VEHICLE BUMPER

• US 20170274850A1
• Filed: 03/14/2017
• Published: 09/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: AIZAWA, Teruaki, ISHIZAKI, Tatsuya
• Granted Patent: US 10,093,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/14 having folding parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/18 characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/48 combined with, or convertible into, other devices or objects, e.g. bumpers combined with road brushes, bumpers convertible into beds
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/483 with obstacle sensors of electric or electronic type
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/186 Additional energy absorbing means supported on bumber beams, e.g. cellular structures or material

Abstract

A vehicle bumper includes: a bumper beam, a bumper face, covering a vehicle body front surface of the bumper beam, and a buffer component, provided between the bumper beam and the bumper face. The buffer component includes a platelike component configured to be folded upon collision load. The buffer component includes a folded part, and two surface parts that are connected through the folded part and are opposite to each other with a gap therebetween in a front-rear direction of the vehicle. A pressure pipe configured to be deformed by being clamped between the two surface parts so as to detect impact is provided in the gap. A lower space part that avoids interference between the bumper beam and a setting part for the pressure pipe in the buffer component is provided below the bumper beam.

Claims

1. A vehicle bumper, configured to mitigate impact on a collided object when collision between the vehicle bumper and the collided object occurs, the vehicle bumper comprising:

a bumper beam, extending along a vehicle width direction;

a bumper face, covering a vehicle body front surface or a vehicle body rear surface that comprises the bumper beam; and

a buffer component, provided between the bumper beam and the bumper face, wherein

the bumper beam comprises a front surface part that becomes a collision surface, and at least one of an upper surface part connected to an upper end part of the front surface part and a lower surface part connected to a lower end part of the front surface part;

the buffer component comprises a platelike component configured to be folded upon collision load;

the buffer component comprises at least one folded part, and at least two surface parts that are connected through the folded part and are opposite to each other with a gap therebetween in a front-rear direction of the vehicle;

a pressure pipe configured to be deformed by being clamped between the two surface parts so as to detect impact is provided in the gap; and

a space part configured to avoid interference between the bumper beam and a setting part for the pressure pipe in the buffer component during collision is provided.

2. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, wherein

an upper space part located at an upper location relative to the upper surface part or a lower space part located at a lower location relative to the lower surface part forms the space part;

and

the pressure pipe is disposed with an offset in a height direction relative to the front surface part of the bumper beam.

3. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, wherein

a cut part formed by cutting a part of the front surface part towards a rear side of a collision direction is provided in the bumper beam;

the cut part forms the space part; and

the pressure pipe is disposed at a height location the same as that of the cut part.

4. The vehicle bumper according to claim 1, wherein

a recess formed by recessing a part of the front surface part towards a rear side of a collision direction is provided in the bumper beam;

the recess forms the space part; and

the pressure pipe is disposed at a height location the same as that of the recess.

5. The vehicle bumper according to claim 2, wherein

a bent part that becomes a base point upon which the buffer component is bent is formed on an end part, located on a side opposite to the folded part, of the surface part located in a rear part of the vehicle, and

a distance from the bent part to a peripheral surface of the pressure pipe on a side of the bent part is set to be greater than a distance from the bent part to an end part of the front surface part on a side of the space part.

6. The vehicle bumper according to claim 3, wherein

a bent part that becomes a base point upon which the buffer component is bent is formed on an end part, located on a side opposite to the folded part, of the surface part located in a rear part of the vehicle, and

a distance from the bent part to a peripheral surface of the pressure pipe on a side of the bent part is set to be greater than a distance from the bent part to an end part of the front surface part on a side of the space part.

7. The vehicle bumper according to claim 4, wherein

a bent part that becomes a base point upon which the buffer component is bent is formed on an end part, located on a side opposite to the folded part, of the surface part located in a rear part of the vehicle, and

a distance from the bent part to a peripheral surface of the pressure pipe on a side of the bent part is set to be greater than a distance from the bent part to an end part of the front surface part on a side of the space part.