MOTOR VEHICLE OPENING PANEL PROVIDED WITH A REMOVABLE EQUIPMENT SUPPORT PLATE AND SKIN

Abstract

A motor vehicle opening panel including an inner panel, preferably made of plastic material, with an upper part in which a first opening is made to accommodate a rear window, and an outer skin, at least partially made of plastic material, attached to the inner panel, including an inner surface opposite an outer surface of the inner panel. The opening panel further includes a support plate for an equipment item covered by the outer skin, the inner surface of the outer skin being attached directly to the support plate in a sealed manner. The plate is arranged inside an inner volume delimited by the outer surface of the inner panel and by the inner surface of the outer skin. The plate is attached to the inner panel so that the assembly consisting of the plate and the outer skin is mounted on the inner panel in a removable manner.

Claims

1. A motor vehicle opening panel, comprising: an inner panel, made of plastic material, provided with an upper part in which a first opening is made that is intended to accommodate a rear window, and an outer skin, at least partially made of plastic material, attached to the inner panel, comprising an inner surface located opposite an outer surface of the inner panel, characterized in that it further comprises a support plate for at least one equipment item covered by the outer skin, the inner surface of the outer skin being attached directly to the support plate in a sealed manner, said plate being arranged inside a volume delimited, on the one hand, by the outer surface of the inner panel and, on the other hand, by the inner surface of the outer skin, said plate being applied on and fastened to the inner panel so that an assembly consisting of the plate and the outer skin can be removably detached from the inner panel.

2. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the assembly consisting of the plate and the outer skin is configured so as to be able to be detached from the inner panel and then to be moved away from it toward an outside of the vehicle.

3. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the equipment support plate is applied directly to the outer surface of the inner panel in a removable manner.

4. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 3, wherein the equipment support plate is screwed to the outer surface of the inner panel.

5. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 3, wherein the equipment support plate comprises a niche whose walls delimit a volume in which said at least one equipment item is inserted and a peripheral rim extending the walls of the niche, the peripheral rim being removably fastened to the outer surface of the inner panel.

6. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 5, wherein a seal is placed between the support plate and the inner surface of the outer skin.

7. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the outer skin is applied to the support plate by gluing.

8. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the outer skin is applied to the support plate removably.

9. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 8, wherein the outer skin is screwed to the support plate.

10. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the equipment support plate comprises a device emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation and the outer skin comprises, opposite the device emitting and/or receiving electromagnetic radiation, a transmission zone, made of plastic, that is at least partially transparent to said electromagnetic radiation.

11. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 1, wherein the support plate comprises at least one access orifice to one of the equipment items carried by the support plate.

12. The motor vehicle opening panel according to claim 11, wherein the support plate further comprises at least one closure member of said access orifice.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0044] The invention will be better understood on reading the description that follows, in which the opening panel of the invention has been described in the form of a tailgate, which description is given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0045] FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic views (FIG. 1A exploded and 1B assembled) of an equipment support plate and an outer skin of a tailgate according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0046] FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a tailgate according to a first embodiment of the invention,

[0047] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the tailgate of FIG. 2,

[0048] FIG. 4 is a schematic section taken along section plane IV-IV of FIG. 3,

[0049] FIG. 5 is a schematic section of the equipment plate and the equipment item of FIG. 4, the equipment item having been extracted from the equipment plate,

[0050] FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of a tailgate according to a second embodiment of the invention,

[0051] FIG. 7 is a schematic section of the equipment plate and the equipment item of

[0052] FIG. 6, the skin having been detached from the equipment plate,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] FIG. 1A to 4 show a motor vehicle tailgate 1 according to a first embodiment of the invention. The motor vehicle is not shown in the figures.

[0054] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, the tailgate 1 comprises an inner panel 2, preferably made of plastic material, provided with an upper part 2A in which a first opening 21 is made that is intended to accommodate a rear window 7. The rear window 7 is in particular fastened to the inner panel 2 via a bead of glue 8.

[0055] The tailgate 1 also comprises an outer skin 3, at least partially made of plastic material, placed against the inner panel 2, comprising an inner surface 31 located opposite an outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2. “Outer surface 23 of the inner panel” means the surface facing the outside of the vehicle. The outer surface 23 is opposite an inner surface 24 of the outer panel, which itself faces the passenger compartment.

[0056] As can be seen in FIG. 4, the tailgate 1 further comprises a support plate 4 for at least one equipment item 6. The inner surface 31 of the outer skin 3 is applied directly to an outer surface of the support plate 4 in a sealed manner.

[0057] The support plate 4 is more particularly arranged inside an inner volume 5A delimited, on the one hand, by the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 and, on the other hand, by the inner surface 31 of the outer skin 3.

[0058] The support plate 4 is applied directly to the inner panel 2 so that the assembly consisting of the support plate 4 and the outer skin 3 is mounted removably on the inner panel 2, and in particular so that it can be detached and then moved away from the inner panel 2 toward the outside (in the left-to-right direction of FIGS. 4 to 7) of the vehicle, as will be explained later.

[0059] More specifically, in the example shown in the figures, the support plate 4 here is applied directly, via its inner surface, to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2.

[0060] The support plate 4 comprises a niche N whose walls delimit a volume 5B in which said at least one equipment item 6 is housed, as well as a peripheral rim 51 extending the walls of the niche N.

[0061] The sealing of the volume 5B is ensured by means of a peripheral seal 50 arranged between the support plate 4 and the inner surface 31 of the outer skin 3.

[0062] The peripheral rim 51 is removably attached to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2. To this end, as can be seen in FIG. 4, it is in particular assembled to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel using screws 25. The screws 25 are inserted into the support plate 4 and the inner panel 2 so that their heads can be accessed, and therefore unscrewed, from inside the vehicle via the inner surface 24 (passenger compartment side).

[0063] It will be noted that the screws 25 allowing the removable assembly of the support plate 4 to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 could be arranged in places other than the peripheral rim 51. In particular, in a variant that is not shown, the fastening of the support plate 4 to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 can be carried out proximate one of the walls of the niche N, outside the rim 51.

[0064] It is of course possible to envisage fastening means other than screws, such as clips, for example, as long as they allow removal of the support plate 4 from the inner panel 2 in a removable manner. The term “removable” means a fastening means that can be reversed several times without altering the parts, unlike gluing, for example.

[0065] A seal (not visible in the figures) can also be placed between the peripheral rim 51 and the outer surface 23 of the inner panel. It may be for example a foam seal compressed between the peripheral rim 51 and the outer surface 23 of the inner panel. Alternatively, the seal will be compressed between another part of the support plate 4 facing the outer surface 23 of the inner panel and the outer surface 23 of the inner panel.

[0066] The outer skin 3 is applied, preferably directly, to the support plate 4. In this first embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the outer skin 3 is glued (the glue is not visible in the figures), via its inner surface 31, to the support plate 4.

[0067] However, the outer skin 3 is not necessarily fastened to the inner panel 3: it may only be connected to the latter via the support plate 4, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Nevertheless, the outer skin 3 here is applied against the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 while being in contact with the latter, but without being fastened thereto. In particular, it may be applied against the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 in a sealed manner, for example using a seal placed between the inner surface 31 of the outer skin 3 and the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 (the seal is not visible in the figures). Whether or not the outer skin 3 is fastened to the inner panel 2, it is preferably, in all cases, applied (there may or may not be contact) against the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2.

[0068] Since the support plate 4 is attached in a removable manner to the inner panel 2 owing to reversible fastening means such as screws, it is possible to detach and remove the assembly consisting of the support plate 4 and the outer skin 3 of the inner panel 2, in particular from the inside to the outside of the vehicle, which is removed in FIG. 5. In the embodiment shown in the figures, to detach the support plate 4 from the inner panel 2, the screws 25 (or any other means for fastening the support plate 4 to the inner panel 2) are unscrewed from inside the vehicle (passenger compartment side). Then, one can remove the assembly consisting of the support plate 4 and the outer skin 3 of the inner panel 2 from outside the vehicle and separate this assembly from the rest of the vehicle. FIG. 5 illustrates the assembly separated from the rest of the vehicle.

[0069] The support plate 4 comprises one or more equipment items 6, only one of which is visible in the illustrated sections 4 to 8. Of course, these can be different from each other. It may, for example, be one or more light devices that emit electromagnetic radiation R in the visible spectrum. This electromagnetic radiation is shown schematically by a dotted arrow in FIGS. 4 and 6. These light devices can be distributed over all or part of the width of the support plate 4 in order to establish the desired light signature. Thus, it is possible to obtain a light signature with a continuous appearance over the entire width of the tailgate if so desired.

[0070] The equipment item(s) 6 can also be driving assistance devices, such as for example radars (which generally emit electromagnetic radiation between 20 and 80 GHz), lidars (which generally emit electromagnetic radiation belonging to the infrared spectrum) or reversing cameras. Finally, it can also be communication equipment, such as information screens or antennas. In general, the equipment item(s) 6 can be any device requiring wave transparency.

[0071] The zone of the outer skin 3 located opposite the equipment item 6 is a transmission zone 32 made of plastic material at least partially transparent to the electromagnetic radiation of the equipment, in the case where the latter emits and/or receives electromagnetic radiation. “At least transparent to electromagnetic radiation” means that this transmission zone 32 allows the passage of a quantity of electromagnetic waves sufficient for the equipment to be able to fulfill its dedicated function correctly and continuously. In the case of a light device, for example, this means that the transmission zone 32 allows the light rays emitted by the device to pass so that they can be seen by an observer outside the vehicle.

[0072] The outer skin 3 is preferably made of one of the following materials: [0073] polypropylene (PP); [0074] polyamide (PA); [0075] polyethylene (PE); [0076] acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS); [0077] polyethylene terephthalate (PET); [0078] polystyrene (PS); [0079] polycarbonate (PC); [0080] polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA); [0081] cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC);
as well as any combination of these materials.

[0082] The support plate 4 can be in one piece, which simplifies its manufacture and avoids the steps of assembling several elements on the outer skin 3. Alternatively, the support plate 4 can be made of several parts assembled together either before being introduced into the inner volume 5A, or after having been introduced into the inner volume 5A.

[0083] In the first embodiment according to the invention, and as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the support plate 4 is provided with an access orifice 42 that allows access to the equipment item 6 carried by the plate 4, for example with a view to its installation or maintenance. In particular, the access orifice 42 is made in the bottom of the niche N, which allows the most direct access to the equipment item 6.

[0084] It is thus possible to guarantee access to the inner volume 5A once the support plate 4 has been detached and removed from the inner panel 2 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0085] Of course, several access orifices 42 distributed in the support plate 4 can be provided, in order to be able to easily access all the equipment items 6 carried by the support plate 4.

[0086] The access orifice 42 is preferably closed via a closure member 43 or cover that thus makes it possible to create an additional inner volume 5B that is closed, and more preferably mounted in a sealed manner, on the bottom of the niche N, within the same main inner volume 5A, as can be seen in FIG. 4. Thus, the equipment item(s) 6 carried by the support plate 4 are located within a dry and sealed zone that protects them.

[0087] It will be noted that in a variant of the invention, not shown, the fastening of the support plate 4 to the outer surface 23 of the inner panel 2 can be carried out at the bottom of the niche in which the access orifice 42 is made. Thus, the screws 25 could be carried by the bottom of the niche N in which the access orifice 42 is made.

[0088] Furthermore, in the examples shown in the figures, the equipment item 6 is carried by the closing member 43, which has the advantage of being able to remove the equipment item 6 from the volume 5B at the same time as the closure member 43. However, this is only an example and the equipment item(s) 6 can be carried by any other wall of the niche N in particular. In this case, the closure member 43 only makes it possible to fill the opening 42 giving access to the equipment item 6, and its removal makes it possible to provide access to the equipment item 6, which can be removed from the volume 5B after the closure member 43 has been removed from the rest of the support plate 4. Alternatively, depending on the needs, the equipment item 6 does not have to be removed from the niche 5B to be able to benefit from maintenance, the operator being able to intervene through the access orifice 42.

[0089] In a second embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outer skin 3 is no longer glued to the support plate 4, but is applied thereto in a removable manner, for example by screwing using screws 35 (only one is shown in FIG. 6). It is thus possible to detach the outer skin of the support plate 4, as can be seen in FIG. 5, and thus to have access to the niche N and to the equipment item 6. Naturally, fastening means other than screws, such as clips, can be provided, as long as they allow removable and preferably reversible removal.

[0090] Also in this embodiment, to seal the volume 5B, a seal 50 may be provided between the outer skin 3 and the support plate 4. It may in particular be a foam seal compressed between the peripheral rim 51 (or another zone of the support plate 4 opposite the inner surface 31 of the outer skin) and the inner surface 31 of the outer skin 3. The seal 50 may in particular be carried by the support plate 4 once the outer skin 3 has been detached therefrom as illustrated in FIG. 7. Alternatively, the seal 50 may be carried by the outer skin 3.

[0091] In this second embodiment, since the outer skin 3 is removably mounted on the support plate 4, it is no longer necessary to make an access orifice 42 to the equipment item 6 in the plate, as can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7. Nevertheless, it can still be provided in a variant not shown.

[0092] In an embodiment that is not shown, optionally, the outer skin 3 could be removably fixed, for example by screwing, to the inner panel 2.

[0093] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described here, and other embodiments will become clearly apparent to a person skilled in the art. It is possible in particular to envisage any combination of the embodiments presented.

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0094] 1: tailgate [0095] 2: inner panel [0096] 2A: upper part of the inner panel [0097] 2B: lower part of the inner panel [0098] 3: outer skin [0099] 4: equipment support plate [0100] 5A: inner volume of the opening panel [0101] 5B: inner volume of the plate [0102] 6: equipment item of the plate [0103] 7: rear window [0104] 8: bead of glue of the rear window [0105] 23: outer surface of the inner panel [0106] 24: inner surface of the inner panel [0107] 25: screws between the support plate and the inner panel [0108] 31: inner surface of outer skin [0109] 32: transmission zone [0110] 35: screws between the support plate and the outer skin [0111] 42: plate access orifice [0112] 43: closure member [0113] 50: seal [0114] 51: rim of the plate [0115] N: niche of the support plate [0116] R: electromagnetic radiation