Patent Publication Number: US-2009217608-A1

Title: Roof module with a ventilation duct

Description:
The invention relates to a roof module with a ventilation duct according to the precharacterizing clause of claim  1 . 
     It is known to arrange ventilation ducts in the roof region of a motor vehicle. For example, it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,121 to install ventilation ducts from the side of the vehicle and to guide them in the region of the roof to the other side of the vehicle, said ducts obviously being blow-molded parts. 
     DE 103 47 308 A1 discloses an air supply device for the air conditioning of an interior of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, the corresponding air supply device being combined with the vehicle interior head lining and, in particular, a corresponding profile being fastened to an interior head lining. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,616,523 B1 discloses a roof air-conducting means which is fitted in the form of an air box placed onto the interior head lining. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,255 B2 discloses a blow-molded vehicle head lining which contains ventilation ducts 
     DE 103 47 309 A1 discloses an air supply device for the air conditioning of an interior of a vehicle, in particular a commercial vehicle, in which the air supply device is arranged on an upper side of a roof lining and comprises an air distributor duct which can be coupled to a ventilation source. 
     EP 1 424 230 A2 discloses a passenger cell for a large-capacity vehicle, in which longitudinal ventilation ducts extend to the right and left on the lower side of the roof. The head lining is designed in the front region as an air-conditioned head lining module and extends over the entire front at a distance from the lower side of the roof. The air-conditioned head lining module is composed of a total of four parts with duct grooves for the formation of air ducts. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,966 discloses a ventilation and venting system for motor vehicles, the system including ventilation ducts which are to prevent the windows from misting up, the ventilation ducts being arranged in the doors and on the lower sides of the windows, and corresponding venting ducts being arranged in the roof region. 
     DE 102 51 760 A1 discloses an apparatus and a method for distributing air in a vehicle, wherein a particularly simple and space-saving and/or cost-effective apparatus for distributing air in the interior of a vehicle is to be provided. For this purpose, for the generation of an air flow, the ventilation element is connected to at least one flow duct which opens into a plurality of outlets leading into the interior, the flow duct being designed as a common multi-chamber duct for a plurality of outlets and having a plurality of discharge openings which open directly into the outlets. The flow ducts here may also be formed from a deformable material which may be stiffened with a reinforcing fabric or other suitable measures for reinforcement purposes. If the ventilation duct is designed as a half duct, it is guided in special grooves of an installation surface. 
     DE 297 12 740 U1 discloses an air duct for distributing air in the freight compartment of a vehicle. In this case, an air distributor is provided which is arranged directly below the roof of a freight compartment and has air discharge openings. Receiving profiles for receiving side edges of air-duct tarpaulin strips which form an air duct are arranged on the lower side of a freight compartment roof. 
     German utility model 83 90 001.9 U1 discloses a passenger vehicle with a venting or air extraction device. In this case, two ventilation ducts are placed longitudinally in the region of the inner roof longitudinal edges, the ventilation ducts being guided through an opening in order to eject the air outside the passenger compartment. The ventilation ducts here may be formed from a U-profile of a flexible plastics material, with flanges running longitudinally and with an adhesive-coated foam strip on the flanges with which the U-profile edge can be fastened to the roof of a vehicle. 
     In the case of ventilation ducts which are fastened to the body shell and lie between head lining and roof skin, it is disadvantageous that they are frequently blow-molded parts, the production and installation of the blow-molded parts being relatively complicated and therefore expensive. In particular, the blow-molded parts have to be assembled and correspondingly screwed to the roof lining or to the roof during installation. 
     In the case of ventilation ducts which are also adhesively bonded or fastened to the head lining and which may also be designed, in particular, as half shells, it is disadvantageous that the head lining has to be designed such that it is relatively bulky and such that it bears the ducts and such that it is therefore heavy. If the head lining itself is designed as a blow-molded part containing the corresponding dudcts, its production is very expensive and the installation is likewise complicated. 
     It is the object of the invention to provide a roof module which is provided with ventilation ducts in such a manner that the installation of the roof module and of the ventilation ducts can take place in a simple, rapid and cost-effective manner. 
     The object is achieved by a roof module with ventilation ducts with the features of claim  1 . 
     Advantageous developments are characterized in the subclaims. 
     According to the invention, a ventilation duct is designed as a half shell and is fastened to a roof module or to the roof skin of the roof module. For example, a half shell is adhesively bonded by means of corresponding flanges to the roof skin or the roof module. In this case, the roof skin or the roof module may be formed from plastic, glass or steel. The vehicle head lining here is preferably formed from a relatively thin-walled and, if appropriate, flexible material, in particular a material in the manner of a film or fabric web. Air discharge openings are already provided on half shells, with the roof lining having corresponding cutouts or punched-out portions and it being possible for corresponding ventilation-opening frames or grids to be inserted or clipped into the air discharge opening from the outside, with, if appropriate, the roof lining being held in a simple and secure manner by said clip connection. An advantage of the invention is that a roof module can be preassembled together with the corresponding ventilation ducts, irrespective of whether they are designed such that they run longitudinally or transversely on the roof module and therefore, in particular, the complicated fitting of the ventilation ducts in the roof region after the installation of the roof can be avoided. 
     In addition, the invention renders expensive blow-molded parts superfluous, and the ventilation ducts can be produced cost-effectively from extruded or injection-pressed parts. 
     Since roof modules may have different thicknesses, but the vehicle interior head lining is, if appropriate, always to be placed at the same level, it is advantageous that, for each conceivable roof module, the half shells are produced at a corresponding height and/or thickness in such a manner that height is automatically compensated for, and therefore the installation of the vehicle head lining is not adversely affected. By this means, the installation can be further simplified. 
    
    
     
       The invention is explained by way of example with reference to a drawing. The single FIGURE shows, in highly schematized form, a cross section through a subregion of the roof structure of a motor vehicle. 
     
    
    
     A roof module according to the invention with a ventilation duct  1  comprises the actual roof module  2  and the ventilation duct  4 . The roof module  2  is placed onto a roof frame  3  or body shell  3  of a motor vehicle, with the roof module  2  being fastened to the frame  3  or body shell  3  by means of adhesive beads  7 . 
     The roof module  2  may be designed, for example, as a roof skin  2 , in particular made of sheet metal. Furthermore, the roof module  2  may be designed as a plastic part or glass part, with it being possible for the roof module  2  to have different thicknesses depending on the construction, in particular if the roof module  2  has different components, such as, for example, a glass upper side and a plastic lower side. 
     The ventilation duct  4  is arranged on the lower side of the roof module  2 . The ventilation duct  4  is designed as a half shell component  4  which is of, for example, essentially U- or C-shaped design in cross section. In order to form the air-conducting region  10 , the half shell  4  has, for example, laterally protruding edges or flange regions  8 , with a respective adhesive bead  9 , by means of which the half shell  4  is fastened to the roof module  2 , being arranged between the edges or flange regions  8  and the roof module  2 . The half shell  4  or the ventilation duct  4  and the roof module  2  therefore bound the air-conducting region  10  on all sides. 
     Furthermore, a roof lining  6  is provided which is designed, for example, from a flexible material in the manner of a fabric or film. The roof lining  6  extends in the vehicle interior below the roof module  2  and below the bodywork structures and, in particular, the frame  3 . In the region of desired ventilation openings  11 , the head lining  6  has a corresponding clearance  12 . The clearance  12  is used, for example, for the insertion of an air outlet, for example a ventilation grid or a ventilation nozzle  5 , into the ventilation opening  11 . The ventilation nozzle  5  is connected, for example in a manner known per se, to the half shell  4  by means of corresponding latching means  13  in a latching manner. In order to bring about a tight connection between an air outlet or a ventilation nozzle  5  and the half shell  4 , encircling sealing elements  14  which bound the clearance  12  can be arranged on the roof lining  6  and the half shell  4  such that they connect the two components to each other in a sealing and adhesivelv bonding manner. 
     The ventilation duct  4  or the half shell  4  may be arranged such that it either runs transversely or longitudinally on the roof module  2 , with it being possible for the shape also to deviate from an essentially U- or C-shape. 
     In a further advantageous embodiment, the ventilation duct  4  or the half shell  4  is coordinated with different roof modules in an individualized manner. This means that in the case of, for example, a very thick roof module  2  which is designed such that it is thicker than a sheet-metal roof skin, correspondingly flatter half shells  4  are provided, and therefore the manner of connection of the vehicle head lining  6  in the vehicle and also the vertical arrangement of the roof lining  6  in the vehicle do not have to be changed even for different roof modules. In this connection, it is advantageous that the logistical outlay for the manufacturing of the vehicle can be kept low, since, depending on the customer&#39;s requirements, a very wide variety of roof modules can be supplied with the ventilation ducts already preassembled and can be fitted into the existing structure, with no different installation steps having to be undertaken for the installation of the ventilation nozzles and of the roof lining even if roof module thicknesses differ. 
     In the case of the invention, it is generally advantageous that expensive molded glass parts which have to be fitted in a complicated manner can be dispensed with, and air duct and ventilation duct half shells can be stuck to a roof module in a simple, cost-effective manner, for example by adhesive bonding. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS 
       1  Roof module with ventilation duct 
       2  Roof module/roof skin 
       3  Frame 
       4  Ventilation duct/half shell 
       5  Ventilation nozzle 
       6  Roof lining 
       7  Adhesive beads 
       8  Edges/flange regions 
       9  Adhesive bead 
       10  Air-conducting region 
       11  Ventilation openings 
       12  Clearance 
       13  Latching means 
       14  Sealing element