Bumper arrangement for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522644-B2
Application number	US-201514792172-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2015
Priority date	Apr 13, 2015
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

A bumper arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a bumper arrangement for a motor vehicle, including a cross member made of a lightweight metal and constructed as multi-chamber section which has at least one front chamber and at least one main chamber, wherein the front chamber is arranged in front of the main chamber in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, wherein the main chamber has a greater cross sectional surface than the at least one front chamber, wherein the cross member has a front side facing in a driving direction of the motor vehicle and a rear side facing away from the driving direction, wherein the front side has a height in vertical direction of the motor vehicle, which is greater than a height of the rear side, wherein at least one wall of the at least one front chamber forms a portion of the front side; and crash boxes arranged in respective end regions of the cross member for coupling the bumper arrangement with the motor vehicle. The cross member can be formed as extruded part.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A bumper arrangement for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a cross member made of a lightweight metal and constructed as multi-chamber section which has at least one front chamber and at least one main chamber, said front chamber being arranged in front of the main chamber in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, said main chamber having a greater cross sectional surface than the at least one front chamber,
said cross member having a front side facing in a driving direction of the motor vehicle and a rear side facing away from the driving direction,
said front side having a height in vertical direction of the motor vehicle, which is greater than a height of the rear side,
wherein at least one wall of the front chamber forms a portion of the front side; and
crash boxes arranged in respective end regions of the cross member for coupling the bumper arrangement with the motor vehicle.

2. The bumper arrangement of claim 1 , further comprising two of said front chamber.

3. The bumper arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the two front chambers are situated directly adjacent above each other, or are spaced apart at a distance to each other and connected to each other via a web.

4. The bumper arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the two front chambers together with the web form the front side.

5. The bumper arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the front side is configured planar or curved.

6. The bumper arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the two front chambers protrude upwards and downwards over the one chamber in the vertical direction of the motor vehicle.

7. The bumper arrangement of claim 6 , wherein the two front chambers protrude upwards and downwards over the one chamber in form of a stepped shoulder.

8. The bumper arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the main chamber in cross section is formed by the rear side, an upper chord and a lower chord, portions of the two front chambers and a web extending to the front chamber, and wherein the rear side and the web extend in vertical direction of the motor vehicle and the upper chord and the lower chord extend in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, in particular at an angle between −20° and +20° relative to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle.

9. The bumper arrangement of claim 8 , wherein in cross section the upper chord and the lower chord transition in a middle region into the respective rear side of the two other chambers.

10. The bumper arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the cross member has a longitudinal extent which extends in transverse direction of the motor vehicle, and has a curvature over the longitudinal extent, said curvature being oriented in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle.

11. The bumper arrangement of claim 10 , wherein in a middle section of the cross member, the cross member is asymmetrically bent in vertical direction of the motor vehicle.

12. The bumper arrangement of claim 11 , wherein the cross member is bent upwards in the middle section in vertical direction of the motor vehicle.

13. The bumper arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the cross member in cross section has different wall thicknesses.

14. The bumper arrangement of claim 2 , wherein an upper one of the two front chambers has a greater wall thickness relative to a lower one of the two front chambers.

15. The bumper arrangement according of claim 2 , wherein each of the two front chambers has a height which corresponds to 20 to 60%, preferably 25 to 50% and in particular 30 to 40% of the height of the main chamber.

16. The bumper arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the rear side transitions respectively rounded into the upper chord and into the lower chord.

17. The bumper arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the cross member is made of an aluminum alloy, in particular a 6000 or 7000 aluminum alloy, wherein the cross member preferably has a yield strength RP0.2 between 200 and 500 MPa, particularly preferably between 300 MPa and 450 MPa.

18. The bumper arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the crash box is configured as hollow section, having a top side and a bottom side, each said top and bottom side having two bulges oriented in vertical direction of the motor vehicle and extending in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle.

19. The bumper arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the upper chord is overlapped by the top side of the crash box and/or the lower chord is overlapped by the bottom side of the crash box and are in particular coupled with the cross member, particularly preferably by means of rivets or a screw connection.

20. The bumper arrangement of claim 19 , wherein the top side of the crash box abuts a rear wall of an upper one of the two front chambers, and the bottom side of the crash box abuts a rear wall of a lower one of the two front chambers.

21. The bumper arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the crash box has a flange which is oriented laterally in transverse direction of the motor vehicle, said flange abutting the rear wall of the cross member and being in particular coupled with the rear wall of the cross member, in particular by rivets or a screw connection.

22. The bumper arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the crash box is configured one-piece and made of a lightweight alloy, in particular aluminum, and has in particular different wall thicknesses in cross section.

23. The bumper arrangement of claim 22 , wherein the crash box has strips which extend in longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle, said strips having a greater wall thickness relative to remaining regions of the crash box, said strips being in particular arranged in a region of the bulges.

Assignees

• Benteler Automobiltechnik Gmbh

Inventors

• Prasoody Sivanathan
• Gusain Mayank

Classifications

• B60R19/18 Primary

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

• B60R2019/1866

  Cellular structures · CPC title

• B60R19/34

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

• B60R19/24

  Arrangements for mounting bumpers on vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2019/182

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