Decorative cap for the bumper skin of a motor vehicle

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to bumper skins for motor vehicles. It relates in particular to a trim piece for such a bumper skin. [Previous technique]

[0002] The front bumpers of motor vehicles typically have an outer skin made from one or more pieces, each molded from a thermoplastic material.

[0003] For stylistic reasons, it is known to add decorative pieces commonly referred to as hubcaps and also made of plastic to this outer bumper skin, so as not to add too much weight to the vehicle.

[0004] These trim pieces typically fit at least partially into grooves made on the outer face of the bumper skin by matching their shape.

[0005] Each wheel trim is generally attached to the bumper skin via tabs arranged on the trim and cooperating by snapping into corresponding slots in the bumper skin.

[0006] Managing the gaps between the edges of these trim pieces and those of the corresponding indentations in the bumper skin is crucial for the aesthetics of the front of the vehicle.

[0007] In the case of long wheel trims extending transversely along at least most of this bumper skin, dimensional variations due to normal manufacturing tolerances unfortunately prevent optimal management of these gaps at the external lateral ends of these wheel trims, which detracts from the aesthetic appearance of the front of the vehicle and the level of quality perceived by customers.

[0008] Document DE 10 2016 113 880 A1 discloses an example of a trim piece for a motor vehicle bumper. [Description of the invention]

[0009] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation.

[0010] It proposes for this purpose a trim piece for the skin of a motor vehicle bumper designed to rest fixedly against the outer face of said skin so as to extend transversely along at least the greater part of this skin;characterized in that it consists of two pieces of plastic material elongated transversely and intended to be fixedly attached one after the other end to end against the outer face of said skin, each said piece comprising an internal lateral portion with a U-shaped cross-section, the concavity of which is turned towards said skin and comprising a front face bordered by two upper and lower edges, one of said pieces further comprising a tenon extending in the continuation on the internal side of its internal lateral portion, set back inwards from the internal edge of the latter, and on which the internal lateral end of the internal lateral portion of the other of said pieces is intended to fit together with overlapping, so that the internal edges of the internal lateral portions of these two pieces are located opposite each other.;

[0011] Due to its two-piece construction, the trim according to the invention allows, by playing on the spacing between the inner edges of the inner lateral portions of these two pieces, to optimally adjust the position of the outer lateral ends of these pieces with respect to the bumper skin.

[0012] Furthermore, the presence of the tenon allows for a "tiled" effect, largely concealing the lateral play that may appear between the inner edges of the inner lateral portions after the two pieces are placed on the bumper skin.

[0013] According to preferred characteristics of said hubcap according to the invention: The fronts of the internal lateral portions of said parts each include means for attaching fixedly, straddling them, a license plate or a support for such a license plate, so that said plate or support covers the junction area between these two fronts; said means provided on the front of each of said internal lateral portions include at least one pre-drilled hole intended to be passed through by a fastener such as a rivet or a screw; said means provided on the front of each of said internal lateral portions include at least one access window allowing a fastener to pass through said trim and become fixed to said bumper skin; the internal lateral portions of said parts each include, in their lower part, at least one opening allowing the evacuation of water that may infiltrate their internal volume;Each said part has at least one opening for the beam of a sensor of a driver assistance device; said parts are symmetrically identical with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry, except for their respective internal ends; and / or each of said parts has several tabs designed to snap into slots provided in said bumper skin so as to allow the attachment of these parts to this skin.

[0014] The invention also relates, in a second aspect, to a motor vehicle comprising a bumper skin and such a trim piece fixedly attached to the outer face of this skin.

[0015] This vehicle also advantageously includes a police plate or a support for such a police plate fixedly mounted astride the facades of the internal side portions of said parts, so that said plate or support covers the junction area between these two facades. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] The description of the invention will now be continued by a detailed description of an example embodiment, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the attached drawings, on which: [ Fig 1 ] represents an exploded three-quarter front perspective view of a trim piece for the outer skin of a motor vehicle bumper according to the invention; [ Fig 2 ] is an exploded three-quarter rear perspective view of the bumper trim of the figure 1 ; Fig 3 ] represents a three-quarter front perspective view of an outer skin of a motor vehicle's front bumper intended to receive the hubcap of the figure 1 ; Fig 4 ] is an enlargement illustrating the overlapping interlocking assembly of the internal lateral portions of the two constituent parts of the trim in the figure; [ Fig 5 ] represents a three-quarter front perspective view of the subassembly consisting of the front bumper of the motor vehicle figure 3 and the hubcap of the figure 1 fixedly attached by snapping onto this front bumper; and [ Fig 6 ] is a sectional view of the central part of the subset of the figure 5 , taken along a horizontal cutting plane passing through the junction area between the two pieces of the wheel trim figure 1 . [Detailed description]

[0017] THE figures 1 et 2 show a trim piece 1 according to the invention intended to be mounted on an outer skin of the front bumper 2 of a motor vehicle shown alone on the figure 3 , this sub-assembly, once assembled, is itself intended to be mounted on the unshown body structure of this vehicle.

[0018] With respect to this wheel trim 1 and this front bumper skin 2 in their normal mounting configuration on the vehicle, we define an orthogonal coordinate system XYZ comprising three axes perpendicular in pairs, namely: an X axis, defining a longitudinal, horizontal direction, parallel to the ground and coinciding with the general direction of movement of the vehicle; a Y axis, defining a transverse, horizontal direction, also parallel to the ground and which with the X axis defines a horizontal XY plane; and a Z axis, defining a vertical direction, perpendicular to the ground as well as to the horizontal XY plane.

[0019] In the following description and with reference to the frame defined above, the terms "longitudinal" or "longitudinally" will refer to a direction parallel to the X axis, the terms "transverse" or "transversely" will refer to a direction parallel to the Y axis, and the terms "vertical" or "vertically" will refer to a direction parallel to the Z axis.

[0020] Furthermore, by convention, the terms "lower" and "bottom" indicate a closer proximity to the ground in the vertical direction than the terms "upper" or "higher." The term "front" indicates a positioning facing the front of a vehicle in the horizontal direction, and the term "rear" indicates a positioning facing the rear of a vehicle in the same horizontal direction.

[0021] The terms "external" and "internal" will be used to define the relative position of an element with reference to the vehicle's median vertical longitudinal plane. The element closest to this plane will thus be described as internal, as opposed to the other element further from this same plane, which will be described as external.

[0022] Finally, the use of the term "substantially" indicates that a slight deviation is permitted from a predetermined nominal position or arrangement, while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example, "substantially vertical" indicates that a deviation of approximately 10° to 20° from a strictly vertical orientation is permitted within the scope of the invention.

[0023] Made from one or more molded pieces of thermoplastic polymer, possibly reinforced with natural and / or synthetic fibers, the outer bumper skin 2 shown on the figure 3 classically comprises a central front part or shield 3 and two lateral parts or butts 4 extending the lateral ends of the shield 3 towards the rear so that this skin 2 presents in top view substantially a U shape open towards the rear.

[0024] As can be seen on the figure 3 , this outer bumper skin 2 has a reception imprint 5 for the trim 1 extending transversely over the entire length of its shield 3 and having a vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry coinciding with the median vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle.

[0025] With reference to figures 1 et 2 , the front bumper trim 1 according to the invention consists of two pieces 100, 200 made of plastic material elongated transversely, intended to be fixedly attached by snapping one after the other end to end against the outer face of the bumper skin 2, fitting together by matching shape in the receiving recess 5.

[0026] As can be seen in these figures, the two parts 100, 200 are symmetrically identical with respect to a vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry, with the notable exception of their respective internal connecting ends which will be described in more detail later in this description.

[0027] Made from a thermoplastic polymer possibly reinforced with natural and / or synthetic fibers, each piece 100, 200 is in the form of a hollow body whose concavity is turned towards the inside of the vehicle (i.e. towards the bumper skin 2).

[0028] Each of the parts 100, 200 has several tabs 110, 210 designed to snap into place by means of a front-to-back longitudinal translation movement in non-visible slots provided in the bumper skin 2, so as to allow the attachment of these parts 100, 200 to this skin 2.

[0029] As illustrated by the figure 2 , most of these clipping tabs 110, 210 project longitudinally backwards from and along the peripheral edge of each piece 100, 200. Several clipping tabs 110, 210 also project longitudinally backwards from support shafts 120, 220 extending in relief from the inner face of each of these pieces 100, 200.

[0030] As can be clearly seen on the figure 4 , each clipping tab 110, 210 has a window 111, 211 housing a tooth 112, 212 connected to the rear edge of this window 111, 211 and formed by an inclined ramp extending to a retaining tooth.

[0031] The dimensions of the slots for these tabs 110, 210 made in the bumper skin 2 are adapted to offer a slight lateral positioning play for each of these parts 100, 200 vis-à-vis the bumper skin 2, so as to allow perfect positioning of the external lateral ends of these two parts 100, 200 vis-à-vis those of the housing imprint 5.

[0032] Parts 100, 200 also each advantageously present at least one passage opening 130, 131, 230, 231, 232 for the beam of a sensor of a driver assistance device.

[0033] In this case, and as illustrated by the figures 1 et 2 , part 100 (respectively 200) has two passage openings 130 (respectively 230) for the respective sensor bundles (not shown in the figures) of a parking assistance device mounted at the front of the vehicle, these two openings preferably being offset transversely from each other by at least 250 millimeters and being intended to be aligned with corresponding windows 6 formed in the bumper skin 2 and visible on the figure 3 .

[0034] It will also be noted that the passage openings 230 of room 200 are arranged in a symmetrically identical manner to those of the passage openings 130 of room 100.

[0035] Part 100 also has a passage opening 131 for the beam of a camera (not shown in the figures) of a night vision device mounted at the front of the vehicle, this passage opening 131 being intended to be aligned with a corresponding window 7 provided in the bumper skin 2 and visible on the figure 3 .

[0036] With reference to the figure 4 , each piece 100, 200 includes an internal lateral portion 140, 240 with a U-shaped cross-section, the concavity of which is turned towards the skin 2 and includes a substantially flat front face 141, 241 bordered by two upper rims 142, 242 and lower rims 243 (the lower rim of portion 140 not being visible).

[0037] The inner lateral end of part 100, intended to be assembled first on the bumper skin 2, further includes a tenon 150 extending in the inner extension of its inner lateral portion 140, this tenon 150 being connected to the inner edge of this inner lateral portion 140 by a notch so as to extend backwards in relation to this inner edge.

[0038] During the installation of part 200 on bumper skin 2, which occurs after that of part 100 and as illustrated by this figure 4 The inner lateral end of the inner lateral portion 240 of this part 200 is designed to overlap onto the tenon 150 of the part 100, so that the inner edges of the inner lateral portions 140, 240 of these two parts 100, 200 are positioned opposite each other (see figure 6 )

[0039] As illustrated by the figures 5 et 6, the presence of this tenon 150 thus makes it possible to obtain a "tiled" effect which largely conceals the lateral play j which may appear between the internal edges of the internal lateral portions 140, 240 of the pieces 100, 200.

[0040] In order to make the central junction area between the two parts 100, 200 completely invisible, the facades 141, 241 of the internal lateral portions 140, 240 of these parts 100, 200 advantageously each include means for attaching a police plate P or a support for such a police plate astride them, so that this plate P or this support covers the junction area between these two facades 141, 241.

[0041] These means provided on the facade 141, 241 of each internal lateral portion 140, 240 may for example include at least one pre-drilling 160 intended to be passed through by a fixing element such as a rivet or a screw.

[0042] These means may also include, on each facade 141, 241 and in addition to or in place of the pre-drilling(s) 160, at least one access window 161, 261 (for example circular in shape) allowing a fixing device to pass through the trim 1 and to attach itself to the bumper skin 2.

[0043] The internal lateral portions 140, 240 of parts 100, 200 may also each include in their lower part at least one opening 170 allowing the evacuation outside the vehicle of water which may have infiltrated into their internal volume, so as to prevent this water from flowing into the vehicle's radiator located behind the front bumper skin.

[0044] Numerous other variations are also possible, and it should be noted in this regard that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but also encompasses all variations of execution within the grasp of a person skilled in the art. The invention may, for example, also relate to a rear bumper trim for a motor vehicle.

Claims

1. Trim (1) for motor vehicle bumper skin (2) designed to rest securely against the outer face of said skin (2) so as to extend transversely along at least the major part of said skin (2) ; wherein it is constituted by two transversely elongated plastic components (100, 200) and designed to be fixed one after the other end-to-end against the outer face of said skin (2), each said component (100, 200) comprising an inner lateral portion with a U-shaped cross-section (140, 240) whose concavity is shift towards said skin (2) and comprising a front facade (141, 241) bordered by two upper (142, 242) and lower (243) rims, one (100) of said components (100, 200) further comprising a tenon (150) extending in the inner side of its lateral portion (140), set back inwards with respect to the internal edge of the latter, and on which the internal lateral end of the internal lateral portion (240) of the other (200) of said components (100, 200) is designed to fit overlapping, so that the internal edges of the internal lateral portions (140, 240) of these two components (100, 200) are located opposite each other.

2. Trimmer (1) according to claim 1, wherein the facades (141, 241) of the inner lateral portions (140, 240) of said components (100, 200) each comprise means making it possible to attach a police plate (P) or a support for such a police plate, so that said plate (P) or said support covers the junction zone between these two facades (141, 241).

3. Trimmer (1) according to claim 2, characterised in that said means arranged on the facade (141, 241) of each said internal lateral portion (140, 240) comprise at least one pre-drilling (160) intended to be traversed by a fixing member such as a rivet or a screw.

4. Trim (1) according to one of Claims 2 or 3, characterised in that said means arranged on the front (141, 241) of each said internal lateral portion (140, 240) comprise at least one access window (161, 261) allowing a fixing member to pass through said trim (1) and to be fixed to said bumper skin (2).

5. Trimmer (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the inner lateral portions (140, 240) of said components (100, 200) each comprise in the lower part, at least one orifice (170) allowing the evacuation of water that can infiltrate into their inner volume.

6. Trim (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterised in that each said component (100, 200) has at least one passage opening (130, 230) for the beam of a sensor of a driving aid device.

7. Trim (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 6, characterised in that said components (100, 200) are shaped symmetrically identically with respect to a vertical longitudinal drawing of symmetry, with the exception of their respective internal ends.

8. Trimmer (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterised in that each of said components (100, 200) comprises several tabs (110, 210) designed to be snap-fitted into slots made in said bumper skin (2) so as to allow these components (100, 200) to be fixed to this skin (2).

9. Motor vehicle comprising a bumper skin (2) and a trim (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 8 fixed against the outer face of this skin (2).

10. Motor vehicle according to Claim 9, characterised in that it also comprises a police plate (P) or a support for such a police plate fixed astride against the facades (141, 241) of the internal lateral portions (140, 240) of said components (100, 200), such that said plate (P) or said support covers the junction zone between these two facades (141, 241).