ASSEMBLY ELEMENT AND CENTRAL COLUMNAR STRUCTURE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE

A DEVICE FOR MOVING A DRIVETRAIN FOR A VEHICLE

The present invention relates to a fastening element adapted to be fixed in a foot of motor vehicle.

Conventionally, a foot well 200 is composed of structural member such as a first structural member and a reinforcing member associated with 600, to which is added a lining member 800, which closes the U-shaped structure of the reinforcement member 600, into the vehicle interior. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, a fastener 100 of a trigger means is disposed in the airbag reinforcement member 600, and is covered by the lining member 800, which contains various functions of hooking and holding.

Some vehicles have their center pillar narrowed in width to optimize accessibility to front and rear seats. In this context, the lining member for the pillar which is conventionally arranged on the center pillar into the vehicle interior is small and the functions of clipping of wiring or packing retainer are troublesome in operation. One object of the invention is to provide a fastener and a scuba accompanying support all the functions of the clamping area, with a mass ratio of advantageous over the state of the technique.

Further, in response to goals that are found invariably in the different automobile manufacturers, the present invention also desired cost-effective and compact.

To meet these objectives, the invention provides a fastener as described above, characterized in that it is formed of a substantially planar plate, substantially centrally provided with an opening adapted to permit mounting of a trigger means airbag, extended perpendicularly on the edge by a lug with a hole, and sustained on another edge thereof by a retaining tab which extends substantially parallel to the plate at a different altitude.

Further, the opening has a shape of the buttonhole.

The invention also protects a scuba center pillar of a motor vehicle, of the type comprising a first structural member and a reinforcing member associated, characterized in that a fastening element such as above-mentioned is attached to the reinforcing member.

According to various features of the present invention:

- a reinforcing member has a substantially U-shape, the plate member being fastened on the base of the U forming the reinforcing element, such that a clearance is provided between the reinforcing member and the portion of the plate bearing the hole.

- a retaining tab of the fastening element is disposed opposite a rebate of the reinforcing element, such that a second clearance is formed between the reinforcing member and the retention tab to allow retention of a trim element. - a lining member positioned on the reinforcement member, the lower end of the lining member being located at a height greater than or extends the fastening element.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle, wherein at least one leg structure medium such as evoked discussed above is disposed on one side of the vehicle. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear upon reading of the following detailed description for the understanding of which reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which:

figure 1 - is a schematic representation of a scuba and a fastening element according to the state of the technique, with in particular a post liner lower medium;

figure 2 - is a representation of Figure 1, the post liner lower medium being transparent;

figure 3 - is a diagrammatic representation of a scuba and a fastening element according to the invention;

figure 4 - is a view of the center pillar assembly of Figure 3 in a vehicle body side.

As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a fastener 10 according to the invention is able to be fixed in a foot 2 motor vehicle.

The fastener 10 is mainly formed of a plate 12, a bracket 14 and a retention tab 16, in a single piece for the consideration of three coupling groups.

A substantially planar plate 12 is thus provided with substantially at its center an opening 13 adapted to permit mounting of a trigger means airbag not shown. This plate 12 is extended perpendicularly on an edge thereof by a bracket 14, and sustained on another of its edges by a perpendicular post 17 which carries at its opposite a retaining tab 16, with the anchor member 16 O ' substantially parallel with the plate 12, to a different altitude. The first fastening function performed by the fixing member 10 is attaching an airbag triggering means. Such means should be positioned laterally of the vehicle, and advantageously in the center pillar, for determining the need for airbag deployment during a side impact. An aperture 13 is thus made in the plate 12 of the fastener 10 for a clip integral with the trigger means can cooperate with this opening 13.

As shown in Figure 3, and according to one example embodiment, the opening 13 may take the form of a slot in which the clip integral with the trigger means is slidingly received and go into locked position. In order to make possible the movement of the staple in the buttonhole, a clearance must be provided between the plate 12 of the fastener 10 and the base 60 of the reinforcing element 6 of the center pillar 2, which will be fixed on the fixing member 10. The second fastening function performed by the fixing member 10 is the cable attachment. Many electrical cables now extend the full length of the vehicle for conveying information representative of both the driver of the car that the comfort of the passengers. It is necessary to have multiple points of cables for stapling the positioning thereof is controlled by manufacturers. Thus, a bracket 14 extends perpendicularly the plate 12 of the fastener 10 on an edge thereof, the bracket being provided with a hole 14 adapted to receive a staple 15 not shown and associated with a cable or a wire harness. Finally, a third holding function performed by the fixing member 10 is mounting a surface covering. To this end, the retaining tab 16 is caused to be positioned against a rebate 64 of a structural member of the center pillar 2, a second set being disposed between this rabbet 64 and the retention tab 16, so that the covering member can be slid between the retaining leg 16 and the center pillar 2, and then be held by the pressure of the retaining tab 16.

A scuba 2, conventionally, includes a first structural member and a reinforcing member 4 6 associated. The structural assembly concerns stiffen the body side of the vehicle. As shown particularly in fig. 4, a fastener 10 according to the invention fixed on the reinforcing element 6, and faces the interior of the vehicle.

The reinforcing member 6 has a substantially U-shaped, so that the reinforcing member 6 is formed by a base 60, extended vertically by two intermediate posts 62 which carry at their free end a rebate 64 e ' extending substantially parallel to the base 60 and outwardly of the reinforcing element 6. the orientation of the reinforcing element 6 is such that the U has its opening towards the inside of the vehicle. The cooperation of the fastener 10 and the reinforcing member 6 is in this case provided by the substantially planar plate 12 of the fastener 10 is secured to the base 60 of the U-shaped reinforcing element 6. the fixing member 10 is positioned in the bottom of the stiffener 6 so that the retaining tab 16 of the fastener 10 extends opposite a rebate 64 of the reinforcing element 6 U according to the invention, a second set is disposed between the retaining tab and the rebate 64 16 of the reinforcing element 6, so that the game enables the pinching and holding of a packing element of the vehicle. It will be understood that the retaining tab 16 can be reoriented according to the orientations of the lining.

According to the invention, none lining member does not cover the fixing member 10. As shown in Figure 4, a lining member 8 is disposed in the upper portion of the center pillar 2, opposite the portion top of the reinforcing element 6, and the lower end of the lining member 8 is located at a height greater than or extends the fixing member 10. This lining member 8 is provided for gripping the rail seat-belt guide. It could however be envisaged, according to a second embodiment, that none liner is provided in addition to the structure of the center pillar 2 with evoked the first structural member and the reinforcing member 4 6 associated.