TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The subject matter in general relates to the rear roof structure of an
automobile. More particularly, but not exclusively, the subject matter relates to a rear roof cross member with mounting provisions for roof rail and backdoor hinge.
BACKGROUND
[002] Background description includes information that may be useful in
understanding the present subject matter. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed subject matter, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
[003] In current designs, the roof rails are fitted on the roof of an automobile
at front and rear end with screw bolts or studs protruding from roof top surface at each ends. The studs/screw bolts may be mounted on a separate bracket, and accordingly apertures are provide on the roof or on the side body for passing the studs/bolts through them. The bracket is located on the bottom surface of the roof and adjacent to the rear portion of the bracket is a rear cross member.
[004] However, in compact sports utility vehicles section when the roof rail
is larger in size and require more stability, more number of mountings are required at one or both ends of the roof rail. Further, in such kind of vehicles, the rear cross member is extended across the width of the roof and welded with roof flange at both right and left ends to provide better strength, rigidity and stiffness to the vehicle structure. To accommodate more studs/screw bolts for roof rail, a larger bracket should be provided with provision for a plurality of bolts.
[005] In the current design, due to compactness of the automobile, for
example, C-SUV, intended design of the roof rear cross member and assembly sequence on the assembly line, the provision of using a larger bracket with more number of bolts is not possible.
[006] Hence, an arrangement of structures is required which solves the
problem of mounting of roof rail with required number of mountings, for example,

at least one mounting at the rear end.
OBJECTS OF THE DISCLOSURE
[007] In view of the foregoing limitations inherent in the state of the art, some
of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfy, are listed herein below.
[008] It is an object of the present disclosure to propose a support bracket of
a rear roof cross member to which a backdoor hinge and a roof rail can be attached.
[009] It is another obj ect of the present disclosure to propose a support bracket
that maintains the intended torsional rigidity of the rear roof cross member.
[0010] These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred form of the present invention is illustrated.
SUMMARY
[0011] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to the mounting of roof rail in compact sports utility vehicles. The concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[0012] The present invention discloses a rear roof structure of an automobile. The rear roof structure comprises a rear cross member. The rear cross member comprises a support bracket that is configured to receive a backdoor hinge and a roof rail. The support bracket comprises a first portion, a second portion and a flange portion. The first portion defines at least one roof rail hole configured to receive the roof rail. The second portion defines at least one backdoor hinge hole configured to receive the backdoor hinge. The first portion is at an elevated position

compared to the second portion. The flange portion is adjacent to the first portion such that the flange portion is depressed from the first portion and extends along the width of the automobile.
[0013] Other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating specific embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as forming the present subject matter, it is believed that the present disclosure will be better understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, where like reference numerals designate like structural and other elements, in which:
[0015] FIG. 1 discloses a roof rail 102 attached to the roof 104 of an automobile 100; and
[0016] FIGs. 2a and 2b disclose a rear roof structure 200 with a rear cross member 202 of the automobile 100.
[0017] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of 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

[0018] The detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the disclosure is described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments are described herein in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of details provided herein is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
[0019] It is also to be understood that various arrangements may be devised that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as specific examples, are intended to encompass equivalents thereof.
[0020] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes", "consisting" and/or "including" when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
[0021] It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two figures shown in succession may, in fact, be executed concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.
[0022] In addition, the descriptions of "first", "second", "third", and the like in the present invention are used for the purpose of description only, and are not to be

construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defining "first" and "second" may include at least one of the features, either explicitly or implicitly.
[0023] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, e.g., those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, disclosed is a compact sports utility vehicle 100 (automobile 100). A roof rail 102 may be attached to the roof 104 of the automobile 100. As the roof rail 102 attached to the automobile 100 has functional aspect to it in addition to the style quotient, the roof rail 102 thus becomes essentially a load bearing roof rail 102.
[0025] The load bearing roof rail 102 needs to be affixed to the rear portion roof of the automobile 100 using a multi-point mounting. A rear roof structure 200 is thus provided that can easily affix the roof rail 102 to the automobile 100.
[0026] FIGs. 2a and 2b disclose the structural configuration of the rear roof structure 200 that can affix the roof rail to the automobile 100 in detail. The rear roof structure 200 comprises a rear roof cross member 202 and a roof rail mounting bracket 220. As shown in the fig. 2a, the rear roof cross member 202 is provided in the immediate vicinity of the roof rail mounting bracket 220. The fig. 2a shows the rear roof cross member 202 when viewed from rear bottom side of the vehicle. The rear roof cross member 202 runs across the width of the automobile 100 from left hand side roof rail mounting bracket 220 to right hand side roof rail mounting bracket 220.
[0027] The roof rail mounting bracket 220 is configured to define one or more

holes 226 for allowing screws/bolts (not shown) to pass through for mounting the roof rail 102 to the roof 104 of the automobile 100. The roof rail mounting bracket 220 cannot be used to define more than two holes as the expansion of the roof rail mounting bracket 220 is restricted by the presence of the rear roof cross member 202. Thus, provisions for mounting the roof rail 102 with more number of mounting points are to be made within the space allotted for the rear roof cross member 202 and the roof rail mounting bracket 220.
[0028] The rear roof cross member 202 comprises a support bracket 204 that is configured to receive a backdoor hinge (not shown) and the roof rail 102. The support bracket 204 comprises a first portion 206, a second portion 210, a third portion 214, and a flange portion 224.
[0029] In an embodiment, the first portion 206 defines at least one roof rail hole 208 that may be configured to receive the roof rail 102. For example, number of holes 208 can be one, two, three, four, and five. In an embodiment, mounting fixtures, such as screws/bolts may pass through the at least one roof rail hole 208 to affix the roof rail 102 to the automobile 100.
[0030] In an embodiment, the first portion 206 of the support bracket 204 is adjacent to the roof rail mounting bracket 220 along the length of the automobile. This arrangement provides at least one hole 226 of the roof rail mounting bracket 220 and the at least one roof rail hole 208 of the first portion 206 in a single line for multi-point mounting of the roof rail 102 to the automobile 100.
[0031] In an embodiment, the second portion 210 may define at least one backdoor hinge hole 212 that may be configured to receive the backdoor hinge. An area 222 around the backdoor hinge hole 212 may be protruded transverse to the surface 218 of the second portion 210 and towards the first portion 206 along the height of the automobile 100.
[0032] In an embodiment, the second portion 210 may define a protrusion 216 to provide stiffness to the support bracket 204. The support bracket 204 provides

torsional rigidity to the automobile 100. The protrusion 216 may be a negative emboss that protrudes transverse to the surface 218 of the second portion 210 and towards the first portion 206 along the width of the automobile 100.
[0033] In an embodiment, the first portion 206 may be at an elevated position compared to the second portion 210. For reference, the elevation of the first portion 206 may be along the height of the automobile 100.
[0034] In an embodiment, the third portion 214 may be disposed between the first portion 206 and the second portion 210. The third portion 214 may transition the support bracket 204 from the first portion 206 to the second portion 210. The third portion 214 may provide a better stress flow from the backdoor hinge towards the side body of the automobile 100.
[0035] In an embodiment, the flange portion 224 may be adjacent to the first portion 206 such that the flange portion 224 may be depressed from the first portion 206, away from the roof rail 102 and may extend to the side along the width of the automobile 100. The flange portion 224 may be welded at an end with the roof 104 extreme flange to provide strength to the structure.
TECHNICAL ADVANTAGE [0036] The present disclosure proposes a support bracket of a rear roof cross member to which a backdoor hinge and a roof rail can be attached.
[0037] The present disclosure proposes a support bracket that maintains the intended torsional rigidity of the automobile.
[0038] Furthermore, each of the appended claims defines a separate invention, which for infringement purposes is recognized as including equivalents to the various elements or limitations specified in the claims. Depending on the context, all references below to the "invention" may in some cases refer to certain specific embodiments only. In other cases, it will be recognized that references to the "invention" will refer to subject matter recited in one or more, but not necessarily all, of the claims.

[0039] Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified thus fulfilling the written description of all groups used in the appended claims.
[0040] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can appreciate that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure. It will be appreciated that several of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into other systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvements therein may subsequently be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as encompassed by the following claims.
[0041] The claims, as originally presented and as they may be amended, encompass variations, alternatives, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and substantial equivalents of the embodiments and teachings disclosed herein, including those that are presently unforeseen or unappreciated, and that, for example, may arise from applicants/patentees and others.
[0042] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

We claim:

1. A rear roof structure (200) of an automobile (100), the rear roof structure
(200) comprising:
a rear roof cross member (202), wherein the rear roof cross member (202)
comprises:
a support bracket (204) configured to receive a backdoor hinge and a roof rail (102), wherein the support bracket (204) comprises:
a first portion (206) defining at least one roof rail hole (208) configured to receive the roof rail (102); and a second portion (210) defining at least one backdoor hinge hole (212) configured to receive the backdoor hinge, wherein the first portion (206) is at an elevated position compared to the second portion (210).
2. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support bracket (204) comprises a third portion (214) disposed between the first portion (206) and the second portion (210), wherein the third portion (214) transitions the support bracket (204) from the first portion (206) to the second portion (210).
3. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 1, comprising a roof rail mounting bracket (220) configured to receive the roof rail (102).
4. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first portion (206) of the support bracket (204) is adjacent to the roof rail mounting bracket (220) along the length of the automobile.
5. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein area (222) around the backdoor hinge hole (212) is protruded transverse to the surface (218) of the second portion (210) and towards the first portion (206).

6. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the support bracket (204) comprises a flange portion (224) adjacent to the first portion (206) such that the flange portion (224) is depressed from the first portion (206) and extends along the width of the automobile.
7. The rear roof structure (104) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automobile (100) is a compact sports utility vehicle.