Bumper beam with interference-fit energy absorber
AssigneeShape Corp.
InventorDarin Evans
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicular bumper system includes a tubular beam and an energy absorber press-fit within the tubular beam. In particularly, the energy absorber includes front and rear wall sections, planar stiffening wall sections that extend horizontally continuously and completely between the front and rear wall sections, and stabilizing wall sections that extend between the planar stiffening wall sections. Pairs of stubby protrusions are formed on the rear wall sections that are aligned with the planar stiffening wall sections and that combine with the front and rear wall sections to define an arrangement where, when the energy absorber is forcibly pressed into the cavity of the tubular beam, the protrusions are deformed and stressed and/or are shaved off such that they friction-fit into the tubular beam.
Claims19
A bumper system for vehicles comprising:
- a tubular beam with front, rear, top and bottom walls defining an internal cavity;
- the cavity, when in a vehicle-mounted position, defining an internal horizontal first dimension between the front and rear walls;
- and
- a longitudinally-extruded non-foam polymeric energy absorber with wall sections forming a honeycomb-shaped structure, the honeycomb-shaped structure including front and rear wall sections, planar stiffening wall sections that extend horizontally continuously and completely between the front and rear wall sections, and stabilizing wall sections that extend between the planar stiffening wall sections, the stiffening wall sections including stubby protrusions on at least one of the front and rear wall sections that are aligned with the planar stiffening wall sections and that combine with the front and rear wall sections to define a second dimension that is greater than the first dimension, so that when the energy absorber is forcibly pressed into the cavity of the tubular beam, the protrusions and stiffening wall sections are stressed and friction-fit between the front and rear walls of the tubular beam.
A method of constructing a bumper system for vehicles comprising steps of:
- providing a tubular beam with front, rear, top, and bottom walls defining an internal cavity;
- the cavity, when in a vehicle-mounted position, defining an internal horizontal first dimension between the front and rear walls;
- providing a non-foam polymeric energy absorber with wall sections forming a honeycomb-shaped structure, the honeycomb-shaped structure including front and rear wall sections, planar stiffening wall sections that extend horizontally continuously and completely between the front and rear wall sections, stabilizing wall sections that extend between the planar stiffening wall sections, the stiffening wall sections including stubby protrusions on at least one of the front and rear wall sections that are aligned with the planar stiffening wall sections and that combine with the front and rear wall sections to define a second dimension that is greater than the first dimension;
- and
- forcibly pressing the energy absorber into the cavity of the tubular beam, including stressing the protrusions and stiffening wall sections between the front and rear walls of the tubular beam.
A method of constructing a bumper system for vehicles comprising steps of:
- providing a tubular beam defining an elongated internal cavity, the tubular beam including front and rear walls;
- providing an oversized longitudinally-extruded non-foam polymeric energy absorber having a body and longitudinally-elongated protrusions that in combination with the body define at least one dimension that is larger than the internal cavity so that the energy absorber cannot be easily slid into the cavity;
- and
- forcing the energy absorber into the cavity of the tubular beam, the step of forcing including at least one of deforming the protrusions or shaving the protrusions as the energy absorber is forcibly moved into the internal cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.