Roof segment for a vehicle and method for producing a roof segment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016229458-A1
Application number	US-201615041361-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 11, 2016
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Aug 11, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A roof segment for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, wherein the roof segment has a flat base element with a wall, wherein the wall is created from a single, plastically deformed starting material, forms a closed hollow cross section, and encloses one or more cavities. The invention further relates to a method for producing a roof segment that may include plastic deformation of a single starting material to produce a blank that has a wall with a closed hollow cross section, and hotforming the blank to produce the flat base element.

First claim

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . Roof segment for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, wherein the roof segment has a flat base element with a wall, wherein the wall
is made from a single, plastically deformed starting material, forms a closed hollow cross section, and encloses one or more cavities.

17 . Roof segment according to claim 16 ,
wherein the starting material is a single flat material with a first end area and a second end area, wherein the flat material is formed to create the wall and the two end areas are structurally connected to each other.

18 . Roof segment according to claim 17 ,
wherein the flat material is rollformed to create the wall.

19 . Roof segment according to claim 18 ,
wherein the base element has a longitudinal axis and the first end area has a first edge and the second end area has a second edge, which extend essentially parallel to one another along the longitudinal axis.

20 . Roof segment according to claim 17 ,
wherein the first end area and the second end area are connected to each other structurally by means of welding, particularly laser welding.

21 . Roof segment according to claim 18 ,
wherein the first end area and the second end area are connected to each other structurally by means of welding, particularly laser welding.

22 . Roof segment according to claim 19 ,
wherein the first end area and the second end area are connected to each other structurally by means of welding, particularly laser welding.

23 . Roof segment according to claim 16 ,
wherein the starting material is a pellet that has been extruded to form the wall.

24 . Roof segment according to claim 16 ,
wherein the base element has a number of attachment sections for fastening the roof segment to adjacent components of the vehicle.

25 . Roof module for a vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, comprising
a roof segment according to claim 16 , and one or more components of the vehicle.

26 . A vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, comprising a roof segment according to claim 16 .

27 . A vehicle, particularly a motor vehicle, comprising a roof module according to claim 25 .

28 . A method for producing a roof segment comprising:
plastic forming of a single starting material to produce a blank having a wall with a hollow cross section, and hot forming of the blank to produce the flat base element.

29 . The method according to claim 28 , wherein a single flat material is used, and the blank is produced by forming, particularly rollforming of the flat material.

30 . The method according to claim 29 ,
wherein the flat material has a first end area and a second end area, which are connected to each other structurally to form a closed hollow cross section.

31 . The method according to claim 28 ,
wherein the first end area and the second end area are connected to each other structurally by welding, particularly laser welding.

32 . The method according to claim 28 , wherein a pellet is used as the starting material, and is extruded to form a closed hollow cross section.

33 . The method according to any of claim 28 , wherein the step of hot forming the blank is carried out in a high pressure forming process.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Mildner Udo
• Teske Lothar

Classifications

• B21D53/88

  other parts for vehicles, e.g. cowlings, mudguards · CPC title

• B21D47/01

  beams or pillars · CPC title

• B21D22/022

  by heating the blank or stamping associated with heat treatment (C21D takes precedence) · CPC title

• B21C37/0803

  the tubes having a special shape, e.g. polygonal tubes · CPC title

• B21C23/085

  Making tubes (B21C23/10 take precedence) · CPC title