FR3140591A1 - BUMPER REINFORCEMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES AND MOTOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SUCH REINFORCEMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a bumper reinforcement (7) configured to be attached to a bumper skin, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises a handling handle (9). Abstract figure: [Fig. 3]

Description

BUMPER REINFORCEMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES AND MOTOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SUCH REINFORCEMENT

The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicle bodywork elements in which reinforcements are integrated or mounted, as well as vehicle organs or components, 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), lighting devices. signaling; 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. The reinforcements, called bumper reinforcements, are, for their part, fixed to the bumper skin (for example on the internal face) and have the particular function of reinforcing the mechanical structure of the bumper skin.

Nowadays, the arrangement and shape of some of these components, such as lighting and/or signaling devices, contribute greatly to the general 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.

Thus, when a small component is intended to be mounted through an opening provided in a bumper skin, there is a one-piece bumper reinforcement associated with it to stiffen and reinforce the bumper skin. More particularly, said reinforcement comprises a complementary opening in the shape of said component, so that the reinforcement fits into the bumper skin by surrounding said component (mounted through the opening of the bumper skin).

The reinforcement, which is a single piece, thus frames the component of the bumper skin and can thus be fixed, for example by bolting, to said bumper skin.

However, the search for aesthetic effects leads to the development of components, in particular lighting and/or signaling devices, with increasingly larger sizes. These components can in particular extend over a large part of the height of the bumper skin, preventing the use and attachment of a single piece bumper reinforcement to said skin, hence the need to develop alternatives to the already known one-piece reinforcements, and the way of fixing such reinforcements to said skin.

The present invention thus proposes to remedy at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a new type of bumper reinforcement configured to be fixed to a bumper skin of a motor vehicle, characterized in that said reinforcement comprises a handling handle.
Said bumper reinforcement is in particular configured to be fixed on the internal face of a bumper skin, for example between a longitudinal end of the bumper skin and an opening in the bumper skin intended to accommodate a component, such as a signaling and/or lighting device.
The handle of said reinforcement allows operators in particular to easily handle said reinforcement, and to position it as best as possible, before fixing the reinforcement to a bumper skin using the most appropriate fixing method.

According to a possible characteristic, said reinforcement comprises a first edge which is curved and configured to be fixed (or mounted) in a wheel arch area of the vehicle bumper skin.
By wheel arch area we mean the edge of the bumper skin which has a curvature and which is intended to be mounted at the level of a wheel arch of the vehicle.
This curved area of the bumper skin is generally flexible, and this can degrade the quality perceived by a user of the vehicle, particularly when this part of the bodywork element is mobile or wobbly to the touch. Furthermore, it may be advantageous to mount, for example by clipping, a wheel cover, but this operation may prove difficult for an operator if this area presents too much flexibility, in particular because said area may slip away, under the clipping effort, when fitting the hubcap.
The fact of having a reinforcement which is positioned opposite or close to the wheel arch zone of the bumper skin makes it possible to improve the mechanical strength of said zone.

According to another possible characteristic, said handle is located on the first edge of said reinforcement.
The fact that the handle is located on the curved edge intended to be positioned at the level of the wheel arch makes it possible to stiffen this area which is usually flexible, reinforcing the quality perceived by the user of the vehicle.

According to another possible characteristic, said handle comprises at least one stiffening rib.
Advantageously, said handle comprises one or more stiffening ribs, in order to reinforce the mechanical strength of the handle and the reinforcement, and by extension of the bumper skin area facing or near said handle.

According to another possible characteristic, said handle comprises a gripping part, generally straight, as well as two connecting parts, each of the connecting parts connecting the longitudinal ends of the gripping part to said reinforcement.

According to another possible characteristic, said handle comprises two stiffening ribs, each of said ribs being arranged respectively on each of the connecting parts

According to another possible characteristic, said handle comprises two stiffening ribs, said ribs being arranged on either side of said handle, in particular at each of the opposite ends, for example longitudinal, of the handle.

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement comprises at least one fixing interface configured to cooperate with at least one complementary interface arranged on a bumper skin.
Said at least one fixing interface is advantageously arranged in the reinforcement and may comprise one or more fixing means and structures, for example of different types.

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement comprises at least one edge configured to cooperate with a groove provided in a motor vehicle bumper skin.
The fact that at least one edge of the reinforcement is configured to cooperate with a groove in the bumper skin thus allows the operator, via the handle, to easily slide said reinforcement in said skin. The cooperation between the edge of the reinforcement and a groove in the bumper skin makes it possible to limit, or even block, any relative movement between these two elements, thus making it easier for the operator to attach said reinforcement to said bumper skin. shocks. Advantageously, said groove is arranged near or on the edge delimiting an opening in the bumper skin configured to accommodate a motor vehicle component, this in order to reinforce and stiffen the area of bumper skin contiguous to an opening.

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement comprises positioning members configured to position said reinforcement in the bumper skin.
Said positioning members act as foolproofing means (or members) limiting the possibilities of the reinforcement being incorrectly positioned, by an operator, during its assembly (and its fixing) on the bumper skin.

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement is a single piece.
Advantageously, the reinforcement is in one piece, in order to reduce its manufacturing cost and/or improve its mechanical strength.

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement is made of plastic, for example polypropylene.
Advantageously, the fact that the reinforcement is made of plastic makes it possible to reduce its cost and/or its weight, while giving it adequate mechanical properties.

The present invention also relates to an arrangement intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:
– a bumper skin comprising at least one opening configured to accommodate a motor vehicle component;
– at least two bumper reinforcements as defined above mounted on said bumper skin.
Advantageously, the arrangement, that is to say the bumper skin on which two bumper reinforcements comprising a handle are mounted, facilitates the handling of the assembly for operators, in particular the positioning and/or fixing said arrangement on a motor vehicle.

According to a possible characteristic, one of said reinforcements is mounted on each of the opposite ends of said bumper skin.
Advantageously, the reinforcements and the handles are arranged at opposite ends, for example longitudinal, of said arrangement, in order to facilitate handling operations, positioning, fixing, etc.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, for example thermal, electric or hybrid, 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, partial and perspective view of an arrangement according to the invention which comprises a bumper skin and a bumper reinforcement;
- there is a schematic view, in its entirety, and in perspective of the arrangement of the ;
- there [ ] is a schematic and perspective view of a bumper reinforcement according to the invention of the arrangement of the ;
- there is a schematic, enlarged and partial view of the reinforcement and the bumper skin of the arrangement 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”. Likewise, the terms “lower”, “upper”, “front”, “rear”, “longitudinal” and “transverse” will be understood in relation to the general orientation of the motor vehicle, whether hybrid or electric. .

In this application, it will be noted that “substantially parallel” means a direction deviating by at most 20°, or even by at most 10° or at most 5° from a parallel direction. It should also be noted that the term “substantially orthogonal” means a direction deviating by at most 20°, or even by at most 10° or by at most 5°, from an angle with a value of 90°. .

There [ ] thus illustrates a schematic, perspective and partial view of an arrangement 1 intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle (not shown). Said arrangement 1 comprises:
- at least one bumper skin 3 in which a through opening 5 is provided, opening 5 configured to accommodate a component or part of a motor vehicle;
- at least one bumper reinforcement 7 which comprises a handling handle 9 and which is fixed on said bumper skin 3, for example on the internal face (or “technical face”) of the bumper skin 3 shocks.

It will be noted that the term vehicle component or organ 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 (element contributing to the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle), etc.

As is more particularly visible in the , said skin 3 comprises two reinforcements 7 and two openings 5, each of the reinforcements 7 being fixed to one of the ends, for example longitudinal, of said bumper skin 3.

Each of said reinforcements 7 is advantageously fixed between one of said openings 5 of said skin 3 and a terminal edge 3a of said skin 3. The edge 3a thus has a curved shape and is intended to be mounted at the level of a wheel arch of the vehicle, this end of the bumper skin 3 thus defines, at least partially with other bodywork elements, the “wheel arch zone” of the motor vehicle.

There , for its part, is a schematic, enlarged and perspective view of a bumper reinforcement 7 according to the invention. Said reinforcement 7 is generally a single piece of plastic material, for example polypropylene.

Said reinforcement 7 thus comprises a main body 10 which has substantially the shape of an elongated plate. Said main body 10 thus has two opposite faces, a first face 10a which, in the mounted position on the bumper skin 3, is oriented towards the motor vehicle, and a second face (not visible) which, in the mounted position on the bumper skin 3, is oriented towards the bumper skin 3, in particular facing the internal face of said skin 3 (face of the skin oriented towards the vehicle in the mounted position).

Said main body 10 further comprises two opposite edges 10b and 10c, for example lateral, in particular a first edge 10b which is curved, and a second edge 10c configured to cooperate with the bumper skin 3.

The main body 10 can also be “boxed”, that is to say that said body 10 includes shapes, reliefs, ribs, etc., for example shaped in said body 10, which reinforce the rigidity and/or the mechanical strength of said body 10, and therefore of the reinforcement 7.

As more particularly visible to And , the first edge 10b is configured to be fixed in the wheel arch area of the vehicle bumper skin 3, thus the curvature of the edge 10b is shaped to coincide, at least partially, when the reinforcement 7 is fixed to the skin 3, with the curved edge 3a of said skin 3.

It will be noted that the handle 9 of the reinforcement 7 is located on said first edge 10b, and therefore comes, at least partially, opposite the edge 3a of the skin, when the reinforcement 7 is in the mounted position on the skin 3.

Furthermore, said handle 9 comprises at least one stiffening rib 11, and advantageously two ribs 11 arranged on either side of said handle 9, for example at each longitudinal end of said handle 9.

Said handle 9 comprises a straight gripping part 9a, each of the longitudinal ends of which is connected to said reinforcement 7, in particular to the body 10, via a connecting part 9b. The connecting parts 9b are for example orthogonal to the main extension plane of the body 10, while the straight part 9a is arranged in a plane substantially parallel to the main extension plane of the body 10 of the reinforcement 7.

Each of said ribs 11 advantageously has a substantially triangular shape and is configured to connect the first face 10a of the main body 10 to the connecting part 9b. Said ribs 11 therefore extend substantially in the longitudinal axis of the connecting part 9b of the handle 9.

Said second edge 10c is, for its part, configured to cooperate with a groove provided (not visible) in the skin 3 of the bumper of a motor vehicle. Said groove of the bumper skin 3 is advantageously arranged or arranged near the opening 5, for example at the edge or around the perimeter of said opening 5.

The second edge 10c is for example configured to fit, for example by force, or to fit into the groove of said skin 3, in particular by a sliding movement of the reinforcement 7 in the skin 3, at least partially blocking the reinforcement 7 in the skin 3. Part of the mounting of the reinforcement 7 in said skin 3 is therefore advantageously carried out, thanks to the handle 9, by a translation movement in a plane substantially parallel to the main extension plane of the skin 3 of bumper.

Furthermore, said reinforcement 7 also comprises a holding member 13, such as a clip or a structure cooperating with a clip, configured to cooperate with a complementary member 31 on the bumper skin 3. Note that by clip we mean an elastic member which, by deformation during coupling, allows the creation of a mechanical connection.

Advantageously, the holding member 13 is located on the first edge 10b, preferably at a distance, or even opposite, from the second edge 10c of the reinforcement 7, this in particular for the reinforcement 7 to be immobilized before being fixed or secured , for example by welding or by means of screws, to the bumper skin 3.

Said reinforcement 7 further comprises at least one fixing interface 15 configured to cooperate with at least one complementary interface located on a bumper skin 3.
It will be noted that by fixing and complementary interfaces we mean fixing zones, structures, locations, and/or conformations configured and/or arranged in the reinforcement 7 and/or the skin 3 to carry out the definitive fixing. reinforcement 7 on the bumper skin 3.

Thus, the fixing interface 15 comprises for example:
- at least a first type of fixing location 15a configured so that a screw, or any other securing means (for example a bolt) secures the reinforcement 7 to the bumper skin 3;
- at least a second type of fixing location 15b configured so that the reinforcement 7 is secured to the bumper skin 3 by welding, for example by vibration welding (that is to say that the location 15b corresponds to a welding zone between the reinforcement 7 and the bumper skin 3).

The fixing interface 15 thus comprises two different types of fixing locations 15a and 15b, as well as different associated fixing means. Advantageously, the wheel arch zone has locations 15a of the first type, this in order to guarantee the quality of mechanical connection between the reinforcement 7 and the skin 3 at the level of the wheel arch zone, as well as good mechanical strength.

Advantageously, said at least one fixing interface 15 is arranged directly at the level of the reinforcement 7, for example on or through the main body 9 of said reinforcement 7. In addition, the first and second locations 15a and 15b of the fixing interface 15 are preferably arranged respectively on each of the lateral sides of said body 10, in particular respectively on the first and second edges 10b and 10c.

Furthermore, said reinforcement 7 comprises positioning members 17 configured to act as keying means. The positioning members 17 are for example structures configured so that there is cooperation in shape between the reinforcement 7 and the skin 3 of the bumper, in particular between the second face of the reinforcement 7 and the internal face of the skin 3 of the bumper. bumper, or even on the second edge 10c cooperating with the groove of the bumper skin 3, this in order to allow the operator a good positioning of the reinforcement 7 on the skin 3 before fixing these elements between them.

Claims (10)

Bumper reinforcement (7) configured to be fixed to a bumper skin (3) of a motor vehicle, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises a handling handle (9). Reinforcement (7) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises a first edge (10b) which is curved and configured to be fixed in a wheel arch area of the bumper skin (3). shocks. Reinforcement (7) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said handle (9) is located on the first edge (10b) of the reinforcement (7). Reinforcement (7) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said handle (9) comprises at least one stiffening rib (11). Reinforcement (7) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reinforcement comprises at least one fixing interface (15) configured to cooperate with at least one complementary interface arranged on a bumper skin (3). Reinforcement (7) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises at least one edge configured (10c) to cooperate with a groove arranged in a skin (3) of a motor vehicle bumper . Reinforcement (7) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises positioning members (17) configured to position said reinforcement (7) in the bumper skin (3). Arrangement (1) intended to be mounted on a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises:
– a bumper skin (3) comprising at least one opening (5) configured to accommodate a motor vehicle component;
– at least two bumper reinforcements (7) according to any one of the preceding claims mounted on said bumper skin (3). Arrangement (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said reinforcements (7) are mounted on opposite ends of said bumper skin (3). Motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises an arrangement (1) according to claim 8 or 9.