Vehicular ceiling assembling structure, a unit assembly used for the same, a frame member used for the same, and a vehicular ceiling assembling method

• US 6,582,013 B1
• Filed: 11/07/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Electric Industries Limited (Sumitomo Corporation), Sumitomo Wiring Systems Limited (Sumitomo Corporation)
• Inventors: Murakami, Koji, Matsumoto, Yasuyo, Hamanishi, Nobutaka, Inoue, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, D. Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morrow, Jason
• Application Number:
  US09/706,784
• Time in Patent Office: 959 Days
• Field of Search: 296/210, 296/214, 296/216.01, 296/216.04, 296/223, 296/216.06, 296/216.07, 296/216.08, 296/216.09, 362/493, 362/488, 362/490, 362/546
• US Class Current: 296/214
• CPC Class Codes: B60J 7/022 Sliding roof trays or assemblies
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/06 Fixed roofs non-fixed roofs or like shelters B60J7/00; roof liners B60R13/02; insulating elements B60R13/08

Abstract

In a structure for assembling lamps 30 to 32 and a wire harness for those lamps onto a body ceiling 2 of a vehicle body 1, the lamps 30 to 32 and the wire harness for the lamps are assembled to a sub-frame 25 in advance, and electrically connected to each other in advance. In the assembling work, the sub-frame 25 is assembled to the body ceiling 2 of the vehicle body 1, whereby the lamps 30 to 32 and the wire harness for the lamps are assembled to the body ceiling 2 by one assembling work.

Claims

1. A vehicular ceiling assembling structure for assembling one or more electric devices and an interior ceiling onto a body ceiling of a vehicle body, wherein a frame member to which one or more electric devices and a wire harness for the one or more electric devices are assembled is mounted on the underside of said body ceiling, and said interior ceiling is mounted on said body ceiling in a state that said interior ceiling is disposed under said frame member and said wire harness is between said frame member and said interior ceiling.

2. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein

said frame member is entirely a thin plate.

3. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein

said one or more electric devices include a sun roof unit including a sun roof and a drive mechanism for the sun roof.

4. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 3, wherein

said frame member comprises:

a front portion extending in the widthwise direction of a vehicle body in the vicinity of the front pillars of said body ceiling,

a pair of side portions extending toward the rear side of said vehicle body from respective ends of said front portion as viewed in said widthwise direction, and

a center portion for coupling together said pair of side portions at a mid position as viewed in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body, wherein

an opening for said sun roof is defined by said front portion, said side portions and said center portion, a map lamp is assembled as a first said electric device to said front portion, and a room lamp is assembled as a second said electric device to said center portion.

5. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 4, wherein

said center portion is detachable from said side portions, and attachable to said side portions at a plurality of positions as viewed in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body.

6. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein

a wire harness comprising a flat cable is laid as said wire harness on said frame member, internal conductors of said flat cable are exposed at positions where said one or more electric devices are assembled, said one or more electric devices are provided with plate-spring terminals, and

said terminals come into resilient contact with said internal conductors of said flat cable at said positions where said internal conductors are exposed.

7. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein

grooves in which electric wires forming said wire harness are to be put are formed in said frame member, and

said wire harness is laid on said frame member by putting said electric wires into said grooves.

8. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein

grooves in which electric wires forming said wire harness are to be put are formed in said frame member, press contacting blades to be inserted into said grooves are provided in said one or more electric devices, and

said one or more electric devices are pressingly connected to said electric wires of said wire harness when said electric wires are laid along and in said grooves in a state that said one or more electric devices are assembled into said frame member.

20. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 1, wherein said interior ceiling is a molded ceiling.

9. A unit assembly to be assembled to a body ceiling of a vehicle body, wherein

one or more electric devices and a wire harness for said one or more electric devices, which are to be assembled to said body ceiling, are assembled to a frame member which may be assembled to said body ceiling in a state that said one or more electric devices and said wire harness are electrically connected to each other, and said one or more electric devices and said wire harness are disposed a predetermined positions on said body ceiling by assembling said frame member to a predetermined position of said body ceiling, and

the one or more electric devices include a sun roof unit including a sun roof and a drive mechanism for the sun roof.

10. An assembly medium for assembling electric devices and a wire harness connected to the electric devices on a body ceiling of a vehicle body, the assembly medium including a frame member, wherein the frame member comprises:

a front portion extending in the widthwise direction of a vehicle body in a vicinity of front pillars of said body ceiling in a state that said front portion is assembled to said body ceiling,

a pair of side portions extending toward the rear side of said vehicle body from respective ends of said front portion as viewed in said widthwise direction but not extending an entire length of said body ceiling, and

a center portion coupling together said pair of side portions at a mid position as viewed in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body,

wherein the frame member includes a plurality of electric device support points that support a respective plurality of electric devices.

11. The frame member according claim 10, wherein said frame member is entirely a thin plate.

12. The frame member according to claim 10, wherein

said center portion is detachable from said side portions, and attachable to said side portions at a plurality of positions as viewed in the longitudinal direction of said vehicle body.

13. A vehicular ceiling assembling method for assembling one or more electric devices and an interior ceiling onto a body ceiling of a vehicle body, comprising the steps of:

assembling one or more electric devices and a wire harness for the one or more electric devices to a frame member which may be assembled to said body ceiling;

electrically connecting said one or more electric devices and said wire harness;

assembling said frame member to said body ceiling, whereby said frame member and said wire harness are assembled to said body ceiling; and

disposing an interior ceiling under said frame member and assembling said interior ceiling to said body ceiling after assembling said frame member to said body ceiling.

14. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 13, wherein

said one or more electric devices include a sun roof unit including a sun roof and a drive mechanism for the sun roof.

15. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 13, wherein

said one or more electric devices are assembled to the underside of said frame member, whereby press contacting blades provided on said electric devices are passed through said frame member while being directed upward, and in laying said wire harness onto said frame member, electric wires forming said wire harness are pressingly connected to said press contacting blades.

21. The vehicular ceiling assembling method according to claim 13, wherein said interior ceiling is a molded ceiling.

16. A vehicular ceiling assembling structure in which an illuminating device and an interior ceiling are assembled onto the underside of a body ceiling of a vehicle body and said illuminating device faces the underside of said interior ceiling, wherein

said opening of said interior ceiling is slightly smaller than a specific portion of said illuminating device, and the circumferential edge of said opening is fit to a groove formed in and along the circumference of said specific portion of said illuminating device.

17. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 16, wherein

said illuminating device comprises a main body to be assembled to said body ceiling and a cover coupled to the lower end of said main body, and said groove is formed in said cover.

22. The vehicular ceiling assembling structure according to claim 16, wherein said interior ceiling is a molded ceiling.

18. A vehicular ceiling assembling method for assembling an illuminating device and an interior ceiling onto the underside of a body ceiling of a vehicle body, wherein

said illuminating device and a wire harness for said illuminating device are assembled onto said body ceiling,

thereby electrically connecting said illuminating device to said wire harness,

thereafter said interior ceiling is located under said assembled illuminating device and wire harness, and a specific portion of said illuminating device is fit to an opening formed in said interior ceiling, whereby said specific portion faces the underside of said interior ceiling, and said opening of said interior ceiling is fit into a groove formed in and along the circumference of said specific portion of said illuminating device.

23. The vehicular ceiling assembling method according to claim 18, wherein said interior ceiling is a molded ceiling.

19. A vehicular ceiling assembling method for assembling an illuminating device and an interior ceiling onto the underside of a body ceiling of a vehicle body, wherein

a main body of said illuminating device and a wire harness for said illuminating device are assembled onto said body ceiling,

thereby electrically connecting said illuminating device to said wire harness,

thereafter said interior ceiling is located under said assembled main body and wire harness, and assembled onto said body ceiling, and a cover larger than said opening is coupled to said main body from the underside of said interior ceiling, through an opening formed in said interior ceiling.

24. The vehicular ceiling assembling method according to claim 19, wherein said interior ceiling is a molded ceiling.