Bodywork and motor vehicle

Abstract

Body (2) of a motor vehicle (1) comprising at least one body pillar (3) with a receiving space (10) and a seat belt retractor (9) mounted in the receiving space (10) as well as a receiving opening (11) which is open towards an interior space (5) of the motor vehicle (1) enclosed by the body (2) and through which the seat belt retractor (9) can be inserted into the receiving space (10), wherein a retaining structure (15) is fixed to the body pillar (3) towards the interior space (5), which at least partially overlaps the receiving opening (11).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle body comprising at least one body pillar with a receiving space and a seat belt retractor mounted in the receiving space, as well as a receiving opening that opens toward an interior of the motor vehicle enclosed by the body and through which the seat belt retractor can be inserted into the receiving space. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.

[0002] In the prior art, seat belt retractors are permanently installed, in particular screwed, on the body of the motor vehicle. For the vehicle seats of a first, front row of seats in the motor vehicle, the respective seat belt retractors are usually installed inside a body pillar, in particular the B-pillar. For this purpose, a receiving opening is provided in the body pillar towards the interior of the motor vehicle, through which the seat belt retractor can be inserted from the interior into the receiving space inside the body pillar, in particular in the vehicle's vertical and transverse directions. The receiving opening represents a type of shell window or pocket through which the receiving space in which the seat belt retractor is fixed after insertion is accessible. In the fixed state, the seat belt retractor is covered by the body pillar in a first area towards the vehicle interior.In a second area, there is no body pillar between the seat belt retractor and the interior of the motor vehicle, since the seat belt retractor is arranged behind the receiving opening, particularly in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The two areas can be of different sizes. In particular, the seat belt retractor can also be arranged completely behind the receiving opening when installed, so that no first area is present.

[0003] In the event of a side crash in which one of the vehicle's accident partners collides with the vehicle from the side, particularly in the area of ​​the B-pillar, the seat belt retractor can be pushed out of the receiving opening, i.e. the shell window, and moved into the interior, i.e. the area of ​​an occupant, due to this arrangement.

[0004] To increase the mechanical strength and crash safety of body pillars, various concepts are already known in the state of the art: CN 209 870 527 U describes how a B-pillar can be reinforced with an internal reinforcement plate to which the seat belt retractor is attached. In the vehicle's vertical direction, the reinforcement plate is arranged below the receiving opening for inserting the seat belt retractor into the B-pillar. In the vehicle's transverse direction, the reinforcement plate is positioned between the seat belt retractor and an outside surface of the body pillar facing the outside.

[0005] DE 10 2018 215 364 B4 also describes a reinforcement for a body pillar to improve crash safety. Here, the seat belt retractor is attached to an inner sheet metal part of the body pillar. One or more reinforcement bolts and a reinforcing sheet metal part are provided between an outer sheet metal part facing the vehicle's exterior and the seat belt retractor.

[0006] In addition, IN 201911054007A describes a body pillar in which a local reinforcement plate is fixed to the inside of the cover between the seat belt retractor and a cover oriented toward the interior of the vehicle. This plate is made of plastic and has ribs that run perpendicular to the cover when installed. The reinforcement plate is intended to absorb crash energy in the event of a side impact. The reinforcement plate is intended to strengthen the cover of the body pillar so that intrusion into the vehicle interior and cracks in the cover are prevented in the event of a side impact.

[0007] However, the methods described in the prior art for improving crash safety have the disadvantage that reinforcing the seat belt retractor and a part of the body pillar facing the environment, i.e., the outside, is only possible with significant modification effort, especially retrofitting. Specifically, the body pillar would have to be structurally modified for this purpose. Furthermore, the plastic reinforcement described in IN 201911054007A, which is mounted on the cover inside the body pillar, only achieves a slight increase in crash safety.

[0008] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to address an improved body of a motor vehicle which, in particular, offers increased crash safety for passengers in a simple manner and with subsequently foreseeable means.

[0009] To achieve this object, in a body of the type mentioned at the outset, the invention provides that a retaining structure is fixed to the body pillar towards the interior, which at least partially overlaps the receiving opening.

[0010] As explained above, the receiving opening is a shell window in the body pillar, which is open toward the interior of the motor vehicle and through which the seat belt retractor can be inserted into the receiving space of the body pillar for installation. According to the invention, the area in which the seat belt retractor is arranged behind the receiving opening, i.e., not covered by the body pillar toward the interior, is overlapped by the retaining structure. In other words, the receiving opening is at least partially closed or covered by the retaining structure.

[0011] In the event of a crash in which a vehicle involved in the accident collides with the side of the motor vehicle, particularly in the area of ​​the body pillar, the restraint structure can advantageously prevent the seat belt retractor from being displaced through the receiving opening into the interior as a result of the collision. The seat belt retractor and attachments of the seat belt retractor, which in particular serve to fix it to the body pillar, can therefore be held back in the receiving opening and thus in the body pillar by the restraint structure. In particular, the restraint structure can prevent the seat belt retractor and its attachments, such as its bracket, from rotating out of the receiving opening and towards the interior. In other words, the restraint structure can advantageously prevent the seat belt retractor or attachments of the seat belt retractor from protruding into the interior.Furthermore, the restraint structure can prevent a cover of the body pillar towards the interior of the motor vehicle from being damaged, in particular from being torn open, by a displacement of the seat belt retractor, and thus endangering occupants.

[0012] In one embodiment, the body pillar is a B-pillar. However, the body pillar can also be any other pillar of the body with a seat belt retractor and a receiving opening. Typically, the seat belt retractor in the case of a front seat, i.e. a vehicle seat in the front row of seats of the motor vehicle, is fixed to the side next to the vehicle seat in a body pillar. This body pillar is then generally the B-pillar. Especially when the seat belt retractor is provided in the B-pillar, there is a certain potential danger for a person sitting in the vehicle seat due to the proximity of the seat belt retractor, particularly in the event of a side impact. Therefore, especially when the body pillar is a B-pillar, the restraint structure can increase the safety of the occupants.

[0013] After the seat belt retractor has been installed, the restraint structure can be subsequently secured to the body pillar. A conventional body pillar can be used as the body pillar. Structural modification of the body pillar is not required to attach the restraint structure. Thus, the solution according to the invention enables a particularly cost-effective and easily implemented safety improvement, which is particularly applicable to any body pillar with a receiving opening for a seat belt retractor.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the retaining structure is fixed to the body pillar with at least one screw. Preferably, the retaining structure is fixed to the body pillar with two screws, each provided at an opposite end of the retaining structure. Instead of screws as fastening means, any other common type of fixation is also conceivable, which preferably can absorb high forces. For example, the retaining structure can be additionally or alternatively fixed to the body pillar by one or more rivets and / or by welding.

[0015] However, securing it with at least one screw offers the advantage of non-destructive removal of the restraint structure from the body pillar. Non-destructive removal of the restraint structure is advantageous because, for example, a defective seat belt retractor can be easily replaced.

[0016] Specifically, the restraint structure can be secured with at least one screw, which simultaneously secures the seat belt retractor to the body pillar. In other words, after assembly, both the restraint structure and the seat belt retractor are secured to the body pillar with the at least one screw. This eliminates the need for additional holes in the body pillar, thus reducing the mechanical strength of the body pillar. Furthermore, fewer, in particular no, additional screws are required to secure the restraint structure to the body pillar. Overall, this reduces manufacturing costs and effort.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the retaining structure is an elongated strut made of metal, particularly aluminum or steel. By keeping the retaining structure as simple as possible, costs and effort can be kept to a minimum during production. For production, the retaining structure can be sawn, cut, or punched from a metal part, for example. Subsequently or simultaneously, it can be shaped into the desired form, particularly by embossing, bending, and / or pressing.

[0018] By using metal, in particular aluminum or steel, even with a strut having a comparatively small cross-section, a mechanical strength can be achieved that is sufficiently high to retain the seat belt retractor in the body pillar, particularly in the event of a crash-related load.

[0019] The retaining structure preferably has a three-dimensional shape other than a flat profile, in particular a square profile. For example, the retaining structure can be an elongated strut whose cross-section has a T-shape or U-shape perpendicular to a longitudinal direction along which it extends. Any common shape that can be produced from a, in particular flat, metal part by forming can be considered as a three-dimensional shape. Advantageously, the retaining structure has a three-dimensional shape, which, after being fixed to the body pillar, provides it with high rigidity, in particular a high bending resistance moment, in the transverse direction of the vehicle or from the seat belt retractor to the interior. For this purpose, the retaining structure can be provided with at least one bead. Additionally or alternatively, the retaining structure can be a, in particular flat, hollow profile.To simplify the manufacture of the retaining structure, it can be made of the same material as the body pillar.

[0020] In one embodiment, the retaining structure extends at least substantially along a vehicle vertical direction or at least substantially along a vehicle longitudinal direction over the receiving opening.

[0021] To counteract displacement of the seat belt retractor even under particularly large forces, the restraint structure can be cross-shaped. For this purpose, the restraint structure can also be multi-part. For example, it can be constructed from two or more crossed longitudinal profiles. The restraint structure can then extend at least substantially along the vehicle's vertical and transverse directions over the receiving opening.

[0022] In addition to the body, the invention also relates to a motor vehicle having a body according to the invention. The features, embodiments, and advantages described for the body according to the invention can be transferred to the motor vehicle according to the invention, and vice versa.

[0023] Further features, advantages, and details of the present invention are explained below using specific embodiments and the figures. The figures are schematic representations and show: Fig. 1 a motor vehicle with a body according to the invention, Fig. 2 a first embodiment of a body pillar of the body according to the invention from Fig. 1 with a receiving opening and a retaining structure, and Fig. 3 a second embodiment of a body pillar of the body according to the invention from Fig. 1 with a receiving opening and a retaining structure.

[0024] Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of a motor vehicle 1 with a body 2 according to the invention. The body 2 has a body pillar 3, which in the present case is a B-pillar 4 and in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is shown in detail. Body pillar 3 does not have to be B-pillar 4. It can also be any other pillar of body 2.

[0025] Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show the body pillar 3 of the left side of the motor vehicle 1, viewed from the front of the motor vehicle 1, from the perspective of an interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1, which is enclosed by the body 2. Usually, the body pillar 3 of the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 is covered by a cover towards the interior 5. This cover has been omitted from the figures to reveal the body shell of the motor vehicle 1, i.e., the body pillar 3 itself. For better orientation, a coordinate system is shown in each figure, which defines a vehicle longitudinal direction 100, a vehicle vertical direction 200, and a vehicle transverse direction 300.

[0026] The motor vehicle 1 in Fig. 1 has a front row of seats 6 and a rear row of seats 7. In order to be able to securely fasten a person in the front row of seats 6 to a vehicle seat 8 using a safety belt, a safety belt retractor 9 is mounted laterally next to the respective vehicle seat 8 in the body pillar 3, in this case the B-pillar 4. This is in the Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. For mounting the seat belt retractor 9, the body pillar 3 has a receiving space 10 and a receiving opening 11, or rather, a shell window. The seat belt retractor 9 can be inserted from the interior 5 into the receiving space 10 through the receiving opening 11, which is open toward the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1.

[0027] In Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the seat belt retractor 9 is already inserted into the receiving space 10 in an end position and fixed to the body pillar 3 with screws 12. The seat belt retractor 9 is arranged in the receiving space 10 such that it is covered by the body pillar 3 in a first region 13 (shown in dashed lines) towards the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1. In the first region 13, the body pillar 3 is arranged between the seat belt retractor 9 and the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1 in the vehicle transverse direction 300. In a second region 14, the seat belt retractor is arranged behind the receiving opening 11 in the vehicle transverse direction 300, so that there is no body pillar 3 between the seat belt retractor 9 and the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1.This arrangement of the seat belt retractor 9 can result in the seat belt retractor 9 being pushed out of the body pillar 3 through the receiving opening 11 or rotating out of the body pillar 3 with the second area 14 through the receiving opening 11 in the event of an accident, in particular a side impact in which a party involved in the accident collides with the motor vehicle 1 from the side in the area of ​​the B-pillar 4. The seat belt retractor 9 and its holder (see the sheet metal from the seat belt retractor 9 to the screw 12 located at the top in the vehicle's vertical direction 200) could then be moved into the interior 5 and endanger persons present therein.

[0028] To prevent the seat belt retractor 9 from shifting or rotating toward the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1, a retaining structure 15 is fixed to the body pillar 3 toward the interior 5, at least partially overlapping the receiving opening 11. In the present case, the retaining structure 15 is thus fixed to the body pillar 3 in the vehicle transverse direction 300 between the seat belt retractor 9 and the interior 5. It prevents the seat belt retractor 9 from moving out of the receiving space 10 of the body pillar 3 through the receiving opening 11.

[0029] The restraint structure 15 is an elongated strut, which in this case is made of metal, specifically aluminum. It can alternatively also be made of other materials. However, the restraint structure 15 is preferably made of metal in order to have sufficiently high mechanical strength, in particular rigidity, or a sufficiently high bending resistance moment, so that the seat belt retractor 9 can be retained by the restraint structure 15 in the body pillar 3. In order to increase the rigidity and the bending resistance moment of the restraint structure 15 in the vehicle transverse direction 300, the restraint structure 15 has a three-dimensional shape that differs from a flat profile, in particular a square profile. The shape of the restraint structure 15 can be adapted as desired for this purpose, with hollow profiles also being possible.In the present case, the strut-shaped retaining structure 15 has a T-shaped cross-section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction along which it extends. This cross-section can alternatively also be U-shaped.

[0030] For particularly simple and cost-effective production of the retaining structure 15, it is preferably punched or cut from a single metal part and subsequently or simultaneously stamped or pressed into the desired three-dimensional shape. Preferably, the body pillar 3 and the retaining structure 15 are made of the same material.

[0031] The retaining structure 15 is in both embodiments ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3) are each fixed to the body pillar 3 with screws 12. As an alternative to screwing, other types of fastening are also conceivable, which are particularly suitable for absorbing high forces. For example, the restraint structure 15 can be attached additionally or alternatively by riveting and / or welding. However, the use of screws 12 offers the advantage that the restraint structure 15 can be removed from the body pillar 3 without causing any damage. In the event of a defective seat belt retractor 9, it can therefore be replaced more easily, since the restraint structure 15 can be easily removed from the body pillar 3, in particular by hand.

[0032] For assembly, the retaining structure 15 in the embodiment of the Fig. 2 following the assembly of the safety belt retractor 9, the receiving opening 11 is screwed to the body pillar 3. In the embodiment of the Fig. 3, the restraint structure 15 is screwed to the body pillar 3 by means of the screws 12 together with the safety belt retractor 9. While the restraint structure 15 in Fig. 2 is fixed to the body pillar 3 by additional screws 12, the retaining structure 15 is screwed into Fig. 3 with the screws 12, which simultaneously fix the safety belt retractor 9 to the body pillar 3. Thus, Fig. 3 an embodiment in which the retaining structure 15 is fixed to the body pillar 3 particularly efficiently, without the need for additional screws 12.

[0033] As an alternative to the illustrated elongated strut shape, the retaining structure 15 can be cross-shaped, in particular formed by two intersecting struts. In this case, the retaining structure 15 can overlap the receiving opening 11 at least substantially in the vehicle's longitudinal direction 100 and in the vehicle's vertical direction 200. This can increase the restraining force that can be applied by the retaining structure 15 and used to counteract a displacement of the seat belt retractor 9 toward the interior 5 of the motor vehicle 1.

[0034] Because the restraint structure 15 extends over the receiving opening 11 toward the interior 15, i.e., is located between the body pillar 3 and the interior 5, no complex modification of the body pillar 3 is required to increase crash safety. The restraint structure 15 can be retrofitted to any body pillar 3 with a receiving opening 11 and a seat belt retractor 9. QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] CN 209 870 527 U

[0004] DE 10 2018 215 364 B4

[0005]

Claims

[1] Body (2) of a motor vehicle (1) comprising at least one body pillar (3) with a receiving space (10) and a safety belt retractor (9) mounted in the receiving space (10) as well as a receiving opening (11) which is open towards an interior space (5) of the motor vehicle (1) enclosed by the body (2) and through which the safety belt retractor (9) can be inserted into the receiving space (10), characterized by that a retaining structure (15) is fixed to the body pillar (3) towards the interior (5), which at least partially overlaps the receiving opening (11). [2] Body (2) according to claim 1, characterized by that the body pillar (3) is a B-pillar (4). [3] Body (2) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the retaining structure (15) is fixed to the body pillar (3) with at least one screw (12). [4] Body (2) according to claim 3, characterized bythat the retaining structure (15) is fixed with at least one screw (12), by means of which the safety belt retractor (9) is simultaneously fixed to the body pillar (3). [5] Body (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the retaining structure (15) is an elongated strut made of metal, in particular aluminum or steel. [6] Body (2) according to claim 5, characterized by that the retaining structure (15) has a three-dimensional shape different from a flat profile, in particular a square profile. [7] Body (2) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the retaining structure (15) extends at least substantially along a vehicle vertical direction (200) or at least substantially along a vehicle longitudinal direction (100) over the receiving opening (11). [8] Motor vehicle (1) comprising a body (2) according to one of the preceding claims.

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