Bumper without any retaining screws

Abstract

The invention relates to a bumper element (1) for a front face (2) of a motor vehicle, the bumper element (1) being designed to be solidly connected to a bumper frame (3) of a front face (2), by means of securing means, the bumper element (1) comprising at least one retaining wall (9) provided on the element (1), each configured to be positioned facing a stop (6), of the type projecting from an inner face (5) of a cover (4) at least partially covering the bumper element (1), each wall (9) being dimensioned to cooperate with the stop (6) in order to support the bumper element (1) in the event of the rupture of the securing means. The invention also relates to a front face (2) comprising a bumper frame (3) to which an element (1) is secured and a cover (4) at least partially covering the bumper element (1) in the closed position.

Description

Description Title of the invention: Bumper without retaining screw.

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2304781 filed on May 15, 2023, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference. The technical field relates to bumper elements, front ends comprising such a bumper element and vehicles having such a front end.

[0002] When it comes to road safety, car manufacturers face at least three major concerns that define constraints to be taken into account when developing new vehicles.

[0003] First, vehicles must ensure the safety of passengers in the event of a collision, regardless of speed. Furthermore, car manufacturers must strive to control vehicle repair costs when they experience urban collisions. Finally, a third concern is ensuring the safety of other road users, particularly the most vulnerable, such as pedestrians. Thus, manufacturers seek to minimize the risk of injury and trauma to a pedestrian in the event of a collision with a vehicle, particularly to the pedestrian's legs.

[0004] The behavior of motor vehicles in these three situations is regulated and tested using standardized test procedures. The requirements for these tests are becoming increasingly numerous and increasingly difficult to meet, forcing car manufacturers to constantly innovate. Standardized procedures are described, for example, by the international organization Euro NCAP.

[0005] In this context, the requirements that a vehicle bumper must meet are numerous, and among these requirements, one of them requires that the bumper remains attached to the vehicle in the event of a frontal impact. To meet this requirement, the bumpers are assembled on a body using at least two positive fixing screws on the body, in order to prevent the bumper from falling onto the road surface in the event of a frontal impact. These two screws are generally arranged on the lateral ends of the bumper. This regulation obviously complicates the design of the bumper and the assembly steps of the bumper. Finally, it requires, in addition to the two screws, tools specific assembly requirements. This regulation is therefore a source of additional production and maintenance costs.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a solution that allows us to do away with these positive fixing screws while still complying with current regulations.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the problems set out above. In this technical context, one aim of the present invention is to provide a bumper element capable of replacing the positive fixing screws to hold the bumper in place on the body in the event of a front impact.

[0008] To this end, the present invention relates to a bumper element for a front face of a motor vehicle, the bumper element being designed to be secured to a bumper frame of a front face, using fixing means, the bumper element comprising at least one retaining wall provided on the element, each configured to be positioned opposite a stop, of the type projecting from an internal face of a hood at least partially covering the bumper element, each wall being dimensioned to cooperate with the stop in order to support the bumper element in the event of breakage of the fixing means.

[0009] The invention also relates to a front face of a motor vehicle comprising a bumper frame designed to be fixed to a body of a motor vehicle and on which a bumper element according to the invention is fixed using the fixing means, the front face further comprising a hood mounted to move between an open position and a closed position in which the hood at least partially covers the bumper element, each retaining wall of the element being positioned opposite a stop, projecting from an internal face of the hood, in order to cooperate with the stop, in the event of breakage of the fixing means and when the hood is in the closed position, to retain the bumper element on the front face.

[0010] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a front face according to the invention.

[0011] Thus, a bumper element according to the invention, constituting the bumper of the front face according to the invention, takes advantage of the presence of hood stops thanks to the cooperation between each retaining wall and each stop, in order to retain the bumper element on the front face according to the invention. Each retaining wall is integral with the bumper element according to the invention and is therefore obtained during the molding or stamping of the element. Each wall thus replaces a positive fixing screw. Thus, the bumper element according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a front face that complies with the regulations since the bumper element, as well as all the parts secured to it, are retained by the retaining walls and the hood stops, when the hood is in the closed position. The bumper element according to the invention therefore makes it possible to do without at least two screws and their assembly steps.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, each retaining wall at least partially delimits an orifice provided in the element in order to receive a stop in the orifice.

[0013] Advantageously, each orifice is through.

[0014] According to one possibility, the bumper element is a bumper reinforcement designed to support a bumper skin.

[0015] According to one possibility of the front face, when each retaining wall at least partially delimits an orifice provided in the element in order to receive a stop in the orifice and each orifice is a through orifice, each stop comes to bear on the bumper frame, when the hood is in the closed position, through an orifice.

[0016] The invention will be better understood upon reading the detailed description which follows, given solely as a non-limiting example and made with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0017] [Fig. 1] Figure 1 represents a side perspective view of a front face of a vehicle according to the invention in which the hood is in the open position;

[0018] [Fig. 2] Figure 2 represents a sectional view of the front face of Figure 1 in which the hood is in the closed position, showing the positioning of the stop relative to a retaining wall.

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

[0020] A bumper element 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip a front face 2, illustrated in the figures, of a motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0021] The front face 2 according to the invention comprises a bumper frame 3 designed to be fixed to a body of a motor vehicle, on which the bumper element 1 is fixed. The front face 2 further comprises a hood 4 mounted movably between an open position and a closed position, in which the cover 4 at least partially covers the bumper element 1. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the cover 4 has an internal face 5 from which projects a stop 6 making it possible to lock the cover 4 in the closed position by resting on the front face 2.

[0022] The bumper element 1 is designed to be secured to the bumper frame 3 of the front face 2, using fastening means (not shown). Advantageously, the fastening means are designed to break in the event of a front impact suffered by the vehicle according to the invention to absorb part of the energy of the front impact. In the example illustrated in the figures, the bumper element 1 is a bumper reinforcement 7 designed to support a bumper skin 8. The bumper skin 8 is secured to the bumper reinforcement 7.

[0023] The bumper element 1 comprises at least one retaining wall 9 provided on the element 1, each configured to be positioned opposite the stop 6 of the hood 4. Each wall 9 is integral with the element 1. Each wall 9 is dimensioned to cooperate with the stop 6, when the hood 4 is in the closed position and in the event of breakage of the fixing means, in order to support the bumper element 1. Thus, in the event of breakage of the fixing means following, for example, a front impact suffered by the vehicle according to the invention, each retaining wall 9 is supported on a stop 6 in order to retain the bumper element 1 on the front face 2. This cooperation between a stop 6 and a retaining wall 9 makes it possible, in the event of a front impact causing the breaking of the fixing means, to prevent the bumper element 1 from falling onto the roadway.

[0024] In the front face 2, illustrated in the figures, each retaining wall 9 is located behind a stop 6 along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[0025] As illustrated in Figure 2, each retaining wall 9 at least partially delimits a through orifice 10 provided in the element 1, in order to receive a stop 6 in the orifice 10.

[0026] Advantageously, and as illustrated in Figure 2, each stop 6, when the cover 4 is in the closed position, comes to bear on the frame 3, through an orifice 10.

[0027] Thus, in the event of a front impact suffered by the vehicle according to the invention, the front face 2 is impacted, generally causing a breakage of the element 1, so that the fixing means are no longer able to support the element 1. Each retaining wall 9 then cooperates with a stop 6, by coming into contact with one another, to retain the bumper element 1 on the front face 2. For this purpose, each orifice 10 has a periphery 11 sized to be able to support the bumper element 1, as well as all of the parts fixed thereto, such as for example the bumper skin 8.

[0028] Thus, the bumper element 1 according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a front face 2 which complies with the regulations since each retaining wall 9 cooperates with each stop 6 of the hood 4 to retain the element 1 on the front face 2. The front face 2 thus makes it possible to dispense with the positive fixing screws.

[0029] The invention is not limited to the embodiments of the bumper element or the front face described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Bumper element (1) for a front face (2) of a motor vehicle, the bumper element (1) being designed to be secured to a bumper frame (3) of a front face (2), using fixing means, the bumper element (1) comprising at least one retaining wall (9) provided on the element (1), each configured to be positioned opposite a stop (6), of the type projecting from an internal face (5) of a hood (4) at least partially covering the bumper element (1), each wall (9) being sized to cooperate with the stop (6) in order to support the bumper element (1) in the event of breakage of the fixing means.

2. Bumper element (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each retaining wall (9) at least partially delimits an orifice (10) formed in the element (1) in order to receive a stop (6) in the orifice (10).

3. Bumper element (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that each orifice (10) is a through orifice.

4. Bumper element (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the bumper element (1) is a bumper reinforcement (7) designed to support a bumper skin (8).

5. Front face (2) of a motor vehicle comprising a bumper frame (3) designed to be fixed to a body of a motor vehicle and on which is fixed a bumper element (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4 using the fixing means, the front face (2) further comprising a cover (4) mounted to move between an open position and a closed position in which the cover (4) at least partially covers the bumper element (1), each retaining wall (9) of the element being positioned opposite a stop (6), projecting from an internal face (5) of the cover (4), in order to cooperate with the stop (6), in the event of breakage of the fixing means and when the cover (4) is in the closed position, to retain the bumper element (1) on the front face (2).

6. Front face (2) according to claim 5, in combination with claims 2 and 3, characterized in that each stop (6) comes to bear on the bumper frame (3), when the hood (4) is in the closed position, through an orifice (10).

7. Motor vehicle having a front end (2) according to claim 5 or 6.

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