Vehicle Lower Absorber Ramp Deflects Impact Away From Cooling System
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing front bumper device absorbers, particularly the lower absorbers, pose a risk of damaging the cooling system during a frontal impact, leading to increased repair costs and potential harm to pedestrians, as they can fracture and come into contact with the cooling system components.
Innovation Solution
The lower absorber is designed with a rear face featuring at least one ramp oriented from bottom to top, which acts as a guide to deflect the absorber downwards and away from the cooling system, reducing the forces transmitted to it and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the lower absorber is made of plastic or composite material to replace the metal beam, then pedestrian safety is improved, but the risk of damaging the cooling system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The lower absorber is given a specific three-dimensional geometry with an inclined rear face (ramp) that redirects its movement path. During impact, the absorber follows a controlled trajectory along the ramp surface, directing it away from the cooling system and toward the bumper beam, thus resolving the spatial conflict between pedestrian protection and cooling system protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The inclined ramp surface acts as an intermediary element between the lower absorber and the cooling system. This geometric feature mediates the interaction by providing a controlled interface that redirects forces and movement, preventing direct contact between the absorber and cooling system components while maintaining the absorber's protective function.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the lower absorber extends from side to side of the vehicle to provide comprehensive protection, then pedestrian safety is improved, but the likelihood of contact with the cooling system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The absorber's full transverse extension is combined with a specific three-dimensional rear face geometry featuring an inclined ramp. This dimensional design ensures that while the absorber spans the entire vehicle width for comprehensive pedestrian protection, its inclined surface redirects impact forces and movement away from the cooling system, preventing contact despite the extended reach.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the lower absorber serve different functions: the front and lateral portions provide pedestrian protection by extending to the vehicle sides, while the rear face with its inclined ramp provides cooling system protection by redirecting movement. This local differentiation of function within a single component resolves the contradiction between comprehensive coverage and cooling system safety.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
AI summary
The invention concerns a vehicle comprising, in the front part, two gussets each arranged on one side of the vehicle, a cooling system (5) extending between the two gussets and a front bumper device extending in front of the gussets, said bumper device comprising an upper portion having two upper absorbers each attached to a gusset and to which a bumper beam (3) is attached, and a lower portion comprising a lower absorber (1) extending from one side of the vehicle to the other in front of the two gussets and the cooling system (5). The vehicle is characterised in that the lower absorber (1) has a rear face comprising at least one ramp (7) in the form of an inclined surface oriented upwards and towards the front of the vehicle, said ramp (7) being arranged at least partially facing the cooling system.