Mounting assembly for mounting a bumper assembly and a radiator assembly to a vehicle, a vehicle frame, and a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189428-B1
Application number	US-201815911818-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Mar 5, 2018
Priority date	Mar 5, 2018
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

The disclosed subject matter relates to a mounting assembly for connecting a bumper assembly and radiator assembly to a vehicle. The mounting assembly can include a first frame member extending along a vertical direction of the vehicle, a transverse frame member extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle and connected to the first frame member, a bumper bracket configured to connect the connector member of the bumper assembly to each of the first frame member and the transverse frame member. The bumper bracket can include a flange extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and the flange can be configured to engage the radiator assembly if the radiator assembly is mounted on the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mounting assembly for connecting each of a bumper assembly and a radiator assembly to a vehicle, the bumper assembly including a connector member extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the mounting assembly comprising:
a first frame member extending along a vertical direction of the vehicle;
a transverse frame member extending in a transverse direction of the vehicle and connected to the first frame member; and
a bumper bracket configured to connect the connector member of the bumper assembly to each of the first frame member and the transverse frame member, the bumper bracket including a flange extending in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and the flange being configured to engage the radiator assembly mounted on the vehicle.

2. The mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bumper bracket includes a first portion mounted on each of the transverse frame member and the first frame member, the first portion has a substantially U-shaped cross-section that is open toward the radiator assembly when the flange engages the radiator assembly such that, when the bumper bracket connects the connector member to each of the first frame member and the transverse frame member, the connector member pushes upwardly along the vertical direction of the vehicle and rearwardly along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when a load or kinetic energy is applied to the connector member along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the load or kinetic energy exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

3. The mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the flange includes a mounting hole configured to receive a mating structure of the radiator assembly mounted on the vehicle.

4. The mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the bumper bracket includes a first portion mounted on each of the transverse frame member and the first frame member, and
the first portion includes a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls that are connected to the bottom wall, and the side walls are spaced apart from each other by a gap,
the gap is configured to receive the connector member, and
the flange is cantilevered to one of the side walls and extends away from the gap.

5. The mounting assembly according to claim 4 , wherein each of the side walls includes a pair of mounting holes spaced apart in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and each of the mounting holes of one of the side walls is aligned with a respective one of the mounting holes of a different one of the side walls.

6. The mounting assembly according to claim 4 , wherein the flange is substantially parallel to the bottom wall.

7. The mounting assembly according to claim 4 , wherein each of the side walls is substantially parallel to each other.

8. The mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein
the bumper bracket includes a bottom wall and a pair of side walls,
the bottom wall is a flat plate that extends along the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle,
each of the side walls is a flat plate that is continuous with and extends from the bottom wall, each of the side walls extends along the longitudinal and vertical directions of the vehicle, and each of the side walls is spaced apart in the transverse direction of the vehicle.

9. The mounting assembly according to claim 8 , wherein
each of the side walls includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion of each of the side walls is continuous with the bottom wall, and the second portion of each of the side walls extends farther in the longitudinal direction than does the bottom wall, and
each of the side walls includes a pair of mounting holes, one of the mounting holes is located in the first portion of each of the side walls, and a different one of the mounting holes is located in the second portion.

10. The mounting assembly according to claim 8 , wherein the flange is a flat plate that extends in the longitudinal and transverse directions of the vehicle, the flange extends from one of the side walls in the transverse direction of the vehicle, and the flange is spaced away from the bottom wall in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

11. The mounting assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the bumper bracket further includes a pair of opposed mounting holes, and a threaded nut is welded onto the bumper bracket around one of the mounting holes.

12. A frame assembly of a vehicle comprising:
a pair of first frame members extending upwardly along a vertical direction of the vehicle;
a transverse frame member extending from each of the first frame members in a transverse direction of the vehicle;
a pair of bumper brackets, each of the bumper brackets includes a first portion and a second portion, the first portion is connected to the transverse frame member and a respective one of the first frame members, and the second portion is configured to engage a radiator assembly when the radiator assembly is mounted on the frame assembly; and
a pair of connector members, each of the connector members is connected to the first portion of a respective one of the bumper brackets, and each of the connector members extends along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle away from a respective one of the first frame members.

13. The frame assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the first portion of each of the bumper brackets has a substantially U-shaped cross-section that is open toward the radiator assembly when each of the flanges engages the radiator assembly such that, when each of the bumper brackets connects a respective one of each of the connector members to each of the first frame member and the transverse frame member, each of the connector members pushes upwardly along the vertical direction of the vehicle and rearwardly along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when a load or kinetic energy is applied to the connector member along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the load exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

14. The frame assembly according to claim 12 , wherein
the first portion of each of the bumper brackets includes a bottom wall, and a pair of side walls, each of the side walls includes at least one mounting hole such that the mounting holes are aligned with each other, and each of the connector members is connected to the at least one mounting hole of each side wall of each of the bumper brackets; and
the second portion of each of the bumper brackets includes a flange and a mounting hole through the flange configured to engage a mating structure of the radiator assembly when each of the bumper brackets engages the radiator assembly, and the flange is cantilevered to one of the side walls.

15. The frame assembly according to claim 12 , wherein
the first portion of each of the bumper brackets includes a bottom wall and a pair of side walls, the side walls extend from and are continuous with the bottom wall, one of the side walls is connected to one of the first frame members, a different one of the side walls is connected to the transverse frame member, and the bottom wall is connected to the one of the first frame members; and
the second portion of each of the bumper brackets includes a flange that extends from one of the side walls, is substantially parallel to the bottom wall, and extends away from each of the side walls in the transverse direction of the vehicle.

16. The frame assembly according to claim 12 , further comprising
a pair of lower frame members extending along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle,
wherein each of the first fr

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Sellars Daniel T
• Upah Luke M
• Kirtland Dakota D

Classifications

• B60K11/04

  Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds · CPC title

• B62D21/152

  Front or rear frames · CPC title

• B62D25/084 Primary

  Radiator supports · CPC title

• B62D21/183

  specially adapted for sports vehicles, e.g. race, dune buggies, go-karts (tubular skeleton B62D23/005) · CPC title

• B60Y2200/20

  Off-Road Vehicles · CPC title