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 fixed to a bumper skin, characterized in that said reinforcement (7) comprises a handling handle (9). Abstract figure: [Fig. 3]

Description

BUMPER REINFORCEMENT FOR MOTOR VEHICLE AND MOTOR VEHICLE 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.

As is known, bodywork elements, in particular bumper skins, include openings that can accommodate different types of components, such as lighting devices (headlights, low beams, main beams, fog lights), signaling devices; for example daytime running lights (also known by the English acronym DRL for “Day time Running Lamp”), direction indicators, 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 chassis of the vehicle. The reinforcements, called bumper reinforcements, are, for their part, fixed on the bumper skin (for example on the internal face) and have in particular the 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, play a major role in the overall aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Some signaling devices may in particular be integrated into the same housing as a lighting device or be mounted separately on the bodywork elements. However, there are constraints on the integration of these components, particularly in terms of the 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 in a bumper skin, there is a one-piece bumper reinforcement associated therewith to stiffen and strengthen the bumper skin. More particularly, said reinforcement comprises a complementary opening shaped in said component, this so that the reinforcement fits into the bumper skin by surrounding said component (mounted through the opening in 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 riveting, to said bumper skin.

However, the search for aesthetic effects leads to the development of components, in particular lighting and/or signaling devices, having increasingly large sizes. These components may 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 single-piece reinforcements already known, and to the manner of attaching 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 to easily handle said reinforcement and to position it as best as possible before fixing the reinforcement to a bumper skin using the most suitable fixing method.

According to one possible feature, 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.
Wheel arch area means 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, in particular 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 trim, but this operation may prove difficult for an operator if this area is too flexible, in particular because said area may give way, under the clipping force, when mounting the trim.
Having a reinforcement positioned opposite or close to the wheel arch area of the bumper skin helps improve the mechanical strength of said area.

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 wheel arch level 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 opposite or in proximity to 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 into 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 facilitating, for the operator, the fixing of said reinforcement on said bumper skin. 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 bumper skin area contiguous to an opening.

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

According to another possible characteristic, said reinforcement is a single piece.
Advantageously, the reinforcement is made of a single 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, i.e. 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 of said arrangement on a motor vehicle.

According to a possible feature, 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, positioning, fixing, etc. operations.

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 objects, details, characteristics and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the following description of a particular embodiment of the invention, given solely for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, 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 bumper skin of the arrangement of the .

In the following description, the term “comprise” is synonymous with “include” and is not limiting 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 “comprise” includes the terms “consist of”. Similarly, 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 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 by at most 5° from a parallel direction. It will also be noted that “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 a motor vehicle organ;
- at least one bumper reinforcement 7 which comprises a handling handle 9 and which is fixed to said bumper skin 3, for example on the internal face (or “technical face”) of the bumper skin 3.

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

As is 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 an end 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 part made of plastic, for example polypropylene.

Said reinforcement 7 thus comprises a main body 10 which substantially has 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 opposite 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 may also be “boxed”, that is to say that said body 10 comprises 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 in 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 portion 9a, each of the longitudinal ends of which is connected to said reinforcement 7, in particular to the body 10, by means of a connecting portion 9b. The connecting portions 9b are for example orthogonal to the main extension plane of the body 10, while the straight portion 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 arranged (not visible) in the skin 3 of the motor vehicle bumper. Said groove of the bumper skin 3 is advantageously arranged or arranged near the opening 5, for example at the edge or the periphery of said opening 5.

The second edge 10c is for example configured to fit, for example by force, or to nest in 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 bumper skin 3.

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. It will be noted that by clip, we mean an elastic member which, by deformation upon coupling, allows the creation of a mechanical connection.

Advantageously, the holding member 13 is located on the first edge 10b, preferably at a distance from, or even opposite, the second edge 10c of the reinforcement 7, this in particular so that the reinforcement 7 is 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 of the reinforcement 7 on the bumper skin 3.

Thus, the fixing interface 15 comprises for example:
- at least one 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 one 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 (i.e. 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 area 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 wheel arch area, 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 preferentially 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 foolproofing means. The positioning members 17 are for example structures configured so that there is shape cooperation between the reinforcement 7 and the bumper skin 3, in particular between the second face of the reinforcement 7 and the inner face of the bumper skin 3, or even on the second edge 10c cooperating with the groove of the bumper skin 3, this in order to allow the operator good positioning of the reinforcement 7 on the skin 3 before fixing these elements together.

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). 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 provided 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.