REINFORCED A-PILLAR FOR FRONT IMPACT WITH LOW OVERLAP.

Description

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2212538 filed on November 30, 2022. The technical field relates to motor vehicle bodies comprising a reinforced front foot as well as motor vehicles having such a body.

[0002] In the area of ​​road safety, car manufacturers must consider numerous concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles. In particular, they must ensure the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision. Vehicle behavior in various crash scenarios is regulated and tested using standardized testing procedures. The requirements for these tests are constantly increasing and becoming more demanding, forcing car manufacturers to continually innovate.

[0003] Among the standardized procedures, one involves creating a frontal collision between the vehicle and a barrier, with the barrier impacting the vehicle only on one lateral quarter of the front bumper. Such a frontal impact is commonly called a low-overlap frontal impact. Hereafter, a frontal impact will more specifically refer to such a low-overlap frontal impact.

[0004] In a low-overlap frontal collision, the front bumper cannot effectively absorb the energy released during the impact, and the wheel often pivots towards the passenger compartment, particularly towards the front pillar. The front pillar is generally made of several sheet metal panels joined to form a flange, which is particularly susceptible to being struck by the wheel in a low-overlap frontal collision. If the wheel impacts the flange, there is a significant risk that the flange will open, thus damaging the front pillar, which is then no longer able to protect the vehicle's passenger compartment. To reinforce the front pillar, some vehicles feature reinforcements that are attached across the flange to prevent it from opening during a low-overlap frontal collision.However, when the vehicle is designed to be fitted with large wheels relative to the wheel arches, the reinforcements usually used may prove limiting for the available wheel dimensions or unsuitable.

[0005] Thus, there is a need for a solution to reinforce a front foot in situations of a frontal impact, particularly a frontal impact with low overlap, while allowing the installation of large wheels relative to the wheel arches.

[0006] Document WO 2018 / 078226A1 discloses a motor vehicle comprising a front wheel, a front foot located behind the front wheel, a wheel arch adjacent to the front foot and delimiting the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a reinforcement attached to the front foot and the wheel arch, configured to interfere with the front wheel and limit an intrusion of said wheel into the passenger compartment in the event of a frontal collision and comprising a flat central portion extending transversely along the front foot and the wheel arch.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a body having at least one front leg reinforced against frontal impacts, particularly low-overlap frontal impacts, and accommodating large wheel dimensions relative to the dimensions of the wheel arches.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a motor vehicle body comprising at least one front foot, partially defining a wheel arch designed to accommodate a wheel, the front foot being composed of at least one assembly of at least two sheet metal pieces forming together a joining rebate extending into the wheel arch, the sheet metal pieces being joined together by a plurality of weld points located on the joining rebate, the body comprising a reinforcing piece attached to the front foot and disposed between the front foot and a wheel accommodated in the wheel arch, the reinforcing piece being designed to strengthen the front foot and prevent the opening of the rebate in the event of a frontal impact, the reinforcing piece covering a part of the front foot and extending on each side of the joining rebate,The joining rebate having a plurality of protrusions extending into the wheel arch and intended to receive the welding points; the reinforcing piece having a plurality of openings located at the locations of each protrusion and sized to allow the passage of each protrusion through an opening when the reinforcing piece is fixed to the front foot.

[0009] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle comprising a body according to the invention.

[0010] Thus, the body according to the invention has a front foot with a rebate. The reinforcing piece is designed to protect the rebate in the event of a low-overlap frontal impact, so that during the impact, the wheel's force on the rebate presents little or no risk of causing the rebate to detach. The presence of protrusions on the rebate to accommodate the weld points ensures adequate attachment of the front foot while limiting the rebate's extension to the protrusions. The openings made in the reinforcing piece at the protrusions, when the reinforcing piece is attached to the front foot, minimize the overall size of the front foot and the reinforcing piece, since the passage of the protrusions through the openings allows the reinforcing piece to be positioned as close as possible to the front foot.Thus, the reinforcement piece according to the invention makes it possible to free up space in the wheel arch for a larger wheel than with a conventional reinforcement.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing piece is fixed by screwing it into the front foot.

[0012] Advantageously, the reinforcing piece is also attached to a deck cross member.

[0013] In one possibility, the reinforcing piece is made of stamped sheet metal.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the openings are aligned and each has an oblong shape.

[0015] In one scenario, the reinforcing piece forms a step.

[0016] Advantageously, the step is reinforced by at least one rib.

[0017] According to one possibility, the protrusions of the rebate form a serration.

[0018] The invention will be better understood upon reading the detailed description that follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: [ Fig. 1 ] there figure 1 , represents a perspective and detail view of a front leg and a reinforcing piece of a crate according to the invention; Fig. 2 ] there figure 2 , represents a detailed view of the crate of the figure 1 in which the reinforcing piece is not shown in order to demonstrate the rabbet joint of the front foot; [ Fig. 3 ] there figure 3 , represents a cross-sectional view along a horizontal plane of the front foot and the reinforcing piece showing a protrusion in an opening.

[0019] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0020] A motor vehicle body 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is intended to equip a vehicle according to the invention exhibiting adequate behavior in the event of a low overlap frontal impact.

[0021] The vehicle body 1 according to the invention thus includes at least one hollow front foot 2, forming a generally vertical profile and partially delimiting a wheel arch 3 designed to accommodate a wheel, not illustrated in the figures.

[0022] The front foot 2 is at least partly composed of an assembly 4 of at least two sheet metal pieces 5 forming together a joining rebate 6. The rebate 6 extends into the wheel arch 3, the sheet metal pieces 5 being joined together by a plurality of weld points 7 located on the joining rebate 6.

[0023] The body 1 according to the invention further comprises a reinforcing piece 8 attached to the front foot 2 and positioned between the front foot 2 and a wheel housed in the wheel arch 3. The reinforcing piece 8 is designed to strengthen the front foot 2 and prevent the opening of the groove 6 in the event of a frontal impact. In the example illustrated on the figures 1 And 3 The reinforcing piece 8 is formed from a stamped sheet metal 9. The reinforcing piece 8 is, for example, screwed into the front foot 2 and is, for this purpose, provided with at least one screw interface 10. Advantageously, the reinforcing piece 8 is also fixed to a deck cross member 11, as illustrated in the figure 1 Furthermore, as illustrated on the figure 3 , the reinforcing piece 8 forms a step 12 and advantageously the step 12 is reinforced by at least one rib 13, in this case two ribs 13.

[0024] The reinforcing piece 8 covers part of the front foot 2 and extends on each side of the joining rebate 6. A portion 14 of the step 12 is, for example, dimensioned to extend in support on one of the sheet metal pieces 5 and to at least partially conform to the shape of the joining rebate 6.

[0025] As illustrated on the figure 2 In which the reinforcing piece 8 is omitted for ease of understanding, the connecting rebate 6 has a plurality of protrusions 15 that extend into the wheel arch 3 and are intended to receive the weld points 7. Each protrusion 15 is formed by a cutout of a free end 16 of the rebate 6. Thus, for example, the protrusions 15 of the rebate form a serration 17, as illustrated in the figure 2 . In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the joining rebate 6 is substantially flat and the protrusions 15 are therefore substantially aligned.

[0026] The reinforcing piece 8 has a plurality of openings 18, each oblong in shape, located at the right-hand side of each protrusion 15 and sized to allow the passage of each protrusion 15 through an opening 18, as illustrated in the figure 3 , when the reinforcing piece 8 is fixed on the front foot 2. The dimensions of each opening 18 are obviously adjusted to fit the contour of the corresponding protrusion 15 as closely as possible.

[0027] As illustrated on the figure 3 , it is thus possible, for each outgrowth 15, to extend through the reinforcement piece 8 while allowing the latter to be positioned in support of at least part of the front foot 2.

[0028] Thus, the vehicle body 1 according to the invention has a front foot 2 equipped with a connecting rebate 6 protected by the reinforcing piece 8. The passage of the protrusions 15 in the openings 18 allows the reinforcing piece 8 to be positioned as close as possible to the sheet metal parts 5 of the front foot 2. The reinforcing piece 8 strengthens the front foot 2 to obtain a vehicle according to the invention exhibiting adequate behavior in the event of a low overlap frontal impact, while allowing the installation of larger wheels than with a conventional reinforcement.

[0029] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the vehicle body described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention, defined solely by the attached claims.

Claims

1. Body (1) of a motor vehicle comprising at least one front foot (2), partly defining a wheel arch (3) designed to receive a wheel, the front foot (2) being compound of at least one assembly (4) of at least two sheet metal pieces (5) together forming a junction rebate (6) extending in the wheel arch (3), the sheet metal pieces (5) being joined together by a plurality of spot welds (7) located on the junction rebate (6), the body (1) comprising a reinforcing component (8) attached to the front foot (2) and arranged between the front foot (2) and a wheel received in the wheel arch (3), the reinforcing component (8) being designed to reinforce the front foot (2) and prevent opening of the rebate (6) in the event of impact front, the reinforcing component (8) covering a part of the front foot (2) and extending on each side of the junction rebate (6), wherein said junction rebate (6) has a plurality of protuberances (15) extending in the wheel arch (3) and intended for the weld points (7), said reinforcing to be received (8) has a plurality of openings (18) located in line with each protuberance (15) and dimensioned to allow each protuberance (15) to pass into an opening (18), when said reinforcing component (8) is fixed to said front foot (2).

2. Body (1) according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing component (8) is fixed by screwing into the front leg (2).

3. Body (1) according to claim 2, wherein the reinforcing component (8) is further fixed to an apron cross-member (11).

4. Body (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reinforcing component (8) is made of a stamped sheet (9).

5. Body (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the openings (18) are aligned and each have an oblong shape.

6. Body (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reinforcing component (8) is a step (11).

7. Body (1) according to claim 6, wherein the step (11) is reinforced by at least one rib (13).

8. Body (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the protuberances (15) of the rebate (6) form a serration (17).

9. Motor vehicle comprising a body (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 8.