Bumper for pedestrian impact having thermoformed energy absorber
AssigneeNetShape International, LLC
InventorDarin Evans
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle bumper system includes a beam and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam. The thermoformed energy absorber has a plurality of elongated crush boxes thermoformed from a base flange. Crush boxes near a center of the beam are up to about three inches deep, and as a result have side walls that are stretched when thermoformed, while crush boxes near ends of the beam are much shorter and hence not as thin. As a result, the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact.
Claims12
A bumper system for vehicles comprising:
- a beam;
- and
- a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, some of the crush boxes being near a center of the beam and being designed for center impact, and others of the crush boxes being near ends of the beam and having a different shape designed for corner impact, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, the walls having a reduced thickness due to being stretched when thermoformed, with at least some of the walls having a side thickness less than half of a thickness of the base flange.
A bumper system for vehicles comprising:
- a beam;
- and
- a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, some of the crush boxes being longitudinally-elongated to have a length at least three times a vertical dimension of the crush boxes.
A bumper system for vehicles comprising:
- a beam;
- and
- a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, the crush boxes being longitudinally elongated to at least three times their width, some of the crush boxes being near a center of the beam and extending forward of the beam a first distance in height, and some of the crush boxes being near ends of the beam and extending forward of the beam a second distance in height, the first distance being at least double the second distance, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, the side walls having a non-constant thickness and being tapered in shape due to being stretched when thermoformed, the crush boxes near the center of the beam that are the first distance in height having a front portion of the fore-aft-extending walls that is less than about half of a thickness of the base flange, and the crush boxes near the ends of the beam that are a second distance in height having a thicker cross section than the crush boxes near the center, such that the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.