front end of a motor vehicle including a headlight impactor and motor vehicle including such a front end

Abstract

The invention relates to a front end (1) of a motor vehicle (3), comprising a front bumper (5) with an outer skin (9), and a headlight (7) with a support portion (11) arranged under a lens (12) of said headlight (7), behind said front bumper (5). According to the invention, the front end (1) comprises an impactor (13), having greater rigidity than said outer skin (9), arranged between said front bumper (5) and said support portion (11) of said headlight (7), and being shaped to transmit forces directly from said front bumper (5) to said support portion (11). Figure 3

Description

Title of the invention: Front end of a motor vehicle comprising a headlight impactor and motor vehicle comprising such a front end. Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, in particular to the field of passive safety of the motor vehicle in the event of a pedestrian collision, especially in the event of a femur collision.

[0002] The invention relates more particularly to a front face for a motor vehicle and to a motor vehicle comprising such a front face. Previous technique

[0003] In a conventional manner, a motor vehicle has a front end comprising in particular a front bumper and optical blocks which form the headlights of the motor vehicle.

[0004] Figure [1] shows a left lateral end of a front face 101 of a motor vehicle 103.

[0005] The front face 101 includes, in particular, a front bumper 105 and front headlights 107 (only one of which is visible in [Fig.1]).

[0006] The front bumper 105 includes a bumper skin 109, also called the outer skin, whose function is primarily aesthetic, visible from outside the motor vehicle 103.

[0007] The low rigidity of the bumper skin 109 prevents direct attachment of the front projector 107 to the front bumper 105.

[0008] Thus, the fixing of the front projector 107 in the front face is achieved via more rigid intermediate supports, enabling it to support the significant weight of the front projector 107.

[0009] For example, the front projector 107 is fixed to a transverse frame 111, whose main function is to hold the front bumper 105, at a fixing point 113, and to a front wing 115 of the motor vehicle 103, at fixing points 117, 119.

[0010] Reference is made to [Fig.2] representing the motor vehicle 3 on which a femur impact is applied.

[0011] The femur 121 first encounters the front bumper 105 before encountering the front headlight 107.

[0012] Despite the fact that the first impact of the femur occurs on the skin 109 of the front bumper 105, the absence of coupling between the skin 109 of the front bumper 105 and the The front headlight 107 limits the contribution of the front bumper 105 to absorbing the impact on the femur. The front headlight 107, which is a rigid component in itself, thus creates an initial point of rigidity, increasing the stress on the upper part of the femur 121.

[0013] Also, the fact that the front projector 107 is fixed to the transverse frame 111 and to the front wing 115 creates a second hard point.

[0014] In order to limit the formation of hard spots by the front projector 107, one solution is to make fusible the fixing 113 between the front projector 107 and the transverse frame 111 and the fixings 117, 119 between the front projector 107 and the front wing 115.

[0015] However, during the femur impact, the impact of the femur 121 against the front projector 107 is located in the upper part of the front projector 107.

[0016] This has the effect of causing the front projector 107 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction, according to arrow 123 of [Fig.2].

[0017] During its rotational movement, the front projector 107 may impact certain components of the motor vehicle, for example a hood locking latch (not shown).

[0018] The impact of components by the front projector 107 causes the formation of a third hard point, further increasing the level of stress on the upper part of the femur 121. Description of the invention

[0019] The present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, and for this purpose relates to a front face of a motor vehicle, comprising a front bumper having an outer skin, and a front headlight having a support portion arranged under a glass of said front headlight, said support portion being arranged behind said front bumper, said front face being remarkable in that it includes an impactor, having a rigidity greater than that of said outer skin, said impactor being arranged between said front bumper and said support portion of said front headlight and being shaped to transmit forces directly from said front bumper to said support portion of said front headlight.

[0020] Thus, in the present invention, the front face includes an impactor having a rigidity greater than that of the outer skin of the bumper, arranged between the front bumper and the support portion of the front headlight, the impactor being shaped to transmit forces directly from the front bumper to the support portion of the front headlight.

[0021] Thus, in the event of a pedestrian collision, particularly in the event of a femur collision, the impactor transmits the forces from the front bumper to the front headlight in a shorter time than that obtained in the absence of an impactor.

[0022] In this way, the presence of the impactor makes it possible to break the fixings of the front projector on the frame and on the front wing earlier, which makes it possible to release the front projector earlier during the impact of the femur and therefore to allow the front projector to move earlier, which makes it possible to increase the ability of the projector to clear a free space behind the front bumper.

[0023] Also, given that during a femur impact the first contact of the femur is made against the bumper skin, the impactor absorbs part of the energy from the beginning of the impact, which makes it possible to reduce the speed of the leg before impact against the front headlight.

[0024] Furthermore, the fact that the impactor is arranged between the front bumper and the portion of the support of the front headlight, located under the lens of the front headlight, therefore in the lower part of the front headlight, allows the front headlight to be driven in substantially longitudinal translation towards the rear of the front face of the motor vehicle.

[0025] In this way, the risk of rotation of the front projector is limited compared to the prior art.

[0026] By thus limiting the risk of rotation of the front headlight, the risk of impact of the front headlight against certain components of the motor vehicle is limited, in particular against the hood locking latch, which helps to avoid the formation of additional hard points.

[0027] According to optional features of the front face according to the invention: - said impactor extends longitudinally relative to said motor vehicle; - said impactor is integral with said front bumper; - said impactor is an integral part of said front bumper skin; - said impactor is integrated into said portion of support of said front projector; - said impactor comprises a hollow body and a set of longitudinal reinforcing ribs arranged inside said hollow body; - said impactor has a rear edge distant by a minimum clearance (Jmin) relative to said support portion of said front projector.

[0028] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a front face, remarkable in that said front face is according to the invention. Brief description of the drawings

[0029] Other features, purposes and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, for the understanding of which reference should be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0030] [Fig-1] shows a left lateral end of a front face of a motor vehicle according to the prior art.

[0031] [Fig.2] represents the motor vehicle of [Fig.1] on which a femur shock is applied.

[0032] [Fig.3] is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a front face of a motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0033] [Fig.4] is a perspective view of the front face centered on the impactor according to the invention, the outer casing of the impactor being removed.

[0034] [Fig.5] illustrates the first stage of a femur impact applied to the motor vehicle according to the invention.

[0035] [Fig.6] illustrates the second stage of the femur impact applied to the motor vehicle according to the invention. Description of the implementation methods

[0036] In the following description, elements having an identical structure or analogous functions are designated by the same reference.

[0037] By convention, and without limitation, longitudinal, vertical and transverse orientations will be adopted as indicated by the direct trihedron (L, V, T) designating the longitudinal, vertical and transverse axes of the vehicle.

[0038] In what follows, the terms "left", "right", "lower" and "upper" are understood in relation to the vehicle.

[0039] Similarly, the terms "front" and "rear" are understood in relation to the general orientation of the vehicle as taken in its normal direction of travel.

[0040] Reference is made to [Fig.3] showing in longitudinal section a front face 1 of a motor vehicle 3 according to the invention.

[0041] The front face 1 includes, in particular, a front bumper 5 and two front headlights 7 arranged conventionally on either side of a longitudinal median plane of the motor vehicle 3.

[0042] The front bumper 5 has an outer bumper skin 9, visible from outside the motor vehicle 3, whose function is primarily aesthetic. The outer bumper skin 9 is therefore not structural.

[0043] The outer skin 9 of the bumper is for example made by injection molding of plastic material.

[0044] The front projector 7 is fixed laterally at a fixing point to a transverse frame (not visible) designed in particular to hold the bumper front 5. The front projector 7 is also fixed laterally at fixing points (not visible) to a front wing of the motor vehicle 3. No fixing is made between the front bumper 5 and the front projector 7.

[0045] The front projector 7 includes a support portion 11 and a glass 12 arranged above the support portion 11. The glass 12 delimits the front projector 7 at its front part and ensures the closure of an internal space 15 containing all the components of the front projector 7.

[0046] The support portion 11 is arranged behind the front bumper 5 relative to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle 3. The support portion 11 is more particularly arranged behind the outer skin 9 of the front bumper 5, under the glass 12.

[0047] The front face 1 comprises, according to the invention, an impactor 13, having a rigidity greater than that of the outer skin 9 of the front bumper 5.

[0048] The impactor 13 is arranged between the front bumper 5 and the support portion 11 of the front projector 7, and is shaped to transmit forces directly from the front bumper 5 to the support portion 11 of the front projector 7.

[0049] The impactor 13 can be integral with the front bumper 5, as shown in the embodiment illustrated in the figures.

[0050] Alternatively, the impactor 13 may consist of an intermediate piece, not integral with the front bumper 5, arranged in the front face 1 between the front bumper 5 and the support portion 11 of the front headlight 7.

[0051] In this case, the front bumper 5 and the impactor 13 can be mounted in the front face so as to be in permanent contact with each other.

[0052] Alternatively, a minimum clearance can be defined between the front bumper 5 and the impactor 13, so that the impactor 13 remains stressed by the front bumper 5 in the event of a femur impact.

[0053] When the impactor 13 is integral with the front bumper 5 as is the case in the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the impactor 13 can for example be an integral part of the outer skin 9 of the front bumper 5.

[0054] In this way, the cost of integrating the impactor 13 is limited, since no intermediate part is added to the front face 1.

[0055] Also, the assembly time is not increased, the operator only has to assemble the front bumper 5 in which the impactor 13 is integrated in the conventional manner.

[0056] The impactor 13 can for example be obtained by injection of plastic material during the molding operation of the front bumper 5.

[0057] According to another embodiment of the front face 1, the impactor 13 can be integrated into the support portion 11 of the front projector 7. The forces are then transmitted directly from said front bumper to the support portion 11 of the front projector by the impactor 13 integrated into the support portion 11.

[0058] When the impactor 13 is mounted in the front face 1 without being integrated into the support portion 11 of the front projector 7, a minimum clearance Jmin can be defined between the rear edge 17 of the impactor 13 and the support portion 11 of the front projector 7, so that the support portion 11 of the front projector 7 remains stressed by the impactor 13 when the impactor 13 transmits forces from the front bumper 5.

[0059] In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the impactor 13 extends longitudinally relative to the motor vehicle 1, that is, from the front to the rear of the motor vehicle 1.

[0060] The impactor 13 includes an outer casing 19, which may be solid or may consist of a hollow body 21 in order to limit its mass, as illustrated in the embodiment example given in the figures.

[0061] Reference is made to [Fig.4], which is a perspective view of the front face 1 centered on the impactor 13, the outer casing 19 of the impactor having been removed.

[0062] When the outer casing 19 of the impactor 13 consists of a hollow body 21, the impactor 13 may include a set of longitudinal reinforcing ribs 23, arranged inside the hollow body 21, which makes it possible to give the necessary stiffness to the impactor 13 along its length.

[0063] The operation of the invention is now described with reference to figures 5 and 6.

[0064] During a femur impact, the femur 25 impacts the front bumper 5 before impacting the front headlight 7.

[0065] The impactor 13, whose rigidity is greater than that of the outer skin 9 of the bumper 5, transmits the forces directly from the front bumper 5 to the support portion 11 of the front headlight 7.

[0066] The transmission of forces from the front bumper 5 to the front headlight 7 is thus achieved in a shorter time than that obtained in the prior art in the absence of an impactor.

[0067] In this way, the fixings of the front projector 5 on the frame and on the front wing of the motor vehicle are broken earlier, which allows the front projector 5 to be released earlier in the course of the impact.

[0068] The impactor 13, arranged in the lower part of the front projector 7, drives the front projector 7 in substantially longitudinal translation towards the rear of the front face 1 of the motor vehicle, as represented by the arrow 27 in [Fig.6].

[0069] In this way, compared to the prior art, the risk of rotation of the front projector 7 is limited, which makes it possible to limit the risk of impact of the front projector 7 against certain components of the motor vehicle, in particular against the hood locking latch.

[0070] As will be understood, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments of this front face of a motor vehicle and of this motor vehicle comprising such a front face, described above only by way of illustrative examples, but on the contrary it encompasses all variants involving the technical equivalents of the means described as well as their combinations if these fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims

Demands

1. Front face (1) of a motor vehicle (3), comprising a front bumper (5) having an outer skin (9), and a front headlight (7) having a support portion (11) arranged under a lens (12) of said front headlight (7), said support portion (11) being arranged behind said front bumper (5), said front face (1) being characterized in that it comprises an impactor (13), having a rigidity greater than that of said outer skin (9), said impactor (13) being arranged between said front bumper (5) and said support portion (11) of said front headlight (7) and being shaped to transmit forces directly from said front bumper (5) to said support portion (11) of said front headlight (7).

2. Front face (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said impactor (13) extends longitudinally relative to said motor vehicle (3).

3. Front face (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that said impactor (13) is integral with said front bumper (5).

4. Front face (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that said impactor (13) is an integral part of said front bumper skin (5).

5. Front face (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that said impactor (13) is integrated into said support portion (11) of said front projector (7).

6. Front face (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that said impactor (13) comprises a hollow body (21) and a set of longitudinal reinforcing ribs (23), arranged inside said hollow body (21).

7. Front face (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that said impactor (13) has a rear edge (17) separated by a minimum clearance (Jmin) relative to said support portion (11) of said front projector (7).

8. Motor vehicle (3) comprising a front face (1), characterized in that said front face (1) is according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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