IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,123,091
Granted Patent B2
US 8,123,091 · App. 12/316,232 · Granted Feb 28, 2012

Installation structure for roof rail

Assignee: Faltec Company Limited
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,123,091
App. No.
12/316,232
Granted
Feb 28, 2012
Kind
B2
Abstract

The installation structure of a roof rail in which the roof rail is attached to a vehicle inner panel provided underneath a roof panel, through a hole part provided in a roof panel, the installation structure includes: a protruding part which is provided protruding downward from a lower surface of the roof rail, is inserted into the hole part with a gap in-between, and is attached to an upper surface of the vehicle inner panel; and a watertight part which encloses the protruding part, and is flattened between the lower surface of the roof rail and the upper surface of the roof panel, wherein a part of the watertight part extends through the hole part and protrudes beyond the lower surface of the roof panel.

Claims (18)

1. An installation structure of a roof rail in which the roof rail is attached to a vehicle inner panel provided underneath a roof panel, through a hole part provided in the roof panel, the installation structure comprising:

a protruding part which is provided protruding downward from a lower surface of the roof rail, is inserted into the hole part with a ring shaped gap which is formed by a diameter of the hole part being arranged to be larger than a diameter of the protruding part, and is attached to an upper surface of the vehicle inner panel; and

a watertight part which encloses the protruding part, is flattened between the lower surface of the roof rail and an upper surface of the roof panel, and seals the ring shaped gap, wherein

a part of the watertight part which consists of an elastic material extends through the ring shaped gap and protrudes beyond a lower surface of the roof panel.

2. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein a protruding length of the watertight part is at least 1 mm or larger from the lower surface of the roof panel.

3. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein

a compression rate of the watertight part is within a first predetermined range; and

a length of a contacting part of the watertight part to the roof panel from a fringe of the hole part is within a second predetermined range.

4. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a plurality of protruding parts provided on the roof rail; and

the same number of hole parts as the plurality of the protruding parts provided in the roof panel; wherein

each of the protruding parts is provided with the watertight part.

5. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle inner panel and the roof panel are not directly connected at a vicinity of the roof rail.

6. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein an inner diameter of the watertight part is smaller than the diameter of the protruding part.

7. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein

a compression rate of the watertight part is variable when a distance between the upper surface of the roof panel and the lower surface of the roof rail varies; and

a protruding length of the watertight part from the lower surface of the roof panel is maintained to be equal to or longer than a predetermined length, and a seal of the ring shaped gap by the watertight part is maintained when the compression rate of the watertight part varies.

8. The installation structure of the roof rail according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the watertight part which extends through the hole part and protrudes beyond the lower surface of the roof panel forms a contacting area with the lower surface of the roof panel along the fringe of the hole part.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2008
From: KIYOTA, NAOHIKO
To: FALTEC COMPANY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 022028/0502 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP P2007-319825 · Dec 11, 2007 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20090145941A1 · Jun 11, 2009