Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-20
2001-03-06
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S190050, C296S029000, C180S068400, C293S155000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06196624
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a cross-beam and a disposition thereof in an automobile vehicle body.
A prior art cross-beam for automobile vehicles has a central part forming a support for a heat exchanger and two lateral parts forming supports for respective headlights.
A cross-beam of this type is usually manufactured in one piece, for example from a composite material. The shape of the cross-beam is generally specific to the model of the vehicle to which it is fitted. Also, if the cross-beam is damaged, in particular following an impact suffered by the vehicle, it must be replaced in its entirety.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENITON
The object of the invention is to facilitate standardizing and repairing a cross-beam for automobile vehicles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,638 describes a cross-beam of the aforementioned type in which each lateral part is connected to the central part by releasable attachment means.
The invention consists in a cross-beam for automobile vehicles of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,638 characterized in that the fastening means include, associated with each lateral part, two complementary positioning dihedra respectively on the central part and on the corresponding lateral part, each dihedron being delimited by two faces meeting along an edge, and complementary means for immobilizing the dihedra relative to each other cooperating with each other by relative displacement of the dihedra substantially parallel to their edge.
According to other features of the cross-beam:
the complementary immobilizing means include an elastically deformable snap fastener tongue in a face of one of the positioning dihedra adapted to nest in a snap fastener orifice in a complementary face of the other positioning dihedron;
the complementary immobilizing means include, for each face of one of the dihedra, at least one mortise member cooperating with a tenon member carried by a complementary face of the other dihedron;
the angle of each positioning dihedron is approximately 90°.
The invention also consists in a disposition of a cross-beam as defined hereinabove in an automobile body, characterized in that each lateral part includes means for fixing it to the body shared with the central part.
According to other features of this disposition:
the fixing means include two seats through which the cross-beam bears on the body, respectively connected to the central part and to the lateral part, the seats being superposed and fixed to the body by means of a screw passing through two aligned orifices in the respective seats;
the edge of the orifice of the top seat is delimited by an anti-creep boss nested in the orifice of the bottom seat so that the boss bears directly on the body;
the orifice of the top seat is lined by an internal metal ring;
the two bearing seats include aligned respective positioning orifices cooperating with a locating pin fastened to the body.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5123695 (1992-06-01), Kanemitsu et al.
patent: 5271473 (1993-12-01), Masuda
patent: 5348114 (1994-09-01), Yamauchi
patent: 5409288 (1995-04-01), Masuda
patent: 5597198 (1997-01-01), Takanishi et al.
patent: 43 07 793 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 2625164 (1989-06-01), None
patent: 2708554 (1995-02-01), None
Bierjon Didier
Droxler Fabrice
Ecia Industrie
Pape Joseph D.
Sughrue Mion Zinn Macpeak & Seas, PLLC
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