Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-037644 filed on Feb. 27, 2015, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
       TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a cap structure that is fitted to a roof molding fitted to a groove formed in the roof of a vehicle (automobile), the cap structure providing the roof molding with an opening for securing accessories (e.g., carrier), and capable of closing the opening. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0003]    A roof molding cap attachment structure in which the cap is removably fitted to the roof molding, and a roof molding cap attachment structure in which the cap is fitted to the roof molding so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction are known. However, these roof molding cap attachment structures have a problem in that the cap may be lost, or it may be impossible to form a slide space in the longitudinal direction. In view of such a situation, a roof molding cap attachment structure in which the cap can be rotate (opened and closed) in the vertical direction has been proposed (see JP-UM-A-6-57749). 
         [0004]    The cap structure disclosed in JP-UM-A-6-57749 has a lid and a frame for attaching the lid to a roof molding, wherein the lid has shafts that make a pair and are provided on either side in the longitudinal direction, and the frame has a guide groove for guiding the shaft in the vertical direction. The cap structure disclosed in JP-UM-A-6-57749 has a problem in that the shaft of the lid may unintentionally move downward along the guide groove, whereby the lid may be opened or removed inadvertently. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Technical Problem 
       [0005]    An object of the invention is to provide a roof molding cap attachment structure that includes a small number of parts, can be easily opened and closed in a state in which the cap attachment structure is fitted to a roof molding, ensures high operation stability; and can save the installation space, and a roof molding using the roof molding cap attachment structure. 
       Solution to Problems 
       [0006]    According to one aspect of the invention, a roof molding cap attachment structure includes: 
         [0007]    a cap member; and 
         [0008]    an attachment member that attaches the cap member to a roof molding having a first opening, 
         [0009]    the attachment member including a support pin that rotatably supports the cap member between the first position where the cap member closes the first opening of the roof molding and a second position where the cap member discloses the first opening, 
         [0010]    the cap member including a rotary guide that guides the cap member to rotate along the support pin, and 
         [0011]    the cap member being adapted to be pushed forward to an inside of the roof molding when the cap member has been rotated to the second position. 
         [0012]    According to this configuration, since the cap member is not pushed into the roof molding until the cap member is rotated by a given angle at which the cap member discloses the first opening of the roof molding, a situation in which the cap member unintentionally opens does not occur, differing from the cap structure disclosed in JP-UM-A-6-57749. 
         [0013]    The roof molding cap attachment structure is configured so that the removal of the cap member from the support pin of the attachment member occurs when the cap member has been rotated to the second position. For example, the ends of the cap member may be supported by round support pins that make a pair and are provided to the attachment member, and the removal from the support pins may occur when the cap member has been rotated to the second position. 
         [0014]    In the invention, the rotary guide has a second opening that allows removal of the rotary guide from the support pin when the cap member has been rotated to the second position, and 
         [0015]    the cap member may include a slide guide that guides movement of the cap member in a direction forward to the inside of the roof molding after the removal of the rotary guide has occurred. 
         [0016]    According to this configuration, the cap member is rotated and supported along the support pin through the rotary guide, and the pushing direction of the cap member becomes stable. 
         [0017]    In the invention, a cap member may include a stopper that limits an amount of movement due to a push. 
         [0018]    According to this configuration, the pushing position of the cap member becomes stable. 
         [0019]    A slide guide of the cap member may have a cut that allows the support pin of the attachment member to pass through. 
         [0020]    The invention is characterized in that the cap member does not move in a direction forward to the inside of the roof molding until the cap member is opened by a given angle. An arbitrary means may be used to achieve this feature. 
         [0021]    For example, the support pin of the attachment member may include a wide part that is wider than the open dimension of second the opening of the rotary guide of the cap member, and a narrow part that is narrower than the open dimension of the opening. 
         [0022]    The wide part and the narrow part of the support pin may be formed by forming the support pin to have an oval cross section, or flatly removing part of the outer circumferential surface of a column, for example. 
         [0023]    A clip or the like is required to attach a roof molding to a vehicle. According to the invention, since the cap member is not slid in the longitudinal direction, the limitations to the position of the clip or the like can be reduced. 
       Advantageous Effects of Invention 
       [0024]    Since the cap attachment structure according to the invention is designed so that the cap member cannot be pushed into the roof molding until the cap member is rotated by a given angle, the cap attachment structure has excellent open-close stability. Moreover, it suffices to use a small number of parts. Since the cap member is received in the inner space of the roof molding (fitting groove), it is possible to save the installation space, and achieve a reduction in size. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]      FIG. 1A  is a view illustrating a state in which the cap member closes the opening (first opening) S of the roof molding(first position),  FIG. 1B  is a view illustrating a state in which the cap member has been rotated to stand at a given angle (second position), and  FIG. 1C  is a view illustrating a state in which the cap member has been pushed into the roof molding. 
           [0026]      FIG. 2A  is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A illustrated in  FIG. 1A , and  FIG. 2B  is a view illustrating a state in which the cap member has been opened and pushed downward (third position). 
           [0027]      FIG. 3  is a top perspective view illustrating a state in which the cap member has been opened (second position). 
           [0028]      FIG. 4  is a view illustrating a state in which the cap member fitted to the attachment member has been closed (first position). 
           [0029]      FIG. 5A  is a cross-sectional view (taken along the line B-B illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) illustrating a first position in which the cap member is closed,  FIG. 5B  is a cross-sectional view (taken along the line B-B illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) illustrating a second position in which the cap member has been rotated by a given angle around the support pins that are provided on either side in the longitudinal direction, and  FIG. 5C  is a cross-sectional view (taken along the line B-B illustrated in  FIG. 4 ) illustrating a third position in which the cap member has been pushed into the roof molding. 
           [0030]      FIGS. 6A and 6B  are views illustrating the dimensional relationship between the rotary guide of the cap member and the support pin of the attachment member. 
           [0031]      FIG. 7A  is a side perspective view illustrating the cap member,  FIG. 7B  is a bottom perspective view illustrating the cap member, and  FIG. 7C  is a bottom perspective view illustrating the cap member at an angle differing from that of  FIG. 7B . 
           [0032]      FIG. 8A  is a side perspective view illustrating the attachment member,  FIG. 8B  is a top perspective view illustrating the attachment member, and  FIG. 8C  is a side view illustrating the attachment member. 
           [0033]      FIG. 9  is a view illustrating an example of the fixture of the roof carrier. 
           [0034]      FIG. 10  is a bottom perspective view illustrating a state in which the cap member has been fitted to the opening S of the roof molding using the attachment member. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0035]    An example of a roof molding cap attachment structure according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the invention is not limited thereto. 
         [0036]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 1A to 1C , a roof molding  1  is fitted to a groove  2  that is formed in the roof of a vehicle and extends in the forward-backward direction. 
         [0037]    In one embodiment of the invention, the groove  2  is defined by a roof panel  2   a  and a side panel  2   b  (see the two-dot chain line illustrated in  FIG. 1B ). 
         [0038]    A fixture  30  for securing accessories (e.g., roof carrier) is provided to the groove  2  formed in the roof (see  FIG. 1C ). 
         [0039]    In one embodiment of the invention, the fixture  30  includes a base that is secured on the vehicle (e.g., by welding or use of a bolt), a securing piece  31  that is provided on the base, and a securing hole  32  that is formed in the securing piece  31  (see  FIG. 9 ). Note that the fixture  30  is not particularly limited. 
         [0040]    A cap member  10  functions as a lid that opens an opening (first opening) S (that is formed corresponding to the position of the fixture  30 ) formed in the roof molding  1  when accessories (e.g., roof carrier) are secured on the vehicle, and closes the opening S when accessories are not secured on the vehicle. 
         [0041]    The cap attachment structure according to one embodiment of the invention includes an attachment member  20  that engages with the opening S of the roof molding  1 , and the cap member  10  that is rotatably fitted to the attachment member  20 . 
         [0042]    As illustrated in  FIGS. 8A to 8C , the attachment member  20  has a structure in which bottom parts  21  that make a pair are connected through a link  23  to provide support pins  22  that make a pair, for example. As illustrated in  FIG. 3  (illustrating a state in which the cap member  10  is opened), the support pins  22  that make a pair are provided to the attachment member  20  on either side in the longitudinal direction of the fixture  30  (i.e., in the forward-backward direction of the vehicle). 
         [0043]    As illustrated in  FIG. 8C , two supports  21  a are provided vertically on the bottom part  21 , and the support pin  22  is provided between the supports  21   a.    
         [0044]    The support pin  22  rotatably supports the cap member  10  (as described later) between the first position ( FIG. 5A ) where the cap member  10  closes the opening S of the roof molding  1  and a second position ( FIG. 5B ) where the cap member  10  discloses the opening S. The support pin  22  may be appropriately formed as long as the support pin  22  can rotatably support the cap member  10 . 
         [0045]    In one embodiment of the invention, receiving walls  21   b  and  21   c  that make a pair are provided vertically on the bottom part  21 , and a stopper  13  and a slide guide  14  of the cap member  10  are received between the receiving walls  21   b  and  21   c.    
         [0046]    The attachment member  20  includes claw-like locking parts  24  that can undergo elastic deformation, and engage with engagement parts  1   a  and  1   b  that are provided to the roof molding  1  (having an approximately inverted channel-like cross-sectional shape) on either side in the widthwise direction. In one embodiment of the invention, the locking parts  24  are provided vertically on a side part  25  so as to form an approximately C-like cross-sectional shape. 
         [0047]      FIG. 10  illustrates a state in which the attachment member  20  is fitted to the roof molding  1 . 
         [0048]    The attachment member  20  includes an engagement part  26  that holds the cap member  10  in a closed state. 
         [0049]      FIGS. 7A to 7C  illustrate the cap member  10 , and  FIG. 4  illustrates a state in which the cap member  10  is fitted to the attachment member  20 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 1A  illustrates a state in which the cap member  10  (in an approximately horizontal state (closed state)) closes the opening S of the roof molding  1 ,  FIG. 1B  illustrates a state in which the cap member  10  has been opened so as to approximately stand upright, and  FIG. 1C  illustrates a state in which the cap member  10  has been pushed downward (i.e., in an approximately vertically downward direction) so as to enter the roof molding  10 . 
         [0051]      FIGS. 5A to 5C  are partial cross-sectional views that respectively correspond to  FIGS. 1A to 1C , and  FIGS. 8A to 8C  illustrate the dimensional relationship between the support pin  22  and a rotary guide  12 . 
         [0052]    The cap member  10  includes a cap part  11  that has the same shape as the opening S of the roof molding  1 , and the rotary guide  12  that is provided on the back side of the cap part  11 , and pivotally attached to the support pin  22  of the attachment member  20 . 
         [0053]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6A , the rotary guide  12  includes an arc-shaped part  12   a  having a radius r, and an opening (second opening)  12   b  having an open dimension a. 
         [0054]    As illustrated in  FIG. 6B , the support pin  22  of the attachment member  20  has a flat part that is formed by flatly removing each side of a column having a diameter D 0  that is slightly smaller than the value “r×2”. 
         [0055]    The diameter D 0  is larger than the dimension a of the opening  12   b  of the rotary guide, and corresponds to a wide part, and the thickness D 1  of the flat part is smaller than the dimension a, and corresponds to a narrow part. 
         [0056]    Therefore, the cap member  10  can be moved in the direction indicated by the arrow illustrated in  FIG. 5B  (i.e., in an approximately vertically downward direction) by rotating the cap member  10  by a given angle so that the narrow part having the thickness D 1  that is smaller than the dimension a of the opening  12   b  is fitted into the opening  12   b.    
         [0057]    When the cap member  10  is moved as described above, the slide guide  14  limits the moving direction, and an inner circumferential surface  13   a  of the stopper  13  comes in contact with the support pin  22  to limit the pushing amount. 
         [0058]    Note that a cut  15  that is formed by removing part of the slide guide  14  is required when fitting the cap member  10  to the support pin  22 . 
         [0059]    It is thus possible to achieve the state illustrated in  FIG. 1A  in which the cap member  10  closes the opening S, and the state illustrated in  FIG. 1C  in which the cap member  10  has been opened, pushed into the roof molding  1  (in an approximately vertically downward direction), and received inside the roof molding  1 . 
         [0060]    In one embodiment of the invention, a finger placement part  16  is provided on the free end side of the cap member  10  in order to facilitate the open-close operation. 
         [0061]    A claw-like part  17  engages with the engagement part  26  of the attachment member  20  in a state in which the cap member  10  is closed. 
         [0062]    Although only some embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within scope of this invention.

Technology Category: 7