EA012829B1 - Device for protection of a pedestrian in a head-on collision with a car - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to automobile industry, particularly to devices for passive protection of a car and an external object in the collision. A device for protection of a pedestrian in a head-on collision with a car is formed by the front part of a car body, in which at least part of a bumper and a hood is made movable, as a unit, with the possibility of movement relative to the fixed part of the body in a vertical longitudinal plane along a curved trajectory, at least part of which is bent inside the body to ensure the smooth transition from a substantially horizontal movement phase of the front part of the body, reducing collision energy at the initial time, to an upward movement phase, when said part of the body by its upper surface rises and turns towards said object of the collision. The device additionally comprises a hinged connection of the movable front part with the fixed part of the body and it also contains on the movable front part of the body a panel moving forward a passenger compartment in the collision.

Description

The invention relates to the automotive industry, in particular to devices for the passive protection of a vehicle and an external object in a collision.

Collision protection devices can be divided into the following groups.

The first is the equipment of parts of the car involved in the collision, damping, shock absorbing and other energy absorbing devices of various designs. Devices of this group can be either passive (using the energy of the collision itself) or active (protective devices are brought to the working state by the controls: automatically, at the command of special sensors, or by the actions of the driver of the car).

The other group is devices whose common feature is a change in the configuration of the parts of the car involved in the collision, in order to direct the external object along a more benign trajectory, preventing collisions with the most dangerous parts of the car and entering the interior. Devices of this group can also be of the passive or active types.

The most effective are the various combinations of devices of the above groups.

A known system for the protection of pedestrians (US patent No. 6755459, IPC W60K. 27/00), containing a supporting bumper beam rigidly mounted on the frame of the car, carried forward on an elastic foam pad. The bumper has a beveled edge that engages with the support beam and ensures that the bumper moves from the normal position to the protective position. Down from the bumper stands grille that supports the skirt facing under the bumper. Additionally, the facing skirt is supported on the frame of the car by the lower tubular support beam. In a frontal collision, the bumper is shifted back to the bumper support beam, and the beveled rib shifts the bumper down, displacing the facing skirt and lower tubular support beam down and forward from the bumper.

The system mitigates the effects of a collision with a pedestrian in the foot area, but does not protect against a collision with the body of the car above the bumper and from penetrating the cabin through the windshield.

A device is known for protecting pedestrians in a frontal collision with a car (application \ ¥ About 2005/005209 dated January 20, 2005, IPC W60K. 21/34) containing a engine compartment hood fitted with hinges and mounted on a support that rises to a certain level with a spring-loaded device in a collision with a pedestrian. The device includes a housing rigidly mounted on the vehicle. There is an upper section in the housing that moves linearly upwards, on which the hinge support is installed or formed. The device also contains two pivoting levers pivotally connected to the pivot pins fixed to the body parallel to each other.

The device is brought to a protective position, rising linearly upwards, accompanying an external object in a limited area of movement and directing it above the engine compartment and, possibly, above the windshield, but does not prevent the lower parts (bumper and lower) of the vehicle and the external object from colliding (pedestrian legs ).

The present invention was to create a protective device that effectively absorbs energy of a collision, as well as directing an external object after a collision along a safer trajectory, preventing contact with parts of the rigid body, devices of the engine compartment (engine compartment) and significantly reducing the likelihood of penetration into the cab of a car through a frontal glass.

The task is solved in that the front part of the body, including at least part of the bumper and hood, is made movable, as one unit, with the possibility of movement relative to the fixed part of the body along a curved trajectory in the vertical longitudinal plane of the body, at least part of which is concave inside the body, to ensure a smooth transition from the essentially horizontal phase of the front end of the body, extinguishing the collision energy at its initial moment, to the upward phase, when this part of the body with its upper surface rises and turns towards the specified object of collision.

The invention is illustrated by drawings, where in FIG. 1 shows a device for protection in the normal position; in fig. 2 shows a device for post-collision protection; in fig. 3 shows a device for protection in position after a collision and the fall of an external object on the hood.

Almost the front part of the car (1), including a bumper with a sub-bumper skirt or grille, a radiator grille (if any), the entire hood (or most of it), and possibly also parts of the front wings adjacent to the bonnet, , form a single module, configured to move along a predetermined path relative to the remaining fixed parts of the body (2) and other parts, parts and assemblies of the vehicle.

Roller rollers (3), (4) are mounted on a fixed part of the body or other rigidly connected with fixed parts of the car, devices. Moreover, the upper roller (4) is mounted on a damping device of any known type with the ability to move in the direction of the engine compartment. In contact with the rollers, there are guides (5) rigidly fixed on the front movable module, in the simplest version: C-shaped profile for rolling without lateral sliding and exit of the rollers (3, 4) from contact with the guides (5). Guides (5) form

- 1 012829 concave rolling surface (sliding). In the rear part of the bonnet, which forms the upper part of the movable module, is placed the panel (6) which is retractable towards the passenger compartment.

The movement of this single front module (1) of the body is carried out by rolling (sliding) along a flat curvilinear trajectory lying in the vertical longitudinal plane of the body, and at least part of this trajectory is regularly concave inside the body. The specific cross-sectional profile of the guides (5) and the profile of their bending in the vertical plane can be selected depending on the specific design (including geometry and weight distribution) of the front of the car (including the movable module) and the desired trajectory of the front movable module. The movement is provided, for example, by rolling the rollers (3, 4) (as shown in Figs. 1-3) and / or by sliding the slide (s) along the guide (s) (5) defining the path.

With this movement, the front module (1) on the initial part of the trajectory is shifted back, inside the body, and then, continuing to move along the ascending part of the trajectory concave into the body, it rises up, simultaneously turning around the horizontal axis. Thus, by the end of the movement, the front module is raised up and unrolled by its upper surface to the external object participating in the collision (see Fig. 2). At the same time, the external object of the collision, pressed against the front module, rises up with the front mobile part, coming off the road surface. Thus, the energy of the collision is spent on moving the front rolling module, providing a softening of the impact and detachment from the road surface, which prevents the external object from being dragged under the car and reduces the severity of pedestrian leg injuries.

When an external collision object falls on the upper surface of the movable module due to the damping properties of the mounting of the upper roller roller, the front movable module is connected pivotally to the fixed part of the body by means of a roller roller (3). The shock-absorbing properties of the roller (4) and the upper surface of the rolling module soften the blow against this surface, absorbing the impact energy and moving downwards, from position (A) to position (B) (see Fig. 3).

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the retractable panel (6) picks up an external collision object when it slips along the upper surface of the front movable module and guides it along a trajectory that prevents collision with both fixed parts of the car and the windshield, reducing the likelihood of an object entering the vehicle interior , thereby reducing the severity of the consequences of a collision both for a pedestrian and for people inside the car.

It is clear that the described embodiment of the invention does not cover all possible options that do not go beyond the described inventive concept.

In particular, the trajectory of movement of the front module may be more complex, but it must necessarily contain a section concave inside the body that ensures a smooth transition initially from the horizontal (or close to it) movement suppressing the collision energy to the rising phase of movement when the mobile module rises and turns the upper surface towards the collision object.

Any known pair (or greater number) of parts (for example, sliders directly or through free rollers / rolling balls along the guides or vice versa) that move the movable module along a predetermined path can be used. In the above embodiment, the guides and roller rollers can be interchanged: the rollers are mounted on the movable module, and the guides on the fixed part.

Additional damping and damping means may be used to provide additional absorption of the collision energy and help, for example, to maintain the movable module in a raised state or to restrain the module from returning to its original position.

Finally, the movable module can be implemented as an additional vehicle attachment, while retaining the described functionality.

Claims (3)

CLAIM 1. Device to protect a pedestrian in a frontal collision with a car, formed by the front part of the car body, in which at least part of the bumper and hood is made movable, as a whole, with the possibility of movement relative to the fixed part of the body in a vertical longitudinal plane along a curvilinear trajectory, at least part of which is concave inside the body, to ensure a smooth transition from the essentially horizontal phase of movement of the front part of the body, extinguishing the collision energy in its initial mu nt to the phase of upward movement, when this part of the body with its upper surface rises and unfolds toward said object collision. 2. The device according to claim 1, additionally containing a hinge of the movable front part with a fixed part of the body. 3. A device according to any one of claims 1 and 2, further comprising on the movable front of the body a panel extending in a collision in the direction of the vehicle interior.