Grille Bracket Energy Absorption for Pedestrian Leg Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pedestrian safety structures for vehicles, such as those with a 'soft nose' configuration, fail to adequately absorb the energy from collisions with pedestrians, leading to insufficient injury mitigation, particularly for upper leg injuries, while also struggling to meet daily use demands like supporting vertical and longitudinal loads.
Innovation Solution
A pedestrian safety structure featuring a soft-nose outer skin panel with a grille opening reinforcing front cross member equipped with V-shaped brackets that support vertical and longitudinal loads and undergo energy-absorbing deformation, creating an impact zone to absorb crash energy during collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a soft-nose configuration is used for the front bumper cover, then pedestrian contact becomes more forgiving and injury is reduced, but the structure cannot adequately absorb impact energy from collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The front end structure is divided into multiple functional segments: the soft-nose bumper cover for initial contact, the bonnet for additional cushioning, and the grille opening reinforcing front cross member with energy-absorbing brackets for structural support and energy dissipation. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines different materials with complementary properties: a soft-nose bumper cover made from flexible material for forgiving contact, a bonnet providing overlying structure, and a reinforcing front cross member with brackets that can deform energy-absorbingly. This composite approach allows the structure to be both forgiving to pedestrians and capable of absorbing impact energy.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the front part of the vehicle is made soft and deformable for pedestrian safety, then injury mitigation improves, but the structure cannot withstand daily use demands such as supporting vertical loads and longitudinal forces
Solution Approach 1:
Different parts of the front end structure have different mechanical properties tailored to their specific functions: the bumper cover is soft and deformable for pedestrian contact, the bonnet provides a compliant overlying structure, while the grille opening reinforcing front cross member with brackets provides rigid structural support for withstanding daily use loads.
Solution Approach 2:
The brackets are designed to exhibit dynamic behavior: they remain rigid and support vertical and longitudinal loads during normal use, but are capable of energy-absorbing deformation when subjected to impact forces above a certain threshold (0.6 kN), thus adapting their mechanical properties based on the applied load.
3Loss of energy
If energy-absorbing deformation features are added to the front structure for pedestrian protection, then impact energy absorption improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The grille opening reinforcing front cross member with brackets serves multiple functions: it provides structural support for the grille opening, withstands vertical and longitudinal loads from daily use, and absorbs impact energy through controlled deformation of the brackets during pedestrian collisions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the grille support function with the energy-absorbing function by integrating the brackets directly into the grille opening reinforcing front cross member structure. This combination eliminates the need for separate energy-absorbing devices and simplifies the overall structure.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The proposed structure effectively reduces upper leg injuries by absorbing impact energy through the deformation of brackets, minimizing the reaction force and intrusion distance during pedestrian collisions, while maintaining structural integrity for daily vehicle use.
Implementation Method 1
said brackets further being designed for energy absorbing deformation when subjected to longitudinal loads distributed thereupon by said overlying structure above 0.6 kN
Implementation Method 2
Solutions are known that adopt the passive shape of the front part of the vehicle, according to a from a production aspect advantageous so-called 'soft nose' configuration often constructed from a thermoplastic material, which partially also will serve to mitigate collisions with pedestrians
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a pedestrian safety structure for a motor vehicle body having a soft-nose outer skin panel and a bonnet providing an overlying structure for a grille opening reinforcing front cross member. The grille opening reinforcing front cross member carries a plurality of brackets. The brackets are designed to support loads distributed thereupon by the overlying structure, vertical (Z) loads in the range of 1.0-1.5 kN and longitudinal (X) loads in the range of 0.4-0.6 kN. The brackets are further designed for energy absorbing deformation when subjected to longitudinal (X) loads distributed thereupon by the overlying structure above 0.6 kN, such that the plurality of brackets provide an energy absorbing upper leg impact zone for the protection of pedestrians in the event of a collision with the motor vehicle.