Method of manufacturing a vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

A method for producing a motor vehicle and a correspondingly produced motor vehicle having a modular construction, in which a substructure and at least one superstructure module are produced independently of one another and are subsequently permanently connected together.

Claims

1. A method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising: producing a substructure and at least one superstructure module of the motor vehicle, the substructure and the superstructure module each having at least one edge region; painting at least the edge region of the substructure and/or the edge region of the superstructure module; and connecting, via an adhesive, the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of superstructure module, after the painting of at least the edge region of the substructure and/or the edge region of the superstructure module, wherein the substructure and the superstructure module are positioned relative to one another by way of a tolerance-compensating screw connection, so that the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module are fixed in the relative position thereof by way of the tolerance-compensating screw connection during curing of the adhesive, the entire tolerance-compensating screw connection being disposed at a position entirely outside of the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module comprises bridging a spacing between the substructure and the superstructure module via the tolerance-compensating screw connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance-compensating screw connection comprises an automatic tolerance-compensating system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance-compensating screw connection comprises a sleeve with a first internal thread configured for insertion into the substructure or the superstructure module.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the tolerance-compensating screw connection comprises an adjusting element with an internal thread and an external thread configured for screwing into the first internal thread of the sleeve.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the tolerance-compensating screw connection comprises a screw with an external thread configured for screwing through the superstructure module or the substructure into the internal thread of the adjusting element and the sleeve.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the tolerance-compensating screw connection comprises: a sleeve with a first internal thread configured for insertion into the substructure or the superstructure module; an adjusting element with an internal thread and an external thread configured for screwing into the first internal thread of the sleeve; and a screw with an external thread configured for screwing through the superstructure module or the substructure into the internal thread of the adjusting element and the sleeve.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substructure has a tongue in the edge region of the substructure and the superstructure module has a groove in the edge region of the superstructure module such that the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module are connectable by introducing an adhesive into the groove as an adhesive bath and then introducing the tongue into the adhesive bath.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the tongue comprises holes to permit adhesive to pass therethrough.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the superstructure module has a tongue in the edge region of the superstructure module and the substructure has a groove in the edge region of the substructure such that the edge region of the superstructure module and the edge region of the substructure are connectable may be connected by introducing an adhesive into the groove as an adhesive bath and then introducing the tongue into the adhesive bath.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the tongue comprises holes to permit adhesive to pass therethrough.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising keeping the tolerance-compensating screw connection in the motor vehicle.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein: the superstructure module includes a first side wall and a second side wall having the edge region of the superstructure module; and the tolerance-compensating screw connection being to connect the first side wall to the substructure while avoiding direct physical contact with the second side wall.

14. A method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising: producing a substructure and at least one superstructure module of the motor vehicle, the substructure and the superstructure module each having at least one edge region; painting at least the edge region of the substructure and/or the edge region of superstructure module; connecting, via an adhesive, the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module, after the painting of at least the edge region of the substructure and/or the edge region of the superstructure module; and connecting, via a non-adhesive, the substructure and the superstructure module, wherein the substructure and the superstructure module are positioned relative to one another by way of a tolerance-compensating screw connection, so that the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module are fixed in the relative position thereof by way of the tolerance-compensating screw connection during curing of the adhesive, the entire tolerance-compensating screw connection being disposed at a position entirely outside of the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: the superstructure module includes a first side wall and a second side wall having the edge region of the superstructure module; and the tolerance-compensating screw connection being to connect the first side wall to the substructure while avoiding direct physical contact with the second side wall.

16. A method for producing a motor vehicle, comprising: painting a substructure of the motor vehicle; painting a superstructure module of the motor vehicle independently of the painting of the substructure; connecting, via an adhesive, an edge region of the substructure and an edge region of the superstructure module, after the painting of the substructure and the painting of the superstructure module; and permanently connecting, via a tolerance-compensating screw connection, a base part of the substructure and a wall part of the superstructure module by positioning the substructure and the superstructure module relative to one another via the tolerance-compensating screw connection so that the edge regions of the substructure and the superstructure module are fixed relative to one another by way of the tolerance-compensating screw connection during curing of the adhesive, the entire tolerance-compensating screw connection being disposed at a position entirely outside of the edge region of the substructure and the edge region of the superstructure module.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein: the superstructure module includes a second wall part having the edge region of the superstructure module; and the tolerance-compensating screw connection avoiding direct physical contact with the second wall part.

Description

DRAWINGS

(1) Embodiments will be illustrated by way of example in the drawings and explained in the description below.

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a sectional view of a sill of a motor vehicle in accordance with embodiments, and the result of a method in accordance with embodiments.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view in a further cutting plane of the sill of FIG. 1.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a sectional view of the sill of FIG. 1, in accordance with embodiments.

(5) FIG. 4 illustrates a detailed view of an adhesively-bonded connection which may be used in a method in accordance with embodiments.

DESCRIPTION

(6) As illustrated in FIG. 1, a substructure 1 is shown to the right of the dashed line, the substructure 1 comprising a first base part 11, a second base part 12, a third base part 13, and a carpet 14 mounted on the third base part 13. Arranged between the second and third base parts 12, 13, are electrical cables 15 which are laid below the carpet 14. A superstructure module 2 is shown to the left of the dashed line, the superstructure module 2 comprising a first side wall part 16, a second side wall part 17, a first sill cladding part 18 and a second sill cladding part 19.

(7) The first base part 11 and the first side wall part 16 are permanently connected together by way of a tolerance-compensating screw connection 5. The tolerance-compensating screw connection 5 passes through an opening of the second side wall part 17 and bridges a spacing between the first base part 11 and the first side wall part 16. The tolerance-compensating screw connection 5 comprises a sleeve 6, an adjusting element 7, and a screw 8. The sleeve 6 has a first internal thread and is configured for insertion into an opening of the first side wall part 16 of the substructure 1. The adjusting element 7 has an internal thread and an external thread, and is configured to be screwed into the internal thread of the sleeve 6 and/or fastened by way of a cage to the sleeve 6. The screw 8 has an external thread which is configured to be screwed through an opening of the first side wall part 16 of the superstructure module 2 into the internal thread of the adjusting element 7 and the sleeve 6.

(8) The substructure 1, particularly, the second base part 12, and the superstructure module 2, particularly, the first side wall part 16 and the second side wall part 17, have two edge regions 3 which are already immersion painted (not illustrated), and are connected by way of adhesive 4. In the edge region 3, as illustrated in FIG. 1 at the top, parallel bonding surfaces thereof are adhesively-bonded together, and in the edge region 3 illustrated at the bottom of FIG. 1, the first side wall part 16 forms a groove 10 filled with adhesive 4, and thus, an adhesive bath, into which a tongue 9, namely the edge of the second base part 12, is immersed in order to become adhesively-bonded in this manner.

(9) FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view in a further cutting plane of a sill of FIG. 1, and shows that in this further cutting plane, in which there is no tolerance-compensating screw connection 5, the first side wall part 16 and the first sill cladding part 18, which serves to cover the tolerance-compensating screw connections, are connected together by way of connecting elements 21. Together with the sill cladding part 19 and the second side wall part 17 they form an assembly and/or a superstructure module 2.

(10) FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a sill or a further cutting plane of the same sill of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein an adhesive bath is used in both edge regions 3, and in each case, the superstructure module 2 forms a groove for the adhesive bath and the substructure 1 forms a tongue which is immersed into the adhesive bath.

(11) As illustrated in FIG. 4, a tongue 9 submerged into an adhesive bath and a parallel bonded edge region 3, may have one or more openings, and thus, may be formed as a perforated flange so that adhesive 4 may pass through the openings in order to strengthen the connection further. The edges of the superstructure module forming a groove 10 have oblique guide surfaces 20 as an insertion aid for securely joining said edges and for collecting escaped adhesive.

(12) The term “coupled” or “connected” may be used herein to refer to any type of relationship, direct or indirect, between the components in question, and may apply to electrical, mechanical, fluid, optical, electromagnetic, electromechanical or other connections. In addition, the terms “first,” “second,” etc. are used herein only to facilitate discussion, and carry no particular temporal or chronological significance unless otherwise indicated.

(13) Those skilled in the art will appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad techniques of the embodiments may be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while the embodiments have been described in connection with particular examples thereof, the true scope of the embodiments should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, specification, and following claims.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(14) 1 Substructure 2 Superstructure module 3 Edge region 4 Adhesive 5 Tolerance-compensating screw connection 6 Sleeve 7 Adjusting element 8 Screw 9 Tongue 10 Groove 11 First base part 12 Second base part 13 Third base part 14 Carpet 15 Electrical cables 16 First side wall part 17 Second side wall part 18 First sill cladding part 19 Second sill cladding part 20 Oblique guide surface 21 Connecting element