Rear side member reinforcement device.

Abstract

The invention relates to a reinforcement device (1) for a vehicle body of the type comprising at least one side member extending along the longitudinal axis (AA) of the body, each side member being reinforced by at least one lateral side member reinforcement (5) disposed against an external lateral face of the side member, each lateral reinforcement (5) being shaped to protect the side member in the event of a side impact, the device (1) comprising a first part (10) shaped to be disposed against the external lateral face of a side member of the body, extending along the longitudinal axis (AA) from a lateral reinforcement (5), the device (1) further comprising a second part (13) shaped to extend along the longitudinal axis (AA) and to abut the lateral reinforcement (5) in order to form a continuous rigidity between the device (1) and the lateral reinforcement (5). (Figure 2)

Description

Title of the invention: Rear reinforcement device for the side member.

[0001] The technical field relates to reinforcement devices designed to reinforce a side member, vehicle bodies comprising at least one such reinforcement device and motor vehicles having such a vehicle body.

[0002] In terms of road safety, car manufacturers face several major concerns that define constraints to be considered during the development of new vehicles. First, vehicles must ensure passenger safety in a collision, regardless of speed. Furthermore, car manufacturers must strive to control vehicle repair costs when vehicles are involved in urban impacts. Finally, a third concern is ensuring the safety of other road users, particularly the most vulnerable, such as pedestrians.

[0003] The behavior of motor vehicles in these three situations is regulated and tested by implementing standardized test procedures. The requirements for the results of these tests are constantly increasing and becoming more difficult to meet, forcing car manufacturers to innovate continuously. Standardized procedures are, for example, described by the international organization Euro NCAP.

[0004] 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.

[0005] In this context, the recent development of electric vehicles imposes new constraints related, on the one hand, to the increase in the mass of the vehicles, on the order of 600 kg on average, inherent in the mass of the on-board batteries and, on the other hand, to the need to reinforce the structure, in particular the side rails, in order to protect against impacts and deformations the batteries located under the floor and between the side rails.

[0006] In order to reinforce the side members, some vehicles have various reinforcements positioned against the side members, designed to be impacted before the side members and thus absorb some of the impact energy. However, experience shows that the various reinforcements are insufficient to guarantee adequate behavior in the event of a side impact, particularly due to rigidity losses observed between the various reinforcements.

[0007] Thus, there is a need for a solution to improve the behavior in the event of a side impact of electric vehicles equipped with longitudinal reinforcements.

[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 reinforcement device that improves the continuity of rigidity of the body at the level of the side members during a side impact.

[0009] To this end, the present invention relates to a reinforcement device for a motor vehicle body, the body being of the type comprising at least one side member extending along the longitudinal axis of the body, each side member being reinforced by at least one side member reinforcement disposed in support of an external lateral face of the side member, each lateral reinforcement being shaped to protect the side member in the event of a lateral impact suffered by the body, the device comprising a first part shaped to be disposed in support of the external lateral face of a side member of the body, in the extension along the longitudinal axis of a lateral reinforcement, the device further comprising a second part shaped to extend at least in part along the longitudinal axis and to come into contact with the lateral reinforcement in order to form a continuity of rigidity between the device and the lateral reinforcement.

[0010] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle body comprising at least one side member extending along the longitudinal axis of the body, each side member being reinforced by at least one side member reinforcement disposed in support of an external lateral face of the side member and designed to protect the side member in the event of a lateral impact suffered by the body, the body further comprising at least one reinforcement device, each first part being disposed in support of the external lateral face of the side member and each second part forming an abutment with the lateral reinforcement.

[0011] The invention finally relates to a motor vehicle having a body according to the invention.

[0012] Thus, the device according to the invention makes it possible to obtain a body according to the invention having longitudinal members each reinforced by a lateral reinforcement and a reinforcement device. The continuity of rigidity is then ensured by the second part which is connected to the lateral reinforcement. Thus, the reinforcement device makes it possible to guarantee improved behavior of the body according to the invention in the event of a lateral impact sustained by it.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the device, the second part comes from the material with the first part.

[0014] Advantageously, the reinforcement device is formed from a stamped sheet metal.

[0015] According to one possibility of the reinforcement device, the second part has a section L-shaped transverse brace designed to extend over two sides of the lateral reinforcement.

[0016] In one embodiment of the reinforcement device, the first part is shaped to cover a rear area of ​​the longeron extending from a rear end of the longeron.

[0017] According to one possibility of the case, each lateral reinforcement comprises a plurality of partitions held between an upper bracket and a lower bracket, the second part of each device being in contact with an upper and / or lower bracket.

[0018] According to one embodiment of the case, each second part is fixed to the corresponding lateral reinforcement by welding.

[0019] 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:

[0020] [Fig-1] [Fig.1] represents a partial and perspective view of a crate of vehicle according to the invention and featuring a reinforcement device;

[0021] [Fig.2] [Fig.2] represents a detailed view showing the reinforcement device of the [Fig.l] in docking with the lateral reinforcement, the longeron not being shown.

[0022] In these figures, the same references are used to designate the same elements.

[0023] A reinforcement device 1 according to the invention, illustrated in the figures, is designed to equip a body 2 of a motor vehicle according to the invention, illustrated in [Fig. 1]. The device 1 makes it possible to reinforce the body 2 in the event of a lateral impact sustained by the body 2 in order to protect, in particular, a traction battery, when the body 2 is designed for an electrically powered vehicle.

[0024] The body 2 is of the type comprising at least one longitudinal member 3 extending along the longitudinal axis AA of the body 2. In this case, the body 2 comprises two longitudinal members 3 connected by cross members 4. Each longitudinal member 3 is reinforced by at least one lateral longitudinal member reinforcement 5 positioned to support an external lateral face 6 of the longitudinal member 3. By external lateral face 6 is meant the face of the longitudinal member 3 facing outwards from the vehicle, as opposed to the face of the longitudinal member 3 facing the other longitudinal member 3 of the body 2. Each lateral reinforcement 5 is shaped to protect the longitudinal member 3 in the event of a lateral impact sustained by the body 2. Thus, in the event of a lateral impact, a lateral reinforcement 5 is impacted before the longitudinal member 3 to which it is attached.

[0025] In the example illustrated in [Fig. 1], each lateral reinforcement 5 comprises a plurality of partitions 7 held between an upper bracket 8 and a lower bracket 9, both extending along the longitudinal axis AA. The partitions 7 form, for example, a honeycomb structure whose cells each extend along an axis perpendicular to the external lateral face 6.

[0026] The reinforcement device 1 according to the invention comprises a first part 10 shaped to be positioned to support the outer lateral face 6 of a longitudinal member 3 of the body 2, extending along the longitudinal axis AA of a lateral reinforcement 5. As illustrated in [Fig. 2], the first part 10 is shaped to come in the abutment of the external lateral face 6. In the example illustrated in [Fig.2], the first part 10 presents, for example, a plurality of lights 11. In the embodiment illustrated in the figures, the first part 10 is shaped to cover a rear area of ​​the spar 3 extending from a rear end 12 of the spar 3.

[0027] The reinforcement device 1 according to the invention further comprises a second part 13 shaped to extend at least partially along the longitudinal axis AA and to come into contact with the lateral reinforcement 5, in order to form a continuity of rigidity between the device 1 and the lateral reinforcement 5. In the embodiment described in the figures, the second part 13 is formed from the material of the first part 10. The device 1 is, for example, formed from a stamped sheet.

[0028] In the example illustrated in [Fig.2], the second part 13 of each device 1 is in contact with an upper bracket 8 or a lower bracket 9. In this case, the second part 13 is in contact with the upper bracket 8.

[0029] In the embodiment illustrated in [Fig.2], the second part 13 has an L-shaped cross-section 14 designed to extend over two sides 15, 16 of the lateral reinforcement 5. In this case, the two sides 15, 16 belong to the upper bracket 8.

[0030] In order to ensure optimal rigidity continuity, each second part 13 is fixed to the corresponding lateral reinforcement 5 by welding.

[0031] Thus, device 1 makes it possible to obtain a body 2 having longitudinal members 3, each reinforced by a lateral reinforcement 5 and a reinforcement device 1. The continuity of rigidity is then ensured by the second part 13, which is connected to the lateral reinforcement 5. Thus, the reinforcement device 1 makes it possible to guarantee improved behavior of the body 2 according to the invention in the event of a lateral impact sustained by it.

[0032] The invention is not limited to the embodiment of the reinforcement device described above, only by way of example, but other embodiments may be designed by a person skilled in the art without departing from the scope and extent of the present invention.

Claims

Demands

1. A reinforcement device (1) for a motor vehicle body (2), the body (2) being of the type comprising at least one longitudinal member (3) extending along the longitudinal axis (AA) of the body (2), each longitudinal member (3) being reinforced by at least one lateral reinforcement (5) of the longitudinal member (3) disposed to support an external lateral face (6) of the longitudinal member (3), each lateral reinforcement (5) being shaped to protect the longitudinal member (3) in the event of a lateral impact sustained by the body (2), the device (1) comprising a first part (10) shaped to be disposed to support the external lateral face (6) of a longitudinal member (3) of the body (2), in the extension along the longitudinal axis (AA) of a lateral reinforcement (5),the device (1) further comprising a second part (13) shaped to extend at least partially along the longitudinal axis (AA) and to come into contact with the lateral reinforcement (5) in order to form a continuity of rigidity between the device (1) and the lateral reinforcement (5).

2. Reinforcement device (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the second part (13) is formed from the material of the first part (10).

3. Reinforcement device (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that it is formed of a stamped sheet.

4. Reinforcement device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second part (13) has an L-shaped cross section (14) designed to extend over two sides (15, 16) of the lateral reinforcement (5).

5. Reinforcement device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the first part (10) is shaped to cover a rear area of ​​the longeron (3) extending from a rear end (12) of the longeron (3).

6. A motor vehicle body (2) comprising at least one side member (3) extending along the longitudinal axis (AA) of the body (2), each side member (3) being reinforced by at least one side member (5) disposed against an external lateral face (6) of the side member (3) and designed to protect the side member (3) in the event of a lateral impact sustained by the body (2), the body (2) further comprising at least one reinforcement device (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, each first part (10) being disposed against the face external lateral (6) of the spar (3) and each second part (13) forming a junction with the lateral reinforcement (5).

7. Motor vehicle body (2) according to claim 6, characterized in that each lateral reinforcement (5) comprises a plurality of partitions (7) held between an upper bracket (8) and a lower bracket (9), the second part (13) of each device (1) being in contact with an upper bracket (8) and / or lower bracket (9).

8. Motor vehicle body (2) according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that each second part (13) is fixed to the corresponding lateral reinforcement (5) by welding.

9. Motor vehicle having a body (2) according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

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