PASSIVE SAFETY DEVICE FOR AT LEAST ONE AREA OF VEHICLE BUMPER CROSS

Abstract

The invention relates to a passive safety device for at least one bumper section of a vehicle bumper, a portion of said bumper section being equipped with at least one accessory, characterized in that the device comprises at least one structural weakness zone (80, 90) formed on at least a portion of the accessory. The invention also relates to a vehicle equipped with such a device. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 6

Description

Title of the invention: PASSIVE SAFETY DEVICE FOR AT LEAST ONE CROSS AREA OF VEHICLE BUMPER

[0001] The invention relates to a passive safety device for at least one area of ​​a vehicle bumper.

[0002] Here, the term vehicle refers to a car, van, truck, public transport vehicle, construction or agricultural vehicle, regardless of the type of engine. For reference, a bumper bracket is the part located on the sides of the bumper. The bracket connects the front part of the bumper to the vehicle's fenders. Thus, the expression "bumper bracket area" refers to the areas of the bumper located near the brackets and generally forming the corners of the bumper.

[0003] Regulations stipulate that in a frontal collision at approximately 40 km / h affecting the tibia or femur of an adult pedestrian, a vehicle's bumper must inflict minimal trauma, notably by absorbing the impact as effectively as possible. To this end, at least the height, configuration, and strength of the bumper are taken into account. When the bumper incorporates accessories, these are generally located in the lower part and near the corners, i.e., in the bumper's curved area. Examples include auxiliary headlights and fog lights. In all cases, these accessories must also comply with regulations concerning pedestrian safety in the event of a collision.It turns out that on some vehicles, accessories protrude from the bumper, vary in size, and / or include elements such as wheel trims whose configuration and / or constituent materials can affect pedestrian safety in the event of a collision, especially since these accessories are generally rigid and offer little shock absorption. While solutions exist that optimize the mounting of accessories on a bumper and improve the strength of the area receiving the accessory, such as the bracket described in FR-B-2 958 238 or US-B-10 220 804, the question of pedestrian safety in the event of a collision and the regulatory compliance of accessories remains.

[0004] The invention aims to improve pedestrian safety in the event of impacts at the level of the bumper's crossbar area, in particular at the level of the accessories equipping the bumper in the part of the bumper known as the crossbar area.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a passive safety device for at least one crossbar area of ​​a vehicle bumper, a part of said crossbar area being equipped with at least one accessory, characterized in that the device includes at least one area of ​​structural weakness provided at least on a part of the accessory.

[0006] Thus, thanks to the invention, the corner part of the accessory, generally pro- The prominent design will deform, or even break, upon impact, absorbing some of the energy and thus improving pedestrian safety at the shin and / or femur level. Furthermore, this allows for various shapes and / or sizes of accessories, all of which will comply with passive safety regulations. The invention does not alter the nominal dimensions of the bumper and accessory, requires no additional parts, and does not affect the bumper's weight.

[0007] According to advantageous but not mandatory aspects of the invention, such a fastening device may comprise one or more of the following features:

[0008] At least one area of ​​structural weakness is provided on a part forming a corner of a prominent part of the accessory in relation to the butt area.

[0009] At least one area of ​​structural weakness comprises at least four fusible zones provided on a part forming a corner of a prominent part of the accessory.

[0010] At least one fusible zone is obtained by material restriction.

[0011] At least one fusible zone is obtained by pre-cuts made in the material constituting at least one part forming a corner of a part of the accessory.

[0012] At least one fusible zone is obtained by a material of lower mechanical resistance than that of the material constituting the rest of the accessory at least at the level of a part forming a corner of a part of the accessory.

[0013] At least one area of ​​structural weakness is obtained at the level of a part forming a corner of the accessory by a material more flexible than the material constituting the rest of the accessory, said material allowing deformation without breakage of the corner of the accessory.

[0014] Zones of structural weakness are provided on at least one other raised part of the accessory than the part forming at least one corner of the latter.

[0015] Structural weakness zones are provided on at least one prominent part of at least one butt zone of one of the two bumpers, said part being devoid of accessories.

[0016] The invention also relates to a vehicle equipped with a passive securing device for at least one bumper cross area conforming to at least one of the preceding characteristics.

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

[0018] [Fig-1] is a simplified and partial side view of a bumper's buttock area before a vehicle equipped with an accessory,

[0019] [Fig.2] is a larger-scale partial view of the rear of a mounted accessory in the butt zone of a bumper and according to an embodiment of the invention,

[0020] [Fig.3] is a larger-scale cross-sectional view from the front face according to the section plane III- III at [Fig.2],

[0021] [Fig.4] is a sectional view from the front face along section plane IV-IV to [Fig.2], at the same scale as [Fig.3],

[0022] [Fig.5] is a view similar to [Fig.2], on a larger scale, illustrating the areas of structural weakness according to one embodiment of the invention and

[0023] [Fig.6] is a larger scale and partial view of detail VI in [Fig.5], representing the areas of structural weakness and their behavior during an impact.

[0024] Figure 1 illustrates the front part of a vehicle, in particular the vehicle's bumper at the level of the so-called "crossbody zone 1," that is, the area located in the corner of the bumper and connecting it to the front fenders of the vehicle. As noted in Figure 1, certain elements 2, notably the headlights, are located in the upper part of the crossbody zone. Other elements 3, such as fog lights or additional spotlights, are placed in the lower part of the crossbody zone 1. As indicated in the preamble, all accessories 2 or 3 mounted on the bumper, and in particular in the crossbody zone 1, must comply with all passive safety standards imposed during impact tests or crash tests. It turns out that these accessories 3, in the illustrated example, fog lights, located in the lower part of the stock area 1 are more or less prominent and therefore extend more or less outwards from the visible face of the stock area 1.Hereafter, the terms "accessory" and "fog light" will be used interchangeably. Due to their configurations and / or functions, accessories 3 generally include a load-bearing structure made of a rigid and mechanically resistant material. This load-bearing structure supports all the constituent elements of accessory 3, for example, optical, electrical, or other components. Consequently, due to their positions and configurations, accessories 3 are the first to be impacted during a collision on the handlebar area 1, and they absorb relatively little of the energy dissipated during the impact. They are therefore a cause of injury, particularly to the shins and femurs of adults, or to the upper body in the case of a collision involving a young child.

[0025] Figure 2 illustrates an accessory 3 viewed from inside the front bumper of a vehicle at its curved area 1. Here, it is a fog light 3, only the rear portion of which, with its complex geometric shape and large dimensions, is visible. The accessory 3 is held securely to the bumper by two U-shaped clip-type retaining elements 4, 5. These retaining elements 4, 5 are fixed to retaining areas 6, 7 defined on the curved area 1. Areas 6, 7 are non-rectilinear, radiating, and thus define corner areas of the accessory 3, more specifically corner areas of a decorative element, visible from the outside and projecting from the bumper. This decorative element of accessory 3 is called the accessory 3 trim. Here, the expressions "radiating zones", "zones of The terms "support" or "corners" will be used interchangeably and identified by reference numerals 6 and 7. To ensure effective support of the support elements 4 and 5, the radiating zones 6 and 7 of the accessory 3's trim pieces are the most rigid areas of the bracket area 1. In the example, they are generally arc-shaped with variable radii. Alternatively, they have a constant radius. To improve the passive safety of the accessories 3 while complying with standards, the invention aims to reinforce the accessory's passive safety by creating, at least at the level of these support zones 6 and 7, so-called structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, and 90, i.e., zones of lower mechanical resistance than those adjacent to the structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, and 90.

[0026] Zones 8, 80, 9, and 90 are particularly visible in Figures 3 and 4. They are formed on only a visible portion of the trim. Here, four structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, and 90 are shown. Alternatively, their number and / or arrangement and / or dimensions may differ, provided that these zones are formed in so-called corner sections. The term "corner" refers to parts of the accessory, the handlebar area, or the bumper that are raised relative to the rest of the main plane of the element concerned and that include at least one corner section.

[0027] The structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90 are schematically illustrated by lightning bolt-type zigzag arrows in Figures 5 and 6. In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 3 to 6, the structural weakness zones are advantageously obtained by material restrictions at the attachment points of the retaining elements 4, 5 on the radiating areas 6, 7 of the trim of the accessory 3. Thus, the material at the structural weakness zones 8, 80 and 9, 90 has a thickness close to 0.3 mm, while in the parts 81, 91 connecting the structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90 the nominal thickness is about 3 mm. Here, the material restriction is identical in all structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90. Alternatively, the thicknesses, and therefore the material restrictions, are different depending on the structural weakness zones provided on the same element.

[0028] Figure 6 shows detail VI in Figure 5, with not all elements illustrated for clarity. During an impact along arrow F, the material restriction at zones 80 and 90 induces a rupture of zones 80 and 90, thus allowing the accessory 3 to detach from the hook zone 1. This contributes to shock absorption by at least facilitating the deformation and indentation of the hook zone 1, or even its rupture. The same applies to the structural weakness zones 8 and 9.

[0029] Thanks to the invention, the accessory 3, and in particular any raised part, will first absorb the shock on the structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90, which will allow the shock to be absorbed by a rupture of these zones. In the case of a rupture of the structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90, these are said to be fusible. In other modes of In this design, the structural weakness zones are not fusible but deform without breaking, even with areas of material restriction. In this case, the material is sufficiently flexible to deform easily below a defined thickness. With such structural weakness zones, sufficient deformation is achieved to absorb the impact, for example, by using one or more materials in the structural weakness zones that are more deformable than the material constituting the rest of the accessory support.

[0030] In other embodiments of the invention, the fusible structural weakness zones 8, 80, 9, 90 are obtained by pre-cutting or by using different materials with different mechanical resistances.

[0031] Structural weakness zones are provided on both bumpers, front and rear, in the buttock area at least on the accessory. Alternatively, at least one structural weakness zone is also provided on a part of the buttock area without an accessory.

[0032] It is understood that such a solution, i.e. to provide at least one area of ​​structural weakness, can be applied not only to other parts of the crossbar area, whether or not equipped with an accessory, but also to other areas of the bumper, for example on the upper part at the level of the headlights and / or on the rear bumper, provided that this is done preferentially at the level of the raised areas, whether or not there is an accessory in this area.

Claims

Claims

1. Passive safety device for at least one butt area (1) of a vehicle bumper, a part of said butt area (1) being equipped with at least one accessory (2, 3), characterized in that the device comprises at least one structural weakness area (8, 80, 9, 90) provided at least on a part (6, 7) of the accessory (3).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one structural weakness zone (8, 80, 9, 90) is provided on a part forming a corner (6, 7) of a protruding part of the accessory (3) relative to the butt zone (1).

3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one structural weakness zone (8, 80, 9, 90) comprises at least four fusible zones (8, 80, 9, 90) arranged on a part forming a corner (6, 7) of a protruding part of the accessory (3).

4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one fusible zone (8, 80, 9, 90) is obtained by material restriction.

5. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one fusible zone (8, 80, 9, 90) is obtained by pre-cuts made in the material constituting at least one part forming a corner (6, 7) of a part of the accessory (3).

6. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that at least one fusible zone (8, 80, 9, 90) is obtained by a material of mechanical resistance lower than that of the material constituting the rest of the accessory (3) at least at the level of a part forming a corner (6, 7) of a part of the accessory (3).

7. Device according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one structural weakness zone (8, 80, 9, 90) is obtained at a part forming a corner (6, 7) of the accessory (3) by a material more flexible than the material constituting the rest of the accessory (3), said material allowing deformation without breaking of the corner (6, 7) of the accessory (3).

8. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that structural weakness zones (8, 80, 9, 90) are provided on at least one other raised part of the accessory (3) than the part forming at least one corner (6, 7) of the latter.

9. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that structural weakness zones (8, 80, 9, 90) are also provided on at least one of the at least one prominent part of at least one butt area of ​​one of the two bumpers, said part being devoid of accessories (2, 3).

10. Vehicle equipped with a passive safety device for at least one cross zone (1) of a vehicle bumper, a part of said cross zone (1) being equipped with at least one accessory (2, 3), said device being in accordance with any one of the preceding claims.

Images