VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH REINFORCED FRONT BUMPER FRAME
The reinforced bumper frame with fixing tabs and optional reinforcement elements addresses the challenge of securing and reinforcing the bumper skin and Vizor, enhancing rigidity and compliance with regulatory standards while minimizing weight and costs.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- STELLANTIS AUTO SAS
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-04
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-05
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle bumper designs fail to effectively secure and reinforce the bumper skin and Vizor component without additional parts, particularly when a polycarbonate Vizor is used, compromising rigidity and compliance with regulatory standards.
A reinforced bumper frame with fixing tabs at the lower corners, extending orthogonally, and optionally reinforced elements, ensures secure attachment of the Vizor without additional parts, enhancing rigidity and compliance.
The solution optimizes bumper rigidity and meets regulatory standards while minimizing weight and production costs, ensuring secure attachment of the Vizor without extra components.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: VEHICLE EQUIPPED WITH A REINFORCED FRONT BUMPER FRAME
[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a reinforced front bumper frame.
[0002] Here, the term vehicle refers to a car, a van, a truck, a passenger transport vehicle, a recreational vehicle such as a motorhome or a converted van, the vehicle being preferably powered by an electric motor or by a hybrid motorization.
[0003] On certain vehicles, particularly Opel vehicles, the air intake grille is replaced by a polycarbonate component known as a Vizor. This term will be used hereafter for ease of reading. This component is located at the front, on the outer face of the bumper. Due to the material from which the Vizor is made, its configuration, and its location, it is necessary to ensure the rigidity of the outer part of the bumper, or bumper skin, located at the Vizor's position. In other words, the presence of the Vizor must not affect the bumper's rigidity or its compliance with applicable regulations. A bumper frame with retaining tabs is known from EP-B-3 978 319. Such a frame does not allow for the attachment of a component such as a Vizor.
[0004] The invention aims to provide a solution enabling the Vizor to be fixed while reinforcing the bumper skin located under the Vizor, without additional parts.
[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a vehicle equipped with a front bumper, a bumper frame fixed to the vehicle chassis and on which the front bumper is mounted by means of at least one retaining tab, a part, called Vizor, fixed to the external face of a part of the bumper, called bumper skin, the part replacing a ventilation grille, characterized in that a part of the bumper frame is provided with at least two tabs for fixing the lower part of the front bumper to the frame.
[0006] Thanks to the invention, a vehicle is obtained equipped with a front bumper whose rigidity is reinforced by the presence of the fixing tabs in the lower part of the frame, for example at the right and left corners of the bumper, without affecting the assembly, in the upper and centered part, of the so-called Vizor part.
[0007] According to advantageous, but not mandatory, aspects of the invention, such a vehicle may include one or more of the following features:
[0008] The two fixing tabs are located at the lower corners of a free edge of a part of the frame and extend outwards, substantially orthogonally with respect to the part of the frame.
[0009] The mounting brackets are identical.
[0010] The mounting brackets are not identical.
[0011] The number and / or position of the fixing lugs are different.
[0012] At least one reinforcing element is fitted to the free edge of the part of the reinforcement.
[0013] Several reinforcing elements are regularly distributed on the edge.
[0014] The reinforcing elements are configured as solid corners.
[0015] The mounting brackets are cantilevered relative to the retaining brackets.
[0016] The cantilever is approximately 80 mm.
[0017] The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will become more apparent upon reading the following description, given solely by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0018] [Fig. 1] is a simplified front view of the front bumper of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention,
[0019] [Fig.2] is a perspective view, at another scale, of the constituent elements of the bumper illustrated in [Fig. 1], in pre-assembly position,
[0020] [Fig.3] is a perspective view at another scale of the bumper frame alone, according to one embodiment of the invention,
[0021] [Fig.4] is a front view and at another scale of the armature illustrated in [Fig.3],
[0022] [Fig.5] is a partial, larger-scale, front perspective view of a end of the frame illustrated in figures 3 and 4 and
[0023] [Fig.6] is a cross-sectional view, along arrow VI in [Fig.1] and on a larger scale.
[0024] Figure 1 illustrates a front bumper 1 of a vehicle 2, here a car, of The OPEL brand. Such a bumper, for this brand of vehicle, is equipped with a part 3 that replaces the ventilation grille. This part 3 is generally made of polycarbonate. It is understood that such a part can be fitted to other types of OPEL vehicles or, alternatively, to vehicles of another brand. For ease of reading, as previously mentioned, the term Vizor, which designates part 3, will be used hereafter. The Vizor 3 is located on the upper part of the bumper 1, on its outer face 4, and near the engine hood. It occupies essentially the entire central part of the bumper 1. The Vizor 3 is mounted on face 4 either after the bumper 1 is in place on the vehicle 2 or before the bumper 1 is mounted on the vehicle 2.
[0025] Figure 2 illustrates the main components of the bumper 1 in the pre-assembly position. In addition to the Vizor 3, the bumper 1 includes a part 5 called the bumper skin, which forms the visible part of the bumper 1 from the front face of the Vehicle 2. A part called the bumper frame 6 is located behind the bumper skin 5, and is therefore not visible from outside vehicle 1. The frame 6 secures the bumper skin 5 and connects it to the chassis of vehicle 2. The frame 6 is attached to the inner face 7, opposite face 4, of the bumper 1. The frame 6 comprises a first part 8, which is fixed to the chassis of vehicle 2. This part 8 is generally flat and horizontal when in place in vehicle 2. A second part 9 is connected to an edge of part 8 and extends substantially perpendicularly downwards, as seen in [Fig. 2]. The bumper skin 5 is attached to part 9.
[0026] The lower free edge 10 of the part 9 is provided with at least two mounting tabs 11. In the example, the tabs 11 are identical and two in number. They are located at the lower corners 12, 13 of the free edge 10. In other embodiments, the number and / or position of the tabs 11 are different. Similarly, the tabs 11 may not all be identical.
[0027] The tabs 11 extend outwards, substantially orthogonally with respect to the portion 9 of the frame 6. In other words, the tabs 11 are oriented towards the face 7 of the bumper skin 5. In the illustrated embodiment, the tabs 11 are configured as elongated elements, generally with an H-shaped cross-section. The free end 14 of each tab 11 is flattened and oriented perpendicularly to the main body 15 of each tab 11. It is understood that the configuration and / or dimensions of the main body 15 and / or the free end 14 of each tab 11 may differ from those described. In all cases, the configuration and / or dimensions of each tab 11 are adapted to the configuration and / or dimensions of the bumper skin 5 and / or the frame 6 to which the bumper skin 5 is attached.
[0028] As can be seen in particular from [Fig. 3], part 9 of the frame 6 is advantageously, but not obligatorily, also equipped at the edge 10 with at least one reinforcing member 16. Here, several identical members 16 are regularly distributed between the tabs 11 along the entire length of the edge 10. Here, the members 16 are wedge-shaped. Alternatively, they may have a different shape. Similarly, the distribution and / or dimensions of the members 16 may be different. Alternatively, they are not all identical. In all cases, the components 16 define a reinforcement zone of the lower part of the Vizor 3, between the right and left headlights placed on the face 4 of the bumper 1. Such a reinforcement zone ensures the reinforcement of the lower part of the bumper 1. The attachment between the tabs 11, the components 16 and the face 7 of the bumper 1 is achieved by techniques known per se for example by gluing, screwing, clipping or others.
[0029] As shown in [Fig. 4], each tab 11 has an overhang of approximately 80 mm relative to each known retaining tab 17. This overhang provides a connection to the lower part of the bumper 1, thus stiffening the assembly. In other words, the retaining tabs 11 complement the retaining tabs 17 in order to reinforce the bumper skin 5 and the Vizor 3.
[0030] Figure 6 shows the connection between the frame 6 and the bumper skin 5. It should be noted that the main body 15 of each mounting bracket 11 is, if not bearing against the face 7, at least as close as possible to it. Similarly, the reinforcing elements 16 ensure the rigidity of the lower part of the lower grille 18. It should be noted that the dimensions and shape of the various elements are complementary, so as to have, in the areas concerned, at least a double thickness of material, which contributes to the reinforcement of the bumper skin 5 and to the rigidity of the entire front of the vehicle 2.
[0031] Thanks to the invention, the rigidity of the bumper 1 and the Vizor 3 is optimized without the addition of any extra parts, thus limiting the weight increase and production costs. The invention ensures compliance with the technical constraints regarding rigidity and robustness while meeting the styling requirements of vehicles equipped with a front bumper fitted with a Vizor.
Claims
Demands
1. Vehicle (2) equipped with a front bumper (1), a bumper frame (6) fixed to the chassis of the vehicle (2) and on which the front bumper (1) is mounted by means of at least one retaining tab (17), a part (3), called Vizor, fixed to the outer face (4) of a part (5) of the bumper (1), called bumper skin, the part (3) replacing a ventilation grille, characterized in that a part (9) of the bumper frame (6) is provided with at least two fixing tabs (11) of the lower part of the front bumper (1) on the frame (6).
2. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the two fixing tabs (11) are located at the lower corners (12, 13) of a free edge (10) of a part (9) of the frame (6) and extend outwards, substantially orthogonally with respect to the part (9) of the frame (6).
3. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting brackets (11) are identical.
4. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the mounting brackets (11) are not identical.
5. Vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that the number and / or position of the fixing lugs (11) are different.
6. Vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that at least one reinforcing member (16) is fitted to the free edge (10) of the part (9) of the frame (6).
7. Vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that several reinforcing members (16) are regularly distributed on the edge (10).
8. Vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that the reinforcing members (16) are configured as solid corners.
9. Vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the fixing tabs (11) are placed cantilevered relative to the retaining tabs (17).
10. Vehicle according to claim 9, characterized in that the overhang is approximately 80 mm.