motor vehicle

Abstract

A motor vehicle with a vehicle body (2) and a vehicle front, which has at least one component (1, 3) located in a main direction of travel in front of the vehicle body (2) having body structure elements (20), which in the event of a frontal collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle is located in an immediate impact area, wherein at least one protective element (4) is provided between the component (1, 3) and a body structure element (20) located behind the component (1, 3), which prevents direct contact of the component (1, 3) with the body structure element (20) in the event of a frontal collision acting on the component (1, 3), is characterized in that at least one forward-facing gap extension (41, 43) is provided between the protective element (4) and the component (1, 3).

Description

The invention relates to a motor vehicle having a vehicle body and a vehicle front according to the preamble of claim 1.Motor vehicle insurance levels motor vehicles in the box-fail safe into damage classes, wherein the repair costs incurred after an accident form a decisive classification criterion. International standardized crash tests are carried out to determine these repair costs. This standardization is done by the Research Council for Automotive Repair (RCAR).In such an insurance rating test, the so-called "RCAR structure front" test, which is also referred to as "AZT" test (AZT=alance center for technology), the front headlight together with the housing is pressed into the vehicle. As a result of this kinematics, in particular in the case of vehicles with a short front vehicle, that is to say for example in the case of compact vehicles, the collision between the rear end of an penetrating component, for example of the headlight, and the body shell or with coolers installed in the front region can occur as a result of the installation space. However, the energy input into the body shell is only so high that no plastic deformations of components of the body shell occur; in contrast, in the case of coolers, an penetrating component can lead to damage, for example of the cooler fins, even at low speeds.Modern headlights, in particular LED headlights, are provided in their rear end region with mostly metallic cooling bodies, for example made of aluminum, which release the heat generated in the LEDs to the environment. Such heat sinks have a rib-like or nubby surface structure, through which the wind is circulated and flowed. Frequently, an electronic control device for the headlight is also provided in the rear region of a headlight, which for the purpose of effective cooling is likewise provided with such a cooling body which has a rib-like or nub-like surface.If these rib-like or nubby-like surfaces come into contact with a cooler or a body structure element in such a crash test, damage to the cooler or paint damage to the body structure element can occur, as far as damage to the CDL paint (CDL=cathodeactive dip coating) and, as a result, corrosion damage to the body shell can occur. Because of the ribbed or doped surface geometry of the control device or the rear region of the front headlight, paint scratches or paint chippings on the support carrier must be expected, which are to be repaired, namely painted, even if the body structural element itself remains undamaged and does not need to be replaced.Due to the closely dimensioned installation space in a compact vehicle, an arrangement of the headlight cooling body or of the control device or of other components provided in the front region at another location is often not possible. Also, because of the compact installation space, it is not possible to provide the hazardous body structural elements, for example a wheel arch support beam, at another location.DE 10 2016 219 179 A1 discloses a motor vehicle in which a protective element is provided between the rear side of a front headlight and a structural part of the vehicle body, which protective element prevents the structural part from contacting the front headlight displaced rearward due to the collision and protects the structural part from damage, for example also from paint damage, in the event of a frontal collision.It is the object of the present invention to further develop a motor vehicle of the generic type in such a way that the accident repair costs during a frontal collision according to the RCAR structure front test are reduced even more significantly.This object is achieved with the features of claim 1.In a motor vehicle having a vehicle body and a vehicle front, which has at least one component situated in front of the body structure elements in a main direction of travel, which component lies in a direct impact region in the event of a frontal collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle, wherein at least one protective element is provided between the component and a body structure element situated behind the component, which protective element prevents direct contact of the component with the body structure element in the event of a frontal collision acting on the component, at least one gap extension directed towards the front of the component is provided according to the invention between the protective element and the component. Preferably, the protective element has the at least one gap extension directed forwards onto the component.Due to the additional provision of the gap extension on the protective element, in the event of a corresponding front impact, not only does the component no longer come into direct contact with the body structural element shielded by the protective element, but the gap extension directed forward onto the component causes a targeted damage of the component, so that it deforms or decomposes before it impacts the actual protective element. Particularly when the component consists of a fragile plastic or comprises such a plastic, for example when the component is a front headlight with a plastic housing, the component breaks at the gap extension and can no longer strike the protective element as a whole and thus indirectly the body structural element protected by the protective element, so that its surface remains undamaged. The protective element, which can be produced cost-effectively from a plastic, for example, only needs to be replaced after such an accident.Further preferred and advantageous design features of the motor vehicle according to the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims 2 to 10.Preferably, the gap extension is designed at its free end as a mandrel or wedge with a gap tip or has at least one mandrel or wedge with a gap tip. Such a gap tip improves the ability of the gap extension to deform or break the impinging component.It is particularly advantageous if the gap extension is designed to be rigid in shape. Thus, the gap extension cannot deform and penetrates more effectively into the impinging component and splits it.It is also advantageous if the gap extension consists of a hard and substantially incompressible material. This configuration of the gap extension also improves its mechanical resistance.Preferably, the gap extension or at least the gap tip consists of a metal or it has a metal or a metallic section. This embodiment also improves the mechanical strength of the gap extension and thus its intended destructive effect.Preferably, the protective element is made of plastic at least outside the gap extension. As a result, it can be adapted to the body structure element more easily and without greater effort.It is particularly advantageous if the protective element is arranged, preferably directly, on the body structure element. This facilitates the assembly of the protective element.Alternatively, the protective element can also be arranged on the rear region of the component, wherein the gap extension, preferably the gap tip, is directed towards the component in the direction of travel.It is advantageous here if the gap tip is in contact with the rear side of the component or is spaced apart insignificantly therefrom.In all embodiments, it is advantageous if the component is a front headlight or a rear component of a front headlight and if the body structural element of a wheel arch support bracket is provided.Alternatively, however, it can also be advantageous if the protective element is arranged on the rear region of the front headlight and / or of the component provided with the rib-like or knob-like surface structure.Preferably, the body structural element to be protected is formed by a wheel arch support beam; however, the invention is not limited to the protection of such a support beam. For example, other vehicle body elements or even chassis components can also be shielded against mechanical accident influences by a protective element in the manner according to the invention.Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention with additional design details and further advantages are described and explained in more detail below with reference to the attached drawing.It shows: FIG. 1 is a perspective partial view of a motor vehicle according to the invention with the rear end region of a front headlight and a body structural element located behind it; FIG. 2 is a plan view of the detail from FIG. 1 in the direction of the arrows II-II; and FIG. 3 shows a schematic illustration of an arrangement of front headlight and body structure element of a motor vehicle according to the invention in an RCAR structure front test in a plan view according to FIG. 2.FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rear portion of a headlight 1 installed in a front body portion of a motor vehicle, including a wheel house support bracket 22 provided in this portion of the body, which forms a body structural member 20 of the vehicle body 2.The rear region 10 of the headlight 1 has a section 12 pointing towards the body structure element 20 with a rib-like surface structure 13, which forms a cooling body for the headlight configured, for example, as an LED headlight. This rib-like surface structure 13 is surrounded by the portion of the relative wind that is brought up to the rear region 10 of the headlight 1 and cools this cooling body of the headlight 1.Furthermore, in the rear region 10 of the headlight 1, mounted on the latter or on the vehicle body 2, a control device 3 is provided, which is provided on its rear housing side 30 with a plurality of knob-like projections 32, which together with the rear housing cover 34 of the control device 3 likewise form a heat sink structure for dissipating heat arising in the control device 3. The headlight 1 and the control device 3 are components which, in the event of a front collision of the vehicle, are displaced to the rear counter to the forward direction of travel determining the main direction of travel and can come into contact with the body structure.Behind the rear region 10 of the front headlight 1 and of the control unit 3 in the longitudinal direction x of the vehicle (i.e. counter to the direction of travel), a wheel arch support beam 22 is provided, which forms a body structural element 20 as part of the vehicle body 2. This wheel arch support beam 22 is a body structural element generally known in the motor vehicle construction and is therefore not described in detail.In the example shown of a compactly constructed front vehicle, for example of a compact vehicle, the wheel arch support beam 22, as can be seen particularly well in the plan view of FIG. 2, lies directly behind the rear region 10 of the front headlight 1 with the section 12 which has the rib-like surface structure 13, and also directly behind the control device 3 which is provided with the knob-like surface structure 30 at its rear end, that is to say that it points toward the wheel arch support beam 22.In the event of an accident, as is simulated, for example, by the RCAR structure front test schematically illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein a vehicle is driven against a barrier 5, the headlight 1 with the control device 3 arranged in its rear region 10 is displaced in the vehicle longitudinal direction x to the rear counter to the direction of travel X and the nub-like surface structure 30 of the control device 3 and optionally also the rib-like surface structure 13 of the headlight 1 come into contact with the body structure element 20, that is to say the wheel arch support 22, so that rust formation may occur there.Between the section 12 of the rear region 10 of the headlight 1 provided with the rib-like surface structure 13 and between the rear side of the control device 3 provided with the nubby surface structure 30 and the body structure element 20, a protective element 4 is therefore provided, which in the example shown is formed by a partial covering 40 of the wheel arch support carrier 22.This partial covering 40 of the wheel arch support beam 22 has, on its surface which is forward in the direction of travel, i.e. toward the rear region 10 of the headlight 1 and toward the rear region of the control unit 3, a protective surface 42 which is preferably designed to be elastically and / or plastically deformable and which is of sufficiently thick configuration so as not to be destroyed in the event of a collision with the stud-like surface structure 30 and / or the rib-like surface structure 13 and to convert the point loads applied by the ribs or studs into surface loads acting on the surface of the body structure element 20. As a result, the risk of surface damage to the body structure element 20 is already significantly reduced.However, if the kinetic energy acting on the headlight 1 or the control device 3 as a result of the collision is too high or the distance between the latter and the protective surface 42 is too small, then in individual cases it may happen that the protective surface 42 is also damaged and, as a result, the body structure element 20 is also damaged. Therefore, according to the invention, at least one gap extension 41, 43 directed towards the front of the component is provided between the protective element 4 and the component formed by the headlight 1 or the control device 3 in the example shown. A lower gap extension 41 and an upper gap extension 43 are shown in the figures, but more than two gap extensions or even only one can be provided. As can be seen in particular in FIG. 1, the lower gap extension 41 is wedge-shaped and provided with a forwardly pointing edge 41'. The upper gap extension 43 is designed as a pyramidal spike and is provided with a forwardly pointing tip 43'. For the purposes of this patent application, both the two-dimensionally extending edge 41' and the one-dimensional tip 43' are summarized under the term "split tip".In the example shown, the gap extension 41, 43 is provided on the front side of the protective element 4 facing in the direction of travel. It extends forwards from the protective surface 42 and is directed with its gap tip 41', 43' towards the component 1, 3.The partial casing 40 is U-shaped in cross section with a base forming, for example, the protective surface 42 and two legs 44, 46 starting from their lateral ends, the free ends of the legs 44, 46 having inwardly pointing hooks 44', 46'. The dimensions of this enclosure 40, which is U-shaped in cross section, are dimensioned such that they tightly surround the wheel arch support beam 22 in order to prevent rattling. The hooks 44', 46' engage behind the wheel arch support beam 22 and firmly clamp the protective element 4 on the wheel arch support beam 22. The protective element 4, which is made of plastic for example, with the at least one gap extension 41, 43 attached thereto, can thus be easily and economically replaced after an accident.The invention is not limited to the above embodiment, which serves merely to explain the core idea of the invention in general. Rather, within the scope of the invention, the device according to the invention can also assume embodiments other than those described above. The device can in particular have features which represent a combination of the respective individual features of the claims.Reference numerals in the claims, the description and the drawings are used merely for better understanding of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection.References included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 10 2016 219 179 A1

[0007]

Claims

Motor vehicle having a vehicle body (2) and a vehicle front, which has at least one component (1, 3) situated in front of the body structure elements (20) in a main direction of travel, which component lies in a direct impact region in the event of a frontal collision of the motor vehicle with an obstacle, wherein at least one protective element (4) is provided between the component (1, 3) and a body structure element (20) situated behind the component (1, 3), which protective element prevents direct contact of the component (1, 3) with the body structure element (20) in the event of a frontal collision acting on the component (1, 3), characterized in that at least one gap extension (41, 43) directed forwards onto the component (1, 3) is provided between the protective element (4) and the component (1, 3).Motor vehicle according to claim 1 characterised in that the gap extension (41, 43) is formed at its free end as a pin or wedge with a gap tip (41', 43') or has at least one pin or wedge with a gap tip (41', 43').Motor vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the gap extension (41, 43) is designed to be rigid in shape.Motor vehicle according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that the gap extension (41, 43) consists of a hard and substantially incompressible material.Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gap extension (41, 43) or at least the gap tip (41', 43') consists of a metal or has a metal.Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective element (4) is made of plastic at least outside the gap extension (41, 43).Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective element (4) is arranged on the body structural element (20).Motor vehicle according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the protective element (4) is arranged on the rear region of the component (1, 3), wherein the gap extension (41, 43), preferably the gap tip (41', 43'), is directed towards the component (1, 3) in the direction of travel (F).Motor vehicle according to Claim 8, characterized in that the gap tip (41', 43') is in contact with the rear side (12, 30) of the component (1, 3) or is spaced apart insignificantly therefrom.Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the component (1, 3) is a front headlight (1) or a rear component (3) of a front headlight (1), and in that the body structure element (20) is formed by a wheel arch support beam (22).

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