Underrun protector mounting structure of vehicle

• US 7,900,983 B2
• Filed: 10/25/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Original Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
• Inventors: Saitou, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): PAPE, JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US12/160,251
• Publication Number:
  US 20090001768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 293/102, 293/118, 293/132, 293/133, 293/135, 293/155
• US Class Current: 293/155
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/56 Fittings damping bouncing force in truck collisions, e.g. bumpers; Arrangements on high-riding vehicles, e.g. lorries, for preventing vehicles or objects from running thereunder

Abstract

An underrun protector mounting structure 3 includes: a chassis frame 4; a front underrun protector 5 which is disposed at the front or rear of the chassis frame 4 and extended in a lateral direction of the vehicle; a bracket 6 for fixing the front underrun protector 5 to the chassis frame 4; and a support part 7 interposed between the front underrun protector 5 and the bracket 6. The support part 7 has ribs 46 projected toward the bracket 6 and extended along the lateral direction of the vehicle. The bracket 6 has a plurality of rib receiving parts 30 which are formed approximately parallel to each other in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space therebetween and which fit to the ribs 46. A mounting height of the support part 7 relative to the bracket 6 is set by selecting and fitting one of the plurality of rib receiving parts 30.

Claims

1. An underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body frame;

an underrun protector which is disposed at any one of the front and rear of the vehicle body frame and extended in a lateral direction of the vehicle;

a bracket for fixing the underrun protector to the vehicle body frame; and

a support part interposed between the underrun protector and the bracket, wherein;

the support part has a rib projected toward the bracket and extended along the lateral direction of the vehicle,

the bracket has a plurality of rib receiving parts which are formed approximately parallel to each other in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the rib receiving parts, which each is adapted to be fitted to the rib,

a mounting height of the support part relative to the bracket is set by selecting one of the plurality of rib receiving parts and fitting the selected rib receiving part to the support part, and

the support part is formed as a separate part to which the underarm protector is detachably mounted and which is detachably mounted to the bracket.

2. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein:

the support part has an approximately plate-like first plate part and an approximately plate-like second plate part superposed on the first plate part on the bracket side,

the first plate part has a protrusion projected toward the second plate part and extended along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and

the second plate part has the rib and is superposed on the first plate part in a state where a convex outer surface of the protrusion is fitted to a concave inner surface of the rib.

3. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein:

a width of the support part in the lateral direction of the vehicle is set larger than that of the bracket in the lateral direction of the vehicle on the underrun protector side.

4. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 1, wherein:

the support part has a plurality of the ribs and

the plurality of ribs are disposed approximately parallel to each other in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the ribs.

5. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 2, wherein:

a width of the support part in the lateral direction of the vehicle is set larger than that of the bracket in the lateral direction of the vehicle on the underrun protector side.

6. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 2, wherein:

the support part has a plurality of the ribs and

the plurality of ribs are disposed approximately parallel to each other in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the ribs.

7. The underrun protector mounting structure of a vehicle, according to claim 3, wherein:

the support part has a plurality of the ribs, and

the plurality of ribs are disposed approximately parallel to each other in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the ribs.

8. A mounting structure for an underrun protector of a vehicle, comprising:

a bracket which fixes the underrun protector to a vehicle body frame and comprises rib receiving parts which are formed substantially parallel to one another in a vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the rib receiving parts; and

a support part interposed between the underrun protector and the bracket and comprising a rib projected toward the bracket and extending along a lateral direction of the vehicle, wherein

each rib receiving part is adapted to be fitted to the rib, and

a mounting height of the support part relative to the bracket is set by selecting one of the rib receiving parts and fitting the selected rib receiving part to the rib of the support part.

9. The mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein the support part comprises:

an approximately plate-like first plate part comprising a protrusion projected toward the second plate part and extending along the lateral direction of the vehicle, and

an approximately plate-like second plate part superposed on the first plate part on the bracket side and comprising a rib,

wherein a convex outer surface of the protrusion is fitted to a concave inner surface of the rib when the second plate is superposed on the first plate part.

10. The mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein:

a width of the support part in the lateral direction of the vehicle is set larger than that of the bracket in the lateral direction of the vehicle on the underrun protector side.

11. The mounting structure according to claim 8, wherein:

the support part has a plurality of ribs, and

the ribs are disposed approximately parallel to each other in the vertical direction of the vehicle with a space between each two of the ribs.