Vehicle body structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10449912-B2
Application number	US-201815928218-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2018
Priority date	Mar 31, 2017
Publication date	Oct 22, 2019
Grant date	Oct 22, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle body structure includes a drain member arranged along an edge of a glass window. The drain member includes a surface exposed to an outside of a vehicle, a drain passage extending in a direction along the edge of the glass window and formed to be hollow, and a communication path having one end communicating with the drain passage and the other end communicating with the surface of the drain member. The communication path is formed to have a width that draws water from the surface into the drain passage by a capillarity phenomenon, and a width of the drain passage in a direction orthogonal to the direction is formed to be wider than the width of the communication path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle body structure including a drain member arranged along an edge of a glass window,
wherein the drain member includes
a surface exposed to an outside of a vehicle,
a drain passage extending in a length along the edge of the glass window and formed to be hollow, and
a communication path having one end communicating with the drain passage and an other end communicating with the surface of the drain member, and
wherein the communication path is formed to have a width that draws water from the surface into the drain passage by a capillarity phenomenon, and
a width of the drain passage in a direction orthogonal to the length is formed to be wider than the width of the communication path.

2. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein the communication path is formed in the direction along the edge of the glass window.

3. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the glass window is a front glass window, and
the surface is provided at a position closer to a vehicle body than a surface of the front glass window.

4. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the glass window is a front glass window,
the structure further includes an exterior member provided along an edge portion on an opposite side of an edge portion where the drain member and the front glass window contact each other, and
a surface of the exterior member is provided to be flush with the surface of the drain member.

5. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein a surface tension on the surface of the drain member is higher than a surface tension on a surface of the glass window.

6. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein a surface tension of the communication path is higher than a surface tension on the surface of the drain member.

7. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein an angle formed by a surface of the communication path and a surface, contacting the communication path, of the drain passage is obtuse.

8. The structure according to claim 1 , wherein a length (Z) from the one end to the other end of the communication path satisfies:
Z< 2 T cos θ/γ r;

wherein T is a surface tension of the communication path (RN); θ is a contact angle between water and a surface of the communication path (RN); γ is a specific gravity of the water; and r is the width of the communication path (RN/2).

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Okabe Koji
• Fujiwara Tomoyuki

Classifications

• B60R13/07 Primary

  Water drainage or guide means not integral with roof structure (B60R13/06, {B60J10/25} take precedence; {integral with roof structure B62D25/07; drainage openings having movable or removable closures B62D25/24}) · CPC title

• B60J10/70

  specially adapted for windows or windscreens · CPC title

• B62D25/04

  Door pillars {; windshield pillars} · CPC title

• B60J10/25

  characterised by water drainage means · CPC title

• B60J1/02

  arranged at the vehicle front {, e.g. structure of the glazing, mounting of the glazing (on windscreen mounted antenna wire H01Q1/1271)} · CPC title