Title:

Grille structure for motor vehicle

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of an injection moulded grille structure for motor vehicles, with ribs and openings arranged across said structure, for covering a ventilation opening in a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A grille structure is usually positioned in front of a cooling inlet in the front of a motor vehicle. One important function of the grille structure is to allow cooling air to flow into the engine compartment via the radiators of the engine cooling system. Another important function of the grille structure is to protect internal radiator structures from damage, for example caused by airborne debris. Thus, it is important for the grille structure to have small resistance to the air flow and also strength to withstand penetration.

To save weight, grille structures for motor vehicles can be produced by injection-moulding a plastic material.

However, it is very difficult to injection-mould large grille structures suitable for heavy vehicles. The plastic material needs to flow through narrow flow-paths for long distances, reguiring very high injection pressure. Production of plastic grille structures in segments often leads to reduced airflow efficiency and to flawed aesthetic appearance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to enable production of large grille structures for heavy vehicles without the above described problems.

This object is achieved in accordance with the invention in that the grille structure comprises two or more grille panel segments coupled together via a plurality of fastening means arranged on meeting rib surfaces.

Advantageous illustrative embodiments of the invention emerge from the following dependent patent claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will be described in greater detail below with reference to

Fig. 1, which shows a grille structure according to the invention in a perspective view,

Fig. 2, which in a broken view shows two grille segments with means for joining them together,

Fig. 3, which in a broken view shows the back side and joint between two grille segments according to Fig. 2 in lager scale,

Fig. 4, which in a broken view shows the front side of a grille segment, and

Fig. 5, which shows a variant of the front side grille mesh design.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to grille panels for motor vehicles, in the preferred embodiment intended for heavy trucks .

Figure 1 shows a rectangular grille structure 10 with horizontal borders 11 and vertical borders 12. The grille structure is divided along the line 13 into two rectangular segments 14, 15. The grille structure has generally hexagonal openings 16 formed by horizontal ribs 17 and diagonal ribs 18. The hexagonal shape of the openings 16 are interrupted by the borders 11, 12.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the two segments 14, 15 are joined along the line 13 by means of pins 19 integrated with one of the meeting rib surfaces. The pins are provided with a head portion and are arranged to lock into corresponding keyhole slots 20 integrated with the next meeting rib surface. The pins 19 and the keyhole slots 20 are adapted to interlock by pressing the two grille panel segments in a plane transverse to the plane of the finished grille structure. Thus, no extra means are needed to assemble the grille structure.

Fig. 4 shows the front side of the grille structure with a groove 21 moulded into each horizontal rib 17. The purpose of this groove is to mask the joint line between the two grille segments.

Fig. 5 shows an alternative grille mesh design with rectangular openings 22 arranged in a zigzag pattern by means of horizontal ribs 23 and vertical ribs 24. Also in this embodiment, a groove 21 is moulded into the front side of each horizontal rib 23 to mask the joint line between two grille segments.

The above described grille structure may be used as a radiator grille in the front of a vehicle, for example a

heavy truck or a construction vehicle, but it can also be used for covering a ventilation opening at the sides or at the rear end of such a vehicle.

The invention is not limited to the above described embodiments. Instead, several modifications are possible within the scope of the appending claims. For example, a grille structure may comprise more than two segments.