CN106476897A - There are the motor vehicles of the unlimited ceiling with retaining element - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle with an open roof with fastening elements. A motor vehicle having a body (1) with an open roof arrangement comprises a supporting frame (3) of an open roof with a rear cross member (4) at each of its two lateral ends (10, 11) Attached to the lateral faces (8, 9) of the body. Fastening elements (16) extend between the lateral ends (10, 11) of the rear cross member (4) and the lateral faces (8, 9) of the body (1).

Description

Motor vehicles with an open roof with fixing elements

technical field

The present invention relates generally to a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a vehicle with an open roof.

Background technique

Typically, vehicles with an open roof include a support frame fastened to the top/upper side of the vehicle body.

However, most existing vehicles were not originally designed to accept an open roof system, and the bodywork is not necessarily adapted to support such a device.

The entire system rests on top, and the system's own weight weakens and destroys the integrity of the structure. Larger stress levels and certain displacement amplitudes of the support frame of the open roof can thus be measured.

Therefore, a reinforced structure is required to avoid the risk of failure and to ensure a safer system.

The solution consists in redesigning the existing bodywork so that it can be adapted to each vehicle, with the aim of providing a sufficiently strong structure. However, the main disadvantage of these strategies is that they are costly and complex.

The present invention therefore aims to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a reinforced open-roof arrangement enabling vehicles not originally designed to support an open-roof to receive such a system.

Contents of the invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problem, a motor vehicle having a body with an open-roof arrangement comprises a support frame of an open-roof having a rear cross member attached at its two lateral ends respectively to the body lateral faces.

Fastening elements extend between the lateral ends of the rear cross member and the lateral faces of the body.

Preferably, said fixing element is attached to a lateral reinforcement cover fastened to a lateral face of the vehicle body.

Advantageously, the fixing element is mounted below the rear cross member substantially in its prolongation.

More advantageously, each fixing element comprises a main part and two attachment parts protruding from the two free ends of said main part.

Preferably, the two attachment parts are folded away from the surface plane of the main part.

Furthermore, at least one attachment portion of the fixation element comprises two separate branches connected to the main portion.

Each attachment portion may be provided with holes adapted to receive attachment means for attachment to the side faces of the vehicle body and the rear cross member, respectively, or to the lateral reinforcement cover.

The attachment means may be bolts, screws or any equivalent means.

Preferably, each fixing element is made from a metal blank formed with folded reinforcing sides.

Description of drawings

Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will emerge from the detailed description of embodiments of the invention, which are non-limiting examples shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a body according to the invention;

- FIG. 2 is an enlarged inside view of the left lateral face of the vehicle body according to the first embodiment;

- Figure 3 is a side view of the fixing element according to the first embodiment;

- Figure 4 is an enlarged inside view of the left lateral side of a vehicle body according to a second embodiment; and

- Figure 5 is an enlarged inside view of the left lateral face of a vehicle body according to a third embodiment.

detailed description

In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , a vehicle with an open roof includes a body 1 . The vehicle body 1 comprises a left side 8 , a right side 9 and a top 2 . An open-roof supporting frame 3 is preferably provided and extends from the front 13 to the rear 5 of the roof 2 of the body 1 . The support frame 3 comprises a rear cross member 4 delimiting a rear portion 5 .

The rear cross member 4 extends transversely on the top face 2 and has a first lateral end 10 and a second lateral end 11 . The two lateral ends 10 and 11 of the rear cross member 4 are attached to the lateral faces 8 and 9 of the body 1 respectively, and are preferably attached to rear quarter windows 14 and 15 respectively.

In the example shown, the open-roof support frame 3 also comprises two open-roof support frame reinforcements 6 and 7 . A first stiffener 6 , best shown in FIG. 2 , is located below the support frame 3 and connects the lateral end 10 of the rear cross member 4 to the rest of the support frame 3 . The second reinforcement 7 is located on the other side of the body 1 in a similar manner.

Furthermore, in the example shown, a cover 12 ( FIG. 2 ) extends on that side of the lateral side 8 which faces the vehicle interior. A similar cover (not visible in FIG. 2 ) is provided on the other side of the body 1 .

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view from the inside of the vehicle body, showing the left lateral side 8 and the top surface 2 of the vehicle body 1 of FIG. 1 .

The fastening element 16 extends substantially in the extension of the cross member 4 from below the lateral end 10 of the cross member 4 to the lateral face 8 . Another identical fastening element extends in the same way from below the lateral end 11 to the lateral face 9 of the body 1 .

Preferably, each fixing element 16 is made from a metal blank. For a better understanding, a side view of the fixing element 16 according to the first embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3 . The fixing element 16 comprises two attachment portions 18 and 19 protruding from the two free ends of the main portion 17 . The main part 17 is generally rectangular in shape. The plane in which each attachment portion 18 , 19 lies is offset from the surface plane of the main portion 17 .

As shown in FIG. 3 , the attachment portions 18 , 19 are folded away from the surface plane of the main portion 17 . The attachment portion 18 is folded so as to be in contact with the lateral end 10 of the beam 4 , while the attachment portion 19 is folded into contact with the lateral face 8 .

In the example shown, the fixing element 16 comprises two folded reinforcement sides 22 and 23 .

Holes 20 and 21 are provided on the attachment portions 18 and 19, respectively. The attachment portions 18 and 19 are folded in such a manner that the axes of the holes 20 and 21 are substantially orthogonal.

According to a particular embodiment, the axes of said holes 20 and 21 lie respectively on two parallel planes spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. Each of these planes is advantageously in a transverse direction and in a vertical direction, so that the fixing element 16 is approximately S-shaped.

The holes 20 and 21 are preferably arranged such that, when the fixing element 16 is attached, the holes 20 and 21 will be aligned with pre-existing holes provided on the lateral ends 10 of the cross member 4 and the lateral faces 8 of the body 1 respectively. . Therefore, there is no need to modify the existing structure of the vehicle body to provide the fixing element 16 . The fixing elements on the opposite lateral face 9 are arranged in the same way.

In order to fasten the fastening element 16 simultaneously to the lateral end 10 of the cross member 4 and the lateral face 8 of the body 1 , attachment means can be mounted via the holes 20 and 21 . Another fixing element, not visible in the figure, is fastened in the same way to the lateral end 11 and the lateral face 9 of the body 1 . The attachment means not represented may advantageously be screws or bolts, or any other equivalent means.

In the example shown, the lateral reinforcement cover 24 is located on the lateral face 8 behind the cover 12 . For a better understanding, the cover 12 is not completely shown in FIG. 2 so that the lateral reinforcement cover 24 can be shown. Another identical lateral reinforcement cover is located on the opposite lateral face of the body 1 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the attachment portion 19 of the fixing element 16 is preferably attached to the cover 12 and more preferably to the reinforcing cover 24 .

The attachment portion 18 of the fixing element 16 is fixed to the lateral end 10 of the transom 4 and preferably also to the reinforcement 6 of the support frame of the open roof. Reinforcement elements located on the opposite lateral face are similarly fixed to corresponding reinforcement pieces attached to the opposite side of the top face 2 .

A second embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 4 . In all figures, the same elements have the same reference numerals. This example differs from the example shown in FIG. 2 only in that the fixation element 25 comprises two separate branches 30 and 31 protruding from the trapezoidal main part 26 .

Two attachment portions 27 and 28 protrude from branch portions 30 and 31 , respectively, and a third attachment portion 29 protrudes from main portion 26 . Each attachment portion 27 , 28 and 29 is folded away from the surface plane of the main portion 26 in a similar manner to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The shape of the main part 26 enables the fixing element 25 to be adapted to a larger area of the beam 4 and the lateral face 8 in order to better fix the open roof frame 3 .

The branches 30 and 31 are fastened on the lateral face 8 via pre-existing holes. The attachment portion 29 is fastened to the open roof frame 3 . The fixing element 25 is lighter and smaller.

Holes 32 and 33 are provided on the attachment portions 27 and 28 , respectively, and two more holes 34 and 35 are provided on the attachment portion 29 . The axes of the holes 32 , 33 are substantially orthogonal to the axes of the holes 34 , 35 .

Attachment means can pass through the holes 32 , 33 , 34 and 35 in order to fasten the fixing element 25 to the lateral face 8 and the lateral end 10 of the cross member 4 simultaneously. These means may eg be screws or bolts.

The attachment portions 27 and 28 may have protruding shapes or protrusions adapted to cover a relief (not visible in the figures) on the lateral face 8 of the vehicle body 1 .

In the example of FIG. 2 , the attachment portions 27 and 28 of the fixing element 25 are preferably fixed to the cover 12 , and more preferably to the reinforcing cover 24 . Furthermore, the attachment portion 29 is preferably fixed to the lateral end 10 of the beam 4 and more preferably to the reinforcement 6 of the support frame of the open roof.

Fig. 5 shows a third embodiment. In all figures, the same elements have the same reference numerals. This example differs from the example shown in FIG. 2 only in that the fixation element 36 comprises two separate branches 41 and 42 protruding from the rectangular main part 37 and adapted to Fitted to be fastened to the lateral face 8 .

Two attachment portions 38 and 39 protrude from the branch portions 41 and 42 respectively, and a third attachment portion 40 adapted to be fastened to the open roof frame 3 protrudes from the main portion 37 . The respective attachment portions 39, 39 and 40 are folded away from the surface plane of the main portion 37 in a similar manner to the embodiment of FIGS. 2 and 3 .

Holes 43, 44 and 45 may be provided on the attachment portions 38, 39 and 40, respectively. The axis of the holes 43 , 44 is substantially normal to the axis of the hole 45 .

Attachment means can pass through the holes 43 , 44 and 45 in order to fasten the fixing element 25 to the lateral face 8 and the lateral end 10 of the cross member 4 simultaneously. These means may eg be screws or bolts.

The attachment portions 38 and 39 of the fixing element 36 are preferably fixed to the cover 12 , and more preferably to the reinforcing cover 24 . Furthermore, the attachment portion 40 is preferably fixed to the beam, and more preferably to the reinforcement 6 of the supporting frame of the open roof.

The invention enables the stress level of the beams 4 and the displacement amplitude of the open roof frame 3 to be reduced.

The fastening element of the present invention is light, easy to manufacture, and makes the body structure strong enough without overloading the structure for a vehicle not originally designed to receive an open-roof arrangement. The shape of these elements is suitable for the lateral and roof surfaces of all existing types of vehicles without the need to redesign the structure of the body.

Claims (10)

1. Motor vehicle having a body (1) with an open roof arrangement, comprising a support frame (3) of an open roof with a rear cross member (4) at its two lateral ends (10 , 11) Attached to the lateral faces (8, 9) of the body, characterized in that between the lateral ends (10, 11) of the rear cross member (4) and the lateral faces (8, 9) of the body (1) A fixing element (16) extends between them. 2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the fixing element (16) is attached to a lateral reinforcement cover (24) fastened to the body (1) on the lateral faces (8, 9). 3. A motor vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing element (16) is mounted below the rear cross member (4) substantially in an extension of said rear cross member (4). 4. A motor vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each fixing element (16) comprises a main part (17) and two attachment parts (18, 19), said two attachment parts ( 18, 19) protrude from both free ends of said main part (17). 5. A motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the two attachment parts (18, 19) are folded away from the surface plane of the main part (17). 6. A motor vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein at least one attachment portion (27, 28; 38, 39) of the fixing element is connected by two separate branches (30, 31; 41, 42) to the main part (26; 37). 7. A motor vehicle according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein each attachment portion (18, 19; 27, 28, 29; 38, 39, 40) is provided with a holes (20, 21; 32, 33, 34, 35; 43, 44, 45), the attachment means are used to achieve the lateral faces (8, 9) of the rear cross member (4) and the body (1) respectively ) or to the side reinforcement cover (24). 8. A motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the attachment means are bolts. 9. A motor vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the attachment means are screws. 10. A motor vehicle according to any preceding claim, wherein each fixing element (16) is made from a metal blank formed with folded reinforcing sides (22, 23).