Fog light bracket that can be welded onto a bumper panel.

Abstract

The invention relates to a light bracket (1) for fitting to the front end (2) of a motor vehicle and supporting a light. The bracket (1), being a single piece, defines a recess (7) designed to be positioned opposite an opening (6) formed in a bumper skin (4) to engage the light. The bracket (1) is designed to be applied and fixed, by welding around the opening (6), directly onto the bumper skin (4). The bracket (1) includes at least one stiffening zone (10) designed to reinforce the bumper skin (4). The invention also relates to a front end (2) comprising the skin (4) and at least one bracket (1), each being applied to an inner face (5) of the skin (4) around an opening (6) formed in the skin (4). Each bracket (1) is directly welded to the inner face (5) of the skin (4). (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Fog light support that can be fixed by welding onto a bumper skin.

[0001] The technical field relates to light supports, front faces including such a support fixed on a bumper skin and vehicles having such a front face.

[0002] Electric vehicles are attracting increasing customer interest, while their ranges are constantly being improved by car manufacturers. This increased range is made possible, on the one hand, by the development of new technologies to produce ever more efficient batteries—that is, batteries offering faster charging speeds, ever-increasing capacities, and high energy densities—and, on the other hand, by the optimization of vehicle power consumption. To this end, manufacturers strive to reduce weight whenever possible. In this context, vehicles are sometimes equipped with fog lights integrated into the bumper.To ensure a clean visual appearance around a fog light, a trim piece is usually added to the front of the bumper. However, for an electric vehicle, this is not ideal, especially when the bumper is made in one piece due to weight reduction and the complexity of demolding the bumper.

[0003] Thus, there is a need for a solution enabling the integration of a fog light into a bumper skin while avoiding the use of a trim piece.

[0004] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a fire support that forms an interface with the bumper skin to support the fire and reinforce the bumper skin, thus avoiding the use of a trim piece.

[0005] To this end, the present invention relates to a light support for equipping a front face of a motor vehicle and supporting a light, the support, one piece, delimiting a recess designed to be positioned opposite an opening made in a bumper skin to engage the light, the support being designed to be applied and fixed, by welding around the opening, directly onto the bumper skin, the support comprising at least one stiffening zone designed to reinforce the bumper skin.

[0006] The invention also relates to a front face comprising a bumper skin and at least one light support according to the invention, each support being applied to a inner face of the bumper skin around an opening made in the bumper skin, each support being directly welded to the inner face of the bumper skin.

[0007] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a front face according to the invention.

[0008] Thus, the light support according to the invention provides an interface between the bumper skin and the light. The bumper skin does not require a mounting interface since the support is directly welded to an inner face of the bumper skin. Furthermore, thanks to the stiffening zones, the support reinforces the bumper skin around the opening, preventing excessive flexibility of the bumper skin when pressure is applied around the opening and / or due to wind pressure during vehicle movement. Therefore, the support according to the invention allows the use of a bumper skin with a smooth outer face, as it lacks a mounting interface for a trim piece. The molding operations for the bumper skin are thus simplified, and the mass of the front end according to the invention is reduced by the absence of a trim piece.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, the support comprises a plurality of fixing tabs designed to extend along a portion of the bumper skin and to be welded to the bumper skin in order to secure the support.

[0010] Advantageously, each fixing tab has a thickness allowing the tab to flex to accommodate the shape of the bumper skin.

[0011] According to one possibility, each stiffening zone is designed to fit the shape of a part of the bumper skin and has an extra thickness of material.

[0012] According to one embodiment, each stiffening zone is arranged between two fixing tabs.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the support has a truncated conical shape, the fixing lugs extending over angular sectors alternating with angular sectors over which the stiffening zones extend around the perimeter of the support.

[0014] According to one possibility, the support extends between two opposite ends, one intended to be applied to the bumper skin and the other having a light fixing interface.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the light support includes fixing ribs designed to allow the fixing of an electrical harness.

[0016] 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:

[0017] [Fig-1] [Fig. 1] represents a perspective view of part of an inner face of a bumper skin located around an opening, a light support according to the invention and a light intended to be mounted on the support;

[0018] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a view of the support of [Fig.1] fixed on the bumper skin;

[0019] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a cross-sectional view of the support and bumper skin of [Fig.2], the cutting plane passing through two opposing fixing tabs;

[0020] [Fig.4] [Fig.4] represents a cross-sectional view of the support and bumper skin of [Fig.2], the cutting plane passing through two opposing stiffening zones.

[0021] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0022] A light support 1, according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip a front end 2 according to the invention of a motor vehicle and to support a light 3, illustrated in the figures. The front end 2 according to the invention comprises a bumper skin 4 and at least one light support 1, each being applied to an inner face 5 of the bumper skin 4 around an opening 6 formed in the bumper skin 4. In the example illustrated in [Fig. 1], the periphery of the opening 6 has a frustoconical well shape.

[0023] The one-piece support 1 defines a recess 7 designed to be positioned opposite the opening 6 provided in the bumper skin 4 to engage the light 3. The support 1 extends between two opposite ends 8a, 8b, one 8a intended to be applied to the bumper skin 4 and the other 8b having an interface 9 for fixing the light 3.

[0024] The support 1 according to the invention is made of plastic material. The support 1 is, for example, obtained by molding.

[0025] The support 1 is designed to be applied and fixed, by welding around the opening 6, directly onto the bumper skin 4, the support 1 having at least one stiffening zone 10 designed to reinforce the bumper skin 4.

[0026] To secure the bracket 1 to the bumper skin 4, the bracket 1 has a plurality of mounting tabs 11 designed to extend along a portion of the bumper skin 4 and to be welded to the bumper skin 4. To facilitate welding, each mounting tab 11 has a thickness that allows it to flex to accommodate the shape of the bumper skin 4. In the example shown in the figures, the bracket 1 has four mounting tabs 11. For example, each tab 11 has a thickness of 1.5 mm. The flexibility provided for each tab 11 allows for proper contact with the bumper skin 4 even when all the weld surfaces between the skin 4 and the tabs 11 are located on different bearing planes. Thus, in the front face 2 according to In the invention, the support 1 is directly welded to the inner face 5 of the bumper skin 4.

[0027] In order to stiffen the bumper skin 4, particularly around the opening 6, and to prevent unwanted bending, each stiffening zone 10 is designed to conform to the shape of a portion of the bumper skin 4 and has an extra thickness of material. For example, the support 1 has a thickness of 3 mm in each stiffening zone 10. As illustrated in [Fig. 2], each stiffening zone 10 is positioned between two mounting tabs 11. In particular, the support 1 has a frustoconical shape, with the mounting tabs 11 extending over angular sectors 12a alternating with angular sectors 12b over which the stiffening zones 10 extend around the periphery of the support 1. Furthermore, each stiffening zone 10 has a relatively large surface area, forming, for example, a lip to increase the support and reinforcement of the skin 4.

[0028] As illustrated in [Fig.4], each stiffening zone 10 has a shape complementary to the part of the bumper skin 4 opposite which it is positioned when the support 1 is applied and fixed to the skin 4.

[0029] Advantageously, the light support 1 according to the invention comprises fixing ribs 13 designed to allow the attachment of an electrical harness, not shown. In a known manner, such a rib 13 allows the electrical harness to be clamped in order to hold it securely to the support 1.

[0030] Thus, the light support 1 according to the invention provides an interface between the bumper skin 4 and the light 3. The bumper skin 4 does not require a mounting interface since the support 1 is directly welded to the inner face 5 of the bumper skin 4. Furthermore, thanks to the stiffening zones 10, the support 1 stiffens the bumper skin 4 around the opening 6, preventing excessive flexibility of the bumper skin 4 when pressure is applied around the opening 6 and / or due to wind pressure during vehicle movement. Therefore, the support according to the invention allows the use of a bumper skin 4 with a smooth outer face, as it lacks a mounting interface for a trim piece.

[0031] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the fire support described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments may be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. A light bracket (1) for fitting to the front face (2) of a motor vehicle and supporting a light (3), the bracket (1) being a single piece, defining a recess (7) designed to be positioned opposite an opening (6) formed in a bumper skin (4) to engage the light (3), the bracket (1) being designed to be applied and fixed, by welding around the opening (6), directly onto the bumper skin (4), the bracket (1) having at least one stiffening zone (10) designed to reinforce the bumper skin (4), characterized in that it comprises a plurality of mounting tabs (11) designed to extend along a portion of the bumper skin (4) and to be welded to the bumper skin (4) to secure the bracket (1), each mounting tab (11) having a thickness allowing the tab (11) to flex to accommodate the shape of the bumper skin (4),each stiffening zone (10) being disposed between two fixing tabs (11), the support (1) having a frustoconical shape, the fixing tabs (11) extending over angular sectors (12a) alternating with angular sectors (12b) over which the stiffening zones (10) extend around the periphery of the support (1).

2. Fire support (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that each stiffening zone (10) is designed to fit the shape of a part of the bumper skin (4) and has an excess thickness of material.

3. Light support (1) according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that it extends between two opposite ends (8a, 8b), one (8a) intended to be applied to the bumper skin (4) and the other (8b) having an interface (9) for fixing the light (3).

4. Fire support (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it comprises fixing ribs (13) designed to allow the fixing of an electrical bundle.

5. Front face (2) comprising a bumper skin (4) and at least one light support (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, each support (1) being applied to an inner face (5) of the bumper skin (4) around an opening (6) formed in the bumper skin (4), each support (1) being directly welded to the inner face (5) of the bumper skin (4).

6. Motor vehicle having a front face (2) according to claim 5.

Images