Daimler Chrysler Ag

Webasto Karosseriesysteme Gmbh

Thomas Zirbs

Bernhard Wingen

Peter Reihl

Johann Mayer

Roland Wendler

Martin Danzl

Arpad Furst

Wolfram Salz

The invention relates to the assembly of a roof module and a vehicle body. The roof module lies on flanges of the roof section of the vehicle body and is bonded to said flanges by means of an adhesive layer. To obtain a desired, predetermined thickness for the adhesive layer between the roof module and flanges by a reliable process and to prevent adhesive from escaping from the bonding area, spacers are provided in the area of the flange. Said spacers allow the distance between the interior surface of the module, said surface facing the flange, and the upper surface of the flange, said surface facing the roof module, to be set to a predetermined measurement.

Precisely spaced assembly of a roof module and a vehicle body

An assembly system for automatic installation of a roof module in a vehicle body comprises an adhesive bonding station, in which a cylindrical dose of adhesive is applied to the inside of the roof module, and an assembly robot, whereby the roof module is then inserted into the body delivered on an assembly line. For accurate positioning and fixing of the roof module in the roof opening of the body, the assembly robot is provided with a floatingly mounted assembly tool. On the assembly tool are provided centering tools by which the assembly tool can be positioned with high accuracy relative to the roof module and the body. In addition, fixing hooks are provided on the assembly tool and permit a controlled firm pressing on the roof module into the roof opening of the body.

Assembly system and method for installing a roof module into a vehicle body

A motor vehicle roof with a cover (3) which can be activated by means of cover mechanism (6) and which selectively closes an opening (2) in a fixed roof surface (1) or at least partially exposes the opening (2) by being raised at its rear edge, achieves increased safety against the cover being forced out to the top and enables the vehicle roof to be configured so as to eliminate height adjustment, by the cover (3) resting in the closed state with both its front edge (4) and its rear edge (5) underlying the fixed roof surface (1). Advantageously, a pretensioning force is exerted by the cover (3) on the fixed roof (1), so that one of these two parts impresses its outline on the other.

Motor vehicle roof

Growing community of inventors

Weil der Stadt, Germany

Thomas Zirbs