Vehicle roof carrier

Abstract

To provide a roof carrier for vehicle which does not require development of new other mold or suppresses requirement to minimum, when producing a new model of a vehicle, can easily construct a roof structure for a vehicle required, can allow the roof structure to be shared easily in various models of vehicles, for further facilitating development of a new model of a vehicle, and can be applied to a large item small scale production method effectively.SOLUTION: A roof carrier for vehicle comprises: a roof side tube which is provided on each of both sides of a vehicle body and extends along a cross direction of a vehicle to each of both sides of a rear roof rail on a rear side, from each of both sides of a cowl on a front side of a vehicle travel direction while forming a closed cross section; and one or more middle roof rails which extend along a lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a closed cross section, and are installed so as to couple roof side tubes on both sides, between the cowl and the rear roof rail.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] To provide a roof carrier for a vehicle, more particularly, to a roof carrier for a vehicle that is structured to easily configure a required vehicle roof structure while minimizing or eliminating the need for development of a new mold when producing a new vehicle model. [Background technology]

[0002] In a conventional monocoque body, a large number of parts are connected to each other in a complex structure to form the roof, and the shapes and connection structures of these parts differ for each vehicle model. Therefore, in order to construct the roof of one model of vehicle, a large number of dies are required to produce the parts to construct the roof, and in order to construct the roof of another model of vehicle, a series of dies must be produced separately because the dies cannot be shared.

[0003] Furthermore, as described above, manufacturing a vehicle roof using a large number of parts and an assembly structure that differs for each model results in poor workability. The matters described above as the background art are intended only to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention, and should not be construed as an admission that they constitute prior art already known to those of ordinary skill in the art. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0076462 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] To provide a roof carrier for a vehicle which can easily configure a required roof structure for a vehicle while not requiring the development of a new mold or the like when producing a new vehicle model, and can be easily shared among various vehicle models, thereby facilitating the development of new vehicle models and effectively adapting to a high-mix, low-volume production method. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the vehicle roof carrier of the present invention is characterized in comprising roof side tubes on both sides of the vehicle body extending along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from both sides of the cowl at the front of the vehicle's travel direction to both sides of the rear roof rails at the rear, while forming a closed cross-section, and one or more middle roof rails extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a closed cross-section, and installed between the cowl and the rear roof rail so as to connect the roof side tubes on both sides.

[0007] The one or more middle roof rails may include a first roof rail installed at a position supporting an upper end of a front windshield glass. The closed cross section of the roof side tube may have a shape in which a plurality of straight portions are sequentially connected by a plurality of bent portions to form a single closed curve.

[0008] The present invention provides a vehicle body having a windshield glass support panel that is connected to a section of the roof side tube from the cowl to the first roof rail so as to support the windshield glass; and a strip support panel coupled to the roof side tube to allow a pillar weather strip to be attached.

[0009] The closed cross section of the roof side tube may be integrally provided with a glass support portion capable of supporting the front windshield glass by itself, and a strip support panel may be connected to the roof side tube so that a pillar weather strip can be attached.

[0010] The cowl may be composed of a cowl upper member extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle in a predetermined closed cross-sectional shape including one or more closed curves extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and a cowl lower panel connected to the underside of the cowl upper member to divide the front and rear of the vehicle, and having at least a portion of the cowl lower panel having a predetermined cross-sectional structure along the lateral direction of the vehicle.

[0011] A glass mount bracket for mounting the front windshield glass may be connected to a front side of the first roof rail extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and a roof mount bracket for mounting a roof may be connected to a rear side of the first roof rail.

[0012] The one or more middle roof rails may include a second roof rail installed between the first roof rail and the rear roof rail, and a roof mount bracket for mounting a roof may be coupled to each of the front and rear of the second roof rail in the vehicle travel direction.

[0013] The roof mount bracket may have a recess that is locally recessed downward at a portion where the roof is joined to improve the joining performance of a sealer. The rear roof rail may extend along a lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a predetermined closed cross section including one or more closed curves.

[0014] A roof mount bracket for mounting a roof may be coupled to a front portion of the rear roof rail in a vehicle travel direction, and a tailgate mount bracket for mounting a tailgate may be coupled to a rear portion of the rear roof rail. Effect of the Invention

[0015] To provide an improved method for producing a new vehicle model by easily forming a required vehicle roof structure without requiring development of a new mold or by minimizing the need for development of a new mold when producing a new vehicle model, and by making the structure easily compatible with various vehicle models, the development of a new vehicle model can be facilitated and a high-mix low-volume production system can be effectively handled. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle roof carrier according to the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, which corresponds to an A-pillar portion of the vehicle. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2 according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cowl of FIG. 1 taken along line IV-IV. [Diagram 5] This shows the connection between the cowl and the roof side tube, and is an observation view taken from the V direction in FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the first roof rail taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 1. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view of the second roof rail taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the rear roof rail taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] 2 is a view showing the rear roof rail of FIG. 1 as viewed from direction IX. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 8 according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating an example of a process for assembling the vehicle roof carrier of FIG. 1. [Figure 12] 2 is a diagram showing a structure in which the middle roof rail in FIG. 1 is connected to a roof side tube, as viewed from above. FIG. [Figure 13]2 is a diagram showing a structure in which the middle roof rail in FIG. 1 is connected to a roof side tube, as viewed from below. FIG. [Figure 14] 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a side outer panel that can be joined to a side of the vehicle roof carrier of FIG. 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle roof carrier according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle roof carrier 1 of the present invention includes roof side tubes 7 on both sides of the vehicle body extending along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from both sides of the cowl 3 at the front in the vehicle travel direction to both sides of the rear roof rail 5 at the rear, while forming a closed cross section, and one or more middle roof rails 9 extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a closed cross section and installed so as to connect the roof side tubes 7 on both sides between the cowl 3 and the rear roof rail 5.

[0018] In other words, in the vehicle roof carrier 1 of the present invention, the A-pillar and roof side member, which are generally separate parts, are integrated into one part to form the roof side tube 7 having a hollow closed cross-section, and the cowl 3, middle roof rail 9, and rear roof rail 5, each of which has a hollow closed cross-section structure, are sequentially connected to the roof side tube 7 from the front to the rear in the vehicle travel direction of the roof side tube 7, thereby forming the integrated space frame structure shown in Figure 1.

[0019] The one or more middle roof rails 9 include a first roof rail 9-1 installed at a position supporting the upper end of the front windshield glass 11. That is, the middle roof rail 9 necessarily includes the first roof rail 9-1, but may or may not further include an additional middle roof rail 9 depending on the type or model of the vehicle. Incidentally, as will be described later, the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a second roof rail 9-2 which is an additional middle roof rail 9.

[0020] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II in FIG. 1, which corresponds to an A-pillar portion of a vehicle, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 2, relating to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the closed cross section of the roof side tube 7 has a shape in which a plurality of straight line portions are successively connected by a plurality of bent portions to form a single closed curve.

[0021] In particular, the closed cross section of the roof side tube 7 is not formed by joining two or more panels by welding as in the conventional case, but is formed by forming one tube by a hydroforming method or a hot blow method, so that a space frame structure can be constructed. The roof side tube 7 having the above-mentioned structure can be easily applied to other types or models of vehicles by extending or shortening its length.

[0022] In the embodiment of Fig. 2, a glass support panel 13 is coupled to the roof side tube 7 formed as described above so as to support the front windshield glass 11. Of course, the glass support panel 13 may be coupled only to the section of the roof side tube 7 from the cowl 3 to the first roof rail 9-1.

[0023] Further, a strip support panel 17 is connected to the underside of the roof side tube 7 so that a pillar weather strip 15 can be attached. Fig. 14 is a diagram illustrating a side outer panel that can be coupled to the side of the vehicle roof carrier of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 14, a side outer panel 19 as illustrated in Fig. 14 can be coupled to the outside of the roof side tube 7, and the side outer panel 19 can be made of a material such as plastic, allowing the exterior appearance of the vehicle to be freely formed.

[0024] For reference, as shown in FIG. 2, a front pillar trim 21 is installed inside the roof side tube 7, and an airbag 23, a wire ring 25, etc. may be installed in the space formed between the front pillar trim 21 and the roof side tube 7.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the closed cross section of the roof side tube 7 is integrally provided with a glass supporting portion 7-1 capable of supporting the front windshield glass 11 by itself. Therefore, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 2, the embodiment of FIG. 3 does not have a separate glass support panel, but has a structure in which only the strip support panel 17 is combined so that the pillar weather strip 15 can be attached, and the assembly process can be simplified compared to the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0026] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cowl taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 shows a connection portion between the cowl and the roof side tube, as viewed from the V direction shown in FIG. As shown in Figures 1, 4 and 5, the cowl 3 has a predetermined closed cross-sectional shape including one or more closed curves and is composed of a cowl upper member 3-1 extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and a cowl lower panel 3-2 connected to the underside of the cowl upper member 3-1 to divide the front and rear of the vehicle, and at least a portion of which has a predetermined cross-sectional structure along the lateral direction of the vehicle.

[0027] In this embodiment, the cowl upper member 3-1 has a closed cross-sectional shape containing two closed curves, and the closed cross-sectional shape as described above is a shape that simply extends along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and can be easily modified and applied to other types or models of vehicles by simply changing its length. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the cowl lower panel 3-2 has a predetermined cross-sectional structure of a simple panel shape as shown in FIG. 5 except for the left vent hole 27, and can be easily adapted to changes in vehicle type or model by simply changing its length.

[0028] Incidentally, in FIG. 5, a cowl joining bracket 29 as shown in the figure is provided at the joining portion between the roof side tube 7 and the cowl 3, so that matching between the roof side tube 7 and the cowl 3 can be easily performed.

[0029] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the first roof rail taken along line VI-VI in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, a glass mount bracket 31 for mounting the front windshield glass 11 is connected to the front side of the first roof rail 9-1 in the vehicle travel direction, and a roof mount bracket 33 for mounting a roof is connected to the rear side of the first roof rail 9-1.

[0030] As described above, in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the one or more middle roof rails 9 further include a second roof rail 9-2 disposed between the first roof rail 9-1 and the rear roof rail 5.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the second roof rail 9-2 taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 7, the second roof rail 9-2 has roof mount brackets 33 for mounting a roof attached to its front and rear ends in the vehicle travel direction. The roof mount brackets 33 have recesses 34 that are locally recessed downward at the portion where the roof is attached to improve the attachment performance of a sealer.

[0032] The rear roof rail 5 extends in the lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a predetermined closed cross section including one or more closed curves. Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the rear roof rail taken along line VIII-VIII in Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a view showing the rear roof rail of Fig. 1 observed from direction IX. As shown in Fig. 8, the rear roof rail 5 has a predetermined closed cross section including one closed curve extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle.

[0033] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a portion corresponding to FIG. 8 according to another embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, in another embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the rear roof rail 5 has a structure in which a predetermined closed cross section including four closed curves extends along the lateral direction of the vehicle.

[0034] The first roof rail 9-1, the second roof rail 9-2, and the rear roof rail 5 that make up the middle roof rail 9 each have a structure in which a predetermined closed cross-section extends along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and can be manufactured by methods such as roll forming or aluminum variable extrusion, and their lengths can be easily changed, making them easily applicable to other types or models of vehicles.

[0035] In other words, the vehicle roof carrier 1 as described above can be easily applied to other vehicle types or models by adjusting the lengths of the cowl 3, middle roof rail 9, and rear roof rail 5 in the lateral direction of the vehicle and by adjusting the length of the roof side tubes 7 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and can be easily shared among various vehicle types, which makes it easier to develop new vehicle types and can be effectively applied to a small-lot, multi-variety production method.

[0036] In addition, the above-mentioned vehicle roof carrier has a space frame structure in which all parts are connected to each other in the form of tubes, so that it is relatively light in weight and has relatively high rigidity. A roof mount bracket 33 for mounting a roof is connected to the front of the rear roof rail 5.

[0037] 8 to 10, a tailgate mount bracket 37 for mounting a tailgate 35 can be connected to the rear of the rear roof rail 5. However, depending on the vehicle model, a rear windshield glass may be mounted on the rear lower side of the rear roof rail 5. In this case, a bracket for supporting the rear windshield glass may be installed behind the rear roof rail 5.

[0038] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a process of assembling the vehicle roof carrier of FIG. FIG. 11 explains that the assembly process of the above-mentioned vehicle roof carrier 1 can be achieved by forming the cowl 3, the first roof rail 9-1, the second roof rail 9-2, and the rear roof rail 5, respectively, and joining them to the roof side tube 7, which has been formed separately, by welding or the like, to form the vehicle roof carrier 1.

[0039] Of course, the vehicle roof is completed by joining a roof panel (not shown) to the upper side of the vehicle roof carrier 1 as described above. Incidentally, FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the structure in which the middle roof rail 9 in FIG. 1 is connected to the roof side tube 7, observed from above, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the structure in which the middle roof rail 9 in FIG. 1 is connected to the roof side tube 7, observed from below.

[0040] 12 and 13 show a structure in which the middle roof rail 9 is joined to the roof side tube 7 by welding. 2 Preferably, the connection is made by welding or laser welding. Of course, the rear roof rail 5 can also be connected to the roof side tube 7 in the same manner as the middle roof rail 9.

[0041] While the present invention has been illustrated and described with respect to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Vehicle roof carrier 3. Cowl 5 Rear roof rails 7 Roof side tube 9 Middle roof rail 11 Front windshield glass 13 Glass Support Panel 15 Pillar weather strip 17 Strip Support Panel 19 Side outer panel 21 Front pillar trim 23 Airbag 25 Wire Ring 29 Cowl connecting bracket 31 Glass Mount Bracket 33 Roof mount bracket 35 Tailgate 37 Tailgate mounting bracket

Claims

1. roof side tubes on both sides of the vehicle body, which form a closed cross section and extend along the front-rear direction of the vehicle from both sides of the cowl at the front of the vehicle traveling direction to both sides of the rear roof rail at the rear; one or more middle roof rails extending along a lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a closed cross section and installed between the cowl and the rear roof rail so as to connect the roof side tubes on both sides; Including, the middle roof rail, the rear roof rail, and the roof side tube are all in the form of a tube; The cowl, the middle roof rail, and the rear roof rail are directly connected to the roof side tube, The cowl is a cowl upper member extending along a lateral direction of the vehicle and having a predetermined closed cross-sectional shape including one or more closed curves; a cowl lower panel which is joined to a lower side of the cowl upper member to divide the front and rear of the vehicle, and at least a portion of which has a predetermined cross-sectional structure along a lateral direction of the vehicle; the cowl upper member has a closed cross-sectional shape containing two closed curves, and the closed cross-sectional shape is a shape that simply extends along a lateral direction of the vehicle, The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 1, wherein the rear roof rail has a structure in which a predetermined closed cross section including four closed curves is extended along a lateral direction of the vehicle.

2. 2. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 1, wherein the one or more middle roof rails include a first roof rail installed at a position supporting an upper end of a front windshield glass.

3. 3. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 2, wherein the closed cross section of the roof side tube has a shape in which a plurality of straight portions are successively connected by a plurality of bent portions to form a single closed curve.

4. a glass support panel coupled to a section of the roof side tube from the cowl to the first roof rail so as to support the front windshield glass; a strip support panel coupled to the roof side tube so that a pillar weather strip can be attached; 4. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 3, further comprising:

5. The closed cross section of the roof side tube is integrally provided with a glass support portion that supports the front windshield glass, 4. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 3, wherein a strip support panel is coupled to the roof side tube so that a pillar weather strip can be attached to the roof side tube.

6. 3. The roof carrier for a vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein a glass mount bracket for mounting the front windshield glass is connected to a front side of the first roof rail in the vehicle travel direction, and a roof mount bracket for mounting a roof is connected to a rear side of the first roof rail.

7. the one or more middle roof rails include a second roof rail installed between the first roof rail and the rear roof rail, 7. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 6, wherein roof mount brackets for mounting the roof are coupled to the front and rear of the second roof rail, respectively.

8. 7. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 6, wherein the roof mount bracket has a recess that is locally recessed downward at a portion where the roof mount bracket is connected to the roof in order to improve the connection performance of the sealer.

9. 2. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 1, wherein the rear roof rail extends in a lateral direction of the vehicle while forming a predetermined closed cross section including one or more closed curves.

10. 10. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 9, wherein a roof mount bracket for mounting a roof is coupled to a front portion of the rear roof rail in a traveling direction of the vehicle.

11. 10. The vehicle roof carrier according to claim 9, wherein a tailgate mount bracket for mounting a tailgate is coupled to the rear of the rear roof rail.

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