Attachment and / or guide support for motor vehicle equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to a fastening and / or guiding support (100) for motor vehicle equipment, comprising a U-shaped main plate (110) intended to be arranged astride an articulation block of a suspension arm and comprising two lateral legs (111, 112) each provided with a flat portion (111A, 112A) intended to come to rest against the flat lower face of a corresponding lateral end of a transverse yoke of said arm passing through said articulation block, said support also comprising two pairs of tongues (123) rigidly connected to said main plate and each projecting laterally from the internal side of a corresponding lateral leg, each said tongue comprising a vertical support section (123B), the two support sections of the two tongues of each of said pairs being intended to come to rest in abutment against a respective lateral end surface of said articulation block,on either side of a corresponding lateral end of said yoke. Figure to be published with the abstract: Fig. 3,

Description

Title of the invention: Attachment and / or guide support for motor vehicle equipment Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles. It relates more particularly to an attachment and / or guide support for equipment of such a motor vehicle. Prior art

[0002] Current motor vehicles include numerous pieces of equipment fixed and / or running below the rear part of their underbody, such as in particular the rear brake hoses, sensors such as a body height sensor making it possible to estimate the height of the vehicle relative to the ground by measuring the movement of the longitudinal arm of the rear axle, as well as power supply harnesses such as those of the body height sensor and the wheel speed sensor.

[0003] It is known to attach some of this equipment to the underbody and / or to guide it along the latter by means of several separate supports screwed onto it. However, the multiplication of these supports involves making numerous holes in the underbody, which leads to sealing problems.

[0004] Furthermore, such a multiplication of supports also complicates the assembly of the motor vehicle and results in an increase in the assembly time of the vehicle.

[0005] Published patent application FR 3 001 700 A1 discloses a support for fixing several parts to the front part of the underbody of a vehicle, said support having a general shape folded back on itself and fixed by screwing onto a cradle of the chassis at fixing points located at the ends of said shape, so as to pass over the electric power steering mechanisms of the vehicle.

[0006] Such a support is however not suitable for installation on the rear part of the underbody of current motor vehicles.

[0007] In order to respond more specifically to the problem of attaching and / or guiding equipment in the rear part of the underbody, the French patent application not yet published and filed by the applicant under the number FR 2205189 discloses an attachment and / or guiding support for motor vehicle equipment intended to be pre-mounted on the front end of a longitudinal suspension arm of the rear axle of said vehicle.

[0008] This support comprises a U-shaped main plate intended to be arranged astride an articulation block of said suspension arm and comprising a first and a second lateral leg connected by a crosspiece.

[0009] Each said leg comprises a respective flat portion intended to rest against the flat lower face of a corresponding lateral end of a transverse yoke of said suspension arm passing through said articulation block, each flat portion being provided with a fixing orifice intended to overlap with a respective fixing hole provided in a corresponding lateral end of said yoke so as to allow this support to be fixed by screwing to the underbody of the vehicle without having to make additional holes in this underbody.

[0010] The support also comprises means capable of ensuring its longitudinal and transverse pre-holding on the front end of said suspension arm before the simultaneous mounting by screwing of the suspension arm and this support onto the underbody. These pre-holding means comprise a manually deformable clamp intended to be inserted around each lateral end of said yoke.

[0011] Unfortunately, it turns out in practice that such a clamp is relatively complex to produce and handle by the operator responsible for assembly. Description of the invention

[0012] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation.

[0013] To this end, it proposes a support for attaching and / or guiding motor vehicle equipment intended to be pre-mounted on the front end of a longitudinal suspension arm of the rear axle of said vehicle, said support comprising a U-shaped main plate intended to be arranged astride an articulation block of said suspension arm and comprising a first and a second lateral leg connected by a cross member, each said leg comprising a respective flat portion intended to come to rest against the flat lower face of a corresponding lateral end of a transverse yoke of said suspension arm passing through said articulation block, each flat portion being provided with a fixing orifice intended to come to overlap with a respective fixing hole provided in a corresponding lateral end of said yoke,said support also comprising means capable of ensuring its longitudinal and transverse pre-maintenance on the front end of said suspension arm; characterized in that said pre-holding means comprise two pairs of tabs rigidly connected to said main plate and each projecting laterally from the internal side of a corresponding lateral leg, each said tab comprising a vertical support section, the two support sections of the two tabs of each said couples being provided to come to rest against a respective end lateral surface of said articulation block, on either side of a corresponding lateral end of said transverse yoke.

[0014] Such a conformation of the pre-holding means ensures simpler manufacture of the attachment support according to the invention. It also has the advantage of facilitating the handling of the support by the operator when putting it in place.

[0015] According to preferred characteristics of said support according to the invention: - each of the tabs of a said pair comprises a tooth projecting longitudinally from the upper portion of its support section in the direction of the other tab of this pair, each said tooth comprising a horizontal retaining tooth vertically distant from the upper face of the flat portions of said lateral legs and designed to come to rest in abutment against the upper face of a corresponding lateral end of said transverse yoke; - each said tooth also comprises an inclined ramp inclined downwards and towards the other tab of the same said pair up to the said retaining tooth; - each said tab also comprises an upper end section extending said support section upwards while being curved on the external side; - said plate and said pairs of tabs are made in one piece by cutting and folding from a single sheet of metal; - said support comprises two pre-holding parts each comprising a plate fixedly attached against the lower face of a corresponding flat portion of said main plate and provided with an orifice overlapping with said fixing orifice of this flat portion, each said pre-holding part further comprising a said pair of tabs connected to the internal lateral edge of its plate; - said pre-supporting parts are each produced by cutting and folding from a steel sheet of lesser thickness than that constituting said main plate; and / or - each said pre-holding part is fixedly attached by electric welding points against the upper face of the corresponding flat portion of said main plate.

[0016] The invention also aims, in a second aspect, at a sub-assembly comprising a longitudinal arm for the suspension of a vehicle rear axle comprising at its front end an articulation block crossed by a transverse yoke, as well as such a support pre-mounted on said front end of said suspension arm by means of said pre-holding means.

[0017] The invention finally aims, under a third aspect, at a motor vehicle comprising a body underbody and at least one such subassembly fixedly mounted by screwing onto said underbody. Brief description of the drawings

[0018] The description of the invention will now be continued by the detailed description of an exemplary embodiment, given below for illustrative but non-limiting purposes, with reference to the appended drawings, in which: - [Fig.l] represents a partial simplified view from below of the rear part of a motor vehicle comprising a rear axle and two supports according to the invention fixedly mounted on the underbody of this vehicle; - [Fig.2] is a perspective view from below of the mounting area of ​​the front end of a longitudinal suspension arm and a support according to the invention on the underbody of the vehicle of [Fig.l]; - [Fig.3] represents a perspective view from above of a support according to the invention; - [Fig.4] is an enlarged perspective view from above of one of the pre-holding parts of the support of [Fig.3]; - [Fig.5] and [Fig.6] represent two perspective views from different angles of a subassembly consisting of a longitudinal suspension arm (certain elements of which are not shown in order to facilitate reading) and a support according to the invention pre-mounted on the front end of this arm. Description of the embodiments

[0019] [Fig.l] represents a partial view from below of the rear part of a motor vehicle 1 comprising a rear axle 10 mounted on the underbody 2 of this vehicle 1.

[0020] We define with respect to this vehicle 1 an orthogonal reference frame XYZ comprising three axes perpendicular two by two, namely: - an X axis, defining a longitudinal, horizontal direction, parallel to the ground and coincident with the general direction of movement of the vehicle - a Y axis, defining a transverse, horizontal direction, also parallel to the ground and which with the X axis defines a horizontal XY plane, and - a Z axis, defining a vertical direction, perpendicular to the ground as well as to the horizontal XY plane.

[0021] In the remainder of the description and with reference to the reference defined above, the terms “longitudinal” or “longitudinally” will refer to a direction parallel to the X axis, the terms “transverse” or “transversely” will refer to a direction parallel to the Y axis, and the terms “vertical” or “vertically” will refer to a direction parallel to the Z axis.

[0022] On the other hand and by convention, the terms “lower”, “upper”, “front” and “rear” will be understood in relation to the general orientation of the vehicle. The terms “ "lower" and "lower" will indicate a closer proximity to the ground in the vertical direction than the terms "upper" or "high". The term "front" will indicate a positioning oriented towards the front of the vehicle in the horizontal direction and the term "rear" will indicate a positioning oriented towards the rear of the vehicle in the same horizontal direction.

[0023] With reference to this [Fig. 1], the rear axle 10 comprises two wheels 11 connected to each other by a cross member 12 from which extend two suspension arms 13 arranged longitudinally on the sides of the vehicle 1.

[0024] As illustrated by [Fig.2], the front end of each longitudinal suspension arm 13 comprises a ring 14 oriented transversely and receiving an elastically deformable articulation block 15 crossed by a transverse aluminum yoke 16 whose two lateral ends 16A (visible in Figures 5 and 6) are each fixed by a respective screw V to the sheet metal underbody 2 of the vehicle 1, to produce an elastic articulation filtering vibrations.

[0025] Still with reference to [Fig.2], these screws V also ensure the fixing against the underbody 2 of a support according to the invention 100 on which are fixed a certain number of elements of the vehicle such as in particular the rear brake hose 3, a body height sensor 4 making it possible to estimate the height of the vehicle relative to the ground by measuring the movement of the suspension arm 13, the power supply harness 5 of this body height sensor 4 and the power supply harness 6 of a wheel speed sensor not visible in this figure.

[0026] The use of such supports 100 and the fact that their fixing is ensured by the same screws V and corresponding fixing holes provided in the body underbody 2 as those used for fixing the suspension arms 13 thus makes it possible to reduce as much as possible the number of fixing holes to be made in this body underbody 2 so as to limit the sealing problems on the vehicle 1.

[0027] With reference to [Fig. 3], each support 100 comprises a U-shaped main plate 110 allowing it to be arranged along a horizontal mean plane parallel to the body underbody 2, straddling a corresponding suspension arm 13 as illustrated by [Fig. 2].

[0028] Advantageously produced by cutting and folding from a steel sheet, the plate 110 of a support 100 comprises a first and a second lateral leg 111, 112 connected at their front ends by a crosspiece 113 and each comprising a respective flat fixing portion 111A, 112A intended to come to rest, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, against the flat lower face of a corresponding lateral end 16A of the yoke 16 of a suspension arm 13.

[0029] In the remainder of this description, the terms “external” and “internal” will be used to define the relative position of an element with reference to the vertical longitudinal plane. median of a support 100. The element closest to this plane will thus be qualified as internal as opposed to the other element further from this same plane which will be qualified as external.

[0030] Of greater length than the second leg 112, the first leg 111 is connected, by its external lateral edge and at its rear end, to a first lug 114 extending vertically and having an attachment orifice 114A intended to allow the body height sensor 4 to be fixed by screwing against this lug 114.

[0031] This tab 114 extends laterally at one of its edges by a right-angle return 115 also having an attachment orifice 115A intended to allow the snap-fastening of one end of the rear brake hose 3.

[0032] The connecting portion 116 between this first leg 111 and the crosspiece 113 also has a first slot 116B intended to allow the snap-fitting of a first clamping clip Al (visible in [Fig.2]) of the electrical supply harness 5 of the body height sensor 4.

[0033] The crosspiece 113 is further extended longitudinally towards the front by a second tab 117 extending horizontally and having a second slot 117B intended to allow the snap-fitting of a second clamping clip A2 (visible in [Fig.2]) of the electrical supply harness 6 of a wheel speed sensor.

[0034] Again with reference to [Fig. 3], each support 100 comprises two parts 120 intended to ensure pre-holding of this support 100 on the front end of a corresponding suspension arm 13 before their assembly together by screwing onto the underbody 2 of the vehicle 1.

[0035] Each advantageously produced by cutting and folding from a steel sheet of lesser thickness than that constituting the main plate, these two parts 120 each comprise a plate 121 fixedly attached by electric welding points P against the lower face of a corresponding flat fixing portion 111 A, 112A of the main plate 110.

[0036] The plate 121 of each part 120 further has a circular orifice 122 superimposed with a corresponding orifice of similar shape and dimensions 111B, 112B formed in the corresponding flat portion 111A, 112A of the main plate 110.

[0037] As illustrated by figures 5 and 6, each pair of superimposed orifices 122 / 111B, 122 / 112B is intended to come to overlap with a respective hole of similar shape and dimensions 16B formed in a corresponding lateral end 16A of the transverse yoke 16 of a suspension arm 13, so as to allow the insertion of a screw V for fixing this yoke 16 and the support 100 to the underbody. 2 of vehicle 1.

[0038] With reference to [Fig.4], each pre-holding part 120 also comprises a pair of two tabs 123 connected to the internal lateral edge of its plate 121 and projecting laterally from the internal side with respect to a corresponding lateral leg 111, 112 of the main plate 110 to which this plate 121 is fixed.

[0039] Distant longitudinally from each other by a first spacing very slightly greater than the width of the lateral ends 16A of the yoke 16 and symmetrical to each other with respect to a vertical transverse plane, the two tongues 123 of a part 120 each comprise a connecting section 123A curved substantially in a U shape and taking root on the internal lateral edge of the plate 121, a support section 123B extending vertically from and above this connecting section 123A, and an upper free end section 123C extending this support section 123B upwards while being curved on the external side.

[0040] As illustrated by Figures 5 and 6, the two support sections 123B of the two tabs 123 of each of the parts 120 are provided to come to rest in abutment against a respective lateral end surface 15A of the articulation block 15, on either side of a corresponding lateral end 16A of the transverse yoke 16, so as to ensure longitudinal and transverse pre-holding of the support 100 on the front end of the suspension arm 13 in a centering position where the pairs of orifices 122 / 111B and 122 / 112B are superimposed with the holes 16B.

[0041] Referring again to [Fig. 3], each of the two tabs 123 of a part 120 also comprises a tooth 123D projecting longitudinally from the upper portion of its support section 123B in the direction of the other tab 123 of this part 120.

[0042] Having a triangular profile, the tooth 123D of each tab 123 of a part 120 has an inclined ramp 123Da sloping downwards and towards the other tab 123 of this part 120 up to a horizontal retaining step 123Db, vertically distant from the upper face of the flat fixing portions 111A, 112A of the lateral legs 111, 112 by a second spacing very slightly greater than the thickness of the lateral ends 16A of the transverse yoke 16.

[0043] As illustrated by figures 5 and 6, the indentations 123Db of the two teeth 123D of each of the parts 120 are provided to come to rest against the upper face of a corresponding lateral end 16A of the transverse yoke 16, so as to achieve with the flat fixing portions 111A, 112A the sandwiching of these lateral ends 16A and thus to ensure a vertical pre-maintenance of the support 100 with respect to this transverse yoke 16.

[0044] It will be noted that the inclined ramps 123Da of the teeth 123D make it easier to pre-assemble the support 100 from below on the transverse yoke 16. according to a vertical translation movement, by forcing the two tabs 123 of each of the parts 120 to move apart longitudinally in an elastic manner in order to allow these teeth 123D to come and position themselves above the lateral ends 16A of this yoke 16.

[0045] It will also be noted that the curved upper sections on the external side 123C of the tabs 123 also make it easier to pre-mount the support 100 from below on the transverse yoke 16 by ensuring lateral guidance of this support 100 when it is put in place.

[0046] According to a variant embodiment not shown of the support according to the invention, the latter is devoid of the two parts such as 120: the main plate and the two pairs of tabs each projecting laterally from the internal side of a corresponding lateral leg being made in a single piece by cutting and folding from a single sheet of metal.

[0047] Although more economical to produce, this variant embodiment nevertheless has the disadvantage of being slightly heavier and requiring greater effort from the operator when mounting this support to allow the tongues of each pair to be separated.

[0048] Numerous variants are conceivable and it is recalled in this regard that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown, but also encompasses all the variants of execution within the reach of those skilled in the art.

Claims

Claims

1. Attachment and / or guide support (100) for equipment (3, 4, 5, 6) of a motor vehicle (1) intended to be pre-mounted on the front end of a longitudinal suspension arm (13) of the rear axle (10) of said vehicle (1), said support (100) comprising a U-shaped main plate (110) intended to be arranged astride an articulation block (15) of said suspension arm (13) and comprising first and second lateral legs (111, 112) connected by a crosspiece (113), each said leg (111, 112) comprising a respective flat portion (111A, 112A) intended to rest against the flat lower face of a corresponding lateral end (16A) of a transverse yoke (16) of said suspension arm (13) passing through said articulation block (15), each flat portion (111A, 112A) being provided with a fixing hole (111B,112B) intended to overlap with a respective fixing hole (16B) provided in a corresponding lateral end (16A) of said yoke (16), said support (100) also comprising means (123) capable of ensuring its longitudinal and transverse pre-maintenance on the front end of said suspension arm (13);, characterized in that said pre-holding means comprise two pairs of tongues (123) rigidly connected to said main plate (110) and each projecting laterally from the internal side of a corresponding lateral leg (111, 112), each said tongue (123) comprising a vertical support section (123B), the two support sections (123B) of the two tongues (123) of each of said pairs being provided to come to rest against a respective lateral end surface (15A) of said articulation block (15), on either side of a corresponding lateral end (16A) of said transverse yoke (16).

2. Support (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the tabs (123) of a said pair comprises a tooth (123D) projecting longitudinally from the upper portion of its support section (123B) in the direction of the other tab (123) of this pair, each said tooth (123D) comprising a horizontal retaining step (123Db) vertically distant from the upper face of the flat portions (111A, 112A) of said lateral legs (111, 112) and designed to come to rest in abutment against the upper face of a corresponding lateral end (16A). of said transverse yoke (16).

3. Support (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that each said tooth (123D) also comprises an inclined ramp (123Da) tilting downwards and towards the other tab (123) of the same said pair up to said retaining tooth (123Db).

4. Support (100) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each said tongue (123) also comprises an upper end section (123C) extending said support section (123B) upwards while being curved on the external side.

5. Support according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said plate and said pairs of tabs are made in a single piece by cutting and folding from a single sheet of metal.

6. Support (100) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises two pre-holding parts (120) each comprising a plate (121) fixedly attached against the lower face of a corresponding flat portion (11 1A, 112A) of said main plate (110) and provided with an orifice (122) superimposing with said fixing orifice (11 1B, 112B) of this flat portion (11 1A, 112A), each said pre-holding part (120) further comprising a said pair of tabs (123) connected to the internal lateral edge of its plate (121).

7. Support (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that said pre-holding parts (120) are each produced by cutting and folding from a steel sheet of lesser thickness than that constituting said main plate (110).

8. Support (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that the plate (121) of each said pre-holding part (120) is fixedly attached by electric welding points (P) against the upper face of the corresponding flat portion (11 IA, 112A) of said main plate (110).

9. Subassembly comprising a longitudinal suspension arm (13) of the rear axle (10) of a vehicle (1) comprising at its front end an articulation block (15) crossed by a transverse yoke (16), as well as a support (100) according to one of claims 1 to 8 pre-mounted on said front end of said suspension arm (13) by means of said pre-holding means (123).

10. Motor vehicle (1) comprising a body underbody (2) and at least one subassembly according to claim 9 fixedly mounted by screwing onto said body underbody (2).

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