Abstract:
A vehicle roof module includes a front extruded cross member, a first pair of nodes each received in an end region of the front cross member, a first and a second extruded side rail with each end region receiving one of the first pair of nodes, a second pair of nodes each received in another end region of the first and second rails, a rear extruded cross member with each end region receiving one of the second pair of nodes, and a panel mounted to the front cross member, rear cross member, and first and second side rail. Each end region of each side rail defines an interior hollow portion and has at least one nodule extending from the side rail into the hollow portion to maintain a bond gap between the side rail and the node received into the side rail end region for receiving adhesive.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Technical Field 
         [0002]    Various embodiments relate to vehicle roof module assemblies. 
         [0003]    2. Background Art 
         [0004]    Vehicle roof module assemblies are mounted on vehicle bodies to enclose interiors of vehicle bodies. Roof module assemblies may include fixed panels or moveable panels where the panels slide or tilt relative to the vehicle to create an opening in the roof. Conventional panoramic roof modules are typically designed for a specific vehicle and may include fixed panels. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0005]    In one embodiment, a vehicle roof module is provided with a front extruded cross member adapted to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle body and a first pair of nodes each having a portion received in an end region of the front cross member. The vehicle roof module has a first extruded side rail and a second extruded side rail with each end region of the first and second rails receiving another portion of one of the first pair of nodes. The vehicle roof module has a second pair of nodes each having a portion received in another end region of the first and second rails, and a rear extruded cross member adapted to be mounted to the roof of the vehicle body, with each end region of the rear cross member receiving another portion of one of the second pair of nodes. The vehicle roof module has a panel mounted to the front cross member, rear cross member, first side rail and second side rail. Each end region of each side rail defines an interior hollow portion. Each end region of each side rail has at least one nodule extending from the side rail into the hollow portion to maintain a bond gap between the side rail and the node received into the side rail end region for receiving adhesive. 
         [0006]    A further embodiment discloses that each end region of the front cross member defines an interior hollow portion. The front cross member is provided with at least one nodule extending from each end region of the front cross member into the hollow portion to maintain a bond gap between the front cross member and the portion of the node received into the front cross member end region. 
         [0007]    An even further embodiment discloses that each end region of the rear cross member defines an interior hollow portion. The rear cross member is provided with at least one nodule extending from each end region of the rear cross member into the hollow portion to maintain a bond gap between the rear cross member and the portion of the node received into the rear cross member end region. 
         [0008]    A further embodiment provides an adhesive placed in the bond gaps for connecting each node to a respective end region. 
         [0009]    An even further embodiment provides an intermediate cross member having a first end mounted to the first side rail and a second end mounted to the second side rail. The intermediate cross member is positioned between the front and rear cross members. 
         [0010]    A further embodiment discloses that the panel is additionally supported by the intermediate cross member. 
         [0011]    An even further embodiment discloses that the panel is generally transparent. 
         [0012]    A further embodiment discloses that the panel is formed from one of a glass, acrylic, and polycarbonate material. 
         [0013]    An even further embodiment provides a sun shade track in each side rail, a sun shade drive cable track in at least one of the side rails, and a sun shade drive cable return track in the at least one of the side rails. 
         [0014]    A further embodiment provides a sun shade sized to generally cover the panel. The sun shade interacts with the sun shade track on the first side rail and the sun shade track on the second side rail. 
         [0015]    An even further embodiment provides a sun shade motor mounted to the rear cross member, and a drive cable connecting the sun shade to the motor. 
         [0016]    In another embodiment, a vehicle is provided with a vehicle body having a pair of pillars for supporting an intermediate region of a roof and a roof module. The vehicle roof module has a front extruded cross member adapted to be mounted to a roof of a vehicle body, a first pair of nodes each having a portion received in an end region of the front cross member, a first extruded side rail and a second extruded side rail with each end region of the first and second rails receiving another portion of one of the first pair of nodes, a second pair of nodes each having a portion received in another end region of the first and second rails, a rear extruded cross member adapted to be mounted to the roof of the vehicle body with each end region of the rear cross member receiving another portion of one of the second pair of nodes, a panel mounted to the front cross member, rear cross member, first side rail and second side rail, and an intermediate cross member having a first end mounted to the first side rail and a second end mounted to the second side rail, with the intermediate cross member positioned between the front and rear cross members. Each end region of each side rail defines an interior hollow portion. Each end region of each side rail has at least one nodule extending from the side rail into the hollow portion to maintain a bond gap between the side rail and the node received into the side rail end region for receiving adhesive. The intermediate cross member is generally aligned with the pair of pillars to provide structural support for the vehicle. 
         [0017]    In yet another embodiment, a vehicle roof module is provided with a front member having a hollow structure, a flange extending lengthwise along the hollow structure, and at least one raised area extending internally into the hollow structure. The vehicle roof module has a first pair of nodes each received in an end region of the front member. The vehicle roof module has a first side rail and a second side rail, each having a hollow structure, a flange extending lengthwise along the hollow structure, a track for a sunshade extending lengthwise along the hollow structure and generally opposed to the flange, and at least one raised area extending from the first side rail internally into the hollow structure, a first end region of each of the side rails receiving one of the first pair of nodes. The vehicle roof module has a second pair of nodes each received in the second end region of each of the first and second side rails. The vehicle roof module has a rear member having a hollow structure, a flange extending lengthwise along the hollow structure, and at least one raised area extending from the second side rail internally into the hollow structure, each end region of the rear member receiving one of the second pair of nodes. The vehicle roof module has an intermediate member having a hollow structure, a first flange extending lengthwise along the hollow structure, a second flange extending lengthwise along the hollow structure and generally opposed to the first flange, the intermediate member extending between the first and second side rail. The vehicle roof module also has a panel supported by the front member, rear member, and first and second side rail. 
         [0018]    A further embodiment discloses that each node has a first tab sized to be received within the hollow structure of one of the side rails and cooperate with the at least one raised area of one of the side rails to provide a gap between the first tab and the interior surface of the hollow structure when the first tab of the node is inserted into one of the side rails. 
         [0019]    An even further embodiment discloses that each node has a second tab sized to be received within the hollow structure of one of the front and rear members and cooperate with the at least one raised areas of one of the front and rear members to provide a gap between the second tab and the interior surface of the hollow structure when the second tab of the node is inserted into one of the front and rear members. 
         [0020]    A further embodiment discloses that the second tab is generally orthogonal to the first tab. 
         [0021]    An even further embodiment discloses that each node has a flange for sealing a joint formed between one of the side rails and one of the front and rear members. 
         [0022]    In another embodiment, a vehicle body is provided with a pair of pillars, a roof panel supported by the pillars, a series of extruded rails mounted to the roof panel with each rail having a tubular section with at least one ridge on an interior surface of the tubular section, and a series of nodes received by the end regions of the series of rails to connect the rails. 
         [0023]    A further embodiment provides an intermediate member connected to two of the series of extruded rails and generally aligned with the pair of pillars, and a generally transparent panel supported by the series of extruded rails. 
         [0024]    An even further embodiment discloses that each node has a first tab sized to fit within the tubular section of one of the rails with the at least one ridge providing a gap between the first tab and the interior surface of the tubular section, and that each node has a second tab sized to fit within one of the cross members sized to fit within the tubular section of one of the cross members with the at least one ridge providing a gap between the second tab and the interior surface of the another tubular section. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle having a roof module according to an embodiment; 
           [0026]      FIG. 2  is a bottom perspective view of the roof module of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a top view of a roof module according to another embodiment; 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a section view of a side rail of the roof module of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 5  is a section view of a front or a rear member of the roof module of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 6  is a section view of an intermediate cross member of the roof module of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 7  is a top perspective view of a node for the roof module according to yet another embodiment; and 
           [0032]      FIG. 8  is a bottom perspective view of the node of  FIG. 7 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0033]    As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention. 
         [0034]      FIG. 1  illustrates a vehicle  10  having a roof module assembly  12 . The vehicle  10  is shown as being a crossover vehicle, but other types of vehicles with a roof module assembly are also contemplated, such as a sport utility vehicle, sedan, coupe, or the like. The roof module  12  is placed within an opening in the roof  14  of the vehicle body  16 . The roof module  12  may be designed to substantially cover the roof  14  area, or be sized to be smaller than the roof  14 . The vehicle body  16  has several pillars to add structural support to the vehicle  10  and support the roof  14  structure. The vehicle  10  is shown as having front pillars  18 , intermediate pillars  20 , and rear pillars  22 , which structurally support the roof  14 . In other embodiments using various vehicle designs, other numbers of pillars or pillar configurations are also contemplated. 
         [0035]      FIG. 2  illustrates the roof module  12  for the vehicle  10  of  FIG. 1 . The roof module has a front rail  24 , rear rail  26 , and a pair of side rails  28 . The rails  24 ,  26 ,  28  are mounted to the roof  14  (in partial view) to connect the roof module  12  to the vehicle  10 . The rails may be mounted using adhesive, welding, riveting, or other fastening system or combination as is known in the art. The front rail  24  is oriented towards the forward portion of the vehicle  10 , while the rear rail  26  is oriented towards the rearward portion of the vehicle  10 . The rails  24 ,  26 ,  28  are connected using nodes  30 . In one embodiment, the nodes  30  are identical. In another embodiment diagonally opposed nodes  30  are identical, therefore requiring two nodes designs for the four nodes  30  of the roof module  12 . In yet another embodiment, front nodes  30  are identical, and rear nodes  30  are identical, therefore requiring two nodes designs for the four nodes  30  of the roof module  12 . In other embodiments, the nodes  30  may have different features among them to connect to the rails. 
         [0036]    An intermediate rail  32  connects the pair of side rails  28  and is positioned between the front rail  24  and rear rail  26 . In one embodiment, the intermediate rail  32  is positioned to be generally aligned with the intermediate pillars  20  of the vehicle  10  shown in  FIG. 1 . This may enhance the structural properties of the vehicle body  16 . 
         [0037]    The roof module  12  has a fixed panel  34 . The panel is mounted to the front rail  24 , rear rail  26 , and side rails  28 . The panel may additionally be mounted to the intermediate rail  32 . The panel  34  is generally transparent to provide for ambient light to enter the interior of the vehicle  10  through the panel  34 . The panel may include a tint or other coating. In one embodiment, the panel  34  is made from glass, a plastic material such as acrylic or polycarbonate, or other materials as are known in the art. 
         [0038]    In an embodiment, the front rail  24 , rear rail  26 , side rails  28  and intermediate rail  32  are extruded from a metal such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, magnesium, magnesium alloys, or others as are known in the art. The material choice reduces the weight of the module as well as lowers the center of gravity of the vehicle  10 . The extrusion process allows for different length rails  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  32  to be manufactured for different vehicles without the changes in tooling that are required using a stamping process or other conventional process. For use with various vehicles  10 , the same extrusions would be used for the rails  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  32 , but the rails  24 ,  26 ,  28 ,  32  would be cut and shaped to fit the specific vehicle  10 . 
         [0039]    In an embodiment, a sunshade  36  is included with the roof module  12  to reduce or prevent the transmission of ambient light through the panel  34  and into the vehicle  10  interior. The sunshade  36  is a flexible material such as a fabric, vinyl, or the like. The sunshade  36  interacts with tracks  38  on the side rails  28  to slide along the roof module  12 . The sunshade  36  winds around a take-up mechanism  40 , such as a roller, which allows for the sunshade  36  to be stored with the panel  34  to be generally uncovered, allows for the sunshade  36  to be deployed with the panel  34  generally covered (as shown in  FIG. 2 ), and also allows the sunshade  36  to be positioned between stored and deployed for intermediate coverage of the panel  34 . The take-up mechanism  40  may be manually operated or may be operated using a motor  42  and drive mechanism  44 . In one embodiment, a vehicle  10  occupant activates a button or a switch to move the sunshade  36  across the panel  34 . 
         [0040]      FIG. 3  illustrates an embodiment of a roof module  12 . The roof module  12  has a front rail or front cross member  24 , a rear rail or rear cross member  26 , and a pair of extruded side rails  28 . The rails  24 ,  26 ,  28  are connected using nodes  30 . An intermediate cross member  32  is connected to the side rails  28 . 
         [0041]    A cross-section of one of the side rails  28  is shown in  FIG. 4 . The rail  28  has a tubular structure  46 , or an interior hollow portion, which extends along the length of the rail  28  to the end regions of the rail  28 . A flange  47  extends lengthwise along the structure  46  and is used to mount the rail  28  to the vehicle body  16  using the lower surface  48  of the flange  47 . The panel  34  is mounted to the upper surface  49  of the flange  47 . A sunshade track  38  and drive cable track  39  extend lengthwise along the structure  46  and generally opposed to the flange  47 . A return drive cable track  37  may also be extruded with the side rail  28 . 
         [0042]    A series of ridges  50 , nodules or raised areas extend internally into the tubular structure  46 . The ridges  50  may also extend the length of the rail  28 . A portion of a node  30  is sized such that it fits into the tubular structure  46 . The node  30  is spaced apart from the interior wall of the tubular structure by the ridges  50  to provide a bond gap  51  between the rail  28  and the node  30 . The bond gap  51  is used to provide space for an adhesive used to connect the rails and the nodes. The rail  28  may be extruded with the flange  47 , the tracks  38 ,  39 , and the ridges  50  as one extrusion. Also, only one extrusion section is necessary for both of the pair of rails  28 . 
         [0043]    A cross section of the rear rail  26  is shown in  FIG. 5 . The rear rail  26  and the front rail  24  may be formed from the same extrusion. If the front and rear rail  26  are formed from the same extrusion, the rail  26  may be bent or shaped differently to conform to the vehicle roof  14  shape through a process such as stretch or press bending. Additionally the flange  53  may be machined differently for the front and rear rails  26 . The rear rail  26  has a tubular structure  52 , or an interior hollow portion, which extends along the length of the rail  26  to the end regions of the rail  26 . A flange  53  extends lengthwise along the structure  52 . The lower surface  54  of the flange  53  is used to mount the rail  26  to the vehicle body  16 . The panel  34  is mounted to the upper surface  55  of the flange  53 . A series of ridges  56 , nodules or raised areas extend internally into the tubular structure  52 . The ridges  56  may also extend the length of the rail  26 . A portion of a node  30  is sized such that it fits into the tubular structure  52 . The node  30  is spaced apart from the interior wall of the tubular structure by the ridges  56  to provide a bond gap  57  between the rail  26  and the node  30 . The bond gap  57  is used to provide space for an adhesive used to connect the rails and the nodes. 
         [0044]    A cross section of the intermediate cross member  32  is shown in  FIG. 6 . The intermediate cross member  32  has a tubular structure  58 , or an interior hollow portion, which extends along the length of the cross member  32  to the end regions of the cross member  32 . A first flange  60  extends lengthwise along the structure  58 . A second flange  62  extends lengthwise along the structure  58  and is generally opposed to the first flange  60 . The upper surface  63  of the cross member  32  is used to mount the panel  34  to the cross member  32 . A series of ridges  64 , nodules or raised areas extend from each flange  60 ,  62  to provide a bond gap for an adhesive used to connect the cross member  32  to the side rails  28 . 
         [0045]      FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate an embodiment of a node  30  used to connect the rails of the roof module  12 . The node  30  may be used to connect the front rail  24  to a side rail  28  or the rear rail  26  to the side rail  28 . In one embodiment, the node  30  is cast from magnesium or a magnesium alloy. Of course, other materials and methods of manufacture are contemplated. 
         [0046]    The node  30  has a body portion  66 . A first tab  68  extends from the body portion  66  and is sized to fit within the hollow structure of the side rail  28 . The outer surface of the first tab  70  forms a bond gap  51  with the interior surface of the structure  46  of the side rail  28  to provide a location for adhesive. The ridges  50  keep the tab  68  spaced apart from the structure  46  to form the bond gap  51 . 
         [0047]    A second tab  72  extends from the body portion  66  of the node  30  and is sized to be received within the hollow structure  52  of either the rear member or front member  26 ,  24 . The outer surface of the second tab  72  forms a bond gap  57  with the interior surface of the structure  52  of the front or rear rail  24 ,  26  to provide a location for adhesive. The ridges  56  keep the tab  72  spaced apart from the structure  52  to form the bond gap  57 . The first tab  68  is generally orthogonal to the second tab  72 . The first tab  68  may be oriented differently on the body  66  than the second tab  72  such that the first tab  68  is canted relative to the second tab  72 . The body portion  66  and first and second tabs  68 ,  72  may have recessed areas  76  to aid in manufacturing or reduce weight of the node  30 . 
         [0048]    A flange  78  also extends from the body portion  66  of the node. The flange  78  may additionally seal the roof module  12  to the vehicle body  16 . In one embodiment, the flange may also be used as a mounting point for the panel  34 . 
         [0049]    While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.