[0001] The present disclosure herein relates to a rear area of a vehicle. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a vehicle rear roof structure to provide sufficient head clearance zone without compromising strength.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Rear area of a vehicle roof is an integral part. It finds usage in giving seating area to components like back door hinge and grommet. It also serves the purpose of a connection between the vehicle roof and a side body and a back door assembly.
[0003] The vehicle roof is supported by a member comp roof back inner. The vehicle roof is usually made up of three different cross members namely, an inner member, a structural reinforcement, and a brace structure. The whole connection of member comp roof back inner and roof panel gives strength to back door assembly. The joinery with the side body is also supported by this connection. The vehicle roof along with the support of rear comp houses grommet and its harness. It also provides a seating area for the back door hinge.
[0004] In compact size vehicles, the space between the rear passenger head and rear roof panel known as the head-clearance zone is not sufficient. It is desired to increase the head-clearance zone without compromising the overall strength of the roof panel structure.
[0005] The prior art JP3691422B2 relates to a rear body structure of a van type automobile and particularly relates to a structure that can improve the torsional rigidity of a tailgate opening. It discloses about increasing the torsional rigidity and reducing the weight of a rear body structure for panel van type automobiles. It discloses about providing a rear vehicle body structure of a van type automobile that can increase the torsional rigidity while enabling the weight reduction of the vehicle body.
[0006] The prior art JPH08133122A relates to an automobile roof structure capable of improving the formability of a joint surface between a roof panel and a roof inner rear frame. It discloses about improving the formability of the joining surface of a roof panel and providing a roof inner rear frame and provides a roof lining that is attached to a roof panel by a roof side fixing tool and a side panel that is connected to the roof panel on the side.
[0007] The prior art JP2000225899A relates to a speaker mounting structure, and more particularly to a speaker mounting structure in which a speaker is hung in a vehicle cabin or a structure for speaker mounting in vehicle rear roof panel. It discloses about providing a roof lining that is attached to a roof panel by a roof side fixing tool and a side panel that is connected to the roof panel on the side.
[0008] Technical problem: Existing design consists of a roof rear cross-section and rear comp that is welded onto the roof along with other cross members. The box section of other members has a wider section with a styling cutline. As the layout and styling requirements could not be changed, the roof rear resulted in a very small box section. Thus the head-clearance zone is reduced in the compact-sized cars. To increase the head clearance zone, the entire roof structure or the vehicle structure is to be revamped thus adding cost to the operations. It is required to introduce a structure, which increases the head clearance zone and also increases the formability of the rear roof structure.
[0009] Technical solution: Thus, there is a need for a new design with a change in cross-section of the rear roof structure and the rear member comp structure forming seating area to components like backdoor and grommet.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0010] It is therefore the object of the present disclosure to overcome the aforementioned and other drawbacks in prior method/product/apparatus.
[0011] It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide a sufficient head clearance zone by reducing the rear roof box section without compromising strength.
[0012] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide strength while back door opening and closing processes.
[0013] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a gap secured for ease of assembly of the grommet in a vehicle.
[0014] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a plurality of stepped face for formability improvement and to maintain clearance with a harness.
[0015] It is another object of the present disclosure to secure the clearance in the roof panel for easy piercing of the grommet hole by using a standard punch.
[0016] It is another object of the present disclosure to provide torsional (twist) rigidity to vehicle.
[0017] It is another object of the present disclosure to extend the structural reinforcement in rear comp was extended to form joinery with roof comp and side body assembly with 3 ply spots.
[0018] It is another object of the present disclosure to reduce stresses on the panel which was induced because of reduction in the cross-section.
[0019] These and other objects and advantages of the present subject matter will be apparent to a person skilled in the art after consideration of the following detailed description taken into consideration with accompanying drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present subject matter are illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0020] Solution to one or more drawbacks of existing technology and additional advantages are provided through the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the technicalities of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered to be a part of the claimed disclosure.
[0021] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle roof structure including, a roof panel is positioned longitudinally along a vehicle and is located as an upper surface of the vehicle roof structure; a rear end portion of the roof panel constitutes a rear roof panel area; a rear comp structure is positioned along a width of the roof panel and is located underneath towards a rearward peripheral area of the rear roof panel area.
[0022] In an aspect, the rear roof panel area has an elongated face extending longitudinally and a plurality of stepped face structure at a grommet placement area.
[0023] In another aspect, the rear comp structure comprises of an inner member, a structural reinforcement and a brace structure.
[0024] In another aspect, the inner member forms the central constituent of the rear comp structure .
[0025] In another aspect, the structural reinforcement is positioned at extension towards lateral end on each side of the rear comp structure to form a joinery area with the rear roof panel area and being laterally elongated towards a side body assembly with a 3-ply spot.
[0026] In yet another aspect, the brace structure is provided as a support for mounting a backdoor of the vehicle.
[0027] In an aspect, the rear roof panel area is curved in a first chamfer face connecting with the joinery area.
[0028] In another aspect, the rear roof panel area has a reduced cross-section.
[0029] In an aspect of the invention, the grommet placement area is tilted toward the x-axis or along length of the vehicle.
[0030] In another aspect of the invention the rear roof panel area is curved in a second chamfer face eliminating wrinkles in the grommet placement area.
[0031] In yet another aspect of the invention, a hand access space for the grommet placement area is enlarged.
[0032] In an another aspect of the invention, the plurality of stepped face structure is configure to increase clearance from a grommet and a harness.
[0033] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods or structure in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0035] Fig. 1 is an exploded view of the rear roof panel and rear comp structure;
[0036] Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the rear comp structure;
[0037] Fig. 3 is a cross-section view of the section A-A of the vehicle roof rear structure;
[0038] Fig. 4A is a detailed view of the rear roof panel area mounted on the rear comp structure;
[0039] Fig. 4B is a cross-section view of the section B-B denoting a joinery area on the rear comp structure with the rear roof panel;
[0040] Fig. 4C is a detailed view of the joinery area to show a reinforcement structure with side body and rear roof panel;
[0041] Fig. 4D is a representation of the increase in spot welding connection at first chamfer face;
[0042] Fig. 5 is an illustration of the grommet placement area;
[0043] Fig. 6 is an alternative view of the grommet placement area;
[0044] Fig. 7 is an alternative illustration of the present subject matter; and
[0045] Fig. 8 is an illustration of the side-view of the rear roof panel.
[0046] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] While the embodiments of the disclosure are subject to various modifications and alternative forms, a specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the figures and will be described below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
[0048] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof used in the disclosure, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a device, system, assembly that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such system, or assembly, or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or device proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or device.
[0049] Figs. 1 to 8 illustrate various embodiments of the present subject matter in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure relates to a vehicle rear roof structure. The vehicle rear roof structure proposed herein aids the vehicle roof sturdy design, formability of panels. The vehicle roof structure proposed herein solves a long-existing problem in compact size vehicles.
[0050] The compact size vehicles have a problem with decreased head clearance zone, i.e., the space between the rear passenger head and the rear panel. If the vehicle manufacturer increases the head clearance zone, the entire roof panel of the vehicle is compromised in terms of styling and the size of the vehicle. This may end up increasing costs. For this purpose, the present invention provides a structure to decrease the cross-section area of the rear roof panel and increase the head clearance zone. The present invention also ensures that the sturdy and formability of the roof structure is not compromised.
[0051] In the present invention, a roof panel (8) is positioned longitudinally along a vehicle and located as an upper surface of the vehicle roof structure. The roof panel (8) forms a ceiling of the vehicle. A rear end portion of the roof panel (8) constitutes a rear roof panel area (10). The rear roof panel area (10) is understood as the peripheral area towards the rear portion of the roof panel and vehicle and is mounted on a rear comp structure (9).
[0052] The rear comp structure (9) alternatively known as a member comp roof back structure forms a strip or an elongated structure or panel positioned along a width of the roof panel (8) and located underneath towards a rearward peripheral area of the rear roof panel area (10).
[0053] In the invention, the rear roof panel area (10) houses a grommet placement area (19), harness, and is the primary place for mounting the backdoor assembly of the vehicle.
[0054] The rear comp structure (9) or the member comp roof back structure is responsible to provide additional strength to the vehicle frame. The rear comp structure (9) forms a connection between roof and side body assembly (24) and backdoor assembly of the vehicle.
[0055] It is understood that the whole connection of the rear comp structure (9) and roof panel (8) gives strength to the backdoor assembly. The increase and decrease in the size of the rear comp structure (9) are responsible for determining the area of the head clearance zone.
[0056] In Fig. 2, the rear comp structure (9) is divided into 3 primary parts i.e. an inner member (11), a structural reinforcement (12) and a brace structure (13). The inner member (11) forms the central constituent of the rear comp structure (9). The structural reinforcement (12) positioned at extension towards lateral end on each side of the rear comp structure (9) forming a joinery area (14) with the rear roof panel (10) and being laterally elongated towards a side body assembly (24) with a 3-ply spot (25); and the brace structure (13) is provided as a support for mounting a backdoor of the vehicle.
[0057] In the present invention, referring to Fig. 5, an alternate view of the rear roof panel area (10) is provided. The rear roof panel area (10) has an elongated face (27) extending longitudinally and a plurality of stepped face structure (26) at a grommet placement area (19).
[0058] In a primary objective of this invention is to provide sufficient head clearance zone without compromising strength, the rear roof panel area is made with lesser width area to meet layout as well as styling requirements with maximized headroom. The present invention applies the concept of reduction of the rear cross-section and maximizing the head room for the rear-seated passenger.
[0059] Fig. 3 represents the cross-section view (A-A) of the rear roof panel area section of the present invention. The head clearance zone (15) has been increased in the figure by reducing the cross-section area of the rear roof panel area (10). The grommet placement area (19) and an increased hand access space (20) created by reducing the cross-section and introducing the plurality of stepped faces (26) in the grommet placement area (19). The backdoor when in an open state (16) provides a wider width area in the present invention. The close state (17) of the backdoor is also represented.
[0060] In Figs. 4A, 4B, and 4C; the invention discloses the structural reinforcement (12) structure which is positioned at extensions towards the lateral end on each side of the rear comp structure (9) forming a joinery area (14) with the rear roof panel area (10). The joinery (14) is being laterally elongated towards a side body assembly (24) with a 3-ply spot (25).
[0061] . There are mainly two primary roles of rear roof panel area (10): (i) To provide strength while door opening and closing processes; (ii) To provide torsional (twist) rigidity to the vehicle.
[0062] The present invention provides, the structural reinforcement (12) in the rear comp structure (9) extending to form joinery (14) with rear roof panel area (10) and side body assembly (24) with 3 ply spots (25) thus, ensuring the primary roles of providing strength and torsional rigidity.
[0063] Specifically, in Fig.4B, a first chamfer face (22) has been introduced by curving the rear roof panel area (10). The first chamfer face (22) provides an increase in spot welding connection (29) as shown in Fig. 4D, by connecting with the joinery area (14). The modification on the roof panel reduces stress but may introduce wrinkles on the roof panel surface.
[0064] As shown in Fig. 8, to eliminate the wrinkles a second chamfer face (28) is created on the rear roof panel area (10), specifically at grommet placement area (19) thereby increasing the formability of the roof structure. Further, the Fig.8 provides perspective side-view to comprehend the advantageous aspect of the invention. In the before condition, the rear roof panel area has a small cross-section area and wrinkles are observed. Whereas, post the implementation of the invention, precisely the chmafer face (28), the wrinkles are eliminated.
[0065] Referring to Fig. 6, represent an alternative view of the rear roof panel area (10). The grommet placement area (19) is moved down in the –WL direction (z-axis or along height of the vehicle) and is tilted at a greater angle from the x-axis of the length of the vehicle. The introduction of the plurality of stepped faces structure (26) and the elongated face (27) extending longitudinally aids in providing an additional hand access space to fit the grommet in the grommet placement section or the harness fitments. Such a structure also increases the formability of the roof panel by application of a smooth and bigger radius. The elongated face (27) maintains the desired clearance for grommet with neighboring parts.
[0066] Fig. 7 is a detailed alternative view of the present invention features providing advantages such as:
a) Less width in rear roof cross-section as compared to other vehicles;
b) To provide a sufficient Head Clearance zone.
c) More strength due to extension of reinforcement and joined with Side body;
d) Gap has been secured for ease of assembly of the grommet;
e) Plurailty of stepped face was provided for formability improvement and to maintain clearance with Harness;
f) Secured the clearance in Roof panel for easy piercing of the Grommet hole by using a standard punch.
Reference Numerals
[0067] For the drawings of the present invention, the following labels are used:
8 roof panel
9 rear comp structure
10 rear roof panel area
11 inner member
12 structural reinforcement
13 brace structure
14 joinery area
15 head clearance zone
16 back door open condition
17 back door closed condition
19 grommet placement area
20 hand access space
22 first chamfer face (for spot)
24 side body assembly
25 3 ply spots
26 plurality of stepped face
27 elongated space
28 second chamfer face (for formability)
29 weld spot
Equivalents
[0068] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (e.g., bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to”, the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least”, the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to”, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to disclosures containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. Also, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). In those instances, where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general, such construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, etc.). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms or both terms. For example, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include the possibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”
[0069] It will be further appreciated that functions or structures of a plurality of components or steps may be combined into a single component or step, or the functions or structures of one-step or component may be split among plural steps or components. The present disclosure contemplates all of these combinations. Unless stated otherwise, dimensions and geometries of the various structures depicted herein are not intended to be restrictive of the disclosure, and other dimensions or geometries are possible. Also, while a feature of the present disclosure may have been described in the context of only one of the illustrated embodiments, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, for any given application. It will also be appreciated from the above that the fabrication of the unique structures herein and the operation thereof also constitute methods in accordance with the present disclosure. The present disclosure also encompasses intermediate and end products resulting from the practice of the methods herein. The use of “comprising” or “including” also contemplates embodiments that “consist essentially of” or “consist of” the recited feature.

Claims:1. A vehicle roof structure comprising:
a roof panel (8) positioned longitudinally along a vehicle and located as an upper surface of the vehicle roof structure, wherein a rear end portion of the roof panel (8) constitutes a rear roof panel area (10);
a rear comp structure (9) positioned along a width of the roof panel (8) and located underneath towards a rearward peripheral area of the rear roof panel area (10), wherein the rear roof panel area (10) has an elongated face (27) extending longitudinally and a plurality of stepped face structure (26) at a grommet placement area (19).
2. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 1,
wherein the rear comp structure (9) constitutes an inner member (11), a structural reinforcement (12) and a brace structure (13),
wherein the inner member (11) forms the central constituent,
wherien the structural reinforcement (12) positioned at extension towards lateral end on each side of the rear comp structure (9) to form a joinery area (14) with the rear roof panel area (10) and being laterally elongated towards a side body assembly (24); and
wherein the brace structure (13) for mounting a backdoor of the vehicle.
3. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the rear roof panel area (10) is curved in a first chamfer face (22) connecting with the joinery area (14).
4. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the grommet placement area (19) is tilted toward the x-axis or along length of the vehicle.
5. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rear roof panel area (10) is curved in a second chamfer face (28) eliminating wrinkles in the grommet placement area (19).
6. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein a hand access space (20) for the grommet placement area (19) is enlarged.
7. The vehicle roof structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of stepped face structure (26) configured to increase clearance from a grommet and a harness.