ASSEMBLY OF EXTERIOR VEHICLE TRIM COMPONENTS

Abstract

An assembly involving at least one exterior bodywork element of a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising a first part (1) forming an exterior bodywork element of the vehicle and a second part (2) carrying at least one exterior lighting element; the first part comprising a mounting tab (10), projecting from a body of the first part along a screw axis (A), with a distal bearing face (11) and a mounting shank (3); the second part comprising an assembly well with a well bottom wall (21), and an oblong hole (4); a fixing screw (5) comprising a head (51) and a shank (52), the mounting shank being framed by two guide pins (6), projecting from the distal bearing face to a height slightly less than the thickness (E1) of the well bottom wall. Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: ASSEMBLY OF EXTERIOR VEHICLE TRIM COMPONENTS

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of vehicle body part assemblies, and / or vehicle exterior trim assemblies.

[0002] The assembly of vehicle body parts requires good control of clearances and dimension chains, so that the external appearance is attractive and that the parts visible from the outside are perfectly joined.

[0003] Furthermore, the means of fixing must not be visible from the outside, which implies offsetting the means of assembly, for example screwing, inwards relative to the visible outer wall.

[0004] Thus, to assemble two parts that share a visible external joint, it is common practice to provide a mounting well on one of the parts and a protruding tab (facing inwards towards the vehicle) on the other part, said protruding tab being inserted into the mounting well. The protruding tab includes a mounting shaft designed to receive a wide-headed fixing screw.

[0005] In this type of geometric configuration, it may be difficult for an operator to position the fixing screw before screwing it in, because the visibility of the fixing shaft may not be directly visible if the operator's eye is not approximately in line with the axis of the fixing shaft.

[0006] The present invention applies, in particular but not exclusively, to parts composing an assembly forming the rear shield and to parts of an assembly forming the front facade including the front bumper.

[0007] The present invention applies specifically to an assembly between a side part of a front bumper and a component carrying the daytime running light function.

[0008] In this context, the inventors sought to propose a solution to improve the ergonomics of the assembly from the point of view of the assembly operator and to improve the robustness of the assembly.

[0009] To achieve this objective, the invention proposes an assembly involving at least one exterior bodywork element of a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising a first part forming an exterior bodywork element of the vehicle and a second part carrying at least one exterior lighting element, - the first part comprising a fixing tab, projecting from a body of the first part in a first direction forming a screw axis, the a fixing bracket having a distal bearing surface and comprising a fixing shaft opening onto the distal bearing surface, - the second part comprising an assembly well with a well bottom wall, and equipped with an oblong hole at the bottom of the well, - a fixing screw comprising a head and a shank, characterized in that the fixing shank is framed by two guide pins projecting from the distal bearing face, with a local projection height less than the thickness of the bottom wall of the well, preferably slightly less than the thickness of the bottom wall of the well.

[0010] Thanks to these arrangements, the relative movement of insertion of the fixing tab inside the assembly well allows a pre-positioning of the first part relative to the second part.

[0011] In addition, the presence and visibility of the guide pins inside the oblong hole, once the relative movement is complete, provides a visual indication to an operator to insert the fixing screw correctly on the first try into the fixing barrel.

[0012] Moreover, as will be seen later, the bearing surface of the head of the fixing screw can be increased due to the presence of the guide pins.

[0013] The qualifier 'distal' in the expression 'distal support face' means that this face is at a distance from a base of the fixing lug which comes from the body of the first part, the distal face constitutes the area furthest from the base.

[0014] It is noted that, in order to achieve the desired fixing, the two parts must be brought together while aligning the center of the oblong hole with the axis of the fixing barrel, then a fixing screw is inserted into the fixing barrel, and then this screw is screwed in until the screw head comes to a stop.

[0015] According to an advantageous option, the fixing shaft has a depth at least three times greater than the diameter of the screw head.

[0016] The screw thread grips over a substantial length, which allows for a robust fixing that can withstand the small shock stresses required by the specifications of the front bumper.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the assembly further includes at least one precise positioning element, complementary to the interface linked to the fixing shaft bordered by the two guide pins.

[0018] The precise positioning in the two directions (Y and Z) perpendicular to the screwing axis is achieved by one or two precise positioning elements received in an oblong hole, which is called in the trade a 'locating'.

[0019] It is noted that the precise positioning element allows for precise positioning in Y and Z, whereas the assembled unit, which is the subject of the invention discussed above, does not constrains the X dimension at the time of screwing and avoids creating hyperstaticity on the Y and Z dimensions.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the local projection height is between El- 0.5 mm and El, El being the thickness of the bottom wall of the well.

[0021] This small difference in dimension along the X-axis allows the screw head to bear against the guide pins after the relative compression of the bottom wall from the second part. This increases the contact area between the screw head and the elements it secures.

[0022] It is noted that the bottom wall of the well may include stiffening ribs. The thickness denoted El includes the ribs if they are present.

[0023] According to one embodiment, El is between 1.5 mm and 5 mm.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the cross-section of each guide pin is close of the cross-section of the fixing shaft. The term 'transverse' here means transverse with respect to the screw axis, therefore in a YZ plane.

[0025] The hole in the fixing shaft is thus framed diametrically on both sides by a relief of similar transverse dimensions. This optimizes the use of the oblong hole.

[0026] According to one embodiment, each guide pin can have a half-moon shaped section.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the section of each guide pin comprises a portion in arc on the side of the mounting barrel, preferably centered on the axis of the mounting barrel hole.

[0028] Such arc-shaped forms reinforce the intuitive indication of the position of the center of the hole in the fixing barrel.

[0029] According to one embodiment, the length ratio L0 / L2 is between 70% and 90%, where L2 is the depth of the assembly well and L0 is the depth of the fixing shaft. The fixing performance is optimized given the available depth, which is set back from the outer surface wall.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the first part forming an external bodywork element of the vehicle is a bumper bracket and the second part carrying at least one external lighting element carries a daytime running light.

[0031] The present invention also relates to a front end of a motor vehicle comprising at least one assembled unit as defined above.

[0032] It is noted that such a front facade constitutes a sub-assembly which is prepared in parallel with the assembly of the vehicle, and which is assembled as a complete block on the vehicle once this front facade sub-assembly is completed.

[0033] The present invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising at least one assembled unit as defined above or a front fascia as defined above.

[0034] The invention will be further detailed by describing non-limiting embodiments, and based on the accompanying figures illustrating variants of the invention, in which: - [Fig. 1] schematically illustrates an assembly comprising a first part forming an external bodywork element of the vehicle and a second part carrying at least one external lighting component, in a configuration prior to their assembly; - [Fig.2] is analogous to [Fig.1] and schematically illustrates the same together in an assembled configuration; - [Fig.3] represents a front view of the guide pin region in the assembly tab; - [Fig.4] represents an exterior perspective view of a portion of the facade before a motor vehicle in which the present invention can be implemented; - [Fig.5] represents a view from the inside of the assembled unit illustrated in [Fig.4] from the outside; - [Fig.6] illustrates a local view showing the proposed assembly and also including a precise positioning element.

[0035] In the various figures, the same reference numerals designate identical or similar elements. For the sake of clarity, some elements are not necessarily shown to scale.

[0036] With regard to the location of the vehicle in space, the X direction corresponds to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction with respect to the local ground and the Y direction perpendicular to the two previous ones and corresponds to the transverse direction of the vehicle.

[0037] A motor vehicle includes a front bumper and a rear bumper, which are part of the exterior bodywork (also called outer skin) of the vehicle.

[0038] The present invention applies, in particular but not exclusively, to parts composing an assembly forming the rear shield and to parts of an assembly forming the front facade including the front bumper.

[0039] The external appearance must be attractive and the parts visible from the outside must be perfectly joined.

[0040] As illustrated in [Fig.4], in order to illustrate the present invention, we are interested in an area of ​​a front facade which includes a side bumper piece also called in the trade "bumper butt" generally identified by the reference 1 and a second piece noted 2 carrying an external lighting element, here external signaling elements called in the trade "DRL" from the English name Daytime Running Lights.

[0041] The bumper bracket is interposed between the front wing and the main front bumper.

[0042] In the illustrated example, the lighting element comprises one or more LEDs (diodes luminescent) forming a long, linear illuminating assembly 9 extending in an almost vertical posture.

[0043] As already mentioned, according to a non-limiting embodiment example, the first part 1 and the second part 2 are assembled during the process of preparing a sub-assembly called front facade.

[0044] In the second part 2, at least one assembly well 22 is provided; in practice, several assembly and / or fastening wells are often available, one for each fastening point. For example, in the example of [Fig. 5], three fastening points can be identified, one above the other.

[0045] Conversely and correspondingly, in the first part 1, a protruding tab is provided, forming a fixing tab 10, said protruding tab being intended to be inserted into the fixing well of the second part 2.

[0046] The fixing tab 10 protrudes from a body of the first part in a first direction forming the screw axis noted A.

[0047] The fixing lug 10 has a distal bearing face 11 and includes a fixing shaft 3. The fixing shaft 3 opens onto the distal bearing face 11. The fixing shaft 3 extends from an opening marked 31 to a bottom 30.

[0048] The assembly well 22 includes a well bottom wall 21. The well bottom wall 21 is equipped with an oblong hole 4. Regarding the size of the oblong hole 4, the major axis has a dimension denoted E3 and the minor axis has a dimension denoted E4.

[0049] Optionally, the bottom wall of the well 21 can be equipped with stiffening ribs 24, visible in [Fig.6].

[0050] The bottom wall of well 21 has a thickness denoted EL. For example, El is between 1.5 mm and 5 mm depending on the presence or absence of ribs 24.

[0051] As illustrated in [Fig.2], a fixing screw 5 is provided comprising a head 51 and a shank 52.

[0052] The fixing shaft 3 has a depth L0 at least three times greater than the diameter D5 of the screw head 5. The depth L0 is between 10 mm and 30 mm, preferably between 15 mm and 25 mm.

[0053] Advantageously according to the present invention, the mouth 31 of the fixing shaft 3 is framed by two guide pins 6, projecting from the distal bearing face 11, with a local projection height H1 slightly less than the thickness El of the bottom wall of the well.

[0054] According to one possibility, the local projection height H1 can be between El-0.5 mm and EL. As can be seen in [Fig.2], the front face 61 of the guide pins is slightly recessed from the surface 23 before screwing.

[0055] As can be seen in [Fig.3], the cross-section of each guide pin 6 is close to the cross-section of the hole in the fixing barrel 3.

[0056] Optionally as illustrated, the section of each guide pin includes an arc-shaped portion on the side of the hole, preferably centered on the axis of the hole A.

[0057] The assembly process includes an approach with alignment of the center of the oblong hole 4 on the axis A of the fixing barrel 3. The alignment is aided by the contribution of precise positioning element(s) and also by the presence of the two guide pins 6 which help to position the second part 2 on the first part 1.

[0058] The approach movement continues until a planar contact (YZ plane) is reached between the second piece 2 and first piece 1.

[0059] At this moment, the front face 61 of the guide pins 6 is flush with the visible surface 23 of the oblong hole and the guide pins 6 are clearly visible to the eye of the operator, regardless of his direction of observation.

[0060] The assembly process continues by placing a fixing screw 5 on the mouth of the hole in the fixing barrel 3, then by screwing the fixing screw 5 until the screw head 51 butts against the bottom wall of the well 21. Even if the mouth 31 of the hole is not directly visible to the operator, the placement of a fixing screw 5 is facilitated, the operator aims for a mid-area between the two guide pins 6. In addition, the arc-shaped form of the pins improves the intuitiveness of positioning the screw 5 in the middle of the two guide pins 6 and therefore perfectly in the axis of the hole.

[0061] It should be noted that the bottom wall of the well 21 is crushed under the pressure of the fixing screw 5 and that, in view of the small difference in height between H1 and El, the head of the screw 51 also comes to rest on the outer face of the guide pins, which increases the surface clamped by the screw 5.

[0062] Thus, it can be said that the assembly comprising a first part 1 forming an external bodywork element of the vehicle and a second part 2 carrying the external lighting unit, once assembled, form an assembled assembly involving at least one external bodywork element of a motor vehicle.

[0063] Regarding the dimensions, L0 is the depth of the fixing shaft 3, L1 is the projection height of the fixing lug, L2 is the depth of the assembly well 22 provided in the second part 2.

[0064] L3 is the maximum length of the shank 52 of the screw; this length corresponds substantially to the sum of L0 and EL

[0065] According to an optional feature, the length ratio L0 / L2 is between 70% and 90%.

[0066] E2 is the semi-major axis of the oblong hole 4.

[0067] E6 is the dimension of each guide pin along the transverse direction Y. E7 is the dimension of each guide pin along the transverse direction Z.

[0068] According to an optional feature, the E7 / E4 length ratio is between 70% and 90%.

[0069] As illustrated in [Fig. 6], a precise positioning element 7 in the form of a 'locating' is further provided. For example, the locating is received in an oblong hole 8; it constrains the position along the minor axis of the oblong hole 8, but allows one degree of freedom along the major axis of the oblong hole 8. Another locating with an oblong hole oriented orthogonally completes the precise positioning system.

[0070] The precise positioning in the two directions (Y and Z) perpendicular to the screwing axis is achieved by one or two precise positioning elements 7. In addition, the assembled unit which is the subject of the invention discussed above only constrains the dimension in X at the time of screwing and avoids creating a hyperstaticity on the dimension in Y and on the dimension in Z.

Claims

Demands

1. An assembly comprising at least one exterior bodywork element of a motor vehicle, the assembly comprising a first part (1) forming an exterior bodywork element of the vehicle and a second part (2) carrying at least one exterior lighting element, - the first part comprising a fixing tab (10), projecting from a body of the first part in a first direction forming a screw axis (A), the fixing tab having a distal bearing face (11) and comprising a fixing shaft (3) opening onto the distal bearing face, - the second part comprising an assembly well (22) with a well bottom wall (21), and equipped with an oblong hole (4) at the bottom of the well, - a fixing screw (5) comprising a head (51) and a shank (52), characterized in that the fixing shaft is framed by two guide pins (6), projecting from the distal bearing face,of a local projection height (Hl) less than the thickness (El) of the well bottom wall.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing shaft has a depth (LO) at least three times greater than the diameter (D5) of the screw head (51).

3. Assembly according to claim 1, further comprising at least one precise positioning element (7) complementary to the interface linked to the fixing shaft (3) bordered by the two guide pins (6).

4. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the local projection height (Hl) is between El- 0.5 mm and El, El being the thickness of the bottom wall of the well (21).

5. Assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-section of each guide pin (6) is close to the cross-section of the fixing shaft.

6. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the section of each guide pin comprises an arc-shaped portion on the side of the fixing shank, preferably centered on the axis of the fixing shank hole (3).

7. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the length ratio L0 / L2 is between 70% and 90%, L2 being the depth of the assembly well and LO being the depth of the fixing barrel.

8. Assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first part (1) forming an external bodywork element of the vehicle is a bumper bracket and the second part (2) carrying at least one external lighting element carries a daytime running light.

9. Front fascia of a motor vehicle comprising at least one assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. Motor vehicle comprising at least one assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8 or a front fascia according to claim 9.

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