Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102015005895.9, filed May 8, 2015, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present disclosure pertains to a motor vehicle body with an outer skin formed from multiple body panels. These body panels may be mounted to a supporting structure of the body in a fixed or moveable manner. A filler piece is provided between a fixed panel and a movable panel or between two fixed panels. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Filler bodies can simplify the assembly of the motor vehicle body, fix example in that they conceal unsightly fastening portions of outer skin body panels. However, the filler pieces themselves also contribute to the assembly effort since each of these has to be fastened and before a filler piece can be fastened, a support has to be created on the body which is capable of providing the tiller piece with a secure hold. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0004]    The present disclosure is directed to a motor vehicle body with an outer skin that is joined from multiple body panels such as for example fenders, windshields and back windows. These body panels may be mounted to a supporting structure of the body in a fixed manner, such as fenders, windshields and back windows, or in a moveable manner, such as engine hood, trunk lids and doors. In order to offset manufacturing tolerances and in order to avoid that the body panels at their edges nib against one another because of different heat expansion coefficients, the body panels are mostly spaced from one another by a gap. With some of these gaps it is customary to fill these out with a filler piece in order for example to keep rain water away from the interior of the body or in order to conceal vehicle parts that are located behind the gap. For example, there are motor vehicle models which include a filler piece between a front or lower edge of an A-pillar panel and an engine hood adjoining thereon, or in the case of a gap between the A-pillar panel and a windshield, in particular near its lower edge, is closed by a filler piece. The present disclosure provides a motor vehicle body with which the assembly effort of filler pieces is reduced. In an embodiment, a motor vehicle body includes an A-pillar panel, an outer skin body panel, which together with an edge of the A-pillar panel delimits a gap. A windshield is adjacent to a longitudinal edge of the A-pillar panel. A filler piece includes a first portion configured to fill out the gap and a second portion configured to conceal a gap between the longitudinal edge and the windshield. Accordingly, a single filler piece can fulfil the tasks that are conventionally assumed by multiple filler pieces, and the assembly effort is accordingly reduced corresponding to the number of filler pieces saved in this manner. 
         [0005]    Typically, the gap is located at a front lower end of the A-pillar panel. Since the A-pillar panel delimits both the gap to be filled out and also the gap to be concealed, the filler piece should preferably be positively engaged on the A-pillar panel in order to minimize the influence of production tolerances on the positioning of the filler piece. A positive engagement can be formed by at least one engagement protrusion of the filler piece and an opening of the A-pillar panel receiving the engagement protrusion. Since the A-pillar panel generally consists of flat material, the creation of an opening therein requires little effort. On the filler piece by contrast, when the same is injection-molded from plastic, the engagement protrusion is easily realizable. In particular, the opening can be formed in a flange that is angled off on the edge of the A-pillar panel. 
         [0006]    The first portion of the filler piece may include a U or angular profile having a first leg which butts up against the flange and a second leg extending from the flange in the direction of the outer skin body panel located on the other side of the gap opposite the flange. The second leg can extend, seen from outside the motor vehicle body, to behind the outer skin body panel. Accordingly, the gap is closed at least opaquely without a fixed contact to the outer skin body panel being necessary and any production tolerances between the A-pillar panel and the outer skin body panel rendering the fitting of the filler piece difficult. 
         [0007]    The second portion of the filler body is fixed on the longitudinal edge preferably by way of gluing. The strength of such a bond is only little dependent on the precision of the positioning of the second portion on the longitudinal edge so that production tolerances are also not very critical here. 
         [0008]    Preferably, the A-pillar panel includes a flange which extends along its longitudinal edge and to which the bond adheres. The bond can practically be formed by a double-sided adhesive tape. A side of this adhesive tape can be glued to the filler piece beforehand while the other side can be protected by a covering foil for as long as the filler body is being mounted to the motor vehicle body. 
         [0009]    Filling out the gap with a filler piece is particularly practical when the outer skin body panel, which is located opposite the A-pillar panel, is an engine hood and the filler piece can conceal parts of a hood hinge. The filler piece however could also be provided between A-pillar panel and a fender which towards the front and towards the bottom adjoins thereon. 
         [0010]    The filler piece is preferably molded in one piece. In order to be able to realize the possibly complex shape of the filler piece with a simple built mold it can be practical to provide a foil hinge between a first and second portion of the filler piece. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0011]    The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1  is a detail of a motor vehicle body; 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  illustrates the detail of  FIG. 1  from another perspective; 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  illustrates the lower front end of an A-pillar panel; 
           [0015]      FIG. 4  illustrates the A-pillar panel with filler piece mounted thereon; 
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a schematic section through the front edge of the A-pillar panel and the filler piece engaged thereon; 
           [0017]      FIG. 6  illustrates a first perspective view of the filler body; 
           [0018]      FIG. 7  illustrates a second perspective view, and 
           [0019]      FIG. 8  illustrates a third perspective view of the filler piece. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0020]    The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background of the invention or the following detailed description. 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  shows a lower front corner of a windshield  1  of a motor vehicle body, a rear corner of an engine hood  2  following the windshield  1  and a part of an A-pillar  3 , in a perspective view, seen across the engine hood  2 .  FIG. 2  shows the same detail from a substantially opposite direction wherein in each case below the A-pillar panel  3  and the engine hood  2  a piece of a front fender  4  is still visible. 
         [0022]    Gaps  5 ,  6  extend in the view of  FIG. 2  between a front edge  10  of the A-pillar panel  3  and the engine hood  2  or between lower edges  11  from A-pillar panel  3  and engine hood  2  on the one hand and the fender  4  on the other hand. The gap  5  is filled out by a filler piece  7  that is injection-molded from plastic which, as is visible in  FIG. 1 , forms a side wall of a water box  8  at the foot of the windshield  1  and from there extends to a flange  9  of the A-pillar panel  3 , which rises substantially vertically and orientated in vehicle longitudinal direction on the edge of the windshield  1 . 
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows, in the same perspective as in  FIG. 1 , the lower edge of the windshield  1  and the A-pillar panel  3  adjoining thereon without the engine hood  2  and without the filler piece  7 . On the front edge  10  of the A-pillar panel  3  a flange  12  is angled into the vehicle interior. The flange  12  is provided with two openings  13 . 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  shows the same detail of  FIG. 3 , however with filler body  7  mounted on the A-pillar panel  3 . The filler piece  7  includes a portion  14  in the form of a flat angle profile with a leg  15  butting up against the flange  12  and a leg  16 , which stands away obliquely from the flange  12  in order to bridge the gap  5  as far as to the rear edge of the engine hood  2  that is not shown in  FIG. 4 . 
         [0025]      FIG. 5  shows a schematic cross section through the portion  14  that is mounted on the flange  12  and the rear edge of the engine hood  2 . The leg  16  engages, seen from the outside, as far as to behind the engine hood  2  thereby barring any insight to the engine compartment for as long as the hood  2  is in the closed position. 
         [0026]      FIG. 4  shows two fastening feet  17  of the filler piece  7 , of which one is visible in section in  FIG. 5 . The fastening feet  17  each extend in extension of the leg  15 , and butting up flat against the flange  12 , each carry a fastening clip  18 . The fastening clips each have a stiff shank  19  emanating from the fastening foot  17  and two elastic wings  20 , which diverge arrow-like from the tip of the shank  19  in order to be pressed against one another when the fastening clip  18  is pushed into one of the openings  13  and by expanding again after passing the opening  13 , engage the filler piece  7  on the openings  13  of the flange  12 . 
         [0027]    Molded to the upper end of the elongated portion  14  is a plate-shaped portion  21  in one piece which, as is evident by comparing  FIGS. 4 and 3 , engages into a gap between the flange  9  and the windshield  1 . The plate-shaped portion  21  butts up against the flange  9  over a large area and is fastened to the same by gluing. A web  22  which stands away from a lower edge of the plate-shaped portion  21  engages below the windshield  1 . 
         [0028]    The  FIGS. 6-8  show the filler piece  7  for illustration of its shape in various perspective views. The perspective of  FIG. 6  is similar to those of  FIG. 4  and clearly shows the plate-shaped portion  21  and the elongated portion  14  with the fastening feet  17 ; the fastening clips  18  are hidden behind the fastening feet in the perspective of  FIG. 6 . 
         [0029]      FIG. 7  shows the filler piece  7  from a view direction which approximately corresponds to the arrow VII from  FIG. 6 . Visible is the surface of the plate-shaped portion  14  which in the mounted state faces the flange  9  with a piece of double-sided adhesive tape  23  adhering thereon The adhesive tape  23  can be directly glued onto the portion  21  following the injection-molding of the filler piece  7  and be protected by cover paper, which is only removed immediately before the filler piece  7  is installed in the vehicle. 
         [0030]    A second web  24  extends parallel to web  22  on the opposite surface of the plate-shaped portion  14 . The two webs  22 ,  24  can be embodied elastically and support the filler piece  7  on a surface of the supporting structure located below, for example the upper edge of a front wall extending between engine compartment and passenger cells. 
         [0031]    The view direction of  FIG. 7  is parallel to the plane of the leg  15  which for this reason is merely visible as a narrow strip; clearly visible are the legs  16  and the fastening clips  18 , which in each case on opposite sides project from the leg  15 . 
         [0032]      FIG. 8  shows the filler piece  7  seen from a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the leg  15  corresponding to the arrow VIII in  FIG. 7 . 
         [0033]    In order to be able to keep the molds used for injection-molding the filler piece simple, it can be practical to provide a film or foil hinge on the filler piece  7 , which makes possible adapting its shape prior to the installation in the vehicle. Fastening means for anchoring the filler piece on the vehicle should be provided on both sides of such a foil hinge, when for example such a foil hinge is provided along an edge  25  between the portions  14  and  21 , the one portion  14  can be fixed by way of engagement with the help of the fastening clips  18 , the other  21  through gluing by means of the adhesive tape  23 , and a secure seat of the entire filler piece  7  be ensured. 
         [0034]    While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Technology Category: b