VEHICLE ROOF WITH SENSOR MODULE AND TRIM ELEMENT

Abstract

A vehicle roof having a roof skin arrangement which may have at least one cover element and the vehicle roof having at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment which is at least partially covered by the cover element, the cover element being limited by an edge gap via which air, in particular cooling air, for the sensor module flows under the cover element.

Claims

1. A vehicle roof, comprising: a roof skin arrangement which comprises at least one cover element and the vehicle roof comprising at least one sensor module having at least one environment sensor for detecting a vehicle environment which is at least partially covered by the cover element, the cover element being limited by an edge gap via which air for the sensor module flows under the cover element.

2. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein that the edge gap extends in the transverse roof direction.

3. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein the cover element defines a front edge or a rear edge of the vehicle roof.

4. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein the roof skin arrangement comprises a front or rear cover extending in the transverse roof direction having a plurality of several cover segments, of which one forms the cover element, which covers the sensor module at least partially.

5. The vehicle roof according to claim 4, wherein one inflow gap and/or outlet gap for air is formed between each cover segment.

6. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein a flow path of the air below the cover element is defined by at least two glue beads and/or sealing lips and/or at least one separating wall and/or another separating element via which the cover element is connected to a support structure.

7. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein the sensor module is connected to a temperature controller which is disposed in the air flow path.

8. The vehicle roof according to claim 7, wherein the temperature controller is disposed in a wet area and the sensor module is disposed in a dry area and the temperature controller and the sensor module are connected to each other via a temperature-control bridge.

9. The vehicle roof according to claim 8, wherein the temperature-control bridge comprises a cooling line and/or a heat pipe and/or a vehicle shell structure element and/or a roof frame element.

10. The vehicle roof according to claim 7, wherein the temperature controller comprises a fan and/or a flow generator.

11. The vehicle roof according to claim 7, wherein the temperature controller comprises a heat sink.

12. The vehicle roof according to claim 1, wherein the roof is a roof module.

13. A motor vehicle comprising a vehicle roof according to claim 1.

Description

[0022] Embodiments of a vehicle roof according to the invention are illustrated schematically simplified in the drawings and are described in more detail hereinafter.

[0023] FIG. 1 shows a top view of a motor vehicle having a vehicle roof according to the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2 shows a perspective front view of a front roof portion of the vehicle roof;

[0025] FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of the area III in FIG. 2;

[0026] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3 along line IV-IV in FIG. 3;

[0027] FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3 along line V-V in FIG. 3;

[0028] FIG. 6 shows a sectional view of the arrangement according to FIG. 3 along line VI-VI in FIG. 3; and

[0029] FIG. 7 shows a sectional view corresponding to FIG. 5 of an alternative embodiment of a vehicle roof.

[0030] FIGS. 1 to 6 show a motor vehicle 10 which is formed as a passenger car and provided with a vehicle roof 12, which comprises a roof side rail 14 on either side of a longitudinal center roof plane which is part of a vehicle body forming a shell. Between roof side rails 14, vehicle roof 12 comprises a roof module 16 which is rigidly connected to roof side rails 14 forming a shell supporting structure.

[0031] Roof module 16 comprises a roof skin 18 which is disposed on a support structure 20 which is a roof frame and forms an intersection of roof module 16 with roof side rails 14.

[0032] Roof module 16 is formed as a sensor roof module or roof sensor module (RSM) which is equipped with devices which allow the respective vehicle to be driven autonomously. To this end, roof module 16 has a sensor technology which comprises a sensor module 22 in each of the at least two front corner portions of roof module 16, sensor module 22 having at least one environment sensor 24 and being mounted on support structure 20. By means of environment sensors 24, the vehicle environment can be detected for motor vehicle 10 to be driven autonomously. By evaluating the measuring signals of environment sensors 24 by means of a control unit of motor vehicle 10, a respective traffic situation can be detected, such that motor vehicle 10 can autonomously or independently adjust itself to the respective traffic situation and act correspondingly.

[0033] The environment sensors can have various designs and comprise a lidar sensor, a radar sensor, a camera, an antenna device and/or another suitable sensor, for example.

[0034] As can be seen in particular in FIGS. 1 and 2, roof skin 18 has a front cover 26 which extends between the bilaterally disposed roof side rails 14 and is disposed above a windshield 28. To the rear of cover 26, roof skin 18 forms a fixed roof having a transparent roof portion 30 through which light can enter the interior of the respective vehicle.

[0035] Front cover 26 comprises two lateral cover segments 32A and 32B and a center cover element 34 disposed between the two lateral cover elements 32A and 32B. One of sensor modules 22 is disposed below each cover segment 32A and 32B. An additional sensor module, for example, in the form of a camera, can be disposed below cover segment 34. At the front edge, a continuous edge gap 36 extends along cover segments 32A, 32B and 34. An edge gap 38A or 38B is formed between each lateral cover segment 32A and 32B and center cover segment 34. A continuous edge gap 40 is formed on the rear edge of cover segments 32A, 32B and 34, the fixed roof portion having transparent roof portion 30 also adjoining said edge gap 40.

[0036] Cover segments 32A and 32B each have a wall portion 42 forming a sensor see-through portion through which respective environment sensor 24 can detect the vehicle environment. Thus, wall portions 42 are transparent for the wavelengths used by environment sensors 24, in particular for a wavelength range between 200 nm and 2000 nm. Transparency is also provided for radar beams.

[0037] Each cover element formed by cover segments 32A and 32B is glued onto support structure 20 via a linear glue bead 44 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a frame-like glue bead 46. Glue bead 46 circumferentially limits a dry area T, whereas a wet area N is disposed between an inner leg of glue bead 46 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and glue bead 44.

[0038] Sensor module 22 having environment sensor 24 is disposed in dry area T. A temperature controller 48 for sensor module 22 is disposed in wet area N and mounted on support structure 20. Temperature controller 48 comprises a fan 50 and a heat sink 52 and is connected to sensor module 22 via a temperature-control bridge 54, which comprises a cooling line and/or heat pipes by means of which heat can be discharged from sensor module 22.

[0039] Front edge gap 36 serves as an inflow gap via which cooling air flows under cover segments 32A and 32B into wet area N to temperature controller 48 during vehicle operation of motor vehicle 10. Thus, the cooling air serves to cool sensor module 22 via temperature-control bridge 54. Edge gap 40 formed on the rear edge of cover segments 32A and 32B serves as an outlet gap via which the cooling air can stream out of wet area N. By means of glue bead 44 and glue bead 46, a flow path of the cooling air flowing in via edge gap 36 is defined in wet area N. It is also conceivable to forgo glue bead 44. In this case, the cooling air can stream out via edge gaps 38A and 38B extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a vehicle roof, which largely corresponds to the one according to FIGS. 1 to 6, but is different in that each sensor module 22 having environment sensor 24 is disposed in a wet area N which is disposed below a cover segment 32A or 32B which is glued onto a roof support structure 20 via glue beads 44 and 46 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Respective sensor module 22 is provided with a temperature controller 48 which comprises a heat sink 52 and a fan 50 which are also disposed in wet area N. As in the case of the embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 6, cooling air can flow into wet areas N via a front edge gap 36, which extends in the transverse roof direction and adjoins cover segments 32A and 32B, and cool the respective sensor module 22 by means of fan 50 and heat sink 52. The cooling air can then flow out via rear edge gap 40 extending in the transverse roof direction.

[0041] In addition, the vehicle roof according to FIG. 7 corresponds to the one according to FIGS. 1 to 6, which is why reference is made to the description relating thereto in order to avoid repetition.

REFERENCE SIGNS

[0042] 10 motor vehicle

[0043] 12 vehicle roof

[0044] 14 roof side rail

[0045] 16 roof module

[0046] 18 roof skin

[0047] 20 support structure

[0048] 22 sensor module

[0049] 24 environment sensor

[0050] 26 cover

[0051] 28 windshield

[0052] 30 transparent roof portion

[0053] 32A, B cover segment

[0054] 34 cover segment

[0055] 36 edge gap

[0056] 38A, B edge gap

[0057] 40 edge gap

[0058] 42 wall portion

[0059] 44 glue bead

[0060] 46 glue bead

[0061] 48 temperature controller

[0062] 50 fan

[0063] 52 heat sink

[0064] 54 temperature-control bridge

[0065] N wet area

[0066] T dry area