Front facade of motor vehicles with an improved structure for pedestrian protection

Abstract

The invention relates to a front fascia of a motor vehicle comprising, respectively, two vertical beams (B) mounted on either side of the fascia, two side spotlights (P), and an upper crossmember (1) provided with two holes (10) for mounting screw fasteners (2) on said beams, characterized in that said holes (10) of the upper crossmember have an oblong profile allowing for the guided retraction of said crossmember (1) and the absorption of the impact in the event of a collision to the front of the vehicle. (Fig. 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Front facade of motor vehicles with an improved structure for pedestrian protection

[0001] The invention relates, in general, to the field of passive safety of motor vehicles and is concerned, more particularly, with a structural improvement of the front facade intended to improve the protection of pedestrians in the event of a collision.

[0002] The front end of current motor vehicles must meet a set of critical regulatory requirements that mandate the presence of a clear space to allow for the sudden rearward movement of all technical components under the effect of an impact. Thus, for reasons of safety and pedestrian protection, this space must present no resistance or obstacle likely to generate a peak force, particularly in the area known as the "pedestrian impact corridor."

[0003] This front front generally comprises two vertical struts mounted on either side of the vehicle, two side spotlights and an upper cross member with two through holes for mounting screwing devices on the struts.

[0004] The crossbar is generally fixed, in a rigid manner and therefore without freedom of movement, against the hood latch and resting on the upper part of the stretchers, by means of simple screws.

[0005] However, it has been observed that in the event of a collision between the vehicle and a pedestrian, it sometimes happens that his leg strikes the projector and causes it to move back until it comes into contact with the upper cross member of the facade.

[0006] But, both the parts involved in the rigid fixing of this cross member and the connection between the screw, the cross member and the frame, prevent the projector from continuing its recoil movement to cushion the shock.

[0007] Consequently, in the event of a front-end collision of the vehicle, the current configuration of the facade significantly degrades the effectiveness of the so-called "femur impact" protection and thus significantly increases the risk of serious injury to the pedestrian impacted.

[0008] Patent EP2127956 describes a device for adjusting the position of a bumper frame for mounting on the body of a motor vehicle. This device comprises a support piece on the body provided, on the one hand, with an oblong vertical slot for slidingly receiving a horizontal axis carried by the frame and, on the other hand, with a tab acting elastically on the axis.

[0009] However, this device is primarily intended for the vertical adjustment of the bumper frame's position and offers no freedom of longitudinal movement of the frame towards the rear in the event of a frontal impact on the vehicle. Yet, it is precisely the lack of this freedom of movement that poses a problem for pedestrian safety.

[0010] In this context, the invention consisted of seeking a technical solution to ensure shock absorption by giving the upper cross member of the facade a freedom of movement towards the rear in the event of an impact at the front of the vehicle at the level of the projector and to dampen, and therefore reduce, by this means the forces exerted on the leg of a pedestrian during an accidental collision.

[0011] This goal is achieved, according to the invention, by means of a front facade of a motor vehicle comprising, respectively, two vertical beams mounted on either side of the facade, two side projectors and an upper cross member provided with two holes for the mounting of screwing elements on said beams, characterized in that said holes of the upper cross member have an oblong profile allowing the guided recoil of said cross member and the damping of the impact in the event of a collision at the front of the vehicle.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the front of the invention, each of the stretchers has a flat surface intended for the support of the upper crossbar and in which a tapped bore is made for the installation of the screwing element.

[0013] According to an advantageous feature of the front of the invention, the oblong profile orifices extend in a substantially horizontal plane.

[0014] In this embodiment, the upper cross member is framed by the side spotlights which extend at least partially in relation to the stretchers and the oblong profile openings.

[0015] Another object of the invention is a method of assembling the front facade defined above, characterized in that the upper cross member is positioned in the longitudinal direction such that the screwing members are fixed between the middle part and the rear end of the oblong profile holes.

[0016] Yet another object of the invention is a motor vehicle comprising a front end having the characteristics defined above.

[0017] Thus, in principle, the invention proposes a front facade of a motor vehicle which, in the event of a frontal collision with a pedestrian, and in particular against one of the headlights, provides significant cushioning of the impact and a reduction in the severity of the injuries suffered by that pedestrian.

[0018] Thanks to the invention, the upper crossbar no longer behaves like a rigid stop when in contact with the projector and thus avoids a peak of forces that is detrimental to the physical integrity of the pedestrian impacted.

[0019] In addition, the invention is simple to implement on different types and models of vehicles with similar architecture without degrading the perceived quality and style because the area of ​​implantation of the upper crossmember with its oblong orifices is located under the hood and is therefore not apparent.

[0020] Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, with reference to the accompanying figures, for which:

[0021] [Fig.1] is a partial perspective view (half view) of a traditional front facade of a motor vehicle.

[0022] [Fig.2] is a top perspective detail view of an embodiment preferential of a front facade according to the invention.

[0023] [Fig.3] is a detailed top perspective view of the facade of [Fig.2] in the absence of shock.

[0024] [Fig.4] is a top perspective detail view of the facade of [Fig.2] after an impact on the projector.

[0025] For clarity, identical or similar elements are identified by identical reference signs throughout the figures.

[0026] Naturally, the embodiments of the front facade according to the invention, schematically illustrated in the figures above and described below, are given only by way of non-limiting examples. It is explicitly provided for within the scope of the invention that different embodiments can be proposed and combined to create others.

[0027] The invention relates to the general field of passive safety of motor vehicles and is more particularly concerned with the structure of the front facade.

[0028] Generally and as illustrated by [Fig.1], the front of motor vehicles includes, in particular, two vertical beams B (only one of which is shown here) mounted on either side of the front, two side projectors P (only one of the projectors is shown here) and an upper cross member 1 provided with two holes 10 through the cross member and intended for the mounting of screwing elements 2 on the beams B. These holes extend in a substantially horizontal plane.

[0029] This cross member 1 is thus rigidly blocked towards the rear against the hood latch G and supported on the upper part of the stretchers B, by means of simple screws 4 and without freedom of longitudinal movement.

[0030] Each of the shafts B has a flat M intended for the support of the upper cross member 1 and in which a tapped bore 20 is made for the installation of the screwing member 2.

[0031] In the embodiment shown in the figures, the upper cross member 1 is framed by the side spotlights P which extend at least partially opposite the openings 10 and the stretchers B.

[0032] It has been observed that in the event of a collision of the vehicle with a pedestrian, it sometimes happens that his leg comes to strike the projector P and causes it to move back until it comes into contact with the upper cross member 1 of the facade.

[0033] However, both the components involved in the rigid fixing of this cross member and the connection between the screw 4, the cross member 1 and the frame B prevent the projector from continuing its recoil movement to cushion the shock.

[0034] Consequently, in the event of a front-end collision of the vehicle, as illustrated by [Fig.4] (in the direction of the dashed arrows on [Fig.3]), the projector P comes into contact with the upper cross member 1 of the front, which greatly degrades the effectiveness of pedestrian protection against the so-called "femur impact" and thus significantly increases the risk of serious injury to the pedestrian impacted.

[0035] In this context, the invention aims to improve existing vehicle front ends in order to enhance pedestrian protection in the event of a frontal collision and, in particular, at the level of the side lights.

[0036] To this end, the invention consists of making the orifices 10 of the upper cross member 1 with an oblong profile extending in a substantially horizontal plane and allowing the guided recoil of this cross member and the damping of the impact, in the event of a collision at the front of the vehicle as illustrated by figures 2 to 4.

[0037] During factory assembly of the front facade of the vehicle or during maintenance operations, it is provided, according to the invention, that the cross member 1 is positioned in the longitudinal direction so that the screwing members 2 are fixed between the middle part and the rear end of the oblong profile holes 10.

[0038] In this way, in the event of a frontal impact against the projector P, the thrust forces exerted against the cross member 1 simultaneously cause the screw elements 2 to slide within the oblong holes 10 and the guided longitudinal movement of the upper cross member 1 to the rigid elements mounted behind this cross member 1 (latch G, ...). This movement helps to absorb at least part of the thrust forces and thus reduce the risk of serious injury to the pedestrian struck.

Claims

Demands

1. Front fascia of a motor vehicle comprising, respectively, two vertical struts (B) mounted on either side of the fascia, two side projectors (P) and an upper cross member (1) provided with two holes (10) for the mounting of screwing elements (2) on said struts, characterized in that said holes (10) of the upper cross member have an oblong profile allowing the guided recoil of said cross member (1) and the damping of the impact in the event of a collision to the front of the vehicle.

2. Front facade according to claim 1, characterized in that each of said stretchers (B) has a flat (M) intended for the support of the upper cross member (1) and in which a tapped bore (20) is made for the installation of the screwing member (2).

3. Front facade according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said orifices (10) extend in a substantially horizontal plane.

4. Front facade according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said upper cross member (1) is framed by the side spotlights (P) which extend at least partially in relation to the stretchers (B) and the oblong profile openings (10).

5. Method of assembling a front fascia of a motor vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the upper cross member (1) is positioned in the longitudinal direction such that the screwing members (2) are fixed between the middle part and the rear end of the oblong profile holes (10).

6. Motor vehicle comprising a front fascia according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

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