Device for closing the air intake of the front of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a shutter (1) for a shutter device for a motor vehicle, in particular for a device for closing the air intake of the front face of a motor vehicle, comprising a longitudinal shutter body (2) having a front face (3) and a rear face (4) opposite the front face (3), the shutter (1) further comprising a cover (5) configured to at least partially cover the front face (3), the cover (5) comprising reversible fixing means (6, 8) for fixing to the shutter body (2). Figure for abstract: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: Device for closing the air intake on the front of a motor vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of devices for closing the air flow on the front of a motor vehicle.

[0002] The front faces of motor vehicles generally comprise one or more main air inlets through which an air flow enters towards the front compartment of the motor vehicle. Behind these air inlets, heat exchangers of the motor vehicle are generally placed, such as for example the one used for air conditioning the passenger compartment and / or the one used for cooling the engine.

[0003] It is also known to have, in the air path passing through the main air inlets, a support frame comprising one or more pivotally mounted shutters capable of assuming a multiplicity of different angular positions, between an open position and a closed position and thus forming a shutter device similar to a louver. This shutter device is sometimes called an active grille shutter, or even a controlled air inlet module. Such a shutter device may also be designated by the acronym AGS (for "Active Grille Shutter" in English).

[0004] The shutter device makes it possible to adjust the air flow passing through the air inlets and arriving at the heat exchangers. It is thus possible to optimize the efficiency of these heat exchangers according to needs by varying the quantity of air they receive. In addition, at high speed, the shutters in the shutter position make it possible to reduce the drag coefficient of the motor vehicle and thus improve the aerodynamics of said motor vehicle. The shutter device therefore makes it possible to reduce energy consumption and pollution when the engine does not need to be cooled by outside air.

[0005] Motor vehicles are already known that are equipped with a shutter device arranged at the front end of the vehicle. Indeed, the further upstream the shutter device is from the vehicle, the more the aerodynamic drag is reduced, which makes it possible to reduce energy consumption. On the other hand, when the shutter device is at the front of the vehicle, or even flush with the bodywork, the pivoting flaps are more visible. Such a shutter device is then exposed to aesthetic constraints. It may be that automobile manufacturers require that the flaps be adapted to the shape and color of the vehicle bodywork while it is difficult to customize an AGS on an industrial scale.

[0006] Furthermore, the flaps which are arranged at the front end of the vehicle are more exposed to shocks or untimely contacts. Damage to these flaps can be caused by a person or an external object. In the event of damage, the entire AGS system must be replaced, which presents a significant repair cost.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the above-mentioned problems and to provide a sealing device which is easy to repair and which can be adapted to different models of motor vehicle.

[0008] For this purpose, the invention relates to a closure flap for a closure device for a motor vehicle, in particular for a device for closing the air intake of the front face of a motor vehicle, comprising a longitudinal flap body and having a front face and a rear face opposite the front face, the closure flap further comprising a cover configured to at least partially cover the front face, the cover comprising reversible fixing means to the flap body.

[0009] The invention therefore proposes a new concept of a partially interchangeable and customizable shutter. It is possible to maintain the same structure of a shutter device while proposing different shutters to adapt to different vehicle models. The appearance of the shutter device is then determined by that of the shutters mounted on the shutter device.

[0010] In addition, the cover allows the forces to be stored in the event of an accident or impact. When one or more covers are damaged, it is sufficient to change only these covers without completely dismantling the corresponding shutter bodies. The repair is then faster and less expensive.

[0011] The shutter according to the invention may further comprise at least one of the following characteristics, taken alone or in combination: - The fastening means are only accessible from the rear face of the shutter body, which prevents the cover from being removed outside the garage or by an unauthorized person. In fact, generally speaking, the shutters are assembled on the shutter devices in an automated and controlled manner. Once assembled, the shutters are locked on the shutter device and cannot be changed without dismantling the entire shutter device in order to be able to check the warranty in the event of damage. The same applies to the cover according to the invention, which must also be mounted on the shutter device by an authorized person in order to avoid adjustment errors during assembly and to ensure liability under the warranty. - The coverage includes an area extending substantially over the entire length of the shutter body. The cover completely conceals the shutter body. Thus, the latter can be completely different from the cover, which is visible. Being able to use a less aesthetic material for the shutter body with a less sophisticated shape saves manufacturing costs. - The fixing means include a deformable tab provided with a hook allowing snap-on fixing to the shutter body. - The fixing means, for example of the latch type, comprise a rotating element configured to cooperate with a stop on the shutter body. - The surface of the cover has a convex shape and the cover or the flap body comprises a plurality of ribs configured to maintain a space between the surface of the cover and the flap body. It is understood that said surface has a shape which is curved towards the outside of the vehicle. This is particularly advantageous when the cover is configured to match the shape of the front face of the vehicle which is normally also convex. The ribs make it possible to maintain the cover in its convex shape when it is subjected to forces originating from an air flow or the like. - The cover and the shutter body are made of different material compositions. For example, the shutter body can be made of a material consisting of polypropylene filled with 30% glass fiber (PPGF30) or a polyamide reinforced with glass fiber (PAGF30). The cover can be made of a material consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) alone or mixed with polycarbonate (PS). - The surface of the cover is coated with paint to provide an aesthetic appearance suitable for the vehicle body.

[0012] The invention also relates to a device for closing the air intake on the front of a motor vehicle comprising:

[0013] - a support frame comprising two lateral uprights connected to each other by two end crosspieces,

[0014] - a set of shutters as previously described mounted at inside the opening of the support frame,

[0015] - an actuator configured to drive the shutter assembly in rotation.

[0016] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a front fairing having an opening and a closing device as described previously arranged in the opening, in which the cover is flush with the front fairing of the front face of the motor vehicle and substantially covers the entire opening.

[0017] This arrangement is particularly advantageous for preventing an unauthorized person from being able to remove the cover without completely removing the closure device. Indeed, thanks to this configuration, the bodywork surrounding the cover prevents it from making any translational movement in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the shutter.

[0018] Other advantages and characteristics of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description, given for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, and the appended drawings in which:

[0019] [Fig. 1] is a perspective view of a closure device comprising a plurality of closure flaps according to the invention;

[0020] [Fig.2] is a schematic view of a shutter before assembly, according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0021] [Fig.3] is a schematic view of the shutter of [Fig.2] after assembly

[0022] [Fig.4] is a schematic view of the shutter of [Fig.2], assembled and installed in the front of a motor vehicle;

[0023] [Fig.5] is a schematic view of the shutter before assembly, according to a second embodiment of the invention;

[0024] [Fig.6] is a schematic view of the shutter of [Fig.5] during the assembly;

[0025] [Fig.7] is a schematic view of the shutter of [Fig.5] after the assembly.

[0026] A device 10 for closing off the front air intake of a motor vehicle, designated by the reference 10, is shown in [Fig. 1]. The closing device 10 has a support frame 18 having two lateral uprights 20 connected to each other by two end crosspieces 22 thus defining an opening. Furthermore, at least one set of closing flaps (hereinafter "flaps") 1 is installed inside the opening of the support frame 18. According to the particular embodiment shown here and optionally, the support frame 3 has a reinforcing element 9 configured to compensate for the bending forces imposed on the flaps 1. In addition, the support frame 18 has, according to this particular embodiment, three sets of flaps 1.

[0027] The shutter device 10 further comprises an actuator configured to drive the flaps 1 in rotation. The operation of such an actuator is already known to those skilled in the art. Different mechanisms for transmitting movement from the actuator to the flaps 1 are also part of the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

[0028] With reference to figures 2 to 4, there is shown in schematic view a shutter Idestiné to be installed in the opening of the support frame 18 in order to form the shutter assembly 1 of the closing device 10 according to a first embodiment.

[0029] The flap 1 comprises a longitudinal flap body 2 having a front face 3 and a rear face 4 opposite the front face 3. It is understood that the front face 3 is oriented towards the direction in which the vehicle is traveling forward. The front face 3 is therefore arranged upstream of the rear face 4 according to the direction of propagation of the air flow.

[0030] The shutter body 2 comprises on the front face 3 a plurality of ribs 16. In the example illustrated, there are 3 ribs, one of which is arranged in the center of the shutter body 2 and is higher than the other two which are arranged at the ends.

[0031] The shutter body 2 comprises a first rotation axis A1 configured to be mounted on the support frame 18 so that the shutter body 2 can pivot about this first axis A1 in both directions. The shutter body 2 comprises a second rotation axis A2 configured to cooperate with a connecting element which is itself controlled by the actuator in order to transmit the movement of the actuator to the shutters 1.

[0032] The shutter body 2 also comprises through openings 13 configured to allow reversible fixing means to pass through, which will be described later.

[0033] As illustrated in [Fig.2], the shutter 1 comprises a cover 5 having a surface 51 configured to at least partially cover the front face 3. In the example illustrated, the surface 51 extends over the entire length of the shutter body 2 and therefore covers the entire front face 3 of the shutter body 2. The surface 51 has a convex shape capable of matching the shape of the body of the vehicle on which the closing device is mounted.

[0034] Furthermore, the cover 5 comprises reversible fixing means 6 to the shutter body 2 as visible in Figures 2 to 4. In a first embodiment, the fixing means 6 comprise at least one deformable tab 11 provided with a hook 12 allowing fixing by snap-fastening to the shutter body 2. In the example illustrated, the fixing means 6 comprise two deformable tabs 11 and the shutter body 2 comprises two protrusions 17 arranged respectively near a through opening 13. The reversible fixing means 6 are configured to cooperate with the protrusions 17 to form a snap-fastening.

[0035] To do this, and as shown in [Fig. 3], when assembling the cover 5 on the shutter body 2, the cover 5 is brought closer to the shutter body 2 in the first direction DI until the fixing means 6 pass through the through openings 13 and the surface 51 of the cover 5 bears against the ribs 16. Then, the cover 5 is moved in the second direction D2 so that the hooks 12 come into contact with the protuberances 17. The tabs deformable 11 are deformed by the protrusions 17 during the movement of the cover 5 and return to their initial shape at the end of the stroke. A snap-fastening is thus formed by the hooks 12 and the protrusions 17 as visible in [Fig.4].

[0036] The ribs 16 are configured to maintain a space between the surface 51 of the cover 5 and the shutter body 2. The ribs 16 thus make it possible to support the surface 51 when it is subjected to forces originating, for example, from an air flow, tending to deform it. The ribs 16 are also configured so that the surface 51 is sufficiently close to the shutter body 2 so that the cover 5 is correctly held on the shutter body 2 by the snap-fastening.

[0037] [Fig. 4] partially shows a closure device 10 installed in the front face 30 of a motor vehicle, the closure device 10 comprising closure flaps 1 according to the invention. The front face 30 has an opening 31, the closure device 10 being arranged in the opening 31. As seen in this [Fig. 4], the cover 5 is flush with the front face 30 and completely covers the opening 31. Consequently, the cover 5 contributes to the appearance of the front face 30 of the vehicle and can be easily adapted to the style of the vehicle. In addition, the movement of the cover 5 is limited by the front face 30 in the direction D2 and the opposite direction. It is therefore impossible to dismantle the cover 5 from outside the vehicle without disconnecting the closure device 10 from the vehicle.

[0038] Figures 5 to 7 show a second embodiment in which only the fixing means 8 are different from those of the first embodiment. In this second embodiment, the fixing means 8 comprise a rotary element 14 configured to cooperate with a stop 15 on the shutter body 2. In the example illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, the fixing means 8 comprise two rotary elements 14 which are mounted respectively on a third axis of rotation A3 and a fourth axis of rotation A4 which are substantially parallel to the direction DI. The rotary elements 14 ensure reversible fixing by cooperating with the complementary fixing elements on the shutter body 2. In the example illustrated, the complementary fixing elements comprise two stops 15, each stop 15 being arranged close to a through opening 13.Furthermore, the rotating elements 14 each comprise a projecting end configured to cooperate with the corresponding stops 15 to hold the cover 5 on the shutter body 2.

[0039] As shown in [Fig.6], when assembling the cover 5 on the shutter body 2, the cover 5 is brought closer to the shutter body 2 in the direction DI until the fixing means 8 pass through the through openings 13 and the surface 51 of the cover 5 bears against the ribs 16. Then, each rotating element 14 is rotated about its axis of rotation A3, A4 until the projecting end abuts against the corresponding stop 15, as illustrated in [Fig.7]. The cover 5 is thus fixed to the shutter body 2 in this assembly position. For example, the rotating element 14 can be configured to be rotated ninety degrees to arrive in said assembly position.

[0040] According to a variant of the second embodiment, the fixing of the cover 5 on the shutter body 2 can be done by a latch. The rotating element can consist of a bar configured to be inserted into a slot arranged on the shutter body 2.

[0041] It should be noted that in the first and second embodiments, the fixing means 6, 8 are only accessible via the rear face 4 of the shutter body 2. Thus, it is not possible to remove the cover 5 from outside the vehicle.

[0042] Figures 8 and 9 show a third embodiment according to which the shutter body 2 is obtained by extrusion and the reversible fixing means allow a sliding connection between the cover 5 and the shutter body 2.

[0043] As seen in [Fig.8] which illustrates a first variant of this embodiment, the shutter body 2 has compartments separating the front face 3 and the rear face 4. Furthermore, the shutter body 2 has two orifices 40 on the front face 3, each giving access to a compartment 42 defining an empty space. The cover 5 comprises two longitudinal protrusions 41 profiled in a T configured to form a sliding connection with the compartments 42.

[0044] According to a second variant of this embodiment illustrated in [Fig.9], the elements constituting the sliding connection are reversed, that is to say, the longitudinal protuberances 41 profiled in T are carried by the shutter body 2 on the front face 3 and each orifice 40 is arranged on a compartment 42 carried by the cover 5.

[0045] According to the first and second variants of this third embodiment, the cover 5 is mounted on the shutter body 2 by a translational movement in the direction D2, as visible in [Fig. 10]. The longitudinal protrusions 41 engage respectively in the compartments 42 to form a sliding connection between the shutter body 2 and the cover 5. The closing shutter 1 further comprises, in this third embodiment, end pieces 19 configured to be assembled at the two ends of the shutter body 2 and to hold the cover 5 on the front face 3 of the shutter body 2 once assembled. In this embodiment, the end pieces 19 can carry the first axes of rotation A1 of the closing shutter 1.

[0046] The invention is not limited to the embodiments presented and other embodiments will become clear to those skilled in the art. It is in particular possible to use any other fixing means as long as they are reversible fixing means.

[0047] List of references:

[0048] 1: shutter

[0049] 2: shutter body

[0050] 3: front face

[0051] 4: back face

[0052] 5: cover

[0053] 6, 7, 8: reversible fixing means

[0054] 9: reinforcing element

[0055] 10: shutter device

[0056] 11: deformable leg

[0057] 12: hook

[0058] 13: through opening

[0059] 14: rotating element

[0060] 15: stop

[0061] 16: rib

[0062] 17: protuberance

[0063] 18: support frame

[0064] 19: tip

[0065] 20: side amount

[0066] 22: end crosspiece

[0067] 30: front face of a motor vehicle

[0068] 31: opening

[0069] 40: orifice

[0070] 41: longitudinal protuberance

[0071] 42: compartment

[0072] 51: surface

[0073] Al: first axis of rotation

[0074] A2: second axis of rotation

[0075] A3: third axis of rotation

[0076] A4: fourth axis of rotation

[0077] DI: first direction

[0078] D2: second direction

Claims

Claims

1. Shutter (1) for a closing device for a motor vehicle, in particular for a device for closing the air intake of the front face of a motor vehicle, comprising a longitudinal shutter body (2) having a front face (3) and a rear face (4) opposite the front face (3), the shutter (1) further comprising a cover (5) configured to at least partially cover the front face (3), the cover (5) comprising reversible fixing means (6, 7, 8) for fixing to the shutter body (2), the cover (5) comprising a surface (51) extending substantially over the entire length of the shutter body (2), said shutter (1) being characterized in that the surface (51) has a convex shape and in that the cover (5) or the shutter body (2) comprises at least one rib (16) configured to maintain a space between the surface (51) and the shutter body (2).

2. Shutter according to the preceding claim, in which the fixing means (6, 8) are only accessible via the rear face (4) of the shutter body (2).

3. A shutter according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover (5) comprises a surface (51) extending substantially along the entire length of the shutter body (2).

4. Shutter according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the fixing means (6) comprise a deformable tab (11) provided with a hook (12) allowing fixing by snap-fastening to the shutter body (2).

5. Shutter according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the fixing means (8) comprise a rotary element (14) configured to cooperate with a stop (15) on the shutter body (2).

6. Shutter according to claim 1, in which the reversible fixing means (7) allow a sliding connection between the cover (5) and the shutter body (2).

7. A shutter according to any preceding claim, wherein the cover (5) and the shutter body (2) are made of different material compositions.

8. A shutter according to any preceding claim, wherein the surface (51) is coated with paint.

9. Device (10) for closing off the air inlet of the front of a motor vehicle comprising: - a support frame (18) comprising two lateral uprights (20) connected to each other by two end crosspieces (22), - a shutter assembly (1) according to any one of the preceding claims mounted inside the opening of the support frame (18) - an actuator configured to drive the shutter assembly (1) in rotation.

10. A motor vehicle comprising a front fairing having an opening (31) and a closing device (10) according to the preceding claim arranged in the opening (31), wherein the cover (5) is flush with the front fairing of the front face of the motor vehicle and substantially covers the opening (31).

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