JPH06227333A - Bumper unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bumper unit equipped with a stay, which is light in weight, high in mechanical strength and simple in structure in addition to ease of manufacturing. CONSTITUTION:This bumper unit is provided with a bumper facing 1, a reinforcer 2 being situated in the backside of this bumper facing and installing this facing 1, and a stay 3 being situated in the backside of this reinfrocer 2 and simultaneously being attached to a side member 21 installed in a car body, and this stay 3, consisting of aluminum or its alloy, is made up of an extruded hollow shape having a reinforcing part inside, and further this stay 3 is set up in a sense where its axis makes a right angle with the car body in the longitudinal direction.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bumper device mounted on an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A bumper device for use in an automobile includes a bumper skin, a reinforcing member which is located behind the bumper skin and which is attached to the bumper skin, and a reinforcing member which is located behind the reinforcing member and is attached to the automobile. And a stay attached to a side member provided on the vehicle body.

Recently, in this bumper device, a reinforcing body made of a hollow shape member made of extruded aluminum or its alloy is used, and a bumper skin made of synthetic resin is attached to the front surface of the reinforcing body, and There is one in which a stay made of steel plate is attached to the surface portion.

[0004]

In such a conventional bumper device, the stay for attaching the reinforcing member to the vehicle body is formed by pressing a steel plate into a box shape.

However, this stay has the following problems.

[0006] The styli absorbs the impact force applied to the reinforcing body at the time of a collision and protects the body of the automobile, so it is necessary to have a strength enough to withstand the impact.

However, the stay made of a combination of steel plates has a limit in reducing the weight because the plate thickness of the steel plates is made sufficiently thick in order to have sufficient strength to withstand impact. There is also a limit to the weight of the entire bumper device.

On the contrary, when the thickness of the steel sheet forming the stay is reduced to reduce the weight, the mechanical strength of the stay is lowered and the impact energy cannot be sufficiently absorbed.

Further, in the conventional stay, the portion of the bumper device to which the reinforcing member is attached is formed by bending a steel plate or joining the steel plates by welding. Therefore, there is a problem in that the press work or welding work for forming the portion to which the reinforcing body is attached is complicated and the manufacturing cost becomes high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a bumper device having a stay that is lightweight, has high mechanical strength, has a simple structure, and is easy to manufacture.

[0011]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a bumper for an automobile according to the first invention is a bumper skin,
A reinforcing body which is located on the rear side of the bumper skin to which the bumper skin is attached, and a stay which is located on the rear side of the bumper skin and to which the reinforcing body is attached and which is attached to a side member provided on the body of the automobile. The stay is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or an alloy thereof and having a reinforcing portion inside, and the stay is arranged with its axis extending at a right angle to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. It is characterized by

A bumper for an automobile according to a second aspect of the present invention comprises a bumper skin, a reinforcing member which is located on the rear side of the bumper skin to which the bumper skin is attached, and the reinforcing member which is located on the rear side of the reinforcing body. The stay is attached and attached to a side member provided on the body of the automobile, and the stay is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy, and the axial length of the stay is greater than the longitudinal and lateral lengths of the cross section. The stay is long and the axis of the stay is arranged along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

[0013]

The inventor has conducted various studies on the reinforcing body used in the bumper device. In this process, the inventor has paid attention to the structure and manufacturing in forming a reinforcing body with a hollow shape obtained by extruding aluminum or its alloy.

Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has made a bumper device using a stay formed of a steel plate and a bumper device using a stay formed of a hollow shape obtained by extruding aluminum or its alloy. Were mounted on the vehicle bodies of automobiles, and a test was performed in which an impact force was applied from the front.
The bumper skin of each bumper device was made of synthetic resin, and the reinforcing member was made of a hollow material obtained by extruding aluminum or its alloy.

In the latter bumper device, two types of stays are used. One of them is that a stay formed of an extruded hollow shape member having a reinforcing portion inside is arranged in a direction in which its axis is perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.
In the other one, a stay having an axial length longer than the vertical length and the horizontal length of the cross section is arranged with its axis extending along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.

As a result of the test, the stay formed by the steel plate provided in the former bumper device had large dents and deformations, but it was obtained by extruding aluminum or its alloy provided in the latter bumper. Each of the two types of stays formed of the hollow shape material was barely dented or deformed.

As a result, it was found that a hollow material obtained by extruding aluminum or its alloy and having a reinforcing portion inside has a large deformation resistance against an external force. . The hollow profile made of aluminum or its alloy is lightweight and can be easily manufactured by extrusion molding even when the cross-sectional shape becomes complicated by providing a reinforcing part inside to obtain high strength. There is an advantage.

Further, when the hollow shape member is arranged so that its axial direction, that is, the extrusion direction, and the direction in which the hollow shape member is compressed and deformed, that is, the front-back direction of the car body, the hollow shape member is subjected to buckling load. It turns out that it can withstand enough. This structure does not need to provide a reinforcing portion inside the hollow profile, which makes it easier to manufacture the hollow profile. For these reasons, regarding collision in the bumper device, it is made of aluminum or its alloy. It has been found that it is possible to improve the impact resistance by using an extruded hollow profile.

In the first aspect of the invention, the stay is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy and having a reinforcing portion inside, and is arranged so that its axis is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Therefore, it is lightweight, has high mechanical strength, has a simple structure, and is easy to manufacture.

In the second invention, the stay is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or an alloy thereof, has an axial length longer than the longitudinal and lateral sides of the cross section, and has an axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Since they are arranged so as to be parallel to each other, they are lightweight and have high mechanical strength, and further have a simpler structure and are easier to manufacture than the stay of the first invention.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the first invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

In the figure, 1 is a bumper skin, 2 is a reinforcement, and 3 is a pair of stays.

The bumper skin 1 is made of resin, for example, and its both ends are curved. A cushioning material (not shown) is arranged inside the bumper skin 1. The reinforcing body 2 is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of a metal, for example, an aluminum alloy, and has the same shape as the bumper skin 1. The reinforcement body 2 is arranged on the rear side of the bumper skin 1 so as to be overlapped with the bumper skin 1, and the bumper skin 1 is attached thereto by bolts not shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the stay 3 is formed of a hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy by an extrusion molding method. The stays 3 are arranged on the rear sides of both ends of the reinforcing body 2, and are arranged so that their axial directions are at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body of the automobile.

The stay 3 has a quadrilateral cross section, and the front side portion 3a in contact with the reinforcing body 2 has a shape corresponding to the side portion of the reinforcing body 2. The stay 3 has a cross-shaped reinforcing portion 4 formed therein. The stay 3 has a rear side portion 3b facing the front side portion 3a, and a pair of attachment piece portions 5 attached to a side member 21 provided on a vehicle body of an automobile. A hole 6 is formed in the front side portion 3a of each stay 3, and a hole 7 is formed in the pair of mounting piece portions 5.

The front side portion 3a of the stay 3 is the reinforcing body 2.
The reinforcing body 2 is attached by being brought into contact with the rear side portion and passing the screw 8 through the hole 6 and the hole 10 formed in the rear side portion of the reinforcing body 2.

The bumper device thus constructed is attached to a pair of side members 11 provided on the vehicle body of an automobile. The side member 21 is provided in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body. The bumper device is arranged on the front side of the side member 21, the pair of mounting piece portions 5 of each stay 3 are fitted to the front ends of the opposing side members 21, and the screw 9 is formed in the hole 7 and the hole 11 formed in the side member 21. It is attached to each side member 21 through. Here, since the hollow material forming the stay 3 has the reinforcing portion 4 in the hollow portion, it has a large deformation resistance against an external force. Therefore, the stay 3 has sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the impact force applied to the automobile as the stay 3 of the bumper device.

Further, the hollow profile forming the stay 3 is made of aluminum or its alloy, and this hollow profile is lighter than the conventional stay manufactured by press-forming and weld-bonding steel plates. .

Further, since the hollow profile forming the stay 3 is manufactured by extrusion molding, it is easier to manufacture as compared with the conventional stay formed by press forming a steel plate and weld-joining it. In particular, a reinforcing portion having a complicated shape is formed in order to give the stay 3 mechanical strength, but this structure can be easily and easily manufactured.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a bumper device having a stay which is lightweight, has high mechanical strength, has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture.

An embodiment of the second invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

In FIGS. 3 and 4, the same parts as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Reference numeral 12 in the drawing denotes a stay, which is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy as shown in FIGS. The stays 3 are arranged at both ends of the reinforcing body 2 on the rear side, and are arranged so that their axial directions are parallel to the front-back direction of the vehicle body of the automobile.

The stay 12 has a quadrangular cross section, and its axial length is longer than the longitudinal and lateral lengths of the cross section. The stay 12 has a front end portion that contacts the reinforcement body 2 and a mounting portion 13 that extends over the reinforcement body 2 and that contacts the upper surface and the lower surface. A rear end portion of the stay 12 has a mounting portion 14 that fits outside the side member 21. There is. Stay 12 is mounting part 1
3 has a hole 15 formed therein, and the mounting portion 14 has a hole 16 formed therein.

The attachment portion 13 of each stay 12 is the reinforcing body 2.
The screw 17 is fitted to the rear side portion, and the screw 17 is attached to the reinforcement body 2 through the hole 15 and the hole 19 formed in the rear side portion of the reinforcement body 2.

The bumper device thus constructed is attached to a pair of side members 21 provided on the vehicle body of an automobile. The mounting portion 14 of each stay 3 is fitted to the front end of the opposing side member 21 and the screw 18 is inserted into the hole 16
And it is attached through the hole 20 formed in the side member 21.

Here, the hollow profile forming the stay 12 is formed such that the axial length thereof is longer than the cross-sectional length and the lateral length. Further, since the stay 12 is arranged so that the extrusion molding direction (axial direction) of the hollow shape member is aligned with the direction in which it is compressed and deformed by a collision, it is sufficient for the impact load applied to the body of the automobile along its front-rear direction. Can bear.

That is, by defining the dimensions of the hollow profile forming the stay 12 as described above and setting the disposition direction as described above, the stay 12 is a hollow profile having no reinforcing portion inside. Even if formed, it can withstand a buckling load sufficiently.

Further, since the hollow profile forming the stay 3 is made of aluminum or its alloy and does not have a reinforcing portion inside, it is lighter in weight than the conventional stay formed by press forming and welding and joining steel plates. is there.

Further, since the hollow profile forming the stay 3 is manufactured by extrusion molding, it is easier to manufacture as compared with the conventional stick formed by press forming a steel plate and welding.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a bumper device having a stay which is lightweight, has high mechanical strength, has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture.

Next, a specific example will be described.

A specific example of the first invention will be described.

A hollow section having the cross-sectional shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 was prepared, the hollow section was cut into a length of 100 mm, and a hole was formed for attaching the reinforcing member and the side member to manufacture a stay. . The stay weight was 420 g.

The stay was attached to the reinforcing body, and the shock absorbing material was attached to the reinforcing body to construct a bumper device. The stay was attached to a side member of the body of an automobile with a weight of 1700 kg, and the automobile was run at 5 mph and collided with a fixed wall for a bumper device barrier test.

As a result of investigating the damage condition of the bumper device, the reinforcing member was slightly damaged, but the stay portion was hardly deformed and could be reused.

A specific example of the second invention will be described.

An extrusion-molded hollow frame having the shape shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and having an outer frame size of 100 mm × 80 mm and a wall thickness of 3 mm was manufactured, and the hollow frame was cut into a length of 150 mm to form a reinforcing member. And a hole was made to attach the side member, and a stay was made.

The stay was attached to the reinforcing body, and the shock absorbing material was attached to the reinforcing body to construct a bumper device. The stay was attached to a side member of the body of an automobile with a weight of 1700 kg and collided with a fixed wall for barrier test at a speed of 5 mph.

As a result of examining the damage condition of the bumper device, the reinforcing member was slightly damaged, but the stub portion was hardly deformed and could be reused.

The first invention and the second invention are not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but can be modified in various ways.

For example, the cross-sectional outer shape and the shape of the internal reinforcing portion of the hollow profile forming the stay in the first invention are not limited to those of the embodiment.

The cross-section of the hollow profile forming the stay in the second invention is not limited to that of the embodiment.

[0054]

As described above, the bumper device of the first invention has a stay made of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy and having a reinforcing portion inside,
The axis is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, the bumper device of the second invention is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy,
The stays whose axial length is longer than the vertical length and the horizontal length of the cross section are arranged so that their axes are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

Therefore, according to the first invention and the first invention, it is possible to obtain a bumper device having a stay which is lightweight, has high mechanical strength, has a simple structure, and is easy to manufacture.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a bumper device of the first invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing a stay of the same embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a bumper device of the second invention.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view showing a stay of the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Bumper skin, 2 ... Reinforcement body, 3 ... Stay, 12 ... Stay, 21 ... Side member.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A bumper skin, and a reinforcing member which is located on the rear side of the bumper skin and to which the bumper skin is attached.
The reinforcement body is provided on the rear side of the reinforcement body, and the stay body is attached to the side member provided on the vehicle body of the automobile. The stay body is made of aluminum or its alloy and has a reinforcement portion inside. The bumper device is formed of a molded hollow shape member, and the stay is arranged in a direction in which an axis of the stay is perpendicular to a front-rear direction of the vehicle body. 2. A bumper skin, and a reinforcing member which is located on the rear side of the bumper skin and to which the bumper skin is attached.
The reinforcement body is provided on the rear side of the reinforcement body, and the stay body is attached to the side member provided on the body of the automobile. The stay body is formed of an extruded hollow shape member made of aluminum or its alloy. The axial length is longer than the vertical and horizontal lengths of the cross section,
The bumper device is characterized in that the axis of the stay is oriented along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body.