MOUNTING BRACKET FOR MOUNTING TWO VEHICLE EQUIPMENT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to the field of motor vehicles and more particularly concerns the function of fixing parts of external equipment of a vehicle, taking into account the need for positioning said parts of equipment relative to each other.

[0002] The invention also relates to the pedestrian shock absorption function at the level of said external equipment, in particular at the level of a front lateral end of the vehicle.

[0003] The invention thus relates to a support which ensures this fixing function for a front wing and / or a front projector and which also includes means for absorbing head impacts occurring mainly at the level of the upper part of the vehicle wing.

[0004] The invention relates to a vehicle comprising such a support and the equipment parts fixed to said support. TECHNOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is known to attach front wings to supports that absorb head impacts. These supports allow wings of different shapes and sizes to be mounted on the same basic structure, depending on the vehicle's profile.

[0006] Thus, patent document FR2911106 describes a support for a front wing of a motor vehicle. This support includes a mounting interface to the body and another interface for attaching a front wing, said support having the capacity to compress during a pedestrian impact, particularly during a head impact on the wing, so as to mitigate the effects of the head impact on the wing.

[0007] The document DE 103 47 810 A1, considered to be the closest prior art, also discloses a mounting bracket for body components, designed to deform in the event of an impact in order to ensure the protection of pedestrians.

[0008] Furthermore, it is necessary to be able to fix, economically, on the same vehicle structure base not only a wing but also a front headlight and to respect conditions of play and flushness between the front headlight and the wing, while having good energy absorption properties of a head impact on the wing and / or on the front headlight.

[0009] The prior art is therefore not efficient enough to propose a definition of a support which allows both the fixing of a front wing and a front projector, to ensure the correct positioning of the parts relative to each other, and also to ensure sufficient absorption of the energy of a head impact on the wing and / or on the projector. GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art.

[0011] To this end, the invention is defined by the vehicle support as presented in claim 1. Advantageous embodiments are described in the dependent claims.

[0012] The invention thus proposes a vehicle support, intended to be fixed to a part of the vehicle's structure, the support comprising: a first fixing area intended for attaching the support to the vehicle structure, a second fixing area intended for attaching a wing, a third fixing area intended for the fixing of vehicle equipment.

[0013] A single support for attaching a wing and vehicle equipment has the advantage of ensuring the attachment of the wing and equipment with economical means.

[0014] According to the invention, the support comprises a substantially flat plate including the first fixing zone and the third fixing zone, said third zone being disposed at a longitudinal end of the plate. The support also comprises a projecting portion extending substantially in the vertical direction from the plate, the second fixing zone being disposed at the end of this projecting portion.

[0015] Characteristically, the protruding portion of the invention comprises frangible zones arranged between the base plate and the second mounting zone. This configuration allows the second mounting zone to move closer to the base plate when a force (typically during an impact) directed from the second zone towards the base plate is applied, when this force exceeds a given value, causing the frangible zones to rupture. Thus, during an impact with a vertical component, the frangible zones rupture and absorb a portion of the impact energy.

[0016] In one embodiment of the invention, the projecting portion comprises a first slice extending from the base plate and a second slice arranged vertically above the first slice, the two slices being separated and connected by frangible zones. The first slice is hollow and has a larger internal cross-section than the external cross-section of the second slice, so as to allow the second slice to penetrate and slide into the first after the frangible zones have broken. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the attached drawings, in which: ⁅ Fig.1 ] represents a general perspective view of the support according to the invention. Fig.2 [ ] represents a partial view from inside the vehicle of a wing and a front headlight assembled to the support. The drawings are schematic representations intended to facilitate understanding of the invention. The components are not necessarily shown to scale.

[0018] In the following description, the term "include" is synonymous with "include" and is not restrictive in that it permits the presence of other elements or means of a projector module. It is understood that the term "include" includes the terms "consist of." In the various figures, the same reference numerals designate identical or similar elements.

[0019] The X direction is the longitudinal axis of the vehicle in running order, oriented from the front of the vehicle to the rear of the vehicle.

[0020] The Y direction is the transverse direction of the vehicle in running order.

[0021] The Z direction is the vertical of the vehicle oriented upwards.

[0022] Furthermore, the term "substantially" will be used to indicate that a slight deviation is permitted from a predetermined nominal position or arrangement, while remaining within the scope of the invention.

[0023] In the detailed description that follows, the invention describes a support for a front wing and a front projector. The term projector means a light projection device without prejudice to the nature of the light signal produced. The invention is in no way limited to this case, and its application to other supports for equipment parts is within the capabilities of a person skilled in the art. For example, the equipment parts could be a wing and an exterior decoration device, or a wing and a sensor or a camera. The support 1 shown in figure 1 is a support for a wing 2 and a vehicle component 4, said support 1 being intended to be fixed to a structural part 5 of the vehicle, the support 1 comprising a first fixing zone 11 intended for fixing the support 1 to the structural part of the vehicle, a second fixing zone 12 intended for fixing a first piece of equipment, , and a third fixing zone 13 intended for the fixing of a second piece of vehicle equipment.

[0024] The first fixing zone 11 is positioned at a distance from the second fixing zone 12 in a vertical direction. The third fixing zone 13 includes means for positioning the second piece of equipment in a longitudinal direction and in a transverse direction, these longitudinal and transverse directions being perpendicular to each other and to the vertical direction.

[0025] In a vehicle configuration, with support 1 fixed to a part of the vehicle's structure, the vertical direction of the support is substantially aligned with the Z direction of the vehicle, the transverse direction is substantially aligned with the Y direction of the vehicle, and the longitudinal direction of the support is substantially aligned with the X direction of the vehicle.

[0026] Thus, the equipment and the wing, being fixed and positioned on the same support, have this support as a common reference, and are therefore geometrically arranged relative to each other so as to comply with prescribed clearance and flushness requirements between the two pieces of equipment. In a variant of the invention, the wing and the equipment include facing edges that are partially aligned and which, for reasons of perceived quality, comply with prescribed clearance and flushness requirements between the two pieces of equipment.

[0027] The support 1 comprises a substantially flat plate 10 including the first fixing zone 11 and the third fixing zone 13, said third fixing zone 13 being disposed at a longitudinal end of said plate.

[0028] The plate 10 as shown in figure 1 , is flat, and extends substantially in a horizontal plane in the vehicle's position.

[0029] In other words, the plate 10 has substantially horizontal flat walls, of which a terminal wall 103 forms the longitudinal end intended for the attachment of the second piece of equipment.

[0030] Thus the plate 10 allows the equipment to be positioned by the terminal wall 103, relative to the vertical direction by a support on the wall 103.

[0031] The end wall 103 has at its longitudinal end a lug 104, intended for the lateral positioning of the second piece of equipment. As shown in figure 1 , the lug 104 is an outgrowth, substantially in the shape of a pin, and in the plane of the terminal wall 103, comprising at least one edge perpendicular to the transverse direction on which an edge of the second equipment is intended to rest transversely.

[0032] As represented in figure 1 , the third fixing zone (13) further includes a means of additional positioning of the equipment (4) at least in the longitudinal direction.

[0033] The additional positioning means includes an orifice 105 for the longitudinal positioning of the second piece of equipment, said orifice 105 having an edge perpendicular to the longitudinal direction on which a part of the second piece of equipment is intended to rest longitudinally.

[0034] In one variant of the invention, a centering pin is used to position the equipment relative to the orifice 105.

[0035] The additional positioning means further includes a hole 106 for fixing, for example by screwing or clipping, the equipment 4. The equipment 4 is thus held vertically by this fixing on the terminal wall 103, in support on the terminal wall 103.

[0036] The plate 10 has at least one fixing hole 101 intended for fixing, for example by screwing or clipping, the support 1 to a part of the vehicle structure.

[0037] In one variant of the invention, the plate 10 further includes an orifice for a centering pin or a centering pin formed with the plate 10, the centering pin being intended to position the support 1 relative to the structure 5 of the vehicle.

[0038] The support 1 has at least one projecting part 15, 16 from the plate 10 substantially in the vertical direction Z relative to said plate 10, the second fixing zone 12 being disposed at the end of the projecting part 15, 16.

[0039] In the representation of the figure 1 , the plate 10 has two protruding parts, 15, 16.

[0040] The second fixing zone 12 is located at the ends of the protruding parts 15, 16. In the representation of the figure 1 , the support 1 has at the end of each projecting part 15, 16 respectively an end wall 152, 162, substantially flat and substantially parallel to the plate 10. Each of the walls 152, 162 has an opening for fixing the first equipment, for example by screwing or clipping.

[0041] In other words, the end walls 152, 162, form the area 12 for fixing the first equipment.

[0042] The support 1 further includes frangible zones arranged between the plate 10 and the second fixing zone 12, so as to allow the second fixing zone 12 to move closer to the plate 10 when a force is applied directed from the second fixing zone 12 towards the plate 10 and when said force exceeds a given value by breaking said frangible zone.

[0043] Thus, the consequences of an impact on the first equipment, one component of which includes a force directed from the second fixing zone 12 towards the plate 10, i.e. towards the first fixing zone 11, and when said force exceeds a given value, will be lessened by the rupture of the frangible zones.

[0044] According to the invention, the projecting part or each projecting part 15, 16, comprises a first slice extending from the plate 10 and a second slice arranged vertically above the first slice.

[0045] The second slice includes the end of the projecting part 15, 16. The two slices are separated by the frangible zones, and linked together by the frangible zones.

[0046] The first section is hollow and has a larger internal cross-section than the external cross-section of the second section, so as to allow the second section to pass into the internal cross-section of the first section, following the rupture of the frangible zones.

[0047] For example, as represented in figure 1 The first projecting part 15 comprises a first slice having walls 151 forming in section in a horizontal plane a substantially U-shaped form, the walls being substantially vertical. The interior of this projecting part is the interior part of the U.

[0048] The first projecting portion 15 comprises a second slice with walls 153 forming, in section in a horizontal plane, a substantially U-shaped form, the walls 153 being substantially vertical. The walls of the U formed by the second slice of the projecting portion 15, 16 are offset towards the interior of the U. The first and second slices are substantially aligned on the same substantially vertical axis Z. The outer face of each wall 153 of the second slice is thus able to slide inside the U of the first slice, along an inner face of each wall 151 of the first slice following a break in the frangible portion.

[0049] Each wall 151 forming a branch and / or the base of the U of the first slice is connected to the plate 10 and to the frangible part. The frangible part is connected to each wall (ref) forming the branches and / or the base of the U of the second slice.

[0050] The frangible zones of the projecting part are formed by frangible walls 154 connected respectively to the nearest walls 151 of the first section and to the nearest walls 153 of the second section, the walls 153 of the second section being offset towards the inside of the U relative to the walls 151 of the first section, to which they are connected via the walls 154. The frangible walls 154 consist for example of walls of thinner thickness compared to the thicknesses of the walls 151 and / or 153 of the first and second sections respectively, and / or have weakenings by cutouts and / or holes and / or grooves.

[0051] In one variant of the invention, the walls 151 and 153 are connected by bars at each of their longitudinal or transverse ends.

[0052] The second part protrudes 16 according to the figure 1 , comprises a first section having walls 161 forming in cross-section in a horizontal plane a substantially L-shaped form, the walls 161 being substantially vertical. The interior of this projecting part is the interior part of the L. This second projecting part 16 comprises a second section having walls 163 forming in cross-section in a horizontal plane a substantially L-shaped form, the walls 163 being substantially vertical.

[0053] Frangible parts are arranged between the first slice and the second slice of the second projecting part 16 and are formed by frangible walls 164 connecting the walls 161 to the nearest walls 163.

[0054] The walls 163 of the L formed by the second slice of this second projecting part are offset towards the inside of the L relative to the walls 161. The outer face of each wall 163 of the second L-shaped slice is thus able to slide inside the L of the first slice, along an inner face of one of the walls of the first slice following a break in the frangible walls 164.

[0055] Each wall 163 is connected on one side to the frangible zones and on the other to the wall 162 of the second fixing zone

[0056] The frangible zones of the second projecting part 16 are formed by frangible walls 164 connecting respectively a wall 161 of the first L-shaped slice to the nearest wall 163 of the second L-shaped slice.

[0057] The frangible walls 164 of the second projecting part consist of walls of thinner thickness compared to the thicknesses of the walls of the first and / or second L-shaped section and / or have weakenings by cutouts and / or holes and / or grooves.

[0058] In one variant of the invention, the walls 161 and 163 are connected by bars at each of the longitudinal or transverse ends.

[0059] Thus, following a break in the frangible part of the second projecting part, the L-shaped forms of the second slice are guided inside the L-shaped forms of the first slice, the outer faces of the walls 163 of the second L-shaped slice being guided by the inner faces of the walls 161 of the first L-shaped slice.

[0060] As represented in figure 1 , the support 1 comprises two projecting parts 15, 16 aligned along the longitudinal axis, the first fixing zone 11 being on the plate 10 and disposed between said two projecting parts 15, 16 and the second fixing zone 12 being disposed at the two ends of the projecting parts.

[0061] According to the representation of the figure 1 , the first projecting part 15, comprising U-shaped slices, is arranged longitudinally closer to the terminal wall 103 than the projecting part 16. The second projecting part 16, comprising L-shaped slices, is arranged opposite the terminal wall 103 with respect to the first projecting part.

[0062] As represented in figure 1 , the projecting part 16 having the L-shaped edge is disposed at one longitudinal end of the support 1 opposite the third fixing zone 13, and the projecting part 15 having the U-shaped edge is disposed between the projecting part 16 and the third zone 13.

[0063] Having a projecting part 16 at the longitudinal end of the support 1 allows for a gain in space at the end of the support 1. One edge of the L is arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction of the support 1 and joined at its end furthest from the end of the support, furthest from the third zone 13, to the other edge of the L which is arranged substantially along the transverse direction of the support 1.

[0064] The support 10 includes, between the first protruding part and the second protruding part, a portion of wall having an opening 101 for fixing the support 10 to a part of the vehicle structure. In the representation of the figure 1 The mounting hole 101 for the plate 10 to the structural part (not shown) is located between the first projecting part 15 and the second projecting part 16. The plate 10 is preferably fixed by screwing or possibly by clipping.

[0065] In the representation of the invention of the figure 1 , the first fixing zone 11, the two ends of the protruding zones 15, 16 and the third fixing zone 13 are substantially aligned along the longitudinal direction, said longitudinal direction being the longitudinal direction of the support.

[0066] In one embodiment of the invention, the third fastening zone 13 comprises a frangible portion disposed between the fastening means 104, 105, 106 of the equipment and the protruding part 15. For example, as shown in figure 1 The terminal wall 103 extends to the first projecting part 15 and, at its junction with this first projecting part 15, includes frangible means 107 designed to break beyond a given limiting force. These frangible means are formed, for example, by weakenings created in the terminal wall 103 in its proximity to one of the walls 151, such as reductions in thickness or openings created in the wall 103.

[0067] In other words, with the equipment fixed to said terminal wall 103, a force exerted on said equipment beyond a given limit force causes the equipment and the portion of plate 10 bearing the protruding parts 15, 16 to break.

[0068] The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising, on the same lateral side of the vehicle, a front wing 2, a headlight 4, and a support 1 according to the invention, in which the support 1 is fixed to a part of the front structure of the vehicle by its first attachment area. In the representation of the figure 2 , the front wing 2 is fixed on the second fixing area (12) and the projector 4 forms the equipment fixed on the third fixing area 13 of the support 1.

[0069] As represented in the embodiment of the figure 2 , the longitudinal direction X of the vehicle is parallel to the longitudinal direction of support 1, the transverse direction Y of the vehicle is parallel to the transverse direction of support 1, and the vertical direction Z of the vehicle is identical to the vertical direction of support 1 and oriented in the same direction.

[0070] Thus, a support 1 according to the invention allows a wing 2 and a projector 4 to be fixed to the same support 1 by a single piece, so as to facilitate the respective positioning of said projector 4 and of the wing 2, the wing 2 and the projector 4 having opposite and aligned edge portions for which clearance and flushness conditions are prescribed.

[0071] When a pedestrian's head impacts the top of the wing and beyond a limited force, the frangible walls 154 and 164 break, which helps to lessen the effects of the impact suffered by the pedestrian's head.

[0072] During an impact on the projector 4 and beyond a limit force, the fragile means 107 break and make it possible to lessen the effects of the impact on both a pedestrian and / or on the projector 4.

Claims

1. Vehicle support (1), intended to be fixed to a structural part (5) of the vehicle, the support (1) comprising - first fixing zone (11) for fixing the support 1 to the structure (5) of the vehicle, - second fastening zone (12) for fastening a wing (2), comprising a third fastening zone (13) for fastening a piece of equipment (4) of the vehicle, - substantially planar plate (10) comprising a first fixing zone (11) and a third fixing zone (13), said third fixing zone (13) being disposed at a longitudinal end of said plate (10), and - projecting part (15, 16) substantially along a vertical management Z from the plate (10), the second fixing zone (12) being disposed at the end of the projecting part (15, 16), - wherein the protruding part (15, 16) comprises breakable zones arranged between the plate (10) and the second fixing zone (12), so as to allow the second fixing zone (12) to move towards the plate (10) during the application of an orientated force from the second fixing zone (12) towards the plate (10) and when said force exceeds a given value by break point of said breakable zones.

2. Support (1) according to claim 1, wherein the first fixing zone (11) is arranged at a distance from the second fixing zone (12) along a vertical management Z.

3. Support (1) according to one of Claims 1 or 2, in which the third fixing zone (13) comprises means (104, 105, 106) for positioning the equipment (4) in the longitudinal management X, and in a transverse management Y, and preferably in the vertical management Z, these longitudinal management X and transverse Y being perpendicular to each other and to the vertical management Z.

4. Support (1) according to claim 3, wherein the positioning means comprise a lug (104) extending in the longitudinal management X from an edge of the plate (10) at the longitudinal end of the third fixing zone (13), the lug (104) being intended for transverse positioning of the equipment (4).

5. Support according to claim 4, the third fixing zone (13) of which is an end wall of the plate (10) at the longitudinal end of said plate (10), comprising the lug (104) and a complementary position means (105, 106) of the equipment (4) at least in longitudinal management X.

6. Support (1) according to claim 5, the projecting part (15) of which comprises a first slice extending from the plate (10) and a second slice arranged vertically above the first slice, - the second slice comprising the end of the projecting part (15), - the two slices being separated by frangible zones, - the two slices being linked to the frangible zones, - the first slice being hollow and having an inner cross-section larger than the outer cross-section of the second slice so as to allow the second slice to pass into the inner cross-section of the first slice following the break point of the breakable zones during the application of a force orientated from the second fixing zone (12) towards the plate (10) and when said force exceeds a given value causing the break point of said breakable zone.

7. Vehicle comprising, on the same lateral side of the vehicle, a front wing (2), a headlight (4) and a support (1) according to one of the previous claims, in which the support (1) is fixed to a part of the front structure (5) of the vehicle by its first fixing zone (11), and in which the front wing (2) is fixed to the second fixing zone (12) of the support (1) and in which the headlight (4) is an item of equipment fixed to the third fixing zone (13) of the support (1).