Impact Absorber With Thin Portions For Off-Center Impact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing impact absorbers often fail to effectively absorb impacts when the impact receiving portion deviates from the desired position due to installation and impact state variations, leading to inefficient protection in vehicle collisions.
Innovation Solution
The impact absorber features a design with a front wall, a rear wall, and surrounding walls connected by a parting line, with groove-shaped ribs and thin portions that buckle preferentially to absorb impacts even if the impact receiving portion is off-center, enhancing rigidity and stability through thermoplastic resin blow molding and specific structural configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the impact absorber is installed in a fixed position, then the installation process is simple, but the impact receiving portion may deviate from the desired position leading to inefficient impact absorption
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorber incorporates a tilting mechanism that allows the front wall and surrounding walls to rotate relative to the rear wall around a parting line. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the impact receiving portion to self-correct and align with the impact direction even when initially installed in a fixed position, resolving the contradiction between simple installation and reliable impact absorption.
2Manufacturing precision
If the impact absorber structure is rigid, then the manufacturing precision is high, but the absorber cannot adapt to impact position deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The structure transitions from a completely rigid configuration to a semi-rigid design with articulated joints at the parting line. The front wall, surrounding walls, and rear wall can tilt relative to each other while maintaining structural integrity through the groove-shaped ribs and thin portions that provide controlled flexibility. This allows the absorber to adapt to impact position deviations while preserving manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall thickness is strategically varied throughout the structure, with thin portions at the front wall and surrounding walls to enable tilting, and thicker portions at the rear wall and mounting portions to maintain rigidity. This parameter change allows the structure to be rigid where needed for precision and flexible where needed for adaptation.
3Ease of manufacture
If the impact absorber uses uniform wall thickness, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the absorber tilts or breaks under off-center impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The impact absorber features non-uniform wall thickness distribution with thin portions at the front wall and surrounding walls to allow controlled tilting and energy absorption, while thicker portions at the rear wall and mounting portions provide structural strength. The groove-shaped ribs with varying thickness further enhance this local quality differentiation, enabling the structure to resist off-center impacts without tilting or breaking while remaining manufacturable.
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
This design ensures effective impact absorption and stability even when the impact receiving position deviates, maintaining desired load and absorption amounts, and preventing tilting or breakage of the absorber.
Implementation Method 1
formed by blow molding a thermoplastic resin
Implementation Method 2
thin portions formed at corner portions for connecting the front wall to the surrounding walls, groove-shaped ribs... The thin portions of the wall portions constituting the impact absorber preferentially buckle
Implementation Method 3
this impact absorber moderates the impact applied to the occupant, thereby protecting the occupant
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is an impact absorber capable of effectively absorbing impact even if an impact receiving position deviates from a desired position. An impact absorber (10) according to an aspect of the present disclosure has a front wall (3D) for receiving impact, a rear wall (3A) opposed to the front wall (3D), and surrounding walls (3B, 4, 3C, 5) for connecting the circumferences of the front wall (3D) and the rear wall (3A), wherein thin portions (31) are formed at corner portions for connecting the front wall (3D) and the surrounding walls (4, 5).