Sill panel for a motor vehicle

Abstract

A sill panel for a vehicle is fitted on the outside on an adjacent support part of a mounting structure and connected locally to the support part in upper and lower border areas. Clips, arranged at a distance from each other, are provided to fix the upper border area of the sill panel. In order to ensure both easy assembly with a secure hold in the mounting position and damage-free disassembly of the sill panel and the clips, the sill panel is guided up with its upper border area on the underside of an inwardly directed recess of the support part and is connected therewith via clips that are arranged in a covered fashion and extend in an upright direction. In order to disassemble the sill panel, its upper border area can be unbuttoned from the clips anchored on the support part by way of a sideways displacing motion of the sill panel.

1 . A sill panel for a vehicle which is to be fitted on an outside of an adjacent support part of a mounting structure comprising an upper border area and a lower border area by which the sill panel is connectable to the support part, wherein clips arranged at a distance from each other are provided in order to fix the upper border area of the sill panel, wherein, for assembly of the sill panel, the sill panel is guided up with its upper border area to an underside of an inwardly directed recess of the support part and is connected therewith in a covered arrangement via said clips, which extend in an upright direction, and wherein, for the disassembly of the sill panel, the upper border area can be unbuttoned from said clips, which are anchored in the support part, by a sideways displacing motion of the sill panel.  
   
   
       2 . The sill panel of  claim 1 , wherein the recess of the support part comprises an approximately horizontally or slightly diagonally extending, inwardly directed wall section, which connects to a chassis outer skin and on which openings for fixing the clips are arranged.  
   
   
       3 . The sill panel of  claim 1 , wherein the clips are preassembled on the sill panel in such a way that they are fixed in a transverse direction of the vehicle but can be displaced by a defined measure in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.  
   
   
       4 . The sill panel of  claim 2 , wherein locally inwardly directed retaining tabs for accommodating the clips are provided on the upper border area of the sill panel.  
   
   
       5 . The sill panel of  claim 4 , wherein the retaining tabs are aligned approximately parallel to the wall section of the support part.  
   
   
       6 . The sill panel of  claim 4 , wherein each retaining tab has an insertion opening for a sideways insertion of one of said clips.  
   
   
       7 . The sill panel of  claim 6 , wherein the insertion opening, seen in plan view, has a U-shaped or keyhole-shaped design.  
   
   
       8 . The sill panel of  claim 4 , wherein guide bars, which project upwardly and extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and which fix the clips in the transverse direction of the vehicle, are arranged on upper sides of the retaining tabs.  
   
   
       9 . The sill panel of  claim 4 , wherein each of the clips is supported by a plate-shaped support section running at a right angle with respect to a shaft section on an upper side of one of the retaining tabs and by a head section running approximately parallel thereto on an underside of the one of the retaining tabs.  
   
   
       10 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein the support section seen in plan view is configured in a rectangular shape and has two mutually spaced diagonally extending projecting cam areas on a side facing the support part.  
   
   
       11 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein the head section is configured in a rectangular shape and has two diagonally extending cam areas on a side facing the one of the retaining tabs.  
   
   
       12 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein the support section is relatively rigid and the head section can be deformed to a certain extent under the influence of a force.  
   
   
       13 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein a circular sealing ring is fitted on a free end of the shaft section, which rests under prestress on an upper side of the support section and an underside of the wall section.  
   
   
       14 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein downwardly projecting reinforcing fins are provided on an underside of the head section on a side facing the sill panel.  
   
   
       15 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein lateral wings extend from the head section so as to move the clip automatically into a correct mounting position when they come into contact with the sill panel.  
   
   
       16 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein a projecting nose for a correct positioning of the clip is configured on the side of at least one of the support section and the head section and faces away from the sill panel.  
   
   
       17 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein the lower border area of the sill panel is fixed on the mounting structure by detachable screw connections.  
   
   
       18 . The sill panel of  claim 9 , wherein, after releasing the screw connections, the head section of at least one of the clips is deformed in such a way by a downwardly or outwardly directed influence of force on the lower border area of the sill panel that an internal longitudinally extending edge of the support section slides over an internal guide bar of one of the retaining tabs, and the upper border area of the sill panel can be pulled out toward the outside.  
   
   
       19 . A process of assembling and disassembling a sill panel for a vehicle on an outside of an adjacent support part of mounting structure comprising: 
 guiding an upper border area of the sill panel up to an underside of an inwardly directed recess of the support part and connecting the sill panel therewith in a covered arrangement via clips that extend in an upright direction for assembly of the sill panel on the support part, and    unbuttoning the upper border area from the clips, which are anchored in the support part, by a sideways displacing motion of the sill panel for disassembly of the sill panel on the support part.    
   
   
       20 . The process of  claim 19 , wherein disassembly of the sill panel further includes releasing lower screw connections, and deforming head sections of the clips in such a way by a downwardly or outwardly directed influence of force on a lower border area of the sill panel that an internal longitudinally extending edge of the support section slides over internal guide bars of retaining tabs and the upper border area of the sill panel can be pulled out toward the outside.