Patent Description:
According to a second aspect, the present invention relates to a method for mounting the panoramic roof assembly. Finally, according to a third aspect, it relates to a vehicle equipped with this panoramic roof assembly.

A panoramic roof assembly for a vehicle is known, comprising:.

said panoramic roof assembly being mounted on a number of specific vehicle models, such that said panoramic roof assembly comprises a number of parts specifically designed for mounting this type of panoramic roof assembly. Each cross member is adapted to be assembled respectively, on the front A-pillars and the rear C-pillars of the body of the vehicle, i.e., at separate locations on the body.

The assembly of the panoramic roof assembly further comprises other elements of the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle such as sun visors, a roof panel, a drain, etc..

European patent application <CIT> discloses a panoramic roof assembly provided with a panoramic roof supported by a set of metal components to support same and stiffen said area. Said panoramic roof assembly supports the front end and the rear end of the panoramic roof on respective support tabs generated by the front coating cover and the rear coating cover.

The panoramic roof assembly, due to the fact that the panoramic roof rests on respective front and rear coating covers, entails an increase in the thickness of said components, with the increase in material and costs that this represents, in addition to increasing the weight of the vehicle, penalising the autonomy of the vehicle. As a result of said front and rear support, there are inefficiencies in terms of acoustics, rigidity and the assembly process between the components that make up said panoramic roof assembly.

It is therefore required to provide a panoramic roof assembly that shares a large number of common elements with other types of roofs of alternative vehicle models in order to simplify the assembly or disassembly of the panoramic roof and, therefore, reduce overall manufacturing costs.

The present invention seeks to solve one or more of the aforementioned drawbacks by means of a panoramic roof assembly for a motor vehicle as defined in the claims.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle panoramic roof assembly comprising a simple structure, which is made up of a reduced number of components, which can be produced at reduced cost, and the assembly of which when mounted on a roof opening provided by the body of the vehicle is simple.

The panoramic roof assembly of the motor vehicle comprises:.

Additionally, the vehicle comprises side assemblies of the vehicle, which in turn comprise the front A-pillars, the intermediate B-pillars and the rear C- or D-pillars, in addition to the mechanical coupling components between said front A-pillars, intermediate B-pillars and rear C- or D-pillars of the vehicle, the front A-pillars and the rear C- or D-pillars being arranged at separate locations of a body of the vehicle. Said vehicle side assemblies comprise a plurality of reinforcement or structural elements, configured to provide it with rigidity, and at least one external coating, which mainly performs an aesthetic or visual function, hiding the interior elements of said side areas.

The main characteristic of the present invention is the implementation of the upper front reinforcement cross member, as an individual and separate component of the perimeter frame. In this way, a roof assembly is achieved where the entire perimeter of the panoramic roof rests on the same part, i.e., the perimeter frame, but at the same time it can be industrialised, especially in its front area.

The elements of the panoramic roof assembly are mechanically attached to one another by applying a weld joint, preferably a spot welding.

According to one embodiment, the front edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member is mechanically attached by means of the weld connection to a first central portion of the lower front structural cross member, said first central portion being located between the front edge and the rear edge of the lower front structural cross member. Therefore, said upper front reinforcement cross member does not reach the front edge of the lower front structural cross member, but both parts are welded together in an intermediate area of said front structural cross member. Consequently, a saving of material and weight in the vehicle is allowed, at the same time that it is possible to carry out the welding between said parts with two-thickness welds.

Similarly, the rear edge of the lower front structural cross member is mechanically attached by applying a weld connection to a second central portion of the upper front reinforcement cross member. The second central portion is located between a front support portion and the rear edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member. In this way, the front coating cover and the lower front structural cross member have different lengths, the lower front structural cross member being shorter. By welding said rear edge of the lower front structural cross member in a central or intermediate area of said upper front reinforcement cross member, a threethickness weld is avoided, maintaining optimal rigidity and structural behaviour.

The front edge of the front coating cover is mechanically attached by applying a weld connection to the front edge of the front structural cross member, said welded area being able to be a support lip for the upper end of a windshield of a vehicle.

The rear edge of the front coating cover is mechanically attached by applying a weld connection to the rear edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member and to the front edge of the perimeter frame. As previously mentioned, the rear edge of the lower front structural cross member has been welded to the lower front structural cross member, therefore, a four-thickness weld is avoided, which could not guarantee the behaviour and mechanical stresses in said area of the vehicle.

Similarly, the front edge of the rear coating cover is mechanically attached by applying a weld connection to the rear edge of the perimeter frame, said weld area generating a support lip for the rear edge of the panoramic roof.

The upper front reinforcement cross member comprises a front support portion with a plateau shape, which also acts as support for the corresponding portion of the lower surface of the front coating cover, providing structural rigidity to the panoramic roof assembly. The front support portion is arranged between the front edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member and the second central portion of the upper front reinforcement cross member. Alternatively, the front support portion of the upper front reinforcement cross member has a stepped pyramid shape that provides structural rigidity to the panoramic roof assembly and, in addition, facilitates the protection of the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle upon the upper front reinforcement cross member being deformed in steps in the event of vehicle overturn.

According to said embodiments, the upper front reinforcement cross member makes contact, from its front end to its rear end, with:.

It can be seen how said upper front reinforcement cross member provides high rigidity in said front area, by mechanically joining twice with the front structural cross member and twice with the front coating cover in a manner interposed with one another.

Therefore, the transparent panoramic roof rests, in its front area, on the edge or flap generated by the assembly formed by the upper front reinforcement cross member and the perimeter frame.

To guarantee the tightness in the supports between the panoramic roof and the perimeter frame, an application of the adhesive substance is carried out, which provides greater stability to the assembly of the panoramic roof of the panoramic roof assembly.

The arrangement of the panoramic roof assembly facilitates the mutual assembly of the different elements of the assembly by means of welding.

The end of each side edge of the perimeter frame rests on respective side surfaces of the side assemblies of the vehicle and together with the rear edge of the lower front structural cross member, wherein said side ends of the perimeter frame comprise at least one plateau shape that is configured to act as support for the panoramic roof.

The configuration of the panoramic roof assembly presented allows, in a front area of said side assemblies, a laser weld to be carried out between the side ends of the front cover and its respective side assembly, and also a laser weld between the side ends of the rear cover and its respective side assembly, providing a high appearance and visual quality. Additionally, in the intermediate area, the panoramic roof is allowed to make contact with said side assembly, for example, by means of a sealing lip, said panoramic roof being supported on the perimeter frame, specifically, in a geometry in the shape of a plateau of said perimeter frame.

Likewise, the perimeter frame receives and serves as support for the transparent panoramic roof that is also attached to the perimeter frame by means of the adhesive substance, allowing a simple and quick assembly.

The rectangular-shaped transparent panoramic roof has a raised surface that occupies almost entirely the upper portion of the body of the vehicle, allowing outside light to penetrate into the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The assembly formed by the upper front reinforcement cross member and the lower front structural cross member of the panoramic roof assembly reinforces the resistance to stresses of the body of the vehicle in the event of an impact, especially in said front area of the panoramic roof.

A method for mounting the panoramic roof assembly comprises the steps of:.

The vehicle comprises a body comprising a pair of front A-pillars and a pair of rear C- or D-pillars on which the panoramic roof assembly is mounted according to the mounting method described above, wherein the panoramic roof is made in a single part of a translucent material such as generally transparent glass that provides light to the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The foregoing and other advantages and features will be more fully understood from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be considered by way of illustration and not limitation, wherein:.

Referring to <FIG> where a plan view of a panoramic roof assembly <NUM> of a motor vehicle is shown. Specifically, a design is sought in which a panoramic roof <NUM> is delimited by sheet metal components, for example, a first front metal surface, a second rear metal surface, and side metal surfaces. As can be seen, the glazed surface of the panoramic roof <NUM> is predominant.

Referring now to <FIG> where an exploded view of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM> of the motor vehicle is shown, showing the different sheet metal or metal parts that make it up.

The panoramic roof assembly <NUM> comprises:.

The generally transparent, rectangular-shaped panoramic roof <NUM> has a large-dimensioned surface that occupies almost entirely the upper portion of the body of the vehicle and allows outside light to penetrate into the interior passenger compartment of the vehicle.

The front A-pillars and the rear C- or D-pillars are located in separate locations of the body of the vehicle.

Referring now to <FIG>, it shows a detailed view of the construction of the front area of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM> of the vehicle of the present invention. Specifically, the two side assemblies are represented, formed by their respective metal sheets, which make up the side structure of the vehicle. In said front area of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM>, the lower front structural cross member <NUM>, the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> and the front area of the perimeter frame <NUM> are represented. Said three components are mechanically joined by means of welding at their side ends with the respective side assemblies.

According to said preferred embodiment of the invention, the perimeter frame <NUM> and the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> are independent components, making it possible to achieve optimal rigidity and mechanical behaviour rates in said area. As explained a posteriori, said separation of components is also essential to be able to assemble said panoramic roof assembly <NUM>, without having excess material and weight in the vehicle.

In order to optimise the support between the front coating cover <NUM> and the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM>, said upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> comprises a step geometry from the lowest area along the vertical Y-axis, which is in contact and mechanically joined by means of welding with the lower front structural cross member <NUM>, and the uppermost area according to said vertical Y-axis, which is in contact and mechanically joined by the application of an adhesive substance in the form of an adhesive bead with the front coating cover <NUM>. Said adhesive bead is represented by a dashed line with large dashes.

In greater detail, in the cross-sectional view of <FIG>, which represents a transversal section, according to the longitudinal X-axis of the vehicle and according to the vertical Y-axis of the vehicle, the components of said front area of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM> are represented. The lower front structural cross section <NUM> has a transversal section in the shape of a bathtub and the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> has a transversal section in the shape of a plateau or truncated pyramid, which form an assembly of front reinforcement that provides continuity between the rear portion of the front windshield <NUM> and the front portion of the panoramic roof <NUM> of the vehicle. Additionally, said transversal section shows the inner coating, generally made of textile material, which covers all the aforementioned sheet metal components by the lower area.

The reinforcement assembly is a complex part in terms of geometry due to the integration of the lower front structural cross member <NUM> and the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM>, which stiffens this assembly to form a structural part that meets the structural requirements of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM>.

The upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> comprises a front support portion <NUM> corresponding to the plateau of the truncated pyramid shape. The plateau-shaped front support portion <NUM> acts, as mentioned in point b), as support for the corresponding portion of the lower surface of the front coating cover <NUM>, which is arranged between the front edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> and the second central portion <NUM> of the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM>.

The front support portion <NUM> of the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> acts as longitudinal and transversal support, according to the X and Z axes of the vehicle, for the front coating cover <NUM>.

The second central portion <NUM> is located after the front support portion <NUM> and before the rear edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM>.

The front edge of the front coating cover <NUM> is mechanically attached by means of a weld connection to the front edge of the front structural cross member <NUM>. The rear edge of the front coating cover <NUM> is mechanically attached by means of a weld connection to the rear edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member <NUM> and to the front edge of the perimeter frame <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, where a plan view of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM> and a transversal section according to the longitudinal X-axis of the vehicle and the vertical Y-axis of the vehicle are shown, represented with a dashed line in said plan view.

Thus, in said <FIG> the rear area of the panoramic roof <NUM>, the rear coating cover <NUM>, the rear structural cross member <NUM> and the perimeter frame <NUM> are represented. Specifically, the front edge of the rear coating cover <NUM> is mechanically attached by means of a weld connection to the rear edge of the perimeter frame <NUM>, generating a support lip or surface for the panoramic roof <NUM>.

The perimeter frame <NUM> has a rear edge with a plateau-shaped geometry that acts as support, at different points, for the rear coating cover <NUM>. At said points of contact between both components, beads of adhesive substance <NUM> are applied.

Additionally, as can be seen in said <FIG>, the rear area of the perimeter frame <NUM> comprises at least one means for receiving a sun visor assembly, said receiving means being configured to hold a winding shaft for a sheet <NUM> of textile material, which is wound and unwound around said winding shaft. Said sun visor assembly makes it possible to prevent the passage of at least part of the sunlight beams through the panoramic roof <NUM>. The sheet <NUM> of textile material runs under the panoramic roof <NUM>, guided at each side end by guide means.

Thus, the sun visor assembly is attached to the perimeter frame <NUM> by means of fasteners distributed regularly along the parallel side edges of the perimeter frame <NUM>. The fasteners allow the sun visor to rotate around a horizontal winding shaft, according to the transversal Z-axis of the vehicle, in order to cover or uncover the lower surface of the panoramic roof <NUM>.

The horizontal winding shaft <NUM> is attached to a pair of fasteners that project towards a corresponding housing arranged near the rear edge of the perimeter frame <NUM>.

Said sun visor assembly, in particular, the winding shaft is covered by the rear coating cover <NUM> and by an inner coating, in order to provide the assembly with a correct visual appearance.

Referring now to <FIG>, where a plan view of a front side area of the panoramic roof <NUM> and three transversal sections according to the transversal Z-axis of the vehicle and the vertical Y-axis of the vehicle are shown, represented with respective dashed lines in said plan view.

Thus, in said <FIG> the front side area of the driver's side of the panoramic roof <NUM>, the front coating cover <NUM> and the side assembly are represented. Said side assembly is made up of different metal sheets, such as an outer cover, an inner structural reinforcement, and others.

Specifically, cross section A-A represents a cross section in the mechanical connection area between the side assembly and the front coating cover <NUM>. It is observed that the mechanical connection between both sheet metal components is carried out by means of laser welding, providing a high surface and visual finish to said joint.

For its part, cross section B-B represents a cross section in the mechanical connection area between the panoramic roof <NUM> and the side assembly. Specifically, it can be seen how the panoramic roof <NUM> rests on the perimeter frame <NUM> by means of a sealing and adhesive element. Additionally, the panoramic roof <NUM> rests on the side assembly by means of a sealing lip. Finally, it can be seen that a side end of the perimeter frame <NUM> has a geometry in the shape of a bowl, comprising in its lower area a through hole configured to house a liquid conduit, such that the extraction of fluids and dirt existing in the lower area of the panoramic roof <NUM> is allowed.

Finally, in cross section C-C a transversal section is represented in the area of mechanical connection between the panoramic roof <NUM> and the side assembly. Specifically, it can be seen how the panoramic roof <NUM> rests on the perimeter frame <NUM> by means of a sealing and adhesive element. Additionally, the panoramic roof <NUM> rests on the side assembly by means of a sealing lip. Finally, it can be seen that the perimeter frame <NUM> comprises at least one means for receiving at least one means for guiding the sheet <NUM> of textile material of the sun visor assembly, which runs through said guide means in its extraction and retraction movement from the winding shaft, to cover or uncover, respectively, the panoramic roof <NUM>.

As shown in the various figures, the perimeter frame <NUM> receives and serves as support for the transparent panoramic roof <NUM> which is attached to this perimeter frame <NUM> by means of a continuous or discontinuous bead of adhesive substance <NUM>.

The perimeter frame <NUM> is manufactured in a single part of sheet metal through a single hot forming process, which comprises at least one step of stamping, bending, cutting, etc., which allows the integration of complex geometries forming an integral part of a complex part in terms of geometry of the perimeter frame <NUM>.

The perimeter frame <NUM> provides the perimeter side edge of support for the transparent panoramic roof <NUM> and for both front <NUM> and rear <NUM> coating covers, allowing a simple and quick assembly of the panoramic roof assembly <NUM>.

As mentioned, the sun visor assembly and the guide rails are mechanically joined to the perimeter frame <NUM> by means of fasteners, such as bolt or clip, said perimeter frame <NUM> being capable of additionally supporting the stresses applied for sliding, winding or unwinding the sun visor from the horizontal winding shaft.

Claim 1:
A vehicle panoramic roof assembly (<NUM>) comprising:
a. a lower front structural cross member (<NUM>), which is mounted between the front pillars of the body of the vehicle,
b. a rear structural cross member (<NUM>), which is mounted between the rear pillars of the body of the vehicle,
c. a front coating cover (<NUM>), which is mounted on the lower front structural cross member (<NUM>),
d. a rear coating cover (<NUM>), which is mounted on the rear structural cross member (<NUM>), and
e. a panoramic roof (<NUM>), which is mounted between the front coating cover (<NUM>) and the rear coating cover (<NUM>),
characterised in that the panoramic roof assembly (<NUM>) further comprises
f. an upper front reinforcement cross member (<NUM>), which is arranged, along the vertical Y-axis of the vehicle, between the front coating cover (<NUM>) and the lower front structural cross member (<NUM>), and is configured to mechanically join a perimeter frame (<NUM>), the front coating cover (<NUM>) and the lower front structural cross member (<NUM>), and
g. the perimeter frame (<NUM>), which is configured and arranged to generate a perimeter support surface of the panoramic roof (<NUM>) and is mounted between the rear edge of the upper front reinforcement cross member (<NUM>), the front edge of the rear structural cross member (<NUM>) and the parallel side edges generated by the side assemblies of the vehicle, which mechanically couple the front pillars to the rear pillars of the vehicle, the front and rear pillars being arranged at separate locations of a body of the vehicle.