Assembly and retention assembly between a front pillar of a vehicle and the door reinforcement of the front door of said vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly for assembly and retention between a front pillar of a vehicle and the upper door reinforcement (3) of the front door, comprising an orifice in said pillar and an assembly pin mounted in the reinforcement (3), with a projecting engagement end of said reinforcement (3), positioned opposite said orifice, in the closed door position, said engagement end being engageable in said orifice during a frontal impact. The pin consists of a rod and an end piece mounted at the end of the rod, said end piece having a first end of dimensions configured to allow the engagement of said pin in the orifice of the front pillar and a second end of dimensions larger than those of the first end, configured to allow, when the end piece is engaged in the orifice, a forced passage of said second end into the orifice during a frontal impact and retention in the front pillar. Figure 1.

Description

Title of the invention: Assembly and retention assembly between a front pillar of a vehicle and the door reinforcement of the front door of said vehicle

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembly and retention assembly between a front pillar of a vehicle and a door reinforcement of a front door of said vehicle, comprising an assembly pin mounted in the door reinforcement, with a so-called engagement end, projecting from said door reinforcement and an orifice provided in the front pillar, said engagement end of the assembly pin being positioned opposite said orifice, when the door of the vehicle is in the closed position, said engagement end being intended to be engaged in said orifice during a frontal impact.

[0002] The safety of the passengers of a vehicle is particularly linked to the preservation of the passenger compartment of this vehicle during impacts, in particular during a frontal impact. This passenger compartment starts at the level of the front feet of the vehicle body. Also, the part of the vehicle in front of the front feet is designed to absorb by deformation the majority of the energy of a frontal impact.

[0003] The body therefore comprises on each side of the passenger compartment, a front pillar connected to the front wing and the upper part of which is connected to the windshield bay pillar and to the cross member of the dashboard of the vehicle, the lower part of said front pillar being connected to the side member. When the front side door of the vehicle is closed, the rear wall of the front pillar can rest against a door reinforcement also called a door frieze during a frontal impact. This door reinforcement is housed in the upper part of the door box, under the window of the latter, and extending between the hinge reinforcement provided in the upper part of the front pillar and the middle pillar.

[0004] The front part of the vehicle located in front of the two front pillars is therefore designed to absorb by deformation the majority of the energy of the frontal impact and avoid deformation of the passenger compartment, while the front pillars play a primordial role in the distribution of the forces coming from the front part of the vehicle, the forces applied to the front pillar being distributed by the latter towards the bay pillar, the door reinforcement and the side member.

[0005] The door reinforcement provided in the upper part of the door box, during a frontal impact, therefore plays an important role in allowing the force to pass through.

[0006] To facilitate the transfer of force between the front leg and the door reinforcement, an assembly pin is provided housed in said door reinforcement and one end of which is positioned projecting from the door reinforcement so as to be able to be housed in an orifice provided on the front leg, when the latter is moved along the X axis of the vehicle. front to rear, thus "recoiling" under the effect of a frontal impact. During the impact, the engagement of the pin in the hole in the front foot allows the door reinforcement and the front foot to be assembled together to allow the force to pass through.

[0007] However, during a frontal impact, the front foot which is moved axially towards the rear of the vehicle body, can also pivot. During this pivoting, the assembly pin can then escape from the orifice of the front foot and the force passage path with the door reinforcement is then interrupted.

[0008] The present invention therefore aims to overcome this drawback by proposing an assembly pin allowing both the assembly of the upper door reinforcement (door frieze) with the front pillar during a frontal impact but also the locking of this assembly.

[0009] For this purpose, the invention relates to an assembly and retaining assembly between a front pillar of a vehicle and an upper door reinforcement of the front door of said vehicle, comprising an orifice provided in the front pillar and an assembly pin mounted in the door reinforcement, with a so-called engagement end projecting from said door reinforcement, positioned opposite said orifice, when the door of the vehicle is in the closed position, said engagement end being intended to be engaged in said orifice during a frontal impact, characterized in that the assembly pin consists of a rod and an end piece mounted at the end of the rod constituting the engagement end of the assembly pin,said end piece having a first end whose shape and dimensions are configured to allow the engagement of said assembly pin in the orifice of the front foot and a second end of a shape identical to that of the first end and of dimensions greater than those of the first end, these dimensions being configured to allow, during the engagement of the end piece in the orifice under the effect of the frontal impact, a forced passage of said second end of said end piece through the orifice and the retention of the end piece engaged in the front foot.

[0010] Thus, advantageously, the assembly pin of the assembly according to the invention not only allows the assembly of the front pillar and the door reinforcement during a frontal impact but also the locking of this assembly, the end piece being retained in the front pillar after the forced passage of the orifice, thus preventing the risks of the pin and therefore the door reinforcement escaping.

[0011] This allows the door reinforcement to be held in place, maintaining its structural integrity to protect the passenger compartment, thereby ensuring both said passage of force in the door reinforcement and relief of forces at the bay pillar and the side member.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment, this tip therefore has two ends, the first end having dimensions smaller than those of the orifice of the foot front of the vehicle to allow easy engagement of the end piece in the hole. For example, the dimensions of this first end are similar to those of the rod of the assembly pin and allow the pin to freely engage in the hole. The second end of the end piece has a shape identical to that of the first end but with dimensions greater than those of the first end, these dimensions being almost identical (i.e. identical or slightly smaller) to those of the hole in the front foot, so that the passage of the second end of the end piece is slightly forced into the hole, the end piece and the hole not always being aligned, under the effect of the translation of the front foot during the frontal impact and the end piece being retained in the front foot, not being able to escape through the hole.

[0013] Preferably, the tip has a circular section, the diameter Dext2 of the second end of the tip being greater than that of the diameter Dextide of the first end which is much smaller than the diameter Do of the orifice, the diameter Dext2 of the second end being identical to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the orifice, for example Dext2 = Do - 1 mm.

[0014] The end piece has a wall extending, in a flared form, between a first end and a second end, giving this end piece a conical or truncated cone or even cylindro-ogival shape and the identical or slightly smaller dimensioning of the second end relative to the orifice allows the end piece to be forced through the orifice and prevents the disengagement of this end piece even in the event of pivoting of the foot for example.

[0015] The shape of the end piece is in the form of a “hat”, i.e. conical, truncated cone-shaped, arranged at the end of the assembly pin and therefore allows both its insertion into the orifice located in the front foot, and its operation as a locking or anchoring means to hold the assembly pin, and therefore the door reinforcement, in place.

[0016] This locking of the assembly is particularly advantageous when, during a frontal impact, there is a fairly significant deformation which, in particular by causing a pivoting of the front foot, would allow the assembly pin to escape. This retaining end piece thus prevents the assembly pin from escaping from the orifice of the front foot.

[0017] The door reinforcement assembly pin according to the invention with its end cap thus constitutes an additional safety means to prevent the pin from escaping from the front foot in the event of a violent impact. This cap functions like a fir-tail type fixing pin, the branches of which are retracted when passing through the hole and the deployment of which prevents it from returning, which makes it possible to prevent the pin from moving backwards and leaving the hole in the foot A during an impact.

[0018] Preferably, the assembly pin is made of steel.

[0019] The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising an assembly and retaining assembly according to the invention at least between a front pillar of the vehicle and a front door of said vehicle on the same side.

[0020] The invention will be well understood and other aspects and advantages will appear clearly on reading the following description, given by way of example with reference to the attached drawing sheet in which the figures represent:

[0021] [Fig-1] a side perspective view from the outside of the front part of one side of a vehicle body;

[0022] [Fig.2] an enlarged view of [Fig.l] at the level of the assembly according to the invention;

[0023] [Fig.3] a side perspective view of [Fig.2];

[0024] [Fig.4] a side perspective view according to [Fig.2] after a frontal impact;

[0025] [Fig.5] a rear perspective view of an assembly and retaining pin of a assembly and retaining assembly according to the invention.

[0026] In the remainder of the description, the terms "lower", "upper", "high" and "lower" are understood according to their usual definition in relation to the ground on which the vehicle comprising the assembly according to the invention is located. The terms "interior" and "exterior" are defined in relation to the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The terms "front" and "rear" are understood in relation to the orientation of the vehicle as taken in its normal direction of travel. In the different figures, the same references designate identical elements.

[0027] As can be seen in [Fig.l], the front lateral side 1 of the body of a vehicle has a front leg constituting leg A of the vehicle and a middle leg constituting leg B of the vehicle, defining between them a front door opening 2. The door is thus intended to be housed between the two legs A and B, preferably articulated on the front leg A.

[0028] The foot A is connected to the front wing AV and its upper part is connected to the bay pillar MB of the windshield and to the cross member of the dashboard of the vehicle, while its lower part is connected to the side member L.

[0029] The door which is housed between the leg A and the leg B is generally made up of a box topped with a glazing, which for reasons of clarity are not shown here. In the upper part of the box, a door reinforcement is provided, also called a door frieze 3 which, when the door is in the closed position, extends substantially in the upper part of the leg A between the hinge reinforcement of said leg A and the leg B. This door reinforcement 3 has an omega-shaped section (Q) for example.

[0030] During a frontal impact, the foot A allows the distribution of forces coming from the front part of the vehicle and applied to said foot A, towards the bay pillar MB, the door reinforcement 3 and the side member L.

[0031] This door reinforcement 3 therefore forms a passageway to distribute the forces resulting from a frontal impact.

[0032] In order to maintain this door reinforcement 3 in connection with the foot A, during a frontal impact, an assembly pin 4 is provided allowing assembly between the foot A and the door reinforcement 3 during this impact.

[0033] The assembly pin 4 has a rod 41 engaged at one end in a nut 42 allowing it to be fixed by welding, for example, in the door reinforcement 3 while its other end is positioned projecting from said door reinforcement 3 and opposite an orifice 5 of the foot A, when the door is in the closed position (see figures 2 and 3). This projecting end has a tip for engagement in the orifice 5.

[0034] When a frontal impact occurs, the forces applied to the front leg or A leg cause it to translate towards the rear of the vehicle along its X axis.

[0035] The end of the assembly pin 4 provided with the end piece 43 is then engaged through the orifice 5. This end piece 43 has two ends, the first end 43a having dimensions much smaller than those of the orifice 5 of the foot A allowing the engagement of the end piece 43 in the orifice 5. For example, the dimensions of this first end 43a are similar to those of the rod 4L

[0036] The second end 43b of the end piece 43 has a shape identical to that of the first end 43a but with larger dimensions, these dimensions being identical or slightly larger than those of the orifice 5 of the foot A, so that the passage of the second end 43b of the end piece 43 is carried out by force in the orifice 5 under the effect of the translation of the front foot A during the frontal impact and allows it to be retained in the front foot A.

[0037] The end piece 43 thus has a flared shape between the first end 43a and the second end 43b, such as a conical, truncated shape and the identical or slightly smaller dimensioning of the second end 43b relative to the orifice 5 allows the passage of the end piece 43 through the orifice 5 and prevents the disengagement of this end piece 43 even in the event of significant deformation leading to a pivoting movement of the foot A.

[0038] Once the end piece 43 is fully engaged in the orifice, the second end prevents the pin 4 from escaping from the orifice. The end piece 43 thus prevents the assembly pin 4 from escaping from the orifice 5 of the front leg A by locking this engagement. Thus, the door reinforcement 3 remains assembled with the leg A.

[0039] This assembly pin 4 thus constituted by a rod 41 having an end piece 43 for engaging and retaining said pin 4 with the foot A, constitutes an additional safety measure to prevent the pin from escaping in the event of a violent impact to thus guarantee a passage of force in the door reinforcement.

Claims

Claims

1. Assembly and retaining assembly between a front pillar (A) of a vehicle and an upper door reinforcement (3) of the front door of said vehicle, comprising an orifice (5) provided in the front pillar (A) and an assembly pin (4) mounted in the door reinforcement (3), with a so-called engagement end projecting from said door reinforcement (3), positioned opposite said orifice (5), when the door of the vehicle is in the closed position, said engagement end being intended to be engaged in said orifice (5) during a frontal impact, characterized in that the assembly pin (4) consists of a rod (41) and an end piece (43) mounted at the end of the rod (41) constituting the engagement end of the assembly pin,said end piece (43) having a first end (43a) whose shape and dimensions are configured to allow the engagement of said assembly pin (4) in the orifice (5) of the front leg and a second end (43b) of a shape identical to that of the first end (43a) and of dimensions greater than those of the first end (43a), these dimensions being configured to allow, during the engagement of the end piece (43) in the orifice (5) under the effect of a frontal impact, a forced passage of said second end (43b) of said end piece (43) through the orifice (5) and the retention of the end piece (43) engaged in the front leg (A).,

2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the dimensions of the second end (43b) of the end piece (43) are identical to those of the orifice (5).

3. Assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the end piece (43) has a circular section, the diameter Dext2 of the second end (43b) of the end piece (43) being greater than that of the diameter D extide the first end (43a) which is less than the diameter Do of the orifice (5), the diameter Dext2 of the second end (43b) being identical to the diameter of the orifice (5).

4. Assembly according to one of claims 2 or 3, characterized in that the end piece (43) has a wall extending in a flared form between the first and second ends (43a, 43b).

5. Assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the end piece (4) has a conical or truncated cone shape.

6. Assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that the end piece (4) has a cylindrical-ogival shape.

7. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the assembly pin is made of steel.

8. Motor vehicle comprising an assembly and retaining assembly according to one of claims 1 to 7, at least between a front pillar (A) of said vehicle and the door reinforcement (3) of the front door of said vehicle on the same side.

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