CN113022746A

CN113022746A - Method for manufacturing vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN113022746A
Application number: CN202011448404.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: W.加斯曼; K.豪斯蔡尔德
Original assignee: Volkswagen AG
Current assignee: Volkswagen AG
Priority date: 2019-12-09
Filing date: 2020-12-09
Publication date: 2021-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-09
Also published as: DE102019219129A1; CN113022746B

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a vehicle, comprising a body pillar (3), to which functional elements (20, 21, 23, 24, 25) of a safety belt system (19) and a pillar trim (17) are fitted, wherein the body pillar (3) is connected to a door sill (1) at a door sill-side connection point (S) and to a vehicle roof structure (7) at a roof-side connection point (D), wherein the method comprises the following process steps, namely a body construction process step (K), wherein a body in white (41) is provided; a painting process step (L), in which the body-in-white (41) is painted; and a vehicle assembly process step (FM) in which the add-on is assembled on the body-in-white (41) and vehicle assembly is completed. According to the invention, the body pillar (3) forms a pre-assembly unit (VE) which is independent of the body-in-white (41), and the functional element (20, 21, 23, 24, 25) and/or the pillar finish (17) are pre-assembled in a pre-assembly process step (V).

Description

Method for manufacturing vehicle

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for producing a vehicle having a body pillar on which functional elements of a safety belt system and a pillar trim are fitted, wherein the body pillar is connected to a door sill at a door sill-side connection point and to a vehicle roof structure at a roof-side connection point, wherein the method has the following process steps, namely a body construction process step, wherein a body in white is provided; a painting process step in which the body-in-white is painted; and a vehicle assembly process step in which the add-on is assembled on the body-in-white and vehicle assembly is completed. The invention also relates to a vehicle having a body pillar which is connected to a roof structure of the vehicle at a roof-side connection point and to a door sill at a door sill-side connection point.

Background

The B-pillar of a two-track vehicle extends in the height direction of the vehicle between the vehicle roof structure and the floor side rocker of the vehicle. The B-pillar serves, on the one hand, to reinforce the lateral structure of the vehicle body, and, on the other hand, to which attachment parts, for example, functional elements of a seat belt system, etc., are attached. In addition, the B-pillar defines a front entrance of the vehicle and, if necessary, a rear entrance of the vehicle.

A method according to the invention for producing such a vehicle has the following process steps, in particular body construction process steps, in which a body in white is assembled from side modules, floor modules, and a roof module and a rear door frame (heckurt). The body-in-white thus constructed is subsequently subjected to a painting process step, in which the body-in-white is dip-coated, in particular in the KTL (electrophoretic dip coating) process. The vehicle assembly process step follows, in which the add-on is assembled on the body-in-white and the vehicle assembly is completed.

In a conventional process sequence, the body pillar is already welded to the body shell in a body construction process step, and the body shell is then fed into a painting process step. In a subsequent vehicle assembly process step, the painted body in white is fed into an assembly line, in which the functional elements of the seat belt system as a top-up and the pillar garnish are assembled. The assembly of these add-ons is achieved by manual installation. For manual installation, the worker is in an ergonomically unfavorable position in the vehicle interior of the vehicle body. The assembly therefore increases the work effort of the worker and is ergonomically disadvantageous.

A structural element for mounting on a vehicle structure is known from WO 01/70557 a1, in which the B-pillar has a load-bearing carrier element on which a facing component and a functional element of a seat belt system can be mounted. A structural element for mounting on a vehicle structure is known from EP 1265777B 1. Other body structures for vehicles are known from patent documents EP 1316484 a1 and EP 0730536B 1.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a vehicle, in which the installation of the functional elements of the seatbelt system can be carried out with reduced production time and/or reduced production effort compared to the prior art.

The object is achieved by a method according to the invention for producing a vehicle and a vehicle according to the invention having a body pillar, which vehicle is produced by the method according to the invention.

According to the invention, the assembly of the functional elements of the safety belt system and the assembly of the pillar garnish are no longer manually installed in mutually independent workstations of an assembly line in a vehicle manufacturing plant, which increases the work effort of the worker and is ergonomically disadvantageous. Instead, the body pillar is prefabricated as a separate pre-assembly unit from the body in white, on which the functional element and/or the pillar finish can be pre-assembled. A body-in-white is thus provided in the body construction process step, which is completely free of body pillars. The pre-assembled unit (i.e. the body pillar already equipped with functional elements and pillar facings) is only mounted on the white body during the vehicle assembly process steps.

In one technical implementation, the body pillar may be a B-pillar that, in conjunction with an a-pillar at the front of the vehicle and a C-pillar at the rear of the vehicle, defines a side door opening having a front access opening and a rear access opening. According to the invention, the B-pillar is installed only during the vehicle assembly process step. The two side door openings thus merge into one another without interruption in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle before the vehicle assembly process step is carried out.

According to the invention, the body-in-white, which is not assembled with the body pillars in the body construction process step, can be painted in a painting process step (for example in the KTL process). The coating process step is carried out separately from the painting process step, wherein the body pillar which is not yet equipped is coated separately from the body in white. After the coating process step, a preassembly process step is carried out, in which the functional element and/or the pillar finish are preassembled to form a preassembly unit.

The cladding process steps for individual vehicle bodies can also have a KTL process in which the body pillars that are not yet equipped are dip-coated. Alternatively, powder coating can be carried out, in which the body pillar is powder-coated without using the KTL process. For example, a black powder coating may be implemented at a vehicle manufacturing plant or supplier without the use of KTL. Such powder coatings have been used, for example, in crash cross members in the bumper region and in the cockpit region. The cost of applying such a powder coating is significantly lower than for expensive KTL coatings. For powder coatings, a simple powder coating is first carried out and then heated in a heating furnace. The fastening of the components can be achieved magnetically. In this case, the (invisible) rear side is first coated; the interior (facing the vehicle interior) is then coated. In this way, the track of the gripper is kept hidden within the body pillar.

In order to avoid damage to the body shell paint during the joining of the body pillar to the body shell, the joining process is preferably not carried out by a welded connection, but rather by a positive-fit or friction-fit connection, in particular a screw connection, wherein the body pillar is screwed onto the body shell in the connecting position on the sill side and on the roof side.

In order to provide accurate dimensional accuracy of the vehicle body despite the fact that the vehicle body pillars have not been mounted in the vehicle body construction process step and the painting process step, it is preferable to perform the painting process step particularly by using the auxiliary support member. The auxiliary support element can be supported during the painting process step in a conductive manner instead of a body pillar force between the vehicle roof structure and the door sill. The auxiliary support element can be removed from the body-in-white after the finishing of the painting process step. In this way, the occurrence of component warpage in the body-in-white can be avoided and sufficient body-in-white rigidity can be provided.

The body pillar, which is designed as a hollow support, can be formed from an inner panel located on the vehicle interior side in the vehicle transverse direction and an outer panel located on the vehicle exterior side. The inner and outer panels define a hollow profile closed in cross-section. The functional element and/or the pillar finish can preferably be attached to the inner panel of the body pillar during a pre-assembly process step.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

fig. 1 shows a two-track vehicle in a side view with a partial section;

FIG. 2 shows a side cross-sectional view of the B-pillar as viewed from a line of sight direction from the vehicle interior space;

fig. 3 shows the hollow support of the B-pillar separately, which is not yet equipped, i.e. without functional elements and pillar facings;

fig. 4 shows a sectional view along the sectional plane yz of fig. 1;

fig. 5 shows a sectional view along the sectional plane a _ a of fig. 4; and is

Fig. 6 shows a block diagram by which a process sequence for manufacturing a vehicle is indicated.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a two-track vehicle, wherein the side wall arrangement of the vehicle body is shown in a partially cut-out fashion in a vehicle region located in the middle in the longitudinal direction x of the vehicle. The vehicle body has a side sill 1. The B-pillar 3 of the side wall assembly is arranged between the a-pillar 5 and the C-pillar 14 in the vehicle longitudinal direction x and connects the door sill 1 of the vehicle body with the roof structure 7 in the vehicle height direction z. The B-pillar 3 serves on the one hand to reinforce the vehicle body and on the other hand to accommodate

functional elements

20, 21, 23, 24 of an attachment, such as a seat belt system 19, which are shown in fig. 2 or 4.

In fig. 2, the column cover 17 of the safety belt system 19 and the functional elements, namely the belt end fitting 21 for the underside of the safety belt 25, the belt deflection device 24 (shown only in fig. 4) and the belt retractor 20 and the height-adjustable deflection fitting 23, are mounted on the sheet metal hollow carrier 12 of the B-pillar 3, which is shown in dashed lines.

The construction of the B-pillar 3 is described below with reference to fig. 3 and 4. The B-pillar 3 therefore has the already mentioned hollow support 12 in fig. 3 or 4. The hollow support is formed according to fig. 4 from an inner panel 9 on the vehicle interior side and an outer panel 11 on the vehicle exterior side. The hollow carrier 12 formed by the inner plate 9 and the outer plate 11 defines a hollow profile 13 which extends in the vehicle height direction z and is substantially closed in cross section (see fig. 5). The reinforcing plate 15 extends in the vehicle height direction z within the hollow profile 13. According to fig. 3, in the inner panel 9,

fitting openings

6, 8 are formed, in which the belt tensioner 20 and the belt deflection device 24 can be positioned in each case. Furthermore, the inner plate 9 in fig. 3 has a mounting surface 10 for mounting a height-adjustable belt deflection device 23.

As can be seen from fig. 5, the cross sections of the outer plate 11 and the inner plate 9 of the B-pillar 3 are each shell-shaped and are flanged to one another at a joining flange 35.

According to fig. 1, the B-pillar 3 is screwed at its bottom section 39 to the sill 1 at a sill-side connection location S. The B-pillar 3 is screwed in the same way with its head section 37 to the vehicle roof structure 7 at the roof-side connection point D.

The process steps for manufacturing the vehicle shown in fig. 1 are indicated in the block diagram of fig. 6. The body-in-white 41, in particular the body-in-white without the B-pillar 3, is therefore first provided in a body construction process step K. The body-in-white 41 without the B-pillar 3 is subjected to a painting process step L, in which the body-in-white 41 is provided with a KTL coating. Independently of this, the hollow support 12, which is not yet equipped, is coated in a separate process step in a coating process step B independently of the body-in-white 41. The coating process step B may have, for example, a KTL process or alternatively a powder coating. After the coating process step B, a preassembly process step V is carried out, in which the

functional elements

20, 21, 23, 24, 25 of the safety belt system 19 and the pillar finish 17 are preassembled on the hollow carrier 12 of the B-pillar 3, in particular on the inner panel 9 of the B-pillar, so that a preassembly unit VE is formed as shown in fig. 4.

The pre-assembly unit VE is joined as an add-on to the body-in-white 41 in a subsequent vehicle assembly process step FM. For this purpose, according to fig. 4, the preassembled unit VE is placed from the outside of the vehicle in the joining direction F oriented in the transverse direction y of the vehicle against the roof structure 7 and the door sill 1 and is screwed to the body shell 41 at the connection points S, D on the roof side and the door sill side of the preassembled unit.

The core of the invention is that the hollow carrier 12 of the B-pillar 3 is a separate component of the pre-assembly unit VE with respect to the body-in-white 41. The above-mentioned belt functions 20, 21, 23, 24 and the pillar facing 17 are preassembled in the pre-assembly unit VE. Only in a vehicle assembly process step FM is the pre-assembly unit VE mounted on the body-in-white 41.

A body-in-white 41 (see fig. 6) provided without the B-pillar 3 may sometimes be susceptible to component warpage during the painting process step L. In order to avoid warping of the component during the painting process step L or to increase the rigidity of the vehicle body, an auxiliary support element 43, which is shown in dashed lines in fig. 6, can be provided. The auxiliary support element 43 can be supported during the painting process step L in a force-conducting manner instead of the body pillar 3 between the roof structure 7 and the door sill 1. After the completion of the painting process step L, the auxiliary support element 43 can be removed again from the body-in-white 41.

List of reference numerals

1 threshold

3B column

5A column

6 mounting opening for a belt steering device

7 roof construction

8 fitting opening for strap tensioner

9 inner plate

10 assembly surface

11 outer plate

12 hollow support

13 hollow section bar

14C column

15 reinforced plate

17 post veneer

19 seat belt system

20 belt tensioner

21 end fitting

23 height-adjustable steering fitting

24-belt steering device

25 safety belt

37 head section

39 bottom section

41 body in white

43 auxiliary support element

K vehicle body construction process steps

L step of the painting Process

B coating Process step

FM vehicle assembly process steps

VE preassembly unit

F direction of joining

S sill side connection position

D connecting position of roof side

V Pre-Assembly Process step

Claims

1. Method for producing a vehicle having a body pillar (3), to which functional elements (20, 21, 23, 24, 25) of a safety belt system (19) and a pillar trim (17) are fitted, wherein the body pillar (3) is connected to a door sill (1) at a door sill-side connection location (S) and to a vehicle roof structure (7) at a roof connection location (D), wherein the method has the following process steps, namely

-a body construction process step (K), in which a body-in-white (41) is provided,

-a painting process step (L), in which the body-in-white (41) is painted, and

-a vehicle assembly process step (FM) in which the add-on is assembled on the body-in-white (41) and the vehicle assembly is completed.

It is characterized in that the preparation method is characterized in that,

in a body construction process step (K), a body-in-white (41) is provided without a body pillar (3), such that the body pillar (3) forms a pre-assembly unit (VE) that is independent of the body-in-white (41), the functional element (20, 21, 23, 24, 25) and/or the pillar finish (17) is pre-assembled on the pre-assembly unit in a pre-assembly process step (V), and the pre-assembly unit (VE) is mounted on the body-in-white (41) in a vehicle assembly process step (FM).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the body pillar (3) is a B-pillar (3) which, together with an a-pillar (5) in the front of the vehicle and a C-pillar (14) in the rear of the vehicle, defines a side door opening and, before the vehicle assembly process step (FM) is carried out, the two side door openings transition into one another without interruption, in particular in the body-in-white (41), in the longitudinal direction (x) of the vehicle.

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the sill-side connection location (S) and/or the roof-side connection location (D) are realized as screw connection locations and in particular in the vehicle assembly process step (FM) the pre-assembly unit (VE) is mounted on the body-in-white (41) from the vehicle outside in the vehicle transverse direction (y).

4. Method according to one of claims 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the body-in-white (41) together with the not yet assembled body pillars (3) is painted in a painting process step (L), and in particular a coating process step (B) is carried out which is independent of the painting process step (L), in which the not yet assembled body pillars (3) are coated independently of the body-in-white (41), and in that a pre-assembly process step (V) is carried out after the coating process step (B), in which the functional elements (20, 21, 23, 24) and/or the pillar facings (17) are pre-assembled to form a pre-assembly unit (VE).

5. The method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the painting process step (L) has a KTL process, by means of which the body-in-white (41) is dip-coated, and the coating process step (B) is likewise a KTL process, by means of which the body pillars (3) which are not yet equipped are dip-coated, or alternatively is a powder coating, in which the body pillars (3) are powder-coated without using the KTL process.

6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that, in order to avoid component warpage or to increase the body rigidity, an auxiliary support element (43) can be provided in the body-in-white (41), which auxiliary support element is supported during the painting process step (L) instead of the body pillar (3) between the vehicle roof structure (7) and the door sill (1) in a force-conducting manner, and in that the auxiliary support element (43) is removed from the body-in-white (41) after the painting process step (L) is completed.

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body pillar (3) is designed as a hollow support (12) which is composed of an inner panel (9) located on the vehicle interior side in the vehicle transverse direction (y) and an outer panel (11) located on the vehicle exterior side, which define a hollow profile (13) closed in cross section, and in particular a functional part (20, 21, 23, 24, 25) and/or a pillar finish (17) is fitted on the inner panel (9).

8. Vehicle with a body pillar (3) which is connected to a roof structure (7) of the vehicle at a connection location (D) on the roof side and to a door sill (1) at a connection location (S) on the door sill side, wherein the vehicle is manufactured by the method of one of the preceding claims.