Vehicle with a ventilation air-guided reinforcement element.

Abstract

[Vehicle (1) comprising a flat passenger compartment floor (10), a ventilation device (3) for blowing and / or drawing air into the passenger compartment of the vehicle (1), a passenger compartment ventilation air guide device (4) between the ventilation device (3) and the passenger compartment, guiding the air between said ventilation device (3) and the passenger compartment when said ventilation device is blowing and / or drawing air into the passenger compartment, notable in that the guide device (4) is a hollow body forming a floor reinforcement beam (10) disposed at least partially under said floor (10). Figure for the abbreviation: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Vehicle with a ventilation air-guided reinforcement element.

[0001] The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a reinforcement element forming a ventilation air guidance device for the passenger compartment, as well as a vehicle comprising a battery tray covering such a guidance device.

[0002] Vehicles generally have a central tunnel in the passenger compartment floor, allowing technical components to pass beneath it and providing floor reinforcement, particularly in the event of a frontal impact. Furthermore, it is known to install ventilation ducts on this tunnel, on the passenger compartment side, connected to a ventilation system located at the front of the passenger compartment. This allows for the ventilation, heating, and maintenance of the passenger compartment air, particularly for rear passengers, by directing air towards them. These ventilation ducts are located behind trim panels between the front seats, within the central floor tunnel. To reduce the floor's profile within the passenger compartment, it is known to create flat floors, such as those described in document EP0103734.

[0003] However, removing the tunnel reduces the floor's strength, particularly in the event of a frontal impact. Furthermore, installing ducts to ventilate the space behind the front passengers, connecting nozzles located in the area behind the front passengers and a ventilation system located at the front of the passenger compartment, creates a volume on the floor on the passenger side and reduces the passenger compartment space.

[0004] The objective of the invention is to overcome these drawbacks. In particular, one of the aims of the invention is to provide a vehicle with a reinforced floor that remains a flat passenger compartment floor, while allowing ventilation air to be distributed to several locations in the passenger compartment, without impacting the interior volume of the vehicle.

[0005] This goal is achieved according to the invention, thanks to a vehicle comprising a flat passenger compartment floor, a ventilation device intended to blow and / or draw air into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, a passenger compartment ventilation air guidance device between the ventilation device and the passenger compartment guiding the air between said ventilation device and the passenger compartment when said ventilation device blows and / or draws air into the passenger compartment, notable in that the guidance device is a hollow body forming a floor reinforcement beam disposed at least in part under said floor.

[0006] Thus advantageously, the flat floor is reinforced by means of the air guidance device while maintaining a flat floor shape and the ability to supply or extract air to different locations in the vehicle's passenger compartment thanks to the position under the The floor of the guidance system is located outside the passenger compartment. A flat floor is defined as a floor without a central tunnel protruding into the passenger compartment.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the guiding device extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In another variant, the guiding device extends along the longitudinal median axis of the vehicle.

[0008] Thus advantageously, the guidance device is able to transfer forces in a balanced manner in the event of a front impact thanks to this position along the median longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[0009] In another embodiment of the invention, the guiding device comprises one or more stamped sheets, welded to the floor, so as to form with the floor a hollow body.

[0010] Advantageously, the guiding means is thus produced at the same time as the floor when the latter is made of stamped sheet metal, during the vehicle structure assembly stages. The floor's participation in forming the hollow body, that is, one of the walls of the hollow body, reduces the number of parts required to manufacture the guiding device, and therefore the cost and weight.

[0011] In another embodiment of the invention, the guiding device is a hollow beam obtained by extrusion, fixed to the floor.

[0012] For example, the guide device can be made of aluminum or a composite material. The use of extrusion makes it possible to produce a beam in a single piece at a lower cost.

[0013] In another embodiment of the invention, the guiding device extends under the floor, longitudinally between an apron arranged at the front of the passenger compartment and a heel board arranged under a rear seat.

[0014] Thus advantageously, in the event of a front impact, the forces recovered by the guiding device can be transmitted efficiently to the rigid area of ​​the heel board, for better resistance of the vehicle.

[0015] In another embodiment of the invention, the floor has one or more holes opposite openings in the guide device so as to allow air to pass between said guide device and the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0016] Advantageously, air flows between the guidance device and the passenger compartment directly through the floor, without the need for additional ducts beneath the floor. Ducts within the passenger compartment may be provided to connect air blowing or suction nozzles if these are located away from the holes in the floor. For example, such ducts may be partially formed by seat crossmembers supporting the seats, or be located within such crossmembers, to reduce their footprint within the passenger compartment volume.

[0017] In another embodiment of the invention, the guidance device comprises several compartments extending along its length so as to create several air guidance channels separated from each other.

[0018] Thus advantageously, several airflows can be managed by the guidance device, without mixing them, such as for example a recirculation flow drawing air from the passenger compartment and a ventilation flow blowing air into the passenger compartment.

[0019] In another embodiment of the invention, the vehicle includes a battery tray comprising several accumulator modules, fixed under the floor of the vehicle, the accumulator modules being arranged on either side of the guidance device.

[0020] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following description, given solely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] [Fig-1] represents a perspective view from above of a vehicle underbody according to the invention.

[0022] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view from the top of the base of the [Fig.1] from another point of view.

[0023] [Fig.3] represents a perspective view of the underside of the base of Figures 1 and 2

[0024] [Fig.4] represents a perspective view of the underside of the base of Figures 1 and 2, without the guidance device.

[0025] [Fig. 5] represents a perspective view of a battery tray fitted to the vehicle according to a variant of the invention.

[0026] The drawings are schematic representations to facilitate understanding of the invention. The components are not necessarily shown to scale. The same reference numerals correspond to the same components from one figure to another.

[0027] The X-axis represents the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the Y-axis the transverse direction, and the Z-axis the vertical direction. The forward, backward, up, and down directions are taken in the vehicle's frame of reference.

[0028] As illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, the vehicle 1 according to the invention comprises a passenger compartment floor 10 above which are placed seats, not shown in the figures, intended to accommodate passengers. In order to ventilate the passenger compartment, the vehicle 1 comprises a passenger compartment ventilation device 3 whose function is to blow and / or draw air into the passenger compartment. Conventionally, this ventilation device 3 comprises, for example, a turbine which, when started, blows air into the passenger compartment and / or draws air from the passenger compartment, and heat exchangers allowing the air temperature to be modified before it is sent into the passenger compartment. The air intake is, for example, carried out in a mode operation of the ventilation device 3 called recirculation, in which said ventilation device 3 draws air from the passenger compartment to send it back into the passenger compartment.

[0029] The passenger compartment floor 10 is of the flat floor type, that is to say that it does not have a central tunnel protruding from the passenger compartment side of the vehicle.

[0030] The vehicle 1 includes an air guide device 4 between the ventilation device 3 and the passenger compartment. This guide device 4 allows air to be directed between said ventilation device 3 and the passenger compartment, for example between ventilation nozzles 6a, 6b and / or recirculation nozzles 7, and the ventilation device 3. The guide device 4 is a hollow body forming a floor reinforcement beam 10 located at least partially under said floor 10. The guide device 4 is fixed to the floor 10.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in the figures, the guide device 4 extends along the longitudinal direction X to the vehicle 1, along the longitudinal median axis to the vehicle 1. In this embodiment, the guide device 4 forms a central and longitudinal beam reinforcing the floor 10.

[0032] The guide device 4 is made, for example, by assembling one or more stamped sheets to the floor 10, for example by welding or bonding, so as to form a hollow body with the floor 10. That is to say, the floor 10 forms one of the walls of the guide device 4. In this way, the guide device 4 becomes an integral part of the floor 10 and is made during the assembly of the various components of the floor 10, in the so-called hardware assembly operations. In an alternative embodiment, the guide device 4 is made by extrusion, for example by extrusion of an aluminum alloy or a composite material, and then attached to the floor 10 by means known to those skilled in the art, such as by bonding or screwing, or by welding.Alternatively, the guide device 4 can be made by molding a composite material, such as a fiber-reinforced plastic material, and then fixed to the floor by means known to those skilled in the art, such as screwing or gluing.

[0033] In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the guiding device 4 extends under the floor 10 between a bulkhead 13 located at the front of the passenger compartment and a heel board 12 located under a rear seat. The bulkhead 13 is a partition located at the front end of the floor 10, extending from the front end of the floor 10 to a windshield opening, separating the passenger compartment from a compartment located at the front of the vehicle and in which an engine or mechanical components are generally located. The heel board 12 is a generally vertical partition, extending in the transverse Y direction to the vehicle 1, at the rear end of the passenger compartment floor 10, located under a rear seat (not shown) intended to accommodate rear passengers. It connects the passenger compartment floor 10 to a seat floor 14 located under the rear seat. In the embodiment illustrated in [Fig.3], a front cross member 15 is arranged under the floor 10, along the front edge of said floor 10, and a rear cross member 16 is arranged under the floor 10, along the rear edge of said floor 10, opposite the heel floor 12 for example, and the guide device 4 extends from the front cross member 15 to the rear cross member 16.

[0034] In one embodiment, the vehicle 1 comprises two parallel frame members extending longitudinally in front of the platform 13 in a plane parallel to the longitudinal X and transverse Y directions, and two side members 19 extending longitudinally along the lateral edges of the floor 10. Connecting reinforcements 9 extend between each frame member and the guide device 4, and between each frame member and each of the lateral side members 19 located on the same lateral side as each of said frame members. Thus, in the event of a frontal impact, the forces transmitted by the frame members are efficiently distributed between the side members 19 and the guide device 4, improving the impact resistance of the vehicle 1.

[0035] As illustrated in [Fig. 4], in order to allow air to pass between the guide device 4 located under the floor 10 and the vehicle passenger compartment, the floor 10 has holes 101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112. For example, if the floor 10 forms one of the walls of the guide device 4, these holes 101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112 open directly into the guide device. Alternatively, the guide device 4 has openings opposite these holes 101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112, so as to allow air to pass between the guide device 4 and the passenger compartment. Sealing means, such as foam gaskets, can be arranged between the guide device 4 and the floor 10, around the holes 101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112 and the openings, so as to prevent air leaks between the guide device 4 and the floor 10.

[0036] In one embodiment, the guidance device 4 comprises several compartments extending along its length so as to create several separate air guidance channels. For example, the guidance device 4 is formed by a main duct having several channels within its internal volume: one or more channels forming ventilation ducts, for example, two ventilation ducts, intended to carry air from the ventilation device 3 to the passenger compartment, and a recirculation duct guiding air from the passenger compartment to the ventilation device 3 when it is in recirculation mode. The separation between the channels is achieved, for example, by vertical walls extending along the length of the guidance device. Those skilled in the art may arrange the shape and arrangement of the channels differently.

[0037] In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 4, the ventilation device 3 is located at the front of the passenger compartment, for example behind a dashboard (not shown). To allow connection between the ventilation device 3 and the guidance device 4, the floor 10 has several ventilation holes 101a, 101b, 102, each of which opens into one of the channels of the guidance device 4 and is connected to the ventilation device 3. For example, the guidance device 4 has two ventilation channels and one recirculation channel. Two holes 101a, 101b each open into one of the ventilation channels, and two primary connecting conduits 31 link each of these holes 101a, 101b to the ventilation device 3, so as to direct the air blown by the ventilation device 3 into the ventilation channels of the guidance device 4.A third ventilation hole 102 opens into the recirculation channel of the guidance device 4, and is connected to the ventilation device 3 by a secondary connecting duct 32 so as to conduct air from the guidance device 4 to the ventilation device 3 when said ventilation device 3 is in recirculation mode.

[0038] As illustrated in [Fig. 4], the floor 10 further includes ventilation holes 111a, 111b arranged approximately in the middle of the floor 10 lengthwise and opening into the guide device 4. These ventilation holes 111a, 111b are each connected to a tube 5a, 5b. The tubes 5a, 5b are connected to the air vents 6a, 6b, each located on either side of the passenger compartment, for example at the level of a center pillar of the vehicle 1, approximately at the level of the front seat backrest or just behind these backrests, in the longitudinal direction X, in order to distribute air to the rear seats. Other ventilation holes in the floor 10 may be provided to supply air to other areas of the vehicle's passenger compartment.These ventilation holes 111a, 111b open, for example, into one or more ventilation channels of the guidance device 4, so that the air blown by the ventilation device 3 is sent into the passenger compartment through the ventilation nozzles 6a, 6b.

[0039] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the air vents 6a, 6b are located at a distance from the air holes 111a, 111b, and are each connected to one of these air holes 111a, 111b respectively by one of the tubes 5a or 5b. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the tubes 5a, 5b are located under the front seats. Each tube may include a low-profile air vent 8a, 8b located under each seat and directed towards the rear of the vehicle so as to provide air at the foot level of the rear passengers.

[0040] The floor 10 has, near its rear edge, a recirculation hole 112 opening, for example, into the recirculation channel of the guidance device 4. It is connected to a recirculation nozzle 7 located in the passenger compartment and through which air is drawn in when the ventilation device 3 is in recirculation mode. For example, As illustrated in [Fig.2], the recirculation nozzle 7 is positioned against the heel board 12. A specific conduit connects the nozzle 7 to the recirculation hole 112. In an alternative not shown, several recirculation nozzles 7 can be installed, for example at each end of the heel board 12, each connected to the recirculation hole 112 by specific conduits.

[0041] This arrangement improves air circulation in the passenger compartment in recirculation mode, with air being blown into the passenger compartment at the front by vents arranged in the dashboard for the front passengers and by the ventilation nozzles 6a, 6b, and then drawn out at the rear by the recirculation nozzle 7.

[0042] In one embodiment, the vehicle 1 has a cross member 11 on the floor 10 extending in a transverse direction Y to the vehicle 1. The cross member 11 is, for example, a seat cross member to which a seat (not shown) is attached. In the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the vehicle 1 has two parallel cross members 11 extending from one lateral edge of the floor to the other, spaced apart, and having attachment interfaces for each of the front seats. The tubes 5a, 5b are disposed at least partially in the space between the cross members 11, the ventilation holes 111a, 111b then also being located between the cross members 11.

[0043] In another embodiment not shown, the tubes 5a, 5b are arranged inside one of the cross members 11, or in another variant, formed at least in part by said cross member 11. In this variant, the ventilation holes 111a, 111b open into the inside of said cross member 11.

[0044] Sleeves can be provided to allow a sealed connection between each of the channels of the guide device 4 and the conduits 31, 32, 5a, 5b, at the level of the holes 101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112 of the floor, and to ensure a sealed passage of air between the guide device 4 and said conduits 31, 32, 5a, 5b, as well as to prevent possible air passages between the different channels.

[0045] In an alternative not shown, the guidance device 4 has only one channel for guiding the air blown into the passenger compartment, or, in another alternative, for guiding only the air drawn from the passenger compartment.

[0046] As illustrated in [Fig. 3] and 4, two longitudinal beams 18 extend under the floor 10, fixed to the floor 10, from the front cross member 15 to the rear cross member 16, and define a space in which the guide device 4 is inserted. Intermediate cross members 17 are arranged under the floor 10, between the lateral stringers 19 arranged on either side of the floor 10 laterally, and the longitudinal beams 18. For example, the longitudinal beams 18 form lateral walls of the guide device 4.

[0047] Figure 5 illustrates a battery tray 2 intended to be fixed under the floor of the vehicle 1. The battery tray 2 comprises several accumulator modules 21, fixed to a The battery tray 2 is positioned so as to leave a space between the two sections. This space is chosen so that when the battery tray 2 is fixed under the floor 10 of the vehicle 1, the battery modules are arranged on either side of the guide device 4. Thus, the guide device 4 is included within the volume of the battery tray when the battery tray 2 is installed on the vehicle. For example, the thickness of the guide device 4, that is, its dimension along the vertical axis Z of the vehicle, is chosen to be equal to or less than the thickness of the battery modules 21. The vehicle 1 equipped with the battery tray 2 is, for example, an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

Claims

Demands

1. Vehicle (1) comprising a flat passenger compartment floor (10), a ventilation device (3) for blowing and / or drawing air into the passenger compartment of the vehicle (1), a passenger compartment ventilation air guidance device (4) between the ventilation device (3) and the passenger compartment, guiding the air between said ventilation device (3) and the passenger compartment when said ventilation device is blowing and / or drawing air into the passenger compartment, the guidance device (4) being a hollow body forming a floor reinforcement beam (10) disposed at least in part under said floor (10), characterized in that the vehicle (1) has a battery tray (2) comprising several accumulator modules (21), fixed under the floor of the vehicle (1), the accumulator modules (21) being disposed on either side of the guidance device (4).

2. Vehicle (1) according to the preceding claim, the guidance device (4) of which extends along the longitudinal direction (X) to the vehicle (1).

3. Vehicle (1) according to the preceding claim, the guidance device (4) of which extends in the longitudinal median axis to the vehicle (1).

4. Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the guidance device (4) comprising one or more stamped plates welded to the floor (10), so as to form with the floor (10) a hollow body.

5. Vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the guiding device (4) is a hollow beam obtained by extrusion, fixed to the floor (10).

6. Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guidance device (4) extends under the floor longitudinally between an apron (13) arranged at the front of the passenger compartment and a heel board (12) arranged under a rear seat.

7. Vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the floor (10) having one or more holes (101a, 101b, 102, 111a, 111b, 112) opposite an opening in the guide device (4) so ​​as to permit the passage of air between said guide device (4) and the passenger compartment of the vehicle (1).

8. A vehicle (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the guidance device (4) comprises several compartments extending lengthwise in such a way as to create several separate air guidance channels.

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