JPH057207B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an upper body structure for an automobile, and more particularly to an upper body structure for an open-top automobile to which the roof of the vehicle body can be attached and removed.

(Prior Art) As the upper structure of this type of automobile, a roll bar having an approximately inverted U shape is spanned between both side walls of the vehicle body.
It is known that a roof panel is removably installed between the top of the roll bar and the top of the windshield (see British Published Patent No. 2086316). With this structure, the roll bar can rotate around its leg ends from an upright position to a tilted position where it is stored in the passenger compartment behind the seats. A canopy is generally placed between the two. When the roll bar is placed in the upright position, the area behind the roll bar is covered by a hood, and in this state a roof panel can be placed between the roll bar and the windshield to form the roof of the vehicle. .

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) In such a structure, in order to tilt the roll bar so that it can be stored in the vehicle interior behind the seat, the maximum length of the roll bar in the vehicle width direction must be within the vehicle interior of the storage space behind the seat. It must be shorter than the length in the width direction. In that case, when the roll bar is in the upright position, if the outer side of the vehicle body of the roll bar leg is formed vertically, since both side walls of the vehicle body are thick, the outer side of the vehicle body and the roll bar leg A step will be created between the outer side of the vehicle body and the outer side surface of the vehicle. In order to eliminate this level difference, it is possible to form a protrusion on the outer side of the roll bar leg to cover the upper ends of both side walls of the car body when it is in the upright position. If this protrusion is formed directly above the (belt line), when the roll bar is tilted, the protrusion will interfere with the upper ends of the vehicle body side walls, making it impossible to tilt the roll bar into the storage space behind the seat. It is something that will disappear.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and its purpose is to allow the roll bar to be stored in the passenger compartment behind the seats without interfering with the side walls of the vehicle body. In this case, the object is to improve the appearance of the vehicle body by preventing a difference in level between the outer side surface of the roll bar leg and the outer surface of both vehicle body walls when the roll bar is in the upright position.

(Means for Solving the Problems) To solve this problem, the present invention provides a roll bar that is approximately inverted U-shaped and spans between both side walls of the vehicle body so as to be rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body centering on both leg ends. and a roof panel that can be spanned between the top of the roll bar and the top of the windshield to form a vehicle roof, the roll bar being disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body of the roll bar. A storage section is formed, and the roll bar has a
Rotating at least between a first position where the front part of the vehicle body of the roof panel can span the top of the windshield to form a vehicle roof, and a second position where the roll bar can be stored in the storage part. A first protrusion having a slope substantially continuous with the outer surface of the both side walls of the vehicle body is formed at the upper end of the both side walls of the vehicle body facing the both legs of the roll bar in the first position, On both legs of the roll bar,
In the first position, the surface of the roll bar located above the first protrusion on the outer side of the vehicle body is extended toward the outer side of the vehicle body so as to form a slope that is substantially continuous with the outer surface of the vehicle body of the first protrusion. A second projecting portion is formed, and further, a sealing portion is formed on a front side surface of the vehicle body of each of the first projecting portion and both legs of the roll bar to seal between the side window and the first projecting portion. It is characterized by the presence of

(Effects of the Invention) In the present invention configured as described above, a protruding portion having a slope that is substantially continuous with the outer surface of the both side walls of the vehicle body is formed at the upper end of both side walls of the vehicle body, and the projecting portion is protruded to a position above the protruding portion. Since a protruding portion is formed on the outer side of the vehicle body of the roll bar, the lower end of the protruding portion, which is the maximum length of the roll bar in the vehicle width direction, is closer to the inside of the vehicle interior, so that when the roll bar is stored, the roll bar is This eliminates interference between the roll bar and the side walls of the vehicle body, making it possible to store the roll bar in the passenger compartment behind the seats. In addition, it becomes possible to smoothly connect the outer side of the roll bar to the outer side of both side walls of the car body with a continuous slope, improving the appearance of the car body.

Furthermore, in the present invention, a seal portion is formed on the front side of the vehicle body of the protruding portion formed at the upper end of both side walls of the vehicle body to seal the space between the side window and the side window. It becomes possible to arrange the roll bar toward the outside of the vehicle, and it becomes possible to reduce the difference in level between the outer side surface of the roll bar and the outer surfaces of both vehicle body walls and the side window surface, thereby achieving so-called flushing.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

2A, 2B, and 2C are perspective views showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 1A, 3, and 4 are the - line and - line in FIG. 2, respectively.
FIG.

In the figure, 1 is a roll bar having an inverted U-shape as a whole, and the tips 2 of its legs 2 and 3 are
a and 3a are rotatably attached to the inside of the rear fender 4 of the automobile. This mounting position is at the rear side of the vehicle body of the side door 5. 6
is a roof panel, which spans between the top 7 of the roll bar 1 and a front header 9 that constitutes the upper end of the windshield 8. The roof panel 6 and the roll bar 1 are connected via a hinge mechanism 20, as will be described later. Next, 11 is a rear hood, which is stretched between the roll bar 1 and the rear body 12. This hood 11 has a roll bar 1
A fastener 13 extending in the vehicle width direction is attached at a position near the rear side of the vehicle body, and this fastener 13 allows the top 11 to be separated into a portion 11a on the roll bar 1 side and a portion 11b on the rear side of the vehicle body. It's summery. Further, a rear window 14 is attached to the center portion of the rear hood 11. 1
Reference numeral 5 denotes a storage section provided in the vehicle interior below the rear hood 11, and the roll bar 1, roof panel 6, and rear hood 11 can be stored in this storage section 15. That is, the roll bar 1 is rotatable between an upright position (covered state) as shown in FIG. 2A and a tilted position (open state) as shown in FIG. 2C. For storage, first, as shown in Fig. 2B, remove the fasteners 13 to separate the rear hood 11, and store the rear section 11b in the storage section 15 located below the vehicle body (under the hood). situation). Next, the front end of the roof panel 6 is removed from the front header 9, and the roll bar 1 is tilted toward the rear of the vehicle body. In this rotational movement, the roof panel 6 moves toward the roll bar 1.
Since it is connected via the hinge mechanism 20,
As the roll bar 1 rotates, it moves toward the rear of the vehicle body. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2C, the roll bar 1 falls down almost horizontally, and the storage section 15
When the roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6 are in the tilted position, the roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6 can be stored in a folded state between the legs. In FIGS. 3 and 4, the states of the roll bar 1, roof panel 6, and top 11 when stored are shown by two-dot chain lines.

Hinge Mechanism Next, the hinge mechanism that connects the roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8B.

The roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6 are the two on the left and right.
The figure shows the hinge mechanism 20 connecting the leg portion 3 of the roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6. As shown in the figure, the hinge mechanism includes a first link 202 that is rotatable about a first rotation axis 201.
It is of a two-hinge type having a second link 204 that is rotatable around a second rotating shaft 203.
In the center of the first link 202, there is an engagement groove 206 for the slide pin 205 attached to the roll bar leg 3.
is formed. The second rotating shaft 203 is attached to the tip of the first link 202, and the second link 204 is pivotally connected to the second rotating shaft 203 at its center. The second link 204 is
The end surface 209 is latched by a latching portion 210 formed at the tip of the first link 202, and thereby the arrow 21
Rotation in only one direction is possible. The lower end 212 of the second link 204 is held by a receiving member 213 attached to the slide pin 205, and the tip 214 is fixed to the side of the roof panel 6 on the rear end side of the vehicle body. Also, the second link 20
4, the first link 202 and the slide pin 205
A protrusion 215 is formed for releasing the engagement state.

Next, the assembly of the slide pin 205 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 6 to 7B, this pin assembly has a front panel 205a attached to the inner panel 101 of the roll bar 1, and a sliding groove 205b formed in the panel 205a and extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. A slide pin 205 protrudes from. On the back side of the panel 205a, there is a slide pin 2 as shown in FIG. 7B.
05 guide groove 205c is formed parallel to the sliding groove 205b, and the slide pin 205 has a rectangular guide plate 2 that slides along this guide groove 205c.
05d is formed, the amount of protrusion of the slide pin 205 from the panel 205a is constant, and the pin 205 itself is prevented from rotating. Further, a moving groove 205f for the base end 205e of the slide pin 205 is formed following the guide groove 205c, and a spring 205g is inserted into this moving groove 205f, as shown in FIG. The spring always urges the slide pin 205 toward the upper side of the vehicle body. Further, the protruding direction of the slide pin 205 is set to be substantially horizontal. Next, the receiving member 213 attached to the tip of the slide pin 205 will be explained. This member 213 has a substantially trapezoidal shape, its lower base side is fixed to the slide pin 205, and its upper base side is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle body. Further, both side surfaces are bent upward to form a sliding surface 214 of the lower end 212 of the second link 204.

The operation of the hinge mechanism configured in this way is described in the eighth section.
This will be described with reference to Figures A and 8B. FIG. 8A shows the roll bar 1 in the upright position.
In this state, the engagement groove 2 of the first link 202
Since the slide pin 205 is engaged with 06,
The first link 202 centered on the first rotating shaft 201
rotation is prevented. Also, the second link 20
4 is engaged with the protrusion 210 of the first link 202, so rotation toward the rear of the vehicle body around the second rotating shaft 203 is prevented, and rotation in the opposite direction (arrow 216) is prevented. is prevented as long as the front end of the roof panel 6 engages with the front header 9. In this state, when the roof panel 6 is removed from the front header 9 and pushed downwards on the vehicle body while tilting the roll bar 1 backward, the roof panel 6 rotates about the second rotation axis 203 in the direction of arrow 216. That is, the second link 204 moves in the direction of the arrow 21 with the second rotating shaft 203 as the center.
rotates in six directions, and this rotation causes the second link 20
The end 212 of 4 moves on the sliding surface 214 toward the slide pin 205 while pushing down the receiving member 213 in the direction of the arrow 217. As a result, the slide pin 205 to which the receiving member 213 is attached is
It moves in the sliding groove 205b against the spring force of the spring 205g.

Next, when the roof panel 6 rotates by a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG. 8B, the slide pin 205
moves to a position where it is removed from the engagement groove 206 of the first link 202. In this state, the tip 218 of the protrusion 215 of the second link 204 is
It abuts against the inner panel 101 forming the top part 7 of. Therefore, from this state, the roof panel 6
When rotated, the first link 202 is rotated by the second link 204 using the protrusion tip 218 as a fulcrum in the direction of arrow 219 around the first rotating shaft 201, and the slide pin 20 is completely removed from within the engagement groove 206.
5 comes off. After this, the second and second rotating shafts 20
The first and second links 202 and 204 are rotated about 1 and 203, respectively, and the roof panel 6 is folded toward the roll bar 1.

In this way, in this example, the roll bar 1 and the roof panel 6 are connected via a two-hinge type hinge mechanism, and the roof panel 6 rotates about the second rotation axis 203 by a predetermined amount. Rotates with a small rotation radius via the second link 204,
Thereafter, it is configured to rotate around the first rotation shaft 201 via the first and second links 202 and 204 at a large rotation radius. Therefore, the rear end of the roof panel 6 does not come into contact with the seal member 300 and damage (chew) the seal member 104, and the roof panel 6 is placed inside the roll bar 1 in the folded state, as shown in FIG. 2C. can be stored. In detail, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, a single type hinge mechanism 2
0', both ends 6a and 6b of the roof panel 6 are aligned with the front surface 10 of the roll bar 1.
There is a possibility that it overlaps with 2. On the contrary,
For 2-hinge type, roll bar 1
Since the rotation radius of the end portion of the roof panel relative to the roof panel can be increased, overlapping of the roll bar front surface 102 and the roof panel 6 can be avoided.

Roll Bar and Roll Bar Attachment Next, the roll bar 1 and its attachment portion will be described with reference to FIGS. 1A and 1F.
As described above, the roll bar 1 has a substantially inverted U-shape, and is pivotally attached to the inside of the rear fender 4 at the tips 2a and 3a of both legs 2 and 3 thereof. As can be seen from FIG. 1C showing a cross section taken along line C-C in FIG. 1A, this roll bar 1 has a substantially box-shaped closed cross-sectional shape formed by an inner panel 101 and an outer panel 103. Its surroundings are covered by a rear hood 11a. Furthermore, the surface 10 of the roll bar 1 on the side that the roof panel 6 comes into contact with
A sealing member 104 is attached to the roof panel 2 over the contact width of the roof panel 6.

[Roll bar protrusion]

On the other hand, both legs 2 and 3 of the roll bar 1 are
As shown in the figure, the outer panel 103 has a protrusion 105 that protrudes diagonally outward in the vehicle width direction. The bottom surface 1 of this protrusion 105
A protrusion 42 is formed below the belt line 41 of the rear fender 4 and extends upward from the vehicle body. A substantially continuous smooth inclined curved surface is formed toward the outer surface 44 of the rear fender.

That is, as can be seen from FIG. 1D showing the cross section of the protrusion 105, the outer panel 1 of the roll bar 1
03 is projected outward from the vehicle body from the position indicated by the two-dot chain line a to form a protrusion outer surface 106.

[Rear fender protrusion]

On the other hand, on the rear fender 4 side, the first
1E and 1F, the upper end 45 of the end 4d of the rear fender 4 facing the vehicle rear end 5a of the side door 5 is provided with a reinforcing member having an inverted U-shaped cross section extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 46, whose legs 46a and 46b are joined to the inner sides of an outer panel 4a and an inner panel 4b, respectively, which constitute the rear fender 4. A protruding portion 42 is provided to cover this reinforcing member 46. This protrusion 42 has a trapezoidal cross section,
A hole for inserting a reinforcing member 46 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body along the inner vertical wall 42b is formed in the bottom wall 42a. The protrusion 42 is inserted into the vertical wall 4 on the inner side with the reinforcing member 46 fitted into the insertion hole.
The inner side of 2b is joined to the side wall 46b of the reinforcing member 46.

As shown in FIG. 1E, the overall shape of the protruding portion 42 is such that the upper wall 42d has a horizontal surface formed on the front side of the vehicle body, and an inclined surface that slopes downward toward the rear of the vehicle body from the rear end of the horizontal surface. has been done. As mentioned above, the roll bar protrusion 10 is placed on this horizontal plane.
The bottom wall 106 of No. 5 is located. Further, a sealing member 42f is provided on the front wall 42e of the protrusion 42 on the front side of the vehicle body.
is installed. This seal member 42f
is disposed along the position where the protrusion front wall 42e and the rear end of the side window 5b come into contact with each other, and seals between the front wall 42e and the side window 5b. Note that this seal member 4
2f is also attached to the front wall 102 of the roll bar 1. That is, it is disposed along the abutment position between the front wall 102 and the side window 52, and seals between them (see FIG. 2D).

[Belt anchor mounting structure]

In this example, the inner vertical wall 42b of the protrusion 42 is used as a mounting portion for the belt anchor. To explain with reference to FIG. 1A, the protrusion vertical wall 42b and the reinforcing member side wall 46b joined thereto have a through hole 42g at the same position.
46g is drilled, and the hole 42g, 46g
A belt anchor 31 is attached to the belt. A reinforcing member 47 is attached below the reinforcing member 46. This reinforcing member 47 has a U-shaped cross section open to the inner side, and its upper wall end 47a is joined to the inner panel 4b via the reinforcing member side wall 46b, and the lower wall end 47b is directly connected to the inner panel 4b.
is joined to. Furthermore, the outer side wall 47
The upper end of c is joined to the outer panel 4a via the reinforcing member side wall 46a. This reinforcing member 47
extends from the front end of the rear fender 4 to the rear end of the vehicle body, and serves to reinforce the rear side body 4 to which the protrusion 42 and belt anchor 31 are attached as described above. In addition, the inner panel 4 is opened at the mounting position of the reinforcing member 47.
The opening 4c of b is for performing spot welding of this reinforcing member 47. Next, a seat belt retractor 32 is attached to a lower part of the reinforcing member 47 on the inner panel 4b. The seat belt 34 is pulled out from the take-up shaft 33 of the retractor 32 and spanned over the hook 35 of the belt anchor 31 of the protrusion 42.

[Mounting structure between roll bar and rear fender]

As shown in FIG. 1A, the legs 3 of the roll bar 1
is rotatably attached to the inside of the inner panel 4b via a pin 48. reinforcing member 49,
Reference numeral 50 constitutes a mounting portion for this pin 48. As shown in FIG. 1G, the overall shape of the reinforcing member 49 is such that the upper half has a U-shaped cross section that is open toward the outside of the vehicle body and extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and its upper end is connected to the upper wall 49.
It is blocked by a. On the other hand, in the lower half, a side wall 49b on the inner side of the vehicle body and a front wall 49c on the front side of the vehicle body in the upper half are inclined toward the inside of the vehicle body and the front side of the vehicle body to form an inclined wall 49d. A flange 49e for attaching an inner panel is formed on the outer edge of the reinforcing member 49, and a flange 49f for attaching a floor panel is formed at the lower end of the inclined wall 49d. Reinforcement member 49
is attached to the vehicle body by joining these flanges 49e and 49f to the inner panel 4b and floor panel 51, respectively. On the other hand, the reinforcing member 50 has a U-shaped cross section that opens outward from the vehicle body, and extends in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. This reinforcing member 5
In the front wall and rear wall facing in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the outer ends of these walls are bent in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body to form flanges, and these are connected to the reinforcing member 49.
It is joined to the side wall 49c of. Further, a flange 50f bent toward the inside of the vehicle body is formed at the lower end of the side wall 50e of the reinforcing member 50, and is joined to the inclined wall 49d of the reinforcing member 49.

Here, the distance between the side walls 49c and 50e of both reinforcing members 49, 50 is set to a width that allows the roll bar leg 3 to be inserted. In addition, these both side walls 4
Pin insertion holes 49h, 50g, and 3a are drilled in the tips of the roll bar legs 3 and 9c, 50e, and a pin 48 is inserted through these holes to rotate the roll bar 1 around the pin 48. It is possible to move.

Rear Top Next, the attachment structure of the rear top to the vehicle body will be described with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 10. As described above, the rear hood 11 is divided into two parts, the front and rear parts of the vehicle body, by the fasteners 13. First, a structure for attaching the canopy 11b on the rear side of the vehicle body, which is divided into two parts, to the vehicle body will be described. At the attaching portion of the hood 11b, the hood cloth is double-layered, and the outer hood cloth on the outside surface of the vehicle body can be removed from the vehicle body using a clasp such as a hook. However, the inner hood cloth on the inside of the vehicle is fixed to the vehicle body and cannot be removed. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the portion facing the side wall of the vehicle body indicated by the diagonal line A in FIG. End portion 11e
is fixed to the upper end of the rear fender 4 via a seal member 11f. End 1 of outer hood cloth 11c
1g is the end 1 of the inner hood cloth with a clasp such as a hook.
It is removably fixed to 1e. On the other hand, the ends of these hood cloths 11c and 11d on the upper side of the vehicle body are joined to each other and connected to the hood cloth 11h on the upper surface side of the vehicle body. Here, the inner hood cloth 11d has a folded portion 11i on its upper end side, and the folded end 1 of the inner hood cloth 11d is stretched up from the vehicle body.
1j is pulled up toward the hood cloth 11h by an elastic member 11k. In this way, the inner hood cloth 11d
has a folding portion 11i, so the storage portion 15
When the hood 11b is stored, the hood cloth 11d can be brought into close contact with the storage part partition plate 151. That is, in order to change from the top-up state shown by the solid line in the figure to the top-down state shown by the two-dot chain line, first open the fastener 13 to separate the top 11b from the top 11a.
Thereafter, the end portion 11g of the outer hood cloth 11c may be removed from the vehicle body. At this time, since the end portion 11e of the inner hood 11d remains fixed to the vehicle body, it is impossible to store the inner hood 11d in close contact with the side and bottom surfaces of the storage portion 15 due to the dimensions of the inner hood 11d. In this example, for this purpose, the folded portion 1 is placed on the inner hood cloth 11d.
1i is provided so that its length can be increased when stored. Therefore, in this example, the top 11b can be stored in close contact with the side and bottom surfaces of the storage section 15, as shown by the two-dot chain line.

Next, the portion of the hood inclined toward the rear of the vehicle body, indicated by B in FIG. 10, will be explained. The attachment end of this part to the vehicle body is attached to the hood cloth 1 as shown in Figure 3.
An inner hood cloth 11d and an outer hood cloth 11c are branched from 1h, and an end portion 11e of the inner hood cloth 11d is fixed to the vehicle body via a seal member 11f and cannot be removed. A member 11l having an L-shaped cross section and having one end fixed to the mounting portion is disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body of the mounting portion. This member 11l
The heel portion 11m faces upward of the vehicle body, and an end portion 11g of the outer hood cloth 11c is removably attached thereto with a clasp such as a hook. The two-dot chain line in the figure shows the state of the top 11b when it is stored. In addition, rainwater that enters from the outside through the end 11g of the outer hood cloth 11c flows through the corner formed by the inner hood cloth end 11f and the member 11l, and is discharged from the side of the vehicle body. Ru.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 2 showing a protrusion in an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a perspective view showing the shape of the roll bar leg, and FIG. 1C is a cross-sectional view of the protrusion in FIG. 1A. 1D is a sectional view taken along line C-C, FIG. 1D is a sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 1A, FIGS. 1E and 1F are a perspective view and a top view showing the protrusion 42, and FIG. 1G is is a perspective view showing a reinforcing member, FIGS. 2A to 2C are perspective views showing three aspects of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a reinforcing member.
A cross-sectional view along the line, FIG. 4 is - of FIG. 2A.
5 is a perspective view of the hinge mechanism; FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line - in FIG. 5;
7A is a perspective view of the pin assembly, FIG. 7B is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 7A, FIGS. 8A and 8B are explanatory diagrams showing the operation of the hinge mechanism, and FIG. 9 is a roll An explanatory view showing the relationship between the bar and the roof panel, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the rear hood. 1...Roll bar, 5b...Side window, 6...Roof panel, 9...Front header, 11...Rear hood, 15...Storage section, 20...
Hinge mechanism, 42, 105... Protrusion, 43, 1
06...Outer surface, 42f...Sealing member.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A roll bar having a substantially inverted U-shape and extending between both side walls of the vehicle body so as to be rotatable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body centering on both leg ends, and the top of the roll bar and a windshield. In an open-top automobile, the roof panel is provided with a roof panel that can be spanned between the roof panel and the top of the vehicle body, and a roll bar storage portion is formed on the rear side of the vehicle body of the roll bar; The roll bar is between a first position where the front part of the vehicle body of the roof panel can span the top of the windshield to form a vehicle roof, and a second position where the roll bar can be stored in the storage section. is rotatable at least, and a first protrusion having a slope substantially continuous with an outer surface of the both side walls of the vehicle body is formed at the upper end of the both side walls of the vehicle body facing the both legs of the roll bar in the first position. Further, on both legs of the roll bar, a surface of the roll bar on the outside of the vehicle body located above the first protrusion in the first position is substantially parallel to an outside surface of the vehicle body of the first protrusion. A second protrusion protruding outward from the vehicle body is formed to form a continuous slope, and further, on the front side of the vehicle body of each of the first protrusion and both legs of the roll bar, An upper vehicle body structure for an automobile, characterized in that a seal portion is formed to seal between the side window and the side window.