Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
  • B62D25/02—Side panels
  • B62D25/025—Side sills thereof
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D21/00—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted
  • B62D21/15—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body
  • B62D21/157—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body for side impacts
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
  • B60K1/00—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units
  • B60K1/04—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units of the electric storage means for propulsion
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
  • B60K1/00—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units
  • B60K1/04—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units of the electric storage means for propulsion
  • B60K2001/0405—Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units of the electric storage means for propulsion characterised by their position
  • B60K2001/0438—Arrangement under the floor
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Y—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
  • B60Y2306/00—Other features of vehicle sub-units
  • B60Y2306/01—Reducing damages in case of crash, e.g. by improving battery protection
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
  • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
  • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
  • B62D25/20—Floors or bottom sub-units
  • B62D25/2009—Floors or bottom sub-units in connection with other superstructure subunits
  • B62D25/2036—Floors or bottom sub-units in connection with other superstructure subunits the subunits being side panels, sills or pillars

Definitions

• PROGRAMMED FOR ONE VEHICLE
• the present invention claims priority from French application 2209962 filed on September 30, 2022, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is here incorporated by reference.
• the invention relates to motor vehicles comprising a structure comprising a floor having two opposite longitudinal sides, and more precisely the longitudinal members which frame these two opposite longitudinal sides.
• Certain motor vehicles include a structure comprising a floor having right and left longitudinal sides and two side members, right and left, installed respectively parallel to these right and left longitudinal sides.
• the floor can possibly be associated with at least one cross member (for example in the area located under the rear seat in the case of a car).
• the vehicles (automobiles) presented above must be capable of protecting their passengers when they suffer a lateral impact on one of their right and left longitudinal sides.
• lateral impact an impact following a direction having a non-zero transverse component. This requires their structure to have very high stiffness, and all the more so as the weight of the vehicle is significant and this lateral impact results from a collision with an object of low longitudinal extension, such as for example a post.
• GMP all-electric or hybrid (thermal and electric) powertrain
• GMP all-electric or hybrid (thermal and electric) powertrain
• the side rails and crossmember(s) must contribute to the aforementioned stiffness, they must absorb the greatest possible quantity of the energy of a lateral impact.
• the aforementioned constraint also imposes a limitation on the height of the latter. Consequently, if we want the mileage range not to be reduced, we are forced to increase the width of the rechargeable battery assembly and therefore reduce the width of the side members, even though the latter must also protect the rechargeable battery set.
• the protection provided by a spar requires that it absorb a certain level of energy (or effort), control the distribution and level of forces transferred to neighboring elements and allow a limitation of deformations in a zone predefined.
• the current spars comprise an envelope made up of two metal half-shells fixedly secured to each other and housing a profile comprising longitudinal internal walls and delimiting longitudinal internal boxes which are supposed to absorb the energy of a side impact while deforming.
• this deformation is not currently well controlled, and therefore the transfer of forces during and after deformation are not well controlled and often too great, which can cause damage to the floor and/or the possible rechargeable battery set.
• the invention therefore aims in particular to improve the situation to increase the passive protection of passengers, as well as a possible rechargeable battery assembly, in the event of a side impact.
• a spar on the one hand, suitable for being installed parallel to a longitudinal side of a floor of a structure of a motor vehicle, and, on the other hand, comprising a profile comprising longitudinal internal walls and delimiting longitudinal internal boxes.
• This spar is characterized by the fact that its profile comprises an interior edge participating in the delimitation of two first upper and lower internal boxes separated by a first intermediate internal box having a cross section in the general shape of a convex pentagon initially pointing towards a outer edge, opposite the inner edge, and able, in the event of forces absorbed during an impact by the outer edge, to deform into a concave pentagon pointing towards the inner edge in order to allow rotation of the profile around an axis longitudinal inducing a majority of these forces to be transferred to the floor.
• the spar thus offers a programmed, very progressive deformation kinematics, which allows a substantially predefined distribution of the forces transferred to the floor, which makes it possible to avoid, and in all cases at least minimize, the damage caused by a side impact.
• the spar according to the invention may include other characteristics which can be taken separately or in combination, and in particular:
• the outer edge can participate in the delimitation of two second upper and lower internal boxes superimposed one above the other and separated respectively from the first upper and lower internal boxes by third upper and lower internal boxes.
• this third lower internal box can share with the second lower internal box a vertical internal wall
• this third upper internal box can share with the second upper internal box an internal wall inclined towards the inner edge so as to favor the rotation of the profile around the longitudinal axis;
• the third upper internal box can share with the first intermediate internal box a first internal wall inclined towards the inner edge
• the third lower internal box can share with the first intermediate internal box a second internal wall inclined towards the inner edge, these first and second inclined internal walls defining the part of the convex pentagon initially pointing towards the outer edge;
• the second upper and lower internal boxes can share a horizontal internal wall.
• the third upper and lower internal boxes can share another horizontal internal wall which extends the horizontal internal wall (mentioned in the previous paragraph) to an interface between the first and second inclined internal walls, in order to participate in the deformation pentagon from convex to concave;
• the third upper internal box can share with the first upper internal box a vertical internal wall
• the third lower internal box can share with the first lower internal box a vertical internal wall
• the profile may comprise, on the one hand, an upper edge connecting the outer and inner edges and comprising a first part extending upwards from the outer edge while being inclined towards the inner edge, and, on the other hand, a lower edge connecting the outer and inner edges and comprising a first part extending downwards from the outer edge while being inclined towards the inner edge opposite to the inclination of the first part of the upper edge;
• the internal walls and/or the interior, exterior, upper and lower edges can have a chosen distribution of thicknesses; [0017] - the internal walls and/or the interior, exterior, upper and lower edges may have a thickness of between 1.5 mm and 8 mm.
• the invention also proposes a motor vehicle comprising a structure comprising a floor having right and left longitudinal sides and two side members, right and left, of the type presented above and installed respectively parallel to the right and left longitudinal sides .
• this motor vehicle can also include a rechargeable battery assembly installed under the floor between the right and left side members.
• FIG. 1 illustrates schematically and functionally, in a sectional view in a transverse and vertical plane, part of an example of a motor vehicle structure comprising an example of embodiment of a spar according to the invention
• FIG. 2 illustrates schematically and functionally, in a sectional view in a transverse and vertical plane, the profile of the spar of Figure 1, with a materialization of a chosen distribution of thicknesses of its partitions and its edges, and
• FIG. 3 illustrates schematically and functionally, in a transverse and vertical plane, the temporal evolution (at four successive times) of the profile of the spar of Figures 1 and 2 during a lateral impact suffered by this spar.
• the invention aims in particular to propose an LV spar intended to form part of an SV structure of a motor vehicle VA and offering programmed deformation kinematics.
• the motor vehicle VA is a car. But the invention is not limited to this type of motor vehicle. It concerns any motor vehicle comprising a structure comprising a floor (integrating possible crossmember(s)) framed by two side members.
• Figure 1 a part of an example of SV structure of a (motor) vehicle VA, comprising an example of production of an LV spar according to the invention.
• the SV structure includes in particular a PV floor having right and left longitudinal sides CL, and two LV longitudinal members, right and left, installed respectively parallel to the CL right and left longitudinal sides.
• the vehicle VA also includes a rechargeable battery assembly EB installed under the PV floor between the right and left LV side members. But this is not obligatory, because the invention also applies when the vehicle VA does not have a rechargeable battery assembly EB.
• an LV spar comprises a PL profile comprising internal walls PI1 to RH O longitudinal (and therefore extending in the longitudinal direction X) and delimiting internal longitudinal boxes C11 to C32. It will be noted that in the example illustrated non-limitatively in Figure 1 the LV spar also includes an envelope EL consisting of two metal half-shells fixedly joined to each other and housing the PL profile.
• the two metal half-shells of the EL envelope can be made of steel or aluminum.
• the PL profile can be made of aluminum. But it could also be made of steel.
• the profile PL comprises an inner edge Bl, intended to be oriented towards the PV floor and the possible rechargeable battery assembly EB, an outer edge BE, opposite the inner edge Bl and therefore intended to be oriented towards the exterior of the vehicle VA, an upper edge BS, connecting the outer edges BE and inner Bl, and a lower edge BF, connecting the outer edges BE and inner Bl but opposite the upper edge BS.
• the interior edge Bl participates in the delimitation of two first upper internal boxes C11 and lower C12 and a first intermediate internal box C13 separating these first upper internal boxes C11 and lower C12.
• the first intermediate internal box C13 has a cross section (in the plane YZ) in the general shape of a convex pentagon which initially points towards the outer edge BE.
• This particular pointed shape is capable, in the event of forces absorbed during an impact by the outer edge BE, of deforming into a concave pentagon pointing towards the inner edge Bl (arrow F1 in Figure 3).
• This very advantageously allows a rotation R of the PL profile around a longitudinal axis AL which induces a majority of the forces to be transferred to the PV floor.
• the LV spar offers programmed, very progressive deformation kinematics, which allows a substantially predefined distribution of the forces which are transferred to the PV floor and to the possible EB rechargeable battery assembly (the majority of effort going towards the PV floor to protect, here, the EB rechargeable battery assembly). This makes it possible to avoid, and in all cases at least minimize, the damage caused by a side impact on an LV spar.
• the outer edge BE can participate in the delimitation of two second upper internal boxes C21 and lower C22 which are superimposed one above the other .
• the second upper internal box C21 is separated from the first upper internal box C11 by a third upper internal box C31
• the second lower internal box C22 is separated from the first lower internal box C12 by a third lower internal box C32.
• the third lower internal box C32 can share with the second lower internal box C22 a vertical internal wall PI6 and the third upper internal box C31 can share with the second upper internal box C21 an internal wall PI5 which is inclined towards the edge interior Bl so as to promote the rotation R of the profile PL around the longitudinal axis AL (see figure 3). It will indeed be understood, as illustrated in Figure 3, that this inclination of the internal wall PI5 favors its verticalization during the progressive deformation of the profile PL, while at the same time the verticality of the internal wall PI6 favors a sinking towards the top of the lower edge BF (arrow F2).
• This depression causes a substantially vertical thrust which, combined with the substantially horizontal force resulting from the deformation substantially along the transverse direction Y towards the interior edge Bl in the upper part of the profile PL, induces a moment of force which causes the rotation R around the longitudinal axis AL (see Figure 3).
• the third upper internal box C31 can share with the first intermediate internal box C13 a first internal wall PI1 which is inclined towards the inner edge Bl
• the third lower internal box C32 can share with the first intermediate internal box C13 a second internal wall PI2 which is inclined towards the inner edge Bl, but with an angle of sign opposite to that of the first internal wall PI1 but necessarily of the same absolute value.
• the first PI1 and second PI2 inclined internal walls define the pointed part of the convex pentagon which initially points towards the outer edge BE.
• first PI1 and second PI2 inclined internal walls are not necessarily identical (this is particularly the case in the example illustrated non-limitingly in Figure 2).
• the second upper internal boxes C21 and lower C22 can share an internal wall PI7 which is horizontal.
• the third upper internal boxes C31 and lower C32 can share another internal wall PI8 which is also horizontal and extends the horizontal internal wall PI7 to an interface between the first PI1 and second PI2 inclined internal walls.
• PI7 and PI8 which participates in the deformation of the pentagon from convex to concave.
• the third upper internal box C31 can share with the first upper internal box C11 a vertical internal wall PI9
• the third lower internal box C32 can share with the first lower internal box C12 a vertical RH O internal wall.
• This verticality of the internal walls PI9 and PI10 favors the upward thrust (arrow F2), because this thrust takes place substantially at the level of the internal wall RH O, and therefore this favors the drive in rotation R around the axis longitudinal AL (see figure 3).
• the upper edge BS may comprise a first part which extends upwards the outer edge BE while being inclined towards the inner edge Bl
• the lower edge BF may comprise a first part which extends the outer edge BE downwards while being inclined towards the inner edge Bl in a manner opposite (but not necessarily equal in absolute value) to the inclination of the first part of the upper edge BS. This helps promote the start of the programmed deformation kinematics.
• the first upper internal boxes C11 and intermediate C13 can share a horizontal internal wall PI3
• the first lower internal boxes C12 and intermediate C13 can share a wall internal PI4 horizontal.
• the internal walls PI1 to PI10 and/or the interior edges Bl, exterior BE, upper BS and lower BF can have a chosen distribution of thicknesses.
• the internal walls PI1 to PI10 may have thicknesses which vary from one to the other, and/or the interior Bl, exterior BE, upper BS and lower BF edges may have thicknesses which vary from one to another. It is even possible to have portions of the same edge (Bl or BE or BS or BF) whose thicknesses are different from each other. This thickness distribution is intended to promote maximum and very progressive deformation of the PL profile with rotation around the longitudinal axis AL.
• the internal walls PI1 to P110 and/or the interior edges Bl, exterior BE, upper BS and lower BF may have a thickness of between 1.5 mm and 8 mm. Preferably, their thicknesses can be between 2 mm and 7 mm. This option is notably compatible with the thickness distribution described in the previous paragraph.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
• Vibration Dampers (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=84370660

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2022
  • 2022-09-30 FR FR2209962A patent/FR3140340B1/fr active Active
• 2023
  • 2023-08-10 WO PCT/FR2023/051260 patent/WO2024069070A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2023-08-10 EP EP23762552.0A patent/EP4594162A1/de active Pending

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