Vehicle and vehicle bumper
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsDan G. Busuioc, Bernard Gerard Marchetti, Timothy R. Beard, Kalyanaraman Bharathan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a body, a bumper and a plurality of self-tapping fasteners. The body defines mounting orifices. The bumper has an exterior shell that includes an interior wall. The interior wall has receiving portions that protrude inward relative to the shell such that the receiving portions are thicker than adjacent portions of the interior wall. Each of the plurality of self-tapping fasteners extend through one of the orifices and into one of the receiving portions to secure the bumper to the body.
Claims17
A vehicle comprising:
- a body defining mounting orifices;
- a bumper having an exterior shell that includes an interior wall, the interior wall having receiving portions that protrude inward relative to the shell such that the receiving portions are thicker than adjacent portions of the interior wall;
- and
- a plurality of self-tapping fasteners, each extending through one of the orifices and into one of the receiving portions to secure the bumper to the body.
A vehicle bumper comprising:
- a shell having upper, lower, interior, and exterior walls;
- and
- a flange protruding downward from the lower wall, the flange having forward and rearward facing surfaces and defining a plurality of orifices that extend through the flange from the forward to the rearward facing surface, wherein the orifices are configured to receive fasteners, and wherein the exterior wall includes a receiving portion that protrudes inward relative to the shell from the recessed surface such that the receiving portion is thicker than adjacent portions of the exterior wall, and wherein the receiving portion is configured to receive self-tapping fasteners.
A vehicle bumper comprising:
- a fiber-reinforced plastic shell having upper, lower, interior, and exterior walls defining a cavity therebetween, the exterior wall including an outer surface, a recessed surface extending into the cavity relative to the outer surface, and a peripheral surface extending between the outer and recessed surfaces, wherein the interior wall includes receiving portions that protrude inward relative to the shell such that the receiving portions are thicker than adjacent portions the of interior wall, and wherein the receiving portions are configured to receive self-tapping fasteners, and wherein the receiving portions are arranged in a pattern on the interior wall such that the receiving portions are configured to align with mounting orifices defined by mating vehicle body components;
- and
- a structural foam is disposed within and filling the cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.