EV Front End Panel Assembly for Impact Absorption and Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transition from fuel-driven vehicles to electric vehicles eliminates the need for a radiator grille, opening up design possibilities but also requiring new functionalities such as energy absorption and integration of electronics and lighting in the front fascia.
Innovation Solution
A front end panel assembly for electric vehicles featuring a bended front cover and a carrier structure that encloses a space, allowing for energy-absorbing components, electronic integration, and lighting features, while maintaining a closed and aesthetically versatile design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional radiator grille is used in fuel-driven vehicles, then cooling air can be admitted to the radiator, but the design is constrained and does not provide energy absorption functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling function from the front fascia design by eliminating the traditional radiator grille requirement in electric vehicles. Since EVs use electric motors that generate less heat and have different cooling requirements, the grille structure is removed entirely, allowing the front panel to be designed as a closed, aesthetically versatile component while cooling functions are handled separately through other means.
Solution Approach 2:
The front panel assembly is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support, enables pedestrian impact energy absorption through deformable sections, offers aesthetic design flexibility with various configurations, and maintains vehicle identity through distinctive designs. This multi-functional design replaces the traditional single-purpose grille while adding energy absorption capabilities.
2Shape
If the front panel is designed as a closed component without a grille, then aesthetic versatility and design flexibility are improved, but energy absorption capability upon impact is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The front panel is segmented into different functional zones: rigid sections that maintain structural integrity and aesthetic appearance, and deformable sections specifically designed to crumple and absorb energy during pedestrian impacts. This segmentation allows the closed panel design to simultaneously achieve aesthetic versatility and energy absorption by distributing different mechanical properties across different areas of the same component.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the front panel are assigned different mechanical properties: areas exposed to pedestrian impact zones are designed with lower strength and higher deformability to absorb energy, while other areas maintain higher strength for structural support and aesthetic purposes. This local differentiation of material properties enables the closed panel to fulfill both aesthetic and safety requirements.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If energy-absorbing components are integrated into the front panel assembly, then pedestrian impact safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy-absorbing components are merged with the front panel assembly itself rather than being separate add-on elements. The deformable sections are integrated directly into the panel structure, and the carrier structure that holds lighting and electronic components also serves as part of the energy management system. This merging reduces overall assembly complexity while maintaining pedestrian safety benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The carrier structure serves multiple functions: it supports lighting modules and electronic components, provides structural attachment points, and works in conjunction with the deformable sections to manage impact energy. By making the carrier structure multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated energy absorption components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while still achieving improved pedestrian safety.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a front end panel assembly for an electric vehicle, the assembly comprising a front cover having side edges, the front cover extending in a bended shape such that a first angle α is enclosed between a first portion and a second portion of the front cover; and a carrier structure comprising a base and a peripheral wall extending from the base, wherein the carrier structure comprises a first part and a second part that enclose a second angle β; wherein the upstanding wall connects to the front cover at or near at least part of the side edges of the front cover, such that a space is formed and enclosed between the front cover and the carrier structure, wherein the first portion of the front cover covers the first part of the carrier structure, and the second portion of the front cover covers the second part of the carrier structure. The invention also relates to a vehicle provided with such a front end panel assembly.