Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Structural detail
Reexamination Certificate
1997-10-02
2001-05-29
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Structural detail
C296S193040, C296S203010, C296S037100, C296S901010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06237990
ABSTRACT:
The present invention relates to a support piece for bodywork elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that a motor vehicle is subdivided into at least two compartments, one of which can be referred to as the “front block” and contains the engine, while the other constitutes the cabin of the vehicle.
Inside each compartment, specific support pieces mounted on the chassis of the vehicle or on elements of its bodywork support various items.
Thus, in the engine compartment, along the front fenders (or “wings”) of the vehicle there are to be found, in particular, an electric battery, various fluid tanks, electronic controllers, and electrical boxes. Likewise, the optics of the vehicle headlights are generally housed above the bumper.
In addition, each bodywork element is itself supported by the chassis of the vehicle, by means of other support pieces fixed individually on the chassis.
Unfortunately, the presence of these numerous support pieces constitutes a drawback both during vehicle manufacture and during operation thereof.
In order to fix each item individually inside a compartment, it is necessary to act directly on the chassis of the vehicle, thus occupying several stations on the assembly line and making it difficult to reduce manufacturing costs and investment by reducing the number of operations and assembly time.
In addition, the large number of support pieces increases dispersion in manufacture and assembly, thereby making it necessary when assembling bodywork elements to perform numerous adjustments in order to reduce the fitting clearances between the elements.
Also, if in use the vehicle should be subject to a shock against an obstacle, then the deformation of the bodywork elements concerned and the damage to the items housed in the vicinity of the bodywork elements are difficult to contain, giving rise to a problem associated with the cost of the necessary repairs, which can be very high.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention seeks to solve those drawbacks by proposing a support piece for bodywork elements, which piece is also particularly simple and of low cost.
The present invention provides a support piece for bodywork elements, the support piece being designed to be fixed to the chassis of a motor vehicle and to be placed beside a compartment of the motor vehicle, the support piece presenting, adjacent to the bodywork elements, a reinforced structure whose envelope is suitable for matching substantially the inside shape of the bodywork elements for support purposes, and adjacent to the compartment, arrangements for receiving items that are designed to be housed inside said compartment.
The term “inside shape of a bodywork element” is used to designate the shape of its face that faces towards the inside of the vehicle, i.e. the face opposite from the face of the bodywork element that is visible from the outside of the vehicle.
Preferably, the support piece of the invention is made as a single piece.
Otherwise, the support piece can be obtained by assembling together as small a number as possible of subassemblies.
By means of the support piece of the invention, it is possible to eliminate nearly all of the traditional support pieces used in manufacturing a vehicle, whether for supporting bodywork elements or for holding items inside a vehicle compartment.
Thus, during vehicle manufacture, it is possible to install on the support piece all of the items that are to take their places inside the compartment, and this can be done, for example, off the assembly line for the vehicle proper. As a result, investment is reduced and time is saved on the assembly stations during manufacture of the vehicle.
Thereafter, it suffices to put the fully-equipped support piece onto the chassis of the vehicle and then to proceed with making the various connections that are required.
In a particular embodiment, on its compartment side, the support piece has arrangements that form integral parts of the items housed in the compartment.
Thus, the support piece may include integrally the housing of an optical block, with the glass of the block being secured to the associated bodywork element, or it may include a receptacle constituting a tank for a liquid, a fuse box, a housing for a controller, or a duct for an air filter, or it may comprise the bottom portion of an air duct.
Advantageously, the items are grouped together into functional systems such as the windshield wiper system, the lighting system, or the electrical and electronic systems, with these systems being shared among the support pieces, thereby making it possible to limit the number of cables that need to pass through the engine compartment.
In a particular embodiment, the vehicle bodywork elements are defined by the boundaries of the support pieces. Thus, it is possible for each support piece to be put into place on the vehicle chassis while fitted not only with all of its inside items, but also while covered by the corresponding bodywork element.
Adjacent bodywork elements are connected together and fitted relative to each other by the support pieces which may, in particular, include edges with sloping bearing surfaces which, in the event of the support pieces moving relative to one another due to a shock, cause the bodywork elements to slide relative to one another, thereby reducing the stresses that result from such displacement in order to preserve the support pieces and the bodywork elements that are not directly impacted during the shock.
Because the support piece of the invention is integrally formed or is built up from as small a number as possible of subassemblies it provides the additional advantage whereby it is possible to determine in advance how the support piece will deform in the event of a shock against an obstacle.
Thus, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the support piece has differing degrees of stiffness between different portions thereof so that in the event of a shock against an obstacle, the support piece deforms keeping the items it supports continuously set back from the obstacle, with the energy of the shock being absorbed in zones designed for that purpose, which zones can be reversibly deformable or fusible, thus limiting intrusion of the obstacle.
In addition, in order to safeguard not only the equipment items mounted on the support piece of the invention, but also the support piece itself, provision is made in a particular embodiment for the support piece to have fusible fixings which, in the event of a shock, give way before the support piece itself breaks, thus enabling the support piece to move relative to the chassis of the vehicle and putting the chassis, or absorber elements situated between the chassis and the obstacle, directly into contact with the obstacle.
Also, because of its structure, the support piece of the invention provides excellent mechanical strength and gives support to the bodywork elements it carries, not only via their peripheries, but also over the surface areas thereof.
This advantage is of particular interest for bodywork elements made of plastics material, which are often unattractive to the public because they are too easy to deform by exerting a small amount of pressure on the outside surface thereof.
The support piece of the invention is preferably designed to be positioned on one side of the vehicle, at the front.
In a first embodiment, the support piece is suitable for occupying a corner, and in particular a front corner, of the vehicle.
In a second embodiment, the support piece is suitable for occupying the space that extends between a wheel, and in particular a front wheel, and the cabin of the vehicle.
In a third embodiment, the support piece extends as far as the vertical longitudinal midplane of the vehicle.
It may be observed that it is particularly advantageous to use a version of the support piece of the invention in which the support piece occupies one of the front corners of the vehicle, since, specifically speaking, shocks occur most frequently at the front corners of vehicles.
Thus, in most cases, after a si
Barbier Pascal
Cheron Hugues
Felgeirolle Jean-Luc
Compagnie & Plastic Omnium
Murray Mickki D
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Pape Joseph D.
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