Roof module, motor vehicle, and method for assembling a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12589808-B2
Application number	US-202318172464-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 22, 2023
Priority date	Mar 3, 2022
Publication date	Mar 31, 2026
Grant date	Mar 31, 2026

Abstract

A roof module having a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of a vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module, and at least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component. The roof module may have at least one vehicle body rail configured to form at least part of a vehicle body roof frame when the roof module is disposed on a vehicle body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A roof module comprising:
a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of a vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module, and at least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component, which has at least one environment sensor, wherein the roof module comprises at least one vehicle body rail configured to form at least part of a vehicle body roof frame when the roof module is disposed on a vehicle body, wherein the at least one vehicle body rail forms a front cross rail of the vehicle body roof frame when viewed in a vehicle longitudinal direction, wherein the at least one vehicle body rail is formed by the panel component, and wherein a front windshield is bonded to the vehicle body rail by glue.

2 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail forms a front transverse rail of the vehicle body roof frame with respect to a longitudinal vehicle direction.

3 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail forms a longitudinal rail with respect to a vehicle width direction.

4 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail is welded and/or screwed and/or bolted and/or glued and/or foamed and/or injection-molded to at least part of the roof module or is formed integrally, by at least part of the roof module.

5 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail is disposed directly or indirectly on the panel component, or the at least one vehicle body rail is disposed directly or indirectly on a roof module frame of the roof module and/or is formed by part of the roof module frame, or the at least one vehicle body rail is formed by the panel component.

6 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one electrical, electronic and/or electromagnetic component comprises an antenna and/or a measuring sensor and/or a communication feature and/or a light feature.

7 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the module comprises at least one roof headliner and/or at least one handle element and/or at least one airbag and/or a roof operating feature, which is disposed on or integrated in the at least one vehicle body rail.

8 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the roof module is disposed on a vehicle body as a structural unit.

9 . A motor vehicle comprising: a vehicle body having at least one longitudinal rail and/or at least one transverse rail and/or a vehicle body sub-structure and a roof module according to claim 1 , the at least one vehicle body rail being connected by being screwed and/or welded and/or glued and/or foamed and/or injection-molded, to the at least one longitudinal rail and/or the at least one transverse rail, which at least partially forms the vehicle body roof frame, and/or to the vehicle body substructure.

10 . The motor vehicle according to claim 9 , wherein the vehicle body roof frame of the vehicle body forms a closed frame structure when the roof module is disposed on the vehicle body.

11 . A method for assembling a motor vehicle, the method comprising at least the following steps:
providing a vehicle body having at least one longitudinal rail and/or at least one transverse rail, which forms at least part of a vehicle body roof frame; providing a roof module comprising a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of a vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module, at least one vehicle body rail, and least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component, which has at least one environment sensor; arranging the roof module on the vehicle body in such a manner that the at least one vehicle body rail and the at least one longitudinal rail and/or the at least one transverse rail together form the vehicle body roof frame; attaching the at least one vehicle body rail to the at least one longitudinal rail and/or the at least one transverse rail; attaching a front windshield and/or a side window to the vehicle body and the at least one vehicle body rail, the at least one vehicle body rail being formed by the panel component; and wherein the step of attaching a front windshield and/or a side window to the vehicle body and the at least one vehicle body rail is by gluing.

12 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the attaching step comprises at least gluing the at least one vehicle body rail to the at least one longitudinal rail and/or the at least one transverse rail.

13 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises the step of pre-installing further technical systems and/or components on the roof module and/or the at least one vehicle body rail.

14 . The roof module according to claim 2 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail that forms a front transverse rail of the vehicle body roof frame is a front header.

15 . The roof module according to claim 3 , wherein the at least one vehicle body rail forms a longitudinal rail is a longitudinal beam of the vehicle body roof frame with respect to a vehicle width direction.

16 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the environment sensor is at least one of a lidar sensor, a radar sensor, a camera sensor, a multi-camera sensor and an ultrasonic sensor.

17 . The method according to claim 13 , wherein the step of pre-installing further technical systems and/or components on the roof module and/or the at least one vehicle body rail includes a headliner, at least one sun visor and/or a roof operating unit.

18 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle body further comprises a non-supportive guide rail in an area of the at least one vehicle body rail, the non-supportive guide rail configured to act as an installation aid of the roof module onto the vehicle body.

Assignees

• Webasto SE

Inventors

• Sviberg Magnus
• Ehrmann Maximilian
• Langlais Cèdric
• Huelsen Michael

Classifications

• B62D27/023

  Assembly of structural joints · CPC title

• B62D25/06 Primary

  Fixed roofs (non-fixed roofs or like shelters B60J7/00; roof liners B60R13/02; insulating elements B60R13/08) · CPC title