Modular bus body assembly
A bus body is constructed from a combination of standard body modules selected from a plurality of standard types of modules. The standard body modules generally fit in more than one location longitudinally along the vehicle chassis.
1. Technical Field
The invention relates to motor vehicle body assembly and more particularly to a system and method of bus body assembly allowing differentiation in configuration using standard body sections.
2. Description of the Problem
Operators of coaches and busses, particularly school busses, often demand specialized body configurations in terms of the location for exit locations and types, body length, engine location (e.g. front engine, rear engine and conventional) and roof height. The current practice for bus construction provides for assembly of a body frame on top of a chassis and then applying a skin over the body frame. This process requires first building a floor structure as a foundation. Then roof bows, stringers and drip rails are raised on the floor assembly to make the body's skeleton. Next, outer and inner sheet metal panels are applied to the skeleton enclosing the body. Building vehicles in this manner to meet differing customer requirements has demanded custom layout, specification of and cutting body elements to fit the custom requirements. All of this variation minimizes the opportunity for use of repetitive construction techniques and makes automation of assembly difficult.
Automated assembly is made easier by application of a modular manufacturing strategy. Modular manufacturing strategies typically deconstruct a product line (including variations) into discrete sub-assemblies (modules), usually located with some degree of arbitrariness. When the modules are combined in various numbers and arrangements multiple product configurations are possible. This type of sub-assembly typically does not exhibit what is termed “functional cohesion”. An example of a sub-assembly module for a motor vehicle is the vehicle engine. An engine is part of a vehicle drive train and is regarded as a standard module in automotive and truck design. It is not a functionally cohesive module, however, because it cannot perform its intended function without a compatible cooling system, fuel system and transmission. When the engine is changed all of the associated drive train sub-assemblies are subject to change to accommodate the change of engine. A functionally cohesive module tolerates changes in other modules but still performs its function.
Where and how demarcations are made in defining sub-assembly units can control how functionally cohesive a sub-assembly is. A bus body may be divided into various kinds of sub-assemblies and remain “modular”. For example, a possible modular bus body might have floor, front end, side, rear end and roof modules. To accommodate customer requests for busses of different lengths the side, roof and floor modules would have to provided in different lengths. The sub-assemblies would lack cohesion. As a consequence, synchronization would be required in delivery of the parts for assembly, adding complexity to the manufacturing process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccording to the invention there is provided a bus body comprising a combination of longitudinal body sections. The longitudinal body sections are provided in a plurality of types from which the combination is drawn. A combination may include some or all of the types of body sections, and may include more than one example of a particular type of longitudinal body section. The types of longitudinal body sections include a section type adapted to fit on a chassis over a group of wheels, a section type including an auxiliary side door, a section type including a passenger boarding well and a section type having parallel fixed side walls. The section type having parallel fixed side walls is provided in at least two standard lengths. The types of longitudinal body sections are also provided in first and second predetermined heights. End caps and forward assemblies for closing the opposite longitudinal ends of the bus body are also provided.
Additional effects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description that follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIGS. 10A-B are bottom plan views of possible bus body configurations.
Referring now to
Body 25 is illustrated as comprising a plurality of section modules 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 which are arrayed lengthwise on the bus chassis. Modules 40 and 44 are repeated at different locations. The modules 40, 42, 44, 46, and 48 incorporate body elements, which are repeated from vehicle to vehicle, but which are not always located at the same longitudinal position on the bus, such as the passenger door 36 or a side auxiliary door 38. In body 25 passenger door 36 is incorporated in a longitudinal body module 42 positioned at the front end of bus body 25. In a front engine bus 24 the passenger cabin is disposed over both sets of wheels, namely front wheels 30 and rear wheels 32. Identical over wheel modules 40 may be used at each location, each module being long enough to incorporate three side windows 34 on each side. Three sections comprising uninterrupted side walls and windows 34 are designated as modules 44, 48. Two sections are provided by modules 44, one immediately behind front wheels 30 and the second behind rear wheels 32. A module 44 has two windows 34 to a side, and module 48, located between the forward module 44 and the auxiliary door module 46, is half again as long as one of modules 44 and has three windows 34 to a side.
The illustrated arrangement or combination of modules for bus 24 in
Bus body 25 is closed at opposite longitudinal ends by a front end section 26 and an end cap 28. Front ends and end caps are also interchangeable parts with other busses of the same type and height.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A-G, individual module types are illustrated. Individual types of body section modules include certain generic features, e.g. frames 50 for windows 34 and roof bows 52. Five basic types of body section modules are provided, with each type coming in one of two heights. The body section modules may have either a 78″ high roof or a 74″ high roof. The difference occurs in height differences between windows as exemplified between a body section module type 44 which has a window height of H, and body section module type 144, which has a window frame 50 height of H-4. Modules typically come in one of two lengths, determined by the number of roof bows 52 they have. The spacing between roof bows 52 determines the standard lengths for the various types of longitudinally intermediate body modules. Bows 52 are spaced by 27″ and a module includes either three bows 52 or four bows so that the length of a module is about 2 bow gaps (about 54″) or three bow gaps (about 81″), although other gap lengths are possible. Some of the modules are illustrated with exposed roof bows 252, while other sub-assemblies are completed with roof 152.
The five basic types of body section modules include a short-main body or short seating bay module 44 of two bow 52 gaps, characterized by side walls 54 which are uninterrupted from front to back. Similar to short main body module 44 is long main body or long seating bay module 48 which has four bows 52 for a length of three bow gaps and uninterrupted main side walls 154. A floor 60 forms the bottom of short main body section module 44 and a longer floor 160 provides the base for long main body module section 48. The three remaining body section modules serve more specialized functions, or, in the case of an over wheel body section module 40, are adapted to fit at particular points of the chassis. Over wheel body module 40 includes four roof bows 52 giving the unit approximately a three gap length. Over wheel body modules 40 are limited to positions over a vehicle's wheels, which means two modules are used for rear and front engine buses and one module is used over the rear wheels on busses with conventionally located engines. Over wheel body module 40 incorporates a floor 64 having wheel wells 66 on opposite sides of the module. Two sections relate to ingress and egress from a bus including a passenger door body module section 42, which includes a door well 58 in the floor 62 and a full height passenger door 36, allowing easy access from street level, and an auxiliary door body module 46, which incorporates a partial height door 38 with a lower edge substantially level with floor 60 of the module. The specialized modules come in one of two body heights, however, only one height is shown for the specialized section modules.
In addition to the body section modules, which are placed intermediate the front and rear ends of a bus, there are also end cap assemblies 28 and front end assemblies. These components are preexisting modules and come in one basic type (in two heights) for the rear end of the vehicle, shown in
The several body section modules illustrated in
Referring to
As described above, numerous combinations of intermediate section modules are possible.
The invention provides for configuring custom busses from a minimal number of standardized modules.
While the invention is shown in only one of its forms, it is not thus limited but is susceptible to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A bus comprising:
- a chassis; and
- a body constructed from a plurality of standardized body modules on the chassis, the standardized body modules being selected from a plurality of types of standardized body modules, the types of standardized body modules being pointable at more than one longitudinal location on at least one kind of chassis, the types of standardized body modules including, an overwheel module, a seating hay module, an auxiliary door module, and a side well door module.
2. A bus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the types of the standardized body modules are provided in standard lengths, including at least a longer length type and a shorter length type, the longer length type being half again as long as the shorter length type.
3. A bus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:
- a standardized end cap positioned to close a rear end of the bus body.
4. A bus as set forth in claim 3, further comprising:
- a selected one from a set of standard front end closures including a first for conventionally configured busses, a second for rear engine busses and a third for front engine busses positioned to enclose the body at its front end.
5. A bus as set forth in claim 4, the standardized body modules further comprising:
- forward and trailing edges turned inwardly to abut adjacent edges of one another when mounted end to end on the chassis.
6. A bus as set forth in claim 5, the standardized body modules further comprising flooring.
7. A bus as set forth in claim 6, the standardized body modules further comprising:
- framing for supporting a roof.
8. A method of constructing a bus bed, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing a bus chassis:
- providing a plurality of body intermediate section types, including; an over wheel section type, a side auxiliary exit type, a side well door type, and a bay seating type;
- selecting a sub-combination of intermediate section types which in number and intermediate section type occupy a predetermined length of the chassis when placed in longitudinal alignment; and
- attaching the sub-combination of intermediate section types in longitudinal alignment to the chassis.
9. A method of constructing a bus body as set forth in claim 8, wherein the intermediate section types are provided in one of two lengths, the longer length section type being half again as long as the shorter length section type.
10. A method of constructing a bus body as set forth in claim 9, further comprising the step of:
- providing a standardized end cap for closing an aft end of the bus body.
11. A method of constructing a bus body as set forth in claim 10, further comprising the step of:
- providing a plurality of standard front end closures Including a first for conventionally configured busses, a second for rear engine busses and a third for front engine busses.
12. A method of constructing a bus body as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of:
- closing the ends of the bus body with an end cap and one of the front ends,
13. A bus body comprising a combination of longitudinal body sections selected from a plurality of types of longitudinal body sections, the types of longitudinal body sections including a type adapted to fit on a chassis over wheels, a type having an auxiliary side door, a type having a passenger boarding well and a type having parallel fixed side walls.
14. A bus body as set forth in claim 13, further comprising the types of longitudinal body sections being of first and second predetermined heights,
15. A bus body as set forth in claim 14, further comprising first and second types of differing length having parallel fixed side walls.
16. A bus body as set forth in claim 15, further comprising end caps closing opposite longitudinal ends of the bus body.
17. A method of assembling bus bodies comprising the steps of:
- defining a plurality of coherent modules associated with differing longitudinal sections of a passenger bus body;
- assembling a plurality of coherent modules for each of the differing longitudinal sections;
- holding the plurality of assembled coherent modules in storage until needed to construct a customer specified bus body;
- drawing a combination of coherent modules suitable for constructing the customer specified bus body and assembling the combination on a chassis in an order to match the specified bus body.
Type: Application
Filed: Jan 23, 2004
Publication Date: Jul 28, 2005
Inventors: Brant Nieminski (Burnsville, MN), Stephen Dudra (Fort Wayne, IN)
Application Number: 10/764,372