Patent Description:
This invention relates to a car provided with front pillar covering elements.

A car comprises a body covering a passenger compartment that is arranged between the front wheels and the rear wheels and is provided with (at least) two seats each designed to receive a corresponding occupant; the body comprises, among other things, a front bumper, a front hood, a windshield delimiting the passenger compartment at the front, a roof covering the passenger compartment above, a rear window delimiting the passenger compartment at the back, a rear hood, and a rear bumper. On the side, the body has two sides that are provided with at least two corresponding doors, each of which is equipped with a corresponding window that can be opened. The body also comprises two front pillars, each of which delimits the windshield to the side, originates from the waistline (i.e., from the upper outer limit of the closed area from which the glass surfaces extend up high), and ends in the roof.

In almost all cars, the two front pillars have the same colour as the rest of the body (or at least as part of the rest of the body in the case of two-coloured bodies). For aesthetic reasons, it has been necessary to have just the two front pillars of a different colour (for example opaque black instead of shiny black) from the rest of the body so as to "disappear" (i.e., to be less noticed) in the middle of glass surfaces (in fact, each front pillar separates the windshield from a corresponding side window).

To obtain the two front pillars with a different colour to the rest of the body, the most widely known solution is to double paint the body to apply to the front pillars a different paint to the rest of the body; in any case, this solution is particularly costly especially when the production volumes are significant (and, thus, the painting operation is highly automated).

To obtain the two front pillars with a different colour from the rest of the body, it was proposed to cover the front pillars with a coloured adhesive film; in any case, this solution, though highly advantageous economically, obtains an acceptable aesthetic result, but not an excellent one.

The patent applications <CIT>, <CIT> and <CIT> describe a car having two covering elements, each of which covers a corresponding front pillar on the outside, comprises an outer cover visible from outside the car, and comprises a support structure that is glued to the outer cover and is firmly bound to the corresponding front pillar.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a car provided with front pillar covering elements and without the drawbacks described above.

According to this invention, a car provided with front pillar covering elements, according to that set forth in the appended claims, is provided.

The claims describe preferred embodiments of this invention forming an integral part of this description.

This invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings that illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof:.

In <FIG>, the reference number <NUM> indicates, as a whole, a car comprising a frame, which supports a pair of driven front wheels <NUM> (i.e., not driving) and a pair of driving rear wheels <NUM>. In a central position, there is an internal combustion engine, which produces torque that is transmitted to the rear driving wheels <NUM> via a transmission.

The frame is covered by a body <NUM> that covers a passenger compartment, which is arranged between the front wheels <NUM> and the rear wheels <NUM> and is provided with (at least) two seats each designed to receive a corresponding occupant; i.e., in the passenger compartment, there is always a driver to whom you may add (at least) one passenger (whose presence is, obviously, optional).

The body <NUM> comprises, among other things, a front bumper, a front hood <NUM> (covering a front luggage compartment), a windshield <NUM> delimiting the passenger compartment at the front, a roof <NUM> covering the passenger compartment above, a rear window <NUM> delimiting the passenger compartment at the back, a rear hood <NUM> (covering a rear engine compartment), and a rear bumper. On the side, the body <NUM> has two sides that are provided with corresponding doors <NUM>, each of which is equipped with a corresponding window <NUM> that can be opened. The body also <NUM> comprises two front pillars <NUM>, each of which delimits the windshield <NUM> to the side, originates from the waistline (i.e., from the upper outer limit of the closed area from which the glass surfaces extend up high), and ends in the roof <NUM>.

According to what is better illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the body <NUM> comprises a rear spoiler <NUM> that constitutes a seamless extension of the roof <NUM> towards the rear of the car; i.e., the rear spoiler <NUM> is arranged behind the roof <NUM> and is seamlessly connected to the roof <NUM> (i.e., without appreciable steps or empty spaces).

The front pillars <NUM> have the function of supporting (containing) the windshield <NUM> to the side and supporting the roof <NUM> at the front, while the rear pillars <NUM> have the function of supporting (containing) the rear window <NUM> to the side and supporting the roof <NUM> at the rear. In other words, the roof <NUM> has four support points: two support points defined by the front pillars <NUM> and two support points defined by the rear pillars <NUM>. The two front pillars <NUM> may directly support the roof <NUM> (or may be directly connected to the roof <NUM>) or may indirectly support the roof <NUM> (or may end in a horizontal crossbar on which the roof <NUM> rests).

According to what is illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, the car <NUM> comprises two covering elements <NUM> of the front pillars <NUM>; i.e., each covering element <NUM> covers and hides from the outside the corresponding front pillar <NUM> so that the front pillar <NUM> cannot be seen from the outside.

According to what is illustrated in <FIG>, each covering element <NUM> covers a corresponding front pillar <NUM> on the outside, comprises an outer cover <NUM> visible from the outside of the car <NUM>, and comprises a support structure <NUM>, which is glued to the outer cover <NUM> and is firmly attached to the corresponding front pillar <NUM>. In other words, in each covering element <NUM>, only the support structure <NUM> is directly fixed to the corresponding front pillar <NUM> while the covering element <NUM> is glued to the support structure <NUM>.

According to what is illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, the support structure <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> comprises multiple eyelets <NUM> (in particular, four eyelets <NUM>), each of which is engaged by a screw <NUM> (illustrated in <FIG>), which is integral to the corresponding front pillar <NUM>. According to a preferred embodiment, each screw <NUM> engages a corresponding nut to lock the corresponding front pillar <NUM>; alternatively, the nut is attached (welded) to the corresponding front pillar <NUM>, or the corresponding front pillar <NUM> has a threaded hole that is engaged by the screw <NUM>. According to a preferred embodiment, at each screw <NUM> calibrated compensation shims with variable dimensions may be inserted that make it possible to compensate for construction tolerances and, therefore, make it possible to confer the desired position to the outer cover <NUM>.

According to a preferred embodiment illustrated in <FIG>, each covering element <NUM> comprises three inserts <NUM> (preferably with the shape of a parallelepiped), each of which is glued to the outer cover <NUM> next to the support structure <NUM> and consists of an elastically compressible plastic material. In each covering element <NUM>, the inserts <NUM> are compressed and elastically deformed between the outer cover <NUM> and the corresponding front pillar <NUM> to seal any openings existing between the outer cover <NUM> and the corresponding front pillar <NUM>; i.e., the inserts <NUM> are "filling" inserts that can be adapted that seal any openings between the outer cover <NUM> and the corresponding front pillar <NUM>. In this way, the presence of the inserts <NUM> makes it possible to insulate the front pillar <NUM> (thus, the passenger compartment) from infiltrations of air and humidity and from the passage of external noise.

The outer cover <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> has a series of projections <NUM> (teeth) that are arranged below an edge of the windshield <NUM>; in particular, the outer cover <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> has three projections <NUM> arranged at a certain distance from each other. In other words, through the projections <NUM> each covering element <NUM> is slotted on one side below an edge of the windshield <NUM>. <FIG> illustrates a cross section made outside the projections <NUM> (that cannot be seen in <FIG>) while <FIG> illustrates a cross section made at one projection <NUM> (that is, thus, visible in <FIG>). In particular, in <FIG> and <FIG>, a gasket <NUM> of the windshield <NUM> and an adhesive <NUM> that glues the windshield <NUM> to the corresponding front pillar <NUM> are also visible. There is one seal <NUM>, which is closed in a ring on itself and completely surrounds the windshield <NUM> on all sides. The adhesive <NUM> that is placed between the windshield <NUM> and each front pillar <NUM> and is arranged more inside the gasket <NUM>, i.e., is arranged on the opposite side of the covering element <NUM> compared to the gasket <NUM>.

In other words, a gasket <NUM> is provided that is placed between the windshield <NUM> and each front pillar <NUM> and is shaped so as to create a space configured to receive the projections <NUM> of the corresponding outer cover <NUM>. In particular, the gasket <NUM> has, in cross section, an "L" shape having a short side that connects the windshield <NUM> to each front pillar <NUM> and a long side that faces the outside of the windshield <NUM>, is perpendicular to the short side, and delimits the space configured to receive the projections <NUM> of the corresponding outer cover <NUM>.

The presence of the projections <NUM> that, projecting from the outer covers <NUM> of the covering elements <NUM> are slotted below the windshield <NUM>, makes it possible both to ensure a firm mounting (i.e., without weaknesses) of the covering elements <NUM>, and to disassemble (when necessary) the covering elements <NUM> in a relatively simple and quick way without running the risk of undesired breakages or chipping of components.

According to what is illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, a pair of gaskets <NUM> is provided, each of which is mounted (slotted) on a corresponding front pillar <NUM> and engages a corresponding side window <NUM>. According to a preferred embodiment, each gasket <NUM> is fixed (slotted) to the support structure <NUM> as well of a corresponding covering element <NUM>.

According to what is illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, each front pillar <NUM> is box-shaped (or empty inside) and consists of two sheets <NUM> and <NUM> joined together (typically via welding).

According to a preferred embodiment, the outer cover <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> is made of a moulded plastic material (and externally painted with the desired colour) while the support structure <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> is made of a metal material (alternatively, the support structure <NUM> of each covering element <NUM> could also be made of a moulded plastic material).

The embodiments described herein may be combined between them without departing from the scope of protection of this innovation.

Numerous advantages are achieved with the car <NUM> described above.

In the first place, the car <NUM> described above makes it possible to have a colour of the front pillars <NUM> different to that of the rest of the body <NUM>.

In addition, the car <NUM> described above makes it possible to obtain a different colour of the front pillars <NUM> in a simple and cost-effective way (especially without requiring the body <NUM> to be painted twice) while managing to have an excellent aesthetic result (in certain ways better than what can be obtained by the paint applied to the metal body).

The covering elements <NUM> of the car <NUM> described above ensure a firm mounting (i.e., without weaknesses) and very precise (thanks to the possibility of also using compensation shims that make it possible to compensate for construction tolerances).

Claim 1:
A car (<NUM>) comprising:
two front wheels (<NUM>);
two rear wheels (<NUM>);
a passenger compartment arranged between the front wheels (<NUM>) and the rear wheels (<NUM>);
a body (<NUM>) comprising: a windshield (<NUM>) delimiting the passenger compartment at the front, a roof (<NUM>) covering the passenger compartment at the top, and two front pillars (<NUM>), each delimiting the windshield (<NUM>) on the sides; and
two covering elements (<NUM>), each of which covers a corresponding front pillar (<NUM>) on the outside, comprises an outer cover (<NUM>) visible from the outside of the car (<NUM>) and comprises a support structure (<NUM>), which is glued to the outer cover (<NUM>) and is firmly constrained to the corresponding front pillar (<NUM>);
the car (<NUM>) is characterised in that the outer cover (<NUM>) of each covering element (<NUM>) has a series of projections (<NUM>) that are arranged below an edge of the windshield (<NUM>) and are arranged at a given distance from each other.