CN113242816A

CN113242816A - Motor vehicle with a pedestrian airbag, water tank covering and support structure therefor

Info

Publication number: CN113242816A
Application number: CN201980084104.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: T·燕妮; O·舍夫
Original assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
Current assignee: PSA Automobiles SA
Priority date: 2018-10-18
Filing date: 2019-10-01
Publication date: 2021-08-10
Also published as: DE102018008274B3; WO2020078717A1; EP3867107A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a motor vehicle comprising a windshield (4) and at least one pedestrian airbag module (2) having an airbag (2a) which can be deployed onto the windshield (4) via a tank cover (8a), wherein the tank cover (8a) has at least one impact contour (9) as a transition contour for deploying the airbag (2).

Description

Motor vehicle with a pedestrian airbag, water tank covering and support structure therefor

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a motor vehicle, in particular to a disturbance-free deployment process of pedestrian airbags and related components in the event of an accident.

Background

When colliding with a pedestrian, the pedestrian airbag must be deployed onto the windshield quickly in order to attenuate the impact of the pedestrian on the front windshield and reliably minimize the risk of serious injury.

In this case, the pedestrian airbag is usually arranged in a pedestrian airbag module on the lower edge of the vehicle hood and, after activation, deploys in the direction of the front and above the windshield of the motor vehicle.

When deployed, the airbag can strike the area between the rear hood edge and the lower windshield area with high impact forces, which often leads to severe damage, for example to breakage, on components arranged in this area (for example the water box cover, the wiper system and the windshield) and thus to the high maintenance costs associated therewith.

The impact of the airbag on the lower windshield region and the wiper blade assembly arranged there also usually results in the airbag catching on the wiper blade and also in this case damaging the airbag.

DE 102011101496 a1 proposes mounting a ramp as a guide surface for interference-free deployment of the airbag on a wiper arm. This proposal has not been adopted because the deploying airbag exerts significant forces on components arranged in the lower windshield area, in particular on the tank cover, which may break when transmitting pressure.

Additionally, the transmission of the impact force of the airbag to the wiper blade accelerates the wiper arm, whereby the wiper arm strikes against the glass, whereby the risk of breaking the glass occurs, so that the normal operation of the vehicle is no longer guaranteed.

Disclosure of Invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle in which, in the case of airbag deployment, the risk of damage to the airbag can be kept low as well as the risk of damage to the relevant vehicle components when the airbag strikes the lower glass region.

According to one embodiment of the invention, this object is achieved by: in a motor vehicle comprising a windshield and comprising at least one pedestrian airbag module with an airbag, the airbag can be deployed onto the windshield via a water box cover, wherein the water box cover has at least one impact contour as a transition contour for deploying the airbag.

The airbag may be arranged in particular on the lower edge of the vehicle hood or in the water tank of the vehicle.

In a motor vehicle having a pedestrian airbag, which is proposed in accordance therewith, the pressure or impact force exerted by the airbag upon deployment of the airbag, which is exerted on the component which meets the airbag, is minimized. This enables normal operation of the vehicle after the airbag is deployed and the airbag hits the lower glass region.

Since the water tank cover comprises an impact contour as a transition contour or guide surface for deploying the airbag, the airbag can be reliably and quickly spread out and positioned on the windshield after triggering in a manner that is supported undisturbed on the impact contour of the water tank cover. The impact contour is preferably designed as a reinforcing structure in order to distribute the forces applied when the airbag is deployed onto the tank cover and thus to withstand these forces without being damaged. The impact contour can thus act as a transition contour for reliably spreading the airbag up to the windshield. The glass is thereby prevented from breaking because the transmission of the impact force of the airbag to the wiper blade and associated vehicle components on the lower glass region is reduced.

According to a first embodiment of the motor vehicle, a support structure is formed on the water box cover, which is connected to the vehicle body by at least one support arm. This reduces the pressure exerted by the airbag on the water tank cover, since these forces are transmitted to the vehicle structure via the carrier structure and its carrier arms connected to the vehicle body. Thus, the water tank cover is reliably prevented from being broken or deformed. Further, the impact force applied to the windshield and the impact force applied to the wiper blade disposed on the lower windshield area are further reduced.

According to a further embodiment of the motor vehicle with a pedestrian airbag, the support structure is detachably connected with the impact contour of the water tank cover by means of a support arm. According to this alternative, the water tank cover and the carrying structure can be manufactured separately from one another and then either assembled as a module before installation in the vehicle or can also be installed separately into the vehicle, in particular into the water tank of the vehicle, and then connected to one another indirectly or directly in a detachable manner. According to an alternative configuration, the bearing structure can also be integrally molded with the bearing arm onto the impact contour of the tank cover. According to this alternative, the carrier structure can be molded with the carrier arm directly onto the impact contour or, for example, molded together in a mold, which is advantageous in particular if the water tank cover and the carrier structure are produced from plastic in a casting or injection molding method and, for example, by injection molding.

In order to prevent the airbag from catching on the wiper blade as reliably as possible, the impact contour can generally have an impact surface, which can be designed as an impact contour that rises obliquely and is guided to a height above the wiper blade region. The impact surface thus forms a ramp-like transition contour, at which the airbag, after being triggered by the pedestrian airbag module without interference and without damage, can be deployed without interference up to or beyond the wiper height, at least beyond the foremost corner of the wiper that points toward the front of the vehicle.

The impact contour can be of a hat-shaped design and has an impact surface on the upper side and an inclined impact support wall on the rear side opposite the wiper blade and an inclined ramp surface on the front side opposite the pedestrian airbag module. The hat-shaped configuration enables, for example, a wiper motor or other vehicle components to be arranged in a concealed manner below the impact surface arranged as an upper hat surface. The inclined ramp surface of the front side is arranged opposite the pedestrian airbag module and ensures that the cover of the airbag module, which is opened when the airbag is deployed, can be placed directly on the ramp surface, thereby forming a ramp which extends up to the pedestrian airbag module. The rear, descending and particularly preferably steeply descending impact support wall makes it possible to arrange the impact contour and thus the impact surface as close as possible to it, i.e. at the smallest possible distance from the lower region of the windshield.

In general, the impact support wall and the wiper blade can be arranged at a pitch, wherein about 10mm ≦ x ≦ about 30mm, particularly about 15mm ≦ x ≦ about 25mm, and preferably at a pitch of about 20mm ± about 2 mm. The shorter the distance is selected, the smaller the intermediate space between the impact contour or impact surface and the wiper blade can thus be made, whereby the risk of the airbag catching on the wiper blade can be further reduced. This makes it possible to arrange the radiator cover in close proximity at least in a partial section on the lower region of the windshield, or also to arrange the radiator cover in close proximity at least in a partial section of the impact contour or of the impact surface thereof on the lower region of the windshield. This enables the airbag to be more quickly deployed onto the windshield.

Preferably, the impact profile can have a width y in the transverse direction of the vehicle, wherein about 30mm ≦ x ≦ about 4500mm, particularly about 100mm ≦ x ≦ about 3000mm, and preferably has a specific value of about 2000mm ± about 200 mm. This enables an impact contour with an impact surface to be arranged in a targeted manner between the pedestrian airbag module and the wiper blade.

According to a further embodiment of the pedestrian protection arrangement, a reinforcing structure is formed on the underside of the impact surface. This provides reinforcement of the impact surface, which can thus better withstand the forces exerted on the water tank cover during the deployment of the airbag without damage. The reinforcing structure is preferably a rib-like or honeycomb-like reinforcing structure. With such a reinforcing structure, sections with thicker and smaller wall thicknesses can be obtained, which alternate along or in the transverse direction of the impact surface. In order to improve the shape stability of the impact surface even further, a rib-like or honeycomb-like reinforcement structure may be arranged in a perpendicular position, in an oblique position or in a crossing position with respect to the roll-out direction of the airbag or with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction.

According to a further embodiment of the pedestrian protection arrangement, the support structure comprises at least two support arms spaced apart from one another, which are connected to the vehicle body. Preferably, two spaced apart carrying arms are mounted in the water tank of the vehicle directly on the floor of the water tank in an upright manner. This makes it possible to transmit impact forces linearly or directly in the vehicle structure when the airbag impacts on the impact surface of the carrying structure.

According to a further embodiment of the pedestrian protection arrangement, the support structure has a support surface element. In this way, one or more support arms and support surface elements can be initially preassembled to form a support structure module, which can then be arranged and fixed in the tank in a single assembly step.

In general, the bearing surface element is configured in accordance with the impact surface of the tank cover. This face-conforming configuration of the load-bearing surface elements enables the load-bearing surface elements to be configured in alignment with the impact surface, thereby further significantly improving the transmission of impact forces and the distribution of pressure exerted by the airbag.

According to a further embodiment of the pedestrian protection arrangement, the carrier structure is made of plastic, preferably carbon fiber-reinforced plastic or glass fiber-reinforced plastic or aramid fiber-reinforced plastic. The choice of these materials is particularly preferred if the carrier structure is produced integrally with the water tank cover, for example in an injection molding process. Alternatively, the load bearing structure may be constructed of metal, preferably aluminum or steel. Furthermore, the load bearing structure may be composed of a metal alloy comprising aluminum or steel. This makes the support structure particularly securely fastened to the vehicle body or to the water tank, for example by welding the support structure directly to the vehicle body or to the water tank made of metal, or by fastening by means of fastening means, for example screws or eyelets, which are used to be standard in vehicle construction.

The subject of the invention is also a water box cover of the above-mentioned first configuration usable for a motor vehicle according to claim 1 for covering a water box arranged in front of a windshield in the motor vehicle. The water box cover for a motor vehicle comprises at least one impact contour and at least one carrying structure according to one of the aforementioned configurations connected to the impact contour.

Another subject matter of the invention is a support structure for a motor vehicle, in particular for a motor vehicle radiator cover, according to claim 1, wherein the support structure is connected to the radiator cover with at least one support arm or the support structure is molded onto the radiator cover with at least one support arm.

Preferably, the motor vehicle with a pedestrian airbag according to the invention with at least one aforementioned water tank cover according to the invention and/or at least one aforementioned support structure according to the invention is a vehicle of one of the categories of small, medium or compact vehicles.

Drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention emerge from the following description of an embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings. The figures show:

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial perspective view of a motor vehicle body with a raised cover and an inflated pedestrian airbag;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-section A-A of the vehicle body with a pedestrian airbag according to FIG. 1, as seen in the vehicle transverse direction towards the right side of the vehicle under normal conditions;

fig. 3a schematic perspective view of the carrying structure for the water tank cover, viewed from the rear from a) and from the front from b);

FIG. 4 is a schematic partial perspective view of a vehicle body with a pedestrian airbag and a water box cover with the hood removed;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a tank cover without a load bearing structure according to a variation;

fig. 6 is a schematic cross section through a motor vehicle according to the invention with a raised bonnet and an inflated pedestrian airbag as seen in fig. 2 with a pedestrian airbag.

Detailed Description

In the figures, in which identical objects are generally denoted by identical reference numerals, fig. 1 shows, in a simplified perspective view, a part of a body 12 of a motor vehicle 1 according to a first embodiment after a motor vehicle collision, which has resulted in the triggering of an airbag 2a from a pedestrian airbag module 2. The pedestrian airbag module 2 includes an airbag 2a, and is preferably disposed under the hood 3 or in the water tank 8. When the airbag 2a is triggered from the pedestrian airbag module 2, the hood 3 is lifted by the inflating airbag 2a or by an actuator or a hinge, not shown, which is mounted on the underside of the hood 3, as a result of which a gap 19 is produced between the rear edge of the hood 3 and the oppositely disposed windshield 4, through which gap the airbag 2a can exit and deploy onto the windshield 4.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle 1, not shown here, having a stationary bonnet, wherein, in contrast to fig. 1, the stationary bonnet remains in its original arrangement after triggering the airbag 2a and is not lifted. In this motor vehicle 1, a sufficiently large gap permanently exists between the rear edge of the stationary cowl and the lower windshield region 7.

In both configurations, the motor vehicle 1 according to the invention with the pedestrian airbag 2a comprises a water tank cover 8a which extends in the transverse direction (y) of the vehicle and is shown in fig. 4 and 5, respectively. As shown in fig. 2 and 6, the radiator cover 8a is arranged between the lower windshield region 7 and the rear edge of the engine hood 3 that is located forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x). After triggering from the pedestrian airbag module 2, the airbag 2a is rolled out via the tank cover 8a onto the windshield 4 and onto the a-pillar 34 enclosing the windshield 4. In order to deploy the airbag 2a, the water box cover 8a has an impact contour 9 which serves as a transition contour or support surface for the airbag 2a, wherein the airbag 2a is supported on the impact contour 9 and can therefore be positioned on the windshield 4 quickly and without interference and damage.

Fig. 2 and 6 schematically show a motor vehicle body 12 with a pedestrian airbag 2a according to section line a-a in fig. 1, wherein fig. 2 shows the vehicle in normal driving conditions and fig. 6 shows the vehicle with the hood 3 lifted and the pedestrian airbag 2a inflated after an accident. The pedestrian airbag module 2 is disposed below the engine hood 3 and in front of the water tank 8 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x). The pedestrian airbag module 2 has a module housing 35 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, in which, for example, a folded airbag 2a and a gas generator 36 are contained, wherein the gas generator 36 is arranged in front of the folded airbag 2a in the direction of travel (x). Associated with the module housing 35 is a housing cover 37 which can be opened in a manner that has a pivot axis 40 at the rear edge of the housing underside 39 and is arranged opposite the water tank 8 against the direction of travel.

As shown in fig. 2, the water tank 8 is covered by a water tank cover 8a which extends from the front tank wall 81 to the rear tank wall 84 which in its upper section serves as a glass carrier 85 and on which the lower windshield region 7 is supported.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the module housing 35 is fixed on the underside of the hood framework 38 of the engine hood 3 in a slightly inclined position with respect to a plane coinciding with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle in front of the water tank 8. In addition, the water tank cover 8a is disposed spaced apart from the hood framework 38 downward with respect to the vehicle vertical direction (z). This forms the airbag deployment channel 25 in the area between the water tank cover 8a and the hood framework 38, with the housing cover 37 located at the front end of the airbag deployment channel 25. Correspondingly, the module housing 35 can also be arranged integrated on the underside in the housing frame 38.

As shown in fig. 2, the water tank cover 8a comprises an impact contour 9, which is configured as a transition contour or guide surface for deploying the airbag 2 a. For this purpose, the impact contour 9 preferably has a cap shape 45, which is formed by the upper impact surface 13 and the ramp surface 15 which slopes down from there at the front side toward the pedestrian airbag module 2 and the impact support surface 14 which slopes down from there at the rear side toward the lower windshield region 7. As can be seen in particular from fig. 6, when the airbag 2a is triggered, the housing cover 37 is folded open and preferably rests on the inclined ramp surface 15, whereby the housing cover 37 or the ramp surface 15 forms a spreading contour 41 for the deployment of the airbag 2 a. The airbag 2a can thereby be deployed first onto the ramp surface 15 and, quickly and without interference, spread out further via the impact surface 13 through the airbag deployment channel 25 in the direction of the windshield 4.

When the airbag 2a strikes the impact contour 9 and its impact surface 13, a significant pressure is exerted. In order to absorb these pressure forces or distribute them over the impact contour 9, for example, the underside 16 of the impact contour 9 or the underside 17 of the impact surface 13 has a reinforcing structure 18, which can preferably be designed as a rib-like or honeycomb-like reinforcing structure 18. The reinforcing structure 18 can be formed in a particularly space-saving manner on the underside of the cap-shaped impact contour 9 or on the underside of the impact surface 13 thereof.

According to fig. 2 and 6, the upper impact surface 13 extends obliquely upward between the ramp surface 15 and the impact support surface 14 to a height beyond the area of the lower windshield 7, at which the wiper blade 5 is arranged. As can be seen in particular from fig. 6, the impact contour 9 or the impact surface 13 thereof thus forms a ramp-like transition contour, at which the airbag 2a, after triggering from the pedestrian airbag module 2, can be deployed without interference up to the foremost corner of the wiper blade 5, which is directed toward the front of the vehicle, or above it, without becoming stuck or damaged at the wiper arm 6 of the wiper blade 5.

The risk of damage to the airbag 2a on the wiper blade 5 or its wiper arm 6 can also be further reduced by keeping the spacing between the descending impact-bearing wall 14 and the wiper blade 5 arranged on the lower windscreen region 7 as small as possible. Thus, the descending impact support wall 14 is arranged at a pitch from the wiper blade 5, wherein about 10mm ≦ x ≦ about 30mm, particularly about 15mm ≦ x ≦ about 25mm, and preferably at a pitch of about 20mm ± about 2mm, i.e., at a small intermediate space 30. This small intermediate space 30 enables the impact surface 13 to be arranged at least in sections on the lower region of the windshield 7 or on the foremost corner of the wiper blade 5 lying directly on it, which is directed toward the front of the vehicle, as is shown, for example, in fig. 2 and 6. The small intermediate space 30 enables the airbag 2a to be positioned quickly on the windshield 4, since the airbag 2a can be spread over a short distance via the impact contour 9 and supported on its impact surface 13 without interference over the windshield 4 past the wiper blade 5.

Underneath the cap-shaped

impact contour

9, 45, for example, a motor, a pump or a related linkage for the wiper blade 5 or any other vehicle component not currently shown separately can be arranged in a concealed manner. Thus, it is reliably avoided that the airbag 2a strikes such a component of the wiper assembly arranged concealed or a vehicle component arranged hitherto according to the prior art on the lower glass region 7.

Furthermore, as shown in fig. 2 and 6, the carrier structure 10 can be configured on the water tank cover 8a or detachably connected thereto. The support structure 10 is shown in fig. 3a and 3b in a top view from the rear and from the front, and has, for example, one support arm 11a or two

support arms

11a, 11b spaced apart from one another and extending in the vertical direction (z), which are arranged in the water tank 8 in the installed position in the motor vehicle. The

support arms

11a, 11b are preferably connected with their lower ends on the tank floor 83 to the body 12 of the motor vehicle 1. The bearing surface element 24 is connected with the two bearing

arms

11a, 11b at their upper ends. The bearing surface element 24 is configured, for example, in an I-shape or J-shape and comprises shorter bearing surface element segments 24a (see fig. 3a) and longer bearing surface element segments 24b (see fig. 3 b). The longer bearing surface element section 24b extends in a plane coinciding with the vertical direction (z) from the upper end up to about half the height of the two bearing

arms

11a, 11 b. Furthermore, the longer support surface element section 24b has at least two support lugs 26, which are intended to be fastened to the front tank wall 81 in the installed position in the motor vehicle, as can be seen in fig. 2 and 6 in a hidden manner. This enables the carrier structure 10 in the water tank 8 to be structurally firmly fixed to the motor vehicle body 12. This also enables the carrying structure 10 to be arranged in the water tank 8 in a space-saving manner. The shorter bearing-surface element section 24a shown in fig. 3a extends roof-like from the upper ends of the two bearing

arms

11a, 11b up to approximately half their length in a plane which is arranged at an oblique angle to a plane which coincides with the horizontal direction.

In the installed position in the radiator cover 8a or in the radiator 8 in the motor vehicle, the shorter bearing surface element section 24a is preferably arranged in a surface-to-surface or surface-aligned manner with the impact surface 13 of the impact contour 9 and is fixed on the impact contour 9 or on the impact surface 13 thereof in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner, for example by screwing, as shown in fig. 2 and 6. This results in better transmission of impact forces into the vehicle structure.

In the embodiment shown here, the load bearing structure 10 is preferably made of plastic or metal, preferably aluminum or steel, or a metal alloy comprising aluminum or steel. In an embodiment not shown here, the support structure 10 can be molded directly on the impact contour 9 of the tank cover 8a, for example with one support arm 11a or with two support arms 11a, b spaced apart from one another, and produced in an injection molding process, for example in one piece. The support structure is made of plastic, preferably carbon fiber-reinforced plastic or glass fiber-reinforced plastic or aramid fiber-reinforced plastic.

In fig. 4, the arrangement of the vehicle body 12 with the pedestrian airbag module 2 is shown in a simplified illustration with the hood removed in a plan view. As shown in fig. 4, the water tank cover 8a extends over the entire width of the lower windshield area 7 in the vehicle lateral direction (y). The end sections 50a, b of the water box cover 8a lying on the left 70 and right 80 vehicle sides are clearly visible. The end sections 50a, b extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) and have a cambered shape with a centrally arranged bulge 51. The tank cover 8a rests at the rear end on a first section of a glass carrier plate 85, which can form part of the rear tank wall 84. The windshield 4 rests on a second section of the glass carrier plate 85 below the windshield area 7.

According to fig. 4, the water tank cover 8a has a fitting hole 20a for receiving the pivot shaft 20 of the wiper blade 5, through which the water tank cover 8a is fixed relative to the water tank 8. On the left vehicle side 70, the water box cover 8a has a first impact contour 9, 79 with an impact surface 13, which is arranged opposite the windshield 4, offset inwardly with respect to the vehicle transverse direction (y) with respect to the left end section 50a and the assembly opening 20 a. Correspondingly, on the right vehicle side 80, the second impact contour 9, 89 with the impact surface 13 is arranged opposite the windshield 4, offset inwardly with respect to the vehicle transverse direction (y) with respect to the right end section 50b and the assembly opening 20 a. The front part of the illustration in fig. 4 is arranged in the motor vehicle of fig. 2 or 6 below the engine hood 3. In this front region, a first

pedestrian airbag module

2, 72 with an airbag 2a and a second

pedestrian airbag module

2, 82 with an airbag 2a are arranged in front of the first and second impact profiles 9, 79, 89 on the left and right vehicle sides 70, 80, respectively, as has already been described with reference to fig. 2. This configuration of the water tank cover 8a with the first impact contour 9, 79 and the impact surface 13 on the left vehicle side 70 or the driver side or the co-driver side and the second impact contour 9, 89 and the impact surface 13 on the right vehicle side 80 or the co-driver side or the driver side is particularly preferably installed in vehicles in which: in this vehicle, a first

vehicle airbag module

2, 72 is arranged below the engine hood 3 opposite the driver-side section of the windshield 4, and a second

pedestrian airbag module

2, 82 is arranged opposite the passenger-side section of the windshield. This enables the airbag 2a to be reliably and quickly deployed without being disturbed on the driver-side wiper arm 6 and the passenger-side wiper arm 6, and thereby to be deployed onto the driver-side section and the passenger-side section of the windshield 4.

Fig. 5 shows a variant of the water tank cover 8 a. In this embodiment, in contrast to fig. 4, the impact contour 9, 90 and its impact surface 13, 130 extend essentially in the transverse direction over the entire longitudinal extent or over the entire vehicle width in the installed position in the motor vehicle, in particular between the two assembly holes 20a shown in fig. 4 and 5, which in the installed position of the motor vehicle are used to accommodate the pivot axis 20 of the wiper 5 of a left-hand or right-hand motor vehicle.

As is shown by way of example in fig. 4, the tank cover 8a can also have a drain 60 arranged in the longitudinal direction (x) behind the impact surface 13 or behind the impact contours 9, 79, 89 for conducting away splashes laterally from the windshield (4) and a V-shaped drain 61 arranged in front of the impact surface 13. The inclined ramp surface 15 of the impact profile 9 is advantageously configured as the front side wall of the drainage channel 61 and the inclined impact-bearing wall 14 of the ramp profile 9 is configured as the rear side wall of the V-shaped drainage channel 60. This reduces the linear expansion of the water tank cover 8a, and enables the impact profiles 9, 79, 89 to function as a protective wall against splashing of water from the windshield 4 when the water tank cover 8a is fitted in the vehicle, and enables a large amount of water to be prevented from flowing over the slope profile 9 toward the drain groove 61.

Typically, the water tank cover 8a also has an air intake grille 65 with a plurality of openings for supplying fresh air to the vehicle interior. The air intake grille 65 is preferably arranged substantially horizontally and in the vehicle transverse direction (y) in the mounted position, and the water tank cover 8a shown in fig. 4 and 5 is arranged in its longest extension direction and is arranged protrudingly with respect to the front side wall of the V-shaped drain groove 61. Thus, with the radiator cover 8a fitted in the vehicle, the intake grille 65 is arranged behind the impact profiles 9, 79, 89 as protection walls and behind the V-shaped drain grooves 61 in the flow direction of the water, with the result that less splashed water from the windshield 4 can be made to reach the intake grille 65, whereby less water can be made to reach the radiator 8 via the openings in the intake grille 65, and consequently less moisture and humidity in the air path of the fresh air supply can be made to reach the interior space of the vehicle.

Of course, while the foregoing detailed description and drawings present certain exemplary configurations of the invention, they are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Various modifications may be made to the configuration described without departing from the scope of the following claims and their equivalents. In particular, individual features of the embodiments not mentioned in the claims also emerge from the description and the drawing. Such features may also be present in different combinations than those specifically disclosed herein. Thus, the mere fact that a plurality of such features are mentioned, either in the same sentence or in another type of text context, does not prove that they can only be presented in a specific disclosed combination; rather, it is in principle conceivable that individual features of a plurality of such features can also be omitted or modified, as long as this does not affect the functionality of the invention.

List of reference numerals

1 Motor vehicle

2 pedestrian airbag module

2a air bag

3 Engine hood

4 windscreen

5 wiper

6 wiper arm

7 lower windshield area

8 water tank

8a water tank covering

9 impact Profile

10 load bearing structure

11a, b carrying arm

12 vehicle body

13 impact surface

14 impact support wall

15 slope surface

16 impact profile underside

17 lower side of the impact surface

18 reinforcing structure

19 gap

Pivotal axis of 20 windscreen wiper

20a fitting hole

24 bearing surface element

24a, b load-bearing surface element section

25 air bag deployment channel

26 carrying tab

30 intermediate space

34A column

35 Module housing

36 gas generator

37 casing cover

38 cover framework

39 lower side of the housing

40 overturning shaft

41 spreading profile

45 hat shape

50a, b end sections

51 bump

60 drainage channel

61 drainage channel

65 air inlet grille

70 left vehicle side

72 first pedestrian airbag module

79 first impact profile

80 right vehicle side

81 front water tank wall

82 second pedestrian airbag module

83 water tank bottom plate

84 rear water tank wall

85 glass support

89 second impact profile

90 impact profile

130 impact surface

Longitudinal direction of X vehicle

Transverse direction of Y vehicle

Z vehicle vertical direction

Claims

1. A motor vehicle comprising a windshield (4) and at least one pedestrian airbag module (2) having an airbag (2a) which can be deployed onto the windshield (4) via a tank cover (8a), wherein the tank cover (8a) has at least one impact contour (9) as a transition contour for deploying the airbag (2).

2. Motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a support structure (10) is formed on the water box cover (8a), said support structure being connected to the vehicle body (12) by at least one support arm (11a, b).

3. Motor vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the carrying structure (10) is detachably connected with at least one carrying arm (11a, b) to the impact contour (9) of the tank cover (8a) or the carrying structure is molded with at least one carrying arm (11a, b) on the impact contour (9) of the tank cover.

4. Motor vehicle according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the impact profile (9) has an impact surface (13) which rises obliquely and is guided to a height above the area of the wipers (5, 6).

5. Motor vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the impact profile (9) is hat-shaped and has the impact surface (13) on the upper side and a descending impact support wall (14) on the rear side opposite the wiper blades (5, 6) and an inclined ramp surface (15) on the front side opposite the pedestrian airbag module.

6. Motor vehicle according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the impact support wall (14) is arranged at a distance from the wiper blades (5, 6), wherein about 10mm ≦ x ≦ about 30mm, in particular about 15mm ≦ x ≦ about 25mm, and preferably at a distance of about 20mm ± about 2 mm.

7. Motor vehicle according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the impact profile (13) has a width y in the transverse direction (y) of the vehicle, wherein about 30mm x is less than or equal to about 2300mm, in particular about 100mm x is less than or equal to about 400mm, and preferably has a specific value of about 300mm ± about 50 mm.

8. Motor vehicle according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a reinforcing structure (18) is configured on the underside of the impact contour (9) or on the underside of the impact surface (13).

9. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the carrying structure (10) comprises at least two carrying arms (11a, 11b) spaced apart from each other, which are connected with the vehicle body (12).

10. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the load-bearing structure (10) has a load-bearing surface element (24).

11. Motor vehicle according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the bearing surface element (24) is configured in accordance with the impact surface (9) of the water tank cover.

12. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the load-bearing structure (10) consists of plastic or metal, or of a metal alloy comprising aluminium or steel.

13. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, further having an airbag (2a) which in the deployed state extends over the water tank cover (8a) and over at least a part of the windscreen (4).

14. A water tank cover (8a) according to any one of the preceding claims for a motor vehicle water tank (8), having at least one impact profile (9) and at least one carrying structure (10) connected to the impact profile (9).

15. A carrying structure (10) for a motor vehicle water tank cover (8a), wherein the carrying structure (10) is connected with the water tank cover (8a) with at least one carrying arm (11a, b), or the carrying structure (10) is molded on the water tank cover (8a) with at least one carrying arm (11a, b).