Reinforced attachment interface

Abstract

The invention relates to an interface (1) for attaching a first grille element (2) to a front face of a motor vehicle, the interface (1) being designed to allow the first grille element (2) to be attached to a second grille element, the attachment interface (1) being rigidly attached to the first grille element (2) and comprising a plate (8) that projects from the first grille element (2), the interface (1) comprising an attachment shaft (9) that extends from the plate (8), the attachment interface (1) further comprising reinforcing means (11) that extend between the first element (2) and the attachment shaft (9) at a distance from the plate (8) in order to oppose a bending force of the shaft (9) bending relative to the plate (8). The invention also relates to a housing (4) comprising a plurality of attachment interfaces (1).

Description

Description Title of the invention: Reinforced fixing interface.

[0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2305238 filed on December 13, 2023, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The technical field concerns the attachment interfaces of a grille element, the luminous grille housings comprising such an attachment interface, the front faces comprising such housings and the vehicles having such a front face.

[0003] When it comes to road safety, car manufacturers must consider multiple concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles. In particular, car manufacturers must ensure the safety of passengers and other road users in the event of a collision involving the vehicle. To this end, vehicles are subjected to various standardized procedures for simulating impacts against a rigid obstacle impacting the vehicle. Standardized procedures are, for example, described by the international organization Euro NCAP. These procedures also aim to control vehicle repair costs when vehicles are subjected to urban impacts at low speeds of around 15 to 20 kilometers per hour.Low-speed crash results are particularly important for insurance companies, which rate vehicles sold to reflect the potential costs incurred during such a low-speed crash. Therefore, to improve low-speed crash test results, it is important to ensure that such a crash impacts as few parts of the vehicle as possible.

[0004] Furthermore, it is not uncommon for a user to lean on the vehicle, particularly the front bumper. Therefore, car manufacturers must design front bumpers that ensure adequate handling in such situations.

[0005] Finally, manufacturers take great care to improve the quality of their vehicles' finish, and their aesthetic aspects are essential to stand out from other brands. In this context, modern vehicles are sometimes equipped with lighting elements that allow for the formation of recognizable light signatures, and for this purpose, are integrated into the front bumper. The fragility of these lighting elements makes it difficult to integrate them into the bumper. To perfect their appearance, some vehicles combine lighting elements with an additional grille element extending between the vehicle's hood and these lighting elements.

[0006] Given the fragility of the light elements, the shape of the additional grille element and their respective positions, the assembly of the additional grille element may prove difficult and / or fragile.

[0007] Thus, there is a need for a solution allowing an additional grille element to be secured to a light element on the front of a motor vehicle while meeting the requirements for resistance and behavior in the event of a front impact.

[0008] 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 fixing interface making it possible to secure a first, fragile, grille element to a second grille element arranged set back from the first element.

[0009] To this end, the present invention relates to an interface for fixing a first grille element for a front face of a motor vehicle, the interface being designed to allow the first grille element to be fixed to a second grille element, the fixing interface being integral with the first grille element and comprising a plate projecting from the first grille element, the interface comprising a fixing shaft extending from the plate, the fixing interface further comprising reinforcing means extending between the first element and the fixing shaft, at a distance from the plate, to oppose a bending force of the barrel relative to the plate.

[0010] The invention also relates to a luminous grille housing designed to be fixed to a front face of a motor vehicle, the housing comprising at least one fixing interface according to the invention, each fixing interface allowing the housing to be fixed to a second grille element.

[0011] The invention also relates to a front face of a motor vehicle comprising a grille housing according to the invention and a second grille element secured to the luminous grille housing using each fixing barrel of the housing.

[0012] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a front face according to the invention.

[0013] Thus, the fixing interface according to the invention makes it possible to reinforce the connection between the plate and the fixing barrel, thanks to the reinforcing means, to oppose a bending force of the barrel relative to the plate caused, for example, by pressure on the first or second grille element or in the event of a front impact. Thus, thanks to a plurality of fixing interfaces according to the invention, a housing according to the invention can be secured to a second grille element to form a front face meeting the requirements in terms of safety and resistance to shocks and supports.

[0014] According to one embodiment of the invention, the interface comprises at least one reinforcing rib, each extending between the first grille element and the plate.

[0015] According to one possibility of the interface, the reinforcing means form at least one hoop surrounding the fixing barrel.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the interface comprises at least one wall connecting the reinforcement means to the plate.

[0017] Alternatively, the interface is obtained by molding.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the attachment interface, the first grille element is a light grille housing.

[0019] Alternatively, the housing includes a bonding groove designed to extend across the front face, each attachment interface being provided at a distance from the bonding groove.

[0020] 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:

[0021] [Fig. 1] Figure 1 represents a perspective and top view of a light grille housing according to the invention comprising a plurality of fixing interfaces according to the invention;

[0022] [Fig. 2] Figure 2 represents a detail view of a fixing interface of Figure 1;

[0023] [Fig. 3] Figure 3 represents a sectional view of a front face according to the invention showing the grille housing of Figure 1 secured to a second grille element by at least one fixing interface.

[0024] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0025] A fixing interface 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is intended to equip a first grille element 2 according to the invention with a front face 3 of a motor vehicle according to the invention. In the example illustrated in the figures, the first grille element 2 is a luminous grille housing 4 designed to allow the emission of a light signature extending across the front face 3 of the vehicle. For this purpose, the luminous grille housing 4 has an elongated shape and comprises a plurality of light devices 5, illustrated in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the grille housing 4 also has a bonding groove 6 extending along the length of the housing 4 and designed to form a sealed interface between the housing 4 and another element of the front face 3. The gluing groove 6 is designed to extend across the front face 3.

[0026] As illustrated in Figure 3, the fixing interface 1 according to the invention is designed to allow the fixing of the first grille element 2 to a second grille element 7. In this case, the second grille element 7 is, for example, a flexible decorative element, illustrated in Figure 3, arranged on the front face 3 between the housing 4 and a vehicle hood.

[0027] The fixing interface 1 is integral with the first grille element 2 and comprises a plate 8 projecting from the first grille element 2. In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the plate 8 forms a flat surface extending horizontally on the front face 3, when the first element 2 is mounted on the front face 3.

[0028] The interface 1 comprises a fixing barrel 9 extending from the plate 8. The fixing barrel 9 is typically a cylindrical body surrounding, for example, a screwing hole 10. In the embodiment described, the fixing barrel 9 extends perpendicular to the plate 8.

[0029] The fixing interface 1 further comprises reinforcing means 11 extending between the first element 2 and the fixing barrel 9, at a distance from the plate 8, to oppose a bending force of the barrel 9 relative to the plate 8. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the reinforcing means 11 form at least one hoop 12 surrounding the fixing barrel 9. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the fixing interface 1 comprises at least one wall 13 connecting the reinforcing means 11 to the plate 8. Each hoop 12 has a thickness of material making it possible to give the hoop 12 adequate structural strength.

[0030] Advantageously, the fixing interface 1 according to the invention is obtained by molding, in particular of plastic material.

[0031] In order to reinforce the fixing interface 1 and prevent the plate 8 from becoming detached from the first element 2 of the grille, the interface 1 comprises at least one reinforcing rib 14, each extending between the first element 2 of calender and the plate 8. Each reinforcing rib 14 also allows the forces of the gluing groove 6 to be offset. Each reinforcing rib 14 has a triangular shape.

[0032] As illustrated in Figure 1, the light grille housing 4 comprises a plurality of fixing interfaces 1, each plate 8 of which extends along the same plane. Each fixing interface 1 is arranged at a distance from the bonding groove 6 and offset therefrom, in at least two orthogonal directions. In this case, each interface 1 is offset along the vertical axis of the front face 3 and along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle according to the invention, so that each fixing barrel 9 is offset upwards and towards the rear of the vehicle, when the first element 2 is fixed to the front face 3.

[0033] As illustrated in Figure 3, in the front face 3 according to the invention, each fixing interface 1 allows the fixing of the housing 4 to the second grille element 7, using, for example, a screw 15 screwed into each screwing hole 10 of each barrel 9.

[0034] Thus, the fixing interface 1 makes it possible to implement the luminous grille housing 4 to secure the housing 4 with the second element 7. The offset between the second element 7 and the first element 2 risks weakening their connection but the reinforcement means 11 make it possible to compensate for the offset by reinforcing the interface 1. Thus, the interface 1 makes it possible to obtain a front face 3 meeting aesthetic and safety criteria.

[0035] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the fixing interface 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. Interface (1) for fixing a first grille element (2) for a front face (3) of a motor vehicle, the interface (1) being designed to allow the first grille element (2) to be fixed to a second grille element (7), the fixing interface (1) being integral with the first grille element (2) and comprising a plate (8) projecting from the first grille element (2), the interface (1) comprising a fixing shaft (9) extending from the plate (8), the fixing interface (1) further comprising reinforcing means (11) extending between the first element (2) and the fixing shaft (9), at a distance from the plate (8), to oppose a bending force of the shaft (9) relative to the plate (8).

2. Fixing interface (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one reinforcing rib (14), each extending between the first grille element (2) and the plate (8).

3. Fixing interface (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the reinforcing means (11) form at least one hoop (12) surrounding the fixing barrel (9).

4. Fixing interface (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises at least one wall (13) connecting the reinforcement means (11) to the plate (8).

5. Fixing interface (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the interface (1) is obtained by molding.

6. Attachment interface (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first grille element (2) is a light grille housing (4).

7. Luminous grille housing (4) designed to be fixed on a front face (3) of a motor vehicle, the housing (4) comprising at least one fixing interface (1) according to one of claims 1 to 6, each fixing interface (1) allowing the fixing of the housing (4) to a second grille element (7).

8. Light grille housing (4) according to claim 7, characterized in that it comprises a bonding groove (6) designed to extend across the front face (3), each fixing interface (1) being arranged at a distance from the bonding groove (6).

9. Front face (3) of a motor vehicle comprising a grille housing (4) according to claim 7 or 8 and a second grille element (7) secured to the light grille housing (4) using each fixing barrel (9) of the housing (4).

10. Motor vehicle having a front face (3) according to claim 9.

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