Vehicle roof structure
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
Abstract
Description
Vehicle roof structure
[0001] The present invention relates to a roof structure for a vehicle.
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a structure for attaching a vehicle speaker to a roof lining.
[0003] JP 2009-173071 A
[0004] However, when a speaker is attached to the roof structure of a vehicle, depending on the attachment position, the speaker may not have sufficient rigidity, which can cause problems with the sound quality of the speaker.
[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle roof structure that can improve the mounting rigidity of a speaker.
[0006] A vehicle roof structure according to one aspect of the present invention includes a roof panel provided with a sunroof opening, a sunroof unit attached to the sunroof opening, and a speaker unit. The sunroof unit includes a frame portion disposed below the roof panel and is supported by the roof panel via the frame portion. The speaker unit is fixed to the frame portion.
[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle roof structure that can improve the mounting rigidity of a speaker.
[0008] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 3A is a perspective view showing the structure of a bracket, a speaker, and a speaker grill in the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 3B is a perspective view showing the structure of a bracket, a speaker, and a speaker grill in the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 3C is a perspective view showing the structure of a bracket, a speaker, and a speaker grill in the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 4A is a plan view viewed from inside the vehicle compartment, showing the installation process of the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 4B is a plan view viewed from inside the vehicle compartment, showing the installation process of the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 4C is a plan view viewed from inside the vehicle compartment, showing the installation process of the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 4D is a plan view viewed from inside the vehicle compartment, showing the installation process of the roof structure of a vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a roof structure of a vehicle according to a modified embodiment.
[0009] Hereinafter, a vehicle table according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the front of the vehicle is indicated as FR, the rear of the vehicle as RR, the right side of the vehicle as RH, the left side of the vehicle as LH, the top of the vehicle as UP, and the bottom of the vehicle as DN. In the following description, the terms front, rear, right, left, top, and bottom refer to directions relative to the vehicle, unless otherwise specified. In the following description, elements having the same function are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.
[0010] (Embodiment) (Configuration Example of Vehicle Roof Structure) As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the vehicle roof structure according to this embodiment includes a roof panel 11 provided with a sunroof opening 12, a sunroof unit 21 attached to the sunroof opening 12, and a speaker unit 31. In the vehicle according to this embodiment, the speaker units 31 are installed on the left and right sides of the front and center of the roof panel 11. Below, the structure of the speaker unit 31 installed on the left front side of the roof panel 11 and its surrounding area will be described as an example. The structures of the other speaker units 31 and their surrounding areas are similar, so description thereof will be omitted. Note that the installation positions and number of speaker units 31 are not limited to those described above.
[0011] The roof panel 11 is a member that constitutes the upper part of the vehicle body and is made of, for example, steel plate, aluminum plate, carbon material, etc. Fig. 4A illustrates an example of the configuration of the roof panel 11 from the front to the center of the vehicle. As illustrated in the figure, the roof panel 11 may have a sunroof opening 12, a panel main body 13, roof reinforcements 14, roof side rails 15, 15, connecting portions 16, 16, and a roof cross member 17. Note that the configuration of the roof panel 11 from the center to the rear of the vehicle is not illustrated.
[0012] The panel main body 13 is a plate that constitutes the roof panel 11. The sunroof opening 12 is a rectangular opening formed in the center of the panel main body 13 in the vehicle width direction, from the front to the center.
[0013] The roof reinforcement 14 is a member that reinforces the panel main body 13. The roof reinforcement 14 has a rectangular frame shape that follows the periphery of the sunroof opening 12. The roof reinforcement 14 is disposed on the passenger compartment inner side of the panel main body 13 and is fixed to the panel main body 13 (see FIG. 4A).
[0014] The roof side rails 15, 15 are skeletal structural members extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and are provided at both ends of the panel main body 13 (see FIG. 4A). The connection portions 16, 16 are members connecting the roof reinforcement 14 and the roof side rails 15, 15. The connection portions 16, 16 are provided between the roof reinforcement 14 and the roof side rails 15, 15 in a portion of the panel main body 13 from the center toward the front. The roof reinforcement 14 is supported by the roof side rails 15 via the connection portions 16. The roof cross member 17 is a skeletal structural member extending in the vehicle width direction and is provided in the center of the panel main body 13 (see FIG. 4A). The end of the roof reinforcement 14 near the center of the panel main body 13 is supported by the roof cross member 17.
[0015] A sunroof unit 21 is attached to the sunroof opening 12 (see FIG. 4A ). The sunroof unit 21 may include a frame portion 22 and a panel portion 23. The frame portion 22 has a rectangular frame-like shape that surrounds the periphery of the sunroof opening 12. The frame portion 22 is located below the roof panel 11, on the passenger compartment side of the roof reinforcement 14, and is fixed to the roof reinforcement 14 (see FIG. 4A ). That is, the sunroof unit 21 is supported by the roof panel 11 via the frame portion 22. The frame portion 22 has high rigidity to ensure the rigidity of the entire sunroof unit 21. The frame portion 22 is made of, for example, a steel plate, an aluminum plate, a carbon material, or the like. The panel portion 23 is fitted into the sunroof opening 12. The panel portion 23 may include a mechanism that allows it to slide forward, backward, left, right, etc. The roof reinforcement 14, roof side rails 15, 15, connecting portions 16, 16, roof cross member 17, and frame portion 22 may have a closed cross-sectional shape or a hat-shaped cross-sectional shape in order to withstand the load of an impact or collision.
[0016] The speaker unit 31 is fixed to the frame portion 22. The speaker unit 31 includes a speaker 32 and a bracket 33.
[0017] The speaker 32 is inserted through a hole 42 opening in a headlining 41 (described later) and is engaged and held by a bracket 33 (see FIG. 1 ). The headlining 41 forms the ceiling of the vehicle interior 1. Therefore, when viewed from inside the vehicle interior, the speaker 32 is positioned so that it is exposed to the interior of the vehicle interior through the hole 42. A port 34 to which a harness (not shown) is connected is provided on a side of the speaker 32, located outside the vehicle interior relative to the headlining 41 (see FIG. 1 ). The port 34 is connected to an amplifier that drives the speaker 32. The speaker 32 may be fixed to bracket fixing points 33 a, 33 a with bolts and nuts via mounting holes 32 c, 32 c. The shape of the speaker 32 is not limited to the above and can be selected as desired based on the shape that can be engaged and held by the bracket 33.
[0018] The bracket 33 is an attachment member for fixing the speaker 32 to the frame portion 22. The bracket 33 engages and holds the speaker 32. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the bracket 33 may be fastened to the frame portion 22 and the roof reinforcement 14 together. The bracket 33 may be fastened to the frame portion 22 and the roof reinforcement 14 together at a plurality of fastening points 35. As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the bracket 33 has legs 36 and bracket attachment holes 36a provided at the bent tip ends of the legs 36. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the direction connecting the bracket attachment holes 36a of the legs 36 substantially coincides with the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Hereinafter, the direction connecting the bracket attachment holes 36a is referred to as the fore-and-aft direction, and the direction perpendicular to the fore-and-aft direction and the interior direction of the vehicle is referred to as the width direction. The bracket 33 is fixed to the frame portion 22 and the roof reinforcement 14 with bolts and nuts, but the fixing method is not limited to this and the bracket 33 may be fixed with rivets or the like. The bracket 33 is made of metal, but the material is not limited to this and known materials such as resin (including fiber-reinforced resin) can be used.
[0019] 1, the headlining 41 is located inside the vehicle compartment 1 relative to the roof panel 11 and the sunroof unit 21, and forms the ceiling of the vehicle compartment 1. The headlining 41 has holes 42 through which the speakers 32 are inserted and housed outside the vehicle compartment. A harness connected to the port 34 of the speaker 32 is routed on the headlining 41.
[0020] The speaker grill 51 is positioned closer to the interior of the vehicle than the speaker 32 and is secured to the bracket 33 (see FIG. 3A ). That is, the speaker 32 is housed between the bracket 33 and the speaker grill 51. The speaker grill 51 has locking clips 52, 52 provided at the front and rear, and locking pieces 53, 53 provided on the left and right sides. The speaker grill 51 is secured by inserting the locking clips 52, 52 and the locking pieces 53, 53 into the locking holes 33b, 33b and 33c, 33c provided in the bracket 33, respectively. The speaker grill 51 is larger than the hole 42 in the headlining 41 so that no gap is formed between the speaker grill 51 and the hole 42 after the speaker grill 51 is secured. Note that the shape of the speaker grill 51 and the method of securing the speaker grill 51 to the bracket 33 are not limited to those described above. The speaker grill 51 is made of resin, but is not limited to this.
[0021] (Speaker Unit Mounting Process) Next, with reference to Figures 4A to 4D, the process for mounting the speaker unit 31 in the vehicle roof structure according to the embodiment will be described. First, the bracket mounting holes 36a, 36a of the legs 36, 36 of the bracket 33 are fastened together to the roof reinforcement 14 and the frame portion 22. This fastening is performed at the fixing points 35, 35 (see Figures 2 and 4B). Next, with the hole of the headlining 41 aligned with the bracket 33, the headlining 41 is assembled to the roof panel 11 (see Figure 4C). The hole 42 of the headlining 41 is positioned so that the speaker 32, which is engaged and held by the bracket 33, can be inserted therethrough. A harness with its base end fixed thereto is disposed on the headlining 41. The headlining 41 is assembled to the roof panel 11, for example, by placing an adhesive surface on the headlining 41 and adhering it to the surface of the roof panel 11.
[0022] Next, the harness is connected to the port 34 on the side of the speaker 32. Then, the speaker 32 is attached to the bracket 33 (see FIGS. 3B and 4C).
[0023] Next, the speaker grill 51 is fastened to the bracket 33 (see FIGS. 3C and 4D). The fastening clips 52 of the speaker grill 51 are inserted into the fastening holes 33b of the bracket 33, and the fastening pieces 53 are inserted into the fastening holes 33c and fastened. As a result, the hole 42 in the headlining 41 is blocked by the speaker grill 51, and the speaker unit 31 in the vehicle roof structure according to this embodiment is installed.
[0024] (Variation) As illustrated in FIG. 5 , depending on the installation location of the speaker unit 31, the headlining 41 may be inclined toward the interior of the vehicle with respect to the frame portion 22. In this case, when the speaker unit 31 is fixed to the frame portion 22, the headlining 41 is inclined with respect to the interior-facing side of the speaker unit 31. Therefore, if the speaker grill 51 is attached in this state, a gap may be formed between the speaker grill 51 and the headlining 41. This gap is undesirable from the standpoints of the functionality of the speaker 32, dust intrusion, appearance, and so on. In contrast, when the interior-facing side of the speaker unit 31 is aligned with the interior-facing side of the headlining 41, the inclination of the speaker unit 31 with respect to the frame portion 22 may make it insufficient or difficult to fix the speaker unit 31 to the frame portion 22. Furthermore, because the speaker unit 31 is positioned at an angle with respect to the seated occupant, the sound energy reaching the speaker 32 may be reduced, resulting in a perceived decrease in sound pressure for the seated occupant. Furthermore, the sound quality may be degraded due to a deterioration in how the sound from the speaker 32 is heard. In the modified example shown in FIG. 5 , the legs 36 of the bracket 33 have different lengths and are fixed at multiple fixing points 35. The interior side of the speaker unit 31 is inclined relative to the frame 22. No gap is formed between the speaker grill 51 and the headlining 41. The lengths of the legs 36 can be determined taking into consideration the inclination of the headlining 41 relative to the frame 22, the gap between the speaker grill 51 and the headlining 41, and positioning the speaker 32 within a predetermined angle relative to the seated occupant. The angle of the bent portions of the legs 36 may also be changed. As an example of an appropriate angle range relative to the seated occupant, the angle formed by a line connecting the center of the interior side of the speaker unit 31 to the head of the seated occupant and a perpendicular line to the interior side of the speaker unit 31 may be between 0° and 30°.
[0025] (Operation and Effect) (1) The vehicle roof structure according to the embodiment includes a roof panel 11 provided with a sunroof opening 12, a sunroof unit 21 attached to the sunroof opening 12, and a speaker unit 31. The sunroof unit 21 includes a frame portion 22 disposed below the roof panel 11 and is supported by the roof panel 11 via the frame portion 22. The speaker unit 31 is fixed to the frame portion 22. According to the above configuration, the frame portion 22 to which the speaker unit 31 is fixed has high rigidity to ensure the rigidity of the entire sunroof unit 21. This ensures the mounting rigidity of the speaker unit 31. As a result, the driving force of the electromagnetic coil is transmitted to the diaphragm of the speaker 32 without loss during playback by the speaker 32, thereby suppressing degradation of the sound pressure and sound quality of the speaker 32.
[0026] (2) According to the embodiment, the roof panel 11 is provided with a roof reinforcement 14 that reinforces the roof panel 11. The speaker unit 31 is fastened to the frame portion 22 of the sunroof unit 21 and the roof reinforcement 14 together. According to the above configuration, the roof reinforcement 14 to which the speaker unit 31 is fixed is a member that reinforces the roof panel 11. The frame portion 22 to which the speaker unit 31 is fixed has high rigidity to ensure the rigidity of the entire sunroof unit 21. Therefore, by fastening the speaker unit 31 to the frame portion 22 and the roof reinforcement 14 together, the mounting rigidity of the speaker unit 31 is further ensured. Therefore, when the speaker 32 plays, the driving force of the electromagnetic coil is transmitted to the diaphragm of the speaker 32 without loss, and deterioration in sound pressure and sound quality of the speaker 32 is further suppressed.
[0027] (3) Furthermore, according to the embodiment, the speaker unit 31 has a bracket 33. The bracket 33 is fastened to the frame portion 22 of the sunroof unit 21 and the roof reinforcement 14 at a plurality of fastening points 35, 35. Because the bracket 33 of the speaker unit 31 is fastened to the roof reinforcement 14 and the frame portion 22 at a plurality of fastening points 35, 35, the mounting rigidity of the speaker unit 31 is further ensured.
[0028] (4) In addition, according to the vehicle roof structure of the modified embodiment, the bracket 33 has legs 36, 36 that are fixed to the multiple fixing points 35, 35. The legs 36, 36 have different lengths. This allows the speaker unit 31 to be positioned at a predetermined angle relative to the seated occupant, thereby suppressing deterioration in sound quality of the speaker 32.
[0029] In the above embodiment, the vehicle roof structure to which the speaker units 31 are attached is provided on the left and right sides of the front and center of the roof panel 11, but this is not limiting and the speaker units may be provided at any position around the sunroof opening 12 provided in the roof panel 11. Furthermore, the positions and number of the vehicle roof structures according to the modified examples of the above embodiment are not particularly limited.
[0030] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the descriptions and drawings that form part of this disclosure should not be understood to limit the present invention. Various alternative embodiments, examples, and operating techniques will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
[0031] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 vehicle interior 11 roof panel 12 sunroof opening 14 roof reinforcement 21 sunroof unit 22 frame portion 31 speaker unit 33 bracket 35 fixing point 36 leg portion
Claims
1. A roof panel with a sunroof opening, A sunroof unit installed in the aforementioned sunroof opening, Speaker unit and Equipped with, The sunroof unit includes a frame portion located on the underside of the roof panel and is supported by the roof panel via the frame portion. The aforementioned roof panel is provided with a roof reinforcement that reinforces the roof panel. The frame portion is fixed to the roof reinforcement, The speaker unit is fixed to the frame portion of the vehicle's roof structure.
2. The roof structure according to claim 1, wherein the speaker unit is fastened together with the frame portion of the sunroof unit and the roof reinforcement.
3. The speaker unit has a bracket, The roof structure according to claim 2, wherein the bracket is fastened together with the frame portion of the sunroof unit and the roof reinforcement at a plurality of fixing points.
4. The bracket has legs that are fixed to each of the plurality of fixing points, The roof structure according to claim 3, wherein the legs each have different lengths.