JPH11348671A - Leg part structure for roof rail - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a leg part structure for a roof rail having no possibility of moment incurred by loading with simple structure, suitable strength without impairing retaining function. SOLUTION: In this leg part structure which supports and joins both the end parts of a roof rail 1 to be mounted onto a car body panel, each leg part 2 and 3 is provided with a supporting part 6 supporting the end part of the roof rail 1, and with an insertion supporting part 7 formed in the upward direction of the supporting part 6, and inserted into the roof rail 1, having a fixing part 8 disposed to a place over the car body panel almost directly underneath the supporting part 6. In this case, since loading from the roof rail 1 is transmitted to the fixing part 8 fixed to the car body panel almost directly underneath the supporting part 6, any improper moment will never be incurred, its structure is simple, and good in strength.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a leg structure for supporting both ends of a roof rail mounted on a vehicle body panel.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 7 (A), a roof rail mounted on a vehicle body panel usually has a rod-shaped roof rail 21 and a front part which is connected to both ends thereof and serves as a fixed part to the vehicle body panel. And rear leg portions 22 and 23. As shown in FIGS. 7 (A) and 7 (B), these legs are fixed to the fixing bolts 2 due to a problem such as aesthetic appearance.
After rising up at an angle from the roof panel, which is a fixing portion to the roof panel 9 and 30, it is curved so as to be substantially parallel to the roof panel, and its tip is the roof rail 2.
It is configured to be coupled to one end. A hollow metal tube is frequently used in the rail portion of the roof rail configured as described above from the viewpoint of strength and weight reduction, and the entire load applied to the entire roof rail acts on the leg portion 22 thereof. FIG. 7 to bear the load of
As shown in FIG. 7 (C), the entire leg portion 22 is made of metal by die-casting, or as shown in FIG. 7 (B), the metal constituting the insertion locking portion 27 to the end of the roof rail. The main component is a resin material 22 in which the reinforcing material is embedded.

[0003]

FIG. 8 shows such a conventional leg portion structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-268172, in which the leg portion 31 is formed by resin gas injection molding. I have. This is because the insertion locking portion 31h on the distal end side of the curved portion of the leg portion 31 which rises up from the fixing portion to the roof panel such as the stud bolt 31a and the boss portion 31b is inserted into the end of the metal pipe-shaped roof rail. To form a joint. For the fixed part to the body panel such as the roof panel,
In the type in which the connection to the end of the roof rail 34 is relatively far away, expensive engineering plastics may be used in order to withstand the generated moment and improve the load bearing performance of the roof rail as a whole. It is necessary to increase the diameter of the insertion locking portion 31h where the load is concentrated. Therefore, the diameter of the roof rail is also increased, which has been a factor that increases the material cost and the degree of freedom in modeling.

In FIG. 8, the load applied to the roof rail 34 causes the roof rail 34
When a downward force acts on the coupling end with the other, the other stud bolt 31a receives a force in the floating direction with the stud bolt 31a on the right side in the drawing as a fulcrum, and in the worst case, The detachment of the stud 31a may cause the leg 31 to lose the rotation stopping function.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention solves the problems of the conventional roof rail leg mounting structure, has no fear of generating a moment due to a load, has a simple structure, is easy in terms of strength, and has a detent. It is an object of the present invention to provide a roof rail leg structure that does not impair the function.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a leg structure for supporting and connecting both ends of a roof rail mounted on a vehicle body panel, wherein the leg is a support for supporting an end of the roof rail and the support. An insertion support portion formed above the portion and inserted into the end of the roof rail, and a fixing portion for fixing to the vehicle body panel is disposed substantially immediately below the support portion. Further, the present invention is characterized in that an end of the roof rail is formed on an inclined surface having an upper surface longer than a lower surface. Further, the present invention is characterized in that a rib is provided between the supporting portion and the insertion supporting portion so as to connect them, and a notch for engaging with the rib is provided at an end of the roof-rail. It is. Further, the present invention is characterized in that the leg portion is integrally formed of resin, and a reinforcing member for reinforcing the insertion support portion, the support portion, and each portion of the fixing portion to the vehicle body panel is embedded. . Further, the present invention is characterized in that the reinforcing member is disposed so as to protrude also into the rib, and these are used as means for solving the problem.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view showing a state in which a roof rail whose both ends are supported by legs is mounted on a vehicle body panel. 1B is a sectional view taken along line A of FIG. 1A, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line B of FIG. 1A, and FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, a roof rail 1 for loading luggage is mounted on a vehicle roof panel 5 by a front leg 2 and a rear leg 3 at a predetermined interval from the roof panel 5. , These front and rear leg parts 2,
The center leg portion 4 located between the three portions 3 is supported and supported to bear the load on the intermediate portion.

According to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), a front and rear leg portion attached to both ends of a lower surface 1B of a roof rail 1 mainly made of a metal hollow pipe. Applied to the structure. Further, the leg portion structure of the present invention can be applied to other vehicle exterior components on which a force for peeling the exterior component acts. In the present embodiment, a cross-sectional view of the connecting portion of the roof rail 1 and the front leg portion 2 (the connecting portion of the rear leg portion 3 has the same structure and thus the description is omitted) in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1B, the leg portion 2 includes a support portion 6 for supporting an end of the roof rail 1, an insertion support portion 7 formed above the support portion 6 and inserted into the end of the roof rail 1. And a fixing portion 8 for fixing to the vehicle body panel 12 (see FIG. 2) is disposed substantially directly below the support portion 6.

The insertion support 7 is inserted into the end of the hollow pipe-shaped roof rail 1 without any excess or shortage. Further, in the present invention, the end of the roof rail 1 is closer to the upper surface 1 than the lower surface 1B.
A is formed on an inclined surface having a longer side, and a load applied to the roof rail 1 is received by a relatively wide rectangular cross section S (see FIG. 3) formed by an end slope of the roof rail 1, and the surface pressure is reduced. It is configured so that it can be transferred to the front leg portion 2 in a low state. Further, in the present invention, the leg portions 2 and 3 are integrally formed of resin, and the insertion support portion 7 and the support portion 6 and the body panel 12 are formed.
As shown in FIG. 2, a reinforcing member 11 for reinforcing them is embedded in each part of the fixing part 8. The reinforcing member 11
Has a crank-shaped cross-section integrally formed by a metal plate or the like composed of the insertion support portion reinforcing portion 11A, the support portion reinforcing portion 11B, and the fixed portion reinforcing portion 11C, and the roof rail 1 and the leg portions 2, 3 are formed. Of course, the force in the up and down direction can be secured high effective reinforcement strength against the force in the left and right direction. In addition, the load from the roof rail 1 is transmitted to the vehicle body through these reinforcing members, and It is possible to support a high roof rail.

[0010] At the portion where the end of the roof rail 1 is to be supported and connected and is to be substantially directly below the support portion 6 forming a fixing portion to the vehicle body panel, the roof rail 1 is fixed to the vehicle body panel 12 in the reinforcing member 11. A first fixing bolt 9 for fixing to the vehicle body is fixed to the fixing portion reinforcing portion 11C for reinforcing the portion 8, and its screw portion is configured to protrude from the lower surface of the front leg portion 2. Reference numeral 10 denotes a second fixing bolt buried at a predetermined distance from the first fixing bolt 9. Reference numeral 16 denotes the insertion portion reinforcing portion 11A and the fixed portion reinforcing portion 1.
A hole formed in the substantially vertical supporting portion reinforcing portion 11B connecting the resin portion 1C and the reinforcing portion 11B for strengthening the connection between the resin portion and the reinforcing member such as a metal in the front leg portion 2.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the outer peripheral surface of the lower surface of the front leg portion 2 and the fixing
Around the fixing bolts 9 and 10 are formed at a height higher than that of the undercut portion 17 so as to be disposed on the rear surface of the vehicle body panel 12 to be fixed thereto. The roof panel 5 and the vehicle body panel 12 can be firmly held between the fixed nut 13 and the fixing nut 13 to increase the bonding strength. Further, in the present invention, since the load from the roof rail 1 can be almost received by the fixing portion 8 substantially directly below the support portion 6, the second fixing bolt 10 is sufficient if it exhibits a rotation stopping function. The middle portion of the front leg portion 2 can be formed as the hollow portion 18, and the weight can be reduced.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the leg portion structure of the roof rail according to the present invention, and FIG.
4B is a perspective view of the leg portion, FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the end of the roof rail is supported and connected to the leg portion, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and a D cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a view clearly showing a reinforcing member in the same cross section. In the present embodiment, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4A, a rib 14 is provided between the support portion 6 and the insertion support portion 7 in the front leg portion 2 (the same applies to the rear leg portion 3) so as to connect them, and FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a notch 15 which engages with the rib 14 is provided on the lower surface 1B of the end of the roof rail 1. Thereby, the rib 14 reinforces the space between the support portion 6 and the insertion support portion 7 to make the support connection with the end portion of the roof rail 1 connected more secure and reliable.
Since the notch 15 that receives and engages the roof rail 4 is provided on the lower surface 1B of the end of the roof rail 1, there is no possibility that the roof rail 1 will be blinded in the lateral direction.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6, the reinforcing member 11 embedded in the leg 2 is
The insertion support portion reinforcing portion 11A and the fixed portion reinforcing portion which reinforce the insertion support portion 7 in the reinforcing member 11 and the fixing portion 8 of the vehicle body panel 12, respectively. A supporting portion reinforcing portion 11B vertically disposed between the rib 11C and the supporting portion 11C protrudes into the rib 14. Thereby, the effect of reinforcing the roof rail 1 in the lateral direction is further improved.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. However, within the scope of the present invention, the shape and material of the roof rail, the shape and material of the leg, the form of connection between the roof rail and the leg, and the leg The fixing form between the section and the roof panel or the vehicle body panel, the shape of the support portion and the insertion support portion, the shape of the rib and the notch, the shape and material of the reinforcing member, the embedding form of the fixing bolt in the leg portion, and the like can be appropriately adopted.

[0015]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, in the leg structure for supporting and connecting both ends of the roof rail mounted on the vehicle body panel, the leg supports the end of the roof rail. It has a support portion and an insertion support portion formed above the support portion and inserted into the end of the roof rail, and the fixed portion to the vehicle body panel is disposed substantially immediately below the support portion. The load is transmitted to the vehicle body panel by a fixing bolt positioned substantially directly below the support portion through a support portion that supports an end portion of the roof rail that forms a connection portion with the leg portion, so that any load is applied to the leg portion. No undesired moment is generated. Therefore, there is no need to configure the leg for fixing the roof rail to the vehicle body panel using expensive engineering plastics with high load-bearing performance or to increase the diameter of the insertion locking part where all loads are concentrated. It is possible to provide an inexpensive leg portion which has a simple structure and excellent strength.

Also, as described above, since there is no inconvenience of the moment, another fixing bolt located at a predetermined distance from the fixing bolt located almost immediately below the supporting portion may be lifted. Therefore, it is sufficient to satisfy the rotation-stopping function without generating any force, so that high strength is not required and the degree of freedom in designing the leg portion can be greatly increased. And
Since the end of the roof rail is formed on an inclined surface having the upper surface longer than the lower surface, the load applied to the roof rail is received by a relatively wide rectangular cross section formed by the end slope of the roof rail, and the surface pressure is low. In this state, it can be transferred to the front leg portion, so that the load on the support portion and the insertion support portion in the leg portion is shared, and there is little risk of damaging the contact portion in the leg portion.

Further, a rib is provided between the support section and the insertion support section rail so as to connect them,
By providing a notch at the end of the roof rail which engages with the rib, the rib reinforces the space between the support portion and the insertion support portion, and the support connection with the joined end of the roof rail is performed. Since a notch for receiving and engaging the rib is provided on the lower surface of the end of the roof rail, the roof rail does not have a risk of laterally blinding.

Further, the leg portion is integrally formed of resin, and a reinforcing member for reinforcing the insertion support portion, the support portion, and the fixed portion to the vehicle body panel is embedded, so that the roof rail and the leg portion are formed. Not to mention the vertical force that separates from the vehicle, it is possible to secure a high reinforcement strength that is effective against the horizontal force, and the load from the roof rail is transmitted to the vehicle body side through these reinforcing members, Roof rails with high strength can be supported. Further, if the reinforcing member is disposed so as to protrude into the rib, the effect of reinforcing the roof rail in the lateral direction is further improved. As described above, according to the present invention, there is provided a leg structure of a roof rail which has a simple structure which does not cause a moment to be generated by a load, which has a simple structure, which is reasonable in strength, and which does not impair a detent function. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a leg portion structure of a roof rail according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 (A) is a perspective view showing a state in which a roof rail having both ends supported by the leg portions is mounted on a vehicle body panel. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along a line B in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view taken in the direction of arrow C in FIG.

4A and 4B show a second embodiment of a leg portion structure of a roof rail according to the present invention. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the leg portion, and FIG. 4B is a diagram in which an end of the roof rail is supported by the leg portion. It is sectional drawing of the state couple | bonded.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view and a D sectional view of FIG. 4 (B).

FIG. 6 is a view clearly showing a reinforcing member in the same cross section as the D cross section in FIG. 4 (B).

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of a leg portion of a general roof rail.

FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of a leg portion of a conventional roof rail.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Roof rail 1A Upper surface 1B Lower surface 2 Front leg part 3 Rear leg part 4 Center leg part 5 Roof panel 6 Support part 7 Insert support part 8 Fixing part 9 1st fixing bolt 10 2nd fixing bolt 11 Reinforcement member 11A Insert supporting part reinforcement Part 11B Support part reinforcement part 11C Fixing part reinforcement part with body panel 12 Body panel 13 Fixing nut 14 Rib 15 Notch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A leg structure for supporting and connecting both ends of a roof rail mounted on a vehicle body panel, wherein the leg portion is formed above the support portion to support an end of the roof rail and the end of the roof rail. And an insertion support portion inserted into the portion, and a fixing portion for fixing to a vehicle body panel is disposed substantially directly below the support portion. 2. The roof rail leg structure according to claim 1, wherein an end of the roof rail is formed on an inclined surface having an upper surface longer than a lower surface. 3. A rib is provided between the supporting portion and the insertion supporting portion so as to connect them, and a notch for engaging with the rib is provided at an end of the roof rail. Item 3. The leg structure of the roof rail according to item 1 or 2. 4. The leg part is integrally formed of resin, and a reinforcing member for reinforcing each part of the insertion support part, the support part, and a fixing part to a vehicle body panel is embedded. 4. A leg part mounting structure for a roof rail according to any one of claims 3 to 3. 5. The leg part structure of a roof rail according to claim 1, wherein said reinforcing member is disposed so as to protrude also into said rib.