Optimized tailgate pillar

Abstract

The invention relates to a tailgate (2) of a vehicle (1), the tailgate (2) comprising at least one side pillar (3) to which a rear window (7) is attached, the pillar (3) forming a profile with an open cross section, the cross section comprising a first recess (31) and a second recess (32) both in a U-shape, each of the recesses comprising two walls. The first recess (31) faces the midplane (Y0) of the vehicle and comprises a rear wall (310) and a front wall (311), and the second recess (32) faces the rear of the vehicle and comprises an inner wall (320) and an outer wall (321). The front wall (311) of the first recess (31) is arranged to be continuous with the outer wall (321) of the second recess (32), and the rear wall (310) of the first recess (31) is separated from the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) to leave a free space (33) allowing access to the inner part of the profile.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, and more particularly to a vehicle including a tailgate made of plastic. Background Art

[0002] A tailgate closing the rear opening of a vehicle comprises an upper part and a lower part, wherein the upper part is connected to a roof section by a hinge, the lower part contains technical elements such as opening controls or license plate lighting, and the tailgate also comprises an opening for receiving a rear window. The upper part and the lower part are connected by two pillars. The rear window is bonded over its entire periphery to bonding strips, which are arranged on the two pillars and on the upper part and the lower part.

[0003] The tailgate may preferably be realized by molding of a thermosetting or thermoplastic material.

[0004] The profile of the column must meet several specific and sometimes conflicting constraints.

[0005] In fact, in addition to the structural rigidity required to resist the stresses related to the opening and closing operations without deformation, the width of the pillar determines the rear view and the width of the rear opening that can access the storage space. Moreover, the pillar must receive a support for contact with a seal mounted on a fixed part of the vehicle on the body side and an adhesive channel for receiving the rear window on the outside. The pillar may also shelter technical equipment such as wiring harnesses or actuators for facilitating the opening and closing operations of the tailgate. The presence of these technical equipment is accompanied by accessibility restrictions in order to facilitate their initial installation and subsequent maintenance. Finally, the pillar may be used to play a role in the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle and participate in the overall appearance of the vehicle according to its visibility. For this purpose, a screen-printed deposit, usually dark in color, is deposited on the periphery of the rear window to cover the technical part of the pillar visible from the outside through the window, wherein the width of the screen-printed deposit is detrimental to the aesthetics of the vehicle and the rear view.

[0006] To all these constraints are added those specific to the molding process for industrially realizing tailgates made of thermoplastic or thermosetting materials. The uprights therefore usually have an open shape without reverse draft angles and easy to demould.

[0007] Thus, numerous publications describing cross-sections of pillars explain the ways in which vehicle designers have attempted to meet all or some of the above requirements.

[0008] Publication FR 3 037 286 describes a tailgate pillar whose cross section has an H-shaped shape that allows the actuator to be accommodated. The total width of the pillar is approximately equal to the sum of the lateral space occupied by the bonding channel, the seal support and the actuator. As a result of this arrangement, the width of the rear view is reduced.

[0009] Publication FR 3 041 571 describes a U-shaped pillar comprising, on the inner wall of the U, a garniture which curves towards the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane Y0 in order to close the opening of the profile and to increase the rearward field of view.

[0010] Publication EP 3 241 700 describes a tailgate pillar, which also has a U-shaped cross section facing the rear of the vehicle. The base of the U forms a support for the seal and includes a protrusion facing the front of the vehicle to block the view of the seal from the cabin. The outer side walls of the U extend to the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane Y0 to form a rear window bonding channel and continue to extend in an aerodynamic shape that protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle. This arrangement does not increase the rear view and is not intended to accommodate technical equipment.

[0011] Publication JP2001-328429 proposes a tailgate made of an injected thermoplastic material, the tailgate comprising a pillar and an inner partition wall for increasing the rigidity of the pillar, wherein the cross section of the pillar is in a U-shape opened toward the rear of the vehicle. Summary of the invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to propose a tailgate, preferably made by moulding a thermoplastic or thermosetting material, which allows satisfying all the requirements described in the preceding paragraphs.

[0013] The tailgate according to the present invention comprises at least one side pillar to which a rear window is attached, the pillar forming a profile having an open cross section comprising a first recess and a second recess both in a U-shape, each of the recesses comprising two side walls.

[0014] The tailgate pillar is characterized in that, when the tailgate is in a closed position, the first recess is toward the midplane Y0 of the vehicle, so that the U includes a rear wall arranged near the rear of the vehicle and a front wall arranged near the front of the vehicle, and the second recess is toward the rear of the vehicle, so that the U includes an inner wall arranged on one side of the midplane and an outer wall arranged near the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane, and the front wall of the first recess is arranged to be continuous with the outer wall of the second recess, and the rear wall of the first recess is separated from the inner wall of the second recess to leave a free space, which allows access to the inner part of the profile formed by the inner spaces of the two Us.

[0015] This particular shape of the cross section of the pillar allows to meet the requirements in terms of mechanical rigidity of said pillar and to reduce the space occupied by the pillar in the transverse direction, since it enables the seal support to be aligned (i.e. in line) with the bonding path in the longitudinal direction. This results in a reduced width of the pillar and a reduced width of the screen print deposited on the periphery of the rear window. Moreover, this arrangement of two adjacent U-shaped spaces creates an internal space that allows to arrange the actuator and the cable harness in separate housings to protect these devices from any physical interaction that could cause malfunctions.

[0016] The tailgate according to the present invention may include the following features individually or in combination:

[0017] The front surface of the front wall of the first recess forms a support for a seal arranged on the vehicle body.

[0018] The rear window is glued to the outer surface of the rear wall of the first recess.

[0019] The cable harness is routed in the inner space defined by the first recess.

[0020] An actuator hinged between the roof section and the tailgate is arranged in the interior space of the second recess to facilitate opening or closing of the tailgate.

[0021] The length of the inner wall of the second recess is smaller than the length of the outer wall of the second recess to increase the rearward field of view.

[0022] The inner wall of the second recess has a greater length than its outer wall and its extension is curved towards the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane while forming a non-zero angle with the longitudinal direction XX' to increase rearward visibility.

[0023] A reinforcement is arranged on the inner wall or the outer wall of the second recess.

[0024] The reinforcement extends from the outer wall of the second recess to the end of the rear wall of the first recess.

[0025] The rear wall of the first recess forms a non-zero angle with the transverse direction YY'.

[0026] - A removable interior part is arranged between the end of the rear wall of the first recess and the end of the inner wall of the second recess to close the free passage of the profile forming the pillar.

[0027] The profile of the pillar is formed in one piece with the upper and lower parts of the tailgate, which is realized by molding of thermoplastic or thermosetting material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The invention will be better understood by reading the accompanying drawings, which are provided by way of example and are in no way limiting, and in which:

[0029] - Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a rear portion of a vehicle equipped with a tailgate including an actuator;

[0030] - Figure 2 is a schematic side view allowing the tailgate to be shown in an open position and a closed position;

[0031] - Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tailgate pillar along AA according to the present invention;

[0032] - Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tailgate pillar according to a first alternative embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] - Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tailgate pillar according to a second alternative embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] - Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a tailgate pillar according to a third alternative embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Figure 1 The rear part of the vehicle 1 shown can reveal a tailgate 2 closing the rear opening.

[0036] In the following, a standard orthogonal reference system OXYZ will be considered, wherein the X'OX axis represents the longitudinal axis oriented from rear to front, the Y'OY axis represents the transverse axis oriented from left to right, and the Z'OZ axis represents the vertical axis oriented from bottom to top. The plane Y0 perpendicular to the Y'OY axis corresponds to the midplane of the vehicle.

[0037] The tailgate 2 comprises an upper part 20 and a lower part 21 which are connected to each other via two side pillars 3 .

[0038] The upper part 20 is connected by a hinge 22 to a roof section 101 which forms part of the body 10 of the vehicle 1. The rear window 7 is bonded by its periphery to the pillar 3 and to the upper and lower parts of the tailgate.

[0039] An actuator 5 is arranged laterally on one side of each pillar 3, the purpose of which is to facilitate the opening and closing operation of the tailgate, and is connected by each of its ends to pivotal attachment points 51 and 52 arranged respectively on the vehicle body 10 and on the pillar 3 of the tailgate 2. As an example, the actuator 5 may be an ejector of the gas ejector type, or an ejector having a screw driven in rotation by a motor.

[0040] Figure 2The tailgate can be shown in an open position and in a closed position. For stylistic reasons, it is observed here that in the closed position the pillar and the inner window form a given angle with the vertical. The cross section of the pillar along AA is formed by the intersection of the pillar with a plane perpendicular to the direction of this angle and corresponds to a straight section of the pillar.

[0041] The "front" and "rear" relative positions with respect to the vehicle when the tailgate is in the closed position are also considered to apply to the tailgate, the "front" and "rear" relative positions being independent of the angle of inclination of the pillar with respect to the vertical.

[0042] Figure 3 A cross section of the right side column 3 symmetrical to the left side column is shown.

[0043] The U-shaped first recess 31 opens toward the midplane Y0 and includes a rear wall 310 and a front wall 311 , each oriented substantially along the YY′ axis.

[0044] The second recess 32 having a U-shape opens toward the rear of the vehicle and includes an inner wall 320 and an outer wall 321 each oriented substantially along the XX′ axis.

[0045] The front wall 311 of the first recess is connected to the outer wall 321 of the second recess so that the two walls are joined while forming a given angle close to a right angle with each other at the convergence point 34 .

[0046] The rear wall 310 of the first recess 31 and the inner wall 320 of the second recess 32 are separated to leave a free space 33 allowing access to the interior of the column to improve accessibility of this space during maintenance and repair operations or installation and assembly operations of the technical components contained in said column.

[0047] The rear surface 3100 of the rear wall 310 of the first recess 31 forms an adhesive path, to which the rear window 7 is bonded by means of an adhesive tape 71 .

[0048] The front surface 3110 of the front wall 311 of the first recessed portion 31 forms a support portion on which the seal member 102 mounted on the groove 103 of the vehicle body 10 is supported.

[0049] The front wall must provide a support wide enough to receive the squeezed seal. A width of 25 to 50 mm, preferably 30 to 40 mm, appears suitable.

[0050] The rear wall must provide a sufficient width for the bonding path. This width is 15 mm to 50 mm, preferably 20 mm to 30 mm.

[0051] The seal support 3110 and the bonding path 3100 are thus aligned one behind the other along the XX' direction, which allows reducing the space occupied by these two functional surfaces in the YY' direction, with the aim of increasing the rearward field of view. Moreover, since the seal support is arranged as close as possible to the side ends of the rear window, the width of the rear opening can be increased.

[0052] A cable harness 4 for supplying power to equipment arranged in the tailgate is accommodated in the first recess 31 .

[0053] An actuator 5 for facilitating the opening and closing movement of the tailgate is arranged in the second recess 32. The dotted circle allows to show the position of the actuator when the tailgate is in the open position.

[0054] As in Figure 2 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , free space must be provided in the XX' direction to allow the actuator 5 to travel between the open position and the closed position. Therefore, the length of the lateral inner wall 320 and the lateral outer wall 321 of the second recess 32 increases along one direction from the lower end (l1) of the tailgate to the roof section (l2) to allow the actuator to travel in the second recess when the tailgate moves around the hinge (l1>l2).

[0055] Since the first recess 31 and the second recess 32 are different, any contact between the cable harness 4 and the actuator 5 can be avoided.

[0056] It is also observed that the second recess projects forward, thus allowing the view of the seal 102 from inside the cabin to be blocked.

[0057] The walls of each recess do not necessarily have to be of equal length.

[0058] Therefore, in Figure 3 In the illustrated pillar 3, the inner wall 320 of the second recess 32 is shorter than the outer wall 321. This design can increase the rearward field of view by increasing the angle a formed by the straight line RR' passing through the rear end of the rearview mirror and the inner wall 320 of the second recess 32.

[0059] Figure 4 The situation according to the first alternative embodiment is shown, in which, for reasons of mechanical strength, the rigidity of the pillar 3 must be increased. To this end, a reinforcement 9 can be added in the outer part or preferably the inner part of the second recess 32 by bonding or welding.

[0060] Figure 5A situation according to a second alternative embodiment is shown, in which, still for reasons of mechanical strength, the portion of the reinforcement 9 arranged on the outer wall 321 of the second recess 32 must be extended to the end of the rear wall 310 of the first recess 31. Thus, access to the inner portion of the first recess 31 containing the cable bundle is partially compromised, but the isolation between the two cavities is improved, eliminating any risk of contact between the actuator and the cable bundle.

[0061] Alternatively, it is also possible that, in all the aforementioned configurations, the free passage 33 is closed by means of a removable interior trim 6, wherein the interior trim 6 serves as a decoration and is arranged between the end of the rear wall 310 of the first recess 31 and the end of the inner wall 320 of the second recess 32. This interior trim 6 can be usefully inclined in a direction opposite to the midplane Y0 to increase the rearward field of view and reduce the width of the screen-printed deposit 70 implemented on the periphery of the rear window 7 to cover the portion of the pillar 3 visible from the outside.

[0062] exist Figure 6 A third alternative embodiment is shown in FIG. 3 , wherein, in order to strengthen the structure of the tailgate, the inner wall 320 of the second recess comprises an extension 3201 extending rearwards and forming an angle a with the longitudinal direction XX′ to increase the rearward field of view.

[0063] When the rear window 7 has a concavity toward the XX′ direction, the rear wall 310 of the first concave portion 31 can be arranged as in Figure 6 It can be seen that a non-zero angle is formed with the YY' direction to slightly open the bonding path backwards.

[0064] The tailgate 2 as described above in each embodiment variant is preferably realized by molding thermoplastic or thermosetting material. Under these conditions, the pillar 3 is integrally formed with the lower portion 21 and the upper portion 20 of the tailgate.

[0065] It can be observed that the column includes a back draft in the XX' direction, which represents the main removal direction of the part. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a mold including a lateral motion drawer to mold the wall of the first recess, or Figure 6 In the case of the alternative embodiment shown, the extension 3201 of the inner wall 320 of the second recess 32 is molded.

[0066] List of terms

[0067] 1 Vehicle

[0068] 10 Body / Frame

[0069] 101 Roof section

[0070] 102 Seals

[0071] 103 Groove for supporting seal

[0072] 2 Tailgate

[0073] 20 Upper part of tailgate

[0074] 21 Lower part of tailgate

[0075] 22 Hinge

[0076] 3 Columns

[0077] 31 First recess

[0078] 310 Rear wall of first recess

[0079] 3100 Rear surface of rear wall of first recess

[0080] 311 Front wall of the first recess

[0081] 3110 Front surface of the front wall of the first recess

[0082] 32 Second recess

[0083] 320 Inner wall of the second recess

[0084] 3201 Extension of the inner wall of the second recess

[0085] 321 The outer wall of the second recess

[0086] 33 Free Space

[0087] 34 Convergence Point

[0088] 4 Cable harness

[0089] 5 Actuator

[0090] 51 Attachment point of the actuator arranged on the body / frame of the vehicle

[0091] 52 Attachment point for actuator arranged on tailgate

[0092] 6 Interior parts

[0093] 7 Rear Window

[0094] 70 Screen Printing Deposits

[0095] 71 Adhesive tape

[0096] 8 Rearview mirror

[0097] 9 Reinforcement

[0098] XX' Longitudinal axis of the vehicle (front / rear)

[0099] YY' The horizontal axis of the vehicle (right / left)

[0100] ZZ' The vertical axis of the vehicle

[0101] Y0 is the longitudinal midplane perpendicular to the YY' axis

[0102] l1,l2 thickness of the column in the longitudinal direction

[0103] a Rear view

Claims

1. A vehicle tailgate, which is used to be mounted in a rotatable manner on a roof section (101) forming part of a body (10) of the vehicle (1) by means of one or more hinges (22), the tailgate (2) comprising at least one side pillar (3) to which a rear window (7) is attached, the side pillar (3) forming a profile with an open cross-section, the cross-section comprising a first recess (31) and a second recess (32) both of which are U-shaped, each of the recesses comprising two side walls, the tailgate being characterized in that the first recess (31) is oriented towards a midplane (Y0) of the vehicle, so that the U-shaped first recess comprises a rear wall (310) arranged near the rear of the vehicle and a front wall (310) arranged near the front of the vehicle. The U-shaped second recess (32) is oriented toward the rear of the vehicle, so that the U-shaped second recess includes an inner wall (320) arranged on one side of the midplane (Y0) and an outer wall (321) arranged near the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane (Y0), and the front wall (311) of the first recess (31) is arranged to be continuous with the outer wall (321) of the second recess (32), and the rear wall (310) of the first recess (31) is separated from the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) to leave a free space (33), which allows access to the inner part of the profile formed by the inner spaces of the U-shaped first recess and the U-shaped second recess.

2. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1, wherein: A front surface (3110) of a front wall (311) of the first recess (31) forms a support portion for supporting a seal (102) arranged on a body (10) of the vehicle (1).

3. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The rear window (7) is bonded to the outer surface (3100) of the rear wall (310) of the first recess (31).

4. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The cable bundle (4) is routed in the internal space defined by the first recess (31).

5. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: An actuator (5) hinged between the roof section (101) and the tailgate (2) is arranged in the inner space of the second recess (32) to facilitate opening or closing of the tailgate.

6. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The length of the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) is smaller than the length of the outer wall (321) of the second recess (32) so as to increase the rearward field of view.

7. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The length of the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) is greater than the length of the outer wall (321) of the second recess (32), and wherein an extension (3201) of the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) is bent toward the side of the vehicle opposite to the midplane (Y0) while forming a non-zero angle (a) with the longitudinal direction XX' to increase the rear field of view.

8. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A reinforcement member (9) is arranged on the inner wall or the outer wall of the second recess (32).

9. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 8, wherein: The reinforcement member (9) extends from the outer wall (321) of the second recess (32) to the end of the rear wall (310) of the first recess (31).

10. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The rear wall (310) of the first recess (31) forms a non-zero angle with the transverse direction YY'.

11. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: A removable interior decoration part (6) is arranged between the end of the rear wall (310) of the first recess (31) and the end of the inner wall (320) of the second recess (32) to close the free space (33) of the profile forming the side pillar.

12. The vehicle tailgate according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The profile of the side pillar (3) is integrally formed with the upper part (20) and the lower part (21) of the tailgate (2), and the tailgate is realized by molding of thermoplastic or thermosetting material.

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