Crush box

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266484-B2
Application number	US-201414283653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2014
Priority date	Oct 22, 2013
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A crush box includes a tubular body having a polygonal section and disposed between an end portion of a bumper beam and a vehicle body in such a posture that an axial direction of the tubular body generally coincides with a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, in which the tubular body has an outer side wall and an inner side wall that is located inward of the outer side wall in a vehicle-width direction, and both the outer side wall and the inner side wall are inclined outward in the vehicle-width direction, in a direction from the vehicle body toward the bumper beam, and in which the tubular body is crushed into a bellows shape to absorb impact energy as a compressive load is applied to the tubular body from the bumper beam in the axial direction of the tubular body, wherein an angle of inclination of the outer side wall is greater than an angle of inclination of the inner side wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A crush box comprising a tubular body having a polygonal section and being disposed between an end portion of a bumper beam and a vehicle body in such a posture that an axial direction of the tubular body generally coincides with a longitudinal direction of a vehicle,
wherein the tubular body has an outer side wall and an inner side wall that is located inward of the outer side wail in a vehicle-width direction,
wherein both the outer side wall and the inner side wall are inclined to the axial direction of the tubular body so as to be positioned outward in the vehicle-width direction as the tubular body extends from the vehicle body toward the bumper beam in a planar view as viewed from an up-down direction of the crush box,
wherein the tubular body is crushed into a bellows shape to absorb impact energy as a compressive load is applied to the tubular body from the bumper beam in the axial direction of the tubular body, and
wherein an angle of inclination of the outer side wall is greater than an angle of inclination of the inner side wall.

2. The crush box according to claim 1 , wherein:
the tubular body has an octagonal shape in a section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle;
the tubular body has a top wall and bottom wall wall in addition to the outer side wall and the inner side wall;
the tubular body has an outer inclined side wall disposed between the top wall and the outer side wall, and an outer inclined side wall disposed between the bottom wall and the outer side wall;
the tubular body has an inner inclined side wall disposed between the top wall and the inner side wall, and an inner inclined side wall disposed between the bottom wall and the inner side wall; and
each of the outer inclined side walls is formed to have a constant width so that a ridge line between the top wall and a corresponding one of the outer inclined side walls and a ridge line between the bottom wall and a corresponding one of the outer inclined side walls are parallel to the outer side wall in the planer view as viewed from the up-down direction of the crush box.

3. The crush box according to claim 1 , wherein:
grooves that are recessed toward an inside of the tubular body are respectively formed in the outer side wall and the inner side wall so as to extend in the axial direction of the tubular body; and
a depth of the groove of the outer side wall is greater than a depth of the groove of the inner side wall.

4. The crush box according to claim 1 , wherein:
the end portion of the bumper beam is inclined so as to approach the vehicle body; and
at least part of a bumper beam-side end portion of the tubular body is inclined so as to be attached to the inclined end portion of the bumper beam.

Assignees

• Nakanishi Makoto
• Kitaguchi Kazuaki
• Toyota Tekko Kk

Inventors

• Nakanishi Makoto
• Kitaguchi Kazuaki

Classifications

• B60R19/34 Primary

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