Support arrangement for a windshield of a passenger car

Abstract

Support arrangement for a windshield (10) of a body of a passenger car, with a cross member (12) and with a support element (24) which has a support region (32) for at least indirectly supporting the windshield (10), characterized in that the cross member (12) is designed at least over a length region as a circumferentially closed hollow profile (18), to which the support element (24) designed as a separate adapter part is attached, wherein the support element (24) is designed as a one-piece angle part with a leg (26) on the cross member side and a leg (28) having the support region (32).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a support assembly for a windshield of a passenger car body according to the preamble of patent claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a modular system for such a support assembly. Finally, the invention relates to a method for producing such a support assembly according to the preamble of patent claim 5.

[0002] Such a support arrangement is already known, for example, from JP 2005 280 680 A, in which a cross member is provided on the top side of a front bulkhead that defines the passenger compartment at the front. This cross member comprises a tab-like sheet metal element as a support element for supporting a windshield. This tab-like sheet metal element has a flange or support area at its free end that extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle and against which the windshield is supported by means of an adhesive bead.

[0003] The support element, which in the present case is designed as a component of the hollow profile of the cross member itself, is designed and dimensioned in such a way that in the event of a collision between the passenger car and a pedestrian, sufficient deformation of the area at the front lower end of the windshield is possible.

[0004] A problem with such support arrangements is that, on the one hand, sufficient stability is required in the area of ​​the cross member or the support of the lower section of the windshield to meet, for example, torsional rigidity or acoustic requirements. On the other hand, the best possible pedestrian protection must be ensured in the event of head-on collisions in the area of ​​the rear end of the bonnet or the front lower end of the windshield.

[0005] Finally, another problem is that the increasing diversification of individual vehicle series, each with a multitude of variants, such as sedans, coupés, convertibles, vans, and off-road vehicles, requires different support arrangements to be designed, manufactured, and / or assembled for each variant. This entails considerable effort and thus considerable costs.

[0006] Furthermore, DE 10 2006 029 921 A1 discloses a vehicle with a windshield cross member on which a windshield is supported and which is formed with at least one component with a shell-shaped profile. DE 10 2008 051 979 A1 discloses a window assembly for a motor vehicle. Furthermore, DE 20 2005 018 485 U1 discloses a device for connecting an arm-type window lifter to the sliding window pane of a motor vehicle.

[0007] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a support assembly, a modular system, and a method for producing such a support assembly of the type mentioned above, which, on the one hand, meets the requirements with regard to rigidity and, on the other hand, pedestrian protection in an improved manner. Furthermore, the costs of diversifying a vehicle series should be reduced.

[0008] This object is achieved according to the invention by a support arrangement and a method for producing such a support arrangement having the features of patent claims 1 and 5, respectively. Advantageous embodiments and expedient further developments of the invention are specified in the dependent patent claims.

[0009] The support arrangement according to the invention comprises a cross member which is designed as a circumferentially closed hollow profile at least over a length region in the transverse direction of the vehicle, to which the support element designed as a separate adapter part is attached, for example on the upper side. The circumferentially closed design of the cross member at least over a length region in the transverse direction of the vehicle ensures that the body of the passenger car can be designed to be correspondingly stable in this area in order to be able to meet, for example, the requirements with regard to torsional rigidity. In order to nevertheless enable correspondingly flexible support of the windshield in the lower edge area, or support which is optimized with regard to pedestrian protection, the support element is designed as an adapter part which bridges the distance between the windshield on the one hand and the cross member on the other.The particular advantage of a support element designed as an adapter part is that, on the one hand, it can be technically easily adjusted to a sufficient level of stability or rigidity, which is required, for example, with regard to torsional rigidity and acoustics, and in particular to so-called windshield rumble, and, on the other hand, it can be designed to be sufficiently flexible to meet pedestrian protection requirements. The flexibility of the support element allows for appropriate deformation of the lower edge area of ​​the windshield in the event of a pedestrian's head impact in the event of a collision, thus significantly reducing pedestrian injuries.

[0010] The support element is designed as a one-piece angled part with a leg on the cross member side and a leg on the windshield side containing the support area. These two legs make it particularly easy to create an adapter part, which can be used to accommodate different relative positions of the support area across various passenger car designs.

[0011] Another significant advantage of the support element designed as an adapter component is that it can be adapted in a technically simple manner to different design variants of passenger cars and, in particular, to the associated different positions of the support area of ​​the support element, on which the lower edge of the windshield is supported, primarily via an adhesive bead or adhesive seam. Likewise, the adapter part can be used relatively easily to adapt to different windshield inclinations in different design variants of passenger cars. Thus, a support arrangement can be created that can be used for a variety of design variants, for example, within a vehicle series.In particular, the cross member can remain in one and the same relative position across all design variants, with only the adapter part needing to be adapted to varying geometric conditions – such as the design-specific position of the support area, on which the windshield is supported by the adhesive seam, or its angular position adapted to the inclination of the windshield. This means that the support arrangement can be easily used, for example, in several design variants of a vehicle series, such as a coupé or convertible, in which experience has shown that the front lower edge of the windshield is shifted forward compared to a van variant, at significantly reduced costs. For this purpose, only an associated adapter part orSupport element can be constructed, while the remaining support arrangement, which consists in particular of the cross member and possibly a front end wall, can remain at least partially unchanged.

[0012] In a further embodiment of the invention, it has proven advantageous for the support element to be designed as a deformation element. For this purpose, the support element has corresponding means for influencing the deformation behavior, so that the support element has a flexibility that is tailored to the respective design variant of the passenger car. In this context, it has proven particularly advantageous if the legs of the support element designed as an angle part are connected via a deformation part, which in turn has the means for influencing the deformation behavior. Such means can, for example, be slit-like openings that are separated from one another by webs. By suitable selection of the size and shape of the openings orBy adjusting the webs and selecting different material grades and thicknesses, the deformation behavior of the support element can be easily adjusted in the event of, for example, a pedestrian's head impact. The deformation part can be formed either as a single piece with the legs of the angled support element or in multiple parts.

[0013] The advantages described above in connection with the support arrangement according to the invention apply equally to the modular system according to patent claim 4 and the method according to patent claim 5.

[0014] The features and combinations of features mentioned below in the description of the figures and / or shown alone in the figures can be used not only in the respective combination specified, but also in other combinations or on their own.

[0015] The invention will now be explained in more detail using preferred embodiments and with reference to the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a partial and perspective sectional view through a support arrangement for a windshield of a passenger car with a cross member arranged at the upper end of a front bulkhead, which cross member is designed as a circumferentially closed hollow profile at least over a longer area in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and with a support element in the form of an adapter part attached to the top of the cross member, which has a support area for indirectly supporting the windshield by means of an adhesive seam, wherein the support element is additionally designed as a deformation element with a deformation part extending transversely between respective legs of the support element; Fig. 2 two partial and perspective sectional views of different support arrangements according to Fig. 1, wherein the two versions differ in differently designed adapter parts or support elements, whereby a respective relative position of the corresponding support area of ​​the support element to the cross member is variable depending on the construction variant of the passenger car; Fig. 3 respective schematic sectional views through support arrangements according to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, whereby the two versions according to Fig. 3 again differ by different designs of the support element designed as an adapter part, whereby the respective lower edge of the windscreen can assume different relative positions to the cross member, Fig. 4 two partial and sectioned perspective views of two possible designs of the support element designed as a deformation element, which is also designed as an angle part with a respective cross member-side leg and a windshield-side leg having the support region, wherein a deformation part extends between the legs, in which step-shaped openings of different widths are introduced for adjusting the deformation behavior; Fig. 5 respective partial representations of further support elements which are designed as deformation elements, wherein webs are provided between the respective slot-shaped openings with different widths for adjusting the deformation behavior; Fig. 6 respective schematic and partial perspective views of support elements according to further embodiments; and Fig. 7 a partial and cut perspective view of the support arrangement analogous to Fig. 1, wherein the support element is shown in a further alternative embodiment.

[0016] In Fig. Figure 1 shows a partial section of a support assembly for a windshield 10 of a passenger car, cut along a sectional plane extending in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (x-direction) and vertical direction (z-direction). The support assembly comprises a cross member 12, which is commonly referred to as a cross member under the cowl or bulkhead cross member. Accordingly, the cross member 12 also forms the upper end of a partially visible bulkhead 14, which extends in the vehicle's transverse direction and closes off the passenger compartment of the passenger car at the front. Fig. 1 shows that the end wall 14, with a component region 16, forms part of a hollow profile 18 of the cross member 12. This hollow profile 18 is further formed by a lower partial shell 20 and an upper partial shell 22, wherein the three components involved in forming the hollow profile 18 - the end wall 14, the lower partial shell 20, and the upper partial shell 22 - are designed in this case as formed sheet metal components which are connected to one another via respective welding flanges. It is to be considered as included within the scope of the invention that a cross member 12 with a one-piece hollow profile 18, for example in the form of a formed extruded profile or as a cast component, could also be used. The circumferential, closed hollow profile 18 of the cross member 12 extends in the vehicle transverse direction (y-direction) at least over a longitudinal range.

[0017] Furthermore, Fig. 1 that a support element 24 is attached to the cross member 12 or the hollow profile 18, which in this case is designed as a separate component.

[0018] More precisely, the support element 24 is mounted on the broad side of the upper shell portion 22 of the cross member 12 and secured, for example, via a joint. The support element 24 is designed as a one-piece angled part with a cross member-side leg 26 and a windshield-side leg 28 arranged at an angle thereto. Furthermore, the support element 24 comprises a deformation part 30, which transversely connects the two legs 26, 28 and whose function will be explained in more detail below. Fig. 1 a support area 32 of the windshield-side leg 28 can be seen, on which the lower edge of the windshield 10 is indirectly supported, namely by means of an adhesive bead or adhesive seam that is not further recognizable.

[0019] In Fig. 2 are two different support arrangements analogous to Fig. 1. The left-hand illustration shows a design by means of which an edge of the windshield 10 that is displaced further forward in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (x-direction) can be supported. It can be seen that this windshield 10 consequently also has a greater windshield inclination. In contrast, the right-hand embodiment of the support arrangement shows the support of a windshield 10 that has a lower windshield inclination or whose lower edge is significantly set back relative to the cross member 12, particularly in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (x-direction).

[0020] Out of Fig. 2, the function of the support element 24 as an adapter part becomes particularly apparent. While in both embodiments the cross member 12 remains in place relative to the coordinate system of the passenger car, the different positions of the lower edge of the windshield 10 or the different windshield inclinations are compensated for by the support element 24, which is designed as an adapter part. Such different positions of the lower edge of the windshield 10 in the vehicle's longitudinal direction (x-direction) or in the vehicle's vertical direction (z-direction) arise in particular in different construction variants such as convertibles or coupés on the one hand, and vans or off-road vehicles on the other.By means of the present support arrangement, it can thus be achieved that at least parts - in the present case the entire cross member 12 - of the support arrangement remain in place with respect to a respective vehicle coordinate system, wherein the support of the lower edge of the windshield 10 across the individual design variants of the vehicle series is provided solely by differently designed and used support elements 24. It can thus be seen that a high degree of commonality of components can be achieved across different design variants of a vehicle series, which significantly simplifies both the development and design of the vehicles on the one hand and the production and assembly on the other. This makes it possible to create a modular system, wherein the support element 24 designed as an adapter part from a modular group of several variant-specific support elements 24 can be attached to the cross member 10.

[0021] Out of Fig. 2, it can be seen that in the present case, the adaptation to the different pane positions of the windshield 10 is achieved by making the cross member-side leg 26 of the support element 24 shorter or longer. The adaptation to the pane inclination is achieved by varying the mutual angle of the legs 26, 28 of the support element 24. If, in addition - which is Fig. 2 is not shown - the height of the lower edge of the windshield 10 can be varied; for example, the windshield-side leg 28 can be made correspondingly longer or shorter. It should be considered within the scope of the invention that other adaptations, such as steps within the respective leg 26, 28, would also be possible.

[0022] Fig. Figure 3 shows two further embodiments of the support arrangement, which in turn differ from one another in that they have differently designed support elements 24. When the two sectional views are viewed together, it can be seen that in the embodiment shown on the left, the lower side of the windshield 10 is arranged lower than in the right-hand illustration. Thus, the relative position of the lower edge of the windshield 10 to the cross member 12 changes at different distances, particularly in the vertical direction of the vehicle (z-direction). To compensate for this variation, the embodiment shown on the right is provided with a support element 24 in which the cross member-side leg 26 and the windshield-side leg 28 are connected to one another via an intermediate leg 34 - in this case as one piece - wherein the intermediate leg 34, in particular, serves for height compensation compared to the left-hand embodiment shown in Fig. 3. It can also be seen that the respective deformation parts 30 are also adjusted in height and dimension.

[0023] In conjunction with the other Fig. 4 to 7, the function of the support element 34 as a deformation element will now be explained. As already Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, this is achieved in particular by a corresponding design of the deformation part 30, which supports the windshield-side leg 28 against the cross member-side leg 26. As can be seen from Fig. 4, both variants of the deformation part 30 have a plurality of slot-shaped or window-like rectangular openings 36, which are divided from one another by respective webs 38. The openings 36 or the webs 38 thus function as a means for influencing and adjusting the deformation behavior of the support element 24 designed as a deformation element. In the embodiments according to Fig. 4, the adjustment and influencing of the deformation behavior follows by the respective width of the openings 36, which vary in the two embodiments according to the left and right illustrations, whereas there the webs 38 each have the same width.

[0024] Fig. Figure 5, on the other hand, shows two versions of the deformation part 30 of the support element 24, which is shown there only separately and in detail. In each version, not only the width of the openings 36 but also the width of the webs 38 can be varied. In other words, the deformation behavior and energy absorption capacity of the support element 24 can also be adjusted by the width of the webs 38.

[0025] In Fig. 6 shows two further embodiments of the support element 24, which is only shown separately, wherein as further means for influencing the deformation behavior in the case of the Fig. 6, respective starting beads 40 are incorporated in the region of the webs 38. The lower embodiment, however, shows webs 38 that extend straight or flat. By appropriately selecting these starting beads 40, kink areas or the like can be specifically created within the deformation part 30, which, for example, initiate the deformation of the support element 24 in the event of a pedestrian's head impact.

[0026] Fig. 7 finally shows in a further partial and cut perspective view analogous to the Fig. 1 and Fig.2 shows the support arrangement, wherein in this case a support element 24 is provided with a deformation part 30, which are designed as a single piece. Such a support element 24 can also be formed, for example, as a plastic part, in particular an injection-molded plastic part. It can be seen that in the present case, the deformation part 30 again has webs 38, which are provided with guide beads 40.

[0027] Overall, it can be seen that the deformation part 30 can be used to create a support element 24 designed as a deformation element, the deformation capacity of which can be specifically tailored to the respective design variants of the passenger car. Additional adaptation can be achieved by selecting the material and material thickness of the legs 26, 28 or the deformation part 30.

[0028] Overall, it can be seen that the support element 24 allows, on the one hand, adaptation to different design variants of a vehicle series and, on the other hand, coordination of the support element 24 as a deformation element or energy absorption element. The support element 24 can be adjusted to suit the design variant in such a way that, on the one hand, sufficient flexibility is provided to meet pedestrian protection requirements and, on the other hand, driving-related requirements such as windshield rumble, shake, or cracking of the windshield 10 are avoided. This is also achieved by a suitable design of the support element 24.

[0029] Due to the design of the support arrangement, the body of the passenger car can thus be manufactured in this area in a process in which the cross member 12 is assembled with the support element 24, wherein the support element can be varied depending on the respective arrangements of the construction variant of the vehicle series. List of reference symbols 10 Windshield 12 cross members 14 Front wall 16 Component area 18 hollow profile 20 lower shell 22 upper shell 24 Support element 26 cross member side leg 28 windshield-side leg 30 Deformation part 32 support area 34 Intermediate legs 36 openings 38 bridges 40 starting beads

Claims

[1] Support arrangement for a windscreen (10) of a body of a passenger car, with a cross member (12) and with a support element (24) which has a support area (32) for at least indirectly supporting the windscreen (10), characterized by that the cross member (12) is designed at least over a length region as a circumferentially closed hollow profile (18), to which the support element (24) designed as a separate adapter part is attached, wherein the support element (24) is designed as a one-piece angle part with a cross member-side leg (26) and a leg (28) having the support region (32). [2] Support arrangement according to claim 1, characterized by that the legs (26, 28) of the support element (24) designed as an angle part are connected via a deformation part (30). [3] Support arrangement according to claim 2, characterized bythat the deformation part (30) has means (36, 38, 40) for influencing the deformation behavior. [4] Modular system for a support arrangement of a body of a passenger car according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a support element (24) designed as a separate adapter part from a modular group of several variant-specific support elements (24) is attached to the cross member (12). [5] Method for producing a support arrangement for a windscreen (10) of a body of a passenger car, in which a cross member (12) and a support element (24) having a support region (32) for at least indirectly supporting the windscreen (10) are assembled, characterized bythat the cross member (12) is designed at least over a length region as a circumferentially closed hollow profile (18), to which the support element (24) designed as a separate adapter part is attached, wherein the support element (24) is designed as a one-piece angle part with a cross member-side leg (26) and a leg (28) having the support region (32).

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