Pedestrian Protective Radiator Grill Impact Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current pedestrian protective systems, such as vehicle bumpers, fail to effectively mitigate injuries to pedestrians hit by cars, as they concentrate impact on the legs, leading to severe shin or thigh injuries due to their structural design.
Innovation Solution
A pedestrian protective radiator grill that moves to a nearly vertical profile upon impact, utilizing an operation unit and guide unit to facilitate forward movement and rotation, distributing the impact force and reducing injury risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the radiator grill is positioned in a conventional horizontal profile, then the vehicle structure is simple and manufacturing is easy, but the impact force is concentrated on the pedestrian's legs causing severe injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The radiator grill is designed to dynamically change its profile from horizontal to substantially vertical upon impact detection. The operation unit receives an impact signal and actuates the grill to rotate around the guide pin, transforming the structure from static to dynamic to adapt to emergency conditions and reduce pedestrian injury
Solution Approach 2:
The radiator grill structure is divided into separable components: the grill body, the operation unit, and the guide unit with guide pin. This segmentation allows the grill to be actuated independently to a vertical position while maintaining connection to the vehicle body, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and injury mitigation capability
2Area of stationary object
If the radiator grill moves forward to a vertical profile, then the contact area with the pedestrian increases distributing impact force, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide pin acts as an intermediary element that simplifies the movement mechanism. It provides a fixed rotation point that enables the radiator grill to pivot from horizontal to vertical position through a simple rotational motion, avoiding complex multi-axis mechanisms while achieving increased contact area for impact distribution
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the radiator grill is designed to rotate to a vertical position, then pedestrian protection is improved, but the guide mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide groove and guide pin form a self-guiding mechanism where the geometry of the guide groove automatically constrains the rotation path of the radiator grill. The structure serves itself by using its own geometric features to define the movement trajectory, eliminating the need for external complex guide mechanisms while ensuring proper rotation to reduce impact force concentration
Data Source
AI summary
A pedestrian protective radiator grill includes a radiator grill, an operation unit, and a guide unit. The radiator grill is provided at a front end portion of a vehicle and has an upper end portion that moves forward away from a vehicle body so that the radiator grill becomes perpendicular to the ground. The operation unit is connected to the radiator grill and pushes the radiator grill in a forward direction of the vehicle when an impact signal is input. The guide unit provided under the radiator grill guides forward linear movement of the radiator grill when the radiator grill is pushed forward by the operation unit, and guides rotational movement of the upper end portion of the radiator grill after the radiator grill reaches an end of its movable range.