Motor vehicle with headlights recessed into the front bumper

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a front bumper shield, two front left and right side wings (200) extending longitudinally in the rear extension of the lateral portions of said shield, as well as two front headlights (300) embedded in windows of corresponding dimensions provided in said shield, each said front headlight comprising a housing (310) including a hollow main body (311) receiving at least one light module and being closed by an outer cover glass (320), said housing also including anchoring tabs (330, 340, 350) projecting outside said main body;characterized in that said vehicle comprises two first support pieces (400) each projecting longitudinally in front of a corresponding front wing to which it is rigidly attached, at least one of the anchoring tabs of the housing of each projector being fixed by screwing to a corresponding first support piece. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 2;

Description

Title of the invention: Motor vehicle with headlights recessed into the front bumper shield technical field

[0001] The present invention relates in general to the mounting of front headlights on the body structure of motor vehicles. Previous technique

[0002] The front headlights of motor vehicles conventionally comprise a housing including a hollow main body receiving at least one light module and being closed by an outer cover glass.

[0003] These front headlights are conventionally interposed between the hood, the front bumper shield and the corresponding side wings.

[0004] As described for example in document WO 2022 / 234198 A1, the mounting of such a projector on the vehicle body structure is then generally ensured by means of three anchoring tabs, namely: - a rear upper anchoring tab rooted at the external lateral end of the hollow body of the housing and extending along a horizontal mid-plane to the rear of this hollow body, this rear upper anchoring tab being intended to be fixed by screwing onto the internal upper edge of a front side wing of the vehicle; - a front upper anchoring tab rooted at the inner lateral end of the hollow body of the housing and projecting transversely from the inner side of this hollow body, this front upper anchoring tab being intended to be fixed by screwing to the frame of the front bumper shield; and - a lower front anchoring tab rooted in the lower part of the hollow body, this lower front anchoring tab also being intended to be fixed by screwing to the frame of the front bumper shield.

[0005] The arrangement of these front headlights may, however, differ. Thus, on certain vehicle models, these front headlights are recessed into windows of corresponding dimensions provided in the front bumper shield.

[0006] In this type of configuration, the hollow body of the housing of each projector is located significantly further away both longitudinally and vertically from the inner upper edge of the corresponding front side wing of the vehicle, so that the rear upper anchoring tab must be extended accordingly in order to be able to be fixed by screwing onto this inner upper edge of the front side wing.

[0007] Such an extension of the upper rear legs results in a significant increase in the dimensions and therefore in the cost of the plastic injection molds from which the two housings of these front projectors are manufactured.

[0008] In addition, an excessive length of these upper rear legs makes the headlights more sensitive to vibrations generated during driving phases, which can generate some play between them and the bumper skin and degrade the aesthetic appearance of the front of the vehicle.

[0009] The risk of breakage of these extended legs is also significantly increased even in the event of a slight impact. Description of the invention

[0010] The present invention aims to improve the situation.

[0011] For this purpose, it proposes a motor vehicle comprising a front bumper shield, two front left and right side wings extending longitudinally in the rear extension of the lateral portions of said front bumper shield, as well as two front left and right headlights recessed in windows of corresponding dimensions provided in said front bumper shield, each said headlight comprising a housing including a hollow main body receiving at least one light module and being closed by an external cover glass, said housing also comprising anchoring tabs projecting outside said main body; characterized in that said vehicle comprises two first support pieces, each projecting longitudinally in front of a corresponding front wing to which it is rigidly attached, at least one of said anchoring tabs of the housing of each said projector being fixed by screwing to a corresponding first support piece.

[0012] The presence of these first two support pieces, each projecting longitudinally in front of a corresponding front wing, allows for fixing points to be provided for the housings of the projectors located near them, so as to avoid having to lengthen their fixing tabs.

[0013] According to preferred characteristics of said vehicle according to the invention: - each said first support piece is obtained by stamping from a previously cut sheet of steel; - each said first support piece includes a rear drop edge fixedly riveted against the inner face of the front drop edge of a corresponding front wing, as well as a main portion projecting longitudinally in front of this front wing; - the housing of each said projector includes an upper anchoring tab rooted in the upper part of the main body of this housing near its external lateral end and projecting longitudinally at the rear of this main body extending along a substantially vertical average plane, said upper anchoring tab being fixed by screwing to an upper attachment wall provided on a corresponding first support piece and also extending along a substantially vertical average plane; - the housing of each said projector includes a first longitudinal indexing pin rooted at the level of said upper anchoring lug and projecting substantially transversely on the internal side opposite the latter, this first indexing pin being inserted through a first oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially vertical orientation provided in said upper attachment wall of the first corresponding support piece; - the housing of each said projector includes an external lateral anchoring tab rooted at the external lateral end of the main body of this housing and projecting longitudinally at the rear of this main body, extending along a substantially horizontal average plane, said external lateral anchoring tab being fixed by screwing to a lower attachment wall provided on said corresponding first support piece and also extending along a substantially horizontal average plane; - the housing of each said projector includes a second transverse indexing pin rooted at the level of said external lateral anchoring tab and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this second indexing pin sliding into a cutout of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation provided in said lower attachment wall of the corresponding first support piece; - said vehicle also includes a front bumper beam as well as two second support pieces, each projecting vertically above a corresponding lateral portion of said front beam; - the housing of each said projector includes an internal lateral anchoring tab rooted at the internal lateral end of the main body of this housing and projecting transversely from the internal side of this main body, extending along a substantially horizontal average plane, said internal lateral anchoring tab being screwed to a top mounting wall provided on a corresponding second support piece and also extending along a substantially horizontal average plane; and / or - the housing of each said projector includes a third transverse indexing pin rooted at the level of said internal lateral anchoring lug and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this third pin indexing inserts through a second oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation provided in said summit wall of attachment of the second corresponding support piece. Brief description of the drawings

[0014] The description of the invention will now be continued by a detailed description of an example embodiment, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which: - [Fig.1] represents a partial perspective view of the front right part of a motor vehicle according to the invention; - [Fig.2] is an enlarged view of the area where the right-hand headlight of the vehicle in [Fig.1] is mounted, on which the front bumper shield has been removed to allow visualization of how this headlight is attached to the body structure of this vehicle; - [Fig. 3] shows a perspective view of a first support piece extending from the right front wing and to which the right headlight housing is attached; and - [Fig.4], [Fig.5] and [Fig.6] are enlargements showing the different indexing methods provided on the housing of this projector. Description of the implementation methods

[0015] Fig. 1 represents a partial perspective view of the front right part of a motor vehicle 1.

[0016] A direct orthogonal frame of reference XYZ is defined with respect to this vehicle 1, comprising three axes perpendicular in pairs, namely: - a longitudinal axis X, parallel to the ground and coinciding with the general direction of movement of the vehicle; - a transverse axis Y, also parallel to the ground and perpendicular to the X axis; and - a vertical axis Z, perpendicular to the ground as well as to the horizontal XY plane.

[0017] In the remainder of the description and with reference to the frame defined above, the terms "longitudinal" or "longitudinally" shall refer to a direction parallel to the X axis, the terms "transverse" or "transversely" shall refer to a direction parallel to the Y axis, and the terms "vertical" or "vertically" shall refer to a direction parallel to the Z axis.

[0018] Furthermore, and by convention, the terms "lower," "upper," "front," and "rear" shall be understood in relation to the general orientation of vehicle 1. The terms "lower" and "lower" shall indicate a closer proximity to the ground in the vertical direction than the terms "upper" or "high." The term "front" shall indicate a positioning oriented towards the front of vehicle 1 in the direction horizontal and the term "rear" will indicate a rear-facing positioning of this vehicle 1 in the same horizontal direction.

[0019] Furthermore, the terms "external" and "internal" will be used to define the relative position of an element with reference to the median vertical longitudinal plane of vehicle 1. The element closest to this plane will thus be described as internal, as opposed to the other element further from this same plane, which will be described as external.

[0020] Finally, the use of the term "substantially" will indicate that a slight deviation of 10 to 15° is permissible from a predetermined nominal orientation, while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example, "substantially vertical" will indicate that a deviation of approximately 10° from a strictly vertical orientation is permissible within the scope of the invention.

[0021] With reference to this [Fig.1], the motor vehicle 1 conventionally comprises a front bumper shield 100 including an outer skin 110 and an inner frame not visible, two front left and right side wings 200 (only the front right wing being visible) extending longitudinally in the rear extension of the side portions of this front bumper shield 100, as well as two front left and right headlights 300 (only the front right headlight being visible) set into windows of corresponding dimensions provided in this front bumper shield 100.

[0022] As illustrated by [Fig.2], each projector 300 comprises a housing 310 including a hollow main body 311 open at the front and containing one or more light modules, such as in particular a lighting module providing the photometric functions of dipped beam (commonly referred to under the Anglo-Saxon term "low beam") and main beam (commonly referred to under the Anglo-Saxon term "high beam"), or a signaling module of the lantern and / or flashing type.

[0023] This main hollow body 311 is closed by an outer transparent cover glass 320, advantageously made from a single piece molding of a transparent synthetic polymer such as polycarbonate (PC) or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA).

[0024] The housing 310 also includes three anchoring tabs 330, 340, 350 projecting outside the main body 311 and allowing the mounting of the projector 300 on the body structure of the vehicle 1.

[0025] In this case, this 310 housing comprises: - an upper anchoring leg 330 taking root in the upper part of the main body 311 near its external lateral end and projecting longitudinally at the rear of this main body 311 extending along a substantially vertical average plane; - an external lateral anchoring bracket 340 rooted at the external lateral end of the main body 311 and projecting longitudinally from the rear of this main body 311, extending along a substantially horizontal average plane; and - an internal lateral anchoring lug 350 rooted at the internal lateral end of the main body 311 and projecting transversely from the internal side of this main body 311 extending along a substantially horizontal average plane.

[0026] These three anchoring lugs 330, 340, 350 are made of a single piece of material with the main body 311 of the housing 310 by molding from a suitable thermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

[0027] Still with reference to [Fig.2], the upper anchoring tab 330 and the external lateral anchoring tab 340 of each projector 300 are fixed by screwing to a first respective support piece 400 projecting longitudinally in front of a corresponding front wing 200 and intended to be covered by the corresponding lateral part of the front bumper shield 100 when the latter is mounted on the vehicle 1 in a longitudinal direction oriented from back to front after the installation of the projectors 300.

[0028] These first support parts 400 are each obtained by cold stamping from a sheet of high mechanical strength steel (advantageously double-phase steel) previously cut and having a thickness preferably between 1.3 and 1.6 mm.

[0029] With reference to [Fig.3], each first support piece 400 has a rear drop edge 410 fixedly riveted against the inner face of the front drop edge of a corresponding front wing 200.

[0030] In addition to enabling the attachment of these first support pieces 400 to the front wings 200, these rear dropped edges 410 also act as reinforcement when fixing by screwing bumper supports not shown onto which the lateral ends of the skin 110 of the bumper shield 100 are attached by snapping, so as to avoid deformation of the front dropped edges of the front wings 200 made of thin sheet metal.

[0031] Still with reference to [Fig.3], each first support piece 400 has a main portion 420 projecting longitudinally in front of the corresponding front wing 200 and comprising: - an upper attachment wall 421 extending along a substantially vertical average plane and to which the upper anchoring bracket 330 of a corresponding projector 300 is screwed by means of a screw Vj (visible in [Fig. 2]) passing through two holes made respectively in this wall 421 and in the bracket 330 (only the hole 421A made in the wall 421 is visible in Figures 3 and 4); and - a lower attachment wall 422 extending along a substantially horizontal average plane and on which the external lateral anchoring bracket 340 of a corresponding projector 300 is fixed by screwing by means of a screw V2 (visible on the [Fig.2]) passing through two holes 422A, 341 provided respectively in this wall 422 and in the bracket 340 (see figures 3 and 5).

[0032] In order to strengthen its mechanical strength and limit the risks of torsion around the axis formed by the fold line L separating its rear drop edge 410 and its main portion 420, each first support piece 400 advantageously comprises several stiffening ribs 430 produced by stamping and extending on either side of this fold line L along mean planes perpendicular to the latter.

[0033] With reference again to [Fig.2], the internal lateral anchoring tab 350 of each projector 300 is fixed by screwing to a second respective support piece 500 projecting vertically above a corresponding lateral portion of a front bumper beam not shown of the vehicle 1 and intended to be covered by the front bumper shield 100 when the latter is mounted on the vehicle 1.

[0034] These second support pieces 500 are each obtained by cold stamping from a sheet of high mechanical strength steel (preferably double-phase steel) previously cut and having a thickness preferably between 1.3 and 1.6 mm. They are fixedly attached by riveting against the front face of a corresponding lateral end of this front bumper beam.

[0035] With reference to [Fig.6], each second support piece 500 has a projection 510 projecting vertically above the front beam, this projection 510 comprising a top attachment wall 511 extending along a substantially horizontal average plane and on which the internal lateral anchoring tab 350 of a corresponding projector 300 is fixed by screwing by means of a screw V3 (visible on [Fig.2]) passing through two holes provided respectively in this wall 511 and in the tab 350 (only the hole 511A provided in the wall 511 being visible on this [Fig.6]).

[0036] In order to facilitate its positioning and pre-holding by the operator in the mounting position during screwing operations, the housing 310 of each projector 300 includes indexing means capable of cooperating with complementary means provided on the attachment walls 421, 422 and 511 of the first and second corresponding support pieces 400, 500.

[0037] As illustrated by [Fig. 4], these indexing means comprise a first longitudinal indexing pin 332 rooted at the level of the upper anchoring lug 330 and projecting substantially transversely on the inner side opposite the latter, this first indexing pin 332 being inserted through a first oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially vertical orientation 421B provided in the upper wall of attachment 421 of the first corresponding support piece 400.

[0038] As illustrated by [Fig.5], these indexing means also include a second transverse indexing pin 342 rooted at the level of the external lateral anchoring tab 340 and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this second indexing pin 342 sliding into a cutout of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation 422B provided in the lower attachment wall 422 of the corresponding first support piece 400.

[0039] As illustrated by [Fig.6], these indexing means finally include a third transverse indexing pin 352 rooted at the level of the internal lateral anchoring tab 350 and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this third indexing pin 352 being inserted through a second oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation 511B provided in the summit wall of attachment 511 of the corresponding second support piece 500.

[0040] Advantageously, the indexing pins 332, 342, 352 are made from a single piece of material by molding with the main body 311 and the anchoring lugs 330, 340, 350 of the housing 310.

[0041] These indexing pins also preferably have a chamfered free end so as to facilitate their insertion into the cut 422B and the oblong holes 421B, 51 IB.

[0042] To perform the pre-positioning of a projector 300 on the body structure of the vehicle 1, the operator first slides the second transverse indexing pin 342 into the cutout 422B provided in the lower wall of attachment 422 of the first corresponding support piece 400.

[0043] This operator must then rotate this projector 300 around this second transverse indexing pin 342 so as to insert transversely the first longitudinal indexing pin 332 through the first oblong orifice 421B provided in the upper attachment wall 421 of this first support piece 400.

[0044] It must finally insert vertically the third transverse indexing pin 352 through the second oblong orifice 51 IB provided in the summit wall of attachment 511 of the corresponding second support piece 500.

[0045] Once this projector 300 has been pre-positioned in this way, the operator only has to screw in the screws Vj, V2 and V3 to ensure its final fixing.

[0046] According to alternative embodiments not shown, the conformation of the first and second support pieces and / or indexing means may be different.

[0047] It is also possible to consider that the internal lateral anchoring bracket of each projector could be attached to the frame of the vehicle's bumper shield, particularly when this frame is positioned on the vehicle before the projector is installed.

[0048] Many other embodiments of the present invention are of course conceivable and it is recalled in this regard that this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and represented in the figures, but also encompasses all the variants of execution within the reach of a person skilled in the art.

Claims

1. Demands motor vehicle (1) comprising a front bumper shield (100), two left and right front side wings (200) extending longitudinally in the rear extension of the lateral portions of said front bumper shield (100), and two left and right front headlights (300) recessed in windows of corresponding dimensions provided in said front bumper shield (100), each said front headlight (300) comprising a housing (310) including a hollow main body (311) receiving at least one light module and being closed by an outer cover glass (320), said housing (310) also including anchoring tabs (330, 340, 350) projecting out of said main body (311); said vehicle (1) comprising two first support pieces (400) each projecting longitudinally in front of a corresponding front wing (200) to which it is rigidly attached, at least one (330, 340) of said anchoring brackets (330,340, 350) of the housing (310) of each said projector (300) being screwed to a corresponding first support piece (400), the housing (310) of each said projector (300) having an upper anchoring tab (330) rooted in the upper part of the main body (311) of this housing (310) near its outer lateral end and projecting longitudinally from the rear of this main body (311) extending along a substantially vertical average plane, said upper anchoring tab (330) being screwed to an upper attachment wall (421) provided on a corresponding first support piece (400) and also extending along a substantially vertical average plane, the housing (310) of each said projector (300) having a first longitudinal indexing pin (332) rooted at the level of said upper anchoring tab (330) and projecting substantially transversely from the side internal to the latter,this first indexing pin (332) is inserted through a first oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially vertical orientation (421B) provided in said upper attachment wall (421) of the first corresponding support piece (400), housing (310) of each said projector (300) having an external lateral anchoring tab (340) rooted at the external lateral end of the main body (311) thereof, housing (310) and projecting longitudinally at the rear of this main body (311) extending along a substantially horizontal average plane, said external lateral anchoring tab (340) being fixed by screwing to a lower attachment wall (422) provided on said corresponding first support piece (400) and also extending along a substantially horizontal average plane, characterized in that the housing (310) of each said projector (300) has a second transverse indexing pin (342) rooted at the level of said external lateral anchoring tab (340) and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this second indexing pin (342) sliding into a cutout of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation (422B) provided in said lower attachment wall (422) of the corresponding first support piece (400).

2. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each said first support piece (400) is obtained by stamping from a previously cut sheet of steel.

3. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that each said first support piece (400) has a rear drop edge (410) fixedly riveted to the inner face of the front drop edge of a corresponding front wing (200), and a main portion (420) projecting longitudinally in front of this front wing (200).

4. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it also comprises a front bumper beam and two second support pieces (500) each projecting vertically above a corresponding lateral portion of said front beam.

5. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the housing (310) of each said projector (300) has an internal lateral anchoring tab (350) rooted at the internal lateral end of the main body (311) of this housing (310) and projecting transversely from the internal side of this main body (311) extending along a substantially horizontal average plane, said internal lateral anchoring tab (350) being fixed by screwing to a summit attachment wall (511) provided on said corresponding second support piece (500) and also extending along a substantially horizontal average plane.

6. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 5, characterized in that the housing (310) of each said projector (300) has a third transverse indexing pin (352) rooted at the level of said internal lateral anchoring tab (350) and projecting substantially vertically below the latter, this third indexing pin (352) being inserted through a second oblong orifice of corresponding width and substantially longitudinal orientation (511B) provided in said top wall of attachment (511) of the second corresponding support piece (500).

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