FR3138795A1 - BODY ELEMENT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND VEHICLE COMPRISING SUCH AN ELEMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle bodywork element (1), said element (1) comprising at least two adjacent openings (3) separated by a portion (5) of said bodywork element, at least one of the openings (3) being configured for housing at least one vehicle component, characterized in that said portion (5) comprises, on at least one of the common edges (9) with an opening configured to accommodate a vehicle component, a stiffening element (7) , said stiffening element (7) being configured, on the one hand, to be, in the mounted position, in contact with a part of said member housed in said opening (3) and, on the other hand, to stiffen the portion (5 ) of bodywork element located between the two openings (3). Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 3

Description

BODY ELEMENT FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE AND VEHICLE COMPRISING SUCH AN ELEMENT

The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle bodywork elements, such as bumper skins, in which vehicle organs or components are integrated or mounted, for example lighting and/or signaling devices, sensors, etc.

In known manner, the bodywork elements, in particular the bumper skins, include openings which can accommodate different types of components, such as lighting devices (headlights, codes, high beams, fog lights), signaling devices; for example daytime running lights (also known by the English acronym DRL for “Day time Running Lamp”), direction identifiers, indicators, etc.; sensors, for example radar sensors or reversing cameras, or even aesthetic elements. These components or organs are for example fixed directly on the bumper skin or through it on supports provided for this purpose or on the vehicle chassis.

Nowadays, the arrangement and shape of some of these components, such as lighting and/or signaling devices, greatly contribute to the overall aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Certain signaling devices can in particular be integrated into the same housing as a lighting device or be mounted separately on bodywork elements. However, there are constraints on the integration of these components, particularly in terms of mechanical strength of the bodywork elements, which greatly limit the possibilities of integrating these devices into said bodywork elements.

For example, it is difficult to arrange two elongated components, such as different lighting and/or signaling devices, very close to each other. In fact, we then have openings in the bodywork element which are very close to each other, separated by a strip of relatively thin material. This particular structure, two openings separated by a thin strip of material, can lead to “lunging” effects, particularly when the portion of bodywork element between the two openings is very small in one dimension or direction, for example in a transverse direction. Note that the term “lunging” means the displacements, expansions or contractions of the bodywork element, particularly in directions where the material of the bodywork element is not under stress, under the effect of the environment (heat, cold, etc.) and/or mechanical constraints (vibrations, related parts, wind, etc.).

These lunging effects thus restrict the design, shapes and aesthetic appearance of the bodywork elements, and therefore the general aesthetic appearance of a motor vehicle. In addition, these lunging effects can lead to a deterioration in the quality perceived by a user of the vehicle, particularly when the bodywork element is mobile or shakes to the touch.

Indeed, the bodywork element, which is relatively flexible, presents mechanical strength problems when too large an opening is provided. For example, the shape of the bodywork element may be altered and/or gaps (or separations) may occur between the edges of the bodywork element, at the level of the opening, and the member or component housed in said opening.

Thus, a solution allowing the installation of organs, such as DRLs or other lighting and/or signaling devices, sensors, etc. large sizes, at the level of a bodywork element, such as a bumper skin, while allowing good mechanical strength of this bodywork element to be maintained therefore remains to be found.

The present invention thus proposes to remedy at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a new type of vehicle body element, for example a bumper skin, said element comprising at least two adjacent openings separated by a portion of said bodywork element, at least one of said openings being configured to accommodate at least one vehicle component,
characterized in that said portion comprises, on at least one of the edges common with the opening configured to accommodate a vehicle member, a stiffening element, said stiffening element being, on the one hand, configured to be, in mounted position, in contact with a part of said member housed in said opening and, on the other hand, to stiffen the portion of bodywork element located between the two openings.

The bodywork element according to the invention thus allows precise positioning of a vehicle component in said element, while limiting the play and without the need for intermediate parts. In addition, the element according to the invention facilitates the implantation of organs through an opening of a bodywork element having various surfaces or shapes, for example non-planar and/or elongated. In addition, the invention is a solution that is easy to implement, inexpensive and requires little or no tooling modifications, while allowing a greater diversity of shapes and styles for bodywork elements and organs (or components). who are housed there.

It will be noted that the term vehicle organ or component means any element intended to be housed in an opening of a bodywork element, such as a headlight, a lighting and/or signaling device, an electrical device or electronic (camera, sensors, radar, etc.), or a decorative element contributing to the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the invention makes it possible, among other things, to advantageously embed (or install) a lighting and/or signaling device of large dimensions and any shape in a bodywork element, such as a bumper skin. shocks.

According to another possible characteristic, at least two openings are configured to accommodate the same vehicle component or each accommodate a vehicle component.

According to another possible characteristic, said bodywork element portion comprises one or more stiffening elements arranged on the edges common to the portion and to said openings of the bodywork element.

According to one possible characteristic, said bodywork element portion comprises one or more stiffening elements arranged around the periphery of said bodywork element portion.

According to a possible characteristic, said stiffening element comprises a plurality of protuberances configured to be, when the member is in the mounted position, in contact with a part of said member.

The protuberances of the stiffening element located on the portion of said bodywork element are thus advantageously configured to be in contact with said member, in particular when the latter is in the mounted position, that is to say housed or embedded through a opening of the bodywork element. These protuberances, or pins are point points of support and contact between the bodywork element and the member, thus promoting the mechanical and/or acoustic strength of this arrangement, thus limiting the propagation of vibrations and/or movement. relative between bodywork element and organ.

According to another possible characteristic, the stiffening element comprises a rib extending at least partially on said common edge, on the one hand, to said opening configured to accommodate a member and, on the other hand, to said portion of bodywork element.
Said at least rib is a continuous or discontinuous projecting part, one of the lateral faces of which is for example configured to be, in the mounted position, in contact (or in support) with a part of said member.

According to another possible characteristic, said protuberances are located at least partly on said rib of the stiffening element.
The fact of superimposing or stacking protuberances and rib(s) makes it possible to reinforce the mechanical robustness of the bodywork element, and in particular of the portion of said element.

According to another possible characteristic, the two openings have an elongated shape and the portion of the bodywork element located between the two openings has substantially the shape of a strip (or a strip).
The bodywork element according to the invention is particularly advantageous when the openings and/or the portion, located between said openings, have elongated shapes, that is to say when one of the dimensions defining the object is larger than other dimensions, for example length in relation to width and/or thickness.

According to another possible characteristic, the bodywork element, such as a bumper skin, is made of plastic, for example polypropylene. The bodywork element is generally produced by injection.

According to another possible characteristic, the stiffening element is integral with the bodywork element.
The fact that the stiffening element, for example the rib and/or the protuberances, comes integrally with the bodywork element facilitates the manufacturing process, because it does not require additional parts, and therefore does not increase the cost of manufacturing said element.

According to another possible characteristic, said stiffening element is arranged on a first face, called the internal face, of the bodywork element intended, in the mounted position, to be oriented towards the vehicle.
Indeed, the bodywork element is for example intended to be fixed on reinforcements and/or on the chassis of the vehicle, its internal face coming into contact with reinforcements and/or the chassis. The bodywork element can thus totally or partially cover structures and/or components of the vehicle, in order to make them invisible to the user and/or to protect them from the environment.

According to another possible characteristic, said bodywork element has a first face, called the internal face, and a second face, called the external face. The first and second faces of the bodywork element are the opposite main faces of said element. In the mounted position, the internal face of the element is intended to be oriented towards the vehicle and is not visible to the user, while the external face is intended to be oriented toward the exterior of the vehicle and is the face visible from the vehicle (face contributing to the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle).

According to another possible characteristic, the bodywork element portion comprises, for example on its internal face, an indentation rib.
This indentation rib of the bodywork element portion makes it possible to improve the mechanical strength and to keep the distance between the bodywork element and a reinforcement or a chassis of the vehicle substantially fixed, in the mounted position. When the bodywork element is manufactured by injection, the indentation rib can also advantageously serve as an injection point for the bodywork element.

The invention also relates to an arrangement intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:
– a bodywork element as defined above;
– at least one vehicle component housed through at least one of said openings of said bodywork element;
the vehicle member comprising at least one bearing surface (for example a dropout) configured to be in contact with the stiffening element of the bodywork element.

According to another possible characteristic, the vehicle component is a lighting and/or signaling device.
The invention finds an advantageous application in the integration and/or installation of lighting and/or signaling devices, these through their geometries and shapes contributing greatly to the general aesthetic appearance of a motor vehicle. .

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises an arrangement as defined above.

The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given solely for illustrative purposes and not restrictive, with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
- There illustrates a schematic and perspective view of a bodywork element according to the invention;
- there is a schematic, enlarged, partial and perspective view of an arrangement comprising the bodywork element of the and vehicle components mounted in said element;
- there is a schematic, enlarged and partial view of the internal face of the bodywork element of the .

In the following description, the term “include” is synonymous with “include” and is not restrictive in that it authorizes the presence of other elements in the vehicle, or the structure to which it relates. It is understood that the term “understand” includes the terms “consist of”.

There thus illustrates a schematic perspective view of a bodywork element 1 according to the invention, for example here a bumper skin.

The bumper skin 1 has an elongated shape and has several adjacent openings 3 (or located side by side), separated by a portion 5 of said bumper skin 1.

In the embodiment of the invention currently described, the openings 3 are three in number and each separated by a portion 5 of bumper skin, but the openings 3 are advantageously at least two in number. Said openings 3 and said portions 5 thus have substantially an elongated shape, the portions 5 substantially having the shape of a strip or strip.

Note that by strip or strip we mean an object of which one of the dimensions is large in relation to the other two dimensions, for example the length in relation to the width and the thickness (or depth).

Said bumper skin 1, as well as the majority of bodywork elements, is intended to be fixed on reinforcements (or supports) and/or on a motor vehicle chassis (not shown), thus forming the external surface of the vehicle (surface visible to the user and defining at least in part the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle).

In addition, the bumper skin 1 has two opposite main faces 1a and 1b, in particular a first face 1a, called the internal face, and a second face 1b, called the external face. Thus, in the mounted position, the internal face 1a of the bumper skin 1 is oriented towards the vehicle, while the external face 1b is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle.

Furthermore, the bumper skin 1 is generally made of plastic, such as polypropylene, and is made by injection.

As is more particularly illustrated in , the bumper skin 1 and at least one member 21 form an arrangement 23 intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle. Said member 21 is for example a signaling device, such as a DRL, and is, in the mounted position, housed through at least one of said openings 3 of the bumper skin 1. Thus, in the mounted position, part of the member 21 is visible through the opening 3 in which the member 21 is housed.

Furthermore, the openings 3 (through the internal face 1a to the external face 1b), for their part, of the bumper skin 1 are configured so that other components or organs 21 of the vehicle can be accommodated through said openings 3, that is to say that the components or members 21 of the vehicle extend through said openings 3 while being fixed, for example when the internal face 1a of the bumper skin 1 is mounted on a motor vehicle.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the term vehicle organ or component means any element intended to be housed in an opening in a bodywork element, such as a headlight, a lighting and/or signaling device, a electrical or electronic device (camera, sensors, radar, etc.), or a decorative element (element contributing to the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle), etc.

Said portions or strips 5 thus have edges 9 which are the common edges (in particular longitudinal) with the adjacent openings 3 of the bumper skin 1.

Said portions or strips 5 each comprise, on at least one of the common edges 9 with an opening 3, a stiffening element 7. The stiffening element 7 is thus configured, on the one hand, to be in contact with a part of said member 21 which is, in the mounted position, housed in said opening 3 and, on the other hand, to stiffen the portion 5 of the bodywork element located between the two openings 3.

As is particularly illustrated in , said member 21 advantageously comprises a support surface (not visible), such as a recess, which comes into contact with, with, at least a part, of the stiffening element 7 of the portion 5 of the skin of bumper 1.

The stiffening element 7 is advantageously located on the internal face 1a of the portion 5 (or of the bumper skin 1).
As is more particularly illustrated in , the stiffening element 7 comprises:
– at least one rib 11 which, on the one hand, extends at least partially over one of said common edges 9, and on the other hand, has a side face which is for example configured to be, in the mounted position, in contact (or in support) with a part of said organ 21; and or
– a plurality of protuberances 13 configured to be, when the member 21 is, in the mounted position, in contact with a part of said member 21, in particular the bearing surface of said member 21.

It will be noted that in the present embodiment, said protuberances 21 are located on said at least one rib 11 of the stiffening element 7. However, in alternative embodiments not shown, the rib(s) 11 are continuous projections, or discontinuous, and the protuberances 13 can be arranged on the portion(s) of ribs 11 and/or between the portions of ribs 11.

Advantageously, said portion 5 of the bumper skin comprises one or more stiffening elements arranged on each of the common edges 9 to the portion 5 and to said openings 3.

Furthermore, preferably, said portion 5 of the bumper skin comprises one or more stiffening elements arranged around the periphery of said portion 5, that is to say on the longitudinal and transverse edges of said portion 5.

Said at least one rib 11 advantageously has a square or rectangular section and is advantageously integral with the bumper skin 1.

The protuberances 13 are, for their part, point points of support and contact between the portion 5 of the bumper skin 1 and the member 21, and have for example the shape of pins whose top is substantially flat . Advantageously, the top (or terminal end) of the protuberances 13 is, in the mounted position, the part in contact with the bearing surface of the member 21.

These protrusions or pins 13 are arranged at regular intervals, for example every 10 mm, on the common edge 9 of an opening 3 and a portion 5. In addition, the protrusions 13 are also advantageously made integral with the skin bumper 1.

Furthermore, the bodywork element portion 5 may also include, on its internal face 1a, one or more indentation ribs 15. The indentation rib(s) 15 have for example substantially a flat triangular shape and are configured to be, in the mounted position, in support against the chassis of the vehicle and/or against other elements or reinforcements of the vehicle, thus making it possible to substantially maintain a fixed distance between the chassis (and its elements) and said bumper skin 1 .

The invention makes it possible, without adding new parts, in particular interface parts, and without increasing the mass of the bodywork element, among other things to advantageously embed (or install) a lighting and/or lighting device. signaling of large dimensions and any shape in a bodywork element such as a bumper skin.

In a variant embodiment not shown of the invention, the stiffening element(s) 7 are arranged on the external face 1b of the bodywork element 1, such as a bumper skin, the member and/or the component intended to be housed in an opening 3 of the element 1 being configured to cover the stiffening element(s) 7, for example by comprising a skirt covering (and hiding) the stiffening element(s) 7 and the support surface of organ 21.

In a variant embodiment not shown, said at least two openings 3 are configured to accommodate the same vehicle member 21 or each accommodate a separate vehicle member 21.

Claims (10)

Vehicle bodywork element (1), said element (1) comprising at least two adjacent openings (3) separated by a portion (5) of said bodywork element, at least one of said openings (3) being configured to accommodate at least one vehicle component (21),
characterized in that said portion (5) comprises, on at least one of the edges (9) common with the opening (3) configured to accommodate a vehicle component, a stiffening element (7), said stiffening element (7) being configured, on the one hand, to be, in the mounted position, in contact with a part of said member (21) housed in said opening (3) and, on the other hand, to stiffen the portion (5) of bodywork element located between the two openings (3). Bodywork element (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said stiffening element (7) comprises a plurality of protuberances (13) configured to be, when the member (21) is in the mounted position, in contact with a part of said organ (21). Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stiffening element (7) comprises a rib (11) extending at least partially on said common edge (9), of a on the one hand, to said opening (3) configured to accommodate a member (21) and, on the other hand, to said portion (5) of bodywork element. Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the two openings (3) have an elongated shape and the portion (5) of the bodywork element located between the two openings (3) has substantially in the shape of a strip. Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stiffening element (7) is integral with the bodywork element (1). Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the claims, characterized in that said stiffening element (7) is arranged on a first face, called the internal face, of the bodywork element (1) intended, in the mounted position , to be oriented towards the vehicle. Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the portion (5) of bodywork element comprises an indentation rib (15). Arrangement (23) intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:
– a bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims;
– at least one vehicle component (21) housed through at least one of said openings (3) of said bodywork element (1);
the vehicle member (21) comprising at least one bearing surface configured to be in contact with the stiffening element (7) of the bodywork element (1). Arrangement (23) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the component (21) of the vehicle is a lighting and/or signaling device. Motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises an arrangement according to claim 8 or 9.