JPH1178975A - Vehicle roof structure - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To make it possible to appropriately adjust the height of a vehicle by simple means without causing a problem that rust is easily generated on a member supporting a roof panel as much as possible. A roof structure for a vehicle is provided, wherein a roof panel for covering an upper part of a cabin of the vehicle is supported by a vehicle body via a front pillar and a rear pillar. Roof panel 2
The position of attachment to the vehicle main body 1 can be changed so that the height of the rear part of the vehicle body 0 can be changed between a first position higher than the front part and a second position lower than the first position. .

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a roof structure of a vehicle suitable for a riding type vehicle such as a riding type golf cart used in a golf course or a riding cart used for a person's movement or play in an amusement park.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As is well known, a riding type golf cart used, for example, for carrying golf bags and moving golf courses in a golf course, has a roof above a cabin with seats to prevent rain and shade. It is generally provided. In a golf cart equipped with such a roof, it is preferable that the occupant is prevented from getting wet due to a rain drop from the roof in rainy weather. Therefore, in the related art, the roof panel is set to be inclined forward and downward so that most of the rainwater on the roof panel flows to the front edge side of the roof panel and then flows downward to the roof panel. It is common.

On the other hand, the roof of a golf cart generally has a relatively high roof so that a golfer can easily get on and off the golf cart. For this reason, as described above, when the roof panel is set to be inclined forward and downward, in other words, when the rear part of the roof panel is set higher than the front part, the height of the entire golf cart becomes higher. Would. In this case, for example, when a golf cart is loaded on a transport truck and transported, inconvenience is caused in handling the golf cart, and disadvantageous in that distribution costs such as transport costs are increased.

Therefore, conventionally, there is a means shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, for example. That is, in the means shown in FIG. 8, the rear pillar 96 supporting the rear part of the roof panel 90 is connected to two support members 91 and 92 slidably connected to each other.
It is constituted by. According to this means, when the golf cart travels, the roof panel 90 can be set in a forward-lowering state by extending the two support members 91 and 92 and setting the rear portion of the roof panel 90 high. When the golf cart is carried, the height of the rear part of the roof panel 90 can be reduced by shortening the support members 91 and 92.

On the other hand, the means shown in FIG.
The rear pillar 96A that supports the rear part of the
5, two support members 93, which are connected to bendable via 5,
94. According to this means, the length of the rear pillar 96A can be changed depending on whether or not the two support members 93 and 94 are bent, and the height of the rear portion of the roof panel 90 can be changed as necessary. it can.

[0006]

However, in the former means shown in FIG. 8, the two supporting members 91,
Since the rear pillar 96 is formed by slidably connecting the two support members 92, the two support members 91,
Rust and the like are likely to be generated on the slide portion 92. As a result, the appearance of the golf cart has been deteriorated, and the expansion and contraction function of the rear pillar has been easily deteriorated.

On the other hand, in the latter conventional means shown in FIG. 9, the two support members 93 and 94 are rotatably connected to each other via a hinge member 95 so that the rear pillar 9 is provided.
6A, the number of parts constituting the entire rear pillar 96A increases. Further, it is necessary to take another measure to prevent the rear pillar 96A from being carelessly bent around the hinge member 95 in the normal state. Therefore, in the latter case, the rear pillar 96
There is a problem that the entire structure of A becomes complicated and its manufacturing cost becomes expensive.

Heretofore, there have been the following problems in addition to the above-mentioned problems. That is, in a golf cart, a door is not provided on the side of the cabin for convenience of passengers getting on and off, and the side of the cabin is usually opened. Therefore, when raindrops are generated from both side edges of the roof panel constituting the roof in the vehicle width direction, a passenger riding in the cabin is often wet by the raindrops. Therefore, conventionally, it was necessary to prevent such a situation. More specifically, as described above, in the related art, by setting the roof panel to be inclined downward and forward, most of the rainwater on the roof panel flows to the front edge side of the roof panel, and then the roof panel However, it is not possible to completely prevent raindrops from both side edges of the roof panel in the vehicle width direction by simply setting the roof panel in a forward-downward shape. Also, when rainwater on the roof panel flows downward from various parts of the front panel extending in the vehicle width direction of the roof panel, the rainwater is generated, for example, by a windshield (windshield glass) attached to a front portion of the cabin. It flows over a wide area on the surface. In this case, the view of the driver of the vehicle is obstructed, which is not appropriate. In particular, in a golf cart, since it is common that a windshield is not provided with a wiper for reasons such as simplification of the structure, it is more unfavorable that a large amount of rainwater flows over a wide range of the surface of the windshield.

The invention of the present application has been devised under such circumstances, and a simple means is used without causing a problem that rust is easily generated on a member supporting a roof panel as much as possible. It is an object of the present invention to appropriately adjust the height of a vehicle. Another object of the present invention is to prevent raindrops from being formed at various locations on the roof without causing a problem such that visibility in front of the vehicle is deteriorated by rainwater flowing down from the roof.

[0010]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle roof structure in which a roof panel for covering an upper part of a cabin of a vehicle is supported by a vehicle body via a front pillar and a rear pillar. The mounting position on the vehicle body can be changed so that the height of the rear part of the roof panel can be changed between a first position higher than the front part and a second position lower than the first position. It is characterized by having.

In the present invention, the height of the rear part of the roof panel is higher than the front part of the roof panel by changing the mounting position of the rear pillar supporting the rear part of the roof panel on the vehicle body. The position can be set to both the position and the second position lower than the first position. That is, when the vehicle is actually driven and used, by setting the height of the rear portion of the roof panel to the first position, the roof panel can be set to a forward-downward slope. The drainage of rainwater and the like on the roof panel can be improved. On the other hand, when the vehicle is loaded on a transport truck or a cargo ship and transported, for example, the rear portion of the roof panel is set at the second position to reduce the overall height of the vehicle. The transportation cost can be reduced, or the transportation operation can be facilitated.

In the present invention, the height of the rear portion of the roof panel is changed by changing the mounting position of the rear pillar with respect to the vehicle main body. No configuration is required. Therefore, the appearance of the rear pillar and the appearance of the entire vehicle are deteriorated by providing a slide portion where rust easily occurs on the rear pillar, and the height adjustment work of the roof panel cannot be smoothly performed due to rust of the rear pillar. It is possible to appropriately prevent such a problem from occurring. Furthermore, the rear pillar itself can be constituted by, for example, one member, and the vehicle body only needs to be provided with two portions where the rear pillar can be fixed by, for example, bolting. Can be made simpler than before. Therefore, the effect that the manufacturing cost of the vehicle can be reduced can be obtained.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the roof panel includes a first drain guide groove extending in the vehicle front-rear direction at each of both side edges in the vehicle width direction of the roof panel, and a front edge portion of the roof panel. And a second drain guide groove extending in the vehicle width direction at
At both ends in the vehicle width direction of the front edge of the roof panel, there are provided drainage portions for flowing water flowing in the first drainage guide groove and the second drainage guide groove below the roof panel. The configuration provided may be employed.

According to such a configuration, of the rainwater that has fallen on the roof panel, the rainwater flowing toward both side edges of the roof panel in the vehicle width direction can be received by the first drain guide groove. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent rainwater on the roof panel from flowing down below the roof panel as a raindrop from both side edges in the vehicle width direction. The roof panel can be set in a downwardly inclined shape, and the first drain guide groove extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, so that the rainwater received by the first drain guide groove is , Sequentially flow toward the front edge side of the roof panel. Further, of the rainwater on the roof panel that is not received by the first drain guide groove, the rainwater flows, for example, over the upper surface of the roof panel to the front edge side thereof. Rainwater can be received by the second drain guide groove. Therefore, it is possible to prevent rainwater from flowing down from a wide area at various positions in the longitudinal direction of the front edge of the roof panel. Further, the rainwater received by the first drain guide groove and the second drain guide groove finally passes through drain portions provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the front edge of the roof panel. It can flow down below it. Since the drainage of rainwater from the drainage portion is concentrated at both ends in the vehicle width direction at the front edge of the roof panel, the rainwater does not obstruct a wide area in front of the vehicle. Will flow down along both sides in the vehicle width direction of the windshield provided in front of the cabin, and it will be possible to prevent rainwater from obstructing the field of view over a wide area in the center portion of the windshield in the vehicle width direction. .

As described above, according to the above configuration, it is possible to prevent rainfall from various parts of the roof panel without causing a problem that the view ahead of the vehicle is obstructed by a large amount of rainwater flowing down from the roof panel. In addition, it is possible to appropriately prevent the occupant of the vehicle from getting wet by rain. Further, in the above configuration, since the drainage treatment of the rainwater received by the first drain guide groove and the second drain guide groove can be smoothly performed, the first drain guide groove and the second drain guide are used. It is also possible to prevent a large amount of rainwater from accumulating in the groove. Therefore, for example, it is possible to eliminate a problem that the occupant is wet by water drops overflowing from the drain guide grooves and flowing down. Further, if the drainage of the first drainage guide groove and the second drainage guide groove can be smoothly performed, it is not necessary to increase the size of each drainage guide groove, and the appearance of the roof can be improved. The advantage that it can be obtained is also obtained.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. FIG.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a roof portion of the vehicle shown in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. FIG. 6 is a main part side view showing an example of a configuration of a rear portion of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. In these figures, the arrow Fr indicates the front of the vehicle, the arrow Up indicates the upper direction in the vehicle height direction, and the arrow W indicates the vehicle width direction.

The vehicle A shown in FIG. 1 is configured as a riding type golf cart, and has a roof 2 above a vehicle body 1. For example, a total of 4
Two sets of front and rear seats 11 to allow human golfers to board
A cabin 10 provided with a and 11b, a stay 12 for loading a golf bag, and the like are provided. The vehicle A is configured to be able to drive and run using, for example, an engine or a motor disposed inside the rear cowl section 13 as a drive source.

As shown in FIG. 4, the roof 2 has a structure in which a roof panel 20 is mounted on a roof frame 3. The basic structure of the roof frame 3 is a structure in which a plurality of round pipes are assembled by welding or the like. In the present embodiment, the front pillars 4 and 4 are integrated with the roof frame 3. The rear pillars 5, 5 are connected by a bolting structure described later.

The roof frame 3 is entirely formed in a hollow frame shape having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. A pair of left and right side frame portions 30 and 30 and a plurality of cross members 31 are provided.
a, 31b, 31c, and a plurality of first brackets 32
Is provided. The pair of side frame portions 30, 3
Reference numeral 0 denotes a substantially straight bar-shaped portion located on both sides in the vehicle width direction of the roof 2 and extending substantially horizontally in the vehicle front-rear direction. Each of the plurality of cross members 31a, 31b, 31c extends in the vehicle width direction, and connects the pair of side frame portions 30, 30 to each other. The plurality of first brackets 32 are brackets for fixing and mounting the roof panel 20 on the roof frame 3. For example, three first brackets 32 are mounted on the front part and the rear part of the roof frame 3, respectively. I have. Each of the plurality of first brackets 32 is formed by, for example, pressing a plate-shaped metal plate, and has a substantially horizontal flat plate portion 32 a for receiving the roof panel 20 at an upper portion thereof. Being formed,
An upward screw shaft 32b protrudes from the flat plate portion 32a. Each of the first brackets 32 is fixedly attached, for example, by welding its lower part to the roof frame 3.

The front pillars 4, 4 are formed, for example, by extending front end portions of the pair of side frame portions 30, 30 obliquely downward and forward of the vehicle.
These front pillars 4, 4 are connected to a second bracket 4 attached to a connecting portion 41 connecting these lower ends.
0, 40 are bolts 42 on the upper surface of the front cowl portion 14.
It is fixed to the vehicle body 1 by bolting using. A windshield 6 is attached to the front pillars 4 and 4.

Each of the rear pillars 5 and 5 is formed using a round pipe or the like, and a bent portion 59 extending substantially horizontally is provided at an upper portion thereof. 5 and FIG. 6, the upper portion of each of the rear pillars 5 is connected to the side frame portion 30 of the roof frame 3. More specifically, the connection structure is formed by inserting the rear pillar 5 from below into an auxiliary member 33 having a U-shaped cross section at a lower opening welded to a side portion of the side frame portion 30.
Of the bent portions 59, and these bent portions 59,
The bolts 51 are passed through the auxiliary member 33 and the side frame portions 30 in a substantially horizontal series, so that the bolts 51 and the nuts 52 connect the respective portions to each other. As shown in FIG. 6, two sets of the bolts 51 and the nuts 52 are provided. Therefore, in the connection structure, the rear pillar 5 is fixed to the side frame portion 30 so as to be relatively non-rotatable. However, the bolt 51 can be removed by loosening the nut 52. As shown in FIG. 7, when one of the two bolts 51 is removed, the rear pillar 5 is connected to the side frame 30 or the roof. The panel 20 can be set to be rotatable relative to the direction of the arrow N1. Such a setting
As described later, this is performed when the height of the roof 2 is changed.

At the lower end of each of the rear pillars 5, a third bracket 50 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is fixedly attached by welding or the like. The third bracket 50 is provided with a predetermined mounting portion 1 of the rear cowl portion 13 using a bolt 53.
6 and is fixedly attached to the vehicle body 1. The attachment portion 16 is a portion provided with a screw hole into which the bolt 53 can be screwed, a hole portion (all not shown) into which a part of the third bracket 50 can be fitted, and the like. A bracket piece 15 is provided on a rear end surface of the rear cowl portion 13. The bracket piece 15 is appropriately used, for example, for mounting an apparatus for cleaning a golf ball during normal use of the vehicle A. The third bracket 50 can be bolted to the bracket piece 15. Is configured. The bracket piece 15 is located rearward of the vehicle with respect to the mounting portion 16,
And it is located below the vehicle height direction.

The roof panel 20 is made of a synthetic resin, and is formed in a relatively flat pallet shape having a predetermined dimension in each of the vehicle longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIG. 2, first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 are provided on both side edges 20 a and 20 a of the roof panel 20 in the vehicle width direction. Each of the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 is a portion provided by forming both side edges 20a and 20a of the roof panel 20 into a concave groove having an open upper surface.
The rear edge portion extends in the vehicle front-rear direction over the substantially entire length of the side edge portions 20a, 20a in the vehicle front portion, beyond the convex step portion 29 extending in the vehicle width direction. In addition,
The step 29 helps to prevent raindrops from forming at the rear edge of the roof panel 20. 3, the front edge 20b of the roof panel 20
Is provided with a second drain guide groove 22. The second drain guide groove 22 is also a portion provided by molding the front edge portion 20b of the roof panel 20 into a concave groove having an open upper surface. This second drain guide groove 22
Extend in the vehicle width direction. The roof panel 20 is provided with a plurality of grooves 23 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction in addition to the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 and the second drain guide groove 22. The roof panel 20 is formed from the viewpoint of design to improve the appearance and to serve as a reinforcing rib for increasing the overall strength of the roof panel 20. However, like the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21, the plurality of grooves 23 also play a role of guiding rainwater on the roof panel 20.

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4,
Drainage portions 24, 24 are provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the front edge portion 20b of the roof panel 20. Each of the drainage portions 24, 24 is formed by, for example, notching a part of the front wall portion 22a forming the second drainage guide groove 22 in a concave shape. The drainage section 24, 2
In addition to the second drain guide groove 22, each of the front ends of the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 is also connected to each of the fourth drain guide grooves 4.

The roof panel 20 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 3, the screw bracket 32b is placed on the flat plate portion 32a of each of the first brackets 32, and the screw shaft 32b is inserted through the plurality of holes 25 penetrating in the thickness direction thereof, and the nut 26 is tightened. As a result, it is fixedly mounted on the roof frame 3. In this case, the roof panel 20 is attached so as to be inclined forward and downward such that its front end is lower than its rear end. For this reason, the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 and the plurality of concave grooves 23 are also inclined forward and downward.

Next, the operation of the vehicle A will be described.

When the vehicle A is used in rainy weather, the rainwater on the roof panel 20 first flows toward the front edge 20b of the roof panel 20 by the guide action of the plurality of grooves 23 in FIG. . Further, the plurality of grooves 2
The rainwater directed to both side edges 20a, 20a of the roof panel 20 in the vehicle width direction without being guided by the third panel 3 is received by the first drain guide grooves 21, 21.
Thereafter, the water flows through the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 and also flows toward the front edge 20 b of the roof panel 20. Therefore, both side edges 20 on the roof panel 20 side
a, 20a can be prevented from occurring on the side of the cabin 10. In this case, a plurality of grooves 23
If the dimension L between the concave groove located on the outermost side in the vehicle width direction and the first drain guide groove 21 is shortened (see FIG. 2),
The amount of rainwater flowing into the first drain guide groove 21 can be reduced, which is advantageous in forming the first drain guide groove 21 in a small size. That is, if the amount of rainwater flowing into the first drain guide groove 21 is reduced, it is not necessary to form the guide groove in a large size in order to prevent rainwater from overflowing from the first drain guide groove 21. This is preferable in reducing the size of the guide groove.

The rainwater that has flowed into the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 flows along the slope of the roof panel 20 toward the front edge 20b thereof, and flows downward through the drains 24 and 24. Further, the first drain guide groove 21,
Rainwater that has reached the front edge portion 20b of the roof panel 20 from a region other than 21 flows into the second drain guide groove 22, and this rainwater also finally reaches the drainage portions 24, 24, and from this portion. Runs down. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately prevent rainwater from staying in the first drain guide grooves 21 and 21 and the second drain guide groove 22 and overflowing rainwater from these portions.

On the other hand, the rainwater flowing down from the drainage portions 24, 24 flows intensively in a narrow area along both sides in the vehicle width direction of the windshield 6, as indicated by reference numeral N2 in FIG. In this case, the rainwater can flow down along the outer surfaces of the front pillars 4 and 4. Therefore, the view of the central portion of the windshield 6 in the vehicle width direction is not obstructed by rainwater, and a relatively good view can be secured without providing a wiper.

Next, when the vehicle A is not used, for example, when the vehicle A is transported by being loaded on a transport truck, the structure shown in FIG. 7 is set. That is, in the structure shown in the figure, one of the two bolts 51 for fixing the bent portion 59 of the rear pillar 5 to the roof frame 3 is removed. The third bracket 50 of the rear pillar 5 is bolted to the bracket piece 15 after being removed from the mounting portion 16. In this case, as the position of the lower end of the rear pillar 5 is changed, the roof frame 3
The angle of intersection θ of the rear pillar 5 with respect to the rear pillar 5 changes, but the bent portion 59 of the rear pillar 5 is connected to the roof frame 3 by only one bolt 51 so as to be relatively rotatable. The angle θ can be changed appropriately, and the position of the rear pillar 5 can be changed without difficulty.

The position of the rear pillar 5 is changed, and
When the bracket 50 is mounted on the bracket piece 15 which is located behind the mounting portion 16 in the vehicle and lower than the mounting portion 16, the height of the rear portion of the roof 2 is lowered by a predetermined height H. can do. That is, the rear portion of the roof panel 20 was originally at the first position Na higher than the front portion thereof, but can be arranged at the lower second position Nb by changing the position of the rear pillar 5. For example, the entire roof panel 20 can be set to be substantially horizontal. In this case, the height of the rear end of the roof 2 can be reduced by bending the front pillar 4, and the front pillar 4 does not necessarily need to be swingably attached to the vehicle body 1. If the height of the rear portion of the roof 2 is reduced in this manner, the overall size of the vehicle A can be reduced, which is very convenient for loading on a transport truck having a height limitation. Of course, the third bracket 50 of the rear pillar 5
Can be freely mounted on the mounting portion 16 and the bracket piece 15, so that the operation of returning from the state shown in FIG. 7 to the original setting state shown in FIGS. 1 and 6 can be easily performed.

The specific configuration of each part of the roof structure of the vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made. In the above embodiment, the front pillar and the rear pillar are connected to the roof frame supporting the roof panel. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the front pillar and the rear pillar may be directly connected to the roof panel. Also, the first drain guide groove and the second drain guide groove are preferably formed integrally with the roof panel, but the present invention is not limited to this.
For example, the first drainage guide water and the second drainage guide groove may be configured by attaching a gutter-like member formed separately from the roof panel to the roof panel. In addition, the specific type of the vehicle to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the golf cart. The present invention can be applied to various vehicles other than golf carts, such as a riding cart used in an amusement park or a sightseeing spot.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a vehicle to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a roof portion of the vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side view of an essential part showing an example of a configuration of a rear portion of the vehicle shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view of an essential part showing a state in which a rear part of a roof of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is lowered.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional vehicle roof structure.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing another example of a roof structure of a conventional vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A vehicle 1 vehicle body 2 roof 4 front pillar 5 rear pillar 6 windshield 10 cabin 15 bracket piece 16 mounting portion 20 roof panel 20a side edge (of roof panel) 20b front edge (of roof panel) 21 first drainage Guide groove 22 Second drainage guide groove 24 Drainage part

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A roof structure for a vehicle, wherein a roof panel for covering an upper part of a cabin of the vehicle is supported by a vehicle body via a front pillar and a rear pillar, wherein the rear pillar is provided on the roof panel. The mounting position on the vehicle body is changeable so that the height of the rear portion can be changed between a first position higher than the front portion and a second position lower than the first position. Roof structure. 2. The roof panel includes a first drain guide groove extending in the vehicle front-rear direction at each of both side edges in the vehicle width direction of the roof panel, and a first drainage guide groove extending in the vehicle width direction at a front edge of the roof panel. And water flowing through the first drain guide groove and the second drain guide groove is provided at both ends in the vehicle width direction of the front edge of the roof panel. The drainage part for flowing down below the roof panel is provided.
A roof structure for a vehicle according to claim 1.