JP2009179134A - Vehicular front bumper device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To ease a partial impact load on a lower part of a collided object bending a leg and the like of a pedestrian. <P>SOLUTION: A vehicular front bumper device 2 comprises a bumper beam 11 extended in a vehicle width direction, and a bumper face 12 installed in front of the bumper beam at a predetermined interval. At least a center flat portion 13 of the bumper face has a front wall 12b, and a tilting wall 12c extended from a lower end of the front wall to a rear and lower side. A lower front end 11d of the bumper beam abuts on or comes close to an inner surface side of the tilting wall, and properly controls the deformation of the bumper face upon a collision to the collided object. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle front bumper device that improves the safety of a pedestrian during a collision.

  In recent passenger cars, a structure in which a structure for reducing the impact of a collision object (including a pedestrian) from a vehicle body at the time of a collision is adopted for a bumper, a bonnet, a fender, and the like. In particular, in the front bumper that makes contact with the object to be collided first, the bumper beam is covered with a bumper face. Absorbing technology has been developed. In the case of a front bumper such as an RV (Recreational Vehicle) vehicle or SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle) vehicle having a vehicle body with a relatively high vehicle height (or approach angle), or in the case of a front bumper such as a passenger vehicle with a relatively low vehicle height In comparison, since the bending between the upper part and the lower part of the collision target object at the time of the collision becomes large, a measure is taken to alleviate the bending.

  For example, the bumper reinforcement installed in the bumper face and the shock that is installed under the bumper reinforcement and protrudes forward from the bumper reinforcement as conventional technologies for vehicles with such a high vehicle height. There is a front bumper provided with an absorbing member, and provided above the impact absorbing member with a certain space that allows the bumper face to be deformed rearward of the vehicle body in the event of a collision (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-104264 A

  According to the above-mentioned patent document 1, the bending between the upper part and the lower part of the collision object is relieved, and when a pedestrian is assumed as the collision object, the bending of the knee part is relieved. It is considered a thing.

  By the way, in the case of such a vehicle with a high vehicle height, the lower end of the bumper face collision surface is generally located near the upper part of the lower leg of the pedestrian. Accordingly, there is a possibility that a shearing force due to the bumper face is applied to the lower leg of the pedestrian, so it is necessary to consider the bending of the lower leg during a collision. However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, it was not possible to expect the effect of relaxing the bending of the lower leg at the time of collision.

  The present invention has been devised in view of such problems of the prior art, and a collision target that flexes a pedestrian's lower leg or the like by appropriately controlling the deformation of the bumper face at the time of collision. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle front bumper device that suppresses local load input to the lower portion.

  A first invention made to solve the above-described problem is a bumper beam (11) attached to the front portion of the vehicle body (1) and extending in the vehicle width direction, and a predetermined amount with respect to the bumper beam in front of the bumper beam. A bumper face (12) having a central flat portion (13) flat in the vehicle width direction and a left and right inclined portion (15) extending obliquely rearward from the left and right ends of the central flat portion, A front bumper device (2) for a vehicle, wherein at least a central flat portion of the bumper face includes a front wall (12b) and an inclined wall (12c) extending rearward and downward from a lower end of the front wall. The lower front end (11d) of the bumper beam is in contact with or close to the inner surface side of the inclined wall.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the bumper beam includes a bumper beam main body (31) and an extending portion that is fixed to the bumper beam main body and contacts or is close to the inner surface of the inclined wall. (32).

  A third invention made to solve the above-described problem may be configured such that a plurality of the extending portions are installed along the width direction of the bumper beam main body portion.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, by appropriately controlling the deformation of the bumper face at the time of the collision, it is possible to suppress a local load input to the lower part of the collision target object that bends the lower leg of the pedestrian or the like. it can. Further, according to the second invention, the degree of freedom in designing the bumper beam is increased. Further, according to the third aspect, the bumper beam can be easily manufactured.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, the terms “front”, “rear”, “upper”, “lower” and the like indicating directions refer to directions based on the body of an automobile unless otherwise specified.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a front portion of an automobile equipped with a vehicle front bumper according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the front bumper at the center in the vehicle width direction. The present embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an SUV vehicle having a vehicle body with a relatively high vehicle height (or approach angle).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body 1 of the present embodiment employs a monocoque structure by steel plate panel welding assembly, the front part of which is a front bumper 2, left and right fender panels 3, 4, an engine hood 5, Covered by the front grille 6 and the like.

  The front bumper 2 includes a bumper beam 11 that is attached to the front portion of the vehicle body 1 and extends in the vehicle width direction, and a bumper face 12 that is installed in front of the bumper beam 11 at a predetermined interval so as to cover the bumper beam 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bumper beam 11 is formed by pressing a relatively high-strength steel plate into a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape, and includes an upper wall 11a extending in a substantially horizontal direction and a front end of the upper wall 11a. The front wall 11b extends downward, and the lower wall 11c extends rearward substantially horizontally from the lower end of the front wall 11b. Both ends of the bumper beam 11 are firmly attached to a not-shown vehicle body structural material (front side frame or the like) by bolting or the like.

  The bumper face 12 has a central flat portion 13 that is substantially flat in the vehicle width direction, and a left and right inclined portion 15 that extends obliquely rearward from the left and right ends of the central flat portion 13 and wraps around the wheel arch 14. ing. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, at least in the central flat portion 13, the bumper face 12 includes an upper wall 12a extending in a substantially horizontal direction, and a front wall 12b extending downward from the front end of the upper wall 12a. The inclined wall 12c extends rearward and downward from the lower end of the front wall 12b, and the lower wall 12d extends rearward substantially horizontally from the rear end of the inclined wall 12c.

  A lower front end 11d forming a connection portion between the front wall 11b and the lower wall 11c of the bumper beam 11 is in contact with or close to the inner surface of the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12. When the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11 is disposed close to the inner surface of the inclined wall 12c, the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11 is caused by deformation of the bumper face 12 at the time of collision (movement of the inclined wall 12c toward the bumper beam 11). It is necessary to contact the inner surface of the inclined wall 12c. Further, the contact position of the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11 with respect to the inner surface of the inclined wall 12c can be determined in consideration of the bending position of the inclined wall 12c as described later. For example, the front-rear direction of the inclined wall 12c The center (that is, the middle portion between the lower end of the front wall 12b and the front end of the lower wall 12d) can be used.

  Such a bumper face 12 is manufactured, for example, by injection molding a resin such as polypropylene or polycarbonate, and a vehicle body structural material or an outer panel (not shown) is formed in a form in which a predetermined space is formed between the bumper beam 11 and the like. It is attached to the front fender.

  When the vehicle travels, it may collide with other vehicles or obstacles on the road, and may collide with a pedestrian who has jumped out of the road. A pedestrian may collide with various parts of the vehicle body 1 of the automobile, but in many cases, it collides with the front surface of the front bumper 2. In the front bumper 2 having the above-described configuration, when a collision object (such as a pedestrian) collides with the center part (that is, the central flat part 13 of the bumper face 12), the bumper face 12 is deformed, thereby It is possible to mitigate the impact received by the lower part (such as a pedestrian's leg).

  FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing a state of deformation of the bumper face when the front bumper according to the first embodiment collides with a collision target. 3A is a state immediately before the collision, FIG. 3B is a state immediately after the collision when the bumper face starts to deform, and FIG. 3C is a state where the deformation of the bumper face is further from the state of (B). Indicates the advanced state. In FIGS. 3B and 3C, the shape of the bumper face before deformation is indicated by an imaginary line.

  Here, the collision object 21 is composed of an upper part 22, a lower part 23, and a connecting part 24 for connecting them, and these parts are respectively a thigh, a lower leg and a general pedestrian. It is provided so as to roughly correspond to the knee.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, in the front bumper 2, the center in the height direction of the front wall 12 b of the bumper face 12 is located at substantially the same height as the connection portion 24 of the collision target 21. The upper wall 12a of the bumper face 12 is provided so as to face the lower surface 6a of the front grill 6, and the rear ends of the upper wall 12a and the lower wall 12d are firmly attached to a vehicle body (not shown). Further, the bumper beam 11 is provided such that a lower front end 11d forming a connecting portion between the front wall 11b and the lower wall 11c is in contact with or close to the inner surface side of the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12.

  When the front bumper 2 collides with the collision object 21, as shown in FIG. 3B, the front wall 12b forming the collision surface is deformed so as to be crushed by being pushed rearward, and the impact is absorbed. At this time, the upper deformation of the upper wall 12a of the bumper face 12 is restricted by the lower surface 6a of the front grill 6, and the inclined wall 12c is pressed by the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11 from the inner surface side. Deform. At this time, a bending point F (that is, an easily bent portion extending in the left-right direction of the bumper face 12) is formed at a contact position (indicated by a circle in FIG. 3) of the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11 on the inclined wall 12c. Is done.

  The inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12 is bent and deformed so that the bending point F protrudes downward. As a result, the bumper face 12 expands the collision surface (front wall 12b) with the collision object 21 downward. Will bulge downward.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3C, the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12 is deformed so that the bending point F protrudes further downward, so that the collision surface of the bumper face 12 is further lowered. Enlarged.

  Thus, by appropriately controlling the deformation so as to expand the collision surface of the bumper face 12 downward, a local impact load (shearing force or the like) to the lower part of the collision object 21 can be dispersed. it can. Therefore, it becomes possible to alleviate the bending of the lower part 23 (such as the lower leg portion of the pedestrian) to the lower side of the bumper face 12, and the collision safety is improved.

  Further, the upper part 22 of the collision target object 21 tilts toward the vehicle body along the collision surface of the bumper face 12 with the connection part 24 as a base point, but the upper end of the collision surface of the bumper face 12 extends to the lower part of the upper part 22. Therefore, the bending between the upper part 22 and the lower part 23 is also eased.

  FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view at the center in the vehicle width direction of the front bumper according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and matters not particularly mentioned below are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The bumper beam 11 includes a bumper beam main body portion 31 and an extending portion 32 that is fixed to the bumper beam main body portion 31 and is in contact with or close to the inner surface side of the inclined wall 12 c of the bumper face 12. Here, the bumper beam main body 31 is substantially the same member as the bumper beam of the first embodiment, and is formed by press-molding a relatively high strength steel plate into a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape.

  The extending part 32 includes a cylindrical member 33 and a support member 34 that extends forward and downward from the bumper beam main body 31 in order to attach the cylindrical member 33 to the bumper beam main body 31. The cylindrical member 33 and the support member 34 are formed of a relatively high strength metal like the bumper beam main body 31. The support member 34 has one upper end fixed to the bumper beam main body 31 by bolting, welding, or the like, and holds and fixes the cylindrical member 33 by a holding portion 34a provided on the other lower end.

  In this case, the bumper beam 11 is provided such that the cylindrical member 33 (the clamping portion 34 a) disposed at the lower front end thereof is in contact with or close to the inner surface side of the inclined wall 12 c of the bumper face 12.

  As described above, the bumper beam 11 includes the bumper beam main body portion 31 that performs the same function as the conventional bumper beam and the extension portion 32 that controls the deformation of the bumper face 12, so that the degree of freedom in design increases. In particular, the shape and arrangement of the bumper beam main body 31 are not easily restricted by the shape and arrangement of the bumper face 12 (for example, even if the vertical width of the bumper face is increased, it is not necessary to change the shape or arrangement of the bumper beam main body. ).

 Although the extension part 32 is provided in the whole width direction of the bumper beam main-body part 31, depending on the case, multiple extension parts 32 can be installed along the width direction of the bumper beam main-body part 31 by predetermined spacing. Thereby, manufacture of the bumper beam 11 becomes easy.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a state of deformation of the bumper face when the front bumper according to the second embodiment collides with a collision target. Here, FIGS. 5A to 5C correspond to FIGS. 3A to 3C, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, when the front bumper 2 collides with the collision object 21, the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12 is pressed by the lower front end (cylindrical member 33) of the bumper beam 11. A bending point F is formed at a contact position with the lower front end 11d of the bumper beam 11. Thereby, the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12 is bent and deformed so that the bending point F protrudes downward, as in the case of FIG.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 5C, the inclined wall 12c of the bumper face 12 is deformed so that the bending point F protrudes further downward, so that the bumper face 12 collides with the collision object 21. The surface is further expanded downward.

  In this way, as in the case of the first embodiment, the local impact load to the lower part of the collision object 21 can be dispersed, and thereby, the lower portion 23 (the crus of the pedestrian, etc.) It is possible to alleviate the downward bending of the bumper face 12, and the collision safety is increased.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail based on specific embodiments, these embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, as long as the bumper beam is formed so that at least the lower front end thereof is in contact with or close to the inner surface side of the inclined wall of the bumper face, the shape of the bumper beam can be variously changed. Moreover, the restriction | limiting of the deformation | transformation of the bumper face at the time of a collision can be implement | achieved not only by a front grill but by the body front member (for example, front garnish etc.) which can perform the same function. In addition, the bumper face may be configured not to have an upper wall, and in this case, the body front member may be configured to restrict the upward movement of the upper end of the front wall of the bumper face during a collision. Further, the present invention is suitable for an automobile having a relatively high vehicle height, but the downward expansion of the collision surface by deformation of the bumper face is also effective for an automobile having a relatively low vehicle height.

1 is an external perspective view of a front part of an automobile provided with a front bumper according to a first embodiment. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a front bumper according to a first embodiment. Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of a deformation | transformation at the time of the collision of the front bumper which concerns on 1st Embodiment. A longitudinal sectional view of a front bumper according to a second embodiment Explanatory drawing which shows the mode of a deformation | transformation at the time of the collision of the front bumper which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Car body 2 Front bumper 5 Engine hood 6 Front grill 11 Bumper beam 11d Lower front end 12 Bumper face 12a Upper wall 12b Front wall 12c Inclined wall 12d Lower wall 13 Central flat part 15 Left and right inclined part 21 Collision target object 22 Upper part 23 Lower part 24 Connection part 31 Bumper beam main body 32 Extension part 33 Cylindrical member 34 Support member F Bending point

Claims (3)

A bumper beam attached to the front of the vehicle body and extending in the vehicle width direction;
A bumper that is disposed in front of the bumper beam with a predetermined interval with respect to the bumper beam, and has a flat central portion that is flat in the vehicle width direction, and a left and right inclined portion that extends obliquely rearward from the left and right ends of the central flat portion. A vehicle front bumper device having a face,
At least the central flat portion of the bumper face has a front wall and an inclined wall extending downward from the lower end of the front wall.
A front bumper device for a vehicle, wherein a lower front end of the bumper beam is in contact with or close to an inner surface side of the inclined wall.   2. The vehicle front bumper according to claim 1, wherein the bumper beam has a bumper beam main body portion and an extension portion fixed to the bumper beam main body portion and abutting on or close to an inner surface side of the inclined wall. apparatus.   The vehicle front bumper device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of the extending portions are installed along a width direction of the bumper beam main body portion.

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