Classifications

• • 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
  • B62D21/02—Understructures, i.e. chassis frame on which a vehicle body may be mounted comprising longitudinally or transversely arranged frame members
• • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • B60Y2200/00—Type of vehicle
  • B60Y2200/10—Road Vehicles
  • B60Y2200/14—Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60Y—INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
  • B60Y2200/00—Type of vehicle
  • B60Y2200/10—Road Vehicles
  • B60Y2200/14—Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
  • B60Y2200/141—Light trucks
• • 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

Definitions

• the invention relates to a vehicle floor structure equipped with side impact absorbers, in particular to protect an energy storage module or a sensitive element from side impacts.
• Certain utility vehicles have a floor structure formed of a front portion comprising a cabin frame and a rear portion comprising two side rails and a plurality of crossmembers connecting the side rails.
• the rear part is intended to be equipped in the factory, or by bodybuilders, with a structure adapted to the customer's needs. This structure rests on the spars and crosspieces of the rear part while being fixed to the latter.
• the structure can be a closed cell, refrigerated or not, a dumpster with drop sides or a simple platform.
• a utility vehicle of this type also called a cab chassis type vehicle
• the chassis must ensure protection of the battery, particularly against lateral impacts, regardless of the structure fitted to the rear part of the vehicle. cab chassis. This protection is essential to keep the battery attached to the vehicle in the event of a side impact and thus avoid its damage as well as the disadvantages linked to damage, namely the environmental risks linked to leaks of chemicals into the environment, the risks of fire related to significant battery degradation and battery replacement and repair costs.
• Document EP2729348B1 thus describes a floor structure for a vehicle comprising two main longitudinal members connected by crosspieces between which energy storage modules are arranged. This structure is integrated into the vehicle.
• the sleepers include deformation zones with defined behavior.
• These upper crosspieces are integral with a horizontal upper face of the spars and may or may not be fixed to the main spars.
• the upper crossmembers also have deformation zones located transversely between the main and secondary spars. Due to this arrangement of the upper crossmembers, the latter can be separated from the side members in the event of a side impact, which is not desirable.
• additional deformation zones located between the main and secondary spars extend transversely in the same plane as these spars, but are not in alignment with the crosspieces. If they allow energy to be absorbed, these additional deformation zones are however likely to cause deformation of the main spars and degradation of the energy storage modules, which is not desirable.
• the structure described in this document also has the disadvantage of being relatively complex to implement and specific: it cannot be adapted to an existing floor structure of a vehicle.
• the invention relates to a vehicle floor structure formed of a front part comprising a cabin chassis and a rear part comprising two longitudinal members and a plurality of crosspieces connecting the longitudinal members, characterized in that each longitudinal member is equipped with a hollow side impact absorber of omega-shaped cross section fixed to the spar on the side opposite the crossmembers and extending from the cabin frame over a length portion of the rear part, the shock absorber having a central part of U-shaped cross section secured to two wings fixed to a vertical longitudinal wall of the spar.
• each side shock absorber can comprise side walls connected by a bottom wall and the side walls can be pierced with a plurality of holes. This allows the level of effort of the shock absorber to be adjusted to the desired level.
• each spar can be formed of a first part with an omega-shaped cross section and a second part assembled to the first part and closing the latter, and the cross section of each side impact absorber can be identical to the cross section of the first spar part.
• At least one reinforcing element of U-shaped cross section can be fixed to the central part of each side shock absorber, each reinforcing element being fitted inside or outside the central part and extending over at least part of the length of the lateral shock absorber to which it is secured. This makes it possible to reinforce the structure of a shock absorber and/or to adjust its capacity to absorb the energy of a shock.
• the reinforcing element can in particular define with the central part of the lateral shock absorber a cavity in a transverse direction of the floor structure.
• the reinforcing element is external to the lateral shock absorber, it is understood that it is thus possible to adjust the dimension of the shock absorber in a transverse direction (in adjusting the dimension of the cavity in this direction by choosing a reinforcing element of appropriate dimensions) and thus adjusting the quantity of energy that can be absorbed by the side impact absorber.
• each side impact absorber can be fixed to the spar by screwing or welding, preferably by screwing.
• each side impact absorber can be made of aluminum or steel, preferably aluminum.
• Aluminum, and in particular extruded aluminum will preferably be used to reduce the weight compared to a steel solution and reduce the cost of tooling investments (the tooling for an aluminum part, particularly in extruded aluminum, is less expensive than tooling for profiling steel parts).
• the floor structure according to the invention may also comprise a support structure for at least one energy storage module fixed to the floor structure, under it. The support structure then extends between the spars and the crossmembers of the rear part over a length portion of the latter. In this case, the side impact absorbers extend over the entire length of this length portion of the rear part.
• the invention also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a floor structure according to the invention.
• the invention is particularly suitable for electric or hybrid utility vehicles.
• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle floor structure according to one embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 2 is an enlarged view of part of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 represents a perspective view of a side impact absorber according to another embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a side impact absorber according to yet another embodiment of the invention.
• Figure 5 represents a cross section of Figure 1 taken along a crosspiece.
• front, rear, upper, lower refer to the front and rear directions of the vehicle, when the floor structure according to the invention is mounted on the vehicle.
• the vertical direction thus corresponds to the direction of gravity.
• Figure 1 represents a vehicle floor structure 10 formed of a front part 12 comprising a cabin chassis 120 and a rear part 14 comprising two spars 16 and a plurality of crosspieces 18 connecting the spars 16.
• the spars 16 of the rear part 14 are typically integral with a base 121 of the cabin chassis 120.
• the longitudinal members 16 and the crosspieces 18, typically made of steel are hollow elongated parts, preferably with a closed cross section, for example with a rectangular or parallelepiped section. These elongated parts can be formed in two parts assembled together and defining an internal cavity extending in their longitudinal direction.
• the internal cavity of the longitudinal members thus extends in the longitudinal direction of the floor structure 10 while the internal cavity of the crosspieces extends in the transverse direction of the floor structure 10.
• each spar 16 is formed of a first part 160 of omega-shaped cross section and a second part 170 assembled to the first part and closing it.
• the first part 160 comprises a central part 161 of U-shaped cross section formed by two side walls 162, 163 connected by a bottom wall 164, this central part 161 being integral with two wings 17 which are fixed to the second part 170 , generally a flat plate, as visible in Figure 2.
• the side walls 162, 163 thus extend vertically in the longitudinal direction of the floor structure 10.
• Each beam 16 thus extends vertically over a height LH and extends transversely over a length LL (see figure 2).
• each spar 16 is equipped with a hollow lateral shock absorber 20 which will make it possible to absorb the transverse shocks suffered by the floor structure 10.
• each side impact absorber 20 has an omega-shaped cross section and is fixed to the spar 16 on the side opposite the crosspieces.
• each side impact absorber 20 extends from the cabin chassis 120 over a length portion of the rear part 12.
• the side impact absorber 20 has a central part 21 of cross section in the shape of a U secured to two wings 22 fixed to the vertical longitudinal wall 162 of the spar.
• the attachment of the shock absorber 20 to the spar can be carried out by welding, for example by spot welding or the like, or even by screwing. We can also make the shock absorber 20 in steel or aluminum.
• the central part 21 of U-shaped cross section of the shock absorber 20 is here formed of two side walls 210, 211 connected by a bottom wall 212.
• the different walls of the shock absorber 20 are typically oriented at right angles to each other, as shown in the figures.
• the invention is however not limited to this embodiment and a different orientation of the walls relative to each other could be envisaged, provided that the wings 22 extend in the same plane for their attachment to the wall 162 of the spar and that the shock absorber has a cross section whose shape is similar to an omega (Q).
• the lateral shock absorber 20 thus defines a longitudinal cavity 23 with the spar 16 which will allow absorption of lateral shocks.
• the lateral shock absorber 20 has in particular a dimension L measured in the transverse direction and a dimension H measured vertically. By adjusting the length of dimension L, it is possible to adjust the amount of energy that the shock absorber will be able to absorb during an impact.
• each side impact absorber 20 can have a cross section identical to the cross section of the first part 161 of a spar.
• the dimensions LH and LL of the spar 16 are then identical to the dimensions L and H respectively of a shock absorber 20 (see Figure 2).
• Each spar 16 and shock absorber 20 can thus be produced using the same tooling, the shock absorber 20 being rotated by 90° relative to the spar in use, as visible in Figure 2.
• each side impact absorber 20 can also be equipped with one or more reinforcing elements 30, 30' of U-shaped cross section, which is fixed to the central part 161 d a side impact absorber.
• the reinforcing element 30 is fitted outside the central part 161 (see Figure 3) or the reinforcing element 30' is fitted inside the the central part 161 (figure 4).
• the reinforcing element 30, 30' extends over at least part of the length of the lateral shock absorber to which it is secured, preferably over its entire length (in the longitudinal direction).
• a shock absorber may comprise at least one external reinforcing element 30 and at least one internal reinforcing element 30'.
• Each reinforcing element 30, 30’ is formed of two side walls 31a, 31b; 31'a, 31'b respectively, connected together by a bottom wall 31c, 31'c respectively, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Due to the interlocking, the side walls 31a, 31b; 31'a, 31'b are thus partially supported (over a length £ for example - see Figure 3) or entirely ( Figure 4) on the side walls 210, 211 of the central part of the side shock absorber.
• the reinforcing element 30 When the reinforcing element 30 is located outside the shock absorber 20, it can in particular define a cavity 32 with the latter as shown in Figure 3.
• This cavity 32 makes it possible to extend the shock absorber transversely, its length L' being greater than the length L of the shock absorber alone. This allows more energy to be absorbed.
• the reinforcing element 30' When the reinforcing element 30' is located outside the shock absorber 20, it may or may not define a cavity with the latter. In the example shown in Figure 4, the reinforcing element 30' simply rests against the bottom wall of the shock absorber to reinforce it structurally. However, it could be moved aside transversely to create a cavity with the bottom of the shock absorber.
• the reinforcing element 30, 30' which can be made of steel or aluminum, is advantageously fixed by welding to the shock absorber 20. It is possible in particular to produce the reinforcing element 30 , 30' so that its side walls 31a, 31b; 31'a, 31'b are supported on the side walls 210, 211 of the central part of the lateral shock absorber over a sufficient length to achieve the fixing by welding. If the side walls of the shock absorber are pierced with holes, the reinforcing element(s) can then advantageously be arranged so as not to close the holes. It will be noted that the different embodiments previously described (presence or absence of holes 24 and reinforcing elements 30, 30') can be combined according to the desired resistance for the shock absorber.
• the floor structure 10 thus makes it possible to protect one or more energy storage modules 40, such as electric battery modules, typically supported by a support structure 50 which is fixed to the floor structure, under the latter, generally to the spars 16.
• a support structure 50 which is fixed to the floor structure, under the latter, generally to the spars 16.
• the support structure 50 extends between the spars 16 and the crosspieces 18 of the rear part over a length portion thereof.
• the support structure 50 also extends partly under the base 121 of the cabin chassis 120.
• the two lateral shock absorbers 20 extend over the entire length of the length portion of the part rear over which the support structure 50 extends.
• the side impact absorber 20 can absorb the energy of the impact, limit the deformation of the spar of the floor structure to which it is fixed, and thus limit the risk of a breakage of the fixings of the support structure 50 to this spar.
• the side impact absorbers 20 also make it possible to choose a support structure 50 designed to participate in the protection of the energy storage modules 40 or not. It will be noted that this type of lateral impact absorber 20 can also be fitted to a thermal vehicle when a sensitive element (tank or other) that you wish to protect against lateral impacts is fixed to the floor structure near the cabin chassis. The invention can thus be applied to a thermal motor vehicle as well as to an electric motor vehicle, although use for an electric or hybrid motor vehicle is preferred.

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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)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=85222024

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2022
  • 2022-12-14 FR FR2213346A patent/FR3143527B1/fr active Active
• 2023
  • 2023-12-01 WO PCT/EP2023/083970 patent/WO2024126105A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 2023-12-01 EP EP23817155.7A patent/EP4634040A1/de active Pending

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