REINFORCEMENT ELEMENT FOR A VEHICLE FRONT UNIT

Abstract

The invention relates to a reinforcement element for a front vehicle unit comprising: - at least two tubes (1) of circular cross-section welded in their midpoints forming a reinforcing cross, - at least one first fixing element (2) for said tubes (1), at least one first fixing element (2) being positioned on at least two ends of said reinforcing cross, at least one first fixing element (2) allowing said reinforcing cross to be fixed to a rear load-bearing element of the front vehicle unit, - at least one second fixing element for said tubes (1), at least one second fixing element being positioned on at least two other front ends of said reinforcing cross, at least one second fixing element allowing said reinforcing cross to be fixed to a front end support of the front vehicle unit. Figure 1

Description

Title of the invention: REINFORCEMENT ELEMENT FOR A FRONT UNIT OF A VEHICLE

[0001] The invention relates to a reinforcing element for a vehicle front unit.

[0002] Generally, a vehicle has a front unit which represents the part structural supporting the first force input in the event of a frontal impact.

[0003] In the case of an impact against a rigid wall with small overlap, in the American protocol, and known by the English term "small overlap", the squaring of the front unit of a vehicle is a key to the effective success of the impact scenario. Today, many solutions exist but do not allow for optimal impact limitation.

[0004] The invention therefore aims to propose at least one solution which overcomes this drawback.

[0005] For this purpose, the invention relates to a reinforcing element for a front unit of vehicle including: - at least two tubes of circular section welded preferably in the middle to form a reinforcing cross, - at least one first fixing element for said tubes, the at least one first fixing element being positioned on at least two ends of said reinforcing cross, the at least one first fixing element making it possible to fix said reinforcing cross on at least one rear supporting element of the front unit of the vehicle, - at least one second element for fixing said tubes, the at least one second fixing element being positioned on at least two ends of said reinforcing cross, the at least one second fixing element making it possible to fix said reinforcing cross on at least one front facade support of the front unit of the vehicle.

[0006] The reinforcing element according to the invention makes it possible to transfer the force from the front of the impact zone to the rear reverse zone in small overlaps (American vehicle), i.e. a transmission of lateral forces between the front support and the load-bearing element of the vehicle. The particular cross shape of the reinforcing element therefore makes it possible to transfer the forces from one side to the other.

[0007] It then makes it possible to guarantee the squareness of the front unit of the vehicle with little mass added to the vehicle.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention allows significant savings in terms of design and material in meeting the stiffness requirements in the area, with minimal complexity and ease of assembly.

[0009] The angle between the two tubes to form the reinforcing cross can be between 70 and 110 degrees. Preferably, the angle is equal to 90 degrees. The value of the angle depends on the geometry of the vehicle.

[0010] The at least two tubes may be made of steel.

[0011] The thickness of the at least two tubes may be greater than or equal to 1 mm.

[0012] The at least two tubes may be made of aluminum.

[0013] The thickness of the at least two tubes may be greater than or equal to 3 mm.

[0014] The at least one first fastening element may comprise a support body, said support body comprising at least two positioning elements projecting from said support body, one end of at least one of the two tubes being positioned between the at least two positioning elements, said support body also comprising at least one opening.

[0015] The at least one opening makes it possible to fix the support body on the at least one rear supporting element of the vehicle.

[0016] The at least one second fixing element may correspond to a weld of at least one end of the at least two tubes on the at least one front facade support of the front unit of the vehicle.

[0017] The diameter of the at least two tubes may be greater than or equal to 20 mm.

[0018] The invention also relates to a vehicle front unit comprising at least one reinforcing element according to the invention.

[0019] The invention also relates to a vehicle comprising at least one front vehicle unit according to the invention.

[0020] Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the description illustrated by the appended drawings, in which the figures represent:

[0021] [Fig-1] illustrates a reinforcing element according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0022] [Fig.2] illustrates an enlarged view of the two means of fixing the reinforcing element according to the invention,

[0023] [Fig.3] illustrates a first top view of a reinforcing element according to the invention fixed to a front unit of a vehicle,

[0024] [Fig.4] illustrates a second general view of a reinforcing element according to the invention fixed to a front unit of a vehicle,

[0025] These embodiments being in no way limiting, it will be possible in particular to consider variants of the invention comprising only a selection of characteristics described or illustrated subsequently isolated from the other characteristics described or illustrated (even if this selection is isolated within a sentence comprising these other characteristics), if this selection of characteristics is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention compared to the state of the prior art. This selection comprises at least one preferably functional characteristic without structural details, and / or with only part of the structural details if this part alone is sufficient to confer a technical advantage or to differentiate the invention from the prior art.

[0026] In the following description, the terms "lower", "upper", "front", "rear" etc. are used with reference to the drawings for ease of understanding. They should not be understood as limitations on the scope of the invention.

[0027] We will first describe, with reference to [Fig.l], a reinforcing element according to one embodiment of the invention. The two tubes are welded so as to form an angle substantially equal to 90° between the two tubes. The reinforcing element comprises two tubes 1 of circular section welded in their middle in order to form a reinforcing cross. The tubes 1 can be made of steel or aluminum. The tubes 1 have a diameter greater than or equal to 20 mm and a thickness greater than 1 mm when the tube 1 is made of steel and greater than 3 mm when the tube 1 is made of aluminum.

[0028] The reinforcing element also comprises two first fixing elements 2 of said tubes 1. A first fixing element 2 is fixed on each of the two so-called “rear” ends of the reinforcing cross, that is to say intended to be fixed on a rear supporting element 30 of the front unit of the vehicle.

[0029] [Fig. 2] illustrates an enlarged view of the two means for fixing the reinforcing element according to the invention. The first fixing element 2 comprises a support body 20, said support body 20 comprising two positioning elements 22 projecting therefrom. The end of the tube 1 is positioned between the two positioning elements 22. The support body also comprises three openings 21. The end of the tube 1 is fixed by welding to the first fixing element 2 between the two positioning elements 22. The support body 20 is fixed to the rear carrier element 30 via fixing means such as screws for example. The support body is made of steel.

[0030] The reinforcing element also comprises a second fixing element 4. The second fixing element 4 is positioned on a front end of said reinforcing cross, that is to say that this front end makes it possible to fix the reinforcing cross on a front facade support 5 of the front unit of the vehicle. The front end of the tube 1 can be fixed by welding and / or by fixing means such as screws for example.

[0031] Referring to [Fig.3] and [Fig.4], it can be seen that the reinforcing cross is fixed by the two rear ends of the two tubes 1 on the two rear supporting elements 30 located on the lateral sides of the front unit of the vehicle. The reinforcing cross is also fixed by the two front ends of the two tubes 1 on the two front facade supports 5 also located on the lateral sides of the front unit of the vehicle. More particularly still, the reinforcing cross is fixed by the two rear ends of the two tubes on cups 3 positioned on the upper face of the bitter carrier elements 30.

[0032] Of course, the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and numerous adjustments can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the invention. Of course, the different characteristics, forms, variants and embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations insofar as they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. In particular, all the variants and embodiments described above can be combined with each other.

Claims

Claims

1. Reinforcing element for a front unit of a vehicle comprising: - at least two tubes (1) of circular section preferably welded in their middle in order to form a reinforcing cross, - at least one first element for fixing said tubes (1), the at least one first fixing element (2) being positioned on at least two ends of said reinforcing cross, the at least one first fixing element (2) making it possible to fix said reinforcing cross on at least one rear carrier element (30) of the front unit of the vehicle, - at least one second element for fixing (4) of said tubes (1), the at least one second fixing element (4) being positioned on at least two other ends of said reinforcing cross, the at least one second fixing element (4) making it possible to fix said reinforcing cross on at least one front facade support (5) of the front unit of the vehicle.

2. Reinforcing element according to claim 1, wherein the at least two tubes (1) are made of steel.

3. Reinforcing element according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the at least two tubes (1) is greater than or equal to 1 mm.

4. Reinforcing element according to claim 1, wherein the at least two tubes (1) are made of aluminum.

5. Reinforcing element according to claim 4, wherein the thickness of the at least two tubes (1) is greater than or equal to 3 mm.

6. A reinforcing element according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one first fixing element (2) comprises a support body (20), said support body (20) comprising at least two positioning elements (22) projecting from said support body (20), one end of at least one of the two tubes (1) being positioned between the at least two positioning elements (22), said support body (20) also comprising at least one opening (21).

7. Reinforcing element according to claim 6, in which the at least one second fixing element (4) corresponds to a weld of at least one end of the at least two tubes (1) on the at least one front facade support (5) of the front unit of the vehicle.

8. A reinforcing element according to any preceding claim, wherein the diameter of the at least two tubes (1) is

9. greater than or equal to 20 mm. Vehicle front unit comprising at least one reinforcing element according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A vehicle comprising at least one front vehicle unit according to claim 9.

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