Bumper system with face-mounted energy absorber
AssigneeNetShape International, LLC
InventorsDarin Evans, Mark Weissenborn
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bumper includes a beam and an energy absorber supported on its face. The beam includes front and rear beam walls, with a pair of apertures in the front beam wall, and further the energy absorber includes a pair of tubular structural columns extending from its front wall through the aperture in the front beam wall to the rear beam wall. By this arrangement, the front wall of the energy absorber receives support from the rear beam wall via the structural columns during a vehicle crash.
Claims20
A bumper system for a passenger vehicle comprising:
- a beam having front and rear beam walls, and that is adapted for attachment to a vehicle frame;
- the front beam wall including at least one aperture in the front beam wall, with the rear beam wall including a support area located behind and spaced from the at least one aperture;
- and
- an energy absorber supported against the front beam wall, the energy absorber including a plurality of horizontally-extending longitudinally-extending top and bottom walls and further including front and rear walls, the energy absorber walls including at least one structural column extending from the front wall through the rear wall and through the at least one aperture in the front beam wall to a location near the support area on the rear beam wall, wherein the front wall of the energy absorber receives support from the rear beam wall via the structural column.
A bumper system for a passenger vehicle, the vehicle defining a fore-to-aft direction, comprising:
- a beam adapted for attachment to a vehicle frame, the beam having elongated front and rear beam walls when the beam is positioned in a vehicle-mounted position;
- the front beam wall including at least one aperture, and the rear beam wall including a support area located behind and spaced rearwardly from the at least one aperture;
- and
- an energy absorber having a rear surface supported against the front beam wall, the energy absorber including at least one rearwardly-extending structural protrusion that extends from the rear surface through the at least one aperture to a location proximate the support area on the rear beam wall, wherein the energy absorber receives support from the rear beam wall via the structural protrusion during a vehicle crash.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.