Bumper Absorber Recesses Guide Collision Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle bumper structures face challenges in maintaining sufficient vertical overlap during collisions, leading to issues like underride or override, especially when vehicles of different heights collide, and current solutions either require identical bumper structures or increase the number of parts and assembly time.
Innovation Solution
A bumper structure with a recessed bumper absorber featuring inclined wall faces and strategically positioned absorber portions that guide and absorb collision loads, increasing vertical overlap while maintaining a simple structure, preventing underride and override by adjusting the position of absorber portions based on vehicle height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the bumper structure uses a conventional design without recesses, then the structure is simple, but the vertical overlap amount is insufficient leading to underride or override
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper absorber is segmented into multiple portions (first absorber portion, second absorber portion, third absorber portion) separated by recesses. This segmentation creates an inclined surface effect that guides the barrier and increases vertical overlap, improving impact absorption capacity while maintaining structural simplicity through integrated molding.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses create vertical dimension changes in the bumper absorber structure, forming inclined surfaces that guide the barrier upward. This dimensional change transforms a simple horizontal impact absorption into a controlled vertical guidance mechanism, increasing overlap without adding complex external components.
2Reliability
If separate members are used for bumper reinforcement to increase vertical overlap, then the vertical overlap amount increases, but the number of parts and assembly time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper absorber is merged with the bumper reinforcement into a single integrated structure. The absorber is positioned on the vehicle-longitudinal-direction outer side of the bumper reinforcement and forms a unified component, eliminating the need for separate members and reducing assembly steps while maintaining increased vertical overlap capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated bumper structure serves multiple functions: the bumper reinforcement provides structural support while the integrated absorber with recesses simultaneously guides the barrier and absorbs impact. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate components, reducing part count and assembly time while achieving the vertical overlap goal.
3Reliability
If the bumper structure is designed for vehicles of one height, then the structure is optimized for that vehicle type, but it is not effective for vehicles of different heights
Solution Approach 1:
The bumper absorber features local quality variations through recesses at different vertical positions, creating distinct absorption zones (first, second, and third absorber portions). These localized structures provide different guidance angles and absorption characteristics that can adapt to various vehicle heights and barrier configurations, enhancing versatility.
Data Source
AI summary
A recess is formed at the center of a bumper absorber, provided on the vehicle outer side of a bumper reinforcement, so as to face forward, and an upper recess wall face of an upper absorber portion located on the upper side of the recess is inclined downward. If the subject vehicle is small in height and the amount of vertical overlap between the bumper absorber and the rear bumper of other vehicle (a barrier used in the narrow vertical overlap barrier test of the IIHS) is small, in the initial collision stage, the rear bumper of the other vehicle is guided by the inclined upper recess wall face to move relatively downward while the bumper of the subject vehicle moves relatively upward, preventing underride, increasing the amount of vertical overlap between the rear bumper of the other vehicle and the bumper absorber, and thus achieving reliable impact absorption.