Body shell structure for a vehicle body

Abstract

The invention relates to a bodyshell structure (1) for a vehicle body, comprising a front module (5) and a rear module (6). The invention is characterized in that a main floor element (6) and a roof element (8) are provided for connecting the front module (5) to the rear module (7), wherein the main floor element (6) and / or the roof element (8) are each designed as a circumferentially closed element and each form a bodyshell module. The invention also relates to a method for assembling such a bodyshell structure.

Description

The invention relates to a body shell structure for a body of a vehicle. The invention also relates to a method for assembling a body shell structure of a vehicle body.The body shell of a vehicle body consists essentially of a line structure, wherein the body shell is assembled from individual elements, and subsequently different mounting parts can be arranged and fixed in the body shell structure.If different vehicle construction series are to be made possible, different body shell structures or different bodies have to be implemented. In this case, a plurality of different individual elements are necessary, which have to be mounted individually in the production line corresponding to the respective vehicle series. This results in a high cost and time.From DE 10 2010 048 350 A1, for example, a floor assembly for a plurality of construction variants of a body of a vehicle is known, by means of which costs and a required time expenditure during assembly are to be reduced. For this purpose, a front end module overlapping variants and a rear end module are provided, wherein the two modules are connected to one another via a floor arrangement. Depending on a respective structural variant of the vehicle body, different floor arrangements can be used, so that the same front-end modules or rear-end modules can always be used.The proposed modular variant disadvantageously relates only to a floor assembly, wherein a plurality of individually adapted components with high assembly effort is furthermore necessary for further individual vehicle structures or body components.The object of the present invention is now to specify a bodyshell structure and a method for assembling a bodyshell structure, which overcome the aforementioned disadvantages.According to the invention, this object is achieved by a body shell structure having the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments are evident from the dependent claims dependent thereon. A method for assembling a bodyshell structure is also described.In the core of the bodyshell structure according to the invention, a main floor element and / or a roof element are provided for connecting the front module to the rear module, wherein the main floor element and / or the roof element are each formed as a circumferentially closed element and each form a bodyshell module. The main floor element and the roof element are a body shell module, and in particular are configured without an outer skin with respect to one another before the assembly with the front module and the rear module. Thus, the main floor element and the roof element can each be designed as a circumferentially closed element or as a ring structure, or else only one of the elements, either the roof element or the main floor element. The main floor element and the roof element are each formed as a raw component. A special feature here is the designs of the so-called land aulet and the convertible, which, depending on the principle, do not use the roof element, so that here the main floor is formed as a ring structure. In all other designs, on the other hand, the roof element and the main floor are present. In this case, the roof element is preferably designed as a ring structure.A ring structure is to be understood in particular as a closed structure which is circumferential and structurally forms a closed ring. Such a ring structure or circumferentially closed structure has a high stability. The respectively encircling, closed structure can extend in one plane or be designed as a three-dimensional structure which is arranged in two or more intersecting planes. The ring structure offers the advantage of high stability or strength even with relatively little material use. Aspects of lightweight construction can thus be ideally combined with those of the safety, in particular the safety of the passenger compartment.The body shell structure is designed for a body of a vehicle, comprising a front module and a rear module. The A-pillars and the C-pillars may be integrated in the respective module, i.e. in the front module or rear module. The B-pillars may then be assembled with the front module and the rear module after assembly of the roof member and the main floor member. As a result, the complete bodyshell can be of modular design, wherein individual modules can be exchanged in order to implement different vehicle variants, such as sedan or wagon and the like. This advantageously results in shorter and more cost-effective change times during the variant formation or during the implementation of new models, since in particular the entire bodyshell installation does not always have to be changed. The entire construction can be made lighter, since double structures can be omitted. Furthermore, a mixed construction can be simplified, since the modules are produced individually and the entire body shell does not have to be guided through the production line during assembly. In particular, the main floor element and the roof element, and in particular also the front module and the rear module, can be preassembled or upgraded separately from one another in secondary lines before assembly. As a result, a main line in assembly can be reduced. A further advantage results during recycling, since simple separation of the individual modules is made possible.In addition, the modular construction offers further advantages, such as the ease of exchangeability of the modules, so that new vehicle variants or shapes can be easily implemented quickly. In particular, the existing manufacturing line in the bodyshell does not have to be changed for this purpose, which is a very decisive advantage.Unlike hitherto, the bodyshell after surface coating, in particular by means of cathodic dip coating (CTL), does not have to be baked as a whole by a drying / stoving furnace. This makes it possible to form the individual modules from different materials, even if these differ greatly in their thermal expansion.A further advantage is the better accessibility of the individual modules both during the pre-assembly of the modules, that is to say also during the assembly of the body shell structure. If, for example, the B-pillars are subsequently mounted after mounting of the roof element and the main floor element with the front module and the rear module, then a great lateral accessibility into the body shell results during the mounting, whereby the mounting of internals can be simplified.Preferably, the A-pillar can be integrated in the front module and the C-pillar can be integrated in the rear module and each form a ring structure. A ring structure is to be understood in particular as a closed structure which is circumferential and forms a closed ring structure. In particular, the A-column and the C-column are each formed as a circumferential ring structure or circumferentially closed structure, so that they per se have a high stability.The circumferentially closed element of the roof element and / or of the main floor element can likewise each be referred to as a circumferential, closed structure or ring structure or be formed as a ring structure. The ring structure of the roof element and / or of the main floor element can each run in a plane, so that two ring structures arranged parallel to one another are formed.The ring structure of the front module and / or of the rear module can be designed as a spatial structure which, in particular, extends not only in one plane. As a result, elements can likewise be formed within the ring structure, which elements are oriented transversely to the encircling closed structure or inclined with respect to a vehicle transverse direction and a vehicle longitudinal direction. Such elements can form, for example, cross member elements, to which the main floor element and the roof element can be fixed with the front module and the rear module, respectively. As a result, for example, an angled encircling ring structure can be formed, which can be used in particular for the A-column and the C-column. The cross member elements can be part of the ring structure per se. The ring structures can contact the roof element in an upper region and be fixed thereto. Advantageously, the assembly is easily accessible, whereby the assembly is also facilitated. The ring structures can likewise form a type of roll cage, and contribute to the safety of the vehicle in this case.According to a very advantageous development of the concept, it can be provided here that the ring structure and / or the circumferentially closed element is formed from a high-strength material. Thus, the respective ring structure and / or the circumferentially closed element can be produced, for example, from a cast steel or cast aluminum. As a result, it is possible to implement, in particular, delicate columns which only form a very small visible coverage. Small cross sections can positively influence the overall appearance of the vehicle. Furthermore, design freedom results from a separation of the side wall into individual components, with lower restrictions being made possible by pressing, in particular on account of the deep drawability, press size and the like.In this case, according to an advantageous embodiment, it can be provided that the main floor element and the roof element are fixed to the front module and the rear module in an assembled state. In particular, a fixing can be effected in the region of the roof region of the body shell of the vehicle, wherein this region is easily accessible.A further advantageous embodiment can provide that the main floor element has a main floor for arranging at least one battery. The main floor element can thus have a battery box which is designed in particular as a load-bearing crash structure. In the assembling, after assembling the main floor member to the front and rear modules, the B-pillar may be fixed to the battery box. Furthermore, the sill may be integrated on the main floor member. Advantageously, not only an efficiency in the use of the surface but also an advantage in compensating tolerances takes place, since the tolerances need not be taken into account from the entire production, but only from this subsystem.Advantageously, by the realization of a main floor element with a main floor and by the arrangement of at least one battery, double structures can furthermore be avoided. This likewise results in new options with respect to supplier assemblies and self-manufacturing assemblies during assembly or production.According to a very advantageous development of the concept, it can be provided that mounting parts are pre-mounted on the respective module and / or the main floor element and / or the roof element. The mounting parts can advantageously be used when good accessibility to each module or element is possible due to the individual modules or elements. Thus, for example, indirect illumination, in particular transillumination of micro-perforations, attachment of sensors and / or displays and the like can be made possible, wherein the elements can in particular be integrated directly into the outer skin. The improved accessibility makes it possible in particular to facilitate the installation of cable sets and rigid busbars. Furthermore, new packaging spaces may be used. In one embodiment, for example, the vehicle seats can also already be pre-assembled in the main floor element, wherein these can be easily inserted by a robot because of the good accessibility.The invention further relates to a method for assembling a bodyshell structure. It is proposed that a front module and a rear module are provided, wherein a main floor element and a roof element are provided for connecting the front module to the rear module, wherein the main floor element and / or the roof element are each formed as a circumferentially closed element and each form a body shell module.The same features and advantages apply to the method for assembly as already described with respect to the body shell structure.According to a very advantageous development of the concept, it can be provided in this case that the A-pillar and the C-pillar each form a ring structure and the modules are connected to the main floor element and the roof element via the respective ring structure during assembly. As already described with regard to the body shell structure, smaller components are thereby produced, as a result of which smaller presses can be used. During assembly, the total area requirement is reduced, wherein production, for example, cannot be structured according to series, but rather according to modules. This results in overall lower variant complexity, whereby the costs can be reduced.In this case, according to an advantageous configuration, it can be provided that a B-pillar is mounted after the mounting of the main floor element and of the roof element. This allows high accessibility into the interior of the body shell up to the last.Furthermore, the outer skin can be mounted after mounting the B-pillar. For example, the joints of the individual modules can then be covered by fitted outer skin parts. In particular, the outer skin is therefore not designed to be rigid with respect to the body shell. As a result, the outer skin can be coated independently, for example. This enables the use of different coating methods, such as anodizing, seilation and the like. A separate outer skin and the implementation of smaller individual modules or elements also bring advantages in the implementation of surface coatings, in particular cathodic dip coating (CTL). Thus, for example, a thicker CTL coating can be made possible with a shorter heating time or cooling time in the CTL furnace. Furthermore, structures made of aluminum can be exposed to higher temperatures, whereby a final strength can be adjusted in an improved manner. Furthermore, a more homogeneous adhesive curing and / or the use of energy-efficient paint systems can be implemented, with a reduced system size. Furthermore, different surfaces or materials, such as in particular also stainless steel, can be used.Thus, dividing the assembly of the body shell structure and the subsequent attachment of the outer skin allows new materials and / or surfaces to be used in the outer skin, since the material does not pass through the surface.The subsequent installation of the outer skin also makes it possible to use construction spaces in the bodyshell structure which, in the case of a conventional construction, would be accessible only with very great effort or not at all.Finally, the effort involved in coating the modules can thus also be reduced, which is sufficient if they are provided with a cathodic dip coating. This saves effort and costs.Further advantageous embodiments of the bodyshell structure according to the invention and of the method also result from the exemplary embodiment which is illustrated in more detail below with reference to the figures. The following are shown: FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a body shell structure in an exploded view; FIG. 2 shows a further embodiment of a body shell structure in an exploded view; FIG. 3 shows a further embodiment of a body shell structure in an exploded view; and FIG. 4 shows an exemplary embodiment with body elements.In the illustration of FIGS. 1 to 3, different embodiments of a body shell structure 1 are shown. The body shell structure 1 has a front module 5, a main floor element 6, a roof element 8 and a rear module 7. A-pillars 2 connected to form a ring structure are integrated into the front module 5 via an upper and a lower cross member, and a c-pillar 4 connected to form a ring structure is integrated into the rear module 7 via an upper and a lower cross member. As shown in FIG. 1, independent modules 5, 7 or elements 6, 8 can be implemented, which can be manufactured independently of one another, wherein a reduction of a main line in a production line can take place. By means of a plurality of secondary lines, pre-assembly of the elements 6, 8 and / or of the modules 5, 7 with assembly parts can take place.The elements 6, 8 are in particular designed as ring structures. This means that these are each designed as a circumferentially closed element which forms a type of ring shape. The ring structures make it possible in particular to eliminate bodyshell stations and to make the assembly flexible. The vehicle can be geometrically assembled in the assembly, wherein the door openings, roof openings can be influenced by the positions of the ring structures. The respective ring structure can protrude out of the plane and be designed as a spatial ring structure, as the ring structures shown comprising the A columns 2 and C columns 4 show. Thus, in particular, the ring structures or on the ring structures can also be used to implement transverse elements in order to connect the ring structures to the main floor element 6 and the roof element 8.During assembly, the modules and / or elements 5, 6, 7, 8 can be fixed to one another. In particular, the front module 5 and the rear module 7 are first connected to the main floor element 6. The roof element 8 can then be connected to the front module 5 and the rear module 7. Subsequently, the B-pillars 3 may be mounted to the roof member 8 and the main floor member 6. Before the B-pillars 3 are mounted, further mounting parts can be installed in the interior of the body shell structure, wherein this can be done ergonomically and without great time expenditure due to the absence of the B-pillars. Thus, assembly work can be carried out with high accessibility to the interior of the body shell.In the main floor element 6, at least one cross member can be integrated. Thus, the main floor element 6 can be designed as a circumferential ring, see FIG. 1, with internal cross struts, see dashed lines in FIG. 2, or as a battery tray, see FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the cross members are therefore configured separately from the battery tray, wherein the battery tray is only schematically illustrated as a flat element (lower arrow with reference numeral 6). This element can have a depression for receiving the batteries and a circumferential frame, wherein the frame can in particular form an annular element or a circumferentially closed element.Furthermore, the roof element 8 can be made shorter, as shown in FIG. 2. Different roof constructions can thus be implemented, such as different roof variants with a glass roof and / or sliding roof.A further variant of the body shell structure 1 can be seen in FIG. 4. In contrast to FIG. 1, a body 9 is shown here. This can then be arranged after the modules 5, 7 and the elements 6, 8 have been assembled, and in particular can cover the fixing points of the modules 5, 7 with the elements 6, 8.The inventive bodyshell structure or the method can accordingly implement a lower variant complexity, wherein the variant formation is implemented in particular only by mounting different prefabricated elements 6, 8 and modules 5, 7. Thus, by using different rear modules 7, for example, a combi or a sedan can be implemented, while the same designs are used for module 5 and elements 6, 8. The main floor element 6 can be equipped in particular with a battery, wherein accessibility can be improved when the battery is used. The ring structures of the elements 6, 8 allow a delicate design to be implemented, which allows a luxurious appearance of the vehicle and a wide variety of designs. In particular, the roof openings can be enlarged, wherein vehicles with different variants of glass roofs or sliding roofs can also be implemented. In particular, different vehicle lengths can be implemented by varying the length of the main floor element 6 and / or of the roof element 8, wherein the same module can be used for the front module 5.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2010 048 350 A1

[0004]

Claims

Body shell structure (1) for a body of a vehicle, comprising a front module (5) and a rear module (7), characterized in that a main floor element (6) and / or a roof element (8) are provided for connecting the front module (5) to the rear module (7), wherein the main floor element (6) and / or the roof element (8) are each formed as a circumferentially closed element and each form a body shell module.The bodyshell structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the A-pillar (2) is integrated in the front module (5) and the C-pillar (4) is integrated in the rear module (7) and each forms a ring structure.The bodyshell structure (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the ring structure and / or the circumferentially closed element is formed from a high-strength material.Bodyshell structure (1) according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a main floor element (6) and a roof element (8) are provided for connecting the front module (5) to the rear module (7).The bodyshell structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the main floor element (6) has a main floor for arranging at least one battery.The bodyshell structure (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that mounting parts on the respective module (5, 6, 7, 8) are pre-assembled and tested.Method for mounting a bodyshell structure (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that a front module (5) and a rear module (7) are provided, wherein a main floor element (6) and / or a roof element (8) are provided for connecting the front module (5) to the rear module (7), wherein the main floor element (6) and / or the roof element (8) are each formed as a circumferentially closed element and each form a bodyshell module.Method according to claim 7, characterised in that the A-pillars (2) and the C-pillars (4) each form their own ring structure with upper and lower cross members, and the modules (5, 7) are connected to the main floor element (6) and / or the roof element (8) via the respective ring structure during assembly.Method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that B-pillars (3) are mounted after the mounting of the main floor element (6) and the roof element (8).Method according to claim 8 or 9, characterised in that an outer skin (9) is applied to the body shell structure (1) after the body shell structure (1) has been mounted thereon.

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