Bumper side brackets and bumper assemblies

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a bumper side bracket, which includes a bracket body, and the bracket body is used to connect with the bumper skin. The bumper side bracket also includes an overlapping support structure protruding from the bracket body along the extension direction of the bracket body. The overlapping surface of the overlapping support structure is configured to overlap the bumper skin portion when the bumper skin portion near the sharp corner is retracted and deformed, thereby preventing the retracted deformation. Since the overlapping support structure can overlap the retracted bumper skin portion, it has a certain blocking effect on the retracted deformation, thereby controlling the gap surface difference that may occur between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at the sharp corner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of automobiles, and in particular to a bumper side bracket and a bumper assembly comprising the bumper side bracket. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the automobile industry and the continuous advancement of technology, consumers have higher and higher requirements for automobile quality. The gap and surface difference of the automobile appearance is one of the standards for consumers to measure the quality of the automobile.

[0003] The existing automobile bumper side bracket is connected to the bumper skin by a traditional clamping method, which can control the position of the bumper skin and further control the gap surface difference between the bumper skin and the taillight. However, there is usually no bracket support near the inflection point of the bumper skin, so the position of the bumper skin in the inflection point area cannot be controlled.

[0004] In addition, since the bumper skin is made of soft plastic material, it will deform inward at the sharp corner of the side of the bumper due to the injection molding performance, which will lead to the quality problem of gap surface difference between the bumper skin and the body skin at the sharp corner. Due to structural design limitations, it is impossible to design a common clip structure at the sharp corner of the bumper skin to control the surface difference state. Even if a bracket is set in this area of ​​the bumper skin, it will require a large force if it is still connected with a traditional clip, which will make this area difficult to assemble.

[0005] Therefore, it is desirable to provide a bumper side bracket that can improve the gap flushness at the sharp corner of the bumper cover. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides a bumper side bracket having an overlapped support structure. By adding the overlapped support structure to the bumper side bracket, the overlapped support structure is allowed to abut against the bumper skin portion that is deforming inward when the bumper skin portion at the sharp corner has a tendency to deform inward, thereby preventing further inward deformation. In this way, the gap surface difference that may occur between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin can be controlled.

[0007] In one aspect, a bumper side bracket is provided, the bumper side bracket including a bracket body, the bracket body being used to be connected to a bumper skin. The bumper side bracket also includes an overlapping support structure protruding from the bracket body along an extension direction of the bracket body. The overlapping surface of the overlapping support structure is configured to overlap the bumper skin portion when the bumper skin portion near the sharp corner portion is deformed inwardly, thereby preventing the inward deformation.

[0008] Therefore, since the overlapping support structure can overlap and abut against the inwardly deformed bumper skin portion, it can play a certain blocking role on the inward deformation, thereby controlling the gap surface difference that may occur between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at the sharp corners.

[0009] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping surface of the overlapping support structure is configured to extend beyond the sharp corner and parallel to the bumper skin portion and adjacent to the bumper skin portion. Thus, the overlapping support structure improves the gap surface difference between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at the sharp corner in a simple manner.

[0010] In one or more embodiments, the overlapped support structure is configured to be spaced apart from the bumper skin portion by a spacing distance; and / or the spacing distance is less than a maximum allowable gap flushness; and / or the spacing distance is within a range of 0-1 mm. Thus, the bumper skin portion can control the flushness between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at the sharp corners.

[0011] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping support structure is made of a flexible material, so that the overlapping support structure can provide a flexible abutment and blocking effect on the bumper skin portion without damaging the bumper skin portion.

[0012] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping support structure is a solid structure, or the overlapping support structure is a hollow structure. The solid structure provides sufficient abutment barrier strength, while the hollow structure can achieve lightness.

[0013] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping support structure is in the shape of a column, a sheet or other shapes matching the structure of the bumper skin portion. Thus, the main body of the overlapping support structure is easy to match the structure of the bumper skin portion, providing a close and sufficiently large abutment and blocking effect.

[0014] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping support structure is provided with a reinforcement portion at the support structure base on a side away from the overlapping surface; and / or the reinforcement portion includes a pair of reinforcement portions symmetrically arranged relative to the support structure body; and / or the pair of reinforcement portions tapers in a direction away from the support body. Thus, the reinforcement portion can provide a strength sufficient to prevent the bumper skin portion from reaching a predetermined inward deformation.

[0015] In one or more embodiments, the overlapping support structure is integrally formed with the bracket body, thereby facilitating the manufacture of the bumper side bracket.

[0016] In one or more embodiments, the bracket body is configured to be connected to the bumper skin by a snap-on connection, and / or the bumper side bracket is configured to be assembled to the vehicle body skin by a nut-stud connection component. This provides a simple and reliable connection between the components.

[0017] In another aspect, a bumper assembly is provided. The bumper assembly comprises: a bumper side bracket according to the present disclosure, a bumper skin, and a bumper, wherein the bumper side bracket is fixed to the bumper, and the bumper skin is detachably connected to a bracket body of the bumper side bracket. Thus, a bumper assembly is provided that can control the gap surface difference that may occur between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at a sharp corner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The present disclosure will be more easily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals represent the same elements. The accompanying drawings are schematic and non-restrictive. The elements in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily represented to scale, for example, the elements may be enlarged for the purpose of illustration, or may be reduced in proportion to keep the drawings clear and easy to understand.

[0019] In the attached picture:

[0020] Figure 1 A perspective view of a portion of a bumper assembly according to the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0021] Figure 2 Schematically shows Figure 1 A perspective view of a bumper assembly is shown with the bumper fascia removed to reveal a bumper side bracket according to the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 3 A perspective view of a bumper side bracket according to the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0023] Figure 4 A perspective view showing the relative arrangement of a bumper side bracket and a bumper skin according to the present disclosure is schematically shown, viewed from the inside to the outside.

[0024] Figure 5 A perspective view showing the relative arrangement of a bumper side bracket and a bumper skin according to the present disclosure, viewed from the outside to the inside, is schematically shown.

[0025] Figure 6 Shown along Figure 5 A cross-sectional view viewed from top to bottom after horizontal cutting along line AA in FIG.

[0026] Figure 7 Schematically shows Figure 3 A perspective view of the lap-type support structure of the bumper side bracket is shown.

[0027] Figure 8 Schematically shows Figure 7 A plan view of the lapped support structure shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the accompanying drawings show several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in a variety of different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below. The embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure of the present disclosure more complete and fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that in all the drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art in the technical field of the present disclosure. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, well-known functions or structures may not be described in detail. The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "including" and "having" and any derivatives thereof in the specification and claims of the present disclosure are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions.

[0030] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used to distinguish different objects, and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the meaning of "plurality" is more than two, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0031] Reference to "embodiments" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It is explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0032] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the term "and / or" is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three situations: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone.

[0033] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "inside", "outside", "horizontal", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0034] In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "fixation" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] The prior art relates to numerous documents related to the gap and flushness of automobile appearance.

[0036] A document discloses a rear bumper mounting system that can effectively ensure the gap surface difference between the rear bumper skin and the taillight, wherein the rear bumper skin includes a first part, a third part, and a second part connecting the first part and the third part. Usually, the taillight bracket is snap-connected to the first part, and the first bracket part is snap-connected to the third part. In order to control the gap surface difference, a second bracket part is also provided for the second part, and the two are installed through a corresponding "L" inverted snap connection. However, since an additional second bracket part is required to control the gap surface difference, this snap-fit ​​structure is relatively complicated.

[0037] Another document discloses a vehicle bumper fixing structure, in which an anti-flip boss, a V-shaped limit slot and a limit hole are integrated on the side flange of the rear bumper skin to ensure a good gap surface difference between the rear bumper skin and the side outer panel.

[0038] Another document discloses a connection bracket for a bumper skin and a vehicle body side panel to ensure that the gap and surface difference between the bumper skin and the side panel are within a reasonable range. The limiting groove and the first or second positioning plate are respectively located on both sides of the connection bracket, so that the limiting groove can more conveniently and accurately keep the gap and surface difference between the bumper skin and the side panel within a reasonable range.

[0039] Another document discloses a front bumper skin mounting structure. The flange of the front bumper skin mounting structure matches the fender structure and is in surface contact, which can increase the contact area with the fender, disperse the pressure effect of the fender's own weight on the bumper skin, and avoid the front bumper skin being affected by the gravity of the fender and causing a miniature surface difference.

[0040] Another document discloses a rear bumper assembly and a mounting structure for the rear bumper. A support block is provided on the rear bumper support bracket to support the front portions of both sides of the rear bumper assembly, so as to control the gap between the rear bumper assembly and the side wall of the vehicle after installation, that is, to help adjust the gap surface difference between the rear bumper assembly and the side wall. By adjusting the thickness of the support block, the gap surface difference between the rear bumper assembly and the side wall can be slightly adjusted to solve the problem that the gap surface difference between the rear bumper assembly and the vehicle body is difficult to adjust.

[0041] There is usually no support bracket near the sharp corner of the bumper skin, and because the rear bumper skin is made of soft plastic material, it will deform inward at the sharp corner due to injection molding performance, resulting in a gap difference between the bumper skin and the body skin at the sharp corner. Obviously, the above documents do not involve how to control the gap difference of the bumper skin at the sharp corner.

[0042] In view of the state of the prior art, the present disclosure aims to provide a bumper side bracket capable of improving the surface difference matching at the sharp corners of the bumper fascia.

[0043] Figure 1-8 A schematic diagram showing the structure and arrangement of a bumper side bracket and a bumper assembly including the bumper side bracket according to the present disclosure is shown.

[0044] refer to Figure 1-3 The bumper side bracket 30 according to the present disclosure includes a bracket body 32, and the bracket body 32 is used to connect with the bumper skin 20. Generally, the bracket body 32 is usually fixed to the bumper. The bumper skin 20 is detachably connected to the bracket body 32 by a snap connection. The bumper side bracket 30 according to the present disclosure also includes a lap-type support structure 34 protruding from the bracket body along the extension direction of the bracket body 32. The lap-type support structure 34 is configured to overlap the bumper skin portion 24 when the bumper skin portion 24 near the sharp corner portion 22 is deformed inwardly (see Figure 4 ), thereby preventing the inward deformation. As used herein, the term "inward deformation" refers to the deformation caused by the inward contraction of a component (such as a bumper skin portion). Since the overlapping support structure 34 can overlap against the bumper skin portion 24 that is deforming inward, it has a certain blocking effect on the inward deformation, thereby controlling the gap surface difference that may occur at the sharp corner between the bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12.

[0045] More specifically refer to Figure 3-Figure 6 The overlapping support structure 34 has an overlapping surface 343 for abutting the bumper skin portion 24 (see Figure 7 and Figure 8). The overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 is configured to extend beyond the corner portion 22 and be generally parallel to and adjacent to the bumper skin portion 24. Figure 6 In the illustrated embodiment, the overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 is parallel to the bumper skin portion 24 and can contact the bumper skin portion 24. In this way, the overlapping support structure 34 improves the gap flushness between the bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12 at the corner portion 22 in a simple manner.

[0046] In one example, the overlap support structure 34 can be spaced apart from the bumper skin portion 24 by a small spacing distance. The spacing distance between the overlap support structure 34 and the bumper skin portion 24 is less than the maximum allowable gap flush. As used herein, the term "maximum allowable gap flush" is the maximum value of the gap flush allowed to exist between the bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12. For example, the spacing distance can be in the range of 0 to 1 mm. The range of the spacing distance can be different for different vehicle models and their maximum allowable gap flush. When the spacing distance is 0, when the bumper skin portion 24 at the sharp corner does not undergo inward deformation, the overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 may just contact the bumper skin portion 24, so that no interaction with the bumper skin portion occurs; and when the bumper skin portion 24 undergoes inward deformation, the overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 directly abuts and pushes the bumper skin portion 24 outward to prevent its inward deformation, thereby controlling the gap surface difference between the bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12 at the sharp corner 22. When the spacing distance is 1 mm, when the bumper skin portion 24 at the sharp corner does not undergo inward deformation, the overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 is spaced 1 mm from the bumper skin portion 24, thereby not interacting with the bumper skin portion 24; and when the bumper skin portion 24 undergoes inward deformation, the overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 blocks the bumper skin portion 24 from further inward deformation to a predetermined inward deformation amount after abutting against the bumper skin portion 24 that has undergone inward deformation, thereby controlling the gap flushness between the bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12 at the sharp corner 22. The term "predetermined inward deformation amount" used herein refers to the inward deformation amount of the bumper skin portion that causes the maximum allowable gap flushness.

[0047] The overlapping support structure 34 can be integrally formed with the bracket body 32. Therefore, the bumper side bracket 30 according to the present disclosure is easy to manufacture. The overlapping support structure 34 can be made of a flexible material, such as ABS material, or PC and ABS material. In this way, the overlapping support structure 34 can have a certain flexibility. Therefore, the overlapping support structure can provide a flexible abutment and blocking effect on the bumper skin portion 24 to limit its inward deformation without damaging the bumper skin portion 24.

[0048] The main body 341 of the overlapping support structure 34 may be in the shape of a column, a sheet, or other shapes that match the structure of the bumper skin portion 24. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The overlapping surface 343 of the overlapping support structure 34 that will abut against the bumper skin part 24 can be a plane surface. As a result, the main body 341 of the overlapping support structure 34 is convenient to match the structure of the bumper skin part 24, providing a close and sufficiently large abutment blocking effect.

[0049] The overlapping support structure 34 may be a solid structure to provide sufficient abutment resistance strength. Alternatively, the overlapping support structure 34 may be a hollow structure to achieve lightness. Figure 7 and Figure 8 The overlapped support structure 34 may be provided with a reinforcement portion 342 at the support structure base to provide strength sufficient to prevent the bumper skin portion 24 from reaching a predetermined amount of inward deformation. The reinforcement portion 342 is generally provided at a side of the support structure body 341 that is away from the overlapped surface 343. Advantageously, a pair of reinforcement portions 342 may be symmetrically provided at the support structure base relative to the support structure body 341, and taper in a direction away from the support body 341.

[0050] Typically, the bracket body 32 of the bumper side bracket 30 is configured to be connected to the bumper skin 20 by snap-fitting. Thus, the connection between the two is performed in a simple and reliable connection manner.

[0051] refer to Figure 6 The bumper side bracket 30 is configured to be assembled to the vehicle body skin 12 via a nut-stud connection component 14 .

[0052] The present disclosure also relates to a bumper assembly, which includes a bumper skin 20, a bumper 10, and a bumper side bracket 30 according to the present disclosure. The bumper side bracket 30 is fixed to the bumper 10. The bumper skin 20 is detachably connected to the bracket body 32 of the bumper side bracket 30. The lap-type support structure 34 of the bumper side bracket 30 contacts the bumper skin portion at the sharp corner, and plays a role in controlling the gap face difference between the rear bumper skin 20 and the vehicle body skin 12. Thus, a bumper assembly is provided that can control the gap face difference that may occur between the bumper skin and the vehicle body skin at the sharp corner.

[0053] It should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present disclosure, rather than to limit them. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features therein can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and they should all be included in the scope of the claims and description of the present disclosure. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any way.

Claims

1. A bumper side bracket, comprising a bracket body, wherein the bracket body is used to connect with the bumper skin, and is characterized in that: The bumper side bracket also includes an overlapping support structure protruding from the bracket body along the extension direction of the bracket body, and the overlapping surface of the overlapping support structure is configured to overlap the bumper skin part when the bumper skin part near the sharp corner is deformed inwardly, thereby preventing the inward deformation.

2. The bumper side bracket according to claim 1, characterized in that: The overlapping surface of the overlapping support structure is configured to extend beyond the corner portion parallel to the bumper skin portion and adjacent to the bumper skin portion.

3. The bumper side bracket according to claim 2, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is configured to be spaced apart from the bumper skin portion at a spacing distance.

4. The bumper side bracket according to claim 3, characterized in that: The spacing distance is less than the maximum allowable gap flushness.

5. The bumper side bracket according to claim 3, characterized in that: The spacing distance is in the range of 0-1 mm.

6. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is made of flexible material.

7. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is a solid structure.

8. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is a hollow structure.

9. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is in the shape of a column, a sheet or other shapes matching the structure of the bumper skin portion.

10. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapping support structure is provided with a reinforcement portion at the support structure base on a side facing away from the overlapping surface.

11. The bumper side bracket according to claim 10, characterized in that: The reinforcement portion includes a pair of reinforcement portions symmetrically arranged relative to the supporting structure body.

12. The bumper side bracket according to claim 11, characterized in that: The pair of reinforcement portions tapers in a direction away from the bracket body.

13. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The overlapped support structure is formed integrally with the bracket body.

14. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The bracket body is configured to be connected to the bumper skin by a snap-on connection.

15. The bumper side bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The bumper side bracket is configured to be mounted to the vehicle body skin via a nut-and-stud connection component.

16. A bumper assembly, comprising: According to the bumper side bracket, the bumper skin and the bumper according to any one of claims 1 to 15, the bumper side bracket is fixed to the bumper, and the bumper skin is detachably connected to the bracket body of the bumper side bracket.

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