STORAGE BASKET UNDER THE HOOD OF A MOTOR VEHICLE FRONT TRUNK

FR3159357A1Pending Publication Date: 2025-08-22STELLANTIS AUTO SAS
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Patent Information

Application Number
FR2024001549
Authority / Receiving Office
FR · FR
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-02-16
Publication Date
2025-08-22

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Abstract

STORAGE BASKET UNDER THE HOOD OF A FRONT TRUNK OF A MOTOR VEHICLE The present invention relates to a motor vehicle (2) comprising: - a body structure (4) comprising two front wings (6); - a hood (8) arranged at the front of the body structure; said hood, in the closed position, being adjacent to said two front wings and covering a front trunk (10) of said motor vehicle, remarkable in that said motor vehicle further comprises a storage basket (12) attached to the front hood, and configured to be housed within said front trunk when the hood is in the closed position, and dislodged from said front trunk when the hood is in the open position. (Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 1)
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Description

Title of the invention: STORAGE BASKET UNDER THE HOOD OF A FRONT TRUNK OF A MOTOR VEHICLE Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, more particularly the field of storage spaces located under the hood of motor vehicles. Prior art

[0002] Electrically powered motor vehicles, without a combustion engine at the front, offer a notable advantage: they free up space that can be used for other purposes, particularly for storage space. Indeed, in series-produced electric vehicles equipped with an electric motor as the sole means of propulsion, a battery mounted at the floor of the body allows the space traditionally occupied by the thermal engine block under the hood to be freed up.

[0003] This freed-up space at the front of the vehicle is often converted into a trunk, ideal for storing luggage. This front trunk, commonly referred to as the "front trunk" or by its English contraction "frunk", has become a familiar feature of electric cars. The term "frunk" is a portmanteau word formed from the English words "front" and "trunk", used to distinguish the front trunk from the rear trunk on electric motor vehicles equipped with two trunks.

[0004] However, despite this innovative use of space at the front, accessibility to these storage volumes can be problematic, especially when they are deep. Users are often forced to bend down to access the back of these spaces, which implies an unergonomic posture. This situation is perceived as uncomfortable and may also reflect a perception of poor quality of the motor vehicle.

[0005] Published patent document WO 2022 / 48834 A1 discloses a lifting system integrated into the tailgate of a motor vehicle, combined with a movable floor mounted on rails in the trunk of the vehicle, said system making it possible to receive a load on the ground and automatically place it in the trunk, thus improving loading ergonomics.

[0006] However, the solution proposed by the document does not make it possible to overcome the drawbacks presented above, because the lifting system is not suitable for the front trunks of motor vehicles. Statement of the invention

[0007] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the aforementioned state of the art. More particularly, the invention aims to propose a simple and economical solution aimed at making the use of the front trunk of motor vehicles more ergonomic, while making it suitable for frequent and regular use.

[0008] To this end, the invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising: - a body structure comprising two front wings; - a hood located at the front of the body structure; said hood, in the closed position, being adjacent to said two front wings and covering a front trunk of said motor vehicle, remarkable in that said motor vehicle further comprises a storage basket attached to the front hood, and configured to be housed within said front trunk when the hood is in the closed position, and dislodged from said front trunk when the hood is in the open position.

[0009] Preferably, the motor vehicle is exclusively electric-powered.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the hood comprises a hood liner, and the storage basket being attached to said hood liner by means of at least one pivot axis.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the at least one pivot axis forming a hinge between the hood lining and a rear upper edge of the basket.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the storage basket comprises side walls delimiting an internal volume of said storage basket, and further comprises an opening flap, giving access to said internal volume.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the opening flap is arranged at the front of the storage basket.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the front trunk is formed by walls comprising at least one guide wall configured to ensure sliding guidance of at least one side wall of the storage basket, between the open and closed positions of the hood.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the at least one guide wall comprises a front transverse wall of the front trunk, and the opening flap being configured to slide along a vertical extent of said front transverse wall, during opening and closing movements of the hood.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the at least one guide wall and the opening flap are inclined by at least 10° relative to a vertical direction of the motor vehicle.

[0017] According to one embodiment, at least one of the walls of the front trunk comprises an upper portion, in the vertical direction, which is inclined by at least 30° relative to a corresponding lower portion.

[0018] Preferably, the rear wall of the front trunk comprises an upper portion inclined upwards and towards the rear of the motor vehicle.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the storage basket comprises a total volume of between 10 dm3 and 500 dm3.

[0020] Preferably, the storage basket occupies at least 80% of the total volume of the front trunk when the hood is in the closed position.

[0021] The measures of the invention are advantageous in that the storage basket mounted on the hood of the motor vehicle according to the invention improves the ergonomics and comfort of use of the front trunk. By offering the user the possibility of maintaining an upright posture, the opening of the opening flap is located at an ideal height, thus eliminating the need to bend down to access the storage located at the bottom of the trunk.

[0022] In addition, the solution proposed by the present invention is simple to install and inexpensive, and makes it possible to effectively replace the initial storage volume of the front trunk. Thus, the storage basket, accompanying the opening of the hood, makes the use of the front trunk more ergonomic and comfortable. Brief description of the drawings

[0023] [Fig.l] illustrates a schematic and sectional view of a motor vehicle according to the invention, comprising a storage basket mounted on a hood in the open position and dislodged from a front trunk of said motor vehicle;

[0024] [Fig.2] illustrates a schematic and sectional view of the motor vehicle of [Fig.l], when the hood is in the closed position and where the storage basket is housed within the front trunk. Detailed description

[0025] [Fig.l] illustrates a schematic and sectional view of a motor vehicle 2 according to the invention, comprising a body structure 4 comprising two front wings 6 and a hood 8 arranged at the front of said body structure 4 at the level of a front trunk 10 of said motor vehicle 2.

[0026] Advantageously, the motor vehicle 2 comprises a storage basket 12 attached to the hood 8, and configured to be housed within said front trunk 10 when the hood 8 is in the closed position (as illustrated in [Fig.2]), said basket 12 also being configured to be dislodged from the front trunk 10 when the hood 8 is in the open position (as illustrated in this [Fig.l]).

[0027] In this configuration, the storage basket 12 makes it possible to replace the storage volume of the front trunk 10, so as to present said storage volume directly to the user at a height (along the vertical direction Z) which does not require an uncomfortable position for the user, as is the case during use classic lization of the deep front trunk 10 of the state of the art. Thus, the storage basket 12 accompanying the opening of the hood 8, makes the use of the front trunk 10 more ergonomic.

[0028] In this regard, the storage basket 12 comprises side walls 12.1 delimiting an internal volume 12.2 of said storage basket 12 (corresponding to the storage volume), and further comprises an opening flap 12.3 preferably arranged at the front of the basket 12 and giving access to the internal volume 12.2. The opening flap 12.3' illustrated in dotted lines corresponds to the latter in the open position.

[0029] Preferably, the storage basket 12 is attached to a hood lining 8.1 by means of at least one pivot axis 14. More preferably, the at least one pivot axis 14 forming a hinge with the lining 8.1, and comprising between one and six hinges extending in a transverse direction of the motor vehicle 2, said hinges 14 assembling said lining 8.1 to a rear upper edge 12.4 of the storage basket 12.

[0030] The hood 8 is mounted on the body structure 6 by means of jacks 9 sized according to the total mass of the storage basket 12.

[0031] Advantageously, the hinges 14 make it possible to maintain a substantially vertical orientation (along the Z axis) of the storage basket 12 movable between the open and closed positions of the cover 8. Consequently, the basket 12 remains vertical when it is movable between the open position and the closed position of the cover 8, and vice versa.

[0032] For this purpose, the side walls 12.1 of the basket 12 are configured, at least in part, to slide along walls 10.1, 10.2 of the front trunk 10. Indeed, the front trunk 10 is formed by walls 10.1 comprising at least one guide wall 10.2 configured to ensure sliding guidance of at least one side wall 12.1 of the storage basket 12.

[0033] Preferably, the at least one guide wall 10.2 comprises a front transverse wall 10.2 of the front trunk 10, and the opening flap 12.3 being configured to slide (along the Z axis) along said front transverse wall 10.2, during opening and closing movements of the hood 8.

[0034] [Fig.2] illustrates a schematic and sectional view of the motor vehicle 2 of [Fig.l], when the hood 8 is in the closed position and where the storage basket 12 is housed within the front trunk 10.

[0035] The hood 8 in its closed position is adjacent to the two front wings 6 and covering the front trunk 10 of the motor vehicle 8. Post-sliding contact can be observed between the front transverse wall 10.2 and the opening flap 12.3 of the storage basket 12.

[0036] In order to facilitate the insertion and removal of the storage basket 12 from the front trunk 10, the guide wall(s) 10.1, 10.2 of the front trunk 10 are inclined by at least 10° relative to the Z axis, this inclination can be up to 50°. Preferably, the front transverse wall 10.2 is inclined towards the front of the motor vehicle by approximately 15° (±5°).

[0037] Advantageously, the mobility of the storage basket 12 towards and outside the front trunk 10 is further facilitated, by means of an inclination of at least 30° of an upper portion 10.3 of one or more walls 10.1 forming said front trunk 10. For example, in [Fig.2], the wall 10.1 arranged at the rear of the front trunk 10, comprises an upper portion 10.3 (corresponding to at most half of a vertical extent of said wall 10.1), which is inclined rearwardly and upwardly, by an angle equal to approximately 45° (±10°), while a lower portion 10.4 of said wall 10.1 is substantially vertical.

[0038] Preferably, the internal volume 12.2 of the storage basket 12 is equal to at least 10 dm3 and at most 500 dm3, and is more preferably between 50 dm3 and 300 dm3. Advantageously, the storage basket 12 occupies at least 80% of a total volume of the front trunk 10 when the hood 8 is in the closed position, and preferably occupies almost all of the volume of said front trunk 10.

[0039] Advantageously, the storage basket 12 mounted on the hood 8 of the motor vehicle 2 according to the invention makes it possible to improve the ergonomics and comfort of use of the front trunk 10, by offering the user the possibility of maintaining an upright posture. Indeed, the opening of the flap 12.3 is located at an ideal height, thus eliminating the need to bend down to access the storage spaces located at the bottom of the front trunk 10.

Claims

Claims

1. Motor vehicle (2) comprising: - a body structure (4) comprising two front wings (6); - a hood (8) arranged at the front of the body structure (4); said hood (8), in the closed position, being adjacent to said two front wings (6) and covering a front trunk (10) of said motor vehicle (2), characterized in that said motor vehicle (2) further comprising a storage basket (12) attached to the hood (8), and configured to be housed within said front trunk (10) when the hood (8) is in the closed position, and dislodged from said front trunk (10) when the hood (8) is in the open position.

2. A motor vehicle (2) according to claim 1, wherein the hood (8) comprises a hood liner (8.1), and the storage basket (12) being attached to said hood liner (8.1) by means of at least one pivot pin (14).

3. Motor vehicle (2) according to claim 2, wherein the at least one pivot axis (14) forms a hinge between the hood lining (8.1) and a rear upper edge (12.4) of the basket (12).

4. Motor vehicle (2) according to one of claims 1 to 3, in which the storage basket (12) comprises side walls (12.1, 12.3) delimiting an internal volume (12.2) of said storage basket (12), and further comprises an opening flap (12.3) giving access to said internal volume (12.2).

5. Motor vehicle (2) according to claim 4, wherein the opening flap (12.3) is arranged at the front of the storage basket (12).

6. Motor vehicle (2) according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the front trunk (10) is formed by walls (10.1) comprising at least one guide wall (10.1, 10.2, 10.3) configured to ensure sliding guidance of at least one side wall (12.1, 12.3) of the storage basket (12), between the open and closed positions of the hood (8).

7. Motor vehicle (2) according to claims 5 and 6, wherein the at least one guide wall (10.1, 10.2, 10.3) comprises a front transverse wall (10.2) of the front trunk (10), and the opening flap (12.3) being configured to slide along a vertical extent of said front transverse wall (10.2), during opening and closing movements of the hood (8).

8. Motor vehicle (2) according to one of claims 4 and 5, and according to one of claims 6 and 7, in which the at least one guide wall (10.1, 10.2, 10.3) and the opening flap (12.3) are inclined by at least 10° relative to a vertical direction (Z) of the motor vehicle (2).

9. Motor vehicle (2) according to one of claims 6 to 8, in which at least one of the walls (10.1) of the front trunk (10) comprises an upper portion (10.3), in the vertical direction (Z), which is inclined by at least 30° relative to a corresponding lower portion (10.4).

10. Motor vehicle (2) according to one of claims 1 to 9, in which the storage basket (12) comprises a total volume (12.2) of between 10 dm3 and 500 dm3.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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