IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,722,713
Granted Patent B2
US 12,722,713 · App. 18/522,661 · Granted Sep 1, 2026

Roof module comprising a cooling mechanism

Inventors: Antonio Percinic (Stockdorf, DE); Juraj Lehotsky (Stockdorf, DE)
Assignee: WEBASTO SE
B62D25/07G01D11/245
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,722,713
App. No.
18/522,661
Granted
Sep 1, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module having a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module, at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals through a roof see-through area to detect a vehicle environment, and a cooling mechanism having a cooling-air inlet, a filter member and at least one cooling channel, the cooling mechanism being configured to dissipate waste heat emitted by the environment sensor and/or ambient heat introduced from outside from the environment sensor. The filter member has a conical and/or pot-shaped shape and is provided at the cooling-air inlet and is configured to prevent and/or reduce an entry of foreign particles and/or liquid into an interior of the at least one cooling channel.

Claims (19)

1 . A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module comprising:

a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module,

at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals through a roof see-through area to detect a vehicle environment, and

a cooling mechanism having a cooling-air inlet, a filter member, and at least one cooling channel, the cooling mechanism being configured to dissipate waste heat emitted by the environment sensor and/or ambient heat introduced from outside from the environment sensor,

wherein the filter member comprises a conical and/or pot-shaped shape and is provided at the cooling-air inlet and is configured to prevent and/or reduce an entry of foreign particles and/or liquid into an interior of the at least one cooling channel, and

wherein the filter member comprises at least one liquid draining device, which is provided at a conically tapering end area of the filter member.

2 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the filter member comprises at least one fine filter configured to prevent foreign particles up to a predetermined particle size from entering the interior of the at least one cooling channel.

3 . The roof module according to claim 2 , wherein the filter member comprises a support structure which has a conical and/or inclined and/or cylindrical and/or pot-shaped shape and on which the at least one fine filter is disposed.

4 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the roof module comprises a liquid discharge channel configured to discharge liquids from the roof module to prevent the liquid from entering an interior of the roof module, the liquid draining device being in fluid communication with the liquid discharge channel when the filter member is installed.

5 . The roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling mechanism has a cylindrical opening in an area of the cooling-air inlet, the opening extending essentially in a vertical vehicle direction z, the filter member being plugged and/or inserted into the opening from outside when installed.

6 . The roof module according to claim 5 , wherein the opening is at least partially connected to the at least one cooling channel, and the filter member comprises a clamping portion via which the filter member is clamped to the at least one cooling channel and/or an end area of the opening.

7 . The roof module according to claim 6 , wherein the clamping portion is configured to correspond to a mating portion of the at least one cooling channel and/or to correspond to the end area of the opening.

8 . A motor vehicle comprising a vehicle body and at least one roof module according to claim 1 , wherein the roof module is disposed on the vehicle body as a structural unit.

9 . A roof module for forming a vehicle roof on a motor vehicle, the roof module comprising:

a panel component which at least partially forms a roof skin of the vehicle roof, the roof skin serving as an outer sealing surface of the roof module,

at least one environment sensor configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals through a roof see-through area to detect a vehicle environment, and

a cooling mechanism having a cooling-air inlet, a filter member, and at least one cooling channel, the cooling mechanism being configured to dissipate waste heat emitted by the environment sensor and/or ambient heat introduced from outside from the environment sensor,

wherein the filter member comprises a conical and/or pot-shaped shape and is provided at the cooling-air inlet and is configured to prevent and/or reduce an entry of foreign particles and/or liquid into an interior of the at least one cooling channel, and

wherein the filter member comprises a prefilter disposed on the cooling-air inlet and being flush with the surrounding panel component, the prefilter having a mesh size larger than a mesh size of the fine filter.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 21, 2023
From: PERCINIC, ANTONIO; LEHOTSKY, JURAJ
To: WEBASTO SE
Reel/Frame 065934/0001 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2022 132 516.4 · Dec 7, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240190510A1 · Jun 13, 2024
References Cited (7)
US 8096144B2 · Castren · 2012 [cited by examiner]
US 10561044B2 · Schmidt · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10627488B2 · Dubey · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 11480451B2 · Ellgas · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20230382204A1 · Sviberg · 2023 [cited by examiner]
DE 102021122866A1 · 2023 [cited by applicant]
Office Action issued against corresponding German Application No. 10 2022 132 516.4; dated August 16, 2023; In German with English Machine Translation (6 pages). [cited by applicant]