Plastic floor attached to a fuel tank

Abstract

This underbody (2) for a motor vehicle comprises a hollow body (4) for containing fuel, the hollow body (4) being provided with a plurality of reinforcing wells (6), the reinforcing wells (6) being configured to accommodate at least one fastening element (8), the underbody (2) comprising a floor (32) made of a plastic material having fastening holes (34), the floor (32) being fixed to the hollow body (4) and comprising a seating portion (36) for a passenger seat and a flat portion (40) for supporting elements carried by the vehicle. Figure for the abbreviation: Fig 1

Description

Title of the invention: Plastic floor fixed to a fuel tank technical field

[0001] The invention has as its technical field the underpinnings and floors of motor vehicles. Previous techniques

[0002] A motor vehicle generally comprises a metal chassis, metal side members and a floor made of sheet metal welded between the side members or welded to the chassis.

[0003] The vehicle generally includes a metal tank, as well as reinforcing cross members to increase the rigidity of the floor, the cross members also being welded to the side members or the chassis.

[0004] The floor is therefore a heavy element whose assembly requires numerous tedious steps, including welding, and whose maintenance is complex. Description of the invention

[0005] The present invention therefore aims to overcome all or part of the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a new motor vehicle floor architecture, in particular by proposing a removable floor, a non-metallic floor, reducing the number of elements required for floor assembly, reducing the floor assembly time and facilitating floor maintenance.

[0006] The present invention relates to a base for a motor vehicle, the base comprising a hollow body intended to contain fuel, the hollow body being provided with a plurality of reinforcement wells, the reinforcement wells being configured to accommodate at least one fixing element, the base comprising a floor comprising a plastic material provided with fixing holes, the floor being fixed to the hollow body and comprising a seating portion intended to accommodate a passenger seat and a flat portion intended to support elements transported by the vehicle.

[0007] Preferably, the hollow body can be obtained by braiding fiber.

[0008] Preferably, the fuel can be a hydrogen fuel.

[0009] The floor can be a single piece.

[0010] The base may include a finishing carpet arranged on the floor so that the floor is between the hollow body and the finishing carpet.

[0011] The base may include insulating foam placed on the floor opposite the hollow body.

[0012] The floor may include at least one opening configured to accommodate at least one accessory attachment element, including a belt attachment element, a seat back hinge attachment element, a child seat attachment element, or a luggage attachment element.

[0013] The flat portion may be thicker than the seating portion.

[0014] One end of the floor, located opposite the flat portion with respect to the seating portion, can be folded so as to extend in relation to two faces of the hollow body, the two faces forming an angle of the hollow body.

[0015] The base may include at least one fixing element, received by a reinforcement well of the plurality of reinforcement wells, fixing the floor to the hollow body, the fixing element being able to include a deformable plastic element, and / or being able to include a metal insert inserted into a reinforcement well and a screw.

[0016] The hollow body may include a seat recess intended to accommodate a passenger seat, the seat portion being able to be folded so as to follow the shape of the seat recess, a gap being able to remain between the seat portion and the seat recess.

[0017] The hollow body may include a gauge configured to measure fuel pressure, the floor may include an access opening to said gauge.

[0018] The present invention also relates to a floor comprising a plastic material provided with fixing holes, the floor being configured to be fixed to a hollow body of a base as defined above, the floor comprising a seating portion intended to accommodate a passenger seat and a flat portion intended to support elements transported by the vehicle.

[0019] The present invention also relates to a motorized vehicle comprising a base as defined above. Brief description of the drawings

[0020] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0021] [Fig-1] schematically illustrates a rear underbody of a motor vehicle according to a first embodiment of the invention;

[0022] [Fig.2] schematically illustrates a floor covered with carpet according to the invention; and

[0023] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a rear underbody of a motor vehicle according to a second embodiment of the invention. Examples

[0024] Fig. 1 represents a motor vehicle underbody 2 (not shown), in particular a hydrogen-powered car underbody 2.

[0025] The base 2 is also suitable for motorized vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles, buses or agricultural vehicles, for example a tractor.

[0026] The base 2 includes a hollow body 4, for example obtained by braiding fibers, intended to contain a fuel, for example a hydrogen fuel for the vehicle.

[0027] The hollow body 4 comprises a plurality of reinforcing wells 6, for example, in the form of through tubes twelve to twenty millimeters in diameter spaced one hundred and twenty millimeters apart. Such reinforcing wells 6 form cavities on the outer surface of the hollow body 4, the cavities being suitable for receiving fasteners 8. The reinforcing wells 6 significantly increase the rigidity of the hollow body 4, so that the hollow body 4 becomes a structural element of the vehicle. The reinforcing wells 6 also prevent the hollow body 4 from opening and / or breaking in the event of a vehicle accident. The reinforcing wells 6 are, for example, made of composite material and / or poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide).

[0028] Optionally, the hollow body 4 includes through bars to increase the rigidity of the hollow body 4.

[0029] The base 2 includes fasteners 8, in particular screws and metal and / or composite inserts (not shown), inserted into the cavities. Each metal and / or composite insert includes, for example, a thread for receiving a screw. The fasteners 8 include, for example, a metal insert twelve millimeters in diameter having an internal thread for screwing an eight-millimeter-diameter screw into the metal insert.

[0030] The hollow body 4 has, for example, an external volume of three hundred liters and an internal volume of one hundred and fifty liters so that the hollow body 4 is suitable for containing six kilograms of hydrogen under a pressure of seven hundred bars, the hollow body 4 not requiring a pump to distribute the hydrogen, the hydrogen being under pressure in the hollow body 4.

[0031] The hollow body 4 comprises a front face 10 intended to be oriented towards the front of the vehicle, for example towards a front hood of the vehicle (not shown), a rear face 12 opposite the front face 10 of the hollow body 4, an upper face 14 intended to be oriented towards the top of the vehicle, for example towards a roof of the vehicle (not shown), a lower face 16 opposite the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 and two lateral faces 18 opposite each other and intended to be oriented towards the lateral faces of the vehicle (not shown).

[0032] The hollow body 4 includes reinforcing wells 6 adapted to allow the passage of cables 20, for example, vehicle lighting cables from the front face 10 of the hollow body 4 to the rear face 12 of the hollow body 4 and / or electric vehicle wheel power cables 21 (represented below in [Fig.2]) from the front face 10 of the hollow body 4 to one of the side faces 18 of the hollow body 4.

[0033] The base 2 comprises two longitudinal members 22 each fixed to one of the lateral faces 18 of the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fixing element 8 in a reinforcement well 6, the longitudinal members 22 being extended by the hollow body 4 which has become an element of the load-bearing structure of the vehicle.

[0034] The base 2 includes a bumper cross member 24 fixed to the rear face 12 of the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fixing element 8 in a reinforcement well 6. The hollow body 4 being particularly rigid, the bumper cross member 24 makes it possible to meet safety standards, the bumper cross member 24 being in particular deformable and removable.

[0035] The lower face 16 of the hollow body 4 includes a transmission recess 26 suitable for receiving a rear transmission (not shown) of the vehicle.

[0036] The upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 includes a seat recess 28 intended to accommodate a passenger seat (not shown), for example a rear bench seat of the vehicle, the seat recess 28 being close to the front face 10 of the hollow body 4 so that the legs of a passenger sitting on the passenger seat extend in relation to the seat and the front face 10 of the hollow body 4.

[0037] The upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 includes a flat portion 30 between the seat recess 28 and the rear face 12 of the hollow body 4.

[0038] The base 2 includes a floor 32. The floor 32 comprises a plastic material. The floor 32 follows the shape of the hollow body 4, the floor 32 being of a shape close to a complementary shape of the hollow body 4, in particular a complementary shape of the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 and of a part of the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4.

[0039] The floor 32 includes fixing holes 34, the fixing holes 34 allowing, in particular, the floor 32 to be fixed to the hollow body 4 and / or allowing fasteners 8 to pass through the floor 32, the floor 32 being fixed here to the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 by means of the fasteners 8, in particular by screws screwed into metal inserts inserted into the reinforcement holes 6. The floor 32 is intended to delimit a portion of the vehicle's passenger compartment. Alternatively, the fasteners 8 fixing the floor 32 to the hollow body 4 include deformable plastic elements, for example, Christmas tree-type clips, inserted into the fixing holes 34 and into the reinforcement holes 6 of the hollow body 4.

[0040] The width of the floor 32 is substantially equal to the width of the hollow body 4, that is to say, to the dimension of the hollow body 4 taken between the two lateral faces 18 of the hollow body 4.

[0041] The floor 32 includes a seating portion 36 intended to accommodate a passenger seat and positioned opposite the seating recess 28 of the hollow body 4. The floor 32 is folded at the seating portion 36, the floor 32 comprising five folds at the seating portion 36 in the example shown so as to follow the shape of the seating recess 28 of the hollow body 4. Advantageously, the seating portion 36 of the floor 32 and the seating recess 28 of the hollow body 4 each comprise an equal number of folds, in particular more than five, in order to allow proper installation of the passenger seat on the subframe 2.

[0042] Advantageously, the floor 32 follows the shape of the seat recess 28 of the hollow body 4 so that a gap 38 remains between the seat portion 36 of the floor 32 and the seat recess 28 of the hollow body 4. This gap 38 creates a cushioning effect when the passenger seat is fixed to the hollow body 4, with the floor 32 then positioned between the hollow body 4 and the passenger seat. For example, the gap 38 exists between the portion of the floor 32 located between the two folds of the seat portion 36 closest to the front face 10 of the hollow body 4 and the hollow body 4, and also exists between the portion of the floor 32 located between the two folds of the seat portion 36 closest to the rear face 12 of the hollow body 4 and the hollow body 4.

[0043] The floor 32 includes a flat portion 40 intended to support elements transported by the vehicle, for example elements transported in a trunk (not shown) of the vehicle, the flat portion 40 of the floor 32 being opposite the flat portion 30 of the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4.

[0044] The flat portion 40 of the floor 32 includes fixing holes 34 distributed regularly along the edges of the floor 32 closest to the lateral faces 18 of the hollow body 4 and the rear face 12 of the hollow body 4.

[0045] Advantageously, the floor 32 is not of constant thickness. For example, the flat portion 40 of the floor 32 is thicker than the seating portion 36 in order to reduce the noise from the vehicle's wheels 21, the wheels 21 being close to the flat portion 40 of the floor 32, the thinner seating portion 36 offering greater damping power than the seating portion 36.

[0046] The hollow body 4 includes a gauge (not shown) suitable for measuring the pressure of the fuel contained within the hollow body 4, in particular the hydrogen pressure. The gauge is, for example, located in a wall of the seat recess 28 of the hollow body 4. The floor 32 includes an access opening 42 to the gauge located opposite the gauge, the access opening 42 being, for example, made in the seat portion 36.

[0047] The base 2 includes accessory attachment elements 44, for example, equipped with luggage attachment rings, child seat attachment rings, belt fastening rings and seat back hinges.

[0048] The flat portion 40 of the floor 32 includes two openings 48, each allowing to accommodate a luggage fastening element, for example a luggage fastening ring, the luggage fastening element being fixed to the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fastening element 8 in a reinforcement well 6.

[0049] The seat portion 36 of the floor 32 includes two openings 48 for receiving backrest hinge fixing elements, the hinge fixing elements being fixed to the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fixing element 8 in a reinforcing well 6. A backrest hinge includes, for example, a sheet metal plate folded such that a portion of said sheet metal plate having a hole is parallel to a portion of the hollow body 4 comprising a reinforcing well 6, said hole being opposite the reinforcing well 6 so as to be able to fix the sheet metal plate to the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fixing element 8 in a reinforcing well 6.

[0050] The seat portion 36 of the floor 32 includes two openings 48 for receiving belt fastening elements, for example a belt fastening ring, the belt fastening elements being fixed to the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fastening element 8 in a reinforcement well 6.

[0051] The seating portion 36 of the floor 32 includes two openings 48 for receiving child seat fixing elements, for example a child seat fixing ring, the child seat fixing elements being fixed to the hollow body 4 by means of at least one fixing element 8 in a reinforcement well 6.

[0052] The underbody 2 includes a finishing carpet 50, shown below in [Fig. 2], arranged on the floor 32 such that the floor 32 is positioned between the carpet 50 and the hollow body 4, the carpet 50 being intended to delimit a portion of the vehicle's interior. The carpet 50 provides a pleasant texture for the vehicle's occupants. The carpet 50 also conceals the mounting holes 34 of the floor 32 and the fastening elements 8 from the view of the vehicle's occupants. Preferably, the carpet 50 is made of a material that reduces noise emissions from the lower face 16 of the hollow body 4 and directed towards the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 and therefore towards the passenger compartment of the vehicle, these noise emissions coming for example from a rear axle of the vehicle and / or the wheels 21 of the vehicle and / or from air noise for example between discs of the vehicle and drums of the vehicle (not shown).

[0053] Advantageously, a body filler is used to fill gaps in the underbody 2, in particular gaps between the vehicle body and the hollow body 4, in order to reduce the risk of moisture and / or sand penetration from from the outside of the vehicle towards the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

[0054] The underbody 2 comprises an insulating foam 52, shown below in [Fig. 2], arranged on the floor 32 such that the insulating foam 52 is positioned between the hollow body 4 and the floor 32. The insulating foam 52 has thermal insulation properties to reduce heat transfer between the exterior of the vehicle and the vehicle's interior. The insulating foam 52 also has sound insulation properties to reduce noise transfer between the exterior of the vehicle and the vehicle's interior.

[0055] Advantageously, a greater quantity of insulating foam 52 is disposed between the seat recess 28 of the hollow body 4 and the seat portion 36 of the floor 32 in order to reduce noise and / or heat emanating from outside the vehicle and perceived by vehicle passengers seated in the passenger seats. Preferably, the insulating foam 52 also has a damping effect for passenger comfort.

[0056] One end of the floor 54, located on the side of the front face 10 of the hollow body 4, is folded to form a protective reinforcement for the legs of a vehicle passenger. The folded end of the floor 54 extends over a portion of the upper face 14 of the hollow body 4 located between the seat recess 28 and the front face 10 of the hollow body 4, and over a portion of the front face 10 of the hollow body 4.

[0057] Optionally, the folded end of the floor 54 is thicker than the seating portion 36 of the floor 32 and a greater quantity of insulating foam 52 is arranged on one face of the folded end of the floor 54 opposite the hollow body 4 so as to protect the thighs of vehicle passengers in the event of an accident.

[0058] Fig. 3 represents a variant of the underbody 2 for a motor vehicle, Fig. 3 representing the underbody 2 of a motor vehicle of greater length than the motor vehicle of Fig. 1, the motor vehicle comprising a battery 56.

[0059] The underbody 2 includes a hollow body 4 identical to the hollow body 4 of [Fig. 1]. In order to match the dimensions of the vehicle, the underbody 2 includes a plastic tray 58 attached to the hollow body 4 so as to extend the underbody 2. The plastic tray 58 is, for example, positioned between the bumper crossmember 24 and the hollow body 4. The plastic tray 58 forms, for example, additional storage space, in particular for storing at least one charging cord, and contributes to the deformation of the rear of the vehicle in the event of an accident.

Claims

Demands

1. Underbody (2) for a motor vehicle, the underbody (2) comprising a hollow body (4) intended to contain fuel, the hollow body (4) being provided with a plurality of reinforcement wells (6), characterized in that the reinforcement wells (6) are configured to accommodate at least one fastening element (8) and in that it comprises a floor (32) comprising a plastic material provided with fastening holes (34), the floor (32) being fixed to the hollow body (4) and comprising a seating portion (36) intended to accommodate a passenger seat and a flat portion (40) intended to support elements carried by the vehicle.

2. Base (2) according to claim 1, comprising a finishing carpet (50) disposed on the floor (32) such that the floor (32) is between the hollow body (4) and the finishing carpet (50).

3. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, comprising an insulating foam (52) disposed on the floor (32) opposite the hollow body (4).

4. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the floor (32) comprises at least one opening (48) configured to accommodate at least one accessory attachment element (44) from among a belt attachment element, a seat back hinge attachment element, a child seat attachment element or a luggage attachment element.

5. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the flat portion (40) is thicker than the seating portion (36).

6. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein one end of the floor (54), located opposite the flat portion (40) with respect to the seating portion (36), is bent so as to extend in relation to two faces (10, 14) of the hollow body (4), the two faces (10, 14) forming an angle of the hollow body (4).

7. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising at least one fixing element (8), received by a reinforcement well (6) of the plurality of reinforcement wells (6), fixing the floor (32) to the hollow body (4), the fixing element (8) comprising a deformable plastic element, and / or comprising a metal insert inserted into a reinforcement well (6) and a screw.

8. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, in in which the hollow body (4) includes a seat recess (28) intended to accommodate a passenger seat, the seat portion (36) being folded so as to follow the shape of the seat recess (28), a gap (38) remaining between the seat portion (36) and the seat recess (28).

9. Base (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hollow body (4) includes a gauge configured to measure fuel pressure, the floor (32) including an access opening (42) to said gauge.

10. Motorized vehicle comprising a subframe (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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