Bodywork part comprising a lock loop

Abstract

A bodywork part of a motor vehicle includes a main body of plastic material and at least one structural reinforcement fastened at least partially to a first part main body. The piece also includes at least one connecting member of the first part and of a second part of the main body including an end, a portion of which forms a lock loop around a clamping element so as to secure the connecting member, the structural reinforcement and the first part.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle bodywork part comprising: a main body of plastic material comprising at least a first part and a second part, the first part having at least one orifice, at least a structural reinforcement fastened at least partially on the first part, the structural reinforcement having at least one orifice facing the orifice of the first part, so as to form a through-hole, at least one connecting member of the first part and the second part comprising an end, the end comprising at least one portion penetrating at least once into the through-hole and forming a lock loop around a clamping element so as to secure the at least one connecting member, the structural reinforcement and the first part.

2. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 1, wherein the first part of at least one of the main body and the structural reinforcement comprise, at the periphery of respective orifices thereof, at least one edge having a relief capable of wedging the portion of the end forming the lock loop.

3. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the end inserted into the through-hole is fastened to a non-introduced portion of the end.

4. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 1, wherein the at least one connecting member is connected to an anchor point of the second part.

5. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 1, further comprising a second structural reinforcement fastened at least partially onto the first part of the main body, the second structural reinforcement having the at least one orifice facing an orifice of the first part of the main body, so as to form a second through-hole.

6. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 5, wherein the at least one connecting member comprises a second end, the second end comprising at least one portion penetrating at least once into the second through-hole and forming a second lock loop around a second clamping element so as to secure the connecting member, the second structural reinforcement and the first part.

7. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 5, further comprising a second connecting member of the first part and the second part comprising an end, the end comprising at least a portion penetrating at least once into the second through-hole and forming a second lock loop around a second clamping element so as to secure the second connecting member, the second structural reinforcement and the first part.

8. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 7, wherein the second connecting member is connected to an anchor point of the second part, the anchoring point being, for example, a lock block.

9. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 1, wherein the motor vehicle bodywork part is an opening part.

10. A method of manufacturing a bodywork part of a motor vehicle, the method comprising: producing of at least one structural reinforcement comprising at least one orifice, producing of a main body of plastic material, the main body being subdivided into at least a first part and a second part, the first part having at least one orifice intended to be positioned facing the orifice of the structural reinforcement, fastening of the structural reinforcement at least partially on the first part of the main body so that the facing orifices form a through-hole, introduction of at least a portion of an end of a connecting member of the first part and the second part into the through-hole forming a lock loop around a clamping element so as to secure the connecting member, the structural reinforcement and the first part.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the steps of producing the main body and fastening of the structural reinforcement at least partially on the first part of the main body are carried out concomitantly by overmolding the structural reinforcement during molding of the main body.

12. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 3, wherein the portion of the end inserted into the through-hole is fastened by adhesive.

13. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 4, wherein the anchor point is a lock block.

14. The motor vehicle bodywork part according to claim 9, wherein the opening part is selected from the group consisting of a hatchback and a side door.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The invention will be better understood upon reading the description which follows, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

(2) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hatchback according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion (dotted line) of the hatchback of FIG. 1,

(4) FIG. 3 is a section along the section plane III-III of FIG. 2, illustrating an assembly of a connecting member, a structural reinforcement and a first part of the main body according to a first embodiment of the invention,

(5) FIG. 4 is a section along the section plane III-III of FIG. 2 illustrating an assembly of a connecting member, a structural reinforcement and a first part of the main body according to a second embodiment of the invention,

(6) FIG. 5 is a section along the section plane III-III of FIG. 2 illustrating an assembly of a connecting member, a structural reinforcement and a first part of the main body according to a third embodiment of the invention,

(7) FIG. 6 is a section along the section plane III-III of FIG. 2 illustrating an assembly of a connecting member, a structural reinforcement and a first part of the main body according to a fourth embodiment of the invention, and

(8) FIG. 7 is a section along the section plane III-III of FIG. 2 illustrating an assembly of a connecting member, a structural reinforcement and a first part of the main body according to a fifth embodiment of the invention

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) Vehicle bodywork part 1 according to the invention comprises a main body 2 of plastic material comprising at least a first part 3 and a second part 4, the first part 3 having at least one orifice. Bodywork part 1 also comprises at least one structural reinforcement 5 fastened at least partially on the first part 3, the structural reinforcement 5 having at least one orifice facing the orifice of the first part 3, so as to form a through-hole 6. In addition, part 1 comprises at least one connecting member 7 of the first part 3 and the second part 4 comprising an end 8, said end 9 comprising at least one portion penetrating at least once into the through-hole 6 and forming a lock loop 9 around a clamping element 13 so as to secure the connecting member 7, the structural reinforcement 5 and the first part 3.

(10) We will henceforth describe this bodywork part 1 as a hatchback (FIG. 1). However, one skilled in the art will recognize the application of the invention to any other bodywork part likely to be separated into at least two parts during driving, following an impact, for example, a side door.

(11) In the case of the hatchback shown in FIG. 1, the first part 3 of the main body 2 corresponds to the part above the dotted line of separation, and comprises the hinges allowing the tailgate to be fastened to the vehicle body (not shown). The second part 4 corresponds, in turn, to the part below the dotted line of separation, and comprises an anchor point, in this case a lock block 10 which represents a point of strong mechanical strength in the second part 4 of the main body 2, given its direct connection to the vehicle body. In this example of the invention, part 2 comprises two structural reinforcements 5, each attached to a different portion of the first part 3. These two structural reinforcements 5 are connected to each other via a single connecting member 7. The connecting member 7 extends into the main body 2, starting from the structural reinforcements 5 towards the second part 4 and passes through the lock block 10 of the second part 4.

(12) As illustrated in FIG. 2, the lock loop 9 makes it possible to secure a connecting member 7, a structural reinforcement 5 and the portion of the first part 3 on which the structural reinforcement 5 is fastened. This locking loop 9 can be obtained in multiple ways, according to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 to 7, all these embodiments being applicable to the hatchback illustrated in FIG. 1.

(13) In one of the non-illustrated embodiments of the lock loop 9, the first part 3 of the main body 2 comprises a clamping element 13 projecting from the opposite side to the insertion side of the end 8 of the connecting member 7. A portion of the end 8 is introduced into the through-hole 6, formed by an orifice present in the first part 3 of the main body 2 and an orifice present in the structural reinforcement 5 and passes right through the through-hole 6. The portion of the introduced end 8 bypasses the projecting clamping element 13 and leaves through the same through-hole 6, thus forming the lock loop 9. In other words, a portion of the end 8 passes through the through-hole 6 twice and thus returns to the insertion side once the lock loop 9 has been formed. Therefore, this specific portion of the end 8 can be attached to another portion of the connecting member 7 located on the insertion side to secure the formation of the locking loop 9 and, therefore, safeguard the securing of the connecting member 7, the structural reinforcement 5 and the portion of the first part 2 on which the structural reinforcement 5 is fastened.

(14) Another embodiment of the lock loop 9 is illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the presence of two through-holes 6, each formed by two orifices facing one another, one of which is present in the first part 3 of the main body 2 and the other is present in the structural reinforcement 5. A portion of end 8 of the connecting member 7 is introduced, from the insertion side, into one of the through-holes 6, passes through it and out through the other through-hole 6, thus forming the lock loop 9 around the surface of part 1 separating the two through-holes 6. In this case, this surface is therefore the clamping element 13, around which the locking loop 9 is formed. In this embodiment, there is a crimped border 14 having a bevel-shaped relief, this relief being arranged to wedge a portion of the end 8 between said border 14 and another portion of the end 8 when the connecting member is tensioned. Therefore, the lock loop 9, once formed, can be tensioned, and with less risk of loosening of the loop 9. The clamping element 13 also has edges with a relief similar to that of the crimped border 14 which makes it possible to wedge the portion of the loop 9 with which each edge of the clamping element 13 is in contact, when tensioning the connecting member 7. Tensioning can be implemented either after the other end of the connecting member 7 has been connected to an anchor point of the second part 4, or after this other end has formed a second loop 9 around a second clamping element (not shown) located in another portion of the first part 3 of the part 1. The impact of such tensioning of the connecting member 7 on the end 8 is illustrated in FIG. 5. The edge 14 may be considered for the embodiment described above. The edge 14 and its particular relief may be formed during overmolding of the structural reinforcement 5 by the plastic material forming the first part 3 of the main body 2, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 7. However, such crimped edges 14 may be formed during manufacture of the main body 2, independently of its fastening with the structural reinforcement 5. In this first embodiment, the pulling strand of the end 8 of the connecting member is wedged between a crimped edge 14 and the non-pulling strand of the end 8 which further secures the holding of the lock loop 9 over time. In addition, an adhesive 11 is applied between the free edge and the non-free edge of the end 8, over a substantial length, once the lock loop 9 is formed. The application of this adhesive 11 provides additional security in the case where the tension applied to the connecting member 7 is not optimal or deteriorates over time.

(15) The second embodiment (FIG. 4) of the piece 1 of the invention differs from the first embodiment previously described as follows. The clamping element 13 has a protuberance projecting from the side opposite to the insertion side. Such a protrusion participates in allowing an excellent wedging of the end 8 at the crimped edge 14, once the connecting member 7 is tensioned. In addition, an adhesive 11 is also applied between the free edge and the non-free edge of the end 8, once the lock loop 9 is formed.

(16) The third embodiment of the invention (FIG. 5) differs from the second embodiment (FIG. 4) in that an adhesive layer 11 is applied over the entire length of the end 8 of the connecting member 11. Thus, when tensioning the connecting member 7, the part of the end 8 which is in contact with the clamping element 13 adheres to the latter. The pulling strand of the end 8 also adheres to a longer length than the non-pulling strand of the end 8. Therefore, in addition to providing additional security, it is then possible to adhere the braid on the main body 2 which also prevents any noise that may be caused by undesirable movements of the pulling strand of the end 8 against the main body 2.

(17) The fourth embodiment (FIG. 6) differs from the first embodiment (FIG. 3) in that the crimped edge 14 forms a protuberance projecting from the insertion side. This shape of the crimped edge 14 makes it possible to increase the force with which the pulling strand of the end 8 is pinched between the non-pulling strand of the end 8 and the crimped edge 14, when the connecting member 7 is tensioned.

(18) In the fifth embodiment (FIG. 7), part 1 is provided with an additional clamping element 15 situated between the clamping element 13 and the portion of the first part 3 which comprises the crimped edge 14. Specifically, the bodywork part 1 according to the fifth embodiment has three through-holes 6, two of which are located on either side of the additional clamping element 15 and one between the clamping element 13 and the portion of the first part 3 that does not include the crimped edge 14. In this embodiment, the lock loop 9 is thus formed. From the insertion side, the pulling strand of the end 8 is introduced into the hole located between the first part 3 and the additional clamping element 15. From the side opposite to the insertion side, the pulling strand is passed through the hole between the additional clamping element 15 and the clamping element 13. The pulling strand is then inserted into the last hole between the clamping element and the first part 3. Finally, the pulling strand is once again introduced into the hole between the first part 3 and the additional clamping element 15, but this time from the opposite side, so as to form the locking loop 9. The pulling strand is then attached to the non-pulling strand using an adhesive 11. Thus, two crimping of the end 8 of the connecting member 7 are affected on tensioning, namely one at the additional clamping element 15 and one at the crimping edge 14. Therefore, the formation of the lock loop 9 by the end 8 of the connecting member 7 is more secure.

(19) The invention is not limited to the embodiments presented here and other embodiments will become clearly apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is in particular another possible embodiment of the possible invention in which the bodywork part is a side door or an embodiment in which more than two through-holes are provided and used for the formation of a locking loop.

LIST OF REFERENCES

(20) 1: bodywork part

(21) 2: main body

(22) 3: first part of the main body

(23) 4: second part of the main body

(24) 5: structural reinforcement

(25) 6: through-hole

(26) 7: connecting member

(27) 8: end of the connecting member

(28) 9: lock loop of the connecting member

(29) 10: lock block

(30) 11: adhesive

(31) 13: clamping element

(32) 14: crimped edge of the connecting member

(33) 15: additional clamping element of the connecting member