Handle support.

Abstract

The invention relates to a support (1) for a grab handle of a motor vehicle, comprising a fastening interface (2) designed to enable the support (1) to be fastened to a roof rail (3), the handle support (1) comprising at least one fastening flange (5) projecting from the fastening interface (2) and designed to enable the handle to be fastened to the support (1), the support (1) having a reinforcing section (7), designed to extend at least partly over a roof rail to reinforce the roof rail against denting when the support (1) is fastened to the roof rail (3), the reinforcing section (7) being connected to the fastening interface (2) by each fastening flange (5). (Figure 1)

Description

Title of the invention: Handle support.

[0001] The technical field relates to grab handle supports, bodies equipped with at least one handle support and vehicles having such a body.

[0002] In terms of road safety, automobile manufacturers must face several major concerns that define constraints to be taken into account when developing new vehicles. First of all, vehicles must ensure the safety of passengers in the event of a collision regardless of speed. Furthermore, automobile manufacturers must strive to control the repair costs of vehicles when they undergo urban impacts. Finally, a third concern is to ensure the safety of other road users, particularly the most vulnerable such as pedestrians.

[0003] The behavior of motor vehicles in these three situations is regulated and tested by implementing standardized test procedures. The requirements in terms of results in these tests are increasingly numerous and more difficult to meet, forcing car manufacturers to constantly innovate. The standardized procedures are, for example, described by the international organization Euro NCAP.

[0004] In particular, there are standardized test procedures that allow the behavior of the vehicle to be checked during an accident involving a rollover of the vehicle. In the event of a rollover, it is essential to minimize the deformations of the roof panel which cause it to sink into the passenger compartment volume.

[0005] In this context, some vehicles are equipped with grab handles, arranged above the openings, allowing passengers to hold on firmly. These handles must obviously be securely fixed to the structure of the vehicle and the risk of the handle being torn off, particularly in the event of an impact or rollover, must be avoided or greatly limited.

[0006] Thus, there is a need for a solution to avoid or limit the risks of a grab handle being torn off.

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome the problems set out above. In this technical context, one aim of the present invention is to provide a handle support making it possible to limit the risks of it being torn off in the event of a rollover.

[0008] For this purpose, the present invention relates to a support for a grab handle of a motor vehicle, comprising a fixing interface designed to allow the support to be fixed to a roof rail, the handle support comprising at least at least one attachment flange projecting from the attachment interface and configured to allow attachment of the handle to the bracket, the bracket having a reinforcing section, configured to extend at least partially over a roof rail to reinforce the roof rail against denting when the bracket is attached to the roof rail, the reinforcing section being connected to the attachment interface by each attachment flange.

[0009] The invention also relates to a vehicle body comprising at least one handle support according to the invention, characterized in that the fixing interface is welded to a roof rail, the reinforcement section extending over at least part of the roof panel.

[0010] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a body according to the invention.

[0011] Thus, the handle support according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a vehicle body according to the invention in which the handle support is secured, on the one hand, to the roof rail by means of the fixing interface and, on the other hand, by means of the reinforcement section to the roof roof. The structure of the reinforcement section is shaped to reinforce the roof and limit the sinking of the roof into the passenger compartment. Thus, the handle support according to the invention guarantees robust fixing of the grab handle and reinforcement of the body in the event of an accident causing a rollover.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, the reinforcing section forms a reinforcing plate.

[0013] According to one possibility of the handle support, the reinforcement plate comprises a fold extending along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, when the support is fixed to the roof rail.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the fixing interface comprises at least one fixing tab, each extending a fixing flange.

[0015] According to one possibility of the body, the reinforcement section further extends over a roof edge of the roof rail.

[0016] The invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description which follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the appended drawing in which:

[0017] [Fig-1] [Fig.l] represents a perspective view of a vehicle body according to the invention showing a handle support according to the invention.

[0018] A support 1 for a grab handle according to the invention, illustrated in [Fig. 1], is designed to allow the attachment of a grab handle, not illustrated, equipping a motor vehicle according to the invention. The handle support 1 is, for example, formed from a stamped sheet metal.

[0019] The support 1 comprises a fixing interface 2 designed to allow the fixing of the support 1 on a roof rail 3, partially illustrated in the figure, of a vehicle body 4 according to the invention.

[0020] The handle support 1 comprises at least one fixing flange 5, projecting from the fixing interface 2, is designed to allow the fixing of the handle to the support 1. In this case, the support 1 comprises two fixing flanges 5. In the example illustrated in the figure, the fixing interface 2 comprises at least one fixing lug 6 each extending a fixing flange 5.

[0021] Advantageously, the fixing of the fixing interface 2 to the roof spar 3 is obtained by a plurality of welding points.

[0022] The support 1 advantageously has a reinforcing section 7 designed to extend at least partly over a roof panel, not shown, to reinforce the panel against it being sunk in, when the support 1 is fixed to the roof rail 3. The reinforcing section 7 is connected to the fixing interface 2 by each fixing flange 5.

[0023] As illustrated in the figure, the reinforcing section 7 forms a reinforcing plate 8. In order to provide greater resistance to sinking, the reinforcing plate 8 has a fold 9 extending along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, when the support 1 is fixed to the roof rail 3.

[0024] In the body 4, as illustrated in the figure, the fixing interface 2 is welded to the roof rail 3, the reinforcing section 7 extending over at least a portion of the roof roof. Furthermore, the reinforcing section 7 extends over a roof edge 10 of the roof rail 3. In order to fix the support 1 on the body 4, the reinforcing section 7 is also welded to the roof edge 10 by spot welds.

[0025] Finally, each fixing flange 5 has a V shape. Each fixing flange 5 comprises a plurality of orifices 11 in which the handle can be fitted and / or fixed.

[0026] Thus, the handle support 1 according to the invention makes it possible to obtain the vehicle body 4 in which the handle support 1 is secured, on the one hand, to the roof rail 3 by means of the fixing interface 2 and, on the other hand, by means of the reinforcement section 7 to the roof roof. The structure of the reinforcement section 7 is shaped to reinforce the roof and limit the sinking of the roof into the passenger compartment. Thus, the handle support 1 according to the invention guarantees robust fixing of the grab handle and reinforcement of the body 4 in the event of an accident causing a rollover.

[0027] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the handle support described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be designed by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and scope of the present invention.

Claims

Claims

1. A support (1) for a grab handle of a motor vehicle, comprising a fixing interface (2) designed to allow the support (1) to be fixed to a roof rail (3), the handle support (1) comprising at least one fixing flange (5) projecting from the fixing interface (2) and designed to allow the handle to be fixed to the support (1), the support (1) having a reinforcing section (7), designed to extend at least partly over a roof rail to reinforce the roof rail against denting when the support (1) is fixed to the roof rail (3), the reinforcing section (7) being connected to the fixing interface (2) by each fixing flange (5).

2. Handle holder (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcing section (7) forms a reinforcing plate (8).

3. Handle support (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the reinforcing plate (8) comprises a fold (9) extending along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, when the support (1) is fixed to the roof rail (3).

4. Handle support (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the fixing interface (2) comprises at least one fixing lug (6) each extending a fixing flange (5).

5. Vehicle body (4) comprising at least one handle support (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the fixing interface (2) is welded to a roof rail (3), the reinforcing section (7) extending over at least a part of the roof panel (3).

6. Vehicle body (4) according to claim 5, characterized in that the reinforcing section (7) further extends over a roof edge (10) of the roof rail (3).

7. Motor vehicle having a body (4) according to claim 5 or 6.

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