Vehicle Front Structure Impact Absorber for Pedestrian Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In vehicles where the front end edge of the front hood is positioned rearward relative to the front end, the impact energy from pedestrian collisions is not effectively absorbed, leading to excessive resistive forces on the head and thigh due to poor performance of the front grille and bumper in impact absorption.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle body front structure featuring a hollow, box-like impact absorber made of sheet metal, supported by a rigid member and legs, which rotates and deforms to absorb impact energy, with the front grille and bumper attached to the impact absorber to distribute and absorb forces, reducing excessive resistive forces on pedestrians.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the front end edge of the front hood is positioned rearward relative to the front end of the vehicle, then the vehicle structure allows for better aerodynamic performance or engine bay design, but the distance between the front end portion and the front end edge of the front hood becomes longer, causing the pedestrian head to hit the bumper end portion positioned forward relative to the front hood and receiving excessively large resistive force
Solution Approach 1:
The front end structure is divided into multiple functional zones: the front grille with impact absorber handles head-level impacts, while the bumper handles lower-level impacts. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific impact zone, reducing excessive resistive forces on the pedestrian head.
Solution Approach 2:
The front grille is positioned as an intermediary element between the bumper and the front hood, creating a progressive impact absorption system. The grille with its impact absorber serves as the first line of defense for head-level impacts, transferring loads to the bumper and hood structure in a controlled manner.
2Device complexity
If the front grille is supported by the beam via the bumper, then the structural support is simplified, but the resistive force that the thigh receives becomes excessively large due to poor performance of the front grille and bumper in impact absorption
Solution Approach 1:
Impact absorbers are pre-installed within the front grille structure at locations optimized to absorb impacts before they reach the main bumper and beam structure. This beforehand cushioning reduces the resistive forces transmitted to the pedestrian thigh during collisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The front grille and bumper structures are designed with varying material properties and geometric parameters to optimize impact absorption. The grille uses specific material compositions and structural configurations that allow it to deform and absorb impact energy more effectively, reducing resistive forces on the pedestrian thigh.
3Strength
If the front grille and bumper are designed for structural support, then they provide necessary rigidity, but they fail to effectively absorb impact energy from pedestrian collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The front grille incorporates impact absorbers that allow controlled deformation during impact events. This dynamic response enables the structure to absorb impact energy through progressive crushing and deformation, while maintaining structural integrity and rigidity during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The front end structure utilizes composite material systems combining different materials with complementary properties. The front grille uses materials optimized for energy absorption, while the bumper and beam structures use materials optimized for structural strength, creating a composite system that achieves both rigidity and impact energy absorption.
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 structure effectively reduces excessive resistive forces on pedestrians by distributing and absorbing impact energy through the impact absorber's two-stage crushing behavior, enhancing protection for the head and thigh during collisions.
Implementation Method 1
an impact absorber that is hollow, made of sheet metal, and formed like a box extends in the body width direction and is supported in a space surrounded by inside surfaces of the front grille, the bumper, and the front end portion of the front hood
Implementation Method 2
when an impact load directed toward the rear side of the vehicle body acts on the impact absorber, the impact absorber rotates downwardly to the front side of the stepped portion and squashes the leg
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle body front structure is provided. In the vehicle body front structure, a front grille and a bumper extend in the up-and-down direction in a front end portion of the vehicle body, the bumper bends and extends rearwardly from the front grille, a front end edge of a front hood is positioned adjacent to a top end portion of the extending bumper, a frame upper portion that supports a radiator extends in the body width direction and is supported on the back side of a front end portion of the front hood, and a box-like hollow impact absorber, which is made of sheet metal and extends in the body width direction, is provided in a space surrounded by the front grille, the bumper, the front end portion of the front hood, and the frame upper portion, and is supported by the frame upper portion via a plurality of legs.