Vehicle bumper

Abstract

The utility model provides a vehicle bumper, which comprises a panel part, a front panel part, a rear panel part, a front panel part and a rear panel part, the reinforcing part is arranged on the panel part through a long fiber injection process, and the reinforcing part is configured to reinforce the rigidity of the panel part. According to the vehicle bumper, the weight of the vehicle bumper is reduced, so that the weight of a vehicle can be reduced, the manufacturing cost and the manufacturing time of the bumper can be reduced, the bumper can have the rigidity corresponding to the rigidity of a traditional rear beam, and the part damage prevention level equivalent to the rigidity of the traditional rear beam is obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a vehicle bumper, and more particularly to a vehicle bumper with a reinforcement portion. Background Art

[0002] The bumper mounted on the vehicle is a structure for absorbing the impact at the time of collision and is arranged at the front or rear of the vehicle in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Such a bumper may include a panel exposed to the outside and a rear beam coupled to the panel, the rear beam absorbing the impact and serving to enhance the rigidity of the panel.

[0003] Among them, since the rear beam absorbs the impact generated during the collision, the rear beam requires high rigidity and weight. In addition, since the rear beam is formed of a steel material or a single composite material (glass fiber), the rear beam is manufactured as a separate component and coupled to the panel. Therefore, the vehicle bumper requires a separate fixing component such as a bracket or a support for fixing the rear beam to the panel. Therefore, there are problems in that due to the increase in the weight of the vehicle bumper, the assembly time and cost increase, and the cost and time of replacing and repairing the rear beam and the components supporting the rear beam increase.

[0004] In addition, due to the use of a component for fixing the rear beam to the panel, a large amount of space is required inside the vehicle to install the rear beam. This leads to restrictions on the shape of the bumper, and thus there is a problem of reducing the degree of freedom in designing the vehicle. Utility Model Content

[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce some concepts in a simplified form that will be further described in the following Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0006] The utility model aims to provide a vehicle bumper which can reduce weight and has rigidity by replacing a rear beam, and can solve or at least partially alleviate the problems existing in the prior art.

[0007] In a general aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle bumper is provided, comprising: a panel portion forming a part of a vehicle body; and a reinforcement portion disposed on the panel portion by a long fiber injection process, wherein the reinforcement portion is configured to strengthen the rigidity of the panel portion.

[0008] The panel portion may include an exposed area exposed to the outside and a non-exposed area not exposed to the outside, and wherein the reinforcement portion may be formed through a foaming process after the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion is coated with a mixture capable of forming the reinforcement portion.

[0009] The panel portion may include an exposed region exposed to the outside and a non-exposed region not exposed to the outside, and wherein the reinforcement portion may have a shape corresponding to the non-exposed region of the panel portion.

[0010] The panel portion may include an exposed area exposed to the outside and a non-exposed area not exposed to the outside, and the reinforcement portion may include: a main body portion, which is arranged on the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion; and a protrusion portion, which protrudes from the main body portion in a direction from the panel portion toward the reinforcement portion.

[0011] The vehicle bumper may further include: an absorbing member, the absorbing member including: a supporting portion connected to the unexposed area of ​​the panel portion; and an absorbing portion having a shape bent from an end portion of the supporting portion, wherein the supporting portion may be disposed between the unexposed area of ​​the panel portion and the main body portion of the reinforcing portion.

[0012] The unexposed area of ​​the panel portion and the support portion of the absorbent member may be coated with a mixture capable of forming the reinforcing portion through a long fiber injection process.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, since the weight of the vehicle bumper is reduced using the reinforcement portion, the weight of the vehicle can be reduced, and thus the manufacturing cost and manufacturing time of the bumper can be reduced.

[0014] Furthermore, since the vehicle bumper using the reinforcement portion can have a rigidity corresponding to that of a conventional rear beam, the vehicle bumper can obtain a level of component damage prevention comparable to that of the conventional rear beam. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1 is a rear perspective view showing a vehicle bumper according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0017] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle bumper according to an embodiment of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 3 is a view showing a reinforcement portion and an absorbing member of a vehicle bumper according to another embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a reinforcement portion and an absorbing member of a vehicle bumper according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a reinforcement portion and an absorbing member of a vehicle bumper according to another embodiment of the present invention; and

[0021] Figure 6 is a view showing another example of the main body portion of the reinforcement portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Since the utility model allows various modifications and has many embodiments, specific embodiments will be shown and described in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the utility model to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that all modifications, equivalents and replacements falling within the spirit and scope of the utility model are included in the utility model.

[0023] Although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second element may be referred to as the first element, and the first element may be similarly referred to as the second element. The term "and / or" includes any one or any combination of multiple related listed items.

[0024] When a first element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to a second element, it should be understood that the first element can be directly connected or coupled to the second element, or a third element can exist in between. Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, it should be understood that there are no intermediate elements.

[0025] In the description of the embodiments, in the case where any one element is described as being formed on or under another element, such description includes a case where the two elements are formed in direct contact with each other and a case where the two elements are indirectly in contact with each other with one or more other elements interposed therebetween. In addition, when one element is described as being formed on or under another element, such description may include a case where one element is formed above or below the other element.

[0026] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the utility model. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is intended to include the plural form. In this specification, it should also be understood that the terms "include" and / or "comprise" used herein specify the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or combinations thereof.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art. Terms (such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined as such herein.

[0028] Hereinafter, a vehicle bumper will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and in all the drawings, components identical or corresponding to each other will be denoted by the same or corresponding reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

[0029] Figure 1 is a rear perspective view showing a vehicle bumper according to an embodiment of the utility model, Figure 2 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a vehicle bumper according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 A vehicle bumper 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a panel portion 120 and a reinforcement portion 140 .

[0031] The panel portion 120 is a portion forming a part of a body of the vehicle, and may include an exposed area exposed to the outside of the vehicle and a non-exposed area 122 not exposed to the outside of the vehicle. The panel portion 120 may be made of a plastic material having flexibility.

[0032] The reinforcement portion 140 may be disposed in the unexposed region 122 of the panel portion 120. The reinforcement portion 140 may be coupled to the unexposed region 122 of the panel portion 120 through a long fiber injection (LFI) process to enhance the rigidity of the panel portion 120. The thickness of the reinforcement portion 140 may correspond to the thickness of the panel portion 120, but is not limited thereto.

[0033] The reinforcement part 140 may be formed through a foaming process after the non-exposed area 122 of the panel part 120 is coated with a mixture capable of forming the reinforcement part.

[0034] More specifically, first, the panel portion 120 is set on a workbench. In this case, the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 is set not to face the workbench. Then, the LFI process is performed. The LFI process can be a process of applying a mixture of polyurethane (PU) and long glass fiber (LGF) (hereinafter referred to as a mixture) to a target object using a coater capable of performing coating. Through the LFI process, the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 is coated with the mixture. In this case, the thickness of the mixture coated on the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 can be 2.5 mm, but is not limited thereto, and during the manufacturing process, the coating thickness of the mixture can be changed according to the thickness of the panel portion 120.

[0035] When the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 is coated with the mixture, the mold defining the shape of the reinforcing portion 140 is disposed on the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 coated with the mixture. After the mold is disposed on the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120, the mixture may be foamed in the space between the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 and the mold under the condition of being restricted by the mold. Therefore, the mixture may be formed into a shape corresponding to the space formed by the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 and the mold. Therefore, in a state where the reinforcing portion 140 is coupled to the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120, the shape of the reinforcing portion 140 may be completely formed.

[0036] Then, a process of removing the mold from the panel portion 120 and the reinforcement portion 140 whose shape is completely formed is performed, and then a trimming process of trimming the edges of the panel portion 120 and the reinforcement portion 140 is performed, so that the manufacture of the vehicle bumper 100 is finally completed.

[0037] The reinforcement portion 140 may have a shape corresponding to the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120. Therefore, the reinforcement portion 140 may be firmly fixed to the panel portion 120. In addition, in the utility model vehicle bumper 100 including the reinforcement portion 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the reinforcement portion 140 is formed by the LFI process, a structure supporting a rear beam and a rear beam formed of a heavier weight steel material are no longer required, thereby reducing the weight of the vehicle.

[0038] Hereinafter, a vehicle bumper 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described. When describing the vehicle bumper 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the same components as those of the vehicle bumper 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0039] Figure 3 is a view showing a reinforcement portion and an absorbing member of a vehicle bumper according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 4 and Figure 5 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a reinforcement portion and an absorbing member of a vehicle bumper according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 A vehicle bumper 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may include a panel portion 120 , a reinforcement portion 140 , and an absorbing member 160 .

[0041] Since the panel portion 120 is the same as the panel portion 120 of the vehicle bumper 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0042] The reinforcing portion 140 may include a body portion 142 and a protrusion 144. The reinforcing portion 140 may be disposed in the non-exposed region 122 of the panel portion 120. The body portion 142 may have a shape corresponding to that of the non-exposed region 122 of the panel portion 120. The protrusion 144 may be disposed on the panel portion 120.

[0043] The protrusion 144 may protrude from the body portion 142 in a direction from the panel portion 120 toward the reinforcement portion 140. The protrusion 144 may be provided as a plurality of protrusions 144 arranged on the body portion 142, and the plurality of protrusions 144 may be provided to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance.

[0044] The protrusion 144 may include a first protrusion 144a and a second protrusion 144b. Figure 3 As shown, the first protrusion 144a may be formed in a shape having a length in a direction from one absorbing member 160 toward another absorbing member 160. The second protrusion 144b may be formed in a shape having a length in a direction intersecting the direction in which the first protrusion 144a is disposed.

[0045] Since the first and second protrusions 144a and 144b are provided as a plurality of first and second protrusions 144a and 144b, the plurality of protrusions 144 may form a lattice structure. Therefore, the overall rigidity of the reinforcement part 140 may be improved, and the rigidity of the panel part 120 coupled to the reinforcement part 140 may also be improved.

[0046] In the present embodiment, the first protrusion 144a is formed to have a shape having a length in a direction from one absorbing member 160 toward another absorbing member 160, and the second protrusion 144b is formed to have a shape having a length in a direction intersecting with the direction in which the first protrusion 144a is provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first protrusion 144a may have the same shape as the second protrusion 144b, and the second protrusion 144b may have the same shape as the first protrusion 144a.

[0047] The absorbing member 160 may be provided on each of both end portions of the reinforcing portion 140 in the longitudinal direction. That is, the absorbing member 160 may be a plurality of absorbing members 160. The absorbing member 160, which is called a stay or a bumper stay, may be used to absorb the impact applied to the panel portion 120 when the panel portion 120 is hit. The absorbing member 160 may include a supporting portion 162 and an absorbing portion 164.

[0048] The support portion 162 may be coupled to the non-exposed region 122 of the panel portion 120. The absorption portion 164 may have a shape bent from an end portion of the support portion 162, and have a wedge shape with one tip cut off.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 and the support portion 162 of the absorbent member 160 may be coated with the reinforcing portion 140 by the LFI process. A mixture of PU and LGF is applied to the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 and the absorbent member 160 using a coater, and in this case, the mixture may connect the unexposed area 122 of the panel portion 120 and the support portion 162 of the absorbent member 160.

[0050] In this state, when the mold restricts the mixture, the reinforcing portion 140 may be formed as Figure 3 and Figure 4 The body portion 142 of the reinforcing portion 140 may cover the supporting portion 162 of the absorbing member 160. Therefore, the reinforcing portion 140 may prevent the supporting portion 162 of the absorbing member 160 from being separated from the panel portion 120 or the reinforcing portion 140.

[0051] The support portion 162 may be disposed between the unexposed region 122 of the panel portion 120 and the main body portion 142 of the reinforcing portion 140. More specifically, as Figure 4 As shown, the support portion 162 may be supported by the unexposed region 122 of the panel portion 120 and the body portion 142 of the reinforcement portion 140. Therefore, the support portion 162 fixed to the panel portion 120 and the reinforcement portion 140 may improve the stability of the absorption member 160.

[0052] like Figure 5 As shown, the support portion 162 may be sandwiched by the body portion 142. More specifically, the body portion 142 may be disposed between the support portion 162 and the unexposed region 122 of the panel portion 120. Therefore, the support portion 162 may be disposed to be spaced apart from the panel portion 120. Therefore, the effect of adding an impact absorbing layer may be obtained.

[0053] As described above, unlike the conventional vehicle bumper using various types of parts for fixing the absorption member 160, the absorption member 160 in the vehicle bumper 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention can be fixed only by the reinforcement part 140 applied to the non-exposed area 122 of the panel part 120. Therefore, the manufacturing cost or purchase cost of a separate part for fixing the absorption member 160 and the cost related to manufacturing the separate part can be reduced.

[0054] Figure 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the main body portion of the reinforcement portion.

[0055] Reference Figure 6 , the main body portion 142 can be provided only on the area requiring high rigidity in the panel portion 120. That is, in the process of forming the reinforcing portion 140, the mixture can be applied to a partial area in the non-exposed area 122 of the panel portion 120. Therefore, the coating amount of the mixture can be reduced, and thus the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Therefore, since low weight can also be achieved, the weight of the vehicle can be reduced.

[0056] According to one embodiment of the present invention, since the weight of the vehicle bumper is reduced using the reinforcement portion, the weight of the vehicle can be reduced, and thus the manufacturing cost and manufacturing time of the bumper can be reduced.

[0057] Furthermore, since the vehicle bumper using the reinforcement portion can have a rigidity corresponding to that of a conventional rear beam, the vehicle bumper can obtain a level of component damage prevention comparable to that of the conventional rear beam.

[0058] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0092254, filed on Jul. 17, 2023, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0059] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to exemplary embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, it should be understood that the differences associated with these modifications and applications fall within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle bumper, characterized in that: The vehicle bumper comprises: a panel portion forming a portion of a body of the vehicle; and A reinforcement portion is provided on the panel portion by a long fiber injection process, Wherein, the reinforcement portion is configured to enhance the rigidity of the panel portion.

2. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The panel portion includes an exposed area exposed to the outside and a non-exposed area not exposed to the outside, and The reinforcing portion is formed by a foaming process after the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion is coated with a mixture capable of forming the reinforcing portion.

3. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, characterized in that: in, The panel portion includes an exposed area exposed to the outside and a non-exposed area not exposed to the outside, and The reinforcing portion has a shape corresponding to the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion.

4. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, characterized in that: The panel portion includes an exposed area exposed to the outside and a non-exposed area not exposed to the outside, and the reinforcing portion includes: a main body portion, disposed on the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion; and The protrusion protrudes from the main body in a direction from the panel portion toward the reinforcement portion.

5. The vehicle bumper according to claim 4, characterized in that: The vehicle bumper also includes: An absorbing member, the absorbing member comprising: a support portion coupled to the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion; and The absorbing part has a shape bent from the end portion of the supporting part, Wherein, the support portion is disposed between the non-exposed area of ​​the panel portion and the main body portion of the reinforcement portion.

6. The vehicle bumper according to claim 5, characterized in that: The unexposed area of ​​the panel portion and the support portion of the absorbent member are coated with a mixture capable of forming the reinforcing portion through a long fiber injection process.

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