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EP-4735305-A1 - VEHICLE WITH FRONT SHOCK ABSORPTION SYSTEM COMPRISING SIDE IMPACT ABSORBERS

EP4735305A1EP 4735305 A1EP4735305 A1EP 4735305A1EP-4735305-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle with a front shock absorption system (1) comprising longitudinal side members (3), upper absorbers (5) arranged as an extension of said longitudinal side members (3), and an upper beam (7) transversely connecting the upper absorbers (5), the upper beam (7) having two ends and lateral extensions (15) at its ends, the front shock absorption system (1) further comprising an assembly (9) forming a bumper comprising a bumper skin (13) and at least one reinforcing element (11) comprising a side impact absorber (17) arranged facing one of said lateral extensions (15).

Inventors

  • LEMAITRE, ERIC
  • MAURICE, SEBASTIEN
  • COZZOLINO, Alessandro
  • PRACHT, Cyril

Assignees

  • Stellantis Auto SAS

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20240604

Claims (10)

  1. [Claim 1] Vehicle with front shock absorption system (1) comprising longitudinal stretchers (3), upper absorbers (5) arranged as an extension of said longitudinal stretchers (3) and an upper beam (7) transversely connecting the upper absorbers (5), the upper beam (7) having two ends and lateral extensions (15) at its ends, the front shock absorption system (1) further comprising an assembly (9) forming a bumper comprising a bumper skin (13) and at least one reinforcing element (11); the vehicle being characterized in that and in that at least one reinforcing element (11) comprises a lateral absorber (17) arranged opposite one of said lateral extensions (15).
  2. [Claim 2] Vehicle according to claim 1, the vehicle being characterized in that at least one lateral absorber (17) is integral with at least one reinforcing element (11); preferably, the reinforcing element (11) and the lateral absorber (17) are made of a plastic or composite material comprising at least 30% recycled plastic resin.
  3. [Claim 3] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the lateral extensions (15) extend from the ends of the upper beam (7) towards the rear of the vehicle in a direction forming an angle of between 5 and 30° with the transverse direction of the vehicle; preferably, each or at least one of the lateral absorbers (17) has a rear face intended, during an impact, to be placed in abutment on the lateral extension (15) opposite which it is arranged, said rear face is configured to have an angle similar to or equal to that of said lateral extension (15).
  4. [Claim 4] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that each or at least one of the lateral absorbers (17) is in the form of a hollow box; preferably, each or at least one of the lateral absorbers (17) has a structure showing folds or grooves configured to generate progressive deformation kinetics.
  5. [Claim 5] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lateral extensions (15) are elements added to the upper beam (7) and/or the lateral extensions (15) have a length of between 40 and 80 mm; preferably between 50 and 70 mm.
  6. [Claim 6] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the upper beam (7) further has a lower extension (19) arranged centrally along the length of the upper beam (7); preferably, the lower extension (19) is in the form of a fixing plate (21) and in that a central absorber (23) is fixed on said fixing plate (21).
  7. [Claim 7] Vehicle according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that each or at least one of the lateral absorbers (17) has a rear face placed opposite of one of the lateral extensions (15) of the upper beam (7) and in that said rear face is arranged spaced from said lateral extension (15); preferably spaced by 8 to 25 mm.
  8. [Claim 8] Reinforcing element (11) for a vehicle bumper skin according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises at least one lateral absorber (17) intended to be positioned opposite a lateral extension of an upper beam of the vehicle; preferably, the reinforcing element (11) has a body and the lateral absorber(s) (17) are integral with said body.
  9. [Claim 9] Assembly (9) forming a bumper comprising a bumper skin (13) and at least one reinforcing element (11), characterized in that the reinforcing element (11) is according to claim 8.
  10. [Claim 10] Method for manufacturing a reinforcement element (11) for a vehicle bumper skin according to one of claims 1 to 7, the reinforcement element having a body, the method is characterized in that it comprises a step of fixing at least one lateral absorber (17) to the body of the reinforcement element (11) or of molding at least one lateral absorber (17) with said body so that the body and the lateral absorber(s) (17) are integral with said body.

Description

Description Title of the invention: VEHICLE WITH FRONT SHOCK ABSORBING SYSTEM COMPRISING SIDE ABSORBERS [0001] The present invention claims priority from French application 2306792 filed on June 28, 2023, the content of which (text, drawings and claims) is incorporated herein by reference. [0002] Motor vehicles are equipped with a shock absorption system adapted to manage frontal impacts between the vehicle and a pedestrian, in particular at the level of his legs. The objective is, on the one hand, to absorb the energy of the impact, and on the other hand, to limit the injuries inflicted on the pedestrian and to prevent him from passing under the vehicle. [0003] For this purpose, the shock absorption system generally comprises two parts, a part called the “lower track” and a part called the “higher track” and the pedestrian impact performance at the level of the legs is ensured by a compromise of stiffness between the high track and the lower track. [0004] The low track is positioned at the central deflector of the front bumper of the vehicle and will “whip” the lower leg of the pedestrian in order to prevent the latter from passing under the vehicle. The high track is, for its part, positioned at the level of the front bumper beam of the vehicle and allows the energy of the impact to be dissipated, in order to limit injuries to the pedestrian. The objective is to lay the leg as much as possible in order to limit the shearing of the knee. To this end, the high track includes an energy absorption device called a “leg absorber”, which is located between the bumper beam and the bumper skin of the vehicle. The crushing of the leg absorber, during a collision, will place the high track in a position further back than the low track relative to the vehicle, thereby causing the pedestrian’s leg to lay down in the direction of the hood of the vehicle. [0005] Such a device, for example in the form of a polypropylene foam absorber, is for example described in document EP3300963B1. Such a device has proven to be satisfactory and effective with regard to frontal impacts of the pedestrian type and repairability impacts. [0006] However, when the pedestrian impact is located at the outer edge of the bumper, it has been found that this type of absorber generates rotational movements of the leg, degrading the performance of the vehicle in terms of pedestrian protection. [0007] A solution remains to be found to overcome this problem. Document CN101084140B relates to a vehicle bumper system comprising a beam and a thermoformed energy absorber, positioned on a face of the beam. The thermoformed energy absorber comprises a plurality of elongated crush boxes thermoformed from a base flange. As a result, the central zone has a less aggressive impact, intended to reduce pedestrian injuries upon impact. This configuration is interesting but insufficient during pedestrian impacts at the outer edge of the bumper. [0008] The invention aims to address at least one of the problems and drawbacks encountered in the prior art. In particular, a solution remains to be found to improve the performance of a vehicle in terms of pedestrian protection during an impact on the outer edge of a bumper. [0009] For this purpose, and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a vehicle with a front shock absorption system comprising longitudinal stretchers, upper absorbers arranged as an extension of said longitudinal stretchers and an upper beam transversely connecting the upper absorbers, the upper beam having two ends and lateral extensions at its ends, the front shock absorption system further comprising an assembly forming a bumper comprising a bumper skin and at least one reinforcing element; the vehicle being remarkable in that and in that at least one reinforcing element comprises a lateral absorber arranged opposite one of said lateral extensions. [0010] As will be understood from reading the definition just given, the invention is remarkable in that it will place deformable absorbers on the outer edge of the bumper, by fixing said absorbers (called lateral absorbers) to the assembly forming a bumper and not to the upper bumper beam. The lateral absorbers are not in contact with the bumper beam but opposite it. Their positioning on the assembly forming a bumper and preferably on a bumper skin reinforcement, provides it with stability preventing it from sliding on or under the upper beam during impact kinematics and therefore avoids generating non-optimal behavior in collision kinematics. [0011] According to one embodiment, the assembly forming a bumper comprising a bumper skin and at least one reinforcing element, the vehicle is remarkable in that at least one lateral absorber is made in one piece with at least one reinforcing element. Thus, not only are the risks of the lateral absorber coming loose in an impact kinematics reduced, but its positioning is maintained during an impact kinematics. The lateral absorbers are positioned un