Bay frame reinforcement.

Abstract

The invention relates to a jamb reinforcement (1) for a window jamb of a crate, the reinforcement (1) being made of stamped sheet metal extending along a longitudinal line (LL) and having a landing zone (5) for a mid-foot, the reinforcement (1) having a first surface (6) delimited by a first (7) and a second (8) squares, delimiting the reinforcement (1) along the longitudinal line (LL) between the first surface (6) and respectively a first (9) and a second (10) extensions, the reinforcement (1) having a reinforcement zone (11) distant from the landing zone (5) and delimited by a first stamped piece (12), disposed in the first extension (9) and extending along the longitudinal line (LL), and a second stamped piece (13) disposed in the second extension (10) inclined with respect to the longitudinal line (LL), the reinforcement zone (11) being designed to contain a deformation within the reinforcement zone (11). (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Bay frame reinforcement.

[0001] The technical field relates to bay pillar reinforcements, bay pillars formed from such a bay reinforcement, vehicle bodies comprising at least one such bay pillar and motor vehicles having such a body.

[0002] To ensure passenger safety, vehicles are subjected to various standardized procedures simulating impacts against a rigid obstacle. These standardized procedures are described, for example, by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is responsible for road safety and vehicle regulations, or by the international organization Euro NCAP.

[0003] One of these procedures consists in particular of a simulation of impacts against a rigid pole striking the vehicle on the side, at the level of the passenger doors, referred to as a side impact against a pole or simply a side impact. In a side impact, the deformations undergone by the vehicle are specifically studied in order to minimize the intrusion of the pole into the protected space around the passengers.

[0004] Furthermore, the recent development of electric vehicles imposes new constraints related, on the one hand, to the increase in vehicle mass (on the order of 600 kg on average) inherent in the mass of the onboard batteries and, on the other hand, to the need to reinforce the structure in order to protect the batteries against impacts and deformations. Thus, it has been observed that an electric version of a vehicle is likely to undergo unusual and greater structural deformations during a side impact than the corresponding structure of the internal combustion engine version.

[0005] In this context, the deformations of the bay pillars and the feet of a vehicle structure must be precisely controlled to preserve the integrity of the passenger compartment, while preserving the lightness of these structures.

[0006] Typically, pillars are made of hollow bodies with an inner face called a lining and an outer face called a reinforcement. In a conventional vehicle structure, the B-pillar is fixed against a reinforcement. Such an assembly causes a break in inertia between the assembly areas and the surrounding areas, since in the assembly areas the second moment of bending is much greater than in the areas surrounding the pillar. This break in inertia is then likely to cause a crease at the point where the B-pillar is attached and to lead to breakage of the pillar in the event of a side impact, or at least to cause excessive intrusion into the passenger compartment. In order to reinforce the Given the amounts involved, it is not advisable to add reinforcement parts, particularly to preserve the overall mass of the vehicle and production costs.

[0007] Thus, there is a need for a solution to obtain a bay frame without additional reinforcing pieces exhibiting controlled deformation in the event of a lateral impact.

[0008] The present invention aims to overcome the problems described above. In this technical context, one objective of the present invention is to provide a jamb reinforcement that prevents the formation of a crease in the event of a lateral impact and allows for the formation of a window jamb with controlled deformations in the event of a lateral impact.

[0009] To this end, the present invention relates to a pillar reinforcement designed to form, with a pillar liner, a window pillar of a motor vehicle body, the reinforcement being formed of a stamped sheet extending along a longitudinal line, the reinforcement having a docking zone designed to allow the docking and attachment of a center pillar to the reinforcement, the reinforcement having at least a first surface delimited by a first and a second edge each extending along the longitudinal line, the first and second edges each delimiting the reinforcement between the first surface and respectively a first and a second opposing extensions, each inclined with respect to the first surface, the reinforcement having a reinforcement zone distant from the docking zone and delimited, along the longitudinal line, by, on the one hand,a first stamped section disposed at least partially in the first extension and extending along the longitudinal line, and, on the other hand, a second stamped section disposed at least partially in the second extension and extending along a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal line, the reinforcement zone being designed to contain deformation of the reinforcement in the reinforcement zone during a lateral impact sustained by the vehicle.

[0010] The invention also relates to a bay jamb comprising a jamb reinforcement according to the invention assembled on a jamb lining.

[0011] The invention further relates to a body of a motor vehicle comprising at less one bay jamb according to the invention and at least one middle jamb, each middle jamb being fixed on a landing area of ​​a reinforcement of a bay jamb.

[0012] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a body according to the invention.

[0013] Thus, the jamb reinforcement according to the invention makes it possible to form, with a jamb lining, a window jamb according to the invention exhibiting controlled deformation in the event of a lateral impact. In particular, the reinforcement zone contains the deformations undergone by the jamb by preventing the propagation of deformations in the rebate. The first embossed section of the reinforcement zone allows control of the location of the deformation, while the second embossed section allows for to limit the propagation of deformations. Thus, the pillar reinforcement according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a window pillar without additional reinforcing parts, while guaranteeing adequate protection of the passenger compartment during a side impact.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the reinforcement zone further comprises an opening provided in the second extension.

[0015] According to one possibility of the upright reinforcement, the first stamping interrupts the first edge.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the upright reinforcement, the second stamping extends from the second edge across the second extension.

[0017] Advantageously, the first stamping forms a concave surface when the reinforcement is assembled into a bay upright.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the upright reinforcement, the first stamped part has a length along the longitudinal line greater than the distance, measured along the longitudinal line, between the docking zone and the reinforcement zone.

[0019] According to one possibility of the upright reinforcement, the second stamping forms a groove having a width, measured along the longitudinal line, substantially equal to the diameter of the opening.

[0020] The invention will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and made with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0021] [Fig-1] [Fig. 1] represents a cross-sectional view of a bay frame according to the invention;

[0022] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of a reinforcement area of ​​the upright reinforcement implemented in the bay upright of [Fig.1];

[0023] [Fig.3] [Fig.3] represents a detailed view of the second extension of the reinforcement of [Fig.2];

[0024] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0025] A pillar reinforcement 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to form, with a pillar lining 2, a bay pillar 3 of a body of a motor vehicle, illustrated in [Fig.1].

[0026] The reinforcement 1 is formed of a stamped sheet 4 extending along a longitudinal line LL.

[0027] As illustrated in [Fig.2], the reinforcement 1 has a docking area 5 designed to allow the docking and fixing of a middle leg, not shown, on the upright reinforcement 1.

[0028] The box according to the invention thus has at least one bay upright 3 according to the invention and a middle foot fixed on each docking area 5.

[0029] As shown in [Fig. 2], the reinforcement 1 has at least one first surface 6 delimited by a first 7 and a second 8 squares, each extending along the longitudinal line LL. The first 7 and second 8 squares are intended to form, when the reinforcement 1 is assembled into a bay pillar 3, a force path contributing to the dissipation of energy released during a lateral impact suffered by the vehicle and transmitted to the bay pillar 3. The first 7 and second 8 squares each delimit the reinforcement 1 between the first surface 6 and, respectively, a first 9 and a second 10 opposing extensions, each inclined with respect to the first surface 6. In a body according to the invention comprising at least one bay pillar 3, each first surface 6 extends substantially along a vertical plane. In the example illustrated in [Fig.[l], the first extension 9 is inclined with respect to the vertical plane of the vehicle according to the invention, while the second extension 10 extends substantially along a horizontal plane of the vehicle.

[0030] The reinforcement 1 has a reinforcement zone 11, located away from the docking zone 5 and delimited, along the longitudinal line LL, by a first 12 and a second 13 stamped sections. The reinforcement zone 11 is designed to contain a deformation of the reinforcement 1 within the reinforcement zone 11 during a lateral impact sustained by the vehicle.

[0031] The first stamped section 12 is disposed at least partially within the first extension 9 and extends along the longitudinal line LL. The first stamped section 12 has, for example, an elongated shape along the longitudinal line LL and forms a concave outer surface of the window mullion 3. In the example illustrated in [Fig. 2], the first stamped section 12 interrupts the first square 7. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the first stamped section 12 has a length L2, measured along the longitudinal line LL, greater than the distance L1, measured along the longitudinal line LL, between the abutment zone 5 and the reinforcement zone 11. By way of example, the distance L1 is on the order of 40 mm. For example, the first stamped section 12 has a height H, measured along a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal line LL, of between 30% and 60% of its length L2.The first stamped part 12 allows for monitoring the location of deformations suffered by reinforcement 1 in the event of a lateral impact on the vehicle.

[0032] The second stamped section 13 is disposed at least partially within the second extension 10 and extends along a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal line LL. As illustrated in [Fig. 3], the second stamped section 13 extends, for example, from the second square 8 across the second extension 10. By way of example, the second stamped section 13 forms a groove 14, illustrated in [Fig. 3]. The groove 14 has, for example, a widened end 15. The second stamped section 13 makes it possible to control the propagation of deformations undergone by the reinforcement 1, in order to limit or prevent propagation along the longitudinal line LL.

[0033] In order to more effectively contain deformations in the reinforcement zone 11 due to a lateral impact, the reinforcement zone 11 further includes an opening 16 formed in the second extension 10. Such an opening 16 has, for example, a diameter D between 20 mm and 30 mm. The opening 16 is located at a distance L3 substantially equal to the distance L1 separating the docking zone 5 and the reinforcement zone 11.

[0034] For example, the groove 14 has a maximum width E, measured along the longitudinal line LL, substantially equal to the diameter D of the opening 16.

[0035] The opening 16, like the groove 14, helps to control the propagation of deformations experienced by the reinforcement zone 11 in the event of a lateral impact. In particular, the second stamped section 13 and the opening 16 prevent the propagation of deformations outside the reinforcement zone 11.

[0036] Thus, the reinforcement 1, together with the pillar lining 2, forms the window pillar 3, which exhibits controlled deformation in the event of a side impact. In particular, the reinforcement zone 11 contains the deformations experienced by the pillar 3 by preventing the propagation of deformations into the rebate. The first embossed section 12 of the reinforcement zone 11 controls the location of the deformations, while the second embossed section 13 limits their propagation. Therefore, the pillar reinforcement 1 does not require any additional reinforcing pieces while still ensuring adequate protection of the passenger compartment during a side impact.

[0037] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the upright reinforcement described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments can be devised by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. A pillar reinforcement (1) designed to form, with a pillar liner (2), a bay pillar (3) of a motor vehicle body, the reinforcement (1) being formed of a stamped sheet (4) extending along a longitudinal line (LL), the reinforcement (1) having a docking zone (5) designed to allow the docking and attachment of a center pillar to the reinforcement (1), the reinforcement (1) having at least a first surface (6) delimited by a first (7) and a second (8) squares each extending along the longitudinal line (LL), the first (7) and second (8) squares each delimiting the reinforcement (1) between the first surface (6) and respectively a first (9) and a second (10) opposing extensions, each inclined with respect to the first surface (6), the reinforcement (1) having a reinforcement zone (11) distant from the docking zone (5) and delimited, along the longitudinal line (LL), by, on the one hand,a first stamped section (12) disposed at least partly in the first extension (9) and extending along the longitudinal line (LL), and, on the other hand, a second stamped section (13) disposed at least partly in the second extension (10) and extending along a plane inclined relative to the longitudinal line (LL), the reinforcement zone (11) being designed to contain a deformation of the reinforcement (1) in the reinforcement zone (11) during a lateral impact suffered by the vehicle.

2. Amount reinforcement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the reinforcement zone (11) further comprises an opening (16) provided in the second extension (10).

3. Upright reinforcement (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the second stamped part (13) forms a groove (14) having a width (E), measured along the longitudinal line (LL), substantially equal to the diameter (D) of the opening (16).

4. Upright reinforcement (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first stamped part (12) interrupts the first edge (7).

5. Upright reinforcement (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the second stamping (13) extends from the second square (8) across the second extension (10).

6. Upright reinforcement (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the first stamped part (12) forms a concave surface when the reinforcement (1) is assembled into a bay upright (3).

7. A support (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the first stamped piece (12) has a length (L2) along the longitudinal line (LL) greater than the distance (L1), measured along the longitudinal line (LL), between the docking zone (5) and the reinforcement zone (11).

8. Bay jamb (3) comprising a jamb reinforcement (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7 assembled on a jamb lining (2).

9. Body of a motor vehicle comprising at least one bay post (3) according to claim 8 and at least one center leg, each center leg being fixed to a docking area (5) of a reinforcement (1) of a bay post (3).

10. Motor vehicle having a body according to claim 9.