GB2434616A

GB2434616A - Vehicle roof trim finisher with fixing device

Info

Publication number: GB2434616A
Application number: GB0601799A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart James Went
Original assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2006-01-30
Filing date: 2006-01-30
Publication date: 2007-08-01
Anticipated expiration: 2026-01-30
Also published as: GB2434616B; GB0601799D0

Abstract

A trim finisher 18 for a vehicle roof having a roof ditch 13 defined between a body side panel 11 and a roof panel 12. The trim finisher 18 comprises a trim strip 24 and a fixing device (20, Fig.1) located at each end of the trim finisher 18. The fixing device may comprise a stud 25 extending from a rear surface of the trim strip 24 for engagement with a nut 14 located within the roof ditch 13, and a flexible tab 34. The stud may be connected to the trim strip 24 in such way that the trim strip 24 can freely slide in a plane perpendicular to the stud when the stud is secured in the nut 14. The flexible tab 34, which may be positioned in one side of the trim strip 24 and may extend transversally from the trim strip 24, is arranged to bias the trim strip 24 through a limited lateral movement towards the body side panel 11 in order to create a minimum gap between the trim finisher 18 and a longitudinal side of a roof panel 12. The stud may take the form of a plastic fir tree fastener.

Description

Trim finisher for a vehicle roof The present invention relates to a

trim finisher for a vehicle roof and is particularly concerned with a fixing arrangement for fixing the trim finisher to the roof.

Conventionally, many modern vehicles have a roof panel which is joined to a body side panel and at the junction a so-called roof ditch or trough is formed. This roof ditch has an unsightly appearance and a trim finisher is normally secured, for instance by a double-sided adhesive tape, along the roof ditch to give a good appearance to the vehicle.

A problem with known trim finishers is that when the roof panel is fitted with a slideable sunroof, in particular a panoramic sunroof, it is possible that a misalignment between the edges of the sunroof glass and the corresponding edge of the trim finisher occurs when the sunroof is operated. This is due to variations in dimensions of the sunroof glass or/and the body side panel. To overcome this problem it is usually necessary to use complex guide rails on the roof panel to guide the sunroof and thereby avoid any contact with the trim finisher. Such complex guide rails are usually costly. The present invention is intended to solve this problem.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a trim finisher for a vehicle roof having a roof ditch defined between a body side panel and a roof panel, the trim finisher comprising a trim strip and at least one fixing device, the or each fixing device acting in use to secure the trim strip to the vehicle roof and at least partially cover the roof ditch and allowing at least limited lateral movement of the trim strip relative to the roof, and biasing means to bias the trim strip through the limited lateral movement towards the body side panel.

The or each fixing device may comprise a retainer assembly having a stud extending from a rear surface of the trim strip and a holding member attached to the rear surface of the trim strip for co-operation with the stud.

The stud may be a plastic fir tree fastener having a head and a cylindrical shank for engagement in use with a fixing member attached to the roof ditch.

The holding member may have a base portion which comprises a central aperture for co-operation with the plastic fir tree fastener.

Preferably, the diameter of the central aperture is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical shank but smaller than the diameter of the head thereby to permit limited free movement of the trim strip relative to the fir tree fastener in a plane perpendicular to the cylindrical shank.

The cylindrical shank may be engageable with the central aperture so that the head is trapped between the base portion and the trim strip.

The holding member may also comprise clip members to connect the holding member to the trim strip.

Preferably, the biasing means is connected to the trim strip and extends from a longitudinal side of the trim strip for co-operation with a longitudinal side of the roof panel.

The biasing means may be formed as an integral part of the base portion of the holding member. Preferably, the biasing means is a flexible tab which may have an upwardly curved free end for co-operation with a longitudinal side of the roof panel.

The holding member may have an extended longitudinal tongue for engagement with an adjacent trim finisher.

The trim strip may be connected at each end to respectively a front trim finisher and a rear trim finisher, the front and the rear trim finishers each having double-sided adhesive tape on its rear surface for attachment with a surface of the roof ditch and a recess for engagement with the said tongue.

According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a motor vehicle having at least one roof ditch trim finisher according to the first aspect of the invention.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings of which: -Fig.1 is a perspective view of a vehicle showing an exploded view of parts of a load carrier and a trim finisher, Fig.2 is a partial plan view of the vehicle shown in Fig.1 with the trim finisher in a fixing position, Fig.3 is a cross section through the trim finisher shown in Fig.2 on the line Ill-Ill in Fig.2, Fig.4 is a cross sectional view through the trim finisher shown in Fig.2 on the line IV-IV in Fig.2, Fig.5 is a schematic partial exploded view of the trim finisher, and Fig.6 is a partial view of the trim finisher shown in Fig.5 looking in the direction of arrow VI in Fig.5 Referring to Fig.1, there is shown a vehicle 10 having body side panels 11 (one shown) and a roof panel 12. A recess 13 is formed close to the edge of the vehicle roof.

This recess 13, also known as the roof ditch, corresponds to the junction where the roof panel 12 and the body side 11 are welded together. This recess 13 is conventionally provided with fixing members which are in the form of, for instance, a series of nuts 14 welded directly onto the roof ditch 13.

As can best be seen in Fig.1 and Fig.2, the roof panel 12 has a roof opening 15 which is of a generally rectangular shape. The roof panel 12 is arranged in a conventional manner with a pair of guide rails 16 fastened to the roof panel 12 near the longitudinal sides of the roof opening 15, i.e. the sides extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. A sunroof panel 17 made of transparent or translucent plate such as glass plate or plastic plate is provided to be slidably guided in the forward and rearward direction of the vehicle along the guide rails 16 and to cover in its closed position the roof opening 15. In the closed position of the sliding sunroof panel 17 (as shown in Fig.2 and Fig. 3), each lateral side of the sunroof panel 17 is adjacent to its corresponding roof ditch 13.

Each roof ditch 13 is covered by a trim arrangement which comprises a front trim finisher 21, a central trim finisher 18 and a rear trim finisher 22.

The central trim finisher 18 comprises a trim strip 24 and fixing devices in the form of retainer assemblies 20. The trim strip 24, in this example, extruded from aluminium alloy has a top wall 24a, a closed box section 33 extending from the top wall 24a and flanges 24b, 24b' extending perpendicularly from the top wall 24a (as shown in Fig.3). Each flange 24b, 24b' has an inwardly curved free end forming a rib 30. One flange 24b further has a recess 24c along its length in which is attached a gap hider in the form of a flip seal 36.

As the central trim finisher 18 sits very close to the sunroof panel 17 and to the guide rail 16 along their entire lengths, it is necessary to keep a minimum gap G, typically 5 mm, between the lateral side of the sunroof panel 17 and the corresponding lateral side of the central trim finisher 18 to ensure that contact between the sunroof panel 17 and the central trim finisher 18 is prevented when the sunroof panel 17 is moved in the rearward and forward direction. This minimum gap G will hence take into account the inevitable variations in dimensions and positioning of the sunroof panel 17 and of the guide rails 16 during manufacture and assembly. To do so, the central trim finisher 18 is secured to the roof ditch 13 by a fixing device which controls the gap 0 between the roof panel 12 and the central trim finisher 18 above a minimum gap value. The fixing device comprises in this example the two retainer assemblies 20 spaced apart from each other, which co-operate with the nuts 14.

With reference now to the Figs. 3 to 6, each retainer assembly 20 comprises a holding member 23 and a stud 25 extending from a rear surface of the trim strip 24. The holding member 23 has a base portion 26 which has a central aperture 27 and two pairs of arm portions 28 which act as clip members. Each arm portion 28 has a shoulder 29. The stud has a serrated cylindrical shank 31 and a cylindrical head 32 and is commonly referred to as a fir tree fastener. The holding member 23 and the stud 25 are both made of a resilient plastic material, e.g. propylene or nylon.

To assemble the retainer assembly 20, the stud 25 is inserted through the aperture 27 and then the holding member 23 is secured to the trim strip 24 with a snap action by engagement of the shoulders 29 of each arm portion to the respective rib 30 of the flanges 24b, 24b'. When the holding member 23 is secured to the trim strip 24, the head 32 is trapped between the base portion 26 and the box section 33. The dimensions of the box section 33 are such that they provide a light interference with the head 32 thereby holding the stud 25 in a vertical position. The diameter of the cylindrical shank 31 is such that the stud 25 is able to freely slide in a plane perpendicular to the cylindrical shank 31 within the aperture 27. It will be noted that the cylindrical shank 31 has a diametral clearance, for example 2 mm, within the aperture 27. Hence, the diameter of the central aperture 27 is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical shank 31 but smaller than the diameter of the head 32.

The base portion 26 also has on its longitudinal side adjacent to the roof panel 12 a biasing means in the form of a downwardly directed flexible spring-like tongue or tab 34 which also extends transversely from the trim strip 24. The flexible tab 34 has an upwardly curved free end 35 which is arranged to make contact with an adjacent edge of the roof panel when the trim finisher is secured in the roof ditch as it will be further explained below.

The assembly of the trim finisher 18 into the roof ditch 13 is obtain by placing the retainer assemblies 20 in the position shown in Fig. 3, where the cylindrical shank 31 is engaged with the nut 14. Once the cylindrical shanks 31 have been put lightly in position within their corresponding nut 14, the stud 25 will permit movement of the trim strip 24 relative to the ditch roof 13 in the directions X and Y shown in Fig. 2 and Fig 6. Once the trim strip 24 has been correctly adjusted in the direction X, the cylindrical shank 31 can be pushed further into its nuts 14 so that the flexible tabs 34 bias the trim strip 24 through a limited lateral movement of the trim finisher 18 relative to the roof towards the body side panel 11 by being in contact with the longitudinal side of the roof panel 12. It would be appreciated that the flip seal 36 provides some negative force by pushing off the body side panel, preventing the finisher trim touching the body side panel.

These flexible tabs 34 ensure an adequate position of the trim strip 24 in the Y directions by creating a minimum gap between the trim finisher 18 and the roof panel 12.

This minimum gap is ensured by the biasing force of the flexible tab 34. This biasing force can be adjusted by changing the shape and the dimensions of the tab as well as the materials to meet the minimum gap value, typically 5mm. It will be noted that a piece of foam 50 or a rib may be added behind the flexible tab 34 to increase the compression force of the flexible tab 34. As the central trim finisher 18 is adequately positioned in the directions X and Y, the front trim finisher 21 and the rear trim finisher 22 can be placed in position within the roof ditch and automatically aligned with the central trim finisher 18 by means of a respective tongue 45 which extends longitudinally from the holding member 23 and can engage a corresponding recess (not shown) in the front and rear trim finishers 21, 22. Hence, the front trim finisher 21 and the rear trim finisher 22 are connected to the roof dish 13 by removing a protective layer of a double-sided adhesive tape connected on the rear surface of each trim and engaging the tongue 45 in the respective recess formed in each trim 21 and 22.

As can best be seen in Fig.1, a load carrier, such as a roof rack 40 may be secured over the front and rear trim finishers 21 and 22. The front trim finisher 21 and the rear trim finisher 22 can be provided with either holes or marks on their top surfaces in order to indicate to the user the position of the fixing member 14.

The fixing devices of the trim finisher described here provide effective control of the gap between the roof panel 12 and the central trim finisher 18, taking into account the inevitable misalignment of the nuts 14 located within the roof ditch at which the trim finisher is secured but also the manufacturing variation of the roof panel in particular when the roof panel is fitted with a glass panel. In addition, this fixing device ensures a minimum functional gap for operation of a slideable sunroof.

Although the invention has been described by way of example with reference to a specific embodiment of the invention various modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example, the trim finisher may be made as a single part instead of three parts as described above. In addition, the flexible tab instead of being formed as an integral part of the base portion 24 may be a separate portion attached to the trim strip.

Claims

CLAI MS

1. A trim finisher for a vehicle roof having a roof ditch defined between a body side panel and a roof panel, the trim finisher comprising a trim strip and at least one fixing device, the or each fixing device acting in use to secure the trim strip to the vehicle roof and at least partially cover the roof ditch and allowing at least limited lateral movement of the trim strip relative to the roof, and biasing means to bias the trim strip through the limited lateral movement towards the body side panel.

2. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 1 in which the or each fixing device comprises a retainer assembly having a stud extending from a rear surface of the trim strip and a holding member attached to the rear surface of the trim strip for co-operation with the stud.

3. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 2 in which the stud is a plastic fir tree fastener having a head and a cylindrical shank for engagement in use with a fixing member attached to the roof ditch.

4. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 3 in which the holding member has a base portion which comprises a central aperture for co-operation with the plastic fir tree fastener.

5. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 4 in which the diameter of the central aperture is larger than the diameter of the cylindrical shank but smaller than the diameter of the head thereby to permit limited free movement of the trim strip relative to the fir tree fastener in a plan perpendicular to the cylindrical shank.

6. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 4 or in claim 5 in which the cylindrical shank is engageable with the central aperture so that the head is trapped between the base portion and the trim strip.

7. A trim finisher as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6 in which the holding member also comprises clip members to connect the holding member to the trim strip.

8. A trim finisher as claimed in any preceding claim in which the biasing means is connected to the trim strip and extends from a longitudinal side of the trim strip for co-operation with a longitudinal side of the roof panel.

9 A trim finisher as claimed in claim 8 in which the trim strip comprises on its longitudinal side opposite to the biasing means a gap hider.

10. A trim finisher as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 9 which the biasing means is formed as an integral part of the base portion of the holding member.

11. A trim finisher as claimed in any preceding claim in which the biasing means is a flexible tab.

12. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 11 in which the flexible tab has an upwardly curved free end for co-operation with a longitudinal side of the roof panel.

13. A trim finisher as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 13 in which the holding member comprises an extended longitudinal tongue for engagement with an adjacent trim finisher.

14. A trim finisher as claimed in claim 13 in which the trim strip is connected at each end to respectively a front trim finisher and a rear trim finisher, the front and the rear trim finishers each having double-sided adhesive tape on its rear surface for attachment with a surface of the roof ditch and a recess for engagement with the said tongue.

15. A motor vehicle having at least one roof ditch trim finisher according to any preceding claim. -10-

16. A trim finisher for a vehicle roof ditch arranged substantially as described herein with reference to Figs 1 to 6 of the accompanying drawings