Patent Publication Number: US-2022220988-A1

Title: Device for attaching a first part to a second part

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a national phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of International Patent Application PCT/FR2020/050757, filed May 7, 2020, designating the United States of America and published as International Patent Publication WO 2020/225514 A1 on Nov. 12, 2020, which claims the benefit under Article 8 of the Patent Cooperation Treaty to French Patent Application Serial No. 1904784, filed May 7, 2019. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to an attachment device for assembling two parts together. The disclosure relates more particularly to an attachment device for assembling a first part, for example, a trim panel of a motor vehicle door, to a second part, for example, an inner wall of the vehicle door. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In the automotive industry, a door trim panel, or lining, mounted on an inner door wall of a motor vehicle, must have attachment means allowing it to be properly held on the inner door wall not only during normal use, but also in the event of a side impact. The attachment device must, in particular, make it possible to prevent the door trim panel from being able to separate from the metal sheet of the door wall under the effect of the impact and from being dangerously expelled into the passenger compartment of the vehicle, in particular, when it is located on the deployment path of an airbag. 
     Such an attachment device is known from document FR 3,038,019. This device comprises a female element intended to be attached to the inner door wall and comprising a female assembly member, as well as a male element comprising a flange for retaining the trim panel and a pin intended to engage via a male joint member in the female joint member to hold the pin to the female element. 
     During normal use, the trim panel is held assembled to the door side wall by means of the female assembly member, which grips the pin and is in abutment against the male assembly member. 
     In the event of a side impact, a pull-out force is exerted between the trim panel and the door, violently separating them from one another. This force has repercussions on the assembly members, which can be damaged. If the impact is particularly severe, the attachment device may break under stress. 
     In addition, this attachment device does not in itself include an attachment function. This makes it necessary to provide other attachment means complementary to this device in order to attach the covering panel to the inner door wall, which makes the system more expensive and more complex to use. 
     Document EP 3,357,759 describes an attachment device designed to damp the repercussion of the impact at the assembly members. To this end, the pin has a collar with inclined blanks, delimiting two spaces and constituting a clipping zone through the flexible jaws of the female assembly member. In normal use, the jaws grip the pin at the first space, the furthest from the male assembly member of the pin. Following a side impact, the pin is pulled away from the female element and the inclined edge of the collar is thrown against the jaws. Due to their flexibility, they relax slightly to let it pass, then close again to come into abutment against the male assembly member of the pin. 
     However, this solution does not appear to be satisfactory. On the one hand, in normal use, the retention between the male element and the female element, provided by the sole contact between the jaws and the inclined edge of the collar, is not optimal. On the other hand, during an impact, there is a risk that the jaws do not close quickly enough after allowing the collar to pass, and then cannot come into abutment against the male assembly member of the pin. The consequence is then a release of the male element relative to the female element, and a detachment of the attachment device, which is dangerous for the user. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure aims to overcome at least some of the aforementioned drawbacks of the state of the art, by proposing an alternative attachment device to the aforementioned state of the art, which allows both a good attachment of the male element to the female element, and a damping of the pull-out force exerted on the device in the event of an impact. 
     To do this, the present disclosure provides a male element of a device for attaching a first part to a second part, the male element comprising:
         a flange for retaining the second part;   a pin having a foot, a body and a head, the pin being intended to be axially inserted by the foot into a cavity of a female element attached to the first part, the foot being provided with a male assembly member intended to axially hold the pin in the female element, the body having a groove.       

     The male element is remarkable in that the flange has:
         an axial opening for receiving the pin and enabling the flange to be moved axially on the pin from a first position to a second position in response to a pull-out force applied to the first or second part;   a retaining member configured to resiliently engage in the groove and hold the flange on the pin in the first position; and   a radial rib inside the opening, the radial rib abutting against the head of the pin when the flange is in the second position.       

     According to other advantageous and non-limiting features of the disclosure, taken alone or in any technically feasible combination:
         the retaining member comprises at least one flexible tab;   the flexible tab is provided with a lug intended to engage resiliently in the groove when the flange is in the first position;   the body is provided with a collar in which the groove is formed;   the blank of the collar located opposite the head of the pin has a chamfered shape to facilitate movement of the retaining member from the second position to the first position;   the body has a second groove located between the groove and the head;   the retaining member is also configured to engage resiliently in the second groove and hold the flange on the pin in the second position;   the pin comprises a base intended to abut against the female element when the male element is held in the female element;   the pin comprises at least one axial rib extending axially along the body;   the axial rib has a first end and a second end, the first end being in contact with the head of the pin, the second end being opposite the foot so that the second end abuts against the female element when the male element is held in the female element;   the retaining member comprises at least two flexible tabs separated from one another by a radial width to receive the axial rib and to guide the axial displacement of the flange on the pin and prevent its axial rotation;   the pin comprises three axial ribs uniformly distributed around the body and in which the retaining member comprises three flexible tabs separated from one another by a radial width to respectively receive the axial ribs; and   the flange comprises a compression collar intended to be in contact with the female element when the flange is in the first position.       

     Another object of the disclosure relates to an attachment device comprising a male element in accordance with what has been explained above and a female element intended to be attached to the first part, the female element having an axial cavity and a female assembly member, the female member being configured to mate with the male assembly member. 
     The present disclosure also relates to a use of an attachment device according to what has been explained above in which the first part is an inner metal sheet of a motor vehicle door and the second part is an inner trim panel of a motor vehicle door. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other advantages and particularities of the disclosure will become apparent on reading the detailed description of implementations and embodiments, which are in no way limiting, with regard to the appended drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1A  shows an exploded perspective view of an attachment device according to a first embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 1B  shows an exploded perspective view of an attachment device according to a second embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2A  shows an overall perspective view of a pin according to a first embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 2B  shows an overall side view of a pin according to a second embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  shows a sectional view of a flange according to the disclosure; 
         FIG. 4A  shows a sectional view of a male assembly according to a first embodiment according to the disclosure in the first position; 
         FIG. 4B  shows an overall view of an attachment device according to a first embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure in the first position; 
         FIG. 5A  shows a sectional view of a male assembly according to a first embodiment according to the disclosure in the second position; 
         FIG. 5B  shows an overall view of an attachment device according to a first embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure in the second position; 
         FIG. 6A  shows a sectional view of a male assembly according to a second embodiment according to the disclosure in the first position; 
         FIG. 6B  shows an overall view of an attachment device according to a second embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure in the first position; 
         FIG. 7A  shows a sectional view of a male assembly according to a second embodiment according to the disclosure in the second position; 
         FIG. 7B  shows an overall view of an attachment device according to a second embodiment of a male element according to the disclosure in the second position. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     For the sake of simplifying the following description, the same reference signs are used for elements which are identical or perform the same function in the different embodiments of the disclosure. 
     In general, the disclosure relates to a male element of a device for attaching a first part, such as an inner metal sheet of a motor vehicle door, to a second part, for example, an inner trim panel of a motor vehicle door. However, the disclosure is not limited to such applications, and the first part can also, for example, be a window lip mechanism, while the second part can be a motor vehicle door window. 
     General Description of the Attachment Device 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  show an exploded perspective view of an attachment device  100  according to the present disclosure, according to two embodiments. The specifics of each of the embodiments will be described later. 
     In general, such an attachment device  100  comprises a female element  200 , here a hollow clip having a cylindrical axial cavity  210 . The female element  200  is intended to be attached on the first part, that is to say, it comprises means  220  for being brought into engagement with the first part. These means may be of any nature that is well known per se, such as a plate-spacer-against-plate assembly  220 , the metal sheet previously pierced with a suitable orifice that can be inserted at the spacer. Advantageously, these means are retractable to allow the separation of the trim panel and the door. 
     The female element  200  also comprises a female assembly member  230 . 
     In the present description, the term “female assembly member” denotes an assembly member associated with the female element. This assembly member can effectively be a female component, that is to say, intended to receive a male component by penetration, such as the male assembly member that will be described below. However, it may just as well be a male component, able to cooperate with a female component. Likewise, the male assembly member described below is only understood as the assembly member associated with a male element. 
     According to a particular configuration, the female assembly member  230  is a removable U-shaped jumper, able to be inserted into a radial housing  240  of the female element  200 . A particularly advantageous structure of such a female assembly member, as well as the effects associated with such a structure, are fully described in document FR 3,038,019, and will not be presented in more detail here. 
     Of course, the disclosure is in no way limited to such a configuration of a female assembly member, which can be any assembly member capable of cooperating with a complementary assembly member. 
     Returning to the description of  FIGS. 1A and 1B , the attachment device  100  also comprises a male element  300  comprising a flange  310 , intended to retain the second part, and a pin  320 . 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  show an overall side view of a pin  320  according to the present disclosure, according to two embodiments. 
     In general, such a pin  320  has a foot  321 , a body  322  and a head  323 . The head  323 , which is substantially perpendicular to the body  322  of the pin  320 , has a larger section than the body  322 . 
     The pin  320  is intended to be inserted axially by the foot  321  into the cavity  210  of the female element  200  in order to assemble the male element  300  to the female element  200 . 
     To this end, the foot  321  is provided with a male assembly member  324  configured to be assembled with the female assembly member  230 , for example, by engaging resiliently in the female assembly member  230 , and axially holding the pin  320  in the female element  200 . 
     In a particular configuration, as shown in  FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B , the male assembly member  324  consists of an ogive-shaped tip, configured to fit into the U of the female assembly member  230 . Preferably, the shoulder formed by the ogive-shaped tip with respect to the body  322  of the pin  320  is at right angles, in order to maximize the pull-out strength of the pin  320  in the event of an impact exerted on the first or the second part. 
     Of course, and as has been specified previously, the male assembly member  324  is not limited to such a configuration, and can be any assembly member capable of cooperating with the female assembly member  230 . It can equally well be a male component or a female component. 
     The body  322  of the pin  320  has a groove  325 . Advantageously, and as shown in  FIG. 2A , the edge of the groove  325  closest to the foot  321  of the pin  320  is perpendicular to the body  322 , in order to ensure that the pin  320  cannot be lost. The edge of the groove  325  closest to the head  323  can for its part be perpendicular to the body  322 , or form an obtuse angle with respect to the bottom of the groove  325 , in order to manage the pull-out force of the second part. These two characteristics will be explained in more detail in the remainder of the present description. 
       FIG. 3  shows a sectional view of a flange  310  according to the present disclosure. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 3 , the flange  310  comprises means for retaining the second part. As for the female element  200 , these means may be of any nature that is well known per se, and may comprise a plate  317 , a spacer  318  and a counter-plate  319 , the trim panel previously pierced with a suitable orifice that can be inserted at the spacer  318 . These means can also be retractable to allow the separation of the trim panel and the door. 
     Whatever the means for retaining the second part, the flange  310  also has an axial opening  311  to receive the pin  320  by its foot  321 . The opening  311  is also configured to enable the flange  310  to be moved axially on the pin  320  from a first position to a second position in response to a pull-out force applied to the first or the second part. 
       FIGS. 4A and 4B  respectively show a cross-sectional view of a male assembly  300  and an overall view of an attachment device  100  according to the present disclosure in the first position. These figures show an attachment device  100  according to a first embodiment of a male element  300 .  FIGS. 6A and 6B  respectively show the same views as  FIGS. 4A and 4B , for a second embodiment of a male element  300 . 
     Likewise,  FIGS. 5A and 5B  respectively show a cross-sectional view of a male assembly  300  and an overall view of an attachment device  100  according to the present disclosure in the second position. These figures show an attachment device  100  according to a first embodiment of a male element  300 .  FIGS. 7A and 7B  respectively show the same views as  FIGS. 5A and 5B , for a second embodiment of a male element  300 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 4A and 4B , the first position is the position in which the flange  310  is as close as possible, preferably in contact at one of its ends  316  with the female element  200 . 
     Advantageously, the end  316  of the flange  310  is a compression collar  316  intended to be in contact with the female element  200  when the flange is in the first position. Such a compression collar  316  makes it possible to absorb sound waves, vibrations or jolts propagating through the first or the second part in order to reduce noise and improve vibratory and acoustic comfort (generally referred to by the acronym NVH for “Noise, Vibration and Harshness”). 
     As shown in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , the second position is a position in which the flange  310  is further from the female element  200  than in the first position. 
     The possibility granted by the disclosure to the flange  310  to move from the first to the second position during an impact makes it possible to partially absorb the pull-out force exerted on the female element  200  carrying the first part and the flange  310  carrying the second part during the impact. 
     Thus, the force exerted at the contact between the two assembly members is attenuated compared to the device known from the state of the art, in which the male element is entirely fixed relative to the female element. At the same time, since this point of contact remains fixed, it is more solid than in the case of the device known from the state of the art, in which the pin moves relative to the female element in the event of an impact. To put it another way, an attachment device according to the present disclosure makes it possible to guarantee a solid hold between the first part and the second part while allowing a slight play between the two parts in order to absorb an impact. 
     To this end, the flange comprises a retaining member  312  configured to resiliently engage in the groove  325  and to hold the flange  310  on the pin  320  in the first position. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3, 4A, 4B, 6A, and 6B , the retaining member  312  may be located inside the opening  311  and may comprise at least one flexible tab  314 . The flexible tab  314  may be provided with a lug  315  intended to engage resiliently in the groove  325  when the flange  310  is in the first position. 
     In order to better hold the flange  310  on the pin  320 , the retaining member  312  may comprise a plurality of flexible tabs  314 , for example, two, three or four flexible tabs. 
     In order to reinforce the previously mentioned effects, the lugs  315  preferably have a shape complementary to that of the previously described groove  325 , that is to say, one end forming a right angle with respect to the flexible tab  314 , and a base slightly inclined relative to the flexible tab  314 . 
     Thus, when the pin  320  is inserted by the foot  321  inside the opening  311  for the assembly of the male element  300 , the shape of the male assembly member  324 , in particular, its ogive shape, allows the flexible tabs  314  to be pressed against the walls of the opening  311 , without the lugs  315  opposing the movement. 
     The pin  320  can be inserted effortlessly up to the first position, where the retaining member  312  resiliently engages in the groove  325 . 
     In this position, the advantageous shapes described above for the edge of the groove  325  closest to the foot  321  and to the end of the lug  315  allow the lug  315  to be in abutment against the edge of the groove, preventing the pin  320  from returning to the rear with respect to the flange  310 , and thus making it possible to ensure that the pin  320  cannot be lost. 
     In the event of an impact, the pull-out force exerted on the flange  310  can lead to extracting the lug  315  from the groove  325  and moving the flange  310  away from the female element  200 . However, the abutment of the lug  315  in the groove  325  makes it possible to transfer part of the force undergone by the flange  310  at this point of contact, correspondingly reducing the force exerted at the assembly members  324 ,  230 . 
     To prevent the flange  310  from being pulled out from the pin  320  upon impact, the flange  310  also comprises a radial rib  313  inside the opening  311 . 
     The radial rib  313  may be annular in shape and extend all the way inside the opening  311 . Alternatively, the rib  313  may extend only over a portion only of the opening  311 . The rib  313  can also consist of a succession of projecting portions in a radial plane. 
     Whatever the shape of the rib  313 , it is situated to come into abutment against the head  323  of the pin  320  when the flange  310  is in the second position. 
     To put it another way, upon impact, the flange  310  moves away from the female element  200  until the rib  313  abuts against the head  323  of the pin  320 . 
     This second position makes it possible to guarantee the solid attachment of the flange  310  to the pin  320  to avoid its separation, while distributing the pull-out forces between the points of contact located between the two assembly members and between the rib  313  and the head  323  of the pin  320 . 
     Two embodiments of a male element  300  in accordance with the disclosure will now be described successively. 
     First Embodiment of the Male Element 
     A first embodiment of a male element according to the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 1A, 2A, 4A, 4B, 5A, and 5B . 
     As can be seen, in particular, in  FIG. 2A , the male element  300  can advantageously comprise a collar  326  in which the groove  325  is formed. 
     The presence, and especially the choice of shape, of the collar  326  makes it possible to manage the insertion force of the pin  320  into the flange  310  and of the passage of the latter from one position to another. 
     Advantageously, the blank of the collar  326  located opposite the head  323  of the pin  320  has a chamfered shape to facilitate movement of the retaining member  312  of the flange  310  from the second position to the first position. To put it another way, due to this advantageous shape of the collar  326 , when the flange  310  is in the second position, it is possible, by simple pressure on the flange  310  or on the second part, to replace the flange  310  in the first position. The movement of the flange  310  from the second position to the first position is facilitated by these shapes, the retaining member  312  sliding effortlessly on the blank of the collar until it fits into the groove  325 . 
     The pin  320  may also comprise at least one axial rib  327  extending axially along the body  322 . 
     Advantageously, the axial rib  327  has a first end and a second end. As can be seen, in particular, in  FIG. 2A , the first end is in contact with the head of the pin, in order to reinforce the strength of the pin  320 . The second end is located opposite the foot  321 , so that the second end is in abutment against the female element  200  when the male element  300  is held against the female element  200 , as shown in  FIGS. 4B and 5B . 
     Preferably, the retaining member  312  comprises at least two flexible tabs  314  separated from one another by a radial width to receive the axial rib  327  and to guide the axial displacement of the flange  310  on the pin  320  while preventing its axial rotation. 
     In a particularly advantageously configuration, the pin  320  comprises three axial ribs  327  uniformly distributed around the body  322 , and the retaining member  312  comprises three flexible tabs  314  separated from one another by a radial width to respectively receive the axial ribs  327 . 
     Second Embodiment of the Male Element 
     A second embodiment of a male element  300  according to the present disclosure is shown in  FIGS. 1B, 2B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B . 
     In this embodiment, the body  322  of the pin  320  has a second groove  328 , located between the first groove  325  described thus far and the head  323  of the pin  320 . 
     The retaining member  312  is then also configured to engage resiliently in the second groove  328  and to hold the flange  310  on the pin  320  in the second position, as shown in  FIGS. 7A and 7B . 
     Thus, when the flange  310  is in the second position, the holding of the flange  310  on the pin  320  is guaranteed both by the abutment of the rib  313  against the head  323  of the pin  320  and by the resilient engagement of the retaining member  312  in the second groove  328 . 
     Therefore, the pull-out force is distributed between the points of contact between the assembly members  324 ,  230 , between the rib  313  and the head  323  and between the retaining member  312  and the second groove  328 , increasing the strength of the attachment device  100  in the event of impact. 
     In this embodiment, the pin  320  may also comprise at least one axial rib  327 , or even several axial ribs, for example, four axial ribs, similar to those described in the first embodiment and having the same advantages. 
     In order to further enhance the stability of the attachment of the male element  300  to the female element  200 , the pin  320  may also comprise a base  329  intended to abut against the female element  200  when the male element  300  is held in the female element  200 . 
     Whatever the embodiment of the male element  300 , the various elements of the attachment device  100 , namely the female element  200 , the flange  310  and the pin  320 , can be produced completely by molding plastic material or by plastic injection. These elements could also be made by adding plastic in a 3D printer. Such an attachment device thus has the advantage of being able to be manufactured at low cost. 
     Of course, the disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described and it is possible to add variants without departing from the scope of the disclosure as defined by the claims. 
     Thus, the male element  300  could quite well be attached to the inner door wall while the female element  200  could receive the trim panel.