Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-27
2001-10-09
Dayoan, D. Glenn (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S155000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06299241
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a roof side structure of a vehicle having a slide door.
BACKGROUND ART
This type of vehicle body structure which exist is shown, for example, in
FIGS. 4 and 5
.
According to the illustrated structure, an upper rail
103
for guiding a slide door
100
via a roller
101
so as to be openable and closable in a back-and-forth direction of a vehicle body
102
is assembled by welding or the like to an outer side roof rail panel
105
which constitutes a side roof rail
104
. An area of the upper rail
103
ranging from a general part (see
FIG. 4
) to a front part (see
FIG. 5
) bends toward a vehicle compartment. In the drawing, the reference numeral
106
denotes a weather strip for sealing up a gap between the slide door
100
and the vehicle body
102
. The reference numeral
107
denotes a roof panel.
With the above-described conventional vehicle body structure, the upper rail
103
is shaped such that its front side bends toward the vehicle compartment. Thus, the side roof rail
104
requires a markedly curved shape. In other words, its cross section abruptly changes, so that it is difficult to ensure the strength and rigidity of the side roof rail
104
against collision and driving stability of the vehicle.
Furthermore, the upper rail
103
is assembled to the outer side roof rail panel
105
of the side roof rail
104
. This makes it difficult to provide at this site of assembly a sealing portion between the slide door
100
and the vehicle body
102
. Thus, dirt or dust that has penetrated the space at this site adheres to the upper rail
103
or the roller
101
. As a result, a feeling of the door during rolling movement of the slide door
100
diminishes, and a wind noise when vechile moves occurs because of wind penetrating that space. Moreover, it becomes necessary to apply a sealer at junctions between the outer side roof rail panel
105
and other panels. To apply this sealer is difficult to do.
A car model adopting a roof moulding structure, on the other hand, involves the following problem: As stated earlier, the side roof rail
104
takes a shape in which a part of it is markedly bent toward the vehicle compartment side. This configuration impedes continuous spot welding.
An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle body structure which increases the strength and rigidity of a side roof rail, and improves sealability between a slide door and a vehicle body.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
To attain the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body structure having an opening formed at a side surface of a vehicle body, an upper rail and a lower rail provided, respectively, above and below a vehicle body constituent member forming the opening and extending in a back-and-forth direction of a vehicle, and a slide door, supported movably on the upper and lower rails, for moving in the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle and covering or uncovering the opening, the vehicle body structure comprising:
side roof rails each composed of an outer side roof rail panel and an inner side roof rail panel provided at each of right and left ends of an upper portion of the vehicle body,
the outer side roof rail panel being located at each of right and left sides of an upper surface of the vehicle body, extending in the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle, and being formed to have a concave cross section, and
the inner side roof rail panel being located below the outer side roof rail panel, and having end portions, in a vehicle width direction, bonded to end portions of the outer side roof rail panel to form a closed cross sectional structure; and
a roof panel bonded to a vehicle compartment side end portion of each of the right and left side roof rails along with the outer side roof rail panel and the inner side roof rail panel to constitute a roof together with the side roof rails,
the upper rail being located more inwardly in the vehicle body than a junction between the outer side roof rail panel and the inner side roof rail panel and attached to the inner side roof rail panel, the junction being located at an outer position of the vehicle body.
According to the above-described constitution, the upper rail for guiding the slide door so as to be openable and closable in the back-and-forth direction is provided closer to the vehicle compartment side than the junction between the outer side roof rail panel and the inner side roof rail panel that constitute each of the side roof rails of roof sides extending in the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle body. Consequently, an abrupt change in the cross section of the side roof rail can be avoided, and outer sealing can be achieved.
Besides, the inner side roof rail panel has a horizontal plate portion extending horizontally from the outside of the vehicle compartment toward the vehicle compartment, and a vertical plate portion continued from the horizontal plate portion and erected upwards.
A bracket has an end portion outside the vehicle compartment attached to the horizontal plate portion of the inner side roof rail panel, and an end portion beside the vehicle compartment attached to the upper rail.
A cover has an upper end portion attached to the vertical plate portion of the inner side roof rail panel, and a lower end portion extending so as to surround the upper rail and the bracket.
As a result, the cover is provided closer to the vehicle compartment than the upper rail to shut the upper rail and the vehicle compartment off from each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2866663 (1958-12-01), Ashford
patent: 4152872 (1979-05-01), Tanizaki et al.
patent: 4544198 (1985-10-01), Ochiai et al.
patent: 4976488 (1990-12-01), Asai et al.
patent: 3325297 (1984-01-01), None
patent: 59-34924 (1984-02-01), None
patent: 61-139516 (1986-06-01), None
patent: 61-285120 (1986-12-01), None
patent: 2-60825 (1990-03-01), None
Heya Syusaku
Ueyanagi Fumito
Dayoan D. Glenn
Gutman Hilary
Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
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