Bumper assemblies and vehicles with integrated air deflectors

• US 10,131,303 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2017
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Marks, Robert J., Evans, David N., Hammer, Jeremiah T., Phadatare, Avinash S., Shaikh, Majid
• Primary Examiner(s): Restifo, Jeffrey J
• Application Number:
  US15/428,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20180222419A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 180 684, 180 686, 180 681, 180 682
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/04 Arrangement or mounting of radiators, radiator shutters, or radiator blinds B60K11/085 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/08 Air inlets for cooling; Shutters or blinds therefor radiator or grille guards B60R19/52
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/023 Details
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/52 Radiator or grille guards ; Radiator grilles cooling aspects B60K11/08
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/486 with air passages, e.g. for cooling

Abstract

A bumper assembly includes a bumper cover, a bumper reinforcement beam spaced apart from the bumper cover, and a low speed bumper energy absorber that extends along a front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam between the bumper cover and the bumper reinforcement beam. The low speed bumper energy absorber includes a body portion extending along the front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam, wherein at least a portion of the body portion is space apart from the bumper cover, and one or more air deflectors extending between the body portion and the bumper cover, wherein the one or more air deflectors substantially isolate a portion of the bumper assembly from air leakage through the bumper assembly.

Claims

1. A bumper assembly comprising:

a bumper cover;

a bumper reinforcement beam spaced apart from the bumper cover; and

a low speed bumper energy absorber extending along a front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam between the bumper cover and the bumper reinforcement beam, the low speed bumper energy absorber comprising;

a body portion extending along the front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam, wherein at least a portion of the body portion is spaced apart from the bumper cover; and

one or more air deflectors extending between the body portion and the bumper cover, wherein the one or more air deflectors are positioned to isolate air flow from entering or leaving a lateral extension of the bumper assembly positioned outboard of a radiator of a vehicle in a vehicle lateral direction.

2. The bumper assembly of claim 1, wherein the bumper cover comprises a grille, and the one of the one or more air deflectors are positioned to at least one of a first side of the grille and a second side of the grille.

3. The bumper assembly of claim 2, wherein the one or more air deflectors comprise a first air deflector positioned to the first side of the grille and a second air deflector positioned to the second side of the grille.

4. The bumper assembly of claim 1, further comprising a low force energy absorber positioned below the low speed bumper energy absorber, wherein the low force energy absorber extends forward of the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber toward the bumper cover.

5. The bumper assembly of claim 4, further comprising an upper air deflector extending above the one or more air deflectors of the low speed bumper energy absorber, wherein the one or more air deflectors extend between the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector to contact the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector.

6. The bumper assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more air deflectors comprise a material having a lower density than the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber.

7. The bumper assembly of claim 1, wherein the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber comprises a cutout on at least one of a first side of the one or more air deflectors and a second side of the one or more air deflectors.

8. The bumper assembly of claim 7, wherein in the one or more air deflectors are configured to deform into the cutout during an impact to the one or more air deflectors.

9. A vehicle comprising:

an engine compartment;

a radiator dividing the engine compartment into a hot section and a cool section; and

a bumper assembly extending forward of the cool section in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the bumper assembly comprising;

a bumper cover;

a bumper reinforcement beam positioned rearward of the bumper cover in the vehicle longitudinal direction;

a low speed bumper energy absorber extending along a front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam between the bumper cover and the bumper reinforcement beam, the low speed bumper energy absorber comprising;

a body portion extending along the front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam, wherein at least a portion of the body portion is spaced apart from the bumper cover; and

one or more air deflectors extending between the body portion and the bumper cover, wherein the one or more air deflectors are positioned to isolate air flow from entering or leaving a lateral extension of the bumper assembly positioned outboard of the radiator of the vehicle in a vehicle lateral direction.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the bumper assembly further comprises a low force energy absorber positioned below the low speed bumper energy absorber in a vehicle vertical direction, wherein the low force energy absorber extends forward of the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber in the vehicle longitudinal direction toward the bumper cover.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the bumper assembly further comprises an upper air deflector extending above the one or more air deflectors of the low speed bumper energy absorber, wherein the one or more air deflectors extend in the vehicle vertical direction between the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector to contact the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector.

12. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the one or more air deflectors comprise a material having a lower density than the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber.

13. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the bumper cover comprises a grille, and the one of the one or more air deflectors are positioned outboard of the grille.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the one or more air deflectors comprise a first air deflector positioned to a first side of the grille in the vehicle lateral direction and a second air deflector positioned to a second side of the grille in the vehicle lateral direction.

15. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber comprises a cutout on at least one of an inboard side of the one or more air deflectors and an outboard side of the one or more air deflectors.

16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein in the one or more air deflectors are configured to deform into the cutout during an impact to the one or more air deflectors.

17. A vehicle comprising:

an engine compartment;

a radiator dividing the engine compartment into a hot section and a cool section; and

a bumper assembly extending forward of the cool section in a vehicle longitudinal direction, the bumper assembly comprising;

a bumper cover comprising a grille;

a headlamp;

a bumper reinforcement beam positioned rearward of the bumper cover in the vehicle longitudinal direction;

a low speed bumper energy absorber extending along a front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam between the bumper cover and the bumper reinforcement beam, the low speed bumper energy absorber comprising;

a body portion extending along the front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam, wherein at least a portion of the body portion is spaced apart from the bumper cover; and

an air deflector extending between the body portion and the bumper cover at a position outboard of the grille and inboard of the headlamp, wherein the air deflector is positioned to isolate air flow from entering or leaving a lateral extension of the bumper assembly positioned outboard of the radiator of the vehicle in a vehicle lateral direction; and

a low force energy absorber positioned below the low speed bumper energy absorber in a vehicle vertical direction.

18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the low force energy absorber extends forward of the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber in the vehicle longitudinal direction toward the bumper cover.

19. The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the bumper assembly further comprises an upper air deflector extending above the air deflector of the low speed bumper energy absorber, wherein the air deflector extends in the vehicle vertical direction between the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector to contact the low force energy absorber and the upper air deflector.

20. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein the body portion of the low speed bumper energy absorber comprises a cutout on at least one of an inboard side of the air deflector and an outboard side of the air deflector.