FRONT STRUCTURE OF VEHICLE WITH MODULAR STORAGE MEANS
The vehicle's front structure with a recess and removable storage means addresses the challenge of accommodating larger items by enhancing accessibility and space optimization, offering easy handling and integration with sealing features.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- STELLANTIS AUTO SAS
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing vehicle front structures with luggage storage recesses are not suitable for larger items like suitcases, making positioning and removal difficult, and are compromised by rear propulsion systems reducing available space.
A front structure with a recess that opens onto a lateral edge and top of the hood, featuring removable storage means with an upper wall extending from the hood, allowing easy access and integration into the vehicle's front face, equipped with fastening, gripping, and rolling mechanisms, and sealing joints to prevent water ingress.
Enables easy positioning and removal of larger items, optimizes storage space, and reduces vehicle mass by using lightweight storage means, while providing a functional seat when empty.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: FRONT STRUCTURE OF A VEHICLE COMPRISING MODULAR STORAGE MEANS
[0001] The present invention relates to a front structure of a motor vehicle comprising a front hood having a recess adapted for storing luggage. It also relates to a vehicle comprising such a front section.
[0002] It is known from document US20170144717 A to have a vehicle which includes a front structure which includes a front hood which has a recess adapted for storing luggage.
[0003] Generally, the hood allows the top of the front part of the vehicle to be closed, including the closure of the recess.
[0004] Such a recess is generally found to have a shape which is not very suitable for housing a suitcase, so that ultimately only small objects can be positioned in said recess and if a suitcase can be adapted to be positioned in said recess, the positioning and removal of the suitcase remains difficult.
[0005] Such a front structure with such a recess is generally found either on electrically powered vehicles or on thermally powered vehicles when the electric propulsion motor or the thermal propulsion motor is positioned at the rear of the vehicle.
[0006] The reduction of available space at the rear of the vehicle due to the presence of the propulsion engine makes the optimization of the size of the front storage of the vehicle all the more important.
[0007] The invention aims to remedy this drawback by proposing a front structure of a motor vehicle which includes a front hood which has a recess, such that the recess opens onto a lateral edge and onto the top of the hood, said recess being adapted to receive removable storage means.
[0008] According to a first feature of the invention, the storage means, once positioned in said recess, are dimensioned to have an upper wall which is positioned in the extension of the part of the hood which is adjacent to said recess.
[0009] According to a second feature of the invention, the upper wall of the storage means is adapted to be openable both when the storage means are positioned in the recess of the hood or are removed from said recess.
[0010] According to a third feature of the invention, said lateral edge forms a first part of the front face of the vehicle, the front wall of the storage means which emerge from the recess along said lateral edge, forming a second part of the front face of said vehicle.
[0011] According to a fourth feature of the invention, the storage means comprise fastening means enabling said storage means to be secured in the recess.
[0012] According to a fifth feature of the invention, said storage means, once removed from the recess in the hood, form a case which includes at least gripping means such as a handle.
[0013] According to a sixth feature of the invention, the storage means comprise rolling means such as casters which are adapted to roll said storage means once said storage means have been removed from said recess in the hood.
[0014] According to a seventh feature of the invention, the gripping means and the rolling means are adapted to be concealed when the storage means are positioned in the recess of the hood.
[0015] According to an eighth feature of the invention, the hood and the storage means include sealing joints to limit the passage of water between the storage means and the recess in the hood when the storage means are positioned in said recess in said hood.
[0016] The present invention also relates to a vehicle which includes a front structure which has at least one of the preceding claims.
[0017] [Fig-1] represents a partial perspective view of the front structure of the vehicle comprising removable storage means according to the invention.
[0018] [Fig.2] represents a partial perspective view of the front structure of the vehicle comprising the removable storage means according to the invention which are removed revealing a recess formed in the hood.
[0019] [Fig.3] represents a partial perspective view of the front structure of the vehicle where the removable storage means according to the invention are removed and where the recess formed in the hood forms an extra seat.
[0020] Figures 1 and 2 show a front structure 1 of a motor vehicle which includes a front hood 2 which integrates storage means 3, such as a suitcase, in a recess 4.
[0021] The recess 4 opens onto the front 11 of the vehicle and onto the top 12 of the hood 2.
[0022] As can be seen more particularly in [Fig.2], the storage means 3 are removable leaving the recess 4 visible when the storage means 3 are removed.
[0023] When the storage means 3 are positioned in the recess 4, the front part 31 forms the grille of the vehicle and the upper part 32 is in the extension of the hood 2, fully integrating the storage means 3 into the front structure 1 of the vehicle.
[0024] The upper part 32 of the storage means 3 is adapted to be openable both when the storage means 3 are positioned in the recess 4 of the hood 2 or when removed from said recess 4, transforming into an easily transportable case.
[0025] The storage means 3, once removed from the recess 4 of the hood 2, form a case which includes at least gripping means 33 such as a handle and / or rolling means 34 such as wheels (only two are shown, but two other wheels may be positioned on the other side of the storage means 3) which are adapted to roll the storage means 3 once said storage means 3 are removed from the recess 4 of the hood 2.
[0026] The gripping means 33 and / or the rolling means 34 are adapted to be concealed when the storage means 3 are positioned in the recess 4 of the hood 2.
[0027] The storage means 3 include fastening means which allow the storage means 3 to be secured in the recess 4 of the hood 2.
[0028] The recess 4 of the hood 2 and the storage means 3 include sealing gaskets to limit the passage of water along the storage means 3.
[0029] As particularly visible in [Fig.3], the space left vacant by the removal of the storage means 3 from the recess 4 of the hood 2 can then serve as a seat for the occupants of the vehicle when stopping on the road.
[0030] The integration of storage means 3 makes it possible to reduce the overall mass of the front structure of the vehicle, storage means 3 of the type of a suitcase, being lighter than a fixed structure with an opening.
[0031] A lock 5 is provided in the middle of the front part 31 of the storage means 3 to allow its opening and / or to allow its removal, but the lock 5 can also be concealed under a removable style element of the front part 31 of the storage means 5 or be remotely controlled.
Claims
Demands
1. Front structure (1) of a motor vehicle, comprising a front hood (2) which has a recess adapted for storing luggage, characterized in that the recess (4) opens onto a lateral edge (11) and onto the top (12) of the hood (2), said recess being adapted to receive storage means (3), said storage means being removable.
2. Front structure (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage means (3) once positioned in said recess (4), are dimensioned to have an upper wall (32) which opens through the top (12) of the hood (2), said upper wall (32) of the storage means (3) being positioned in the continuation of the hood (2).
3. Front structure (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the upper wall (32) of the storage means (3) is adapted to include a part which can be opened, said openable part can equally well be opened when the storage means (3) are positioned in the recess (4) of the hood (2) or are removed from said recess (4).
4. Front structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lateral edge of the recess (4) is formed in the front face (11) of the vehicle, a front lateral edge (31) of the storage means (3) being open through the lateral edge of the recess (4) and forming a part of the front face (11) of the vehicle.
5. Front structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the storage means (3) comprise fastening means enabling said storage means (3) to be secured in the recess (4).
6. Front structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said storage means (3), once removed from the recess (3) of the hood (2), form a case which includes at least gripping means (33) such as a handle.
7. Front structure (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the storage means (3) comprise rolling means (34) such as casters which are adapted to roll said storage means (3) once said storage means (3) are removed from said recess (4) of the hood (2).
8. Front structure (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the gripping means (33) and the rolling means (34) are adapted to be concealed when the storage means (3) are positioned in the recess (4) of the hood (2).
9. Front structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the hood (2) and the storage means (3) have sealing joints to limit the passage of water between the storage means (3) and the lateral edges of the recess (4) of the hood (2).
10. Vehicle comprising a front structure (1) according to any one of the preceding claims.