Vehicle roof

Details Vehicle roof Vehicle roof

2002-02-04

2004-01-13

Gordon, Stephen T. (Department: 3612)

Land vehicles: bodies and tops

Tops

Roof structure

C296S214000, C296S003000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06676203

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Described is a vehicle roof for a passenger car such as limousine, station wagon, van, or minibus with a roof panel, whose longitudinal edges can each be fastened to a frame side rail of the vehicle body's roof frame.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When constructing a vehicle body, weld joints are conventionally provided between the vehicle roof and roof frame. Such weld joints are currently being replaced with glued joints to a growing extent. This involves certain difficulties, such as when the adhesive bond is subjected to vibrations while the adhesive being used is hardening, which will prevent the body from being moved on the assembly if long hardening and assembly times are used.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the objective of the present invention to simplify the fastening of a vehicle roof to the frame side rails of a roof frame, thereby stiffening the roof panel, and to take care at minimum expense that the roof panel will already be tightly bonded to the frame side rails of the roof frame after gluing while the adhesive used Is still in its hardening phase.
To solve this task it is provided according to invention that the roof panel, on the longitudinal edge of each side, carries a leg of at least one angle sheet in a permanent fitting arrangement for additional support and for a fastening arrangement onto the frame side rails of the roof frame and that its respective other leg can be fastened to one of the frame side rails, at least in the region of the A, B, C, and D pillar, whereby the longitudinal edge regions of the roof panel demonstrate openings, which are closeable by means of stoppers and the like and which also pass through the legs of the angle sheets abutting the roof panel and which serve for inserting the fastening bolts of roof rails, roof load crossmembers or the like, whereby threaded inserts, weld nuts or insert nuts for the screwed fastening bolts are arranged in the region of the openings of the legs of the angle sheets that abut the roof panel
The roof panel is thus from the start designed for the fastening retention of roof rails for instance, and designed thusly in regions that enable the roof load to be introduced into and through the angle sheet into the frame side rails of the roof frame.
The invention according basically consists of providing, for a vehicle roof, a roof panel with angle sheets integrated thereon whose open legs are to be fastened to the frame side rails, and specifically also for forming a glued joint between the roof panel and the frame side rails of the roof frame. Two angle sheets basically extending across the entire length of the roof panel can be provided. Preferably short angle sheets are provided only in the regions of the A, B and C-pillar and, if any, D-pillar. The special advantage of this measure according to invention is that, after the roof panel has been glued with the frame side rails in the regions of the A, B, C and D-pillars or even glued to the vehicle body's entire roof frame, the angle sheets tightly connect the roof panel to the roof fame so that the adhesive bond between the roof panel and roof frame can't be impaired while the adhesive employed is hardening, even when the body is shaken during transport on the assembly line. Another special advantage of the invention consists of, that a roof load isn't introduced into the roof panel, but that the angle sheets introduce it into the roof frame, which is more stabile, and into the body's A, B, C, and D pillars in particular.


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