Protective grille for a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a protective grille (10) for a motor vehicle, which is intended to be arranged in an air intake area and which comprises an array of cells (12), said cells (12) having an elliptical and / or polygonal shape, the grille (10) being characterized in that at least some of the cells (12) comprise a protrusion (16), a free end (18) of which projects into the cell (12).

Description

[0001] TITLE: Protective grille for motor vehicle

[0002] The invention relates to a protective grille for an air intake area and more particularly to a protective grille for an air filter for a motor vehicle. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle equipped with a protective grille, or even an air filter comprising such a grille according to the invention.

[0003] The aim of the invention is to provide a protective grid having a structure that makes it possible to minimize the amount of material used to provide maximum permeability while ensuring its protective function. Such a protective grid is configured to obstruct external elements having a size greater than or equal to predefined minimum dimensions.

[0004] The protective grille may in particular be arranged at the level of an air circuit, for example at the level of an air guide or an air capture scoop, or directly upstream of an air filter for an air conditioning device or for an air supply device for an element of a powertrain. The protective grille may be a radiator grille of a motor vehicle.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a grille for a motor vehicle, said grille being intended to be arranged in an air intake zone, the grille comprising a network of cells, the cells having an elliptical and / or polygonal shape, the grille being characterized in that at least a portion of the cells comprise at least one protuberance, one free end of which is oriented towards the inside of the cell.

[0006] In one embodiment, at least a portion of the dimples comprise a polygonal shape. In this embodiment, a base of a protrusion is located on a vertex of the polygon that forms a dimple or on a side of the polygon that forms a dimple.

[0007] In one embodiment, a free end of the protrusion is located between its base and the center of the cell.

[0008] In another embodiment, a free end of the protrusion is located substantially at the center of the cell.

[0009] In one embodiment, the same cell of the network comprises a multitude of protrusions.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cells have protrusions having identical orientations.

[0011] In another embodiment, the cells have protrusions having different orientations.

[0012] In one embodiment, the protrusion and the wall(s) of the cell have identical thicknesses.

[0013] In another embodiment, the protrusion and the wall(s) of the cell have different thicknesses.

[0014] In one embodiment, the protrusion and / or the wall(s) of the cell have a draft angle.

[0015] In one embodiment, the cells have different shapes from each other. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the cells have a hexagonal shape so as to form a honeycomb structure.

[0016] In one embodiment, the grid has a planar profile.

[0017] In another embodiment, the grid has a curved profile.

[0018] The invention further relates to an air filter for a motor vehicle which comprises such a grid.

[0019] The invention further relates to a motor vehicle equipped with such a grille.

[0020] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle equipped with an air filter comprising such a grid.

[0021] These objects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be explained in detail in the following description of a particular embodiment made without limitation in relation to the attached figures among which:

[0022] Figure 1A schematically illustrates a known state-of-the-art grid. Figure 1B schematically illustrates another known state-of-the-art grid.

[0023] Figure 2 schematically illustrates a first embodiment of a protective grid according to the invention.

[0024] Figure 3A is a detail view of a cell of the protective grid of Figure 2.

[0025] Figure 3B schematically illustrates a variant of the cell of Figure 3A.

[0026] Figure 3C schematically illustrates another variation of the cells of Figures 3A and 3B.

[0027] Figure 4 schematically illustrates various alveolar variants. Figure 5 schematically illustrates other alveolar variants.

[0028] Figure 6 schematically illustrates another embodiment of a protective grid according to the invention.

[0029] Figure 7 is a sectional view of a cell and a protrusion according to a first embodiment.

[0030] Figure 8 is a sectional view of a cell and a protrusion according to an alternative embodiment.

[0031] Two examples of a 10' grid for a motor vehicle known from the state of the art are described below with reference to Figures 1 A and 1 AB. These figures each illustrate a sample of a 10' grid comprising a network of cells 12' forming a honeycomb structure. With reference to Figure 1 A, the cells 12' have a square shape and are arranged in rows and columns so as to form a matrix. With reference to Figure 1 B, the cells 12' have a rectangular shape and are arranged in a staggered pattern.

[0032] These embodiments known from the state of the art have several drawbacks. In particular, the walls 14' of the cells 12' in the shape of a quadrilateral obstruct a significant portion of the air section when these grilles 10' are mounted in an air intake zone of the motor vehicle. For example, for a grille 10 of 100 cm 2having 12' square-shaped cells spaced 8 mm apart with a 14' wall thickness of at least 1.5 mm, the permeability of these 10' grids known from the state of the art is less than 71%.

[0033] Furthermore, the size of each individual cell 12' must be smaller than the predefined minimum size of the external elements to ensure effective protection against them, i.e. to prevent these external elements from entering air ducts. This is illustrated in Figures 1A and 1B in which the ellipses 15 represent the predefined dimensions of an external element that the protective grid 10' must retain to prevent said element from entering the filter and / or the duct equipped with such a protective grid. However, this restriction of the size of the cell 12' requires a fairly large volume of material to form the entire grid 10', which results in a relatively high weight for a protective grid 10'.

[0034] Several embodiments of a protective grid 10 according to the invention are described below with reference to figures 2 to 6. These embodiments aim to provide a solution to the problems identified with the known embodiments of the prior art by remedying the drawbacks described above and by proposing improved protective grids 10.

[0035] In a manner common to all embodiments, a protective grid 10 for a motor vehicle according to the invention comprises a network of cells 12 forming a honeycomb structure. These cells 12 have an elliptical and / or polygonal shape. Furthermore, at least a portion of the cells 12 of the network comprise a protuberance 16, a free end 18 of which is oriented towards the inside of the cell 12. The term “protuberance” here designates an elongated, thin and straight outgrowth, similar to a rod or a nipple. Such a protuberance may have a cylindrical shape or the shape of a prism. The free end 18 of the protuberance may be flat or rounded.

[0036] The presence of the protuberance 16 at the heart of the cell 12 makes it possible to ensure the protective function of the grid 10 against external elements having a size greater than a predefined minimum limit, while allowing the cell 12 to have a larger size. In this way, the protective grid 10 offers better permeability, which results in better circulation of air through the protective grid 10. Such a protective grid 10 may be manufactured from plastic, for example by molding and / or by plastic injection. Alternatively, such a protective grid 10 may be manufactured from metallic material. In this particular case, the protective grid 10 made of metallic material is then similar to a metal mesh and may in particular be manufactured by braiding and / or by welding metal wires.The size of the cells can be adapted according to the type of external elements against which the protective grid 10 must provide protection. A cell can have such a shape that said cell fits within a circle with a diameter of between 8 mm and 40 mm, preferably between 10 mm and 20 mm. Thus, in the case where the protective grid 10 serves for example as a butt guard, a cell typically has a size of between 50 and 70 mm. 2 , it thus makes it possible to obstruct objects having a length of at least 8 mm. In the case where the protective grid 10 serves, for example, as a stone guard, a cell typically has a size greater than 100 mm 2, it thus makes it possible to obstruct objects having a length of at least 17 mm. The protective grid 10 may also comprise a network of cells whose geometry of the cells varies according to their position on the grid, which may for example serve as both a cigarette butt guard and a stone guard.

[0037] According to another variant, it is possible to imagine a protective grid 10 in which the walls 14 of the cells 12 comprise a first material while the protrusions 16 comprise another material. In this particular embodiment, the material used for the protrusions 16 is for example more resistant to shocks than the material used for the walls 14 of the cells 12.

[0038] In this embodiment, the protrusions 16 may be added pieces which may be secured to the walls 14 of the cells 12, either permanently or in a removable manner. In this same embodiment, the protrusions 16 may have a color different from the color of the walls 14 of the cells 12. In this way, the colored protrusions may be arranged so as to form together an image which stands out from a background formed by the walls 14 of the cells 12. This image may for example correspond to a logo or a trademark of a manufacturer.

[0039] According to another embodiment, the cells 12 may have protrusions 16 having identical orientations, as illustrated in FIG. 2, or else different orientations, as illustrated in FIG. 6. In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, all the protrusions 16 are oriented in the same direction.

[0040] In the case where the cells 12 have protuberances 16 having different orientations from each other, as illustrated in FIG. 6, these protuberances can be arranged so as to form together an image which is distinguished from a background formed by the walls 14 of the cells 12. Here again, this image can for example correspond to a logo or a brand of a manufacturer.

[0041] Many geometries can be envisaged for the cells 12 and for the protrusions 16 of such a protective grid 10.

[0042] Thus, according to a preferred embodiment of a protective grid 10 according to the invention illustrated in Figure 2, the protective grid 10 comprises a network of hexagonal-shaped cells 12 which forms a honeycomb structure. Other polygonal shapes are conceivable for the cells 12, in particular a triangular shape, a quadrilateral shape, such as a square or a diamond or a rectangle, or even a pentagonal shape, or any other polygonal shape. Cells 12 of elliptical shapes, in particular circular or oval, can also be envisaged. These cell shape variants are illustrated in particular in Figures 4 and 5. However, a hexagonal shape seems to present the best compromise.

[0043] According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the cells 12, or all of the cells 12 of the protective grid 10, comprise a protuberance 16 of which a free end 18 is oriented towards the interior of the cell 12.

[0044] According to a first embodiment, a base 20 of the protuberance 16 is located on one side of the polygonal cell 12, and more particularly at the middle of one of the sides of the polygon which forms the cell 12. This is notably illustrated in FIG. 3A for the preferred embodiment and in FIG. 4 for the variants of this first embodiment. In addition, a free end 18 of the protuberance 16 is located at the center of the cell 12, which is also illustrated in FIG. 3A. Alternatively, the protuberance 16 may be shorter, so that its free end 18 is not located exactly in the center of the cell 12, but closer to the wall 14 to which the base 20 of the cell 12 is attached, as illustrated for one of the pentagonal-shaped cells 12 in FIG. 4.

[0045] According to a variant, the base 20 of the protuberance 16 may be located at the top of the polygon that forms the cell 12. This is for example illustrated in Figure 3B. It will be noted that a height h1 in the case where the base 20 of the protuberance 16 is located in the middle of one of the sides of the hexagon that forms the cell 12 is less than a height h2 in the case where the base 20 of the protuberance 16 is located at the top of the polygon that forms the cell 12. A location of the base 20 of the protuberance 16 in the middle of one of the sides of the polygon that forms the cell 12 is therefore generally preferred, on the one hand because this embodiment requires less material and on the other hand because such a location of the protuberance 16 proves to be less restrictive in the case where the protective grid 10 is manufactured by plastic injection.Indeed, in the case where the base 20 of the protuberance 16 is located at the top of the polygon which forms the cell 12, this can induce a knot which can complicate the injection of the material during manufacturing.

[0046] 11 It is however entirely possible to imagine a protective grid 10 which comprises both one or more cells having a polygonal shape and that for each of said cells a base 20 of a protuberance 16 is located on one side of the polygon; and one or more cells having a polygonal shape and that for each of said cells a base 20 of a protuberance 16 is located at the top of the polygon. Several examples of cells 12 of polygonal shape having a base 20 of a protuberance 16 located at the top of the polygon are illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0047] According to another variant, the same cell 12 of the network which forms the protective grid 10 can comprise a multitude of protuberances 16, this is illustrated in particular in FIG. 3C. In this particular variant, a cell 12 of polygonal shape, in this case hexagonal in the case of FIG. 3C, comprises two distinct protuberances 16. The bases 20 of these protuberances 16 are each located in the middle of one of the sides of the polygon which forms the cell 12. It will be noted that in the case illustrated in FIG. 3C, the two sides which carry the protuberances 16 are not adjacent, this makes it possible to obtain a good compromise between the permeability of a protective grid 10 comprising such cells 12 and the material necessary to manufacture said protective grid 10.

[0048] It will be noted that the height h3 of these two protrusions 16 is less than the height h1 of the protrusion 16 illustrated in FIG. 3A which is itself less than the height h2 of the protrusion 16 illustrated in FIG. 3B. Generally speaking, the height of the protrusion 16 partly determines the minimum value of the size of the external element 15 that the protective grid 10 is able to retain.

[0049] According to a particular embodiment of the protective grid 10, the latter may comprise a multitude of cells 12 which have different shapes from one another, as illustrated in FIG. 6. In this way, the same protective grid 10 may comprise distinct zones with different permeabilities. Furthermore, such a hybrid structure at the cells 12 may allow greater flexibility of the grid 10 to shape it. Thus, one can imagine a flat protective grid 10 or a curved protective grid 10.

[0050] In the case where the cells are shallow, that is to say in the case where the thickness e1 of the wall(s) 14 of the cells 12 is less than 2 mm, the protrusion(s) 16 have a constant thickness e2, as illustrated in FIG. 7. The thickness e2 of the protrusion 16 may be less than, equal to or greater than the thickness e1 of the wall(s) 14 of the cell 12. In general, a cross-section of the protrusion 16 may be less than, equal to or greater than a cross-section of the wall(s) 14 of the cell 12.

[0051] Alternatively, in the case where the cells are deeper, that is to say in the case where the thickness e1 of the wall(s) 14 of the cells 12 is for example greater than 2 mm, the protrusion(s) 16 may have a variable thickness e2 along said protrusion 16 with a clearance angle which makes it easier to demould the grid 10 during its manufacture by injection. This embodiment is more particularly illustrated in FIG. 8.

[0052] It is also possible to imagine a protective grid 10 for which the cells 12 and / or the protrusions 16 have thicknesses e1, e2 that differ from one cell 12 to another. This makes it possible, for example, to reinforce the protective grid 10 by increasing the thickness of the protrusions 16 and / or the walls 14 of the cells 12 in certain areas. The protective grid 10 can thus comprise more rigid areas, in particular in a central area of ​​the protective grid 10 where the probability of an impact with an external element 15 is greater.

[0053] Additionally or alternatively, the edges of the protective grid 10 may also be reinforced, particularly when the edges of the grid

[0054] 10 protection serve as a connection zone with the environment in which said protection grid 10 is installed.

[0055] 11 It is thus possible to design a protective grid 10 which makes it possible to minimize the quantity of material used for the cells 12 which form a honeycomb structure within the grid and which thus offers maximum permeability while ensuring its protective function.

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Grille (10) for a motor vehicle, said grille (10) being intended to be arranged in an air intake zone, the grille comprising a network of cells (12), the cells (12) having an elliptical and / or polygonal shape, the grille (10) being characterized in that at least a portion of the cells (12) comprise at least one protuberance (16) of which a free end (18) is oriented towards the interior of the cell (12).

2. Grid according to claim 1, characterized in that at least a portion of the cells (12) have a polygonal shape and in that a base (20) of a protuberance (16) is located on a vertex of the polygon which forms a cell (12) or on a side of the polygon which forms a cell (12).

3. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a free end (18) of the protuberance (16) is located between its base and the center of the cell (12) or in that a free end (18) of the protuberance (16) is located substantially at the center of the cell.

4. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the same cell (12) of the network comprises a multitude of protuberances (16).

5. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cells (12) have protuberances (16) having identical or different orientations.

6. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protuberance (16) and the wall(s) (14) of the cell (12) have identical thicknesses or different thicknesses.

7. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protuberance (16) and / or the wall(s) (14) of the cell (12) have a clearance angle.

8. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cells (12) have different shapes from each other.

9. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least part of the cells (12) have a hexagonal shape so as to form a honeycomb structure.

10. Grid according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a flat profile or a curved profile.

11. Air filter for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a grid (10) according to one of the preceding claims.

12. Motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a grid according to any one of claims 1 to 10, or an air filter according to the preceding claim.

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