VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A CONNECTING DEVICE BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE AIR DUCT PASSING THROUGH THE DASHBOARD AND A HOLLOW PILLAR OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle comprising a front part of the passenger compartment provided with at least one hollow side pillar (10) connected to a hollow upper cross member, a telematics box placed in the upper part of the passenger compartment and in the vicinity of an opening made in the upper cross member, an air conditioning device positioned downstream of a dashboard, the latter being provided with at least one air duct (6) ensuring the diffusion of air in the passenger compartment, characterized in that the vehicle comprises at least one additional air duct called a connecting duct (21) between an air duct (6) of the dashboard and at least one hollow side pillar (10) of the passenger compartment, said connecting duct (21) being provided at an open free end with a connecting member (22) sealed with the hollow side pillar (10). Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig.3

Description

Title of the invention: VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A CONNECTION DEVICE BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE AIR DUCT PASSING THROUGH THE DASHBOARD AND A HOLLOW PILLAR THE CABIN

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a connecting device between at least one air duct passing through the dashboard and a hollow pillar of the passenger compartment.

[0002] Here the term vehicle designates a car, a van, a truck, a public transport vehicle, a public works or agricultural machine, regardless of the type of engine.

[0003] On most recent vehicles, there is a telematic data exchange box, frequently referred to by the English acronym RTCU (Radio Telematic Control Unit), which allows the vehicle to be connected wirelessly to server and / or control and / or data storage centers. Subsequently, the terms RTCU or box will be used interchangeably. In order to optimize the transmission and reception of data, the RTCU is placed in the upper part of the passenger compartment and fixed to the inside of the vehicle roof. Such an arrangement particularly exposes the RTCU to extreme temperatures, for example above 50°C or below -20°C. Such temperatures are likely to affect the operation of the box. It is therefore necessary to maintain a temperature ensuring optimal operation of the RTCU, whether in data transmission or reception.De facto, this involves maintaining the temperature of the RTCU as close as possible to the temperature of the vehicle's passenger compartment when passengers are present. KR-U-1998 022 306 describes a device using hollow uprights located on either side of the windshield to bring air from the vehicle's air conditioning to the head level of the vehicle's occupants, therefore in the vicinity of the roof. The applicant of the present application has also developed a solution for maintaining the temperature of the RTCU using the vehicle's air conditioning, the RTCU being positioned at an air outlet provided in a hollow upper crossmember of the roof which is connected by the hollow uprights located on either side of the windshield to the air conditioning device.If it is known to use and supply air conditioning to the RTCU using the hollow uprights in the front part of the vehicle, it is necessary to ensure fluid continuity between the hollow uprights and the air conditioning ducts located at the dashboard when installing the latter in the passenger compartment. In fact, the air conditioning system is positioned in the front part of the vehicle, under the cowl grille located at the bottom of the windscreen and the ducts distributing the air from the . The air conditioning system and the passenger compartment pass through the dashboard. The installation of the dashboard in the passenger compartment, which already has hollow pillars, takes place during the final stages of vehicle manufacturing.

[0004] The object of the invention is to propose a solution making it possible to produce a sealed connection when mounting the dashboard in a vehicle between the air duct(s) coming from the air conditioning device and at least one of the hollow uprights of the bodywork surrounding the windshield and constituting the passenger compartment of the vehicle in order to ensure fluid continuity between the air conditioning device and the air outlet at the RTCU.

[0005] For this purpose, the subject of the invention is a vehicle comprising a front part of the passenger compartment of the vehicle provided with at least one hollow side pillar connected to a hollow upper cross member, a telematics box for exchanging data by wireless means placed in the upper part of the front part of the passenger compartment and in the vicinity of an opening made in the upper cross member, a passenger compartment air conditioning device positioned downstream of a dashboard of the vehicle, the latter being provided with at least one air duct ensuring the diffusion of air into the passenger compartment from the air conditioning device, characterized in that the vehicle comprises at least one additional air duct called a connecting duct between an air duct of the dashboard ensuring the diffusion of air into the passenger compartment from the air conditioning device and at least one hollow side pillar of the passenger compartment,said connecting conduit being provided at an open free end with a sealed connecting member with the hollow side upright.

[0006] Thanks to the invention, a sealed connection is produced when the dashboard is mounted in the passenger compartment between the at least one air duct of the dashboard and a hollow side pillar. Fluid continuity is ensured between the air conditioning device and the RTCU, by producing a means for distributing air-conditioned air at the RTCU, without loss of air and by minimizing pressure losses, which makes it possible to maintain a constant flow of air-conditioned air with a controlled temperature.

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

[0008] The connecting conduit is made of a soft and flexible material.

[0009] The connecting conduit is articulated.

[0010] A connecting conduit is fitted to each side of the dashboard.

[0011] The connecting member placed at the end of each connecting conduit is a tip in elastomer or rubber provided with a peripheral seal.

[0012] The connecting member is secured to a rotating shaft, the rotation angle of the connecting member being identical to the rotation angle of the rotation shaft.

[0013] A member for rotating the rotation shaft is fixed on one of the walls of at least one of the less a hollow amount.

[0014] The rotation member is a relief with a triangular cross-section, one face of the rotation member ensuring the rotation of the shaft by friction.

[0015] The face of the rotation member opposite that ensuring the rotation and translation of the shaft forms a stop at the end of rotation of the shaft and prevents any movement in the opposite direction of the latter.

[0016] The rotation shaft is provided with a locking member preventing any rotation of the shaft in any direction.

[0017] The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows, given solely by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0018] [Fig-1] is a simplified and schematic view of the front part of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention illustrating the distribution of air from the air conditioning device to the RTCU placed on the roof of the vehicle, at an upper cross member,

[0019] [Fig.2] is a simplified diagram, on another scale, illustrating a connection zone between one end of the dashboard and a hollow side pillar of the vehicle passenger compartment, before establishing the watertight connection,

[0020] [Fig.3] is a view similar to [Fig.2], the watertight connection being established,

[0021] [Fig.4] is a larger scale diagram of detail IV and

[0022] [Fig.5] is a larger-scale diagram of detail V.

[0023] [Fig.l] illustrates the front part of a vehicle 1 seen from the outside, i.e. the part of the vehicle extending from the grille to the windshield 2. An air conditioning device, known per se, is schematically represented by a square and designated by the reference 3. It is generally located in the engine compartment, downstream of a dashboard illustrated by a rectangle and referenced 4. The air conditioning device 3 is in the lower part relative to the dashboard 4. The air conditioning device 3 takes outside air and, after cooling or heating depending on the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the passenger compartment and the desired temperature in the passenger compartment, directs it into the passenger compartment 7 via at least one, here according to an advantageous embodiment, two air diffusion ducts 5, 6. Each duct 5, 6 passes through the dashboard 4 and brings the air to the level of one face of the dashboard 4, at least through a ventilation grille 8, visible in Figures 2 and 3.This at least one grid 8 is located on the top and / or on one face of the dashboard 4 facing the occupants of the vehicle 1.

[0024] The front part of the vehicle 1 also comprises hollow side pillars 9, 10 supporting the roof of the passenger compartment, also known as the roof. The ends of each pillar 9, 10 are connected to each other in the upper part of the passenger compartment looking at [Fig.l], by a hollow upper crossmember 11 extending over the entire width of the vehicle. This crossmember 11 is provided with an orifice 12 arranged in the vicinity of a telematics box 13 also designated by the term RTCU. The box 13 ensures the exchange of data, by wireless means, between the vehicle and external equipment. It is also noted that the side pillars 9, 10, and the upper crossmember 11 serve as a fixing frame for the windshield 2, the foot of the latter resting on the bodywork at the rear of the engine hood 14. With such a configuration, the air-conditioned air is brought by each duct 5, 6, then by the pillars 9, 10 and the crossmember 11 to the upper level of the passenger compartment 7, under the roof, in the vicinity of the box 13 in order to maintain the latter at a constant temperature allowing optimal operation of the RTCU. Here the direction of air distribution is illustrated by arrows on ducts 5, 6..

[0025] Connection zones 15, 16 are illustrated, schematically in [Fig.l], by rectangles between the outlet ends of the conduits 5, 6 located in the dashboard 4 and, respectively, the foot of each side pillar 9, 10. A connection zone 16 is schematically represented on a larger scale in Figures 2 and 3, it being understood that the connection zone 15 is identical. Figures 2 and 3 represent the connection zone 16 seen from the interior of the passenger compartment 7 of the vehicle 1.

[0026] [Fig. 2] illustrates a so-called pre-assembly configuration in which the interior volume of the hollow side pillar 10 is not connected in a sealed manner to the conduit 6. This configuration corresponds to the phase of installing the dashboard 4 in the passenger compartment 7. A wall 18 of the open end 17 of the pillar 10 is welded to a metal wall 19 of the passenger compartment 7 of the vehicle. The open end 17 of the pillar 10 is configured as a bevel, the wall 18 welded to the wall 19 of the passenger compartment 7 being the longest wall. The dashboard 4 is, in this configuration, presented opposite, on the one hand, the shortest wall 20 of the end 17 of the side pillar 10 and, on the other hand, opposite the wall 19 of the passenger compartment, but without contact with these walls 18 to 20.The dashboard 4 is put in place either by a vertical movement from top to bottom or by a horizontal translational movement, from the inside to the outside of the passenger compartment 7 or by a combination of the two movements. A lateral ventilation grille 8 is schematically illustrated in [Fig.2], here on the front face of the dashboard 4, knowing that it could be positioned on another face of the dashboard and / or that several ventilation grilles can be provided. The air distribution duct 6 coming from the air conditioning device 3 is partially illustrated. Its open end opens into the grille 8.

[0027] The invention consists of positioning an additional air duct called a connecting duct, branching off from the duct 6, in order to connect this duct 6 to the upright 10 and ensure fluid continuity and therefore continuity of air distribution to the housing 13, by limiting pressure losses, avoiding air leaks and ensuring a regular and constant air flow. This additional air distribution duct called the connecting duct is referenced 21. It is connected to the duct 6 by known means, for example by a Y or T-shaped part. Advantageously, the mounting of the duct 21 is carried out upstream, when mounting the duct 6 in the dashboard 4. Alternatively, the duct 6 is originally configured with the connecting duct 21, the latter being in one piece with the duct 6.

[0028] The connecting conduit 21 is advantageously made of a soft and flexible material, for example elastomer or rubber. Alternatively, it is made of a rigid, but articulated material.

[0029] The open free end of the conduit 21 is provided with a sealed connecting member 22. The connecting member 22 is formed by a rubber end piece with a peripheral seal. This end piece 22 is rigid, or at least comprises a rigid peripheral part and of a configuration adapted to ensure an airtight seal when the end piece 22 is firmly supported on the open end 17 of the upright 10.

[0030] As shown in Figures 4 and 5, one edge of the end piece 22 is connected and fixed to the dashboard 4 by a rotation shaft 23, while being able to perform a rotational movement relative to the dashboard. The end piece 22 is integral in rotation with the shaft 23. The rotation of the rotation shaft 23, and therefore the rotation of the end piece 22, is illustrated by the arrow F in [Fig.5]. It is noted that the rotation shaft 23 extends beyond a plane P in which the opening of the end piece 22 and a side wall of the dashboard 4 on which the end piece 22 is fixed are located. In other words, the shaft 23 forms a point of fixing of the end piece 22 on the dashboard 4, this point being movable in rotation and placed in overhang of the end piece 22 and of the dashboard 4.

[0031] A triangular relief 24 is fixed on a free end of the wall 20 of the upright 10, therefore on the shortest wall, the latter being closest to the dashboard 4. The relief 24 is oriented towards the outside of the upright 10 in the direction of the end piece 22. The relief 24 forms a member for rotating the rotation shaft 23.

[0032] In the configuration illustrated in Figures 2 and 4, the shaft 23 and the relief 24 are opposite each other, the relief 24 being plumb and below the shaft 23. There is no contact between the shaft 23 and the relief 24, therefore no rotation of the shaft 23 and de facto no rotation of the end piece 22. There is no airtight seal between the upright 10 and the conduit 21. The open ends of the conduit 21 and the upright 10 are opposite but are not connected to each other in a sealed manner. Such a configuration corresponds to the presentation of the dashboard 4 in the passenger compartment 7, when it is put in place and before it is secured to the passenger compartment. The dashboard 4, once positioned in the passenger compartment 7, is held in place and fixed to the passenger compartment 7 by means known per se, for example by screwing or clipping in order to be detached if necessary. mountable.

[0033] In the position illustrated in [Fig.2] and as is also visible in [Fig.4], the end piece 22 of the conduit 21 is opposite the wall 20 of the upright 10, slightly upstream of the free end of the wall 20, without support between the various elements. The shaft 23 is above the relief 24, without contact with it.

[0034] When the dashboard 4 is moved downwards, according to the arrow F1, at the end of the installation of the dashboard 4 in the passenger compartment 7, contact is initiated between the shaft 23 and a so-called upper face 25 of the triangular relief 24. During this translational movement, there is friction between the shaft 23 and the face 25, therefore de facto a rotation of the shaft 23 which also causes an identical rotation, of the same angular value, of the end piece 22 according to the arrow F. It should be noted that the rotation of the shaft 23 is accompanied by a translation oriented downwards when looking at Figures 2 to 5. This translation of the shaft 23 is induced by the movement of the dashboard 4 during its installation. The rotation and movement of the shaft 23 continue until the dashboard 4 is in place. At the end of rotation and translation, the shaft 23 is located under a so-called lower face 26 of the relief 24.In this configuration, the rotation by friction between the shaft 23 and the relief 24 is interrupted and the return to the initial position, for example due to the elasticity of the conduit 21, is not possible. Indeed, the tip of the triangular relief 24 and the lower face 26 of the relief 24 form a stop to any upward translational movement and rotation of the shaft 23 in the opposite direction of the arrow FL. The continuation of the rotation of the shaft 23 according to the arrow Fl as well as its translation according to the arrow F is also impossible, the face 25 no longer driving the shaft 23 in rotation.

[0035] During the pivoting movement of the end piece 22 towards the end 17 of the upright 10 due to the rotation and movement of the shaft 23, the conduit 21 deforms due to its flexibility and its suppleness and the area of ​​the end piece 22 diametrically opposite the shaft 23, is in abutment against the free end of the wall 18 of the upright 10. Thanks to the peripheral seal surrounding the opening of the end piece 22, an airtight abutment of the outlet of the conduit 21 against the opening 17 of the upright 10 is thus achieved, which makes it possible to achieve fluid continuity between these two elements. The invention makes it possible to achieve this continuity automatically, without additional parts when installing and maintaining the dashboard 4 in the passenger compartment 7.

[0036] Once the dashboard 4 is in place and the connection made between the conduit 21 and the upright 10, it is possible to secure the connection between these two elements by screwing, by a clamp or any other means provided that it is removable in order to be able to demonstrate the dashboard 4 if necessary.

[0037] Here the invention is described for only one side of the passenger compartment. It is easily understood that, according to an advantageous variant, the invention is applied to both sides, this identical manner.

[0038] Alternatively, the shaft 23 is provided with a push button, with a locking position for example by quarter turn, which makes it possible to lock in a given position and to avoid any accidental rotation of the shaft 23, and therefore of the end piece 22, once the end piece 22 is in place on the end 17 of the upright 10.

Claims

Claims

1. Vehicle (1) comprising a front part of the passenger compartment (7) of the vehicle provided with at least one hollow lateral upright (9, 10) connected to a hollow upper cross member (11), a telematics box (13) for exchanging data by wireless means placed in the upper part of the front part of the passenger compartment (7) and in the vicinity of an opening (12) formed in the upper cross member (11), an air conditioning device (3) of the passenger compartment (7) positioned downstream of a dashboard (4) of the vehicle (1), the latter being provided with at least one air duct (5, 6) ensuring the diffusion of air into the passenger compartment (7) from the air conditioning device (3), characterized in that the vehicle (1) comprises at least one additional air duct called a connecting duct (21) between an air duct (5, 6) of the dashboard (4) ensuring the diffusion of air into the passenger compartment (7) from the air conditioning device (3), the passenger compartment (7) from the air conditioning device (3) and at least one side pillar (9,10) hollow of the passenger compartment (7), said connecting conduit (21) being provided at an open free end with a connecting member (22) sealed with the hollow side upright (9, 10).,

2. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting conduit (21) is made of a soft and flexible material.

3. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the connecting conduit (21) is articulated.

4. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a connecting conduit (21) is provided on each side of the dashboard (4).

5. Vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connecting member (22) placed at the end of each connecting conduit (21) is an elastomer or rubber end piece provided with a peripheral seal.

6. Vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that the connecting member (22) is integral with a shaft (23) movable in rotation (F), the angle of rotation of the connecting member (22) being identical to the angle of rotation of the rotation shaft (23).

7. Vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that a rotation member (24) of the rotation shaft (23) is fixed to one (20) of the walls of at least one hollow upright (9, 10).

8. Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that the rotation member (24) is a relief with a triangular cross section, one face (25) of the rotating member (24) ensuring the rotation of the shaft (23) by friction.

9. Vehicle according to claim 8, characterized in that the face (26) of the rotation member (24) opposite that (25) ensuring the rotation of the shaft (23) forms a stop at the end of rotation of the shaft (23) and prevents any movement in the opposite direction of the shaft (23).

10. Vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that the rotation shaft (23) is provided with a locking member preventing any rotation of the shaft (23) in any direction whatsoever.

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