Abstract:
A motor vehicle body, having a roof module which is placed onto a support structure and is adjoined by a lid (engine hood) for closing a space (engine compartment on an end region of the body, the lid being held on the body via a bearing arrangement in the vicinity of the roof module. In order to position the lid in relation to the adjacent roof module with relatively little technical outlay, the bearing arrangement is arranged directly on the roof module and can therefore already be prefitted to the roof module before the roof module is placed onto the support structure.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention relates to a motor vehicle body.  
       BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
       [0002]     A supporting structure having a roof module which is placed onto it and which is adjoined by an engine hood mounted in the vicinity of the roof is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,334,252. In this case, the bearing arrangement of the engine hood is arranged directly on the roof module and can therefore be already prefitted to the roof module before the roof module is placed onto the supporting structure. Arranged above a structural component comprising—a longitudinal member and a wheel housing plate—are two lateral bearing consoles for the bearing arrangement, which bearing consoles run above the wheel housing. In this case, the roof columns are supported on supporting surfaces of the door pillars, and the bearing consoles are supported on supporting surfaces of the structural component of the supporting structures.  
         [0003]     A body which is assembled essentially from large-size partial modules, a roof module is placed, is already known from German Patent No. 35 40 814. In the assembled state of the body, the front, lower end of the roof module is adjoined by an engine hood for closing the engine compartment on the front end region of the body, the lid being held on the body via a bearing arrangement arranged in the vicinity of the roof module. In this case, on account of manufacturing tolerances when joining the roof module to the other partial modules, it is possible only with an increased technical outlay to position the engine hood or similar lid, which is fastened to the support structure, precisely in relation to the adjacent roof module.  
         [0004]     The present invention is based on the object of providing a body in which the lid can be positioned in relation to the adjacent roof module with relatively little technical outlay.  
         [0005]     In the case of the body proposed according to the invention, the bearing arrangement of the lid or of the engine hood is arranged directly on the roof module, so that the lid can be positioned precisely relative to the adjacent roof module in a relatively simple manner and with a high-quality impression being conveyed. Manufacturing tolerances which arise when the roof module is joined to the support structure therefore have no effect on the position of the lid relative to the adjacent roof module.  
         [0006]     A technically particularly favorable bearing arrangement comprises in each case a bearing which is fastened to the associated roof column of the roof module, via which a positionally precise and stable mounting of the lid on the roof module can be ensured.  
         [0007]     A particularly stable support of the bearing is provided by means of bearing consoles which are arranged at the lower ends of the roof columns as an extension thereof. In this case, the bearing consoles preferably rest on supporting surfaces of the support structure, so that both a good supporting of the bearing consoles with the bearings and of the entire roof module is achieved via the roof columns. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]      FIG. 1  shows a perspective exploded illustration of the support structure of the motor vehicle body according to the invention, which support structure is assembled from large-size partial modules  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  shows a further perspective exploded illustration of the support structure which is assembled from partial modules and is lined with outer panel parts.  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  shows a perspective view of a roof module, the front roof columns of which comprise at their lower end bearing consoles for the bearing arrangement of the engine hood.  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  shows an enlarged side view of a bearing of the bearing arrangement for the engine hood. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]      FIG. 1  shows, in a perspective exploded illustration, a support structure  10  of a motor vehicle body which is assembled from a plurality of large-size partial modules which are described in more detail below. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, the partial modules of the support structure  10  are produced in each case from a plurality of sheet-metal parts which are joined together; at the same time, however, the partial modules may also be premanufactured in different constructions, for example as a “space frame”, as plastic parts, metal cast parts, as components in a “sandwich construction” or the like. In particular, combinations of different constructions for the partial modules which are fitted together are also conceivable, depending on the application and loading. The individual modules are connected in particular via bonding connections, welding connections or the like. At the same time, other customary connections, such as screw connections or the like are conceivable.  
         [0013]     A basic module  12  of the support structure  10  essentially comprises a body floor  14  which is bounded laterally by longitudinal members  16 . The basic module  12  reaches forward as far as column sections  18  of front wall columns  20  which protrude upward from the respectively associated front ends of the lateral longitudinal members  16 . The body floor  14  of the basic module  12  ends at a considerable distance behind the front end of the basic module  12  or behind the column sections  18  of the front wall columns  20 . At the rear, the basic module  12  ends behind rear wheel houses  22  above which wall regions  24  of the particular rear side wall are arranged. The basic module  12  is already equipped as far as possible with the other partial modules before it is fitted together.  
         [0014]     A front end module  26  which belongs to the front crumple zone of the motor vehicle and is supported in a crash stable manner on the basic module  12  is connected to the basic module  12 . For this purpose, the front end module  26  comprises a front end region  28  of the body floor  14 , which extends between lateral longitudinal member sections  30  of the front end module  26 . At the front, the front end region  28  of the body floor  14  ends at a front end wall  32  of the passenger cell, which wall extends from the front end region  28  of the body floor  14  to approximately level with the side wall edge of the support structure  10 . The end wall  32  is bounded laterally by column sections  34  of the front wall columns  20  that protrude upward from the lateral longitudinal member sections  30  of the front end module  34 . At the front end of the front end module  34  front longitudinal members  36  and front side wall regions  38  can be seen. The front end module  26  is forwardly adjoined by a front module  40  which is partially illustrated in  FIG. 2  and comprises, for example, the front bumper.  
         [0015]     A roof module  42 , which can be seen in overall view in  FIG. 3 , can be placed onto the basic module  12  and the front end module  26  and here comprises lateral A-columns  44 , lateral roof columns  46  in the region of the roof  43 , and C-columns  48 . The lower ends of the A-columns  44  and of the C-columns  48  are connected to one another via a respective cross member element  50 . When the support structure  10  is assembled, the A-columns  44  are supported in a manner also explained below both on the basic module  12  and on the front end module  26 . At the rear, the lower ends of the C-columns  48  are supported on the respectively assigned upper end of the wall regions  24 , the modules  12 ,  42  being connected to each other, for example, by means of a bonding connection.  
         [0016]     At the rear, the basic module  12  is adjoined by a rear module  52  which, when the support structure  10  is assembled, belongs together with the rear end region of the basic module  12  to the rear crumple zone of the motor vehicle and bounds a trunk to the rear. To the rear, the rear module  52  is adjoined by a rear end module  54  with a rear bumper which can be partially seen in  FIG. 2 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  illustrates, in a further perspective exploded illustration, the support structure  10  which is assembled from the partial modules  12 ,  26 ,  42  and  52  and, in the region of the front and rear wings  56 ,  58  and of the sill  60 , is lined with outer panel parts of plastic, sheet metal or the like. The A-columns  44 , the lateral roof columns  46  and the C-columns  48  are lined with column lining parts  62 ,  64 . The roof module  42  is adjoined by a lid in the form of an engine hood  66  with which an engine compartment  68 , which is provided within the front end module  26 , is closed upward. In this case, the lid  66  is held in the vicinity of the roof module  42  via a bearing arrangement  69 , explained in more detail with reference to  FIG. 4 , with two bearings  70 .  
         [0018]     The roof module  42  can be seen in a perspective view of  FIG. 3 , the front roof columns  44  of which are provided at their lower end with bearing consoles  72  on which the bearings  70  of the engine hood  66  are supported. The bearing consoles  72  may be produced, for example, from a box profile.  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  shows an enlarged side view of a bearing  70  of the bearing arrangement  69  for the engine hood  66  at the lower end of the A-column  44  of the roof module  42 . From the basic module  12 , the longitudinal member  16  and the upwardly protruding column section  18  are connected along a joining surface  74  to the longitudinal member section  30  and, respectively, to the column section  34  of the front end module  26 . In this case, the longitudinal member sections  16 ,  30  and the column sections  18 ,  34  of the basic module  12  and of the front end module  26  each have a cross-sectionally closed box profile, so that, after the box profiles assigned to one another in each case have been joined together, lateral longitudinal members  16  and door columns  20  having a doubled box profile, which is doubled in cross section and is approximately 8-shaped, are produced.  
         [0020]     The two A-columns  44  of the roof module  42  are supported on supporting surfaces  76  of the front end module  26  via the bearing consoles  72  and are supported on supporting surfaces  80  of the basic module  12  via rear, lower end sections  78  of the roof columns  44 . In this case, the supporting surfaces  80  of the basic module  12  are formed by the upper ends of the column sections  18 . The respective supporting surfaces  76 ,  80  of the front end module  26  and of the basic module  12  are arranged offset in height with respect to one another. In this case, the bearing consoles  72  are fastened on the associated supporting surfaces  76  and the end sections  78  are fastened on the associated supporting surfaces  80  preferably by a bonding connection, with it being possible in addition for mechanical connections to be provided.  
         [0021]     The bearings  70  of the lid are supported on the upper side  84 , which is flat here, of the bearing consoles  72 , said bearings here essentially in each case comprising a hinge  86  with which the lid  66  is mounted pivotably about the pivot axis A on the support structure  10 . The hinge  86  comprises a hinge part  88  which can be connected to the lid  66 , and a hinge part  90  which is fastened on the bearing console  72 . A screw connection, with which the hinge  86  or the lid  66  can be adjusted relative to the roof module  42 , is particularly suitable for fastening the hinge part  90  on the bearing console  72 .  
         [0022]     Also to be considered as being included within the scope of the invention is the fact that, in addition to the mounting (shown here) of the engine hood, the bearing arrangement is, of course, also suitable for the arrangement of other lids, for example of the trunk lid, on the roof module  42 .