Motor vehicle incorporating means of protecting the pelvis and / or upper legs in the event of a pedestrian collision

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle (1) comprising: - a front body structure (100) including a transverse bumper beam (101); - a front bumper skin (140) covering said structure; - a hood (200) the rear portion of which is pivotally mounted relative to said structure; - a lock (110) designed to cooperate with a strike wire (210) attached to said hood; - a sheet metal support (120) carrying said lock and comprising an upper attachment portion (121) fixed to a front crossmember (130) rigidly connected to said structure, said support also comprising a front portion (124) extending substantially vertically opposite said skin, between said lock and said beam to which it is rigidly connected; and - an energy absorption device (160) interposed longitudinally between said skin and said front portion of the support. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 1

Description

Title of the invention: Motor vehicle incorporating means of protecting the pelvis and / or upper legs in the event of a pedestrian collision technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor vehicle incorporating means of protecting the pelvis and / or upper legs in the event of a pedestrian collision. Prior art

[0002] A motor vehicle conventionally comprises a hood whose rear portion is mounted articulated to pivot vis-à-vis the front body structure of this vehicle by means of two articulation hinges.

[0003] In order to allow the hood to be locked in the closed position, the front part of such a vehicle is commonly equipped with a lock designed to cooperate with a latch wire attached to the front portion of this hood.

[0004] As described for example in application FR 2 891 234 Al, such a lock is classically carried by a sheet metal support comprising an upper attachment portion fixed to a front cross member rigidly connected to said front body structure.

[0005] During high-speed passing phases on highways or expressways with large vehicles such as heavy goods vehicles, the front of motor vehicles is subjected to relatively significant aerodynamic forces which can lead in particular to a vibratory flexing movement of this lock support causing micro-movements of the hood and the generation of parasitic noises propagating into the passenger compartment.

[0006] In order to limit these vibration phenomena and thus ensure better hood support, it is known to extend the lock support towards a transverse beam of the front bumper of the front body structure so as to connect it rigidly to this beam.

[0007] Such a lock support then comprises a front portion extending substantially vertically opposite the front bumper skin of the vehicle, between said lock and said beam to which it is rigidly connected.

[0008] Regulatory impact tests simulating a 40 km / h collision between a pedestrian and the front of a motor vehicle unfortunately show that such a frontal portion of the lock support constitutes a hard point which can lead to risks of injury to the pelvis and / or upper parts of the legs (femur areas) of this pedestrian. Description of the invention

[0009] The present invention therefore aims to improve the situation.

[0010] For this purpose, it proposes a motor vehicle comprising: - a front body structure including a transverse bumper beam; - a front bumper skin covering said front body structure; - a hood whose rear portion is mounted articulated to pivot vis-à-vis said front body structure; - a lock designed to cooperate with a strike wire fixed to the front portion of said hood so as to allow the latter to be locked in the closed position; - a sheet metal support carrying said lock and comprising an upper attachment portion fixed to a front cross member rigidly connected to said front body structure, said support also comprising a front portion extending substantially vertically opposite said skin, between said lock and said beam to which it is rigidly connected; characterized in that it also comprises an energy absorption device interposed longitudinally between said front bumper skin and said lower front portion of the support.

[0011] The addition of such an energy-absorbing device between the front bumper skin and the lower front portion of the lock support makes it possible to limit the risks of injury to the pelvis and / or upper parts of the legs (femur areas) of a pedestrian that could be caused by such a support 120 in the event of a frontal impact.

[0012] According to preferred characteristics of said vehicle according to the invention: - said energy absorption device consists of an absorber block made of an expanded polymer material; - said absorber block is fixed against the front face of said lower front portion of the support; - said absorber block is fixed against the rear face of said front bumper skin; - the upper portion of said absorber block extends over a greater longitudinal depth than its lower portion; - said absorber block has a cross-section substantially in the shape of a P, the belly of which is oriented towards the front; - said absorber block is made of expanded polypropylene with a density between 30 and 60 g / L; - said front portion of the support is rigidly connected to said transverse bumper beam by means of a sheet metal connecting plate fixed by its upper portion to this front portion and by its lower portion to the rear face of this beam ; - said support also includes a receiving portion extending substantially vertically downwards from and along the front edge of said upper attachment portion, and on which said lock is fixedly mounted; and / or - said support also includes an intermediate portion connecting said receiving portion to said front portion, said intermediate portion having a first section extending substantially horizontally forward from and along the lower edge of said receiving portion, and a second section extending said first section diagonally forward and downward. Brief description of the drawings

[0013] The description of the invention will now be continued by a detailed description of several embodiments, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which: - [Fig. 1] represents a partial, three-quarter front perspective view of the front part of a motor vehicle according to the invention, in which the bumper skin and the cooling system have been omitted to facilitate reading; and - [Fig. 2] is a perspective view of a subassembly of this front part of the vehicle, consisting of the lock support, the lock, and an absorber block. Description of embodiments

[0014] Fig. 1 represents a partial view of the front part of a motor vehicle 1 according to the invention.

[0015] An orthogonal frame of reference XYZ is defined with respect to this vehicle 1, comprising three axes perpendicular in pairs, namely: - an X-axis, defining a longitudinal direction, parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, - a Y-axis, defining a horizontal, transverse direction, which, together with the X-axis, defines a horizontal XY plane, and - a Z axis, defining a vertical direction, perpendicular to the horizontal XY plane.

[0016] In the following description and with reference to the frame 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.

[0017] On the other hand, the terms "front" and "rear" will be used to specify the longitudinal positioning of certain elements relative to the orientation of the X axis. Similarly, the terms "upper" and "lower" will be used to specify the relative position of certain elements relative to the orientation of the Z axis.

[0018] Furthermore, the use of the term "substantially" indicates that a slight deviation from a predetermined nominal orientation is permissible, while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example, "substantially horizontal" indicates that a deviation of approximately 10° to 20° from a strictly horizontal orientation is permissible within the scope of the invention.

[0019] With reference to [Fig.1], the front part of the motor vehicle 1 comprises a hood 200, the rear portion of which is not shown and is mounted pivotally articulated vis-à-vis the front body structure 100 of this vehicle by means of articulation means.

[0020] In order to ensure the locking in the closed position of this hood 200, the vehicle 1 includes a lock 110 integral with the front body structure 100 and intended to cooperate with a strike wire 210 fixed generally by welding on the front portion of this hood 200.

[0021] As illustrated by [Fig.2], the lock 110 has a plate 111 on which a locking bolt 112 is pivotally mounted, this plate 111 having a cutout 11 IA intended to receive the strike wire 210 so that the latter can interact with the bolt 112 to lock the cover 200 in the closed position.

[0022] The bolt 112 can be operated in the release position by means of an unlocking mechanism not shown, which can be activated by a control element accessible from inside the vehicle's passenger compartment.

[0023] The lock 110 is also equipped with a hook not shown, also pivotally mounted on the plate 111 between an open position and a closed position towards which it is elastically returned by a spring not shown.

[0024] In its closed position, this hook is intended to act as a stop for the strike wire 210 following the release of the bolt 112 so as to retain the cover 200 in a half-open position.

[0025] When the hook is moved into the open position, it is no longer engaged with the strike wire 210 so as to allow the complete opening of the cover 200.

[0026] To operate this hook in the open position, the lock 110 includes a mechanism not shown that can be operated by means of a pull 113 accessible by a user through the gap in the cover 200.

[0027] Still with reference to this [Fig.2], the lock 110 is fixedly mounted on a support 120 advantageously made by cold stamping from a sheet of metal and having a substantially stepped profile.

[0028] This support 120 comprises a substantially horizontal upper attachment portion 121, fixed by screwing against the upper face of a front cross member 130, here made of plastic, extending transversely across the unshown front front of the vehicle 1 and whose lateral ends are matched to lateral elements of the front body structure 100 of this vehicle 1.

[0029] The support 120 also includes a receiving portion 122 extending substantially vertically downwards from and along the front edge of the upper attachment portion 121, and on which the lock 110 is fixedly mounted.

[0030] It will be noted that this receiving portion 122, which carries the lock 110, has a first window 122A arranged opposite the cutout 111A of the plate 111 and extending onto the upper attachment portion 121 so as to allow the insertion of the strike wire 210 into this cutout 111A. This receiving portion 122 also has a second window 122B through which the pull handle 113 passes.

[0031] As illustrated by Figures 1 and 2, the support 120 also includes an intermediate portion 123 having a first section 123A extending substantially horizontally forward from and along the lower edge of the receiving portion 122, and a second section 123B extending this first section 123A diagonally forward and downward.

[0032] This support 120 finally includes a front portion 124 extending substantially vertically downwards from and along the central part of the lower edge of the intermediate connecting portion 123, opposite the front bumper skin 140 of the vehicle 1 covering the front body structure 100.

[0033] This smaller width of the front portion 124 is explained in this case by the presence, on either side of this portion 124, of lighting devices of a style not shown.

[0034] It will therefore be understood that when sufficient space is available, this front portion 124 can advantageously extend over the same width as the other portions of this support 120.

[0035] Forming the front end of the support 120, this front portion 124 extends between the lock 110 and the cross bumper beam 101 of the front body structure 100 to which it is rigidly linked in order to limit the vibration phenomena of this support 120 and thus ensure better support of the hood 200.

[0036] This front portion 124 is preferably fixed to this cross bumper beam 101 by means of a sheet metal connecting plate 150 fixed by its upper portion to this second front portion 124 and by its lower portion to the rear face of this beam 101 (these fixings being advantageously made via several points of electric welding).

[0037] Such indirect attachment of the support 120 to the bumper crossbeam 101 via the use of a connecting plate 150 makes it possible to use the same support reference 120 for several different motor vehicle models whose arrangement of the front crossmember 130 and / or the bumper crossbeam 101 may differ (only the connecting plate 150 is then adapted to ensure the connection between support 120 and beam 101).

[0038] According to alternative embodiments not shown, the support 120 could be fixed directly to the crossbeam of bumper 101: the support 120 comprising in such a case a lower attachment portion extending the front portion 124.

[0039] According to the invention and in order to limit the risk of injury to the pelvis and / or upper parts of the legs (femur areas) of a pedestrian which may be caused by such a support 120 in the event of a frontal collision, the front part of the motor vehicle 1 comprises an energy absorption device 160 interposed longitudinally between the front bumper skin 140 and the front portion 124 of the support 120.

[0040] Preferably and as illustrated by figures 1 and 2, this energy absorption device consists of an absorber block 160 made of an expanded polymer material such as expanded polypropylene (EPP) or expanded polystyrene (EPS).

[0041] By "expanded polymer material" is meant a cellular material formed of a solid polymer phase and a dispersed gaseous phase. This type of cellular material, sometimes called "foam" (or "mousse" in English), has the main advantages of being particularly lightweight and having the ability to return to its original shape after being deformed during a minor impact such as a "parking lot collision".

[0042] Advantageously, an expanded polypropylene with a density of between 30 and 60 g / L, preferably between 30 and 45 g / L, will be used so as to ensure good dissipation of energy during a pedestrian impact while limiting the longitudinal indentation of the front bumper skin 140.

[0043] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated by figures 1 and 2, the absorber block 160 is fixed against the front face of the front portion 124 of the support 120, for example by gluing.

[0044] Alternatively, this absorber block 160 could be fixed against the rear face of the front bumper skin 140, for example by clipping or stacking.

[0045] In order to optimize the dissipation of shock energy, this absorber block 160 is advantageously dimensioned so as to completely cover the rectangular surface of this front portion 124.

[0046] As illustrated by [Fig.1], during a frontal collision with a pedestrian, this absorber block 160 will be impacted from above in a direction F oriented diagonally forwards and downwards, so that its upper portion 160A will be more stressed than its lower portion 160B.

[0047] Thus, and still with the objective of optimizing the energy dissipation of such a shock, this upper portion 160A will advantageously extend over a longitudinal depth- larger tudinal than its lower portion 160B.

[0048] In the example illustrated by figures 1 and 2, this absorber block 160 will thus have a cross-section substantially in the shape of a P, the belly of which is oriented towards the front.

[0049] According to alternative embodiments not shown, the shape and / or dimensions of the energy absorption device may vary depending in particular on the longitudinal spacing between the front bumper skin and the front portion of the support and / or the presence or absence of lighting or other devices in this space.

[0050] Many other embodiments are of course conceivable and it is recalled in this regard that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and represented, but also encompasses all the execution variants within the reach of a person skilled in the art.

Claims

Demands

1. Motor vehicle (1) comprising: - a front body structure (100) including a cross bumper beam (101); - a front bumper skin (140) covering said front body structure (100); - a hood (200) the rear portion of which is mounted pivotally hinged to the front body structure (100); - a lock (110) provided to cooperate with a latch wire (210) fixed to the front portion of said hood (200) so as to allow the latter to be locked in the closed position; - a sheet metal support (120) carrying said lock (100) and comprising an upper attachment portion (121) fixed to a front cross member (130) rigidly connected to said front body structure (100), said support (120) also comprising a front portion (124) extending substantially vertically opposite said skin (140), between said lock (110) and said beam (101) to which it is rigidly connected;characterized in that it also comprises an energy absorption device (160) interposed longitudinally between said front bumper skin (140) and said front portion (124) of the support (120).;

2. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said energy absorption device consists of an absorber block (160) made of an expanded polymer material.

3. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said absorber block (160) is made of expanded polypropylene with a density between 30 and 60 g / L.

4. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that said absorber block (160) is fixed against the front face of said front portion (124) of the support (120).

5. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 3, characterized in that said absorber block (160) is fixed against the rear face of said front bumper skin (140).

6. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the upper portion (160A) of said absorber block (160) extends over a greater longitudinal depth than its lower portion (160B).

7. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that said absorber block (160) has a cross-section substantially in the shape of a P, the belly of which is oriented towards the front.

8. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said front portion (124) of the support (120) is rigidly connected to said cross bumper beam (101) by means of a sheet metal connecting plate (150) fixed by its upper portion to this front portion (124) and by its lower portion to the rear face of this beam (101).

9. Motor vehicle (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that said support (120) also comprises a receiving portion (122) extending substantially vertically downwards from and along the front edge of said upper attachment portion (121), and on which said lock (110) is fixedly mounted.

10. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that said support (120) also comprises an intermediate portion (123) connecting said receiving portion (122) to said front portion (124), said intermediate portion (123) having a first section (123A) extending substantially horizontally forward from and along the lower edge of said receiving portion (122), and a second section (123B) extending said first section (123A) diagonally forward and downward.

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