Vehicle bumper

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059290-B2
Application number	US-201515314786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2015
Priority date	Jun 13, 2014
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

An impact absorbing portion and a bumper reinforcement are formed in one piece, so an intermediate member for connecting the impact absorbing portion to the bumper reinforcement is no longer necessary. Therefore, the generation of stress concentration is able to be inhibited. As a result, load transmission efficiency with which a load is transmitted from the bumper reinforcement to the impact absorbing portion is able to be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle bumper comprising:
a bumper reinforcement that is arranged such that a length direction of the bumper reinforcement is in coincidence with a vehicle width direction; and
an impact absorbing portion that extends from the bumper reinforcement toward a vehicle cabin inside,
wherein
the impact absorbing portion and the bumper reinforcement are formed in one piece,
the impact absorbing portion is less rigid than the bumper reinforcement,
a sectional shape of the bumper reinforcement when the bumper reinforcement is cut in a vehicle front-rear direction orthogonal to the length direction of the bumper reinforcement is a closed sectional structure, and
a thickness of an outside wall of the bumper reinforcement at a center portion of the bumper reinforcement in the length direction is thicker than the thickness of the outside wall of the bumper reinforcement at an end portion of the bumper reinforcement in the length direction.

2. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1 , wherein
the impact absorbing portion is provided with a widened portion that widens in the vehicle width direction, the widened portion being provided on a bumper reinforcement side of the impact absorbing portion.

3. The vehicle bumper according to claim 2 , wherein
the widened portion of the impact absorbing portion includes a first widened portion provided on an outside in the vehicle width direction on the bumper reinforcement side of the impact absorbing portion, and a second widened portion provided on an inside in the vehicle width direction on the bumper reinforcement side of the impact absorbing portion.

4. The vehicle bumper according to claim 2 , wherein
the widened portion of the impact absorbing portion widens in an arc shape from an outside wall of a front side member toward an end portion of the bumper reinforcement in the length direction; and
the widened portion of the impact absorbing portion protrudes toward the outside in the vehicle width direction from the outside wall of the front side member.

5. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1 , wherein
the thickness of the outside wall of the bumper reinforcement becomes continuously thinner from the center portion of the bumper reinforcement in the length direction toward the end portion of the bumper reinforcement in the length direction.

6. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1 , wherein
the sectional shape of the bumper reinforcement when the bumper reinforcement is cut in the vehicle front-rear direction orthogonal to the length direction of the bumper reinforcement is a rectangular-shaped closed sectional structure.

7. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1 , wherein
a weak portion that compresses and deforms with respect to an impact force in a vehicle front-rear direction is formed on the impact absorbing portion.

8. The vehicle bumper according to claim 7 , wherein
the weak portion is formed by a plurality of grooves formed extending in a direction orthogonal to a length direction of the impact absorbing portion.

9. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1 , wherein
the impact absorbing portion and the bumper reinforcement are formed in one piece by a free casting method in which a mold is not used.

10. The vehicle bumper according to claim 9 , wherein
a manufacturing apparatus in the free casting method in which the mold is not used is provided with an outside shape determining member that forms an outside shape of a casting, and an inside shape determining member that forms an inside shape of the casting; and
a thickness of the casting and a shape of the casting are changed by changing a distance between the outside shape determining member and the inside shape determining member.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakajima Tetsuya
• Sugie Kazuki
• Nuruki Tetsuo

Classifications

• B60R2019/182

  of light metal, e.g. extruded · CPC title

• B60R19/18

  {characterised by the cross-section;} Means within the bumper to absorb impact · CPC title

• B60R19/34 Primary

  destroyed upon impact, e.g. one-shot type · CPC title