ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT SUPPORT FOR AUTOMOBILES

Abstract

The invention relates to a fuse box (1) support (2) for mounting on the vertical wall of a structural element (A) of a motor vehicle, said support comprising two parallel arms (11a, 11b) connected by a horizontal spacer (12) supporting the box, a plate (13) extending the spacer (12) downwards and bearing against the external face (A1) of the vertical wall of the structural element (A) and through which a bore (10) is provided for the insertion of a screw (3), a flexible tab (14) adapted to cooperate by snap-fit ​​with a complementary element provided on said structural element, and a translational guide slide (15) adapted to cooperate with said wall of the structural element, characterized in that said support (1) further comprises,a corner (16) ensuring the rotational locking of the support by engaging with the upper edge (A2) of the vertical wall of the structural element such that said wall is trapped between the flexible tab (14) and said slide (15). Figure 5,

Description

Title of the invention: ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT SUPPORT FOR MOTOR VEHICLES

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to the field of the implantation of electronic boxes on motor vehicles and is interested, more particularly, in the method of fixing a fuse relay box on the structure of a vehicle.

[0002] Currently, the fixing of electronic boxes is carried out, in a traditional manner, by means of a support of the type comprising a plate having an external face receiving the box, assembly means allowing the plate and the box to be joined together and lashing means allowing the support to be joined to the structure of the vehicle.

[0003] Such a housing support is described, in particular, in patent FR3078513B1 where it is intended for an audio system. This support, which is designed for installation in the side part of the vehicle's trunk, has retaining arms extending transversely from the outer face of the mounting plate and having curved free ends designed to rest against the inner face of the trunk's side trim.

[0004] However, fuse relay housings have different characteristics, notably larger dimensions. They are generally waterproof and designed to be mounted at the front of the vehicle on the air deflectors. Under these conditions, traditional brackets do not offer a suitable and satisfactory mounting solution.

[0005] Fuse box supports exist, comprising means for removable attachment to a structural element of the vehicle, such as an air deflector. These attachment means comprise, respectively, two parallel arms connected by a horizontal spacer supporting the box, a plate extending the spacer downwards and bearing against the outer face of a vertical wall of the deflector and through which a bore is provided for the insertion of a screw, a flexible tab adapted to cooperate by snap-fitting with a complementary element provided on the wall of the deflector, and a translational guide slide adapted to cooperate with this wall.

[0006] However, the method of attaching these boxes using these supports remains problematic, particularly when it comes to fuse relay boxes intended more specifically for electric or hybrid vehicles. Indeed, on the one hand, these boxes are quite bulky because they contain numerous fuses and, on the other hand, the available space is limited by the presence of a important bundle of cables intended, in the area where these boxes are installed, to supply power to the spotlights of the lighting system.

[0007] Thus, the assembly and disassembly of these housings is complex and laborious, especially since their support, in its current form, tends to rotate around its single fixing point when screwed onto the structure. Furthermore, with the existing support, the housing's attachment is not stable over time because it proves highly sensitive to vibrations emanating from its immediate environment, leading to risks of short circuits or electrical failures.

[0008] In this context, the invention sought to simplify the method of fixing fuse relay boxes by proposing an improved support with a "fork" profile combining holding, anti-rotation and screwing functions while ensuring robust vibration resistance throughout the vehicle's life cycle.

[0009] This goal is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a housing support characterized in that it comprises, in addition to the known means, a protruding corner ensuring the rotational locking of the support by engaging with the upper edge of the vertical wall of the structural element in such a way that this wall is trapped between the flexible tab and the slide.

[0010] According to an advantageous feature of the invention, the flexible leg of the support extends parallel to the wall of the structural element and comes to rest against the inner face of this wall.

[0011] Preferably, the leg has a lug intended to snap into an opening provided opposite in the wall of the structural element.

[0012] According to another feature of the support of the invention, the slide is formed of a finger extending parallel to the flexible leg and intended to slide in contact with the external face of the wall of the structural element.

[0013] According to yet another feature of the support, the corner extends in projection under the spacer and above the flexible leg.

[0014] According to a specific embodiment of the support of the invention, the bore is positioned between the flexible leg and the anti-rotation wedge.

[0015] According to another variant, the slide is positioned under the flexible tab.

[0016] According to other features, the corner includes a beveled lower face whose profile is locally complementary to the upper edge of the vertical wall of the structural element.

[0017] Preferably, the corner protrudes beyond the inner face of the wall of the structural element.

[0018] Another object of the invention is a motor vehicle equipped with at least one fuse relay box fixed to a wall of a structural element by means of a support having the characteristics defined above.

[0019] The invention makes it possible to mount and dismount a fuse box on a vehicle structural element, such as an air deflector, in a simple, quick, easy way and via a single fixing point.

[0020] Indeed, thanks to the "fork" profile of the support combining both angular anti-rotation, a snap-fit ​​and a sliding, the wall of this structural element is sandwiched and the rotation of the support is blocked during screwing by the operator which, if necessary, can even be carried out blindly.

[0021] In addition, the housing fixing is robust over time and offers increased mechanical resistance to vibrations.

[0022] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying figures, for which:

[0023] [Fig. 1] is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the fuse box support according to the invention.

[0024] [Fig.2] is a rear view of the fuse box support of [Fig.1].

[0025] [Fig.3] is a partial perspective view of the fuse box support of the [Fig.l].

[0026] [Fig.4] is a front view of the mounting of the support of the invention on an element of structure of a vehicle with a fuse box.

[0027] [Fig.5] is a profile view (inner face side of the wall of the structural element) of mounting the support of the invention with a fuse box.

[0028] [Fig.6] is a partial side and cross-sectional view of the support assembly of the invention with a fuse box.

[0029] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0030] Naturally, the embodiments of the fuse box support according to the invention, schematically illustrated in the figures above and described below, are given only by way of non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided within the scope of the invention that different embodiments can be proposed and combined to create others.

[0031] It is specified that all the features, as they appear to a person skilled in the art from reading this description, the figures and the associated claims, even if in practice they have only been described in relation to other specific features, both individually and in any combinations, can be combined with other features or groups of features disclosed here, provided that this has not been expressly excluded or that the technical context makes such combinations impossible or meaningless.

[0032] The invention relates to the general field of the installation of a fuse relay box 2 on a structural element A of a motor vehicle in a restricted environment, in particular, due to the presence of a large bundle of electrical cables E ([Fig.4]) which hinders the manual fixing of the box by an operator.

[0033] In this context, the invention sought to develop an improved support that would both simplify the assembly operations of the housing and ensure a stable and robust fixation over time despite the presence of vibrations.

[0034] As illustrated by the attached figures 1 and 2, the support 1, which is intended to be mounted on the substantially vertical wall of an element A of the structure (see figures 4 to 6) of a motor vehicle, comprises, in a traditional manner, two parallel arms 1la, 11b connected by a horizontal spacer 12 supporting the housing 2.

[0035] This support further comprises a plate 13 extending the spacer 12 downwards and bearing against the outer face Al of the vertical wall of the structural element A. A bore 10 for the insertion of a screw 3 (visible in Figures 4 to 6) is provided through the wall.

[0036] The support 1 also includes a flexible tab 14 suitable for cooperating by snapping with a complementary member provided on the structural element A and a translational guide slide 15 suitable for cooperating with the wall of the element A.

[0037] According to the invention, it is provided that this support 1 includes, in a specific and complementary way to the means mentioned above, a corner 16 ensuring the rotational locking of the support and engaging with the upper edge A2 of the vertical wall of the structural element A.

[0038] On the support 1 of the invention, the combination of the tab 14, the slide 15 and the wedge 16 allows the wall of the structural element A to be sandwiched in the manner of a fork, as illustrated by [Fig.5], thus ensuring the holding, positioning and shimming of this support even before the final installation and tightening of the screwing member 3.

[0039] The corner 16 projects outwards below the spacer 13 and above the flexible tab 14 and comprises a beveled lower face 16a whose profile is locally complementary to the upper edge A2 of the vertical wall of the structural element A. Preferably, the corner 16 projects beyond the inner face A3 of the wall of the structural element.

[0040] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, in particular, by [Fig. 5], the flexible tab 14 of the support 1 extends parallel to the wall of the structural element A and bears against the inner face A3 of this wall. The bore intended to receive the screwing member 3 of the support 1 on the structural element A is positioned between the flexible tab 14 and the anti-rotation wedge 16.

[0041] The leg 14 here carries a lug 14a intended to snap into an opening A4 provided opposite through the wall of the structural element A and forming the complementary cooperation member between the wall and the support 1.

[0042] The slide 15 is formed by a finger 15a extending parallel to the flexible tab 14 and designed to slide in contact with the outer face Al of the wall of the element A of the structure. This slide is positioned here under the flexible tab 14.

Claims

Claims

1. Support (1) for a fuse box (2) intended to be mounted on the vertical wall of a structural element (A) of a motor vehicle, said support comprising two parallel arms (11a, 11b) connected by a horizontal spacer (12) supporting the box, a plate (13) extending the spacer (12) downwards while bearing against the external face (A1) of the vertical wall of the structural element (A) and through which a bore (10) is provided for the introduction of a screwing member (3), a flexible tab (14) capable of cooperating by snap-fastening with a complementary member provided on said structural element and a translational guide slide (15) capable of cooperating with said wall of the structural element, characterized in that said support (1) further comprises,a wedge (16) ensuring the rotational locking of the support by engaging with the upper edge (A2) of the vertical wall of the structural element so that said wall is trapped between the flexible tab (14) and said slide (15), said slide (15) being formed of a finger extending parallel to the flexible tab (14) and intended to slide in contact with the external face (Al) of the wall of the structural element (A).,

2. Housing support according to claim 1, characterized in that said flexible tab (14) extends parallel to the wall of the structural element (A) and comes to bear against the internal face (A3) of said wall.

3. Housing support according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said tab (14) carries a lug (14a) intended to snap into an orifice (A4) provided opposite in the wall of the structural element (A).

4. Housing support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said corner (16) extends projecting under said spacer (12) and above the flexible tab (14).

5. Housing support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said bore (10) is positioned between the flexible tab (14) and the anti-rotation wedge (16).

6. Housing support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said slide (15) is positioned under the flexible tab (14).

7. Housing support according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the corner (16) comprises a beveled lower face (16a) whose profile is locally complementary to the upper edge (A2) of the vertical wall of the structural element (A).

8. Housing support according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the corner (16) projects beyond the internal face (A3) of the wall of the structural element.

9. Motor vehicle provided with at least one fuse relay box (2) fixed to a wall of a structural element (A) by means of a support (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

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