Bumper moment inducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9539965-B2
Application number	US-201514690337-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2015
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Jan 10, 2017
Grant date	Jan 10, 2017

Abstract

A bumper for a vehicle is provided where the bumper adapted to induce torque of the bumper during a collision, the bumper having a crush box. The bumper includes a bumper beam having an outer surface, a moment inducer extending away from the outer surface of the bumper beam, the moment inducer positioned adjacent to the distal end of the bumper beam. The moment inducer is rigid and adapted to transfer force (energy) rather than absorbing it.

First claim

I claim:

1. A bumper assembly for a vehicle, the bumper assembly adapted to induce torque of the bumper assembly during a collision, the bumper assembly having a crush box, the bumper assembly comprising:
a bumper beam having an outer surface; and
a projection extending away from the outer surface of the bumper beam, the projection positioned adjacent to a distal end of the bumper beam;
the projection being rigid and adapted to induce twisting of the bumper beam about an axis extending along the bumper beam during a collision thereby causing the bumper beam to bend before crushing the crush box.

2. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface includes a front surface, the projection extends generally orthogonally away from the front surface.

3. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface further includes an upper surface, the projection is connected to the upper surface, the projection extends away from the upper surface and is positioned generally perpendicular to the front surface of the outer surface of the bumper beam.

4. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer surface further includes a lower surface, the projection is connected to the lower surface, the projection extends away from the lower surface and is positioned generally perpendicular to a front surface of the outer surface of the bumper beam.

5. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the projection has a height less than a height of the bumper beam.

6. The bumper assembly of claim 5 , wherein the height of the projection is less than half of the height of the bumper beam.

7. The bumper assembly of claim 5 , wherein the height of the projection is less than one third of the height of the bumper beam.

8. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the projection is generally rectangular.

9. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the projection extends flush with the distal end of the bumper beam.

10. The bumper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bumper beam includes a front surface and an opposite rear surface, in a vehicle front-rear direction, the distal end extends between the front surface and the rear surface, and the projection extends away from the front surface of the bumper beam.

11. A bumper assembly for a vehicle, the bumper assembly adapted to induce torque of the bumper assembly during a collision, the bumper assembly having a crush box, the bumper comprising:
a bumper beam connected to the crush box, the bumper beam having an outer surface and a distal end; and
a projection extending away from the outer surface of the bumper beam, the projection positioned adjacent to the distal end of the bumper beam;
the projection being rigid and adapted to induce twisting of the bumper beam during a collision thereby causing the bumper beam to bend before crushing the crush box, the projection has a height less than a height of the bumper beam.

12. The bumper assembly of claim 11 , wherein the height of the projection is less than half of the height of the bumper beam.

13. The bumper assembly of claim 11 , wherein the height of the projection is less than one third of the height of the bumper beam.

14. The bumper assembly of claim 11 , wherein at least one trigger point is provided to further induce bending.

15. A bumper assembly for a vehicle, the bumper assembly adapted to induce torque of the bumper assembly during a collision, the bumper assembly having a crush box, the bumper assembly comprising:
a bumper beam having an outer surface and a distal end; and
a projection extending away from the outer surface of the bumper beam, the projection positioned adjacent to the distal end of the bumper beam;
wherein the outer surface includes an front surface, an upper surface and a lower surface, and the projection is connected to one of the upper surface and the lower surface, the projection extends away from the one of the upper surface and the lower surface and positioned generally perpendicular to the front surface of the outer surface.

16. The bumper assembly of claim 15 , wherein the projection extends generally orthogonally away from the front surface.

17. The bumper assembly of claim 15 , wherein the projection has a height less than a height of the bumper beam.

18. The bumper assembly of claim 17 , wherein the height of the projection is less than half of the height of the bumper beam.

19. The bumper assembly of claim 17 , wherein the height of the projection is less than one third of the height of the bumper beam.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Eng & Mfg North America Inc

Inventors

• Williams Paxton S

Classifications

• B60R19/023 Primary

  Details · CPC title

• B60R2019/005

  Crash attenuators, i.e. means added to highway service vehicles for softening high speed impacts · CPC title

• B60R19/24

  Arrangements for mounting bumpers on vehicles · CPC title

• B60R2019/1806

  Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing · CPC title

• B60R19/14 Primary

  having folding parts · CPC title