GB2521531A

GB2521531A - Motor vehicle front assembly comprising a front grille

Info

Publication number: GB2521531A
Application number: GB1421530.5A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Richard Rampone; David E Meyer Jr; Michael Dawson
Original assignee: Daimler AG
Current assignee: Mercedes Benz Group AG
Priority date: 2014-12-04
Filing date: 2014-12-04
Publication date: 2015-06-24
Also published as: GB201421530D0

Abstract

Motor vehicle 10 front assembly comprising: a front grille 12 with air inlets 14 to allow air into the engine compartment; and a front cover unit 16 adjacently attached to the front grille 12 to at least partially cover the air inlets 14. The cover unit 16 is held in place by attachment devices 18 positioned at opposite ends of the cover unit 16. The attachment devices pull the cover 16 by setting a tension between the two opposite devices 18 to reduce the cover 16 flapping. One attachment device can be a rigid connection such as a hook (20, fig 3) passing through a hole (22, fig 3). The other opposite attachment device can be a strap 46 with a hook-and-loop material such as Velcro (RTM) allowing tension to be set. The attachment device can include a clip-on (38, fig 7) device attaching directing to the front grille 12 which can allow the strap 46 to pass through. The front cover 16 can be a trucks winter front to reduce cooling of internal combustion engines in extreme cold. The device can attach to a bug screen device.

Description

Intellectual Property Office Application No. GB1421530.5 RTN4 Date:tS May 20t5 The following terms are registered trade marks and should be read as such wherever they occur in this document: Velcro Intellectual Property Office is an operating name of the Patent Office www.gov.uk/ipo Motor Vehicle Front Assembly comprising a Front Grille The invention relates to a motor vehicle front assembly according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

US D464 011 S shows a motor vehicle front assembly, comprising a front grille with at least one air inlet allowing air to pass through the front grille into an engine compartment, and a front cover unit which is adjacently attached to the front grille by multiple attachment devices and which at least partially covers the at least one air inlet.

The cover unit can also be called a winterfront. The main purpose of a winterfront is to protect the engine compartment against especially cold environment conditions, especially with snow, and to allow the engine to heat up faster. This faster heat up of the engine can lead to a reduction in fuel consumption. Typically winterfronts are installed on the front grille of trucks. The cover unit can be attached by fixed attachment devices, such as male/female snaps, twist-to-turn fasteners or turnbuttons. Usually a standard front grille must be modified to install these attachment devices, such as by drilling holes for the snaps or turn buttons. Typical position tolerances of the holes in both the front grille and the cover unit are difficult to control resulting in too much tension in the cover unit possibly damaging the cover unit or not enough tension that results in the cover unit flapping and thus possibly marring underlying surfaces.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle front assembly, by which means a cover unit can be especially well attached to a front grille of a motor vehicle.

This object is solved by a motor vehicle front assembly having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments with expedient developments of the invention are indicated in the other patent claims.

In order to provide a motor vehicle front assembly that allows an especially effective attachment of a front cover unit to a front grille, according to the present invention at least two of the attachment devices are positioned at opposite ends of the cover unit and are configured to set tension in the cover unit between those two opposite attachment devices. This cover unit design provides a tolerance at the fastening points and the ability to adjust the tension in the cover unit. Thus, both too much tension in the cover unit, possibly resulting in damaging the cover unit, and not enough tension in the cover unit, possibly resulting in a flapping of the cover unit during motor vehicle operations, can easily be avoided. This also improves the durability of the cover unit. It also allows an existing front grille to be modified by retrofitting the attachment devices without requiring special tools or equipment to modify the front grille.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, one of the two opposite attachment devices is rigidly connected to the cover unit and the other of the two opposite attachment devices comprises a fastening device. The fastening device allows the tension in the cover unit to be easily adjustable by adjusting just one of the two opposite attachment devices. The fastening device can compensate for deviations in the positioning of the rigid connection. Also in this embodiment the cover unit is especially easily mountable to the front grille.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the fastening device comprises a Velcro strap. Alternatively, the fastening device can be any other type of stirrup attachment device. A Velcro strap allows an especially fast mounting of the cover unit to the front grille. The Velcro strap allows especially easy modification of the tension in the cover unit. The Velcro strep is a very low cost form of fastening device, resulting in an overall economic motor vehicle front assembly.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the rigid connection comprises at least one hook and a corresponding attachment cavity. The rigid connection with the hook and the corresponding attachment cavity allows an especially easy mounting of the cover unit. The rigid connection with the hook and the corresponding attachment cavity can already hold the cover unit alone up to the front grille. In this case the opposite attachment device can be used solely to set the tension and finalize the attachment of the front cover unit to the front grille. Preferably, the hook is attached to the front grille and the corresponding attachment cavity is provided in the cover unit. This is especially advantageous, as a cavity is otherwise hard to retrofit to the front grille. The hook can be easily attached to the front grille for a retrofit. Preferably one attachment device for the rigid connection comprises no more than two hooks, as more hooks in one attachment device require more precise tolerances and can lead to especially high manufacturing costs. The hook can be manufactured as an injection molded part, which is especially cost effective.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cover unit consists of a flexible material. Preferably the flexible material is a material such as cloth, which does not completely block the air inlet and is cost efficient. Also a flexible material allows setting of the tension in an especially great bandwidth without overstretching the cover unit and without having insufficient tension which can possibly result in a sagging of the material.

The cover unit consisting of a flexible material is also especially easy to attach to the front grille.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one of the attachment devices comprises a clip-on device that is attached to an opening in the front grille. This allows retrofitting the cover unit to the front grille without any need to modify the front grille. Also the clip-on device allows attaching of the cover unit at different attachment points. For example, the front grille can also comprise an upper mesh panel, allowing more freedom in the design and positioning of the cover unit. Preferably the clip-on device comprises a loop to attach the fastening device to, especially the Velcro strap.

In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, at least one of the attachment devices is fixed to the front grille at a fixture for a bug screen device. A bug screen device is usually attached to the front grille to keep insects out of the engine compartment. By using the fixtures for bug screen devices for the front cover unit, the number of additional necessary fixtures to attach the cover unit to the front grille can be reduced. For example, a screw hole and/or a screw by which the bug screen device is or can be attached to the front grille can also be used to fix an attachment device for holding the cover unit to the front grille.

Further advantages, features and details of the invention derive from the following description of a preferred embodiment as well as from the drawings. The features and feature combinations previously mentioned in the description as well as the features and feature combinations mentioned in the following description of the figures and/or shown in the figures alone can be employed not only in the respectively indicated combination but also in any other combination or taken alone without leaving the scope of the invention.

The drawings show in: Fig. 1 a perspective view of a motor vehicle front and a cover unit; Fig. 2 a perspective view of a motor vehicle front assembly comprising a front grille and an adjacently attached cover unit; Fig. 3 a partial view of the motor vehicle front assembly according to Fig. 2; Fig. 4 a back view of the partial view of the motor vehicle front assembly according the Fig. 3; Fig. 5 an exploded view according to Fig. 4; Fig. 6 a partial view of a lower area of the motor vehicle front according to Fig. 1; Fig. 7 a partial view of the lower area of the motor vehicle according to Fig. 6, where a clip-on device is attached to an upper mesh panel of a motor vehicle; Fig. 8 an exploded view of the partial view according to Fig. 7; and Fig. 9 a partial view of the motor vehicle front according to Fig. 6, where the front cover unit is attached to the front grille.

In the figures elements having the same function are equipped with the same reference signs.

Fig. 1 shows in a perspective view the front of a motor vehicle 10. In this case the motor vehicle 10 is a heavy truck. The front of the motor vehicle 10 comprises a front grille 12 with multiple air inlets 14 which allow air to pass through the front grille 12 into an engine compartment behind the front grille 12. This air is usually needed to cool the engine.

However, during especially cold conditions the air can potentially freeze a cooling liquid of the engine, thus damaging the vehicle. Also, snow and ice that gets into the engine compartment through the air inlets 14 can also damage the engine. Cold conditions can also increase the time that the engine needs to get to its operating temperature, possibly increasing fuel consumption. Due to this reason, the motor vehicle 10 can be fitted with a cover unit 16, which is adjacently attachable to the front grille 12. The cover unit 16 covers at least partially the multiple air inlets 14. The cover unit 16 can resolve at least partially the problems of especially cold conditions as explained before. The cover unit 16 can also be called a winterfront.

Fig. 2 shows in a perspective view the motor vehicle 10 front assembly, where the cover unit 16 is attached to the front grille 12 by multiple attachment devices 18. At least two of the attachment devices 18 are positioned at opposite ends of the cover unit 16 and are configured to set tension in the cover unit 16 between those two opposite attachment devices 18. This provides tolerance for the upper mounting locations such that the cover unit 16 material will not sag or be overstretched. Also, a correctly set tension in the cover unit 16 will prevent a flapping of the cover unit 16 during motor vehicle 10 operations, thus avoiding a possible marring of the underlying surfaces of the front grille 12.

Fig. 3 shows in a partial view of Fig. 2 that one of the two opposite attachment devices 18 -in this case an upper mounting -is rigidly connected to the cover unit 16. The rigid connection of this attachment device 18 comprises at least one hook 20 and a corresponding attachment cavity 22. This allows an easy mounting of the cover unit 16 to the front grille 12 by hooking it in. The hooks 20 alone can already hold the cover unit 16 up to the front grille 12, thus allowing especially easy setting of the tension in the cover unit 16. The attachment cavity 22 can be provided using oversized stainless steel eyelets that are set into slots in the cover unit 16.

Fig. 4 shows in a back view of the sectional view according to Fig. 3 the attachment device 18 with a rigid connection comprising an injection molded part 24 with two hooks 20. More hooks 20 on one injection molded part 24 reduce the number of components necessary to attach the cover unit 16 to the front grille 12 and thus also manufacturing costs. However, more hooks 20 on one injection molded part 24 increases the necessary precision during manufacturing of both the injection molded part 24 and the corresponding cavities 22 in the cover unit 16. This can lead to an increase in manufacturing costs. Overall, two hooks 20 on one injection molded pad 24 can constitute a good balance between those divergent factors.

Fig. 4 shows also, that the injection molded part 24 with the hooks 20 of the rigid connection attachment device 18 is attached to the front grille 12 and not the cover unit 16. This allows easy retrofit of the cover unit 16 to a motor vehicle 10 that has originally been manufactured without the provisions necessary to attach the cover unit 16. For example, the injection molded part 24 can be screwed to the front grille 12 from the back side. Such a retrofit only requires standard tools and is not visible from the outside of the motor vehicle 10. Due to this reason it is also preferable to provide the corresponding attachment cavities 22 in the cover unit 16, as they are expensive to retrofit to the front grille 12.

Fig. 5 shows in an exploded view of the view according to Fig. 4. an alternative option to attach the injection molded part 24 to the front grille 12. In this case the injection molded part 24 is fixed to the front grille 12 at a fixture 26 for bug screen device 28. The injection molded part 24 is attached to the front grille 12 by using the screws 30 and screw holes 32, by which means the bug screen device 28 is also attached to the front grille 12. This allows attachment of the cover unit 16 to the front grille 12 of the motor vehicle 10 without needing to modify the front grille 12. For example, the bug screen device 28 itself can comprise a perforated sheet steel.

Fig. 6 shows in a partial view the lower end of the front grille 12 of the motor vehicle 10 with an upper mesh panel 34 according to Fig. 1. The upper mesh panel 34 of the motor vehicle 10 is part of the motor vehicle 10 hood. The upper mesh panel 34 attaches to a hood cross bar. Underneath the upper mesh panel 34 is a lower mesh panel 48. The lower mesh panel 48 is part of the front bumper 36 of the motor vehicle. The mesh panel is split into the lower mesh panel 48 and upper mesh panel 34, each with a different attachment.

Fig. 7 shows in a partial view of Fig. 6, how a clip-on device 38 can be attached to the upper mesh panel 34. Due to the attachment of the cover unit 16 to the upper mesh panel 34, the cover unit 16 does not need to be detached from the front grill 12 in order be able to lift the hood and/or to able to access the engine compartment. Especially in the exploded view of Fig. 8 according to Fig. 7, it is illustrated that the clip-on device 38 comprises several clamps 40 that fit to the upper mesh panel 34. This also allows an easy retrofit of the cover unit 16 to the front grille 12 without the need to modify the front grille 12 or provide extra attachment fixtures at the lower end.

The clip-on device 38 comprises a loop 42. The lower attachment device 18 can utilize this loop 42 for a fastening device 44 which is opposite to the rigid attachment device 18 at the upper end of the cover unit 16. As has been illustrated in detail in the partial view of the motor vehicle 10 front in Fig. 9, the lower attachment device 18 comprises the fastening device 44 with a Velcro strap 46. This Velcro strap 46 can be conducted through the ioop 42 of the clip-on device 38 and be fixed to itself to attach the cover unit 16 at its lower end to the front grille 12. The Velcro strap 46 thus also provides the means to set the tension in the cover unit 16 between the two opposite attachment devices 18 by changing its length according to the place where it is fixed to itself. Thus, the attachment devices 18 allow an easy mounting of the cover unit 16 to the front grille 12 where the tension in the cover unit 16 can be set in such a way, that neither the cover unit 16 is overstretched nor is so loose that it can flap during the motor vehicle 10 operation.

Preferably the cover unit 16 consists of a flexible material such as cloth. Cloth is especially cost-effective and allows for a high bandwidth of tension where it is neither overstretched nor can sag. Another alternative possible material of the cover unit 16 is a rigid plastic material. A cover unit 16 consisting of rigid plastic material can be manufactured cost-effectively with an injection molding process. Also, a rigid plastic cover unit 16 can provide especially high protection of the engine compartment against solid objects such as ice and crushed rocks.

At the bottom the cover unit 16 attaches to separate injection molded plastic stirrup-shaped closed bars -the clip-on device 38-through which hook and loop fasteners straps are treaded and fasten to themselves. The stirrups are inserted into a upper mesh panel 34 and snap into place. The hook and loop straps can be loosened or tightened which allows the cover unit 16 -the winterfront -to be properly tensioned to reduce the tendency of the winterfront to flap at highway speeds. Similar to the upper hooks, the molded stirrups can be retrofitted to the upper mesh panel 34 at any time in the vehicle's life. The stirrup can be designed to only fit into designated openings, which could for example be slightly larger than their neighbours. The motor vehicle 10 front assembly allows easy retrofitting of a winterfront to a vehicle 10 that was not originally equipped with one by adding some additional parts to the front grille 12. No holes are necessarily to be drilled, which could otherwise be problematic to accurately locate and which could damage a chrome plated front grille 12 by inducing peeling of the chrome plating.

List of reference signs motorvehicle 12 front grille 14 air inlet 16 cover unit 18 attachment device hook 22 cavity 24 injection molded part 26 fixture 28 bug screen device screws 32 screw hole 34 upper mesh panel 36 front bumper 38 clip-on device clamps 42 loop 44 fastening device 46 velcro strap 48 lower mesh panel

Claims

Claims Motor vehicle (10) front assembly, comprising a front grille (12) with at least one air inlet (14) allowing air to pass through the front grille (12) into an engine compartment, and a front cover unit (16) which is adjacently attached to the front grille (12) by multiple attachment devices (18) and which at least partially covers the at least one air inlet (14), characterized in that at least two of the attachment devices (18) are positioned at opposite ends of the cover unit (16) and are configured to set a tension in the cover unit (16) between those two opposite attachment devices (18).
2. Motor vehicle (10) front assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the two opposite attachment devices (18) is rigidly connected to the cover unit (16) and the other of the two opposite attachment devices (18) comprises a fastening device (44).
3. Motor vehicle (10) front assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that the fastening device (44) comprises a Velcro strap (46).
4. Motor vehicle front (10) assembly according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the rigid connection comprises at least one hook (20) and a corresponding attachment cavity (22).
5. Motor vehicle (10) front assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover unit (16) consists of a flexible material.
6. Motor vehicle (10) front assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the attachment devices (18) comprises a clip-on device (38) that is attached to an opening in the front grille (12).
7. Motor vehicle (10) front assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the attachment devices (18) is fixed to the front grille (12) atafixture (26) for a bug screen device (28).