DEVICE TRANSVERSELY OFFSETTING A JACK PAD AT THE LEVEL OF A PORTION OF THE UNDERBODY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE

Abstract

DEVICE FOR TRANSVERSELY OFFSETTING A JACK PAD AT A PORTION OF THE UNDERBODY OF A MOTOR VEHICLE The present invention relates to a device (12) for positioning a jack pad (10) at a portion of the underbody of a motor vehicle (2), said device comprising a body (14) provided with a rib (14.1) intended to engage with a corresponding groove (10.1) of the jack pad, remarkable in that said device comprises a beak (16) formed by an internal lateral part (14.2) of the body and by a clamping jaw (18) sliding relative to said body, said beak being intended to engage with, and clamp, a side member rebate (4.1) of the motor vehicle, and the rib being offset from the internal lateral part, along a transverse extent of the body, so as to offset the jack pad transversely towards the exterior of said motor vehicle. (Figure to be published with the abstract: Figure 6)

Description

Title of the invention: DEVICE FOR TRANSVERSELY OFFSETTING A JACK PAD AT THE LEVEL OF A PORTION OF UNDERBODY OF MOTOR VEHICLE Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, more particularly the field of the structure of motor vehicles. Prior art

[0002] The platforms of motor vehicles comprising an electric traction energy accumulator have a passenger compartment floor fixed to the side members and form a cavity for receiving the traction batteries which are conventionally configured to be entirely covered, either by a battery tray in the case of models with a cover, or by a front floor of the motor vehicle in the case of models without a cover.

[0003] For maintenance or repair operations on vehicles equipped with such platforms and to extract the battery located under the vehicle, mechanical workshops traditionally use lifting bridges. In this respect, motor vehicles are often equipped with jack supports welded to the rear side members to receive rubber jack pads under the body, thus allowing the vehicle to be lifted.

[0004] However, these jack pads take up considerable space under the body and may require cutouts in the side profiles of the battery to allow their passage and ensure support on the body.

[0005] This configuration leads to several problems related to inefficient use of battery volume and constraints on the positioning of the pad. Indeed, this limits the space available for the battery, which can reduce its autonomy, and can also prevent the passage of pipes or electrical harnesses in the profiles.

[0006] This problem is even more penalizing when the motor vehicle has an open battery (without cover) capped under the body. Indeed, in this configuration, the use of jack pads generally involves a local reduction in the transverse width of the battery receiving cavity of approximately 100 mm, in order to free up space for the arrangement of the jack pads.

[0007] This local reduction in width in the floor has strong repercussions on the width available for the battery. This requires, until now, two solutions: designing a specific shape of battery, which leads to high complexity and costs, or reducing all the modules over the entire longitudinal length of the battery to avoid diversity, but this results in a significant decrease in battery life.

[0008] Thus, there is a need to allow lifting and dismantling of the traction battery of motor vehicles, without hindering the volume available for said battery at floor level. Statement of the invention

[0009] 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, efficient and economical solution making it possible to guarantee, on the platforms of motor vehicles, a more efficient volume for the electric traction energy accumulator.

[0010] To this end, the invention relates to a device for positioning a jack pad at a portion of the underbody of a motor vehicle, said device comprising a body provided with a rib intended to engage with a corresponding groove of the jack pad, remarkable in that said device comprises a beak formed by an internal lateral part of the body and by a clamping jaw sliding relative to said body, said beak being intended to engage with, and clamp, a rebate of the side member of the motor vehicle, and the rib being offset from the internal lateral part, along a transverse extent of the body, so as to offset the jack pad transversely towards the outside of said motor vehicle.

[0011] Advantageously, the transverse extent of the body of the device corresponds to a transverse direction of the motor vehicle, in the normal mounting position of said device on said motor vehicle.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the body further comprises an external lateral part opposite said internal lateral part along the transverse extent of said body, said external lateral part comprising at least one screw for controlling a tightening of the clamping jaw against the corresponding spar rebate.

[0013] According to one embodiment, said device comprises at least one holding rod, extending essentially vertically to the transverse extent of the body, and intended to pass through an external side member to come to bear against a side member reinforcement of the corresponding motor vehicle.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the at least one retaining rod comprises a distal portion provided with a support head intended to bear directly against the side member reinforcement of the motor vehicle, said support head being linked by a ball joint to the corresponding retaining rod.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the at least one holding rod comprises a proximal portion provided with a thread cooperating with the body of said device, so as to allow adjustable tightening of said at least one retaining rod against the corresponding side member reinforcement.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the internal lateral part comprises a centering pin intended to pass through an opening in the side member rebate of the motor vehicle to be inserted into a corresponding hole in the clamping jaw.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the rib is transversely at a distance of at least 50 mm from an inner face of the internal lateral part of the body, said inner face being configured to contact the spar rebate.

[0018] Preferably, the centering pin protrudes from the inner face of the internal lateral part of the body.

[0019] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising: - two side members extending longitudinally on either side of a passenger compartment floor, each side member comprising a side member rebate formed by a successive junction of an inner side member, a jack support fixed to said inner side member, a side member reinforcement, and an outer side member, remarkable in that each of the two side members is configured to receive a device for positioning a jack pad according to the invention, and the side member rebate preferably comprising an opening for the passage of a centering pin extending from the inner lateral part and intended to be inserted into a corresponding hole in the clamping jaw.

[0020] Preferably, the jack support is directly fixed by welding to the inner side member, and said inner side member corresponds to a rear inner side member of the motor vehicle.

[0021] The invention also relates to a method for lifting a motor vehicle for extracting a traction energy accumulator from said motor vehicle, comprising the following steps: - engagement of the beak of a device for positioning a jack pad according to the invention, with a rebate of the side member of the motor vehicle; - insertion of at least one retaining rod through a corresponding orifice on an external side member of the motor vehicle, until it rests against a side member reinforcement of said motor vehicle; - bringing together a jack pad, and engaging the rib of the device with a corresponding groove of the jack pad.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the step of engaging the beak comprises the following steps: - insertion of a centering pin extending from the internal lateral part into an opening in the side member rebate; - contacting an inner face of the internal lateral part against a face internal of the spar rebate; - clamping the jaw against an external face of said spar rebate, accompanied by insertion of the centering pin into a corresponding hole in the clamping jaw.

[0023] The measures of the invention are advantageous in that the device makes it possible to ensure a transverse offset of at least 50 mm of the position of the jack pads at the level of each side member, when lifting the motor vehicle, thus making it possible to locally increase the width of the space in the body receiving the battery.

[0024] This then makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the battery and to obtain a better filling rate, thus ensuring a considerable reduction in costs, in particular by allowing the use of modules of identical dimensions, i.e. standardization of the shape of the batteries between different models of motor vehicles. Brief description of the drawings

[0025] [Fig-1] represents a body of a motor vehicle comprising two side members extending longitudinally on either side of a passenger compartment floor accommodating an electric traction energy accumulator, and configured to receive a device for positioning a jack pad according to the invention;

[0026] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of the device for positioning a skate jack according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig.3] schematically illustrates a sectional view, along a transverse axis, of a side members of the motor vehicle of [Fig.l], receiving the device according to the invention, during engagement of a beak of said device with a rebate of a side member of said motor vehicle;

[0028] [Fig.4] represents a perspective view of the device according to the invention, mounted on the corresponding spar, after a support rod of said device is pressed against a spar reinforcement;

[0029] [Fig.5] schematically illustrates a sectional view, along a transverse axis, of the device according to the invention, mounted on the corresponding side member, said device comprising a body provided with a rib engaged with a corresponding groove of the jack pad; [Fig.6] represents a perspective view of the device according to the invention, mounted on the corresponding side member, and offsetting the jack pad transversely towards the outside of said motor vehicle. Detailed description

[0030] [Fig.l] represents a body 3 of a motor vehicle 2 comprising two side members 4 extending longitudinally (along the longitudinal axis X) on either side of a passenger compartment floor 6 accommodating an electrical energy accumulator of traction 8, commonly referred to as battery 8.

[0031] The motor vehicle 2 is an electrically powered vehicle, in which the battery 8 is covered under the body 3. Preferably, it is an open battery 8 (without a cover), and it is the floor 6 which closes the battery 8, thus replacing the battery cover conventionally used.

[0032] We can see, in dotted lines, an illustration of two jack pads 10' arranged in line with each of the two side members 4 (which preferably correspond to rear side members), in view of a lifting operation of the motor vehicle 2. The pads 10' are here positioned according to the conventional arrangement of the prior art, in which each pad 10' tramples on approximately 50 mm of the total transverse width of the battery 8 (along the transverse axis Y).

[0033] Advantageously, the present invention proposes a method for lifting the motor vehicle 2, in particular to allow extraction of the traction battery 8 from said motor vehicle 2, said method comprising the use of a device for positioning a jack pad according to the invention (shown in [Fig.2]), configured to engage with each of the rear side members 4 of the motor vehicle 2, said device will be detailed later in this description.

[0034] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of the device 12 according to the invention for positioning a jack pad at the level of a portion of the underbody of the motor vehicle of [Fig.l], in order to ensure a lifting operation of said vehicle.

[0035] The device 12 comprises a body 14 provided with a rib 14.1 intended to engage with a corresponding groove of the jack pad, and comprises an internal lateral part 14.2 intended to contact an internal face of a spar rebate (not shown here), and an external lateral part 14.3 opposite said internal lateral part, along the transverse extent of said body 14 (along the Y axis).

[0036] The body 14 is not limited to a single rib 14.1, it may comprise a plurality of ribs (not shown) which may, for example, be arranged along the transverse extent of the body 14. This would make it possible to secure the adhesion of the body 14 to the corresponding jack pad. In another alternative not shown, the rib 14.1 may be optional, and the body 14 may be devoid of ribs, in this configuration, the jack pad may be positioned, for example, by means of a stop 26 projecting vertically (along the Z axis) and which may wedge said pad at its periphery.

[0037] Advantageously, the device has a spout 16 formed by the internal lateral part 14.2 of the body 14, as well as by a clamping jaw 18 sliding relative to said body 14.

[0038] Preferably, the external lateral part 14.3 comprises at least one screw 20 for control the sliding and tightening of the clamping jaw 18 against the corresponding spar rebate. A single screw 20 may be sufficient to allow the jaw 18 to slide and thus ensure the clamping of the beak. More preferably, two screws 20 are arranged at the external lateral part 14.3, so as to facilitate sliding, in particular to avoid the risk of the jaw 18 buckling.

[0039] In this configuration, each screw 20 is connected at its end, by a pivot connection with the jaw 18, so as to control the latter between an opening position of the beak 16, and a closing position of said beak (represented in dotted lines by a jaw 18' advanced towards the internal lateral part 14.2).

[0040] To facilitate the engagement of the nose 16 with the spar rebate, the internal lateral part 14.2 comprises a centering pin 22, projecting from its internal face 14.4, and configured to pass through an opening in said spar rebate, before being inserted into a corresponding hole 18.1 on the clamping jaw 18 when the nose 16 is in the closed position. This makes it considerably easier to manually engage the nose 16 with the spar, in particular when this is done blindly.

[0041] Alternatively, the centering pin 22 may be optional, with centering provided directly by the screw(s) 20, thus being able to ensure both the centering of the device 12 on the spar rebate 4.1, and the tightening of the beak 16 against said rebate 4.1.

[0042] [Fig. 3] schematically illustrates a sectional view along a transverse axis Y, of one of the two side members 4 of the motor vehicle 2, during a first step of the method of lifting the motor vehicle 2 according to the method of the invention.

[0043] Preferably, the spar groove 4.1 is formed by a successive junction of an inner spar 4.2 (rear), a jack support 4.3 fixed to said inner spar 4.2, a spar reinforcement 4.4, and an outer spar 4.5.

[0044] It can be seen that the centering pin 22 is inserted into the corresponding opening 4.7 of the spar rebate 4.1, and the inner face 14.4 of the body 14 is in abutment against the outer face 5 of the spar rebate 4.1. Such a design considerably facilitates the engagement of the nose 16 with the spar 4. In this configuration, a rotation of the screws 20 makes it possible to move the clamping jaw 18 transversely closer, to clamp the latter against an outer face 5.1 of the rebate 4.1. For this, the screw 20 has a shoulder 20.1 adjacent to the pivot connection 18.2 with the jaw 18.

[0045] Preferably, the outer spar 4.5 has at least one orifice 4.6 allowing the passage of at least one retaining rod (visible in [Fig.4]). Said at least one retaining rod may comprise between one and four rods distributed along a longitudinal extent of the body 14.

[0046] Alternatively, the device 12 according to the invention may be without a rod of maintenance, in particular when the spar rebate 4.1 is sufficiently rigid to ensure the maintenance of said device 12.

[0047] Preferably, the at least one holding rod comprises a single rod extending essentially vertically (along the Z axis) to the body 14 of the device 12.

[0048] [Fig. 4] represents a perspective view of the device 12 according to the invention mounted on the spar 4, following engagement of the beak 16 with the spar rebate 4.1.

[0049] Preferably, the holding rod 24 comprises a distal portion 24.1 provided with a bearing head 25 bearing directly against the spar reinforcement 4.4 after passing through the orifice 4.6 of the outer spar 4.5. The bearing head 25 being connected by a ball joint to the holding rod 24, so as to allow it to adapt to any inclination of the reinforcement 4.4. The holding rod 24 further comprises a proximal portion 24.2 provided with a thread (not shown) cooperating with the body 14 in order to allow adjustable tightening of said rod 24 against the corresponding reinforcement 4.4.

[0050] Here, the support head 25 illustrated bearing against the side member reinforcement 4.4, makes it possible to fix the device 12 on the side member 4, and thus effectively distribute the forces (weight of the motor vehicle 2 on the jack) between the rebate 4.1 and said reinforcement 4.4. The support head 25' illustrated in dotted lines corresponds to the holding rod 24 before it is tightened against the reinforcement 4.4.

[0051] After tightening the holding rod 25, then the device 12 is ready to receive the jack pad, as illustrated in [Fig.5].

[0052] [Fig. 5] schematically illustrates a sectional view, along the transverse axis Y, of the device 12 according to the invention, mounted on the side member 4, with the rib 14.1 engaged with the corresponding groove of the jack pad 10.

[0053] It can be seen that the jack pad 10' illustrated in dotted lines corresponds to one of the two pads 10' visible in [Fig.l], at the level of the underbody of the motor vehicle 2 and to a position of the pads of the state of the art (without use of the device of the invention).

[0054] Advantageously, the device 12 according to the invention makes it possible to shift the jack pad 10 transversely towards the outside of the motor vehicle 2, so as to move it away from the traction battery 8. This shift is represented by the dotted arrow A, and is between 50 and 100 mm, and is preferably equal to approximately 51 mm (±5 mm).

[0055] The offset A is obtained in particular thanks to the arrangement of the rib 14.1, which is arranged at a distance D of at least 50 mm from the inner face 14.4 of the internal lateral part 14.2. Preferably, the distance D is equal to approximately 80 mm (±20 mm).

[0056] Advantageously, the offset A obtained using the device 12 also makes it possible to obtain a de-capping clearance J equal to approximately 10 mm. This clearance J makes it easier to disassembly of the battery 8, limiting the risk of shock with the device 12.

[0057] [Fig.6] represents a perspective view of the device 12 according to the invention. Here, said device 12 moves the jack pad 10 transversely towards the outside of the motor vehicle 2, by means of the rib 14.1 engaged in the groove 10.1 of the jack pad 10. Advantageously, said groove 10.1 corresponds to a central groove of the jack pad 10.

[0058] Preferably, the device 12 comprises lateral stops 26 extending vertically in the extension of the internal lateral part 14.2, and making it possible to ensure firm lateral support of the jack pad 10, and thus secure the extraction of the traction battery 8. Alternatively, the stops 26 can form an enveloping wall encompassing the lateral periphery of the jack pad 10, while allowing mounting clearance.

[0059] Advantageously, the transverse offset of the jack pads 10 ensured by means of the device 12 makes it possible to locally obtain a gain in the transverse width of the battery 8, the latter being equal to approximately 100 mm.

[0060] Thus, the battery 8 gains in efficiency, with a better energy / vehicle width filling rate. In addition, the battery 8 can have modules of the same size, which considerably reduces costs by limiting diversity.

[0061] Furthermore, the use of the device 12 for lifting the motor vehicle 2 makes it possible to avoid reinforcing its structure to compensate for the cutouts in the lateral profiles for the passage of the pads (which were necessary on certain state-of-the-art motor vehicle platforms), thus avoiding an increase in the total mass of the motor vehicle 2, and the costs linked to the reinforcement parts.

[0062] In addition, the transverse offset of the jack pads 10 makes it possible to free up sufficient space between said pads 10 and the battery 8 to allow easy passage of the pipes and / or electrical harnesses in corresponding profiles of the structure of the motor vehicle 2.

Claims

Claims

1. Device (12) for positioning a jack pad (10) at a portion of the underbody of a motor vehicle (2), said device (12) comprising a body (14) provided with a rib (14.1) intended to engage with a corresponding groove (10.1) of the jack pad (10), characterized in that said device (12) comprises a beak (16) formed by an internal lateral part (14.2) of the body (14) and by a clamping jaw (18) sliding relative to said body (14), said beak (16) being intended to engage with, and clamp, a side member rebate (4.1) of the motor vehicle (2), and the rib (14.1) being offset from the internal lateral part (14.2), along a transverse extent of the body (14), so as to offset the jack pad (10) transversely towards the outside of said motor vehicle (2).

2. Device (12) according to claim 1, wherein the body (14) further comprises an external lateral part (14.3) opposite said internal lateral part (14.2) along the transverse extent of said body (14), said external lateral part (14.3) comprising at least one screw (20) for controlling a tightening of the tightening jaw (18) against the corresponding spar rebate (4.1).

3. Device (12) according to one of claims 1 and 2, comprising at least one holding rod (24), extending essentially vertically to the transverse extent of the body (14), and intended to pass through an external side member (4.5) to come to bear against a side member reinforcement (4.4) of the corresponding motor vehicle (2).

4. Device (12) according to claim 3, in which the at least one holding rod (24) comprises a distal portion (24.1) provided with a support head (25) intended to bear directly against the side member reinforcement (4.4) of the motor vehicle (2), said support head (25) being linked by a ball joint to the corresponding holding rod (24).

5. Device (12) according to one of claims 3 and 4, in which the at least one holding rod (24) comprises a proximal portion (24.2) provided with a thread cooperating with the body (14) of said device (12), so as to allow adjustable tightening of said at least one holding rod (24) against the corresponding spar reinforcement (4.4).

6. Device (12) according to one of claims 1 to 5, in which the part internal side (14.2) comprises a centering pin (22) intended to pass through an opening (4.7) in the side member rebate (4.1) of the motor vehicle (2) to be inserted into a corresponding hole (18.1) in the clamping jaw (18).

7. Device (12) according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rib (14.1) is transversely at a distance (D) of at least 50 mm from an inner face (14.4) of the internal lateral part (14.2) of the body (14), said inner face (14.4) being configured to contact the spar rebate (4.1).

8. Motor vehicle (2) comprising: - two side members (4) extending longitudinally on either side of a passenger compartment floor (6), each side member (4) comprising a side member rebate (4.1) formed by a successive junction of an inner side member (4.2), a jack support (4.3) fixed to said inner side member (4.2), a side member reinforcement (4.4), and an outer side member (4.5), characterized in that each of the two side members (4) is configured to receive a device (12) for positioning a jack pad (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, and the side member rebate (4.1) preferably comprising an opening (4.7) for the passage of a centering pin (22) extending from the inner lateral part (14.2) and intended to be inserted into a corresponding hole (18.1) of the clamping jaw (18).

9. Method for lifting a motor vehicle (2) for extraction of a traction energy accumulator (8) from said motor vehicle (2), comprising the following steps: - engagement of the nose (16) of a device (12) for positioning a jack pad (10) according to one of claims 1 to 7, with a side member rebate (4.1) of the motor vehicle (2); - insertion of at least one holding rod (24) through a corresponding orifice (4.6) on an outer side member (4.5) of the motor vehicle (2), until it bears against a side member reinforcement (4.4) of said motor vehicle (2); - bringing a jack pad (10) closer, and engagement of the rib (14.1) of the device (12) with a corresponding groove (10.1) of the jack pad (10).

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of engaging the beak (16) includes the following steps: - insertion of a centering pin (22) extending from the internal lateral part (14.2) into an opening (4.7) of the spar rebate (4.1); - contacting an inner face (14.4) of the internal lateral part (14.2) against an inner face (5) of the spar rebate (4.1); - clamping the jaw (18) against an external face (5.1) of said spar rebate (4.1), accompanied by insertion of the centering pin (22) into a corresponding hole (18.1) of the clamping jaw (18).

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