motor vehicle

Abstract

Motor vehicle (1), with at least one side door opening (9) formed in the body (5) thereof and with a sliding door (2) closing the same, wherein said side door opening (9) has a sill structure (8) with means for supporting and slidably guiding the sliding door (2), wherein the sill structure (8) has a hollow profile (10) oriented in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle and formed as a welded part, and wherein the hollow profile (10) has on the outside of the vehicle a welded flange (12) extending along the sill structure (8) and oriented in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle as a mounting flange for a door seal (13), which defines a recess (20) formed in an upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile (10), characterized in that above said recess (20) a receptacle (15) with at least one guide rail (3a, 3b) for a roller guide (16) of the sliding door (2) is arranged,which receptacle (15) is detachably attached to the sill structure (8), and that said receptacle (15) is formed by a U-profile open towards the outside of the vehicle, which is supported on the one hand by a support flange (21) within the recess (20) of the hollow profile (10) and on the other hand by means of a retaining bracket (22) attached to the hollow profile (10).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 1 of the invention.

[0002] For the purposes of this description, the usual direction of travel of a motor vehicle shall be denoted by "-x" ("minus x"), the direction opposite to its usual direction of travel by "+x" ("plus x"), the direction horizontally perpendicular to the x-direction to the right, starting from the usual direction of travel (-x) by "+y", the direction horizontally perpendicular to the x-direction to the left, starting from the usual direction of travel (-x) by "-y", the direction vertically perpendicular to the x-direction upwards by "+z", and the direction vertically perpendicular to the x-direction downwards by "-z". This designation of spatial directions in Cartesian coordinates corresponds to the coordinate system generally used in the automotive industry.Furthermore, terms such as "front", "rear", "top", "bottom", and terms with similar meanings, including "right" and "left", are used in the manner in which they are commonly used to indicate direction on a motor vehicle.

[0003] From EP 2 709 866 B1, a motor vehicle is already known with at least one side door opening formed in the body for a sliding door that closes this opening. This side door opening has a sill or step structure designed as a hollow profile with means for supporting and slidingly guiding the sliding door. The supporting means comprise a lower guide rail with a U-shaped profile cross-section open towards the outside of the vehicle. The guide rail is mounted on the vehicle body above the hollow profile of the sill or step structure.

[0004] From WO 2008 / 072 659 A1, a sliding door structure for a vehicle is known, which has a receptacle with a guide rail for an upper guide roller of a roller guide. The receptacle is formed by a U-profile open towards the outside of the vehicle. The receptacle consists of an upper receptacle part, to which the guide rail, designed as a downwardly open U-profile, is attached, and a lower receptacle part. The lower receptacle part integrally forms a support flange by means of which the receptacle is supported on the upper side of a sill designed as a closed hollow profile. The sill forms a welded flange on the outside of the vehicle, serving as a mounting flange for a seal.

[0005] According to the prior art, a sill structure is known for a publicly sold motor vehicle of the applicant, which, in the area of ​​a side door opening for a sliding door, has a hollow profile oriented in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle and formed as a welded component. On the upper side of the hollow profile, a welded flange extending along the sill structure and oriented in the vertical direction (y-direction) of the vehicle is designed as a mounting flange for a lower door seal. On the outside of the hollow profile and below the height of said welded flange, the same profile has an opening extending along the sill structure, in which a receptacle with at least one guide rail for a roller guide of the sliding door is welded. This receptacle is formed by a U-profile open to the outside of the vehicle.For the expert, it is easily understandable that in the present case the aforementioned mounting, including guide rail and roller guide, is located in a so-called wet area of ​​the motor vehicle, i.e., below the lower door seal, which is therefore particularly exposed to adverse environmental influences.

[0006] There was a need to relocate the aforementioned mounting, including the guide rail and roller guide, to a so-called dry room in order to minimize adverse environmental influences as much as possible. According to the prior art, a sill structure is known for a publicly sold motor vehicle of the applicant, which, in the area of ​​a side door opening for a sliding door, has a hollow profile oriented longitudinally (x-direction) to the vehicle and designed as a welded component. On the outside of the vehicle, the hollow profile has a weld flange extending longitudinally along the sill structure and oriented vertically (y-direction) to serve as a mounting flange for a lower door seal. The weld flange defines a recess formed in an upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile, which is also referred to in the trade as a weld groove and provides the space for a welding device to join the weld flange.Inside the vehicle, above the hollow profile and therefore also above the height level of the welding flange and the lower door seal (dry room), a receptacle with at least one guide rail for a roller guide of the sliding door is arranged and firmly connected to the hollow profile by welding.

[0007] In practice, however, it has been found that the aforementioned arrangement of the mounting for the sliding door's roller guide necessitates a relatively long roller guide arm that bridges the weld trench and connects the sliding door to the vehicle body. Due to this relatively long lever arm, increased forces act on the roller guide system result, leading to increased material requirements, weight, and costs. This is where the invention described below comes in.

[0008] The object of the invention is to create a motor vehicle which, while retaining the advantages of the prior art with regard to optimal roller guidance of the sliding door, is weight- and cost-reduced.

[0009] Starting from a motor vehicle with at least one side door opening formed in its body and with a sliding door closing it, wherein said side door opening has a sill structure with means for supporting and slidingly guiding the sliding door, wherein the sill structure has a hollow profile oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (x-direction) and formed as a welded part, and wherein the hollow profile has on the outside of the vehicle a welded flange extending along the sill structure and oriented in the vertical direction of the vehicle (y-direction) as a mounting flange for a door seal, which delimits a recess formed in an upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile, the stated problem is solved by arranging a receptacle with at least one guide rail for a roller guide of the sliding door above said recess.which mounting is detachably attached to the sill structure, and that said mounting is formed by a U-profile open towards the outside of the vehicle, which is supported on the one hand by a support flange within the indentation of the hollow profile and on the other hand by means of at least one retaining bracket attached to the hollow profile.

[0010] This measure, particularly the stable connection of the roller guide to the vehicle body and the arrangement of the mounting, including at least one guide rail, that extends over the recess, results in a shorter roller guide arm connecting the sliding door to the vehicle body compared to conventional designs. This further minimizes the forces acting upon it and allows for a lighter roller guide arm. Moreover, the detachable fastening of the mounting, including at least one guide rail, to the sill structure using, for example, known mechanical fasteners such as screws, enables simple and cost-effective replacement of the mounting and at least one guide rail, especially in the event of wear.Furthermore, this advantageously opens up the possibility of simple and cost-effective adjustment or readjustment of the mount, including at least one guide rail.

[0011] The dependent claims describe preferred further developments or embodiments of the invention.

[0012] To enable simple and cost-effective assembly and disassembly of the aforementioned mounting, it is formed by an upper mounting part and a lower mounting part. It is designed that at least the upper mounting part has a guide rail (upper guide rail) for the roller guidance of the sliding door.

[0013] The upper guide rail serves primarily to support the roller guide and sliding door in the transverse direction (y-direction) of the vehicle, as it is formed by an elongated, downward-opening hollow profile. The lower mounting section can also have a guide rail (lower guide rail) for the sliding door's roller guide, which then advantageously provides support for the roller guide and sliding door in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle. The first variant is intended particularly for so-called suspended sliding doors, which are supported by, or rather suspended from, a guide rail system located above the side door opening, whereas the second variant is intended for so-called upright sliding doors, which, viewed in the vertical direction (z-direction), are supported on the sill structure.Of course, the aforementioned lower guide rail can also be omitted and the mounting base itself can serve to support the roller guide including the sliding door in the vehicle's vertical direction (z-direction), provided that the mounting base is dimensioned accordingly, at least in the contact area with the guide roller of the roller guide.

[0014] To further minimize material and cost expenditure, the upper guide rail also forms a step for the vehicle or is part of such a step. The latter measure, in particular, results in a particularly rigid and deformation-resistant step.

[0015] As the invention further provides, said step is preferably associated with or can be associated with a cover which further increases the stiffness of the step and provides wear protection for it.

[0016] To further increase the rigidity of the step, the upper mounting part and / or the step itself have a downward-facing bend on the outside of the vehicle.

[0017] The aforementioned bend allows for the placement of one or more light sources and / or sensors adjacent to it, which is accordingly covered by the invention. This creates a storage space for, for example, an elongated light source, which advantageously enables directed illumination of the sill area or the entry into the passenger compartment of the vehicle and / or serves as ground lighting in front of the sliding door.

[0018] It is also advantageous that a holder for a buffer system of the sliding door and / or a holder for a drag chain for the electrification of the sliding door are attached or formed on the step, which further reduces the assembly effort.

[0019] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the drawings. However, it is not limited to this embodiment, but encompasses all embodiments defined by the claims. The drawings show: Fig. 1. Extremely schematic side view of a motor vehicle showing a sliding door, Fig. 2 a highly schematic sectional view of a first embodiment of a sill structure of the motor vehicle according to Fig. 1. according to the state of the art, with means for supporting and sliding guide the sliding door, Fig. 3 a highly schematic sectional view of a second embodiment of a sill structure of the motor vehicle according to Fig. 1. according to the state of the art, with means for supporting and sliding guide the sliding door, Fig. 4 a perspective view of a side door opening for a sliding door of a motor vehicle designed according to the invention, with a sill structure essential to the invention including means for supporting and sliding guidance of the sliding door which is not shown in the drawing, Fig. 5 the cut “II” after Fig. 4 including a representation of the sliding door according to a first embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 6. the cut “II-II” after Fig. 4 without illustration of the sliding door according to a second embodiment of the invention.

[0020] Fig. Figure 1 shows a motor vehicle 1, in this case, by way of example, a minibus or a large limousine with rear side doors, which are designed as sliding doors 2. The sliding doors 2 are guided in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle 1 so as to be slidable in guide rail systems 3 of the motor vehicle 1. Fig. Figure 1 shows a first guide rail system 3 mounted on the body side wall 4 of the body 5 of the motor vehicle 1 and arranged near the side windows 6 of the motor vehicle 1. Furthermore, the motor vehicle 1 has at least one second guide rail system 3 for each sliding door 2, which is concealed by the closed sliding door 2 in the area of ​​the vehicle roof 7, and at least one third guide rail system 3, which is concealed by the closed sliding door 2 in the area of ​​the sill structure 8 of the side door opening 9, which is essential to the invention. The present invention therefore relates in particular to the guide rail system 3 arranged in the area of ​​the sill structure 8 of the side door opening 9. State of the art (first example):

[0021] As already stated in the introduction, according to Fig. 2. A sill structure 8 is known as prior art, which in the area of ​​the side door opening 9 for a sliding door 2 has a hollow profile 10 oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle (x-direction) and designed as a welded part. On the upper surface 11 of the hollow profile 10, a welded flange 12 extending along the sill structure 8 and oriented in the vertical direction of the vehicle (z-direction) is designed as a fastening flange for a lower door seal 13.

[0022] On the outside of the vehicle, the hollow profile 10 and below the height level of said welded flange 12 has an opening 14 extending along the sill structure 8, in which a receptacle 15 with a guide rail system 3, comprising an upper and a lower guide rail 3a, 3b for a roller guide 16 of the sliding door 2, is welded. The receptacle 15 is formed by a U-profile open to the outside of the vehicle.

[0023] The upper guide rail 3a is formed as an elongated U-profile open at the bottom, whereas the lower guide rail 3b is designed as a flat profile. The upper guide rail 3a supports an upper guide roller 17a of the roller guide 16, including the attached sliding door 2, in the transverse direction (y-direction) of the vehicle, while the lower guide rail 3b supports a lower guide roller 17b of the roller guide 16, including the attached sliding door 2, in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle. For this purpose, the roller guide 16 is connected to the sliding door 2 (not shown in the drawing) via a roller guide arm 18.

[0024] In the present case, the aforementioned mounting 15, including guide rails 3a, 3b and roller guide 16, is located in a so-called wet area of ​​the motor vehicle 1, i.e., below the lower door seal 13, which is therefore particularly exposed to adverse environmental influences. A step 19, associated with the side door opening 9 and fixed to the body 5 of the motor vehicle 1, ends in the area of ​​the door seal 13 or at the door seal itself. State of the art (second example):

[0025] In order to reduce adverse environmental influences on said mounting 15 including guide rail system 3 and roller guide 16, according to Fig. 3. According to the prior art, the mounting 15, including the guide rail system 3 and roller guide 16, is relocated to a so-called dry room. The corresponding sill structure 8 also has a hollow profile 10 oriented in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle and designed as a welded component. In contrast to the prior art embodiment described above, the hollow profile 10 now has a welding flange 12 on the outside of the vehicle, extending along the sill structure 8 and oriented in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle, serving as a mounting flange for a lower door seal 13. The welding flange 12 defines a recess 20 on the outside of the vehicle, formed in an upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile 10, which is also referred to in the trade as a welding groove and provides the clearance for a welding device joining the welding flange 12.

[0026] Inside the vehicle, above the hollow profile 10 and therefore also above the height level of the welding flange 12 and the lower door seal 13 attached to it (drying chamber), a console-like receptacle 15 is arranged with only one upper guide rail 3a of the guide rail system 3 for the roller guide 16 of the sliding door 2 and is firmly connected to the upper surface 11 of the hollow profile 10 by welding. In this case, the console-like receptacle 15 simultaneously forms the step 19, which extends outwards towards the vehicle. The upper guide rail 3a is formed as an elongated and downwardly open U-profile and is attached to the underside of the step 19 by welding. The upper guide rail 3a serves to support the upper guide roller 17a of the roller guide 16 together with the connected sliding door 2 in the transverse direction (y-direction) of the vehicle.The lower guide roller 17b of the roller guide 16, together with the attached sliding door 2, rests directly on the upper surface 11 of the hollow profile 10 adjacent to the recess 20 on the inside of the vehicle, in a downward or z-direction direction. The roller guide 16 is connected to the sliding door 2 (not shown in the drawing) via the roller guide arm 18.

[0027] Based on the Fig. 4, Fig. 5 to Fig. 6. The state of the art, in particular its embodiment, is described below. Fig. Three improved embodiments of the invention are described. First embodiment of the invention (Figs. 4 and 5):

[0028] In this respect, it shows Fig. 4. First, a side door opening 9 of the body 5 of the motor vehicle 1, which can be closed by means of a sliding door 2 (not shown in the drawing). Within the side door opening 9, a sill structure 8 extends in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle, which is based on the embodiment according to Fig. 3 also has a hollow profile 10 oriented in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle and designed as a welded part, with a welded flange 12 extending along the outside of the vehicle and oriented in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle, serving as a mounting flange for a lower door seal 13. The welded flange 12 defines the indentation 20 on the outside of the vehicle, which is formed in the upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile 10 and is referred to in the trade as a weld groove.

[0029] In contrast to the state of the art, in particular Fig. 3 is with regard to Fig. 5 above the aforementioned indentation 20, a receptacle 15 is provided, which is detachably attached to the sill structure 8. The receptacle 15 is formed by a U-profile open towards the outside of the vehicle, which is connected on the one hand via a support flange 21 within the indentation 20 of the hollow profile 10 of the sill structure 8 and on the other hand by means of retaining brackets 22 attached to the hollow profile 10 (see also Fig. 4) supports itself.

[0030] According to this embodiment, each retaining bracket 22 is bonded to the top surface 11 of the hollow profile 10, in particular by welding. Alternatively, the retaining bracket 22 can also be detachably connected to the hollow profile 10 by means of known mechanical fasteners, such as fastening screws (not shown in the drawing).

[0031] According to this embodiment, said receptacle 15 is designed in two parts and has an elongated upper receptacle 15a and an elongated lower receptacle 15b. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the upper receptacle 15a and the lower receptacle 15b are detachably fastened to the mounting bracket 22 by means of common fastening screws 23. The lower receptacle 15b forms said support flange 21 and is detachably fastened to the hollow profile 10 of the sill structure 8 within the recess 20 by means of fastening screws 23. The area of ​​this fastening is protected from contamination by means of at least one cover element 24.

[0032] The upper mounting part 15a has an upper guide rail 3a of the guide rail system 3, which serves in particular to support the upper guide roller 17a of the roller guide 16, including the sliding door 2, in the transverse direction (y-direction) of the vehicle. The upper guide rail 3a is formed by an elongated, downwardly open hollow profile, in this embodiment by a U-profile. Additionally, the roller guide 16, with its lower guide roller 17b and the sliding door 2, is supported directly on the lower mounting part 15b in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle. For this purpose, the roller guide 16 is connected to the sliding door 2 via the roller guide arm 18.

[0033] Again Fig. As can be seen further in Figure 5, the upper receiving part 15a, including the upper guide rail 3a, is an integral part of a step 19, supporting it from below and being firmly connected to it, preferably by welding. The step 19 is additionally detachably connected to the mounting bracket 22 by means of fastening screws 23, so that the upper receiving part 15a, including the upper guide rail 3a and the step 19, can be assembled as a pre-assembled component. The combination of the upper guide rail 3a and the step 19 creates an extremely rigid and deformation-resistant component.

[0034] Again Fig. As can be seen in section 5, said step 19 is associated with a cover 25, which further increases the rigidity of the step 19 and provides wear protection for it. Preferably, said cover 25 consists of a plastic, which is further preferably wear-resistant and slip-resistant when walked on.

[0035] To further increase the rigidity of the step 19 or the component assembly consisting of the step 19, upper guide rail 3a, and upper mounting part 15a, the step 19 has a downward-facing bend 26 on the vehicle exterior. This bend 26 allows for the placement of one or more light sources 27 (dashed lines) and / or sensors (not shown in the drawing), such as side impact sensors, adjacent to it, which is therefore covered by the invention. This creates a storage space 28 for, for example, the light source 27, enabling directed illumination of the sill area or the entry into the passenger compartment of the vehicle 1.

[0036] Again Fig. As can finally be seen from Figure 4, according to this embodiment, a first holder 29 for a buffer system 30 of the sliding door 2, which is known per se, and a second holder 31 for a drag chain 32, which is known per se, for electrifying the sliding door 2, are attached to or formed on the step 19 or integrally integrated into the step 19. This advantageously avoids an additional connection for the buffer system 30 and the drag chain 32 to the body 5. The drag chain 32 is also very schematically represented in Fig. 5 shown. Second embodiment of the invention (especially Fig. 6):

[0037] Fig. Figure 6 shows a second embodiment of the invention, wherein functionally identical parts are designated with the same reference numerals as in the previous drawings, so that for their explanation reference is also made to the preceding description of the first embodiment of the invention. For the sake of simplicity, the illustration of in particular the sliding door 2, the cover 25 of the step 19 and the drag chain 32 has been omitted here.

[0038] This embodiment of the invention differs from the one described above, firstly, in that the lower guide roller 17b of the roller guide 16 is supported on and rolls on a lower guide rail 3b of the guide rail system 3, which is attached to the receiving base 15b. Furthermore, in contrast to the first embodiment of the invention according to Fig.5 to determine that the step 19 does not extend to the outer edge of the sill structure 8 or form said outer edge, but ends at a distance from said outer edge when viewed in the transverse direction of the vehicle (y-direction) and is supported on the upper part 15a and preferably connected to it by a material bond, more preferably by welding.

[0039] The aforementioned chamfer 26 for stiffening the component assembly, consisting of the step 19, upper guide rail 3a and receiving upper part 15a, is formed in this case by the receiving upper part 15a. The resulting storage space 28 can also contain one or more light sources 27 (dashed lines) and / or sensors not shown here, for example, side impact sensors. Reference symbol list 1 motor vehicle 2 sliding doors 3 Guide rail system 3a upper guide rail 3b lower guide rail 4 Body side panel 5 Bodywork 6 side windows 7 Vehicle roof 8 Sill structure 9 Side door opening 10 Hollow profile 11 Top side (hollow profile 10) 12 Welding flange 13 Door seal 14 Opening 15 recording 15a Recording top 15b Recording base 16 roller guide 17a upper guide roller 17b lower leadership role 18 roller guide arm 19 Step 20 indentations 21 Support flange 22 Mounting bracket 23 Fastening screw 24 lid element 25 Cover 26 bend 27 light bulbs 28 storage spaces 29 holders 30 Buffer system 31 holders 32 drag chain

Claims

Motor vehicle (1), with at least one side door opening (9) formed in the body (5) thereof and with a sliding door (2) closing the same, wherein said side door opening (9) has a sill structure (8) with means for supporting and slidably guiding the sliding door (2), wherein the sill structure (8) has a hollow profile (10) oriented in the longitudinal direction (x-direction) of the vehicle and formed as a welded part, and wherein the hollow profile (10) has on the outside of the vehicle a welded flange (12) extending along the sill structure (8) and oriented in the vertical direction (z-direction) of the vehicle as a mounting flange for a door seal (13), which defines a recess (20) formed in an upper section of the outer contour of the hollow profile (10), characterized in that above said recess (20) a receptacle (15) with at least one guide rail (3a, 3b) for a roller guide (16) of the sliding door (2) is arranged,which receptacle (15) is detachably attached to the sill structure (8), and that said receptacle (15) is formed by a U-profile open towards the outside of the vehicle, which is supported on the one hand by a support flange (21) within the recess (20) of the hollow profile (10) and on the other hand by means of a retaining bracket (22) attached to the hollow profile (10). Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the receptacle (15) is formed by a receptacle upper part (15a) and a receptacle lower part (15b). Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 2 , characterized in that at least the receiving upper part (15a) has a guide rail (3a) for the roller guide (16) of the sliding door (2). Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper guide rail (3a) further forms a step (19) of the motor vehicle (1) or is a component of such a step (19). Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that a cover (25) is assigned or assignable to the step (19). Motor vehicle (1) according to one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the upper receiving part (15a) and / or the step (19) has a downwardly directed bend (26) on the outside of the vehicle. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that one or more light sources (27) and / or sensors are arranged adjacent to the bend (26). Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a holder (29) for a buffer system (30) of the sliding door (2) is attached or formed on the step (19). Motor vehicle (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a holder (31) for a drag chain (32) for electrifying the sliding door (2) is attached or formed on the step (19).

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