Door hinge indexing plate reinforcing a pillar for an automobile
By using an indexing brochure to distribute mechanical stresses over a wider area, the risk of pillar breakage during lateral shocks is reduced, enhancing the safety and structural integrity of motor vehicle pillars while minimizing mass and production costs.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- FR2021012426
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-11-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-11-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing motor vehicle pillar reinforcements face a significant risk of breaking during lateral shocks due to the concentration of mechanical constraints at the welding area between the upper and lower parts of the reinforcement, leading to potential yield and safety issues.
The introduction of an indexing brochure that covers both the upper and lower parts of the pillar reinforcement, thereby covering the welding cord and distributing mechanical stresses over a wider peripheral area, reduces the concentration of forces at the weld and enhances the structural integrity of the pillar.
This solution effectively reduces the risk of pillar breakage during side impacts by distributing mechanical stresses more evenly, thereby enhancing the safety and reliability of the vehicle's structural elements while minimizing mass and production costs.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Door hinge indexing plate reinforcing a pillar for a motor vehicle
[0001] The technical context of the present invention is that of motor vehicles and structural elements contributing to the safety of their occupants. More particularly, the invention relates to a door hinge indexing plate.
[0002] For a motor vehicle, side impacts constitute a critical test for the safety of the occupants and obtaining the certifications necessary for their approval. Indeed, in the event of a side impact, the various side pillars delimiting the passenger compartment and protecting the occupants are the first structural elements of the motor vehicle to be stressed: their objective is to absorb the shock linked to the impact and / or to transfer the resulting energy of the impact to other structural elements of the motor vehicle in order not to give way and to preserve as much as possible the integrity of the passenger compartment. Thus, the holding of the side pillars is essential for the protection of the occupants present in the passenger compartment at the time of the impact.
[0003] Preferably but not exclusively, the invention relates more particularly to the perimeter of the central pillar of the motor vehicle.
[0004] In the event of a side impact, the integrity of the pillar must be ensured in order to preserve the passenger compartment: the pillar must not give way under the impact. For this purpose, in a known manner, the pillar is made up of a hollow housing closed by a pillar reinforcement and a pillar lining connected to the pillar reinforcement. Furthermore, the pillar is designed so that the deformation of said pillar induced by the impact is localized and contained in the lower part of the pillar. To do this, the pillar reinforcement is made up of a first material of significant stiffness and located in the upper part of the pillar reinforcement, and a second less stiff and more ductile material located in the lower part of the pillar reinforcement.
[0005] The upper and lower parts of the pillar reinforcement are connected to each other by a weld bead.
[0006] Therefore, in the event of a lateral impact and stress on the pillar, the deformation induced by the impact will be localized at the lower part of the pillar reinforcement, and the mechanical properties of the second material will thus allow greater deformation without rupture of the pillar reinforcement.
[0007] However, a disadvantage of these known pillar reinforcements arises from the significant difference in stiffness between the upper part and the lower part of the pillar: when the pillar is stressed under the effect of the lateral impact, the mechanical stresses resulting from the lateral impact and the induced deformations are concentrated at the weld zone between the upper part and the lower part of the pillar reinforcement. This concentration stresses in the welding area cause an increased risk of pillar breakage, which is not desired.
[0008] The use of a reinforcing piece over the entire height of the pillar is known. The disadvantage of using this reinforcing piece is the increased weight of the motor vehicle as well as the additional manufacturing cost.
[0009] The object of the present invention is to propose a new assembly in order to respond at least to a large extent to the preceding problems and to further lead to other advantages.
[0010] Another aim of the invention is to reinforce the pillar reinforcement in order to limit the risks of breakage in the event of a side impact.
[0011] Another aim of the invention is to reinforce the mechanical rigidity of the pillar at the level of the welding zone between the upper part and the lower part of the pillar reinforcement.
[0012] Another aim of the invention is to limit the mass input at the pillar.
[0013] Another aim of the invention is to propose an economical solution.
[0014] According to a first aspect of the invention, at least one of the aforementioned objectives is achieved with an assembly for a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising:
[0015] - a pillar comprising a pillar reinforcement and a pillar lining attached to the pillar reinforcement pillar, the pillar reinforcement and the pillar liner together forming a hollow housing, the pillar reinforcement having an upper portion that is more rigid and less ductile than a lower portion, the upper portion and the lower portion of the pillar reinforcement being joined together by a weld bead;
[0016] - a door hinge indexing plate housed in the hollow housing of the pillar and configured to collaborate with a door of the motor vehicle.
[0017] In the assembly according to the first aspect of the invention, the indexing plate partially covers both the upper part and the lower part of the pillar reinforcement, so as to at least partially cover the weld bead.
[0018] The invention according to its first aspect cleverly exploits the proximity of the indexing plate to the weld bead connecting the lower part and the upper part of the pillar reinforcement to extend its use and integrate a new functionality. Now, in addition to its function of connecting with the door hinge, the indexing plate also plays the role of local mechanical reinforcement at the junction zone between the lower part and the upper part of the pillar reinforcement. In other words, the indexing plate at least partially overlaps the weld bead connecting the two parts of the pillar reinforcement in order to play the role of local stiffener and to move mechanical stresses away from the weld bead.
[0019] Thus, the indexing plate makes it possible to better distribute the mechanical stresses appearing at the time of a lateral impact over a wider peripheral zone around of the weld bead connecting the upper part to the lower part of the pillar reinforcement. Thus, the accumulation of stresses at the weld bead is reduced, and the risk of pillar breakage is reduced.
[0020] The assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention advantageously comprises at least one of the improvements below, the technical characteristics forming these improvements being able to be taken alone or in combination:
[0021] - the indexing plate extends into the hollow housing between a front edge and a rear edge of the pillar reinforcement. The front edge of the pillar reinforcement is intended to be located on the side of a front bumper of the motor vehicle on which the assembly according to the first aspect of the invention is intended to be assembled, and the rear edge of the pillar reinforcement is intended to be located on the side of a rear bumper of said motor vehicle. In other words, the front edge and the rear edge are located on either side of a face of the pillar reinforcement located opposite the pillar lining. The indexing plate thus covers the weld bead over a larger surface area at the level of the face of the pillar reinforcement located opposite the pillar lining. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to better distribute the mechanical stresses resulting from the lateral impact over a peripheral zone distant from the weld bead;
[0022] - the indexing plate is fixed securely without play between said plate indexing plate and the pillar reinforcement at the level of fixing zones. In the context of the invention, the fixing zones are the areas of the indexing plate and the pillar reinforcement at which the fixing is carried out. In other words, the indexing plate is pressed against the pillar reinforcement at the level of the fixing zones and fixed integrally to it. This advantageous configuration makes it possible, on the one hand, to guarantee a good mechanical connection between the indexing plate and the pillar reinforcement and, on the other hand, to ensure the expected stiffening role;
[0023] - the indexing plate is fixed securely to the pillar reinforcement by welding peripheral to the indexing plate. In other words, the indexing plate is fixedly attached to the pillar reinforcement by means of a weld located at a distance from the weld bead connecting the upper part of the pillar reinforcement to its lower part. In addition, the weld connecting the indexing plate to the pillar reinforcement preferably extends over a greater distance and / or a larger surface area than the weld bead connecting the upper part to the lower part of the pillar reinforcement. The weld connecting the indexing plate to the pillar reinforcement thus makes it possible to distribute the mechanical stresses appearing during an impact over the entire surface of the indexing plate, thus contributing to its rigidity and reducing the risk of breakage;
[0024] - the weld extends along the front edge and the rear edge of the pillar reinforcement. advantageously, the indexing plate and the weld bonding said plate indexing plate to the pillar reinforcement follows the geometry of the hollow housing in which the indexing plate is housed. In this case, the indexing plate has flaps which follow the shape of the front edge and the rear edge of the pillar reinforcement, so as to allow good pressing of the indexing plate against the pillar reinforcement. In addition, it is advantageous for the weld bonding the indexing plate to the pillar reinforcement to extend over the flaps of the indexing plate and over the front and rear edges of the pillar reinforcement in order to reinforce the mechanical strength of the indexing plate and, consequently, of the pillar;
[0025] - advantageously, the weld extends over at least half of a length of the front edge and / or the rear edge of the pillar reinforcement, taken between the pillar reinforcement and the pillar lining and in a direction substantially perpendicular to an elongation of the pillar. This advantageous configuration makes it possible to guarantee good mechanical strength in the event of a side impact;
[0026] - the indexing plate is formed from a sheet metal. By sheet metal, we mean a part of any shape and of substantially constant thickness. Furthermore, the thickness of such a sheet is much less than the lateral dimensions of the sheet;
[0027] - the sheet metal forming the indexing plate is metallic, preferably steel. The steel is chosen here for its mechanical properties, and in particular its stiffness constant, in order to provide the necessary rigidity in the event of a lateral impact to reinforce the pillar;
[0028] - a thickness of the sheet is less than 3 mm, preferably equal to 1.8 mm. According to a particularly interesting aspect of the invention, it is now possible to produce such a pillar reinforcement using a part of very low thickness compared to known pillar reinforcements, thus contributing to reinforcing the reliability of the pillar while minimizing the mass and production costs.
[0029] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a motor vehicle comprising a passenger compartment delimited on each lateral side by at least one assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention or according to any of its improvements.
[0030] Advantageously, the pillar to which the at least one indexing plate is fixed is a central pillar of the motor vehicle.
[0031] Various embodiments of the invention are provided, integrating according to all of their possible combinations the different optional characteristics set out here.
[0032] Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description on the one hand, and from several examples of embodiment given for informational and non-limiting purposes with reference to the attached schematic drawings on the other hand, in which:
[0033] [Fig.l] illustrates a three-dimensional view of an indexing plate as implemented in the context of the invention;
[0034] [Fig.2] illustrates a view of the assembly in accordance with the first aspect of the invention and incorporating the indexing plate illustrated in [Fig.l];
[0035] [Fig.3] illustrates a sectional view along the axis AA shown in [Fig.2];
[0036] [Fig.4] illustrates a partial schematic view of a motor vehicle conforming to the second aspect of the invention.
[0037] Of course, the features, variants and different embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other, in various combinations, provided that they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, variants of the invention may be imagined comprising only a selection of features described below in isolation from the other features described, if this selection of features is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.
[0038] In particular, all the variants and all the embodiments described can be combined with each other if nothing prevents this combination from a technical point of view.
[0039] In the figures, the elements common to several figures retain the same reference.
[0040] [Fig. 1] illustrates an indexing plate 10 of a door hinge for a motor vehicle 3, as used in the context of the present invention. Such an indexing plate 10 has dimensions and a shape that are significantly larger than known indexing plates 10, due to the functionalities expected in the context of the invention. Indeed, as mentioned previously, and as visible in FIGURES 2 and 3, the indexing plate 10 fulfills a dual role here:
[0041] - that of interacting with the door hinge in order to allow its operation and its collaboration with the structural elements of the motor vehicle 3; and
[0042] - that of distributing mechanical constraints appearing at the level of the pillar of a assembly 1 of motor vehicle 3 in the event of a side impact. In particular, the indexing plate is configured to allow a distribution of the mechanical stresses appearing in the event of a side impact at a peripheral zone distant from a weld bead CS connecting an upper part 111 to a lower part 112 of a pillar reinforcement 11 forming the assembly 1 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
[0043] The weld bead CS is shown in dotted lines in [Fig.l], at a position in which it is located when the indexing plate 10 is mounted on the assembly 1 according to the first aspect of the invention, in a hollow housing 13 of the pillar formed by the pillar reinforcement 11 and a pillar lining 12.
[0044] For this purpose, the indexing plate 10 comprises:
[0045] - a main face 101 intended to be placed in abutment against a face opposite the pillar reinforcement 11 when the indexing plate is installed in the hollow housing 13 formed by the pillar reinforcement 11 and the pillar liner 12;
[0046] - two flaps 102a, 102b located on either side of the main face 101, each flap 102a, 102b being intended to collaborate with a front edge 11b and respectively a rear edge 11a of the pillar reinforcement 11 when the indexing plate 10 is inserted into the hollow housing 13.
[0047] Each flap 102a, 102b forms a non-zero angle relative to the main face 101, preferably between 70° and 110°.
[0048] The main face 101 thus forms a large, mostly flat surface, intended to at least partially cover the weld bead CS connecting the upper part 111 to the lower part 112 of a pillar reinforcement 11. Thus, the indexing plate 10 extends on either side of the weld bead CS in order to prevent the mechanical stresses appearing in the event of a lateral impact from being concentrated at the level of said weld bead CS.
[0049] In other words, the indexing plate 10 has dimensions and a geometry such that the weld bead CS extends between a lower edge 106 and an upper edge 105 of said indexing plate 10 when the latter is assembled on the pillar reinforcement 11.
[0050] In order to allow collaboration with the door hinge, the indexing plate comprises an indexing hole 104 and fixing holes 103.
[0051] The indexing plate advantageously takes the form of a folded sheet metal, of substantially constant thickness and less than 3 mm in order to limit the mass input on the pillar. Preferably, the indexing plate 10 is formed of a sheet metal of thickness equal to 1.8 mm. Preferably again, the indexing plate 10 is formed of a metallic material, such as steel.
[0052] With reference to FIGURES 2 and 3, the indexing plate 10 is implemented in an assembly 1 in accordance with the first aspect of the invention.
[0053] Such a set 1 comprises:
[0054] - a pillar comprising a pillar reinforcement 11 and a pillar lining 12 fixed to the pillar reinforcement 11. The pillar reinforcement 11 and the pillar liner 12 together form a hollow housing 13. The pillar reinforcement 11 has an upper portion 111 which is more rigid and less ductile than a lower portion 112. The upper portion 111 and the lower portion 112 of the pillar reinforcement 11 are connected together by a CS weld bead;
[0055] - an indexing plate 10 as described previously and housed in the hollow housing 13 of the pillar and formed by the pillar reinforcement 11 and the pillar reinforcement 12. The indexing plate 10 is configured to cooperate with a door of the motor vehicle 3.
[0056] In the assembly according to the first aspect of the invention, the indexing plate 10 partially covers both the upper part 111 and the lower part 112 of the pillar reinforcement 11, so as to at least partially cover the weld bead CS.
[0057] Advantageously, the indexing plate 10 extends in the hollow housing 13 between a front edge 11b and a rear edge 11a of the pillar reinforcement 11. The front edge 11b of the pillar reinforcement 11 and the rear edge 11a of the pillar reinforcement 11 are located on either side of a face 113 of the pillar reinforcement 11 located opposite the pillar lining 12.
[0058] The indexing plate 10 thus covers the weld bead CS over a larger surface area at the face 113 of the pillar reinforcement 11 located opposite the pillar lining 12.
[0059] In order to allow, on the one hand, a good mechanical connection between the indexing plate 10 and the pillar reinforcement 11 and, on the other hand, to ensure the expected stiffening role on the pillar, the indexing plate 10 is fixed integrally to the pillar reinforcement 11 and without play between said indexing plate 10 and said pillar reinforcement 11 at the level of fixing zones.
[0060] For this purpose, the indexing plate 10 is fixed integrally to the pillar reinforcement 11 by means of a peripheral weld to the indexing plate 10. Thus, the indexing plate 10 is fixed integrally to the pillar reinforcement 11 by means of a weld located at a distance from the weld bead CS connecting the upper part 111 of the pillar reinforcement 11 to its lower part 112.
[0061] In particular, the weld fixing the indexing plate 10 to the pillar reinforcement 11 extends simultaneously along the flaps 102a, 102b of said indexing plate 10 and along the front edge 11b and the rear edge 11a of the pillar reinforcement 11.
[0062] With reference to [Fig. 4], the invention also relates to a motor vehicle 3 comprising at least one assembly 1 as described above. In particular, such an assembly 1 is preferably formed by a central pillar of the motor vehicle 3, located between a front door opening 31 and a rear door opening 32.
[0063] In summary, the invention relates to an indexing plate 10 for a door hinge for a motor vehicle 3 housed between a pillar reinforcement 11 and a pillar lining 12, the indexing plate 10 having dimensions, shapes and an assembly position on the pillar reinforcement 11 in such a way that it covers a weld bead CS which connects an upper part 111 to a lower part 112 of the pillar reinforcement 11.
[0064] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. In particular, the different characteristics, forms, variants and embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations insofar as they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above can be combined with each other.
Claims
Claims
1. Assembly (1) for a motor vehicle (3), the assembly (1) comprising: - a pillar comprising a pillar reinforcement (11) and a pillar lining (12) fixed to the pillar reinforcement (11), the pillar reinforcement (11) and the pillar lining (12) together forming (1) a hollow housing (13), the pillar reinforcement (11) comprising an upper part (111) which is more rigid and less ductile than a lower part (112), the upper part (111) and the lower part (112) of the pillar reinforcement (11) being linked together by a weld bead (CS); - a door hinge indexing plate (10) housed in the hollow housing (13) of the pillar and configured to collaborate with a door of the motor vehicle (3); characterized in that the indexing plate (10) partially covers both the upper part (111) and the lower part (112) of the pillar reinforcement (11), so as to at least partially cover the weld bead (CS).
2. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the indexing plate (10) extends in the hollow housing (13) between a front edge (11b) and a rear edge (11a) of the pillar reinforcement (11).
3. Assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the indexing plate (10) is fixedly fixed without play between said indexing plate (10) and the pillar reinforcement (11) at the level of fixing zones.
4. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the indexing plate (10) is fixed integrally to the pillar reinforcement (11) by a peripheral weld to the indexing plate (10).
5. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the weld extends along the front edge (11b) and the rear edge (11a) of the pillar reinforcement (11).
6. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, in which the weld extends over at least half of a length of the front edge (11b) and / or the rear edge (11a) of the pillar reinforcement (11), taken between the pillar reinforcement (11) and the pillar lining (12) and in a direction substantially perpendicular to an elongation of the pillar.
7. An assembly (1) according to any preceding claim, wherein the indexing plate (10) is formed from sheet metal.
8. Assembly (1) according to the preceding claim, in which a sheet thickness is less than 3 mm, preferably equal to 1.8 mm.
9. Motor vehicle (3) comprising a passenger compartment delimited on each lateral side by at least one assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.
10. Motor vehicle (3) according to the preceding claim, in which the pillar to which the at least one indexing plate (10) is fixed is a central pillar of the motor vehicle (3).