Roof assembly and motor vehicle comprising such a roof assembly

Abstract

A roof assembly having a roof skin having at least one roof opening; at least one roof panel element configured to selectively open or close the roof opening and/or forming a fixed roof element having an at least partially transparent see-through area and filling the roof opening; and a roof headliner disposed below and spaced apart from the roof skin, thus limiting an installation space together with the roof skin, and having a cover element covering at least part of an edge area around the roof opening inside the vehicle. At least one functional feature is disposed on the cover element.

Claims

1. A roof assembly for a passenger car, the roof assembly comprising: a roof skin comprising at least one roof opening; at least one roof panel element configured to selectively open or close the roof opening and/or forming a fixed roof element having an at least partially transparent see-through area and filling the roof opening; and a roof headliner disposed below and spaced apart from the roof skin, thus limiting an installation space together with the roof skin, and comprising a cover element covering at least part of an edge area around the roof opening inside the vehicle, wherein at least one functional feature is disposed on the cover element.

2. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover element is formed integrally with the roof headliner.

3. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover element forms at least one mounting surface on a surface opposite a vehicle interior, the mounting surface extending along the edge area of the roof opening, and the at least one functional feature being disposed on the mounting surface.

4. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein the cover element forms an essentially vertical or inclined wall area of the installation space, the at least one functional feature being attached to said wall area.

5. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein the at least one functional feature comprises at least one image display feature and/or one audio playback feature and/or one touch panel and/or one control element and/or one light feature and/or one feature for optical communication and/or one sensor-based detection feature.

6. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein the roof assembly defines a roof module for forming the vehicle roof, the roof module comprising at least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component, which is configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals in order to detect a vehicle environment and which is disposed in the installation space limited by the roof skin and the roof headliner.

7. The roof assembly according to claim 6, wherein the least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component comprises an antenna and/or a measuring sensor and/or a communication feature and/or a light feature.

8. The roof assembly according to claim 6, wherein the environment sensor comprises a lidar sensor and/or a radar sensor and/or a camera sensor and/or a multi-camera sensor and/or an ultrasonic sensor.

9. The roof assembly according to claim 6, wherein the roof module is disposed on a vehicle body of a motor vehicle as a structural unit.

10. The roof assembly according to claim 1, wherein at least one cleaning feature and/or one temperature control feature and/or one control feature and/or one amplifying feature and/or one optical feature and/or one communication interface and/or one energy generation feature and/or one energy storage feature is disposed in the installation space limited by the roof skin and the roof headliner.

11. A motor vehicle comprising a roof assembly according to claim 1.

12. The roof assembly according to claim 6, wherein the at least one electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component is an environment sensor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Embodiments of the invention are schematically illustrated in the drawings and will be discussed as examples below.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a first schematic view of a motor vehicle having a vehicle body and a roof assembly forming a roof module;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a second schematic view of a motor vehicle having a vehicle body and an exemplary embodiment of a roof assembly;

[0035] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a roof assembly;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a roof assembly;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a first schematic section view of a roof assembly; and

[0038] FIG. 6 is a second schematic section view of a roof assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a motor vehicle 1000 having a roof assembly 100. Roof assembly 100 is formed by a roof module 10 in the case at hand. Roof module 10 is disposed on a vehicle roof frame 102 of a vehicle body 103 as a structural unit. Its placement, which takes place from the top in the case at hand, is schematically illustrated in the form of dashed lines. In the case at hand, vehicle roof frame 102 of vehicle body 103 is formed by at least one vehicle body rail 104, which defines a front transverse rail or transverse beam, which forms a roof header of motor vehicle 1000, with respect to longitudinal vehicle direction x. Furthermore, vehicle roof frame 102 comprises a rear transverse rail 105 with respect to longitudinal vehicle direction x and two longitudinal rails 106, which are parallel to each other and longitudinal vehicle direction x and/or mirror-symmetrical to each other. Together, transverse rail 105 and the two longitudinal rails 106 or side rails form vehicle roof frame 102, which has an in particular closed frame structure. In the case at hand, a windshield 108 is disposed on front transverse rail 104.

[0040] Roof assembly 100 or roof module 10 comprises a panel component 12 for partially forming a roof skin 14 of roof assembly 100. In the case at hand, a roof opening 15 is provided in roof skin 14, roof opening 15 being filled by a roof panel element 16, which is formed by a panoramic roof 101 in the case at hand. In other exemplary embodiments, roof panel element 16 can also be part of a roof opening system configured to selectively open or close roof opening 15. For example, roof panel element 16 can be a sunroof 101′ (see FIG. 5). Alternatively, roof panel element 16 can be a fixed roof element 101″, which fills roof opening 15 (see FIG. 2). Roof panel element 16 forms roof skin 14 together with panel component 12.

[0041] According to FIGS. 1 and 5, an electrical and/or electronic and/or electromagnetic component 18, which is an environment sensor 19 in the case at hand, is disposed in an installation space 20 in a front center roof area of roof assembly 100 or roof module 10 with respect to a longitudinal vehicle direction x, installation space 20 being limited by roof skin 14 and a roof headliner 22 (see FIG. 5 in particular). Roof headliner 22 serves as a cover of the roof area inside the vehicle, preventing a passenger from looking into a roof carcass structure. Roof headliner 22 is disposed below and spaced apart from roof skin 14 and/or panel component 12, thus limiting installation space 20 together with the latter. Roof headliner 22 is spaced apart from roof skin 14 since body roof frame 102 is disposed in between, for example. Alternatively or additionally, roof module 10 can of course also comprise a roof module frame (not shown), which allows it to be disposed on body roof frame 102. According to FIGS. 1 and 5, environment sensor 19 is disposed in installation space 20 in such a manner that it can be retracted and deployed, environment sensor 19 being shown in a deployed state in FIG. 1 and in a retracted state in FIG. 5. The adjustability of environment sensor 19 is indicated by a double arrow in FIG. 5. In other exemplary embodiments, environment sensor 19 can also be disposed in a fixed manner in the area of transverse rail 104, for example, and can protrude over roof skin 14 (see FIG. 6). Of course, environment sensor 19 is disposed in a front area of motor vehicle 1000 as an example only. In other embodiments, which are not shown, environment sensor 19 and/or multiple environment sensors 19, of course, can also be disposed in a rear area and/or a lateral area and/or a corner area of the vehicle roof and/or elsewhere on motor vehicle 1000.

[0042] According to the invention, roof headliner 22 comprises a cover element 24, which covers an edge area around roof opening 15 inside the vehicle. Cover element 24 can be disposed on said edge area while being separate from remaining roof headliner 22 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). Cover element 24 and roof headliner 22 can also be formed integrally (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

[0043] According to the invention, at least one functional feature 26 is disposed on and/or connected to and/or attached to cover element 24. Cover element 24 forms at least one mounting surface on a surface opposite a vehicle interior, the mounting surface extending along the edge area of roof opening 15, and the at least one functional feature 26 being disposed on the mounting surface. Cover element 24 forms an in particular essentially vertical wall area of installation space 20, to which the at least one functional feature 26 is attached. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, cover element 24 is disposed circumferentially around roof opening 15.

[0044] In FIGS. 3 to 5, the at least one functional feature 26 comprises an image display feature 28, in particular a display. Furthermore, functional feature 26 comprises an audio playback feature 30, in particular a microphone, according to FIG. 3. According to FIG. 4 functional feature 26 further comprises two sensor-based detection features 32, in particular cameras. According to FIGS. 5 and 6, the at least one functional feature 26 comprises a control element 34.

[0045] In the case at hand, environment sensor 19 is a lidar sensor. Other sensor types, such as (multi-directional) cameras and/or ultrasonic sensors, can be employed as well. Environment sensor 19 is configured to send and/or receive electromagnetic signals in order to detect a vehicle environment of motor vehicle 1000 (e.g., for autonomous driving or parking).