Vehicle superstructure

Abstract

To provide a vehicle upper part structure that can achieve both of rigidity of a vehicle body and a space of a vehicle compartment.SOLUTION: A vehicle upper part structure includes: a roof panel 10 in which a communication opening 20 is formed; a roof reinforcement 40 disposed near a front end of the communication opening 20 and joined to the roof panel 10; a rear header 60 disposed near a rear end of the communication opening 20 and joined to the roof panel 10; and an antenna plate 38 supporting a communication device 30 and connected to the roof reinforcement 40 and the rear header 60. The rear header 60 is joined to the roof panel 10 at a front end and a rear end thereof, and forms a first closed space 70 elongated in a vehicle width direction between the roof panel 10 and the rear header.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This specification discloses a vehicle superstructure. [Background technology]

[0002] It has been proposed to place communication devices such as antennas on the top of a vehicle. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which an opening is formed in the roof panel of a vehicle and an antenna module is placed inside this opening. In Patent Document 1, the antenna module is covered with a radome made of a resin that is permeable to radio waves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2019 / 150666 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, communication devices have become larger in size to improve communication performance. To accommodate larger communication devices, it is necessary to enlarge the opening in the roof panel. However, enlarging the opening reduces the rigidity of the vehicle body around the opening, which can lead to deformation of the vehicle body.

[0005] To address this issue, some have proposed forming a framework around the opening. However, if an excessively large framework is formed, the communication equipment and framework will protrude into the passenger compartment, narrowing the passenger compartment space.

[0006] Therefore, this specification discloses a vehicle upper structure that can achieve both rigidity of the vehicle body and space for the passenger compartment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vehicle upper structure disclosed in this specification comprises a roof panel having a communication opening formed therein, a roof reinforcement arranged near the front end of the communication opening and joined to the roof panel, a rear header arranged near the rear end of the communication opening and joined to the roof panel, and an antenna plate that supports communication equipment and is connected to the roof reinforcement and the rear header, wherein the rear header is joined to the roof panel at its front and rear ends and forms a first closed space that is elongated in the vehicle width direction between the rear header and the roof panel.

[0008] By joining the rear header and the roof panel and forming a first closed space between them, it is possible to keep the longitudinal dimension of the rear header small while ensuring high rigidity. By keeping the longitudinal dimension of the rear header small, it is possible to place the communication equipment at the rear of the vehicle. This prevents the communication equipment from protruding into the passenger compartment. As a result, the above configuration makes it possible to achieve both vehicle body rigidity and space in the passenger compartment.

[0009] In this case, the rear header comprises a front wall portion, a vertical wall portion extending downward from the rear end of the front wall portion, a rear wall portion extending rearward of the vehicle from the lower end of the vertical wall portion, and a groove-shaped portion formed in the rear wall portion to form the first closed space between the rear header and the roof panel, and the rear header may be joined to the roof panel at a first joint point located rearward of the groove-shaped portion, a second joint point located on the vertical wall portion, and a third joint point located on the front wall portion.

[0010] The rear header may also form a second closed space between the second joint point and the third joint point and the roof panel.

[0011] With this configuration, the rigidity of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the rear end of the communication opening can be further improved.

[0012] The antenna plate may also have a mounting portion to which the communication equipment is attached, a hanging portion extending downward from the rear end of the mounting portion, and a terminal portion extending rearward from the lower end of the hanging portion, and the terminal portion of the antenna plate may be connected to the rear wall portion of the rear header.

[0013] This configuration allows the antenna plate to have a large vertical dimension without narrowing the vehicle interior, and as a result, the section modulus of the antenna plate is increased, further improving the rigidity of the vehicle body near the rear end of the communication opening.

[0014] The density of joint points between the roof panel and the rear header in the end regions of the roof panel in the vehicle width direction may be greater than the density of joint points in the central region of the roof panel in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] With this configuration, the rigidity of the vehicle body at the ends in the vehicle width direction can be increased, so that matchbox deformation of the vehicle can be effectively suppressed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The vehicle upper structure disclosed in this specification can achieve both rigidity of the vehicle body and space in the passenger compartment. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a vehicle upper structure according to a reference example. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating differences in head clearance depending on the position of a bending point. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The vehicle upper structure will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of the vehicle. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the area around the communication device 30. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2. Note that some components not necessary for the description are omitted from FIGS. 1 to 3. For example, the resin cover 34 is omitted from FIGS. 1 and 2. Also, the rear panel 52, or the side member outer panel 50, or both are omitted from FIGS. 1 to 3. Also, in each drawing, "Up," "Fr," and "Rh" indicate the upper, front, and right side of the vehicle, respectively. Furthermore, in FIG. 3, the black ovals indicate the joining points where components are joined by welding.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, a roof panel 10 is disposed on the top of a vehicle. Side member outer panels 50 are connected to both the left and right sides of the roof panel 10. The side member outer panels 50 are panel materials that form the side surfaces of the vehicle.

[0020] The roof panel 10 is a panel material that forms the upper surface of the vehicle and is usually made of metal such as steel. The roof panel 10 includes a design surface 12 and an arrangement surface 14. The design surface 12 is the surface of the roof panel 10 facing outward from the vehicle and is the surface that is exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The design surface 12 occupies the majority of the roof panel 10. The arrangement surface 14 is a surface that is slightly recessed downward from the design surface 12. The arrangement surface 14 is located at the rear end of the roof panel 10. The arrangement surface 14 is covered by a resin cover 34 (see Figure 3), which will be described later.

[0021] Herein, in this specification, the portion of the roof panel 10 rearward of the communication opening 20 is referred to as the "rear end portion 82." As shown in Fig. 3, the rear end portion 82 has a front wall portion 84 extending in a substantially horizontal direction, a vertical wall portion 86 extending downward from the rear end of the front wall portion 84, and a rear wall portion 88 extending rearward from the lower end of the vertical wall portion 86. This rear end portion 82 forms a first closed space 70 and a second closed space 72 between itself and the rear header 60, which will be described later.

[0022] The arrangement surface 14 is formed with a communication opening 20, a recess 22, and a plurality of beads 24. The communication opening 20 is a generally rectangular opening that is elongated in the vehicle width direction. For example, the vehicle width dimension of the communication opening 20 is at least half the vehicle width dimension of the roof panel 10. The communication opening 20 is formed to allow radio waves to pass through smoothly. A communication module 30a and an antenna 30b, which will be described later, are arranged inside the communication opening 20 in a plan view.

[0023] Two recesses 22 are formed, one on each side of communication opening 20 in the vehicle width direction. Depression 22 is a portion that is recessed further toward the vehicle interior (i.e., downward) than arrangement surface 14. Depression 22 is connected to the end of communication opening 20 in the vehicle width direction. Depression 22 is also approximately rectangular in plan view.

[0024] The bead 24 is a convex bead that protrudes from the depression 22. The bead 24 extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. The top surface of the bead 24 is lower than the arrangement surface 14. In other words, the bead 24 does not protrude beyond the design surface 12 of the roof panel 10 toward the outside of the vehicle. By forming such a bead 24, the rigidity of the roof panel 10 is improved, and deformation of the roof panel 10 around the communication opening 20 is effectively suppressed.

[0025] The communication module 30a and the antenna 30b are fixed to the roof panel 10 without protruding from the design surface 12 of the roof panel 10. The antenna 30b transmits and receives radio waves for data communication. In this example, the antenna 30b has a flat or box-shaped body. The communication module 30a is a device that transmits and receives data with other communication devices. The communication module 30a controls the transmission and reception of radio waves via the antenna 30b. Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the communication module 30a and the antenna 30b, they will be referred to as "communication devices 30."

[0026] Both the communication module 30a and the antenna 30b are located inside the communication opening 20 in a plan view. In other words, the communication module 30a and the antenna 30b are not covered by the roof panel 10 made of steel. When the resin cover 34 is removed, both the communication module 30a and the antenna 30b are exposed to the outside. With this configuration, radio waves for communication are not blocked by the roof panel 10, allowing for good transmission and reception of radio waves.

[0027] The communication module 30a and the antenna 30b are attached to an antenna plate 38 (see FIG. 3 ) with fastening members (not shown) such as bolts. The antenna plate 38 is a plate material that supports the communication module 30a and the antenna 30b. As shown in FIG. 3 , the antenna plate 38 has a mounting portion 38a to which the communication device 30 is attached, a hanging portion 38b extending from the rear end of the mounting portion 38a toward the rear of the vehicle, and an end portion 38c extending from the lower end of the hanging portion 38b toward the rear of the vehicle. The antenna plate 38 is fastened to a roof reinforcement 40 (hereinafter referred to as the “roof RF40”) and a rear header 60 (described later) with fastening members such as bolts. In other words, the antenna plate 38 and the communication device 30 are fixed to the roof panel 10. The antenna plate 38 is fastened to the roof RF40 and the rear header 60, for example, from the passenger compartment 58 side.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, the roof reinforcement 40 is a panel material joined to the underside of the roof panel 10 in order to reinforce the roof panel 10. The roof reinforcement 40 is arranged near the front end of the communication opening 20. The roof reinforcement 40 is fixed to the roof panel 10 by welding or the like. The roof reinforcement 40 has a substantially L-shaped cross section. The roof reinforcement 40 forms a front closed space 44 that is long in the vehicle width direction between the roof reinforcement 40 and the roof panel 10.

[0029] The rear header 60 is also a panel material that is joined to the underside of the roof panel 10 in order to reinforce the roof panel 10. The rear header 60 is disposed near the rear end of the communication opening 20. The rear header 60 is also fixed to the roof panel 10 by welding or the like.

[0030] The rear header 60 has a front wall portion 62, a vertical wall portion 64 extending downward from the rear end of the front wall portion 62, and a rear wall portion 66 extending rearward from the lower end of the vertical wall portion 64. Furthermore, a groove-shaped portion 68 extending in the vehicle width direction is formed in the rear wall portion 66. The groove-shaped portion 68 forms a first closed space 70 that is elongated in the vehicle width direction between the rear wall portion 88 of the roof panel 10 and the vertical wall portion 64. Furthermore, slight irregularities are formed in the vertical wall portion 64. Due to these irregularities, the vertical wall portion 64 forms a second closed space 72 that is elongated in the vehicle width direction between the vertical wall portion 64 and the vertical wall portion 86 of the roof panel 10.

[0031] The rear header 60 is joined to the roof panel 10 at a first joining point 74 located rearward of the groove-shaped portion 68 on the vehicle, a second joining point 76 located on the vertical wall portion 64, and a third joining point 78 located on the front wall portion 62. Here, the first joining point 74 and the third joining point 78 can be considered to be the rear end and front end of the rear header 60. Therefore, the rear header 60 is joined to the roof panel 10 at its front end and rear end. In addition, the end portion 38c of the antenna plate 38 is connected to the rear wall portion 66 of the rear header 60. The reason for configuring the rear header 60 in this manner will be described later.

[0032] 3, the resin cover 34 covers the entire arrangement surface 14 from above. In other words, the resin cover 34 covers the entire bead 24 and the communication device 30 from above. Therefore, neither the bead 24 nor the communication device 30 can be seen from outside the vehicle. The bead 24 protrudes to an extent that it does not come into contact with the resin cover 34.

[0033] The resin cover 34 is made of a resin that transmits radio waves, for example, a general-purpose resin such as polypropylene or polycarbonate / polyester. The resin cover 34 is fixed to the roof panel 10, for example, by adhesive. Naturally, the resin cover 34 may be fixed to the roof panel 10 by fastening members such as bolts or clips. In this case, a sealing member may be disposed on the outer periphery of the resin cover 34. The upper surface of the resin cover 34 smoothly merges with the design surface 12 of the roof panel 10.

[0034] A roof headlining 54 is disposed below the antenna plate 38. The roof headlining 54 is a design panel that functions as the ceiling of the passenger compartment 58. Near the rear end of the passenger compartment 58, the roof headlining 54 gently curves downward as it extends toward the rear of the vehicle so as not to interfere with the antenna plate 38. The roof headlining 54 then bends significantly at a bending point 56 before extending toward the rear of the vehicle.

[0035] As is clear from the above explanation, in the vehicle upper structure disclosed in this specification, the front and rear ends of the rear header 60 are joined to the roof panel 10, and closed spaces 70, 72 are formed between the rear header 60 and the roof panel 10. The reason for this configuration will be explained in comparison with a reference example. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the vehicle upper structure of the reference example.

[0036] In recent years, in-vehicle communication devices 30 (such as antennas 30b) have become larger in size in order to improve communication performance, etc. As a result, the size of the communication opening 20 for transmitting radio waves has also become larger. Here, when a large communication opening 20 is formed in the roof panel 10, the rigidity of the entire vehicle body, including the roof panel 10, naturally decreases around the communication opening 20. As a result, deformation of the vehicle body may occur around the communication opening 20.

[0037] Therefore, in order to improve the rigidity of the vehicle body, it is also possible to form a skeletal structure around the communication opening 20. For example, in the reference example shown in FIG. 4, a front closed space 44 is formed near the front end of the communication opening 20, and a rear closed space 94 is formed near the rear end of the communication opening 20. These closed spaces 44, 94 function as a skeletal structure. Furthermore, by forming the closed spaces 44, 94, the section modulus is increased, and the rigidity of the vehicle body around the communication opening 20 is improved.

[0038] Here, the vehicle upper structure of the reference example shown in Fig. 4 has a rear header lower 90 and a rear header upper 92. The rear header upper 92 has a hat-shaped cross section that opens downward. The rear header upper 92 is disposed above the rear header lower 90. The front and rear ends of the rear header upper 92 are joined to the rear header lower 90. As a result, a rear closed space 94 that is elongated in the vehicle width direction is formed between the rear header upper 92 and the rear header lower 90. With this configuration, the rigidity of the vehicle body near the rear end of the communication opening 20 can be improved.

[0039] However, in this case, it is necessary to arrange a rear closed space 94 behind the communication device 30. Therefore, the arrangement position of the communication device 30 is shifted toward the front of the vehicle by the dimension of the rear closed space 94. When the arrangement position of the communication device 30 is shifted toward the front of the vehicle, the bending point 56* of the roof headlining 54* is also shifted toward the front of the vehicle by that amount. This narrows the space of the passenger compartment 58. In particular, the distance between the head of an occupant sitting in the rear seat and the roof headlining 54* (hereinafter referred to as "head clearance") becomes smaller, which may cause the occupant to feel oppressed.

[0040] On the other hand, in the case of the vehicle upper structure of this example, there is no rear closed space 94 behind the communication device 30. As a result, the communication device 30 can be disposed further rearward of the vehicle than in the reference example. This also allows the bending point 56 of the roof headlining 54 to be disposed further rearward of the vehicle than in the reference example. As a result, a wider space in the passenger compartment 58, particularly head clearance, can be secured.

[0041] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the difference in head clearance depending on the position of the bending point 56. In Fig. 5, the solid line indicates the roof headlining 54 employed in the vehicle upper structure of this example, and the two-dot chain line indicates the roof headlining 54* employed in the vehicle upper structure of the reference example.

[0042] As is clear from Figure 5, the bending point 56 in this example is located further rearward of the vehicle than the bending point 56* in the reference example. Therefore, the head clearance Ca in this example is significantly larger than the head clearance Cb in the reference example. As a result, the vehicle upper structure of this example can significantly reduce the feeling of oppression felt by the occupant 100.

[0043] However, if the rear closed space 94 were to be eliminated, the rigidity of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the rear end of the communication opening 20 would be reduced accordingly. In this example, to prevent such a reduction in rigidity, the rear header 60 is joined to the rear end 82 of the roof panel 10. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , the rear header 60 is joined to the roof panel 10 at its rear end (i.e., the first joining point 74) and its front end (i.e., the second joining point 76). As a result, a first closed space 70 is formed between the groove-shaped portion 68 of the rear header 60 and the rear wall portion 88 of the roof panel 10. This first closed space 70 functions as a framework, and therefore, the formation of the first closed space 70 improves the rigidity of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the rear end of the communication opening 20.

[0044] The rear header 60 is also joined to the roof panel 10 at a second joining point 76 located on the vertical wall portion 64. By providing the second joining point 76 on the vertical wall portion 86 extending in the up-down direction, the vehicle body rigidity near the rear end of the communication opening 20 can be improved while keeping the vehicle longitudinal dimension small. As a result, sufficient space and head clearance for the passenger compartment 58 can be secured while maintaining rigidity.

[0045] Furthermore, a second closed space 72 is formed between the second joint point 76 and the third joint point 78. With this configuration, the second closed space 72 functions as a second skeletal structure, thereby further improving the rigidity of the vehicle body in the vicinity of the rear end of the communication opening 20.

[0046] Here, poor torsional rigidity of the vehicle body makes it more susceptible to matchbox deformation. Matchbox deformation is a phenomenon in which the entire vehicle body deforms like a matchbox crushed diagonally. To suppress such matchbox deformation, the vehicle body needs to have high rigidity at its widthwise ends, or so-called corner portions. Therefore, in this example, the density of the joints 74, 76, and 78 in the vehicle widthwise end regions Re (see FIG. 1 ) is set higher than the density of the joints 74, 76, and 78 in the vehicle widthwise central region Rc. For example, multiple first joints 74 are set at intervals in the vehicle width direction. The widthwise spacing of the multiple first joints 74 may be changed depending on the vehicle width position. For example, the spacing in the vehicle widthwise end regions Re may be narrower than the spacing in the vehicle widthwise central region Rc. The same applies to the second joints 76 and the third joints 78. Furthermore, multiple joints 74, 76, and 78 may be set at intervals in the up-down or down-front direction in the vehicle widthwise end regions Re. For example, in the vehicle width direction end region Re, a plurality of second joint points 76 may be provided at intervals in the vertical direction. By providing many joint points 74, 76, 78 at the vehicle width direction end, the rigidity at the vehicle width direction end can be improved. As a result, matchbox deformation can be effectively suppressed.

[0047] In addition, in the vehicle upper structure of this example, the rear portion of the antenna plate 38 is generally L-shaped, having a hanging portion 38b and a terminal end portion 38c. This configuration allows for a high section modulus of the antenna plate 38 while effectively utilizing space. Specifically, around the communication device 30, both the roof headlining 54 and the roof panel 10 extend downward as they approach the rear end of the vehicle. Therefore, there is limited space above the rear portion of the antenna plate 38, but there is space below the rear portion. In this example, the rear portion of the antenna plate 38 extends below this available space, allowing for a larger vertical dimension of the antenna plate 38 without narrowing the vehicle interior 58. As a result, the rigidity of the vehicle body around the communication opening 20 can be maintained high while effectively utilizing space.

[0048] Note that the configurations described so far are all examples. As long as the rear header 60 is joined to the roof panel 10 at its front and rear ends and the first closed space 70 is formed between the rear header 60 and the roof panel 10, other configurations may be changed. For example, the second joining point 76 and the second closed space 72 may be eliminated. Also, in the above description, the recessed portion 22 and the bead 24 are disposed on both sides of the communication opening 20 in the vehicle width direction, but these may be omitted. Furthermore, the shape of each component may be changed as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 roof panel, 12 design surface, 14 placement surface, 20 communication opening, 22 recessed portion, 24 bead, 30 communication equipment, 30a communication module, 30b antenna, 34 resin cover, 38 antenna plate, 38a mounting portion, 38b hanging portion, 38c end portion, 40 roof reinforcement, 44 front closed space, 50 side member outer panel, 52 rear panel, 54, 54* roof headlining, 56, 56* bending point, 58 passenger compartment, 60 rear header, 62 front wall portion, 64 vertical wall portion, 66 rear wall portion, 68 groove-shaped portion, 70 first closed space, 72 second closed space, 74 first joint point, 76 second joint point, 78 third joint point, 82 rear end portion, 84 front wall portion, 86 vertical wall portion, 88 Rear wall, 90 rear header lower, 92 rear header upper, 94 rear enclosed space.

Claims

1. a roof panel having a communication opening formed therein; a roof reinforcement disposed near a front end of the communication opening and joined to the roof panel; a rear header disposed near a rear end of the communication opening and joined to the roof panel; an antenna plate supporting a communication device and connected to the roof reinforcement and the rear header; Equipped with the rear header is joined to the roof panel at its front end and rear end, and forms a first closed space that is elongated in the vehicle width direction between the rear header and the roof panel; The rear header is A front wall portion; a vertical wall portion extending downward from a rear end of the front wall portion; a rear wall portion extending rearward from a lower end of the vertical wall portion; a groove-shaped portion formed in the rear wall portion and defining the first closed space between the rear wall portion and the roof panel; Equipped with The rear header is joined to the roof panel at a first joining point located rearward of the groove-shaped portion, a second joining point located on the vertical wall portion, and a third joining point located on the front wall portion. A vehicle upper structure characterized by:

2. The vehicle upper structure according to claim 1, The vehicle upper structure, characterized in that the rear header forms a second closed space between the roof panel and the second joint point and the third joint point.

3. The vehicle upper structure according to claim 1 or 2, the antenna plate has a mounting portion to which the communication device is attached, a hanging portion extending downward from a rear end of the mounting portion toward the vehicle, and a terminal portion extending rearward from a lower end of the hanging portion, a terminal end of the antenna plate connected to the rear wall of the rear header; A vehicle upper structure characterized by:

4. The vehicle upper structure according to claim 1, A vehicle upper structure, characterized in that the density of joint points between the roof panel and the rear header in the vehicle width direction end region of the roof panel is greater than the density of joint points in the vehicle width direction central region of the roof panel.

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