Bumper frame featuring an interfaced base.

Abstract

The invention relates to a bumper support frame (1) for equipping the front of a motor vehicle, the frame (1) having at least one interfaced foot (4) of which a free end (5) has a first fixing interface (6) designed to cooperate with a second fixing interface (11), designed to be secured to a bumper crossmember (9), the first (6) and second (11) fixing interfaces being designed to be assembled together to allow relative sliding of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces along a preferred direction (DP) while preventing relative movement of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces along a blocked direction (DB), the blocked direction corresponding to the vertical direction of the front when the frame (1) is mounted on the front. (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Bumper frame having an interfaced foot.

[0001] The technical field relates to bumper frames, as well as the front faces of vehicles equipped with such frames and finally vehicles having such a front face.

[0002] In terms of road safety, car manufacturers must consider numerous concerns and regulations when developing new vehicles. Thus, car manufacturers must ensure the safety of vehicle occupants in the event of a collision, but also protect other vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. Finally, it is important to try to control the repair costs of vehicles subjected to urban impacts, known as repairability impacts, sustained at low speeds of around 15 to 20 kilometers per hour.

[0003] In this context, some vehicles are equipped with a bumper frame to support body components such as the bumper crossmember and thus connect an outer bumper skin to the vehicle structure. Bumper frames must, by their very nature, provide a certain rigidity to counteract unwanted vibrations, aerodynamic deformations, and to withstand impacts. In some cases, the bumper frame must also allow air to be supplied to the cooling fan assembly, and to this end, the bumper frame is provided with structural supports to the ends of which the bumper crossmember is attached. Such structural supports must be relatively rigid to withstand the stresses exerted on the bumper frame during normal vehicle use, which are essentially directed along the vehicle's vertical axis.

[0004] When the vehicle is large, especially when it is also equipped with numerous devices (cameras, radars, sensors), the entire bumper assembly becomes heavy and risks causing the front end to sag. The bumper frame then proves insufficient to provide adequate support. Furthermore, assembling the assembly becomes complicated due to the same risk of deformation.

[0005] Thus, there is a need for a solution to reinforce a front end of a vehicle equipped with numerous components to prevent it from sagging while facilitating its assembly.

[0006] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a bumper support frame designed to support a heavy bumper while minimizing the risks of sagging and deformation.

[0007] To this end, the present invention relates to a bumper support frame for equipping a front face of a motor vehicle, the frame having at least one interfaced foot, one free end of which has a first fixing interface designed to cooperate with a second fixing interface, designed to be secured with a bumper crossmember, the first and second fixing interfaces being designed to be assembled together to allow relative sliding of the first and second interfaces along a preferred direction while prohibiting relative movement of the first and second interfaces along a blocked direction, the blocked direction corresponding to the vertical direction of the front face when the frame is mounted on the front face.

[0008] The invention also relates to a front face comprising a frame according to the invention and having a cross member on which the second interface is fixed, the first and second interfaces being assembled together.

[0009] The invention finally relates to a vehicle comprising a front face according to the invention.

[0010] Thus, the bumper support frame according to the invention makes it possible to support a bumper that could cause sagging. The interfaced foot ensures that the crossmember is held in place by means of the assembly of the first and second interfaces. Adjustments during bumper mounting are facilitated by the relative sliding of the first and second interfaces along the preferred direction, while any relative movement of the first and second interfaces along the blocked direction, corresponding to the vertical direction of the front face when the frame is mounted on the front face, eliminates the risk of sagging. The support frame according to the invention therefore makes it possible to obtain an easily assembled front face, each interfaced foot allowing the necessary adjustments of the crossmember during assembly while providing adequate support for the crossmember on the frame, particularly when the frame according to the invention has three feet..

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, one of the first or second interfaces comprises a clip designed to be inserted into an oblong light provided in the other of the first and second interfaces and oriented along the preferred direction, when the first and second interfaces are assembled.

[0012] According to one possibility of the reinforcement, at least one rib is provided on the first or second interface, each rib being dimensioned to allow sliding between the first and second interfaces.

[0013] According to one embodiment, one of the first and second interfaces is provided with guiding means designed to limit the relative displacement of the first and second interfaces along a direction orthogonal to the blocked and preferred directions.

[0014] According to one possibility, the frame comprises, in addition to the interfaced foot, two other lateral feet shaped so that their respective ends are designed to be fixed to the cross member on either side of the interfaced foot.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the frame, the second interface is provided on a bracket designed to be fixed on the cross member, the second interface then being disposed on an upper face of the cross member.

[0016] According to one possibility of the front face, the preferred direction corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[0017] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0018] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents a perspective view of a front face according to the invention implementing a framework according to the invention;

[0019] [Fig.2] Fig.2 represents a detailed view of the first and second interfaces of the frame of the [Fig.l] before their assembly;

[0020] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a cross-sectional view along axis AA of [Fig.2];

[0021] [Fig.4] [Fig.4], represents a cross-sectional view along axis BB of [Fig.2].

[0022] In these figures, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same elements.

[0023] A bumper support frame 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip a front end 2 of a motor vehicle, illustrated in [Fig. 1]. The frame has an upper portion 3 designed to bear against the vehicle body and to at least partially cover a motor-fan assembly, not shown in the figures. The frame 1 has at least one interfaced foot 4 extending from the upper portion 3 and having a free end 5 with a first attachment interface 6.

[0024] As illustrated in [Fig.1], the interfaced foot 4 is in a central position and the frame 1 further comprises two other lateral feet 7 shaped so that their respective ends 8 are designed to be fixed to a bumper cross member 9, on either side of the interfaced foot 4. The securing of the cross member 9 with each end 8 of each lateral foot 7 is achieved, for example, by means of first screws 10 passing through the cross member 9, illustrated in [Fig.1].

[0025] The first interface 6 is designed to cooperate with a second fixing interface 11, designed to be secured to the bumper crossmember 9. In the example illustrated in the figures, the second interface 11 is provided on a bracket 12 designed to be fixed on the cross member 9, the second interface 11 then being arranged on an upper face 13 of the cross member 9.

[0026] The first 6 and second 11 fixing interfaces are designed to be assembled together to allow relative sliding of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces along a preferred direction DP, illustrated in the figures, while prohibiting relative movement of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces along a blocked direction DB, the blocked direction DB corresponding to the vertical direction of the front face 2, when the frame 1 is mounted on the front face 2. The front face 2 according to the invention therefore comprises a frame 1 according to the invention and the cross member 9 attached to the frame 1, the first 6 and second 11 interfaces being assembled together.

[0027] In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, one 6 of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces includes a clip 14 designed to be inserted into an oblong light 15, provided in the other 11 of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces, the light 15 being oriented along the preferred direction DP, when the first 6 and second 11 interfaces are assembled.

[0028] As illustrated, the clip 14 protrudes from a first surface 16 integral with the first interface 6, the clip 14 extending along the blocked direction DB. The clip 14 has a flexible tab 17 allowing, by deformation, the clip 14 to be introduced into the slot 15 during the assembly of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces.

[0029] The light 15, for its part, is provided in a second surface 18 of the second interface 11.

[0030] As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the sliding of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces is made possible by the sliding of the first 16 and second 18 surfaces relative to each other. During the sliding, the clip 14 travels along at least part of the opening 15, thus limiting the relative displacements of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces along the preferred direction DP. The dimensions of the clip 14 and the width of the opening 15 are such that displacements of the first 16 and second 18 surfaces relative to each other along a direction perpendicular to the preferred direction DP are impossible. Thus, the first 6 and second 11 interfaces form a sliding joint.

[0031] As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the first interface 6 has a wall 19 arranged opposite the first surface 16 so as to define a space 20 into which the bracket 12 is inserted. In order to ensure contact between the first 6 and second interfaces 11, at least one rib 21 is provided on the first 6 or the second interface 11 to force contact between the first 6 and second interfaces 11. The or the ribs 21 also allow to reduce the friction related to the relative sliding of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces.

[0032] To facilitate the assembly of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces and to reinforce the assembly, one of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces is provided with guiding means 22 designed to limit the relative displacement of the first 6 and second 11 interfaces along a direction orthogonal to the blocked direction DB and the preferred direction DP. The guiding means 22 comprise, for example, flat walls 23 extending along the blocked direction DB and the preferred direction DP and distributed on each side of the space 20. The walls 23 are advantageously spaced at a distance that allows the bracket 12 to slide between the two walls 23.

[0033] As illustrated in [Fig.2], the bracket 12 is, for example, fixed to the cross member 9 by means of a second screw 24 passing through the bracket 12 and the cross member 9.

[0034] Thus, the support frame 1 according to the invention makes it possible to reinforce the support of the cross member 9 thanks to the interfaced foot 4 in a central position. The assembly of the cross member 9 is facilitated since the first 6 and second 11 interfaces allow adjustments along the preferred direction DP, which advantageously corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle according to the invention.

[0035] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the frame described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. Bumper support frame (1) for equipping a front face (2) of a motor vehicle, the frame (1) having at least one interfaced foot (4) having a free end (5) having a first fixing interface (6) designed to cooperate with a second fixing interface (11), designed to be secured with a bumper crossmember (9), the first (6) and second (11) fixing interfaces being designed to be assembled together to allow relative sliding of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces along a preferred direction (DP) while prohibiting relative displacement of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces along a blocked direction (DB), characterized in that the blocked direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the front face (2) when the frame (1) is mounted on the front face (2),and in that one (6) of the first (6) or second (11) interfaces comprises a clip (14) designed to be inserted into an oblong opening (15) formed in the other (11) of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces and oriented along the preferred direction (DP), when the first (6) and second (11) interfaces are assembled.

2. Reinforcement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one rib (21) is provided on the first (6) or the second (11) interface, each rib (21) being dimensioned to allow sliding between the first (6) and second (11) interfaces.

3. Armature (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that one (6) of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces is provided with guiding means (22) designed to limit the relative displacement of the first (6) and second (11) interfaces along a direction orthogonal to the blocked (DB) and preferred (DP) directions.

4. Frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises in addition to the interfaced foot (4), two other lateral feet (7) shaped so that their respective ends (8) are designed to be fixed to the cross member (9) on either side of the interfaced foot (4).

5. A frame (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second interface (11) is provided on a bracket (12) designed to be fixed on the cross member (9), the second interface (11) then being arranged on an upper face (13) of the cross member (9).

6. Front face (2) comprising a frame according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and having a cross member (9) on which the second interface (11) is fixed, the first (6) and second (11) interfaces being assembled together.

7. Front face (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that the preferred direction (DP) corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

8. Vehicle comprising a front face (2) according to claim 6 or 7.

Images