Front structure assembly for a motor vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structural assembly (1) for a vehicle, comprising a longitudinal beam line and an upper support cup (2) for a suspension system, said assembly comprising a wheel arch wall (3), said assembly (1) further comprising at least one sheet metal plate (4) shaped to form a force path (5) extending from said longitudinal beam line towards said cup (2), said wall being arranged between said cup (2), said force path (5) and said longitudinal beam line, characterized in that said assembly (1) comprises a connecting member (11) coupling said cup (2) and said force path (5), said connecting member (11) being shaped to deform in a predefined manner so as to transmit at least a portion of a longitudinal force generated on said force path (5) along a transverse axis (A) of said vehicle towards said cup (2) during a test with reduced positive overlap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention claims priority to French application 2106674, filed on June 23, 2021, the contents of which (text, drawings and claims) are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The technical field of this invention relates to structural components for motor vehicles and vehicles having at least one such component. Background Technology

[0003] In terms of road safety, automakers need to consider a variety of norms and regulations when developing new vehicles in order to ensure the safety of the vehicle's passengers or other most vulnerable road users (such as pedestrians) in the event of a collision, and to control the repair costs of the vehicle in the event of an urban collision (which is named a repairable collision at low speeds of 15 to 20 kilometers per hour).

[0004] In a collision at speeds of approximately 50 km / h or higher, the vehicle will deform to absorb at least a portion of the energy released during the collision in order to best protect the occupants. The deformation behavior of a motor vehicle under the influence of a collision is particularly controlled by the automaker in an effort to absolutely avoid the deformation of the vehicle affecting the passenger compartment and its occupants.

[0005] The simulation uses standardized procedures (such as those described by the US agency IIHS) to simulate different types of collisions a vehicle might experience.

[0006] The particularly stringent frontal crash test provided by the IIHS is called the "Small Overlap Front Test," or test with reduced frontal overlap. This test is a type of frontal crash test. It involves propelling a vehicle at 40 mph (approximately 64 km / h) against a rigid barrier up to 1.5 meters high, which impacts 25% of the front of the vehicle from the driver's side. This test simulates a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, tree, or utility pole.

[0007] The test, with its reduced positive overlap, primarily affects the outer edges of the vehicle, and the impact force is directly directed towards the forward wheels, suspension system, and fireproof partition. Consequently, the wheels are minimally pushed rearward into the passenger compartment, particularly into the legroom, constituting a particularly harmful intrusion (potentially causing serious injury to the driver's legs and feet). Ideally, the vehicle's structural components should deform to induce lateral movement of the vehicle so that the passenger compartment is protected from the impact of the test obstacle.

[0008] Most modern vehicles feature passive protection designs based on two force paths: a first force path formed by longitudinal beams or longitudinal beam lines, and a second force path (also called a lower force path) formed by bracket extensions. Some vehicles also include a third force path located around the wheel arches.

[0009] Studies of collisions between two vehicles have shown that the force paths often fail to interact effectively, thus preventing the transmission of forces to all structural components of the vehicle. Furthermore, the third force path connects to the first force path via the wheel arch, and the first force path is also fixed to the body of the suspension cup. Consequently, the suspension cup proves to be a weakness. The suspension cup thus frequently adversely affects the vehicle's deformability during collisions with reduced positive overlap. The vehicle often deviates insufficiently to prevent the passenger compartment from impacting the obstacle.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need for a solution that can improve the performance of the vehicle when deformation occurs after a test with reduced positive overlap. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The objective of this invention is to overcome the problems described above. Within this technical context, the object of this invention is to provide a structural assembly for a motor vehicle that improves the vehicle's deviation during testing with reduced positive overlap.

[0012] Therefore, the present invention relates to a structural assembly for a motor vehicle, the structural assembly including a longitudinal beam line and an upper support cup for a suspension system of a wheel, the assembly including a wheel arch wall for the wheel, the assembly further including at least one metal plate shaped to form a force path extending from the longitudinal beam line toward the cup, the wheel arch wall being disposed between the cup, the force path and the longitudinal beam line.

[0013] The component is characterized in that it includes a connecting member that connects the cup and the force path, the connecting member being shaped to deform in a predetermined manner so as to transmit at least a portion of the longitudinal force generated on the force path toward the cup along the lateral axis of the vehicle during a test with reduced positive overlap.

[0014] The present invention also relates to a vehicle comprising at least one component according to the invention.

[0015] Thus, due to the connecting member, the assembly according to the invention enables the performance of the upper support cup of the suspension system for the wheel to be linked to the force path. Taking into account the shape of the connecting member, it is able to generate a force and thus deform on the cup along the lateral axis of the vehicle by deforming during a collision with reduced positive overlap. By deforming along the lateral axis of the vehicle, the cup improves the performance of the vehicle according to the invention, and in particular, the lateral deviation of the vehicle, during a collision with reduced positive overlap.

[0016] In this article, the "lateral" axis refers to the axis that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle equipped with the components.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the connecting member is designed to crush along the lateral axis of the vehicle.

[0018] Depending on the possibility, the connecting member comprises a stamped metal sheet having a cross-section having a V-shaped convex bend.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the connecting member has two welding areas designed to fix the connecting member to the cup and the force path, respectively, by welding. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The invention will be better understood by reading the detailed description and accompanying drawings given below, which are given only as non-limiting examples, in which:

[0021] - Figure 1 A perspective view of a component according to the invention is shown, the component having connecting members, a cup, and a force path;

[0022] - Figure 2 It shows Figure 1 A perspective view of the connecting members after a collision test with reduced positive overlap. Detailed Implementation

[0023] In these figures, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same elements.

[0024] Structural components 1 for motor vehicles (such as...) Figure 1 and Figure 2 The above includes a longitudinal beam line (not shown), an upper support cup 2 for the suspension system of the wheel (shown in the accompanying drawing), and a wheel arch wall 3 for the wheel (which is shown in the accompanying drawing). Figure 1 (As shown above).

[0025] The component also includes at least one metal plate 4, which forms a force path 5 extending from the longitudinal beam line toward the cup 2. A wheel arch wall 3 is arranged between the cup 2 facing rear of the component 1, the longitudinal beam line in the lower portion of the component 1, and the force path 5 in the upper portion. The vehicle according to the invention thus includes at least one component 1. The vehicle according to the invention also advantageously includes, for example, a second force path formed by a bracket extension (not shown).

[0026] The cup 2 is typically a part made of a relatively thick sheet of metal, approximately 2 to 3 millimeters thick, to bear the forces of the suspension system (not shown). Conventionally, the cup 2 includes a lateral wall 6 formed of at least one sheet of metal having a substantially frustoconical shape (with a square base and rounded corners). The cup 2 also includes an upper wall 7 that closes the volume defined by the lateral walls 6. The upper wall 7 has a channel opening 8 for the passage of a buffer head and its fixing component 9, the opening being, for example, in the form of a screw channel opening designed into the cup 2.

[0027] The wheel arch wall 3 is made of a metal plate that is thinner than the cup 2, the metal plate having a thickness in the millimeter range, and is often locally reinforced by one or more additional reinforcing elements.

[0028] The force path 5 has a convex bend 10 oriented toward the outside of the vehicle. This force path 5 is designed to have a force input toward the cup 2 during a collision with reduced positive overlap, which results in the loss of the convex bend 10 of the force path 5.

[0029] Component 1 also includes a connecting member 11 (which is in Figure 1 (As shown above), the connecting member connects the cup 2 and the force path 5. The connecting member 11 is shaped to deform in a predetermined manner so that during a collision test with reduced positive overlap, at least a portion of the longitudinal force generated on the force path 5 is directed along the vehicle's lateral axis A (which is located at...). Figure 1 (As shown above) it is passed toward cup 2. Advantageously, the connecting member 11 is designed to crush along the lateral axis A of the vehicle.

[0030] In an embodiment of the invention, the connecting member 11 includes a stamped metal plate 12 having a cross-section along the horizontal plane of the vehicle, the cross-section being a convexly curved V shape. The connecting member 11 has two welding areas 13 designed to connect the cup 2 by welding at the lateral wall 6 and the force path 5, respectively.

[0031] Thus, during a collision test with reduced positive overlap, the force path 5 loses its convex bend 10 and transmits the force along the longitudinal axis toward the cup 2. The connecting member 11 deforms in a predetermined manner to crush along the lateral axis A of the vehicle, thereby transmitting the force along the lateral axis A toward the cup 2.

[0032] Thus, according to the invention, component 1 causes deformation of cup 2 along the transverse axis A due to its connecting member 11, which helps the vehicle deviate to avoid obstacles during tests with reduced positive overlap.

[0033] This invention is not limited to the embodiments of the components described above as examples only, and other embodiments can be designed by those skilled in the art without departing from the background and scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A structural assembly (1) for a motor vehicle, the structural assembly including a longitudinal beam line and an upper support cup (2) for a suspension system of a wheel, the structural assembly including a wheel arch wall (3) for the wheel, the structural assembly (1) further including at least one metal plate (4), the at least one metal plate being shaped to form a force path (5) extending from the longitudinal beam line toward the upper support cup (2), the wheel arch wall (3) being disposed between the upper support cup (2), the force path (5) and the longitudinal beam line, characterized in that, The structural component (1) includes a connecting member (11) that connects the upper support cup (2) and the force path (5), the connecting member (11) being shaped to deform in a predetermined manner so that at least a portion of the longitudinal force generated on the force path (5) is transmitted along the transverse axis (A) of the vehicle toward the upper support cup (2) during a test with reduced positive overlap.

2. The structural component (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting member (11) is designed to crush along the transverse axis (A) of the motor vehicle.

3. The structural component (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The connecting member (11) includes a stamped metal plate (12) having a cross section having a V-shaped convex bend.

4. The structural component (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The connecting member (11) has two welding areas (13) designed to fix the connecting member (11) to the upper support cup (2) and the force path (5) respectively by welding.

5. A vehicle comprising at least one structural component (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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