Upper crossmember of the front fascia of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to an upper front fascia crossmember intended to extend transversely between two lateral fascia supports of the front structure of a motor vehicle, said crossmember comprising, at its two lateral ends, two anchoring portions (310) adapted to allow its attachment to these two fascia supports; characterized in that said anchoring portions (310) are each attached to the main body (320) of said crossmember by frangible connecting means (L1, L2, L3, L4) configured to break under a predetermined longitudinal thrust stress. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 2

Description

Title of the invention: Upper crossmember of the front fascia of a motor vehicle. Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the front ends of motor vehicles and the damage they may sustain in the event of a collision. It relates in particular to an upper crossmember of such a front end of a motor vehicle. Previous technique

[0002] The front front of a motor vehicle conventionally comprises two lateral front supports made of sheet metal, each fixed by welding to the front end of a corresponding lateral stretcher of the front structure of that vehicle.

[0003] Each front support is in the form of a hollow half-shell open at the front in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and having a summit protrusion on which a corresponding end of a front front upper cross member is fixed by screwing intended to serve as a support for certain equipment of the vehicle such as the radiator block and the motor-fan assembly of the cooling system or even the headlights of this vehicle.

[0004] In order to limit its mass and the number of parts to be referenced, such a top facade cross member is generally made from a single piece of plastic material by molding.

[0005] Among the many shock protocols that the different models of motor vehicles undergo before their marketing, one of them, designated under the name "shock repairability", consists of estimating the cost of repairs on the vehicle tested, when the latter collides head-on, on its front left side and at a speed of 16 km / h, with a rigid wall inclined at an angle of 10° with respect to a plane transverse to the axis of this vehicle with 40% overlap.

[0006] This test protocol thus allows insurance companies to list the different vehicle models tested in different classes according to the cost of repairs, and to adapt their rates accordingly.

[0007] During the occurrence of such a "repairable shock", the lateral facade support located on the impact side undergoes a rearward indentation which may cause the corresponding lateral end portion of the upper facade cross member attached to this facade support to break, which necessitates a replacement of this cross member.

[0008] Such an operation proves relatively expensive due to the high price of the part, explained mainly by its large dimensions, but also by the significant amount of labor time required to dismantle the original crossmember and install the replacement one. Description of the invention

[0009] The present invention aims to improve the situation.

[0010] For this purpose, it proposes an upper front facade cross member intended to extend transversely between two lateral facade supports of the front structure of a motor vehicle, said cross member having, at its two lateral ends, two anchoring portions suitable for allowing its attachment to these two facade supports; characterized in that said anchorage portions are each attached to the main body of said cross member by frangible connecting means configured to break under a predetermined longitudinal thrust stress.

[0011] The invention thus makes it possible, when carrying out a "repairable shock", causing a backwards displacement of the lateral support of the facade located on the side of the impact suffered, to limit the damage suffered by the upper cross member of the front facade according to the invention to its only corresponding anchoring portion which separates from the rest of this cross member.

[0012] This upper facade cross member therefore no longer needs to be completely replaced, which makes it possible to considerably reduce the cost of the repair basket (only a replacement anchoring element with a reduced cost price and a short assembly time then needs to be fixedly attached to the main body of this cross member in place of the anchoring portion that has broken).

[0013] According to preferred characteristics of said upper facade cross member according to the invention: - said main body includes at each of its lateral ends fastening means suitable for allowing the mounting of a substitute anchoring device in place of said anchoring portion; - said fastening means include, at each end of said main body, at least one screw barrel; - each said anchoring portion comprises a front wall extending along a substantially vertical transverse plane and provided with a hole intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a first wall of a corresponding facade support; - said front wall of each anchoring portion extends coplanarly and in the lower extension of a front end wall of a corresponding lateral end of said main body to which it is attached by a frangible weakening line oriented transversely; - said front wall of each anchoring portion is attached by a frangible weakening line oriented substantially vertically to a lateral cheek of a corresponding lateral end of said main body; - each said anchoring portion also includes a substantially horizontal summit wall extending in front of its front wall from and along its upper edge and provided with a hole intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a second wall of a corresponding said facade support; - said summit wall of each anchorage portion is attached by a frangible weakening line oriented substantially longitudinally to a lateral cheek of a corresponding lateral end of said main body; and / or - each of said anchorage portions includes a dropped rim extending behind its front wall along its lower and outer lateral edges, said dropped rim of each anchorage portion being further attached by a frangible weakening line oriented substantially longitudinally to a dropped edge of a corresponding lateral end of said main body.

[0014] The invention also relates, in a second aspect, to a front structure of a motor vehicle comprising such a front upper crossmember. Brief description of the drawings

[0015] The description of the invention will now be continued by a detailed description of an example embodiment, given below by way of illustration but not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, on which: - [Fig.l] represents a three-quarter front perspective view of a front structure of a motor vehicle comprising an upper front fascia crossmember according to the invention; - [Fig.2] is an enlargement of the left lateral end of the upper front facade cross member of [Fig.1] comprising an anchoring portion attached to the main body of this cross member by frangible connecting means; and - [Fig.3] represents a perspective view of a replacement anchoring device intended to be mounted in place of this anchoring portion. Description of the implementation methods

[0016] Fig. 1 represents a three-quarter front view of a front structure 1 of a motor vehicle.

[0017] In the following description, and by convention, an orthogonal XYZ coordinate system comprising three axes perpendicular in pairs is defined with respect to this structure before 1, namely: - an X-axis, defining a longitudinal, horizontal direction, - a Y-axis, defining a horizontal, transverse direction, which, together with the X-axis, defines a horizontal XY plane, and - a Z-axis, defining a vertical direction, perpendicular to the horizontal XY plane.

[0018] In the remainder of the description and with reference to the frame of reference defined above, the terms "Longitudinal" or "longitudinally" will refer to a direction parallel to the X axis, the terms "transverse" or "transversely" will refer to a direction parallel to the Y axis, and the terms "vertical" or "vertically" will refer to a direction parallel to the Z axis.

[0019] On the other hand, the terms "front" and "rear" will be used to specify the longitudinal positioning of certain elements relative to the orientation of the X axis. Similarly, the terms "upper" and "lower" will be used to specify the relative position of certain elements relative to the orientation of the Z axis.

[0020] The terms "external" and "internal" will be used to define the relative position of an element with reference to the median vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry of this structure before 1. The element closest to this plane will thus be described as internal as opposed to the other element further from this same plane which will be described as external.

[0021] Finally, the term "substantially" will indicate that a slight deviation is permitted from a predetermined nominal position or arrangement, while remaining within the scope of the invention. For example, "substantially vertical" indicates that a deviation of approximately 15 to 20° from a strictly vertical orientation is permitted within the scope of the invention.

[0022] With reference to [Fig.1], the front structure 1 of the motor vehicle comprises two parallel lateral sheet metal beams 100 extending longitudinally forward, on either side of the vehicle's powertrain compartment, from a structural element of the passenger compartment.

[0023] Two lateral front supports 200, each made from a stamped sheet of metal, are each fixed by welding to the front end of a corresponding lateral stretcher 100.

[0024] Symmetrically identical with respect to the median vertical longitudinal plane of the vehicle, these front supports 200 each have the form of a hollow half-shell open at the front in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and having an internal summit protrusion 210.

[0025] The front structure 1 also includes a front facade upper cross member 300 according to the invention, intended to serve as a support for certain equipment not shown of the vehicle's cooling system such as the radiator block and the motor-fan assembly, and extending transversely between the two internal summit protrusions 210 of the facade supports 200 to which it is rigidly fixed.

[0026] The upper front fascia cross member 300 advantageously comes from one-piece molding from a thermoplastic polymer, such as Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), Acrylonitrile Styrene Acrylate (ASA) or Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene / Polycarbonate (ABS / PC), possibly reinforced with natural and / or synthetic fibers.

[0027] This upper front facade cross member 300 has, at its two lateral ends, two anchoring portions 310 suitable for fixing by screwing onto the two internal summit protrusions 210 of the facade supports 200.

[0028] Symmetrically identical with respect to the median vertical longitudinal plane of this cross member 300, these two anchoring portions 310 are each attached to the main body 320 of this cross member 300 by frangible connecting means configured to break under a predetermined longitudinal thrust stress.

[0029] With reference to [Fig.2] representing an enlargement of the left lateral end of the cross member 300, each anchorage portion 310 comprises a front wall 311 extending along a substantially vertical transverse plane and a substantially horizontal summit wall 312 extending in front of this front wall 311 from and along its upper edge.

[0030] Each of the anchoring portions 310 further advantageously comprises a dropped rim 313 extending behind its front wall 311 along its lower and external lateral edges.

[0031] The front wall 311 of each anchor portion 310 is provided with a hole 31 IA intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a first bottom wall of the internal top projection 210 of a corresponding facade support 200. Its top wall 312 is also provided with a hole 312A intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a second upper wall of the internal top projection 210 of this facade support 200.

[0032] Each anchoring portion 310 also includes indexing means by interlocking along a longitudinal axis, in this case consisting of a cross-section pin 31 IB projecting longitudinally forward from its front wall 311 and intended to cooperate by interlocking with an opening provided in the first bottom wall of the internal summit protrusion 210 of a corresponding facade support 200.

[0033] As can be clearly seen in [Fig.2], the front wall 311 of each anchorage portion 310 extends coplanarly and in the lower extension of a front end wall 321 of a corresponding lateral end of the main body 320 of the cross member 300 to which it is attached by a first frangible weakening line Li oriented transversely and extending just above the transverse intersection edge between this front wall 311 and the top wall 312.

[0034] The front wall 311 of each anchorage portion 310 is also attached by a second frangible weakening line L2 oriented substantially vertically to a lateral cheek 322 of a corresponding lateral end of the main body 320 of the cross member 300.

[0035] Still with reference to [Fig.2], the summit wall 312 of each anchorage portion 310 is attached by a third frangible weakening line L3 oriented substantially longitudinally to the lateral cheek 322 of a corresponding lateral end of the main body 320 of the cross member 300.

[0036] The dropped rim 313 of each anchor portion 310 is further attached by a fourth frangible weakening line L4 oriented substantially longitudinally to a dropped rim 323 of a corresponding lateral end of the main body 320.

[0037] The frangible weakening lines Lh L2, L3, L4 are advantageously each constituted by a localized linear thinning, so as to allow easy adjustment of their mechanical resistance by varying their thickness by simple removal or addition of material in the injection mold used to manufacture the cross member 300.

[0038] In practice, the thickness of these frangible weakening lines LB L2, L3, L4 will advantageously be at least twice less than that of the rest of the cross member 300 and preferably between 0.8 and 1.5 millimeters.

[0039] In the event of breakage of one of the anchorage portions 310 following a frontal impact and in order to allow the after-sales assembly of a replacement anchorage element such as that 400 represented by [Fig.3], the main body 320 of the cross member 300 has at each of its lateral ends fastening means comprising at least one screw shank 321A, 322A.

[0040] In this case and with reference to [Fig.2], these fastening means preferably comprise, at each lateral end of the main body 320, at least one screw shank 321A provided on the front end wall 321 of this lateral end and at least one other screw shank 322A provided on the lateral cheek 322 of this lateral end.

[0041] Even more preferably, these fastening means comprise, at each lateral end of this main body 320, two screwing shanks 321A provided on the front end wall 321 of this lateral end and two other screwing shanks 322A provided on the lateral cheek 322 of this lateral end.

[0042] With reference to [Fig.3], each lateral anchoring element 400 comprises: - a front wall 411 similar to that 311 of the anchoring portion 310 to be replaced and provided with a hole 411A similar to the hole 31 IA as well as an indexing pin 41 IB similar to the pin 311B; - a summit wall 412 similar to that 312 of the anchoring portion 310 to be replaced and provided with a hole 412A similar to the hole 312A; - a first fastening band 413 extending coplanarly and in the upper continuation of its front wall 411 and provided with at least one opening 413A intended to be passed through by a screw which then screws into a screwing shank 321A of the front end wall 321 of the corresponding lateral end of the main body 320 of the cross member 300; and - a second fastening band 414 extending along a substantially vertical longitudinal plane above and along the inner lateral edge of its summit wall 412 and provided with at least one orifice 414A intended to be passed through by a screw which then screws into a screwing shank 322A of the lateral cheek 322 of the corresponding lateral end of the main body 320 of the cross member 300.

[0043] According to alternative embodiments not shown, the anchoring portions could be shaped differently and, for example, comprise only a front wall such as 311. The number and / or arrangement of the frangible weakening lines could also vary.

[0044] According to other embodiments not shown, the frangible weakening lines could be made by initiating holes distributed at regular intervals along their length so as to facilitate their rupture.

[0045] Numerous other variants are conceivable, and it should be noted in this regard that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated, but also encompasses all variants of execution within the grasp of a person skilled in the art.

Claims

Demands

1. Front upper fascia cross member (300) intended to extend transversely between two lateral fascia supports (200) of the front structure (1) of a motor vehicle, said cross member (300) having, at its two lateral ends, two anchorage portions (310) suitable for allowing its attachment to these two fascia supports (200); characterized in that said anchorage portions (310) are each attached to the main body (320) of said cross member (300) by frangible connecting means (Lb L2, L3, L4) configured to break under a predetermined longitudinal thrust stress.

2. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to claim 1, characterized in that said main body (320) comprises at each of its lateral ends fastening means (321 A, 322A) suitable for allowing the mounting of a substitute anchoring member (400) in place of said anchoring portion (310).

3. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to claim 2, characterized in that said fixing means comprise, at each end of said main body (320), at least one screw shank (321A, 322A).

4. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each said anchoring portion (310) comprises a front wall (311) extending along a substantially vertical transverse plane and provided with a hole (311 A) intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a first wall of a corresponding facade support (200).

5. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to claim 4, characterized in that said front wall (311) of each anchorage portion (310) extends coplanarly and in the lower continuation of a front end wall (321) of a corresponding lateral end of said main body (320) to which it is attached by a frangible weakening line (LJ oriented transversely.

6. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said front wall (311) of each anchorage portion (310) is attached by a frangible weakening line (L2) oriented substantially vertically to a side cheek (322) of a corresponding side end of said main body (320).

7. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that each said anchoring portion (310) also comprises a substantially horizontal summit wall (312) extending in front of its front wall (311) from and along its upper edge and provided with a hole (312A) intended to allow its fixing by screwing against a second wall of a corresponding facade support (200).

8. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to claim 7, characterized in that said top wall (312) of each anchoring portion (310) is attached by a frangible weakening line (L3) oriented substantially longitudinally to a side cheek (322) of a corresponding side end of said main body (320).

9. Front facade upper cross member (300) according to any one of claims 4 to 8, characterized in that each of said anchoring portions (310) has a dropped rim (313) extending behind its front wall (311) along its lower and outer lateral edges, said dropped rim (313) of each anchoring portion (310) being further attached by a frangible weakening line (L4) oriented substantially longitudinally to a dropped rim (323) of a corresponding lateral end of said main body (320).

10. Front structure of a motor vehicle (1) comprising a front fascia upper cross member (300) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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