FR3141416A1 - BODY ELEMENT AND MOTOR VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A BODY ELEMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a bodywork element (1) for a motor vehicle, said bodywork element (1), forming for example a grille, and being configured to be fixed to a bumper skin or a structural element of the vehicle, characterized in that said bodywork element (1) comprises a main body (3) in which rupture initiation zones (7) are provided. Abstract figure: [Fig. 1]

Description

BODY ELEMENT AND MOTOR VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH SUCH A BODY ELEMENT

The present invention relates generally to the field of bodywork elements, in particular those intended to be fixed on the front of a motor vehicle, such as a grille.

The present invention finds particular application in the field of electric vehicles, in which the body element is in the form of a grille. This element in particular no longer requires openings for a flow of air to cool a front radiator located behind said element. Thus, the body element forming the grille can be designed more freely and thus contribute more significantly to the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Said bodywork element forming a grille can thus be illuminated or include light sources reinforcing the style effect provided by such a bodywork element.

However, this body element forming a grille must also satisfy regulatory impact tests, such as the test simulating an impact at 40 km/h between a pedestrian and the front of a motor vehicle. This element must in particular demonstrate that it meets the standards relating to the risk of injury to the pelvis and/or upper parts of the legs (femur areas) between a pedestrian and a vehicle equipped with such a bodywork element.

The present invention thus proposes to remedy at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks by proposing a new type of bodywork element for a motor vehicle, characterized in that said bodywork element comprises a main body in which primer zones are arranged. a break.
Said bodywork element thus has areas initiating rupture which will weaken said element so that it breaks during a collision, this making it possible to dissipate part of the kinetic energy of the impact, but also to limit the injuries to a pedestrian due to the said element breaking into multiple pieces. Furthermore, said break initiation zones can also contribute to the aesthetics of said bodywork element.

According to a possible characteristic, said bodywork element is an element forming a grille (that is to say acting as a grille in particular by its position and/or its integration into the vehicle) and which is configured to be fixed on a skin of bumper or a vehicle structural element.

According to another possible characteristic, said bodywork element is configured to be mounted or to replace a rear panel of the vehicle, or even to be placed on (or in place of) interior screens of the vehicle.

According to another possible characteristic, said bodywork element comprises a light source configured to illuminate the main body.
Said bodywork element advantageously comprises a light source (in the visible spectrum), direct or indirect, in order to reinforce the style effect that said bodywork element provides to the general aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. In addition, if the bodywork element includes the brand and/or the badge, these can be highlighted by being illuminated by said light source.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body is made of a material which allows at least part of the light rays of the visible spectrum to pass through.
The fact that light can pass through said main body improves the aesthetic effect generated by said bodywork element, in particular via the areas of incipient breakage which can be highlighted and contribute to the general style effect of said element.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body is translucent or transparent.
Depending on the desired aesthetic effect, said main body of said element can diffuse and/or allow light to pass completely, particularly in the visible spectrum, that is to say the part of the electromagnetic spectrum which is perceptible by human beings. (generally between 380 and 780 nm).

According to another possible characteristic, said main body is in one piece.
The fact that said main body is in one piece reduces in particular the cost of its manufacture and facilitates its attachment to a motor vehicle.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body has substantially the shape of a plate. The main body therefore has a main extension plane, that is to say that said main body extends mainly in one plane. In addition, when the bodywork element forming a grille is in the mounted position on the bumper skin or a structural element of the motor vehicle, said main body extends substantially in a vertical plane.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body has several curves or curved shapes, in order to facilitate its integration and guarantee a certain harmony with the styling lines of the vehicle.

According to another possible characteristic, said rupture initiation zones are localized reductions in thickness of said main body.
The fact that the break initiation zones are localized reductions in thickness is an inexpensive, simple and rapid way of providing break initiation zones in the main body of said bodywork element. Furthermore, when these reductions in thickness are made of a transparent or translucent material, they can have shapes which contribute to the aesthetic appearance of said bodywork element, especially when these areas are crossed by light. .

According to another possible characteristic, said reductions in thickness are zones whose thickness is less than two thirds of the average thickness of said main body, and preferably less than one third of the average thickness of said main body.

According to another possible characteristic, said rupture initiation zones are continuous or intermittent.
Said break initiation zones can advantageously be continuous or intermittent, either for stylistic effects, or to modify the force necessary for said main body to break under the effect of an impact or a collision.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body comprises two opposite main faces, when said bodywork element is mounted (or fixed) on a motor vehicle (for example to a bumper skin or to a structural element of the vehicle), one of said faces, called the rear face, is oriented towards the motor vehicle, said break initiation zones being arranged on said rear face of the main body.

According to another possible characteristic, said main body comprises a main face, called the front face, which, when said bodywork element is mounted on a bumper skin of a motor vehicle, is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle.

According to another possible characteristic, said break initiation zones are grooves whose cross section includes at least one edge.
The fact that said break initiation zones are grooves whose cross section includes at least one edge makes it possible to have a predetermined force threshold under which the main body will break. It will be noted that said grooves can also have a cross section of substantially rounded shape (or even in the shape of a “gouge”).

According to another possible characteristic, at least one of said grooves has a cross section of substantially polygonal shape, advantageously of substantially pyramidal shape.

According to another possible characteristic, said rupture initiation zones are arranged on the periphery of said main body. This arrangement of said break initiation zones makes it possible to limit the risk of injury during a collision with a pedestrian and/or to more easily satisfy mandatory regulatory tests.

According to another possible characteristic, said rupture initiation zones are configured to rupture under different force values (or stress values).
Depending on the position of the break initiation zones on the main body, said zones can advantageously have different break values, in order to control the fragmentation of said main body during an impact, for example to limit the risk of injury. of a pedestrian during an impact.

According to another possible characteristic, said rupture initiation zones extend longitudinally and/or transversely on said main body.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, for example thermal, electric or hybrid, characterized in that it comprises a bodywork element for a motor vehicle 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 very schematic, partial, front view of a bodywork element according to the invention;
- there is a very schematic, partial, sectional view of an incipient break zone of a 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”. Likewise, the terms “lower”, “upper”, “front”, “rear”, “longitudinal” and “transverse” will be understood in relation to the general orientation of the motor vehicle, whether it is hybrid or thermal. or electric.

There thus illustrates a very schematic, partial and front view of a bodywork element 1 for a motor vehicle, in particular for a bodywork element forming a grille for an electric motor vehicle.

Said bodywork element 1 is advantageously configured to be fixed to the front end of an electric vehicle, for example on a bumper skin or a structural element (not shown) of said vehicle.

Said bodywork element 1 advantageously comprises:
– a main body 3 which has substantially the shape of a plate;
– at least one light source 5 configured to illuminate or illuminate said main body 3.

It will be noted that said at least one light source 5 can be a direct source, that is to say a means configured to generate light waves, such as light-emitting diodes, bulbs, a fluorescent material, etc., or a indirect source, that is to say a means configured to bring and/or direct light waves (emitted by another source, for example distant) to said main body 3, such as a wave guide, a mirror , optical fiber, etc.

The main body 3 is for example made of a material which allows at least part of the light rays of the visible spectrum to pass through, such as a translucent or transparent material in the visible range, for example polycarbonate. Note that the term “visible spectrum” means the part of the electromagnetic spectrum which is perceptible to human beings (generally between 380 and 780 nm).

The main body 3 thus has a main extension plane, that is to say that said main body 3 extends mainly in one plane. In addition, when the bodywork element 1 forming a grille is in the mounted position on the bumper skin (or a structural element) of the motor vehicle, said main body 3 then extends substantially in a vertical plane.

Said main body 3 thus comprises two opposite main faces:
– a first face, called the front face, which, when said bodywork element 1 is mounted on a bumper skin of a motor vehicle, is oriented towards the outside of the vehicle;
– a second face, called the rear face, which, when said bodywork element 1 is mounted on a bumper skin of a motor vehicle, is oriented towards the motor vehicle.

Furthermore, the main body 3 comprises rupture initiation zones 7 preferably arranged in the rear face of said main body 3. Said rupture initiation zones are advantageously localized reductions in thickness of said main body 3, this is that is to say that the plate 3 has an average thickness e (dimension substantially orthogonal to the main extension plane of said body 3), but comprises at localized locations a lower thickness, preferably a thickness reduced by at least a third per relative to the average thickness of said body 3. Thus, said reductions in thickness are zones 7 whose thickness is less than two thirds of the average thickness e of said main body 3, and preferably less than one third of the average thickness e of said main body 3.

As is more particularly visible in the , said break initiation zones 7 are for example continuous or intermittent grooves (or notches), so as to weaken the zones 7 where dislocations of said main body 3 must occur during an impact.

Furthermore, said rupture initiation zones 7 advantageously have a transverse section 7a which comprises at least one edge, for example a cross section 7a of polygonal shape, and preferably a transverse section 7a of pyramidal shape.

Furthermore, the rupture initiation zones 7 are preferably arranged on the periphery of said main body 3, that is to say:
– when said zones 7 extend longitudinally, there is at least one zone 7 disposed less than a third of the total transverse distance of said body 3 from each of said transverse ends;
– when said zones 7 extend transversely, there is at least one zone 7 disposed less than a third of the total longitudinal distance of said body 3 from each of said longitudinal ends.

It will be noted that the main body 3 is advantageously in one piece, but in a variant embodiment of the invention not shown, said main body 3 comprises several parts (or plates) connected together by connecting structures acting as zones 7 of incipient rupture, because configured to be more fragile than the parts forming said body 3.

In a variant embodiment not shown of the invention, said rupture initiation zones 7 are configured to rupture under different force values (at least two different thresholds), for example by presenting reductions in thickness and/or or different transverse sections 7a.

In another variant embodiment of the invention not shown, said break initiation zones are grooves which have a cross section of substantially rounded shape, for example in the shape of a semicircle.

In another variant embodiment of the invention not shown, said bodywork element 1 comprises a reflective element, such as a plate or a panel, the light, particularly in the visible, located opposite the rear face of the main body 3, preferably attached to said rear face and closing for example the grooves 7.

Claims (10)

Bodywork element (1) for a motor vehicle, said bodywork element (1), characterized in that said bodywork element (1) comprises a main body (3) in which rupture initiation zones (7) are provided. . Bodywork element (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said bodywork element (1) comprises a light source (5) configured to illuminate the main body (3). Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said main body (3) is made of a material which allows at least part of the light rays of the visible spectrum to pass through. Bodywork element (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said main body (3) is translucent or transparent. Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said break initiation zones (7) are localized reductions in thickness of said main body (3). Bodywork element (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said reductions in thickness (7) are zones whose thickness is less than two thirds of the average thickness (e) of said main body (3). Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said break initiation zones (7) are grooves whose cross section (7a) comprises at least one edge. Bodywork element (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that at least one of said grooves (7) has a transverse section (7a) of substantially polygonal shape. Bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, said main body (3) comprises two opposite main faces, when said bodywork element (1) is mounted on a motor vehicle, one of said faces, called the rear face, is oriented towards the motor vehicle, said break initiation zones (7) being arranged on said rear face of the main body (3). Motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a bodywork element (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.
-