Granted Patent B2

US 12,441,408 · App. 17/880,610 · Granted Oct 14, 2025

Inventors: Adam Weyrauch (Canton, MI); Steven Frank (Dearborn, MI); Jack Lashbrook (Garden City, MI); Rohit Telukunta (Novi, MI)

Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC

B62D25/06

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. A vehicle roof structure of a vehicle comprising:

an outer roof panel; and

a unitized inner roof panel separate from the outer roof panel and secured to the outer roof panel, the unitized inner roof panel comprising roof headers, a roof bow, and support braces, the roof headers spaced apart from each other and extending in a transverse direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the roof bow spaced apart from and positioned between two roof headers of the roof headers and extending in the transverse direction, and each support brace being positioned between the roof bow and one of the two roof headers,

wherein each of the support braces comprises a continuous structure that extends from the roof bow to the one of the two roof headers, the support braces extend in multiple directions,

wherein the outer roof panel includes sides that are folded over respective sides of the unitized inner roof panel to mechanically interlock the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel.

2. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , wherein the unitized inner roof panel has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the outer roof panel.

3. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of roof rails disposed at opposing sides of the outer roof panel, and wherein the outer roof panel is fixed to the pair of roof rails.

4. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , further comprising reinforcement members secured to an upper surface of the unitized inner roof panel and positioned between the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel.

5. The vehicle roof structure of claim 4 , wherein at least one reinforcement member of the reinforcement members has a variable thickness.

6. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , wherein the support braces are positioned above the roof headers and the roof bow.

7. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive material between the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel and bonded to the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel.

8. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , wherein two support braces of the support braces form an X shape.

9. The vehicle roof structure of claim 1 , wherein:

the roof headers include a front roof header and a rear roof header; and

the support braces include a first set of support braces positioned between the roof bow and the front roof header and a second set of support braces positioned between the roof bow and the rear roof header.

10. The vehicle roof structure of claim 9 , wherein the first and second sets of the support braces are positioned above the front roof header, the rear roof header and the roof bow.

11. A vehicle roof structure of a vehicle comprising:

an outer roof panel; and

a unitized inner roof panel separate from the outer roof panel, the unitized inner roof panel comprising roof headers, a roof bow, and support braces, the roof headers including a front roof header and a rear roof header spaced apart from each other and extending in a transverse direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the roof bow spaced apart from and positioned between the front and rear roof headers and extending in the transverse direction, and the support braces positioned above the roof bow and the front and rear roof headers,

wherein the support braces include a first set of support braces positioned between the roof bow and the front roof header and a second set of support braces positioned between the roof bow and the rear roof header,

wherein the outer roof panel includes sides that are folded over respective sides of the unitized inner roof panel to mechanically interlocked the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel.

12. The vehicle roof structure of claim 11 , wherein the unitized inner roof panel has a thickness that is greater than a thickness of the outer roof panel.

13. The vehicle roof structure of claim 11 , further comprising reinforcement members secured to an upper surface of the unitized inner roof panel and positioned between the outer roof panel and the unitized inner roof panel.

14. The vehicle roof structure of claim 13 , wherein at least one reinforcement member of the reinforcement members has a variable thickness.

15. The vehicle roof structure of claim 11 , wherein the support braces extend in multiple directions.

16. A vehicle comprising:

a pair of roof rails;

a roof structure disposed between the pair of roof rails, the roof structure comprising:

an outer roof panel fixed to an inboard side of the pair of roof rails; and

a unitized inner roof panel separate from the outer roof panel and mechanically interlocked to the outer roof panel, the unitized inner roof panel comprising roof headers, a roof bow, and support braces, the roof headers spaced apart from each other and extending in a transverse direction relative to a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the roof bow spaced apart from and positioned between two roof headers of the roof headers and extending in the transverse direction, and the support braces positioned between the roof bow and one of the roof headers,

wherein each of the support braces comprises a continuous structure that extends from the roof bow to the one of the roof headers.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , further comprising a sensor structure mounted to the outer roof panel and supported by the support braces.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (21)