Optimized assembly process for front end

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular arrangement for assembling at least one part of a motor vehicle with - a body module (31), - a first front body module (30) comprising a front wall (4) and at least one front body component (1) and at least one interior component (2) attached thereto, wherein - the first front module (30) is attached to the body module (31), characterized by - a second front-end module (5) comprising a strut mount (18) and at least one system component (22, 23) not part of the body, wherein - the first front body module (30) has a first mounting interface (6) for attachment to the second front body module (5), and - the second front body module (5) has a second mounting interface (7) for mounting to the first mounting interface (6) of the first front body module (30), as well as a third mounting interface (11) for mounting to a front end module (10) and a fourth mounting interface (32) for mounting to the body module (31).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a modular arrangement for assembling at least one part of a motor vehicle. The modular arrangement comprises a body module and a front-end module with a front bulkhead and at least one front-end component and at least one interior component attached thereto, the front-end module being attached to the body module. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle and a method for assembling a motor vehicle.

[0002] German patent application DE 10 2004 035 530 A1 discloses a modular body construction in which a front section is mechanically connected to the remaining body modules. These connections can be made, for example, by bolting. The vehicle body comprises a front section and a passenger compartment, which are bolted or bonded together. The bolting is done exclusively perpendicular to the vehicle plane, and the bonding is done exclusively within the vehicle plane. This allows the front section to be adjusted relative to the passenger compartment in both the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle during assembly, thus compensating for tolerances.

[0003] Document WO 2022 / 023443 A2 describes a modular motor vehicle comprising at least three structural modules, wherein two adjacent structural modules of the motor vehicle are detachably connected to each other in both the longitudinal and transverse directions. The motor vehicle comprises at least three structural modules, wherein a rear axle module includes at least one first drive, and wherein a front axle module includes an asynchronous motor effectively connected to at least one wheel of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle may have a first extension module and a second extension module.

[0004] It is therefore known to mount pure body modules in the longitudinal direction (X-direction) of the vehicle. Furthermore, there are conceptual approaches where the entire front end is mounted in the X-direction. The aim here is to relieve the main assembly line and the body shop. However, a disadvantage of this approach is the routing of the cables, as connection points are required between the individual modules, especially for high-voltage, but also for 12V lines. Consequently, assembly is correspondingly expensive and requires a large amount of installation space. Such a concept is not feasible, particularly for compact, low-profile vehicles.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to further optimize the assembly process of a motor vehicle.

[0006] The problem is solved by the subject matter of the independent patent claims. Advantageous further developments of the invention are described by the dependent patent claims, the following description, and the figures.

[0007] According to the invention, a modular arrangement is provided for assembling at least one part of a motor vehicle. Modules are self-contained component groups that can be joined together, for example, during motor vehicle manufacturing. The modules can be connected to each other, for example, by screws, rivets, and / or adhesive bonds.

[0008] The modular arrangement according to the invention comprises a body module. This module is generally also referred to as the body shell.

[0009] Furthermore, the modular arrangement comprises a first front-end module, which has a bulkhead and, attached to it, at least one front-end component and at least one interior component. The first front-end module is generally designed for direct mounting to the body module and is often also referred to as the bulkhead module. The first front-end module has at least one system component not part of the body, in particular a (self-contained) subsystem of the vehicle. For example, this subsystem could be an air intake, a 12-volt battery, a braking system, an electrical system, and the like. The first front-end module is therefore not merely a body component, but a module that, in addition to any load-bearing function, also has an electrical, hydraulic, or pneumatic function for the vehicle.

[0010] The first front-end module is attached to the body module. Before assembly, the first front-end module is separate from the body module. Both modules can be joined together, for example, by gluing, screws, and / or rivets.

[0011] Furthermore, the modular arrangement according to the invention comprises a second front-end module, which has a strut mount and at least one system component not part of the vehicle body. The strut mount serves as a body part to support a strut (spring-damper unit). The system component not part of the vehicle body, such as a refrigeration circuit component and / or an air conditioning compressor, is attached to the front-end module. Like the first front-end module, the second front-end module therefore has not only a purely structural or load-bearing function, but also an additional electrical, hydraulic, pneumatic, etc. function.

[0012] Furthermore, the first front-end module is designed to have a first mounting interface for attachment to the second front-end module. This mounting interface serves not only to transmit mechanical forces from one module to the other, but also to transmit one or more additional functions, such as the aforementioned electrical function, and so on. In particular, the first mounting interface is designed such that the second front-end module can be mounted to the first front-end module in the X-direction. Such axial mounting is advantageous with regard to rear-end collisions and the like.

[0013] Furthermore, the second front-end module of the modular arrangement according to the invention has a second mounting interface for mounting to the first mounting interface of the first front-end module, as well as a third mounting interface for mounting to a front module and a fourth mounting interface for mounting to the body module. Preferably, the second mounting interface and / or the third mounting interface are again designed for mounting in the X-direction. This would allow the entire front end, including the first front-end module, the second front-end module, and the front-end module, to be mounted in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This results in improved crash performance.

[0014] Advantageously, the front end is divided into two modules, so that, in particular, the strut mount(s) do not obstruct the assembly process when mounting the first front end module to the body module. Equipping the second front end module with at least one non-body-integrated system component is also easier when it is not yet connected to the first front end module. Overall, this simplifies and optimizes the assembly of the vehicle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the second front-end module has two strut mounts with a transverse structure between them, on which the external system component is attached. The second front-end module thus has a strut mount for each side of the vehicle. Between these is the transverse structure, which can also be described as a table or connecting bridge. The external system component, and optionally one or more other self-contained subsystems, can be pre-assembled on this structure before the second front-end module is mounted to the first. The second front-end module can therefore be easily fitted with one or more external system components.

[0016] In another embodiment, the second front-end module may have two longitudinal members. This gives the second front-end module one or more additional body functions. The longitudinal members are aligned longitudinally with the vehicle and are typically symmetrical to the vehicle's central axis. For example, a strut mount is attached directly to each longitudinal member. This allows the second front-end module to absorb longitudinal forces.

[0017] In another embodiment, the second front-end module has a fender liner at each strut mount. A fender liner serves as a support structure for the respective fender. This gives the second front-end module an additional body function. These features also do not impede the mounting of the first front-end module to the body module, even if the second front-end module is subsequently mounted to the first.

[0018] In another embodiment, the system component not integrated into the vehicle body may include a refrigeration unit and / or an air conditioning compressor. As mentioned above, these two components can be pre-mounted on the second front-end module. However, these two system components are only examples. Similarly, a 12-volt battery, a braking system, and many other components could be pre-mounted on the second front-end module.

[0019] The above problem is also solved by a motor vehicle manufactured with a modular arrangement as described above. This means that the front section is attached to the body module in a modular fashion. Optionally, a front-end module is also attached to the second front section module at the front of the vehicle. Preferably, all modules are mounted in the X-direction. Thus, the entire motor vehicle can be manufactured in a simple manner.

[0020] The above task is also solved by a method for assembling a motor vehicle. First, a modular arrangement, as described above, is provided. In the first assembly step, the first front-end module is attached to the body module. This completes the first part of the front end, before the front end is further assembled in a subsequent step. Specifically, in a second step following the first, the second front-end module is attached to the first front-end module and to the body module in the longitudinal direction (X-direction), creating a complete module. This means that the front end is assembled onto the body module in two steps. As mentioned, assembly in the longitudinal direction offers crash safety advantages.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the method according to the invention can be supplemented with a third step following the second. In this third step, a drive train and chassis are attached to the overall module from below in the vehicle's vertical direction (Z-direction). This third step is typically also referred to as the "marriage." Advantageously, any coupling points for the drive train only need to be accessible from below.

[0022] In another embodiment, a high-voltage battery is also mounted to the body module or overall module from below in the direction of the vehicle's height in the third step. This means that the third step can be divided into two sub-steps, whereby in a first sub-step the powertrain and in a second sub-step the high-voltage battery are mounted to the front of the vehicle or the body module from below.

[0023] In a further advantageous embodiment, a fourth step following the third step involves attaching a front-end module to the second front-end module in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front section of the vehicle is thus completed by the front-end module. This module is again mounted in the longitudinal direction (X-direction), which brings the aforementioned advantages.

[0024] One or more intermediate steps can be carried out between the second and third steps mentioned above. In such an intermediate step, for example, the front end can be further completed by installing a 12-volt wiring harness, mounting a refrigeration circuit on the firewall, and / or installing an air intake and body braces.

[0025] For use cases or application situations that may arise during the procedure and are not explicitly described here, it may be provided that, according to the procedure, an error message and / or a request for user feedback is issued and / or a default setting and / or a predetermined initial state is set.

[0026] The invention also includes the control device for an assembly system. The control device can comprise a data processing device or a processor circuit configured to execute an embodiment of the method according to the invention. For this purpose, the processor circuit can comprise at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). In particular, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) can be used as the microprocessor. Furthermore, the processor circuit can comprise program code configured to execute the embodiment of the method according to the invention when performed by the processor circuit.The program code can be stored in a data memory of the processor device. The processor device can be based, for example, on at least one circuit board and / or on at least one SoC (System on Chip).

[0027] The invention also includes further developments of the method according to the invention, which have features already described in connection with the further developments of the modular arrangement according to the invention or the motor vehicle according to the invention. For this reason, the corresponding further developments of the method according to the invention are not described again here.

[0028] The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as a motor vehicle, in particular as a passenger car or truck, or as a passenger bus or motorcycle.

[0029] The invention also includes combinations of the features of the described embodiments. The invention therefore also includes realizations that each exhibit a combination of the features of several of the described embodiments, provided that the embodiments have not been described as mutually exclusive.

[0030] The following are exemplary embodiments of the invention described. This is illustrated by: Fig. 1. A flowchart for an optimized assembly process of a front end; Fig. 2 a first front-end module; Fig. 3 a body module; Fig. 4 the first front-end module mounted to the body module; Fig. 5 a second front-end module; Fig. 6. The second front-end module is mounted to the first front-end module; Fig. 7 Chassis and drivetrain mounted to the second front module and the body module and Fig. 8 a front end module mounted to the second front vehicle module.

[0031] The exemplary embodiments described below are preferred embodiments of the invention. In these exemplary embodiments, the described components each represent individual features of the invention, which can be considered independently of one another and each further develops the invention independently. Therefore, the disclosure is intended to include combinations of features of the embodiments other than those shown. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by further features of the invention already described.

[0032] In the figures, identical reference symbols denote functionally equivalent elements.

[0033] Fig. Figure 1 shows, in principle, the assembly of a front section of a motor vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment. In a first step S1, a first front section module 30 (exemplarily in Fig. 2 shown) to a body module 31 (example in Fig. (3 shown) is mounted. The first front-end module 30 has one or more front-end components 1 and one or more interior components 2, which are attached to a bulkhead 4. In addition to the bulkhead 4 and the components 1, 2, the first front-end module can also have a windshield crossmember.

[0034] In a second step S2, a second front-end module 5 is mounted in the X-direction, i.e., in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, from the front to the first front-end module 30 and to the body module 31. For this purpose, the first front-end module 30 has a first mounting interface 6, and the second front-end module 5 has a second mounting interface 7 as well as a fourth mounting interface 32 (e.g., on a longitudinal member 21). The first mounting interface 6 and the second mounting interface 7 are attached to each other in the second step S2. Furthermore, the fourth mounting interface 32 is used in the second step S2 to attach the second front-end module 5 to the body module 31.

[0035] In a third step S3, a chassis 8 with drive train and, if necessary, a high-voltage battery 9 can be mounted from below in the vehicle upward direction (Z-direction) to the module combination 30, 31, 5.

[0036] Finally, in a fourth step S4, a front-end module 10 is mounted to the second front-end module 5 or the chassis 8 in the X-direction. For this purpose, the second front-end module 5 can have a third mounting interface 11 and the front-end module 10 a fourth mounting interface 12, which are mounted together in step S4.

[0037] Fig. Figure 2 shows a detailed perspective view of a first front-end module 30 in an exemplary embodiment. For example, this first front-end module 30 is pre-assembled on a bulkhead 4 with several front-end components 1, such as an air intake 13, a 12-volt battery 14, a brake system 15, and a wiring harness 16, as well as with several interior components 2. The first front-end module 30 can therefore also be referred to as a bulkhead module.

[0038] Fig. Figure 3 shows a body shell or body module 31 in an exemplary detailed design. This body module 31 typically has a footwell crossmember 17 to which the first front-end module 30 can be mounted.

[0039] Fig. Figure 4 shows the first front module 30 in a state mounted to the body module 31.

[0040] Fig. Figure 5 shows a second front-end module 5 in an exemplary detailed embodiment. This second front-end module 5 has a strut mount 18 on each side. These are connected to each other via a bridge or table 19 that extends transversely across the vehicle. A fender liner 20, for example, is mounted on the forward-facing section of each strut mount 18. A longitudinal member 21 runs along the underside of the second front-end module 5 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle beneath each strut mount 18. The components 18 to 21 mentioned above primarily perform mechanical functions and therefore belong to the vehicle body.

[0041] In contrast, the second front-end module 5 also includes system components not related to the vehicle body. In the specific example of Fig. 5. This is a refrigeration circuit component 22 and an air conditioning compressor 23. Both system components not integrated into the body are pre-assembled here on table 19 between the struts 18. This means that these two subsystems 22 and 23 will be mounted to the first front-end module 30 in step S2. They are then indirectly connected to it.

[0042] Fig. Figure 6 shows the three modules 30, 31 and 5 assembled together after step S2. Like the two Fig. 4 and Fig. As Figure 6 clearly shows, the struts 18 would significantly impede the assembly of the first front-end module 30 to the body module 31. Therefore, dividing the front end into a first front-end module 30 and a second front-end module 5, which are assembled sequentially, offers significant assembly advantages. A further advantage is that the drive system or chassis does not obstruct the assembly of the second front-end module 5 to the first front-end module 30 in the second step S2, as it is not yet assembled in this state.

[0043] Fig. Figure 7 shows the detailed state of the motor vehicle after the third step S3, in which the chassis 8, including the drive and, if applicable, the high-voltage battery 9, is mounted from below in the Z direction to the existing modules, i.e., a complete module 30, 31, and 5. In this state, the electrical system bag 16 is also already disassembled and the cables are routed. This can be done even before the so-called "marriage," in which the chassis 8 is mounted to the body. The worker has in this state Fig. 6. There is sufficient space to route the electrical system because the chassis 8 and the drive unit are not yet installed. Further components in the front end can also be completed before the third step S3. In particular, a strut brace 24 can be mounted to bridge the gap between the opposing strut mounts 18. Furthermore, the wiper 25 and other components can also be mounted on the front end.

[0044] Fig. Figure 8 shows the vehicle after the fourth assembly step S4, in which the front-end module 10 is mounted to the second front-end module 5. The front-end module 10 has, for example, a headlight 26, a radiator 27, and a crossmember structure 28 on each side of the vehicle.

[0045] The advantageous division of the front end into several modules allows for highly automated and efficient assembly of the vehicle.

[0046] Overall, the examples show how an optimized assembly process for a motor vehicle can be implemented.

Claims

[1] Modular arrangement for assembling at least one part of a motor vehicle with - a body module (31), - a first front body module (30) comprising a front wall (4) and at least one front body component (1) and at least one interior component (2) attached thereto, wherein - the first front module (30) is attached to the body module (31), characterized by - a second front-end module (5) comprising a strut mount (18) and at least one system component (22, 23) not part of the body, wherein - the first front body module (30) has a first mounting interface (6) for attachment to the second front body module (5), and - the second front body module (5) has a second mounting interface (7) for mounting to the first mounting interface (6) of the first front body module (30), as well as a third mounting interface (11) for mounting to a front end module (10) and a fourth mounting interface (32) for mounting to the body module (31). [2] Module arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the second front body module (5) has two strut mounts (18) with a transverse structure (19) arranged between them, on which the system component (22, 23) not part of the body is attached. [3] Module arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second front vehicle module (5) has two longitudinal members (21). [4] Module arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the second front body module (5) has a fender bank (20) at each strut mount (18). [5] Module arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the system component not part of the body comprises a refrigeration circuit unit (22) and / or an air conditioning compressor (23). [6] Motor vehicle manufactured with a modular arrangement according to one of the preceding claims. [7] Method for assembling a motor vehicle by - Providing a module arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 5, - in a first step (S1): Attaching the first front-end module (30) to the body module (31), - in a second step following the first (S2): Attaching the second front module (5) to the first front module (30) and to the body module (31) in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle, creating a total module (5, 30, 31). [8] Method according to claim 7 with a third step (S3) following the second: attaching a powertrain and chassis (8) from below in vehicle upward direction to the overall module (5, 30, 31). [9] Method according to claim 8, wherein in the third step (S3) a high-voltage battery (9) is also mounted to the body module (31) from below in the vehicle upward direction (Z). [10] Method according to claim 8 or 9 with a fourth step (S4) following the third step: Attaching a front end module (10) to the second front body module (5) in the longitudinal direction (X) of the vehicle.

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