VEHICLE BODY STRUCTURE

• US 20200130618A1
• Filed: 10/21/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: HASEGAWA, Atsushi, TSUJI, Keiichiro, MIURA, Yusuke, YAMANE, Ryota, SHIMIZU, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 11,135,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/18 characterised by the cross-section; Means within the bumper to absorb impact
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/24 Arrangements for mounting bumpers on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/1806 Structural beams therefor, e.g. shock-absorbing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/182 of light metal, e.g. extruded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/186 Additional energy absorbing means supported on bumber beams, e.g. cellular structures or material
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2019/247 Fastening of bumpers' side ends

Abstract

A bumper beam of a vehicle body structure (1) is provided with a laterally extending laterally middle part (55) and a pair of end parts (56) each extending from a corresponding lateral end of the middle part in an outboard direction with a certain inward slant with respect to a fore and aft direction, and each end part curves at a laterally middle point thereof so as to have a concave side facing outward with respect to the fore and aft direction.

Claims

1. A vehicle body structure including a laterally extending bumper beam, wherein the bumper beam is provided with a laterally extending laterally middle part and a pair of end parts each extending from a corresponding lateral end of the middle part in an outboard direction with a certain inward slant with respect to a fore and aft direction, and each end part curves at a laterally middle point thereof so as to have a concave side facing outward with respect to the fore and aft direction.

2. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the bumper beam curves so as to have a convex side facing outward and having a radius of curvature of R1 at each laterally outer end point of the middle part of the bumper beam, and the concave side of each end part of the bumper beam has a radius of curvature of R2, the radius of curvature R2 being equal to or greater than the radius of curvature R1.

3. The vehicle body structure according to claim 1, wherein the bumper beam has an upper surface facing upward and an abutting surface facing outward, and is provided with a load transmitting member extending laterally on the middle part of the bumper beam, the load transmitting member being provided with a vertically extending outer wall facing outward, a lower wall extending inward from a lower edge of the outer wall and abutting against the upper surface and the abutting surface of the bumper beam, and an inner wall connected between an upper edge of the outer wall and an inner edge of the lower wall.

4. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein the lower wall includes a main portion that rests upon the upper surface of the bumper beam, and a depending portion depending downward from an outer edge of the main portion and extending along the abutting surface of the bumper beam.

5. The vehicle body structure according to claim 4, wherein the abutting surface is provided with a beam recess which is recessed inward, and the depending portion of the load transmitting member is complementarily received in the beam recess.

6. The vehicle body structure according to claim 5, wherein the beam recess is defined by a recess abutting wall depending downward from an outer edge of the upper surface of the bumper beam and defining the abutting surface on an outer side thereof with respect to the fore and aft direction, and a recess lower wall extending outward from a lower edge of the recess abutting wall.

7. The vehicle body structure according to claim 6, wherein the load transmitting member is provided with a load absorbing wall connecting the lower wall to the inner wall.

8. The vehicle body structure according to claim 7, wherein the load transmitting member is further provided with a load transmitting wall connecting the load absorbing wall to the outer wall.

9. The vehicle body structure according to claim 8, wherein the load absorbing wall includes a first absorbing wall extending upward from a boundary between the main portion and the depending portion of the lower wall, and a second absorbing wall extending inward from an upper edge of the first absorbing wall to the inner wall, and the load transmitting wall is connected to a boundary between the first absorbing wall and the second absorbing wall.

10. The vehicle body structure according to claim 3, wherein an upper end of the inner wall is provided with an inner wall recess which is recessed downward.