c of the sunroof opening 6 in the vehicle width direction, the opening side edge portions 7c can be made to have an L-shaped cross section along the vehicle width direction, thereby improving the rigidity of the roof panel 3 compared to when it is flat and does not have the hanging flange portions 11.

[0045] As shown in Figure 4, the hanging flange portion 11 comprises a front hanging flange portion 11F located on the front side, separated by a front-to-rear middle portion at the opening side edge portion 7c extending in the front-to-rear direction, and a rear hanging flange portion 11R located on the rear side, and these front and rear hanging flange portions 11 are formed spaced apart from each other.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, the front-side hanging flange portion 11F and the rear-side hanging flange portion 11R are symmetrical with respect to a virtual line extending along the vehicle width direction at the midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction of the sunroof opening 6. Therefore, the following description of the hanging flange portion 11 will be based on the rear-side hanging flange portion 11R. A plurality of joining flange portions 12 are provided along the opening side edge portion 7c of the hanging flange portion 11. The joining flange portions 12 have spot welds 13 that are spot welded to the rain side hanging flange portion 55.

[0047] In this example, the hanging flange portion 11 has two joining flange portions 12: a first joining flange portion 12a and a second joining flange portion 12b adjacent to the first joining flange portion 12a on the side opposite the rear corner portion 8R of the sunroof opening 6 in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c (i.e., the front side in the rear hanging flange portion 11R).

[0048] 5(a) and 6(a), the depending flange portion 11 is provided only on the opening edge straight portion 7S of the opening edge straight portion 7S and the rounded opening edge portion 7R over the entire length in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c of the depending flange portion 11. That is, the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b are both provided on the opening edge straight portion 7Sc on each of the left and right sides, and of these joining flange portions 12a, 12b, the first joining flange portion 12a is provided closer to the rear corner 8R of the sunroof opening 6 than the second joining flange portion 12b in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c.

[0049] 5(a)(b) and 6(a)(b), a notch 14 is provided between the first and second joining flange portions 12a and 12b, and is recessed upward so as to divide these joining flange portions 12a and 12b (i.e., the hanging flange portion 11) in the direction along the opening edge portion 7. The notch 14 is provided at a position closer to the first joining flange portion 12a than the second joining flange portion 12b.

[0050] As a result, the second joining flange portion 12b is formed in the shape of a long protrusion along the opening side edge portion 7c compared to its downward protruding length, while the first joining flange portion 12a is formed in the shape of a strip when viewed from the front (when viewed from the side of the sunroof opening 6).

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 6(a), a step 15 is provided in the vicinity of the base of the hanging flange portion 11, forming a step in the thickness direction of the hanging flange portion 11. 4, step 15 extends the entire length along opening-side edge 7c at the base of depending flange 11. Specifically, step 15 is formed continuously along opening-side edge 7c, including the bases of first and second joining flanges 12a and 12b, as well as the portion between them that corresponds to notch 14.

[0052] In other words, the notch 14 is recessed upward to a depth that does not divide the step 15 in the direction along the opening side edge 7c. The step 15 along the opening side edge 7c is provided near the base of the first joining flange 12a and near the base of the second joining flange 12b.

[0053] As a result, the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b are both formed in a stepped shape in the plate thickness direction (vehicle width direction) so that the tip portion (lower portion) of the step portion 15 is positioned further outward in the vehicle width direction than the portion above the step portion 15. That is, the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b are disposed adjacent to the rain side hanging flange portion 55 so as to be able to be spot welded to the rain side hanging flange portion 55.

[0054] As shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 6(b), the depending flange portion 11 has a plurality of spot welds 13 that are spot welded to the rain-side depending flange portion 55 along the opening-side edge portion 7c. The spot welds 13 include at least a first spot weld 13a and a second spot weld 13b, which are arranged in this order from the rear corner 8R side in the direction along the opening side edge 7c.

[0055] First spot weld 13a is located approximately in the center of strip-shaped first joining flange portion 12a in a front view, and is therefore located closest to rear corner 8R (in this example, relative to second spot weld 13b) among the multiple spot welds 13. First spot weld 13a is also located below and spaced apart from step 15. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5(b), upper end 13aa of first spot weld 13a (heat-affected zone by spot welding) is located below lower end 15d of step 15.

[0056] 5(a)(b) and 6(a), in this example, rain-side hanging flange portion 55 is formed in a substantially standing wave shape at a position along opening-side edge portion 7c that corresponds to hanging flange portion 11. More specifically, rain-side hanging flange portion 55 has a plurality of protruding portions 56 arranged along opening-side edge portion 7c, each protruding by a length equal to or slightly shorter than the downward protrusion length of hanging flange portion 11.

[0057] The first joining flange portion 12a roughly overlaps with the protrusion portion 56a (hereinafter referred to as the "first protrusion portion 56a") that is located closest to the rear corner portion 8R in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c among the multiple protrusion portions 56 in the rain side hanging flange portion 55 having the steady wave shape described above, and is joined to the first protrusion portion 56a by the first spot weld portion 13a.

[0058] Here, as shown in Figure 5(b), the edge portion 16b (also referred to as the corner side edge portion 16b) on the side of the rear corner portion 8R of the first joining flange portion 12a in this example rises from the lower end portion upward above the base (step portion 15) so as to interrupt the step portion 15 along the opening side edge portion 7c.

[0059] 8, edge 160b (also referred to as corner-side edge 160b) on the rear corner 8R side of conventional depending flange portion 110 also rises upward from the lower end beyond step 150, similar to edge 16b on the rear corner 8R side of first joining flange portion 12a of the present example. However, edge 160b on the rear corner 8R side of conventional depending flange portion 110 is located closer to the rear corner 8R than edge 580b on the rear corner 8R side of first protruding portion 560a of rain-side depending flange portion 550 of opening-side edge rain 530.

[0060] In contrast, as shown in Figures 5(b) and 6(b), in this example, the edge portion 16b on the side of the rear corner 8R of the first joining flange portion 12a rises more steeply in a front view (viewed from the sunroof opening 6 side) than the edge portion 58b on the side of the rear corner 8R of the first protrusion portion 56a, and is located on the opposite side (front side) of the rear corner 8R side than the edge portion 58b.

[0061] In addition, the edge 17b on the rear corner 8R side of the second joining flange portion 12b overlaps with the adjacent protrusion 56b (hereinafter referred to as the "second protrusion 56b") on the opposite side (front side) of the rear corner 8R side of the first protrusion 56a in the direction along the opening side edge 7c, among the multiple protrusions 56 in the steady wave-shaped rain side hanging flange portion 55, and is joined to the overlapping portion by the second spot weld 13b. Furthermore, an edge 16a on the opposite side to the rear corner 8R of the first joining flange portion 12a that defines the notch 14 is formed steeper than an edge 17b of the second spot welded portion 13b.

[0062] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the upper body structure 1 of a vehicle V of this embodiment includes a roof panel 3 having a sunroof opening 6 that is approximately rectangular in plan view of the vehicle, a hanging flange portion 11 (see Figures 3 and 4) that hangs down from an opening edge portion 7 of the sunroof opening 6, and a roof rain 5 (see Figure 3) that serves as a reinforcing panel that reinforces at least the hanging flange portion 11 of the opening edge portion 7.

[0063] As shown in Figures 5(a) and 6(a), the hanging flange portion 11 is provided with a plurality of joining flange portions 12 along the opening edge portion 7, each of which has spot welds 13 spot welded to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction. The joining flange portions 12 each have a first joining flange portion 12a and a second joining flange portion 12b adjacent to the first joining flange portion 12a on the opposite side (front side) of the rear corner portion 8R of the sunroof opening 6 relative to the first joining flange portion 12a in the direction along the opening edge portion 7 (front-rear direction).

[0064] As shown in Figures 5(b) and 6(b), between the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b there is a notch 14 that is concave upward so as to divide these joining flange portions 12a, 12b in a direction along the opening edge portion 7.

[0065] According to the above-described configuration, in the roof panel 3 provided with the sunroof opening 6, distortion of the outer surface of the roof panel 3 can be suppressed without sacrificing the rigidity and strength reliability of the vehicle body.

[0066] More specifically, when spot welding the joining points between the vertically extending hanging flange portion 11 of the roof panel 3 and the rain-side hanging flange portion 55 of the roof rain 5, the joining points are spot welded in the vehicle width direction. At this time, as shown in Fig. 9, for example, the joining points are sandwiched and pressed from both sides in the vehicle width direction by gun tips 81a and 82a, also called tips (electrodes), of a fixed welding gun 81 and a movable welding gun 82 provided on a welding jig 80.

[0067] However, when spot welding the joining points in the vehicle width direction in this manner, for example, as shown in Fig. 9, the welding jig 80 is susceptible to variations in accuracy in the vertical direction due to its own weight. For this reason, there is a risk that the movable welding gun 82 that applies pressure to the hanging flange portion 11 will apply a vertical external force Fd (displacement force) that will displace the hanging flange portion 11 in the vertical direction relative to the roof rain 5, which has lower rigidity than the rain-side hanging flange portion 55.

[0068] Additionally, when applying pressure to the welding target area by clamping it from both sides in the vehicle width direction with the welding gun, the welding target area may be affected by variations in accuracy in the vertical direction due to the weight of welding jig 80, and may be pressed by, for example, movable welding gun 82 that is tilted slightly vertically relative to the vehicle width direction, which is the original pressure direction of gun tip 82a. As a result, there is a risk that the above-mentioned vertical external force Fd may be input to hanging flange portion 11.

[0069] 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the principle of how an external force Fd in the vertical direction is applied to the hanging flange portion 11 when spot welding the hanging flange portion 11 and the rain-side hanging flange portion 55 in the vehicle width direction. Also, in FIG. 9, the movable welding gun 82 is shown tilted relative to the rail 83 due to its own weight, and the hanging flange portion 11 is displaced downward, but for convenience, the tilt and the amount of displacement are exaggerated.

[0070] Here, first joining flange portion 12a of depending flange portion 11 is located closer to rear corner 8R of sunroof opening 6 than second joining flange portion 12b, and therefore has higher rigidity than second joining flange portion 12b. When attempting to join such first joining flange portion 12a by spot welding to rain-side depending flange portion 55 overlapping first joining flange portion 12a, first joining flange portion 12a may have a harder time absorbing vertical external force Fd input from movable-side welding gun 82, more specifically, vertical distortion caused by external force Fd, than second joining flange portion 12b (see depending flange portion 11 indicated by a solid line in FIG. 9 ).

[0071] As a result, distortion may occur on the outer surface of the opening edge 7 of the roof panel 3 corresponding to the location of the first joining flange portion 12a in the direction along the opening edge 7 (the outer surface shown in area Xa in Figure 4 or area Xd in Figure 9).

[0072] In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the first joining flange portion 12a, which has high rigidity because it is located closer to the rear corner 8R of the sunroof opening 6 than the second joining flange portion 12b, is separated from the second joining flange portion 12b in a direction along the opening edge portion 7 via a notch 14.

[0073] As a result, even if the external force Fd occurs in the vertical direction of the first joining flange portion 12a relative to the roof rain 5 when the first joining flange portion 12a is spot-welded to the roof rain 5 in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, the external force Fd can be absorbed without being strained by the first joining flange portion 12a. This makes it possible to suppress distortion on the outer surface of the roof panel 3 having the first joining flange portion 12a.

[0074] Therefore, even if an external force Fd in the vertical direction (i.e., vertical distortion due to the external force Fd) occurs on the first joining flange portion 12a relative to the roof rain 5 when the first joining flange portion 12a is spot welded to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction, residual distortion on the outer surface of the roof panel 3 having the first joining flange portion 12a can be suppressed.

[0075] On the other hand, by setting the first joining flange portion 12a at a position closer to the rear corner 8R of the sunroof opening 6 than the second joining flange portion 12b, the rigidity of the first joining flange portion 12a can be ensured, thereby ensuring the strength of the opening edge portion 7 and, ultimately, the supporting rigidity of the sunroof unit 10.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), a step portion 15 having a stepped shape in the thickness direction of the first joining flange portion 12a is provided near the base of the first joining flange portion 12a along the opening side edge portion 7c.

[0077] According to the above configuration, when spot welding the hanging flange portion 11 of the roof panel 3 to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction, even if an external force Fd in the downward direction is input to the hanging flange portion 11 from the movable welding gun 82, for example, the displacement caused by the downward pull can be absorbed by the step portion 15.

[0078] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the first spot welded portion 13a of the first joining flange portion 12a is joined downwardly away from the step portion 15.

[0079] According to the above configuration, at the first spot weld portion 13a, thermal strain that occurs during spot welding between the first joining flange portion 12a and the roof rain 5 that overlaps the first joining flange portion 12a can be prevented from being transmitted beyond the step portion 15 to the upper outer surface of the roof panel 3.

[0080] 5(b) and 6(b), first joint flange portion 12a and first protruding portion 56a of rain-side hanging flange portion 55 spot-welded to first joint flange portion 12a at first spot weld 13a both have edge portions 16b, 58b (i.e., corner-side edge portions 16b, 58b) that rise from below first spot weld 13a upward on the rear corner 8R side of sunroof opening 6 in the direction along opening edge 7. Edge portion 16b of first joint flange portion 12a rises above step portion 15 and is located on the opposite side (front side) of rear corner 8R from edge portion 58b on the rear corner 8R side of first protruding portion 56a.

[0081] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8, the edge portion 160b on the rear corner 8R side of the conventional hanging flange portion 110 is located closer to the rear corner 8R side (rear side) than the edge portion 580b (also referred to as the corner side edge portion 580b) on the rear corner 8R side of the first protrusion portion 560 of the rain side hanging flange portion 550.

[0082] In contrast, as described above, the edge portion 16b of the first joining flange portion 12a in this example is located on the opposite side (forward) of the rear corner 8R than the edge portion 58b on the rear corner 8R side of the first protrusion portion 56 of the rain side hanging flange portion 55 (see Figure 5(b)), so that the step portion 15 can be interrupted at a position closer to the first spot weld 13a in the direction along the opening edge portion 7 compared to the edge portion 160b on the rear corner 8R side of the conventional hanging flange portion 110 (see Figure 8).

[0083] In other words, the step portion 15 in this example ends at a position closer to the first spot weld 13a in the direction along the opening edge portion 7 than the conventional step portion 150, making it easier to displace by pulling down with an external force Fd. Therefore, even if an external force Fd in the downward direction is input from the movable welding gun 82 when spot welding the first joining flange portion 12a of the roof panel 34 to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction, the step portion 15 can further increase the absorbency of displacement caused by the downward pulling of the first joining flange portion 12a.

[0084] In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figures 5(a) and 6(a), the opening edge portion 7 has an opening edge R-shaped portion 7R as an opening edge arc-shaped portion corresponding to the rear corner portion 8R, and an opening edge straight portion 7S that connects the ends 7Rt of adjacent opening edge R-shaped portions 7R in a straight line along the opening edge portion 7, and the first joining flange portion 12a is provided on the opening edge straight portion 7S of the opening edge R-shaped portion 7R and the opening edge straight portion 7S.

[0085] According to the above configuration, by providing the first joining flange portion 12a at the opening edge straight portion 7S, which has lower rigidity than the R corner portion corresponding to the rear corner portion 8R, at the opening edge portion 7, the ability of the first joining flange portion 12a to absorb vertical distortion relative to the roof rain 5 when the first joining flange portion 12a is spot welded to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction can be improved, thereby further suppressing distortion of the roof panel 3 having the hanging flange portion 11.

[0086] In correspondence between the configuration of this invention and the above-described embodiments, the reinforcing panel corresponds to the roof rain 5, and similarly, the opening edge arc-shaped portion corresponds to the opening edge R-shaped portion 7R, but this invention is not limited to only the configuration of the above-described embodiments, and many embodiments can be obtained.

[0087] For example, as shown in Fig. 7, the base of the first joint flange portion 12a' in the modified example may be formed to have a constricted shape when viewed from the front. That is, the first joint flange portion 12a' in the modified example has constricted portions 31 formed at both front and rear ends of the base, which are recessed from the periphery toward the center in the front-to-rear direction.

[0088] According to the above configuration, the rigidity of the base of the first joint flange portion 12a' against a load in the vertical direction can be reduced. This increases the ability of the first joint flange portion 12a to absorb distortion in the vertical direction relative to the roof rain 5 when the first joint flange portion 12a is spot-welded to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction, thereby further suppressing distortion of the roof panel 3 having the hanging flange portion 11.

[0089] The present invention can have many other embodiments. For example, when three or more joining flange portions 12 are provided in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c, it is preferable that the first joining flange portion 12a is located closest to the corner portion 8 of the sunroof opening 6 among these joining flange portions 12.

[0090] According to this configuration, of the multiple joining flange portions 12 in the direction along the opening side edge portion 7c, the first joining flange portion 12a, which is located closest to the corner portion 8, has the highest rigidity among the multiple joining flange portions 12.

[0091] Therefore, the rigidity of the first joining flange portion 12a can be firmly ensured while achieving the above-mentioned effect of providing the notch 14 between the first joining flange portion 12a and the second joining flange portion 12b12b, that is, being able to absorb the distortion that occurs when the first joining flange portion 12a is spot welded to the roof rain 5 in the vehicle width direction.

[0092] Furthermore, as long as the first joining flange portion 12a is located closer to the corner 8 of the sunroof opening 6 than the second joining flange portion 12b, it may be located, for example, at the corner 8 of the sunroof opening 6 itself or in the vicinity of the corner 8 of the sunroof opening 6.

[0093] Furthermore, in the sunroof unit of the present invention, the light-transmitting panel such as the sunroof glass may be either movable or fixed, and if it is movable, it may be configured to open at least a portion of the sunroof opening. [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] V...Vehicle 3...Roof panel 5...Roof rain (reinforcement panel) 6...Sunroof opening 7...Edge of sunroof opening 7R...R-shaped opening edge (arc-shaped opening edge) 7Rt...End of R-shaped opening edge 7S...Straight opening edge 8... Corner of sunroof opening 11...Dropping flange 13...Spot weld 12,12'...Connection flange 12a, 12a'...first joining flange portion 12b...Second joining flange 14...notch 15...Double part 16b...Edge portion on the rear corner of the first joining flange portion 58b...Edge of rear corner of reinforcing panel

Claims

1. a roof panel having a sunroof opening that is generally rectangular in plan view of the vehicle, and a hanging flange portion that hangs down from an edge of the sunroof opening; a reinforcing panel that reinforces at least the hanging flange portion of the edge of the sunroof opening, The hanging flange portion has a plurality of joining flange portions that are joined to the reinforcing panel by spot welding in the vehicle width direction and that hang down along the edge of the sunroof opening, the joining flange portion includes a first joining flange portion and a second joining flange portion adjacent to the first joining flange portion on the opposite side of the corner portion of the sunroof opening with respect to the first joining flange portion in the opening edge direction, Between the first joining flange portion and the second joining flange portion, there is provided a notch recessed upward so as to divide these joining flange portions in the direction of the opening edge portion. The upper body structure of the vehicle.

2. The first joining flange portion is located closest to the corner portion among the plurality of joining flange portions. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1.

3. A step portion having a stepped shape in the plate thickness direction of the first joining flange portion is provided near the base portion of the first joining flange portion. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1.

4. The spot welded portion of the first joining flange portion is joined downwardly and spaced apart from the step portion. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 3.

5. The first joint flange portion and the reinforcing panel spot-welded to the first joint flange portion at the spot weld portion both have a corner-side edge portion rising from below the spot weld portion on the corner side in the opening edge portion direction, The corner-side edge portion of the first joining flange portion rises upward from the step portion and is located on the opposite side of the corner side from the corner-side edge portion of the reinforcing panel. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 3.

6. The edge of the sunroof opening has an arc-shaped opening edge portion corresponding to the corner portion, and an opening edge straight portion connecting ends of adjacent arc-shaped opening edge portions along the opening edge direction in a more linear manner than the arc-shaped opening edge portions, The first joining flange portion is provided on the opening edge straight portion of the opening edge arc-shaped portion and the opening edge straight portion. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to claim 1.

7. The base of the first joining flange portion is formed in a constricted shape when viewed from the front. The upper body structure of a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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