JP7661645B2 - Bus roof structure - Google Patents

Description

Patent Law Article 30, paragraph 2 applied On April 2, 2022, it was unveiled at the Nagano City Traffic Safety Fair held on Chuo Street in Nagano City, and was also published on Twitter on the same day https://mobile.twitter.com/kusakaru_kotsu/status/1510812026259804160?cxt=HHwWgMDUuZDivfcpAAAA On April 19, 2022, it was unveiled at Kusakaru Kotsu Co., Ltd., and was broadcast on a news program by Nagano Asahi Broadcasting on the same day, and published on Yahoo News https://news.yahoo.co.jp/ jp/articles/062dc45cd09111214503c21dbaf985d5ad0f1321

This invention relates to the roof structure of a bus, a vehicle that transports a large number of people.

Conventionally, there are buses with roofs that open, and some of these have roofs that open to improve visibility and views from the passenger compartment. Various roof structures for such buses have been proposed. For example, the open-top bus disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a hood that can be folded up in an accordion style to cover the roof opening. The hood is equipped with a waterproof sheet, arch-shaped pipes that support the seats, which are arranged at a certain pitch in the longitudinal direction of the seats, movable brackets including wheels attached to both ends of each arch-shaped pipe, and rails that extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the bus near the roof opening along which the movable brackets slide. The hood is manually opened and closed between a closed state where the opening is closed and an open state where the hood is folded up at the end of the opening to open the opening.

However, in the case of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the hood is closed in the rain, so the operation period is limited, and there is a problem that visibility and views cannot be fully enjoyed. To solve this problem and allow the view to be enjoyed even in the rain, there is a bus roof structure disclosed in Patent Document 2. The roof opening and closing device of this bus roof structure has multiple transparent panels arranged at different heights, guide rails arranged on both sides of the opening that slidably support the multiple transparent panels while maintaining them at different heights, a first slide frame arranged in front of the transparent panels, and a second slide frame arranged behind the transparent panels. When closing the opening, the upper transparent panel is slid forward, and the second slide frame of the upper transparent panel engages with the first slide frame of the lower transparent panel, and the multiple transparent panels are slid forward in sequence. When opening the opening, the upper transparent panel is slid backward, and the upper transparent second slide frame engages with the lower transparent panel, and the multiple transparent panels are slid backward in sequence. In the case of the bus roof structure in Patent Document 2, even if the opening is closed, the view can be enjoyed through the transparent panel, and the scenery can be enjoyed in an air-conditioned environment not only on rainy days, but also on extremely hot summer days and cold winter days.

Utility Model Registration No. 3176157 Utility Model Registration No. 3198404

In the case of Patent Document 2, the opening occupies a large area of the bus roof, which creates a strength problem for the bus body. Also, a larger transparent panel gives a feeling of openness and improves visibility and prospects, but when the transparent panel is arranged horizontally, there is a problem that the transparent panel itself bends downward. Increasing the thickness of the transparent panel increases its strength and can suppress bending, but this increases the weight of the roof, which creates a problem of raising the center of gravity.

This invention was made in consideration of the problems in the background art described above, and aims to provide a bus roof structure that allows the use of a lightweight, large transparent panel for the roof, allows the view to be seen through the transparent panel even when the opening is closed, and has a high bus body strength and high safety.

The present invention relates to a roof structure for a bus having an opening formed in the roof and a transparent top window that can be opened and closed, the roof structure being formed by assembling a left-right roof frame and a front-rear roof frame in a lattice pattern, the opening being formed by being surrounded by a pair of the left-right roof frames and a pair of the front-rear roof frames, a plurality of the openings being formed, some of the plurality of openings being provided with window frames and the other openings not being provided with window frames, the openings provided with the window frames and the openings not provided with the window frames being arranged alternately in the front-rear direction, and the openings provided with the window frames are provided with a window frame, a transparent top window having a transparent panel that is arranged to be able to be opened and closed along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the transparent panel, a panel frame that holds the transparent panel, and a drive device that drives the transparent panel to open and close together with the panel frame, a fixed panel is attached to the opening where the window frame is not provided , the panel frame has a support frame plate on an underside of the transparent panel that bends the transparent panel upward, the drive device that opens and closes the panel frame together with the transparent panel is provided on one side of the window frame, and a plurality of rollers are provided on both the left and right sides of the window frame along the drive direction of the transparent panel.

The panel frame is formed to double as a guide section with a U-shaped cross section that opens outward and is parallel to each other, and the rollers come into contact with the inside of the guide section to open and close the panel frame. The rollers include upper and lower guide rollers whose rotation axes are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and left and right guide rollers whose rotation axes are arranged in a substantially vertical direction.

The drive device is provided on only one of the left and right sides of the window frame, and a movable member of the drive device that can move back and forth is fixed to the panel frame. The panel frame has an uneven portion formed along the longitudinal direction. The window frame is provided with a waterproof rubber packing that can slide and adhere to the periphery of the transparent panel. The window frame is provided with a holder that contacts the panel frame or the transparent panel when the transparent panel is closed and holds the panel frame. The fixed panel is transparent.

The bus roof structure of the present invention allows the use of a lightweight, large transparent panel, and even when the opening is closed, the scenery can be seen through the transparent panel. Furthermore, the strength of the bus body is high, ensuring high safety. In particular, the weight is reduced by providing the drive device for opening and closing on only one side, and multiple rollers allow smooth opening and closing despite the drive device on only one side. A support frame plate is provided to support the underside of the transparent panel, so even if the area of the transparent panel is increased, the transparent panel itself will not bend downward, and the transparent panel can be made as thin as possible.

1 is a plan view showing a roof structure of a bus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a plan view showing an open state of the transparent panel of the bus roof structure of this embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the roof structure of the bus according to the embodiment. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion g in FIG. 5 . FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion h in FIG. 5 . 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion i in FIG. 7 . FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a portion j in FIG. 7 . FIG. 2 is a plan view of a panel frame of the bus roof structure of this embodiment. 11A is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 10, and FIG. 11B is an enlarged view of part k in FIG. 1A is a plan view of a supporting frame plate of a roof structure of a bus according to this embodiment, FIG. 1B is a vertical cross-sectional view taken along line DD of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view taken along line EE of FIG. 1A is a plan view of a waterproof rubber packing in a roof structure of a bus according to this embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line FF of FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a panel frame of the roof structure of the bus according to the embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 to 14 show one embodiment of the present invention, in which a bus roof structure 10 of this embodiment is applied to the roof of a large tourist bus 12. Note that the bus 12 can be applied to a variety of other types of buses, such as two-story structures. Figure 1 is a plan view of the bus 12, with the longitudinal direction of the bus 12 being the fore-aft direction, and the direction of travel being the front. Furthermore, when facing the direction of travel perpendicular to the fore-aft direction, the right side is the right direction, and the left side is the left direction. The direction perpendicular to both the fore-aft direction and the left-right direction is the up-down direction.

A driver's seat 14 is provided at the front of the bus 12, and seats 18 for passengers 16 are provided behind the driver's seat 14. The seats 18 are arranged in pairs on each side of a central aisle that is long in the front-to-rear direction, and are spaced approximately equally apart all the way to the rear of the bus 12.

The roof structure 10 of the bus is provided with a pair of body frames 20 that are located at the upper ends of the left and right sides of the bus 12 and are long in the front-rear direction, and the pair of body frames 20 are parallel to each other. Between the pair of body frames 20, a roof frame 22 is provided to connect the body frames 20 to each other. The roof frame 22 is composed of a left-right roof frame 22a that is approximately perpendicular to the pair of body frames 20, and front-rear roof frames 22b, 22c that are approximately parallel to the body frames 20, and the body frame 20, the left-right roof frame 22a, and the front-rear roof frames 22b, 22c are assembled in a lattice shape. A plurality of left-right roof frames 22a are provided at predetermined intervals, and ten are provided here. A pair of front-rear roof frames 22b, 22c are provided on the left and right sides of the center of the bus 12 in the left-right direction. The longitudinal roof frame 22b is located close to the vehicle body frame 20, and the longitudinal roof frame 22c is located midway between the lateral roof frame 22b and the center of the bus 12.

A transparent top window 24 that can be opened and closed is provided in a rectangular opening 23 surrounded by a pair of left-right roof frames 22a and a pair of front-rear roof frames 22c. The transparent top window 24 has a window frame 25 that communicates from above and below. Here, the window frames 25 are provided at five locations in the front-rear direction, and of the ten rectangular openings 23 separated by the front-rear roof frames 22a, the openings 23 with and without window frames 25 are lined up alternately in the front-rear direction.

The window frame 25 is provided with a transparent panel 26 that is arranged to be openable and closable along the window frame 25, a panel frame 28 that holds the transparent panel 26, and a drive device 30 that drives the transparent panel 26 to open and close together with the panel frame 28. The transparent panel 26 is made of transparent resin, for example polycarbonate, and has a thickness of 8 mm. Here, the weight of polycarbonate is half that of glass, and its impact resistance is 250 times that of glass. However, there is a problem that polycarbonate is easily discolored and scratched due to aging, and to prevent this, it is preferable to apply a coating treatment to the surface. The panel frame 28 is provided with a support frame plate 32 that curves the transparent panel 26 upward. The support frame plate 32 is provided slightly forward of the center of the panel frame 28 and is in contact with the underside of the transparent panel 26.

On both the left and right sides of the window frame 25 along the front-rear roof frame 22c, multiple rollers 34 are provided along the driving direction of the transparent panel 26. The rollers 34 include upper and lower guide rollers 34a with a horizontal axis of rotation and left and right guide rollers 34b with a vertical axis of rotation. Here, five upper and lower guide rollers 34a and eight left and right guide rollers 34b are provided in a predetermined order. As shown in FIG. 11, the panel frame 28 is formed by also serving as a guide section 36 with a U-shaped cross section that opens outwardly in parallel to each other. The multiple rollers 34 of the window frame 25 contact within the guide section 36, and the panel frame 28 opens and closes smoothly. As shown in FIG. 8, the multiple rollers 34 are arranged such that the upper and lower guide rollers 34a with a horizontal axis of rotation contact the approximately horizontal upper surface 36a and lower surface 36b of the fixed panel 36, and the left and right guide rollers 34b with a vertical axis of rotation contact the approximately vertical side surface 36c of the fixed panel 36.

The drive unit 30 is provided on the front-rear roof frame 22c side located on the left side of the window frame 25. As shown in FIG. 8, the drive unit 30 is composed of a motor 30a fixed to the window frame 25 and a movable member 30b that can be moved forward and backward by the motor 30a, and the movable member 30b is fixed to the panel frame 28 of the transparent top window 24. A ball screw 31 that is long in the front-rear direction is attached to the motor 30a, and rotates the ball screw 31 around its axis. The ball screw 31 screws into a female screw member (not shown) provided on the movable member 30b, and moves the movable member 30b forward and backward in the axial direction of the ball screw 31.

As shown in Figs. 10 and 11, the panel frame 28 has an uneven portion 38 along the longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction to increase its strength. The uneven portion 38 is formed by folding along the longitudinal direction of the panel frame 28 into a trapezoid shape with the center convex upward. The panel frame 28 is formed by stacking an upper plate 28a with an uneven portion 38 with the center convex upward and a flat lower plate 28b, and is hollow and has higher strength. As shown in Fig. 12, the support frame plate 32 also has an uneven portion 38 along the longitudinal direction. The uneven portion 38 is folded along the longitudinal direction of the support frame plate 32 into a trapezoid shape with the center convex upward. The support frame plate 32 is formed by stacking an upper plate 32a with an uneven portion 38 with the center convex upward and a flat lower plate 32b, and is hollow and has higher strength.

A waterproof rubber packing 40 is attached to the window frame 25, which is capable of sliding and sealing against the periphery of the panel frame 28. The waterproof rubber packing 40 is made of a flexible elastomer, and as shown in FIG. 13(a), is formed into a rectangle that matches the window frame 25. As shown in FIG. 13(b), the cross-sectional shape that intersects with the longitudinal direction is hollow, has a flat surface that is attached to the window frame 25, and the apex that contacts the transparent panel 26 side is an arc shape.

As shown in FIG. 14, the window frame 25 is provided with a holder 42 that contacts and holds the panel frame 28 or the transparent panel 26 when the transparent panel 26 is closed. The window frame 25 is provided with a recess 25a in which the transparent panel 26 and the panel frame 28 are housed when the transparent top window 24 is closed, and a pair of holders 42 are provided inside the recess 25a in the vertical direction. The holders 42 may be provided at multiple locations in the longitudinal direction of the recess 25a.

Among the openings 23 surrounded by a pair of left-right roof frames 22a and a pair of front-rear roof frames 22c, the openings 23 without window frames 25 are provided with a single fixed panel 37 covering the elongated rectangle between the pair of left-right roof frames 22a and the pair of front-rear roof frames 22b. Small rectangular fixed panels 37 are also provided between the front-rear roof frames 22c and the front-rear roof frames 22b on both sides of the window frames 25 of the openings 23 with the window frames 25. The fixed panels 37 are made of polycarbonate, like the transparent panel 26, and are transparent. The space between the vehicle frame 20 and the front-rear roof frames 22b is closed by attaching a plate member or the like made of metal or resin, like the vehicle body.

Next, a method of using the roof structure 10 of the bus of this embodiment will be described. The roof of the bus roof structure 10 is composed of a transparent fixed panel 37 and a transparent top window 24 made of a transparent panel 26. In rainy weather, midsummer, or midwinter, the transparent top window 24 is closed, and the scenery can be seen through the fixed panel 37 and the transparent top window 24 while preventing rain in an air-conditioned environment. When the weather is good, as shown in FIG. 2, the transparent panel 26 is moved from the closed state of the transparent top window 24 to the rear side of the window frame 25 to open the opening 23. The maximum distance that the transparent panel 26 moves is the position where the support frame plate 32 of the panel frame 28 abuts on the rear part of the window frame 25, and since the support frame 32 is provided forward of the center position of the transparent panel 26, when the transparent panel 26 is opened, an opening of more than half of the transparent panel 26 can be formed. The transparent panel 26 may be stopped at a desired area halfway without opening to the maximum. The transparent top window 24 can be opened and closed simultaneously using an operation panel in the driver's seat 14, or an operation panel can be provided at each seat 18 and operated by each passenger.

According to the bus roof structure 10 of this embodiment, the roof is made of a transparent fixed panel 37 and a transparent top window 24 made of a transparent panel 26, and in rainy weather, midsummer, or midwinter, the transparent top window 24 can be closed to prevent rain from entering the vehicle in an air-conditioned or heated environment while still allowing passengers to see the scenery through the fixed panel 37 and the transparent top window 24.

The transparent panel 26 of the transparent top window 24 can be freely moved forward and backward by the driving device 30 via the ball screw 31, allowing the desired opening to be opened and a sense of openness to be felt. The driving device 30 is provided only on the left side of the window frame 25 to reduce weight, and the transparent panel 26 can be opened and closed smoothly by the multiple rollers 34, despite the driving device 30 being only on one side. The rollers 34 include upper and lower guide rollers 34a and left and right guide rollers 34b, which hold the guide portion 36 of the transparent panel 26 up, down, left and right, allowing it to move without rattling.

The roof frame 22 is fixed to the body frame 20, and the roof frame 22 is assembled in a lattice pattern with the left-right roof frame 22a and the front-rear roof frames 22b, 22c, making the bus 12 strong yet lightweight . The panel frame 28 and the support frame plate 32 are provided with uneven portions 38, making the bus 12 strong yet lightweight. The support frame plate 32 supports the underside of the transparent panel 26, so that the transparent panel 26 itself will not bend downward even if the area of the transparent panel 26 is increased. There is no need to provide strength to the transparent panel 26, and the transparent panel 26 can be made as thin as possible, making it lighter.

A hollow, flexible waterproof rubber packing 40 is attached to the window frame 25, and the tip of the arc-shaped waterproof rubber packing 40 contacts the rectangular panel frame 28, ensuring a liquid-tight seal and preventing water leakage between the transparent panel 26 and the panel frame 28. It is also easily deformable and does not impede the movement of the transparent panel 26. The transparent panel 26 can be opened and closed while reliably maintaining a watertight seal.

The window frame 25 is provided with a pair of upper and lower holders 42 that clamp the transparent panel 26 or panel frame 28, so that the transparent top window 24 can be closed securely without rattling when closed on the window frame 25.

The bus roof structure of this invention can be applied to various automobiles other than buses, such as sedans, minivans, wagons, minivans, and trucks. The transparent panel may be made of a material and have a thickness other than those described above. A roller screen may be attached to the interior side of the roof to block strong sunlight. The drive unit may be provided only on the right side, not the left side. The shape of the uneven portion may be other than the above as long as it is lightweight and strong, and may be modified as appropriate. The shape of the waterproof rubber packing may also be other than the above as long as it is reliably liquid-tight and does not impede the movement of the transparent panel, and may be modified as appropriate.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Bus roof structure 12 Bus 20 Vehicle body frame 22 Roof frame 23 Opening 24 Transparent top window 25 Window frame 26 Transparent panel 28 Panel frame 30 Driving device 30b Movable member 32 Support frame plate 34 Roller 34a Upper and lower guide rollers 34b Left and right guide rollers 36 Guide portion 38 Concave and recessed portion 40 Waterproof rubber packing 42 Holder

Claims (7)

A roof structure for a bus having an opening formed in the roof and a transparent top window that can be opened and closed freely,
the roof structure is provided by assembling a left-right roof frame and a front-rear roof frame in a lattice pattern, the opening is formed by being surrounded by a pair of the left-right roof frames and a pair of the front-rear roof frames,
A plurality of the openings are formed, some of the plurality of openings are provided with window frames, and the remaining openings are not provided with the window frames, and the openings provided with the window frames and the openings not provided with the window frames are alternately arranged in the front-rear direction,
The transparent top window is attached to the opening in which the window frame is provided, and the transparent top window includes a transparent panel that is provided along the window frame so as to be openable and closable, a panel frame that holds the transparent panel, and a drive device that drives the transparent panel together with the panel frame to open and close the transparent panel ,
A fixed panel is attached to the opening where the window frame is not provided,
the panel frame includes a support frame plate on a lower surface of the transparent panel for bending the transparent panel upward;
the drive device that opens and closes the panel frame together with the transparent panel is provided on one side of the window frame;
A bus roof structure comprising a plurality of rollers on both the left and right sides of the window frame along a driving direction of the transparent panel. The roof structure of a bus according to claim 1, in which the panel frame is formed to double as a guide section with a U-shaped cross section that opens outward and is parallel to each other, and the panel frame opens and closes when the rollers come into contact with the inside of the guide section. The bus roof structure according to claim 1, wherein the rollers include upper and lower guide rollers whose rotation axes are arranged in a substantially horizontal direction, and left and right guide rollers whose rotation axes are arranged in a substantially vertical direction. The bus roof structure according to claim 3, wherein the drive unit is provided on only one of the left and right sides of the window frame, and a movable member of the drive unit that can move back and forth is fixed to the panel frame. The bus roof structure according to claim 2, wherein the panel frame has an uneven portion formed along the longitudinal direction. 3. A bus roof structure as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the window frame is provided with a waterproof rubber gasket that is in sliding contact with and can be tightly attached to the periphery of the transparent panel, and a holder that contacts the panel frame or the transparent panel to hold the panel frame when the transparent panel is closed . 2. The bus roof structure according to claim 1, wherein said fixing panel is transparent.

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