WO1999015364A2

WO1999015364A2 - Multistage bumper for cars

Info

Publication number: WO1999015364A2
Application number: PCT/SI1998/000019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Vlado JEREMIC^¿
Original assignee: Jeremic Vlado
Priority date: 1997-09-22
Filing date: 1998-09-15
Publication date: 1999-04-01
Also published as: SI9700243A; WO1999015364A3; AU9102098A

Abstract

The invention refers to a multistage bumper for cars whereof the mounting and the design allow for gradual deformation, which in its turn secures greater safety from injuries in case of a car crash (with other cars, against walls, trees etc.) with the front or with the back of the car. The multistage bumper for cars such as referred to in this invention contains in the square metal profiles (A, A1), fixed to the structure of the vehicle, two flexibly mounted sliding guides (B, B1) whereof the longitudinal movement is limited by one or several stoppers (C).

Description

MULTISTAGE BUMPER FOR CARS

The invention refers to a multistage bumper for cars whereof the mounting and the design allow for gradual deformation, which in its turn secures greater safety from injuries in case of a car crash (with other cars, against walls, trees etc.) with the front or with the back of the car. The invention is classified into Class B 60 R 19/00 of International patent Classification.

The technical problem successfully solved by the invention in question involves the design and flexible mounting of the front and/or rear bumper in the way that the deformed bumper and its fixing points would absorb most of the force released in the crash in order to leave the car body less damaged and/or even undamaged.

With versions known hitherto the front and the rear bumper are stiffly fixed to the car body and/or to its chassis. Thus in case of a car crash the whole structure is shifted inwards; in more severe shocks the passenger section is deformed as well, which may injure the driver and the passengers. There also exist versions of flexible mounting of the bumper where the bumper carriers are flexibly coupled with the rest of the vehicle structure. Two such versions are, for example, described in the patent documents EP 511 427 and EP 501 150. The purpose of such flexibly mounted bumpers involves energy absorption in case of the crash and in its turn prevention of bumper damages at minor shocks, because due to its flexible mounting the bumper gives in and accordingly absorbs the force of the shock. The structure only allows for absorption of minor shocks and does not significantly contribute to the solution of the technical problem imposed by the submitted invention.

In the square metal profiles fixed to the car body, the multistage bumper for cars contains flexibly mounted slides whereof the longitudinal movement is limited by one or more safety stoppers.

The invention will be explained in detail with reference to the concrete example and to the pictures, whereof

Figure 1 shows an axonometric exploded view of the structure of a multistage bumper for cars; Figure 2 shows a schematic view of the front of the car in the groundplan including the mounting position of slides and of the bumper;

Figure 3 shows a schematic lateral view of the car, including the mounting of slides as well as of the front and rear bumpers; Figure 4 shows an axonometric view of the deformed multistage bumper for cars in case of an asymmetric shock; Figure 5 shows an axonometric view of the deformed multistage bumper for cars in case of a frontal shock; Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of the deformation of the cars involved in a frontal crash; Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the deformation of the cars provided with the multistage bumper referred to in this invention and involved in a frontal crash.

Figure 1 shows an axonometric exploded view of a multistage bumper for cars. It consists of profiles A, A1 which are mounted on the front of the vehicle and may be welded on inner sides of the bumpers and/or on the car body, and of guides B, B1 of the sliding bumper carrier, terminated as sliding blades K, K1. Other components of the multistage bumper referred to in this invention are: stoppers C, screws D with nut, which serve for fixing of guides B, B1 to profiles A, A1 , bolt F with stoppers used for fixing of the metal section G of the bumper to guides B, B1 , protective repulsive rubber H and decorative plastic bumper cover J. In case of a car crash where the front or the rear part of the car crashes against an obstacle, the multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in this invention, operates as described hereafter. In case of frontal crashing against an obstacle with the whole front or rear part of the vehicle, such as shown in Figure 5, the bumper moves inside the vehicle differently deep, whereby both blades K on guides B, B1 cut a certain number of stoppers C which may be differently thick. The number of cut - broken stoppers C depends on the intensity of the shock and/or on the force operating thereto and/or is related to the gauge of the stoppers, again depending on the material they are made of.

Once all stoppers are broken, the two square metal profiles A, A1 , which represent the extreme protective points of the sliding bumper, serve as the last protective elements. The two profiles are welded to the vehicle as shown in figures 2 and 3, for the length c before the engine. Even in case of a crash resulting in full shift of the bumper into the interior of the car, such mounting of the profiles A, A1 protects the passengers even in such severe crash where the engine and other parts would move inside the car, which would often result in the fact that the driver and the passengers get stuck in the vehicle. In addition, the engine, too, is protected against damages.

In case of a frontal crash of the vehicle with the front or rear right or left part of the vehicle, such as shown in Figures 4 and 7, the guides, asymmetrically moving inwards cut a certain number of stoppers C, depending on the force operating on the right or on the left half of the multistage bumper. If the shock is so strong that all stoppers C get cut and the bumper reaches the extreme point α (Figure 4), it happens as shown in Figure 7.

In case of the application of the multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in this invention, a strong car crash results in the fact that the vehicles get bounced to the left and to the right, such as shown by the arrows in Figure 7. In this case one vehicle does not crash against another vehicle, as it used to happen hitherto and as shown in Figure 6.

In the case shown in Figure 7 the driver and the passengers incur much less risk of injuries as they used to. In case of minor shocks, vehicles simply get bounced from the obstacle, which is due to the rubber H fixed to the metal part G of the bumper. In case of a stronger shock, when e.g. only one stopper C is cut, the bumper moves inside the vehicle only as much that the vehicle still remains protected, such as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The distances b, b1 between the first and the second stopper are identical to the distances a, a1 between the bumper and the front and the rear extreme point of the car body.

Accordingly, the multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in this invention, absorbs the shocks and/or the force operating thereto through a multistage cutting of stoppers C in the way that the driver and the passengers in the car are much better protected and that there is much less possibility of injuries as hitherto. The advantage of the above system also lies in the fact that after the bumper bumps against the obstacle and the metal stoppers C get cut the sliding bumper carriers B, B1 may be pulled out into the initial position, as shown in Figure 2, and the broken, useless stoppers C shall be replaced by new ones.

After the metal stoppers C have been cut, the initial power of the shock received by the bumper in case of a car crash is considerably reduced in comparison with that at the very beginning when the bumper was in the normal, pulled-out position, such as shown in Figure 2. In short, the stoppers C absorb - decrease the initial power of the shock and/or the force of the shock.

Accordingly, the gradual deformation of the multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in this invention, successfully solves the imposed technical problem, whereas the design of the bumper provides for greater safety against injuries in case of a car crash against an obstacle (another car, wall, tree, etc.) with the front or rear part of the vehicle.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. The multistage bumper for cars, characterized in that the square metal profiles (A, A1), fixed to the structure of the vehicle, receive flexibly mounted sliding guides (B, B1) whereof the longitudinal movement is limited by one or several stoppers (C).

2. The multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in claim 1 , characterized in that the guides (B, B1) are on one end fixed to the metal part (G) of the bumper and on the other end terminated as gliding blades (K, K1).

3. The multistage bumper for cars, such as referred to in claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the stoppers (C) are made of various materials and available in different gauges.