Optimised stiffener for motor vehicle side door

Abstract

The present invention relates to a horizontal stiffener (6) for a motor vehicle side door, comprising: - a first straight section (10) formed by a sheet-metal strip having a profiled cross section, comprising a longitudinal side wall (10.1) and a longitudinal bottom wall (10.2), the first straight section extending between a first end and a second end (13) in a longitudinal direction (X) of the motor vehicle; and characterised in that the longitudinal bottom wall is provided with a stamped part (14) forming a projection extending longitudinally from a proximal portion (14.1) adjacent to the second end and as far as a distal portion (14.2) forming a raised portion (R) in line with the longitudinal bottom wall, the stamped part extending continuously between the proximal portion and the distal portion and over at least one quarter of the total longitudinal extent of the first straight section.

Description

[0001] DESCRIPTION

[0002] TITLE: OPTIMIZED STIFFNER FOR AUTOMOBILE SIDE DOOR

[0003] technical field

[0004] The present invention claims priority from French application 2406945 filed on June 27, 2024, the content of which (text, drawings, and claims) is incorporated herein by reference. The present invention relates to the field of motor vehicles, more particularly to the field of motor vehicle side doors.

[0005] Previous technique

[0006] In the event of a side impact against a motor vehicle, particularly during side impact protocols against a barrier as part of the homologation of motor vehicles according to current safety standards, one of the main areas of stress is the side door, in particular the diagonal reinforcement and the horizontal stiffener.

[0007] Despite advancements in the design of stiffeners in modern vehicles, there remains a risk of pinching the external door opening (EOO) control cable during a side impact. This phenomenon is generally caused by deformation of the stiffener, which, upon impact, can come into contact with the EEO cable, leading to a risk of the door opening unintentionally, which seriously compromises the vehicle's type approval. This risk is particularly pronounced for heavy and / or long vehicles, whose larger doors are more susceptible to significant intrusion during a side impact.

[0008] To minimize these intrusions, one solution could be to significantly reinforce the horizontal stiffener. However, this might require adding an extra part and / or increasing the thickness, which would negatively impact the cost and overall weight of the vehicle. Another approach would be to provide a significant overrun of the COE cable to prevent any risk of pinching during an intrusion. However, this solution would also have significant repercussions in terms of cost and weight. Published patent document FR 3 127 162 A1 describes a horizontal stiffener with a reinforcement zone featuring stiffening ribs positioned opposite a side door lock. These ribs locally reinforce the horizontal stiffener to protect the lock during a side impact.

[0009] However, the solution presented in the document has room for improvement to further secure the lock and the corresponding COE cable.

[0010] Description of the invention

[0011] The present invention aims to overcome at least one of the drawbacks of the aforementioned prior art. More specifically, the invention aims to provide a simple, effective, and economical solution for preventing unintentional door opening in the event of a side impact with the motor vehicle.

[0012] To this end, the invention relates to a horizontal stiffener for a motor vehicle side door, comprising:

[0013] - a first straight span formed by a strip of sheet metal with a profiled cross-section comprising a lateral longitudinal wall and a lower longitudinal wall, said first straight span extending between a first end and a second end along a longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle; and

[0014] - a second span formed with the first span and situated transversely at a distance from said first span, comprising a termination intended to be positioned opposite a lock on the side door; remarkable in that the lower longitudinal wall is provided with an embossment forming a protuberance extending longitudinally from a proximal portion adjacent to the second end and to a distal portion forming a step at the right of said lower longitudinal wall, said embossment extending continuously between the proximal portion and the distal portion and over at least one quarter of a total longitudinal extent of the first straight span.

[0015] In one embodiment, the embossed section forms a transverse ramp inclined on the lower longitudinal wall. In another embodiment, the embossed section extends transversely at an inclined angle from a junction with the lateral longitudinal wall, forming an angle of inclination of at least 10° with respect to the lower longitudinal wall.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the longitudinal lateral wall is provided with an opening adjacent to the step along the longitudinal direction.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the opening is longitudinally distant from the step by a maximum of 50 mm.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the stamping extends longitudinally so that the step is located at least one-third of the total longitudinal extent of the first straight span from the second end.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the step is positioned at a distance of at least 200 mm from the second end.

[0020] The invention also relates to a side door of a motor vehicle, comprising a horizontal stiffener, notable in that said horizontal stiffener is according to the present invention.

[0021] The invention also relates to a motor vehicle notable in that it includes at least one side door according to the invention.

[0022] According to one embodiment, said motor vehicle comprising a side door lock disposed opposite the termination of the second span, said lock being configured to be operated by an external opening control cable intended to extend along a portion of the first straight span near the second end, the stamping's offset being longitudinally distant downstream at least 200 mm from the external opening control cable.

[0023] The measures of the invention are advantageous in that the stamping allows control of the bending of the stiffener, by positioning said bending longitudinally downstream, away from the second end near which the external opening control cable extends, thus avoiding the risk of pinching said cable during the impact.

[0024] Indeed, the raised section of the stamping is advantageously positioned directly above the lower longitudinal wall, so as to control deformations of the horizontal stiffener and direct the fold forward, approximately at the level of a central portion of the side door, in the event of a side impact. This protects the external opening control cable and ensures that the side doors remain closed during and after the impact. Furthermore, the present invention does not entail any additional cost or added mass to the motor vehicle.

[0025] Brief description of the drawings

[0026] [Fig 1] represents a schematic side view of a motor vehicle comprising a side door provided with a horizontal stiffener according to the invention;

[0027] [Fig 2] shows an enlarged view of a first straight span of the horizontal stiffener of figure 1, said first straight span comprising a stamped

[0028] [Fig 3] illustrates a cross-sectional view along an axis AA passing through the horizontal stiffener of figure 2 at the point of the stamping.

[0029] Detailed description

[0030] Figure 1 represents a schematic side view of a motor vehicle 2 comprising a side door 4 provided with a horizontal stiffener 6 according to the invention.

[0031] The horizontal stiffener 6 and a diagonal reinforcement 8 of the side door 4 represent one of the main stress points during a side impact against the motor vehicle 2. The present invention proposes an architecture of the horizontal stiffener 6 which controls the deformations of the latter during a side impact, so as to avoid intrusions which could pinch an external opening control cable (EOC) which could cause an undesired opening of the side door 4. The design of the horizontal stiffener 6 will be detailed later in this description.

[0032] It is understood that the motor vehicle 2 may comprise a plurality of side doors according to the invention, and preferably comprises four side doors, each of which is provided with a horizontal stiffener 6 according to the present invention.

[0033] The horizontal stiffener 6 comprises a first straight span 10 formed by a sheet metal strip with profiled cross-section extending between a first end 11 and a second end 13 along a longitudinal direction X of the motor vehicle 2. Between these two ends 11 and 13, the horizontal stiffener 6 has a total longitudinal span L.

[0034] The straight span 10 comprises a lateral longitudinal wall 10.1 and a lower longitudinal wall 10.2, the latter advantageously provided with a stamping 14 whose shape will be detailed according to figures 2 and 3.

[0035] The horizontal stiffener 6 further includes a second span 16 situated transversely (along the vertical axis Z of the motor vehicle 2) at a distance from the first span 10, having a termination 18 close to the second end 13 and intended to be positioned opposite a lock 20 of the side door 4.

[0036] The second span 16 is formed with the first span 10 and spacers 15 which provide a connection between said spans 10 and 16 and which give the horizontal stiffener 6 a general ladder-like shape. The stiffener 6 is preferably made from 51820 aluminum and has a thickness of 1.2 mm.

[0037] Figure 2 represents an enlarged view of the first straight span 10 of the horizontal stiffener 6 of Figure 1, particularly at the point of the stamping 14 near the second end 13.

[0038] Advantageously, the stamped part 14 forms a protrusion extending longitudinally from a proximal portion 14.1 adjacent to the second end 13 and to a distal portion 14.2 forming a step R on said lower longitudinal wall 10.2. The term "adjacent" here designates that the proximal portion 14.1 is closer to the second end 13 than to the first end of the first span 10, more preferably, said term designates more precisely a gap of at most 100 mm between the portion 14.1 and the end 13.

[0039] Preferably, the embossed 14 extends continuously between the proximal portion 14.1 and the distal portion 14.2 and over at least one quarter of the total longitudinal extent L (visible in Figure 1) of the first straight span 10. The embossed 14 may extend longitudinally up to half of the total extent of the first span 10, and extends more preferentially to about one third of said total extent (±20%).

[0040] It can be seen that the side door lock 20 is positioned opposite the termination 18 of the second span 16, the latter being configured to be operated by a COE cable 19 intended to extend along a portion of the first straight span 10 close to the second end 13.

[0041] Preferably, the stamped section 14 extends longitudinally so that the step R is located at least one-third of the total longitudinal extent of the first straight span 10 from the second end 13. More preferably, the step R is disposed at a distance D of at least 200 mm from the second end 13. Even more preferably, the step R is about 338 mm (±20%) from the second end 13, along the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle 2.

[0042] In this configuration, the spring R of the stamped part 14 is longitudinally distant downstream (towards the front of the motor vehicle 2) by at least 200 mm relative to the COE cable 19 and / or relative to the second end 13. Advantageously, the spring R induces the formation of a fold along a folding axis P in the event of a lateral impact, so its arrangement far from the spring R on the lower longitudinal wall 10.2 makes it possible to limit the risk of contact and / or pinching of the cable 19 by the part of the first straight span 10 close to the second end 13.

[0043] Preferably, the longitudinal lateral wall 10.1 is provided with an opening 22, which may have a U-shape, and is longitudinally adjacent to the step R, said opening 22 being more preferably located at most 50 mm from said step R. In this configuration, the opening 22 can constitute a considerable weakness in the horizontal stiffener 6. This has the advantageous effect of further promoting the bend at the right of said step R in the event of a lateral impact.

[0044] Following the transverse direction of the motor vehicle 2, the stamping 14 forms a transverse ramp inclined on the lower longitudinal wall 10.2. This inclination is more clearly visible in figure 3.

[0045] Figure 3 illustrates a cross-sectional view along an axis AA passing through the horizontal stiffener 6 of Figure 2 at the point of the stamping 14.

[0046] It can be seen that the stamped section 14 extends transversely (along the Y-axis) at an angle from a junction 14.3 with the lateral longitudinal wall 10.1, forming an angle of inclination α of at least 10° with respect to the lower longitudinal wall 10.2 (shown in dashed lines), said angle of inclination α preferably being at most 30°. Advantageously, the transverse extent of the stamped section 14, forming a transverse ramp between the junction 14.3 and the second span 16, provides local resistance to deformation of the horizontal stiffener 6. This allows the bending axis of the latter to be focused towards the springing of the stamped section 14 in the event of an impact.

Claims

DEMANDS [Claim 1.] Horizontal stiffener (6) for a side door (4) of a motor vehicle (2), comprising: - a first straight span (10) formed by a strip of sheet metal with a profiled cross-section comprising a lateral longitudinal wall (10.1) and a lower longitudinal wall (10.2), said first straight span (10) extending between a first end (11) and a second end (13) along a longitudinal direction (X) of the motor vehicle (2); and - a second span (16) formed with the first span (10) and situated transversely at a distance from said first span (10), comprising a termination (18) intended to be disposed opposite a lock (20) of the side door (4); characterized in that the lower longitudinal wall (10.2) is provided with a stamping (14) forming a protuberance extending longitudinally from a proximal portion (14.1) adjacent to the second end (13) to a distal portion (14.2) forming a step (R) at the right of said lower longitudinal wall (10.2), said stamping (14) extending continuously between the proximal portion (14.1) and the distal portion (14.2) and over at least one quarter of a total longitudinal extent (L) of the first straight span (16). [Claim 2.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to claim 1, wherein the stamped part (14) forms a transverse ramp inclined on the lower longitudinal wall (10.2). [Claim 3.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to any one of claims 1 and 2, wherein the stamped part (14) extends transversely in an inclined manner from a junction (14.3) with the lateral longitudinal wall (10.1), forming an angle of inclination (a) of at least 10° with respect to the lower longitudinal wall (10.2). [Claim 4.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the longitudinal lateral wall (10.1) is provided with an opening (22) adjacent to the step (R) along the longitudinal direction (X). [Claim 5.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to claim 4, wherein the opening (22) is longitudinally distant from the step (R) by a maximum of 50 mm. [Claim 6.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the stamped part (14) extends longitudinally so that the step (R) is located at least one third of the total longitudinal extent (L) of the first straight span (10) from the second end (13). [Claim 7.] Horizontal stiffener (6) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the step (R) is disposed at a distance of at least 200 mm from the second end (13). [Claim 8.] Side door (4) of motor vehicle (2), comprising a horizontal stiffener (6), characterized in that said horizontal stiffener (6) is according to any one of claims 1 to 7. [Claim 9.] Motor vehicle (2) characterized in that it comprises at least one side door (4) according to claim 8. [Claim 10.] Motor vehicle (2) according to claim 9, comprising a side door lock (20) (4) disposed opposite the termination (18) of the second span (16), said lock (20) being configured to be operated by an external opening control cable (19) intended to extend along a portion of the first straight span (10) near the second end (13), the step (R) of the stamping (14) being longitudinally distant downstream by at least 200 mm from the external opening control cable (19).

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