A configurable bumper for a vehicle may include a center body, one or more telescoping end assemblies adapted to slide in a direction parallel to the axis of the center body and perpendicular to the axis of vehicle, and a locking mechanism for each telescoping end assembly. The telescoping end assemblies may be secured in at least two different axial positions on the center body. A method for manufacturing a bumper may include forming bumper components in near-net shape by a profile extrusion process and sizing to length.

An energy absorber including a cover defining a cavity and a lattice core. The lattice core includes rod-shaped links having first and second ends connected at spaced nodes to form a three-dimensional structure disposed inside the cavity. The lattice core includes a first portion and a second portion that has a higher density than the first portion. The second portion is arranged behind the first portion relative to an expected direction of an impact with an object that initially contacts the cover in front of the first portion. A third portion may be arranged behind the second portion relative to the expected direction of an impact that has a higher density than the second portion. The first core may be a three-dimensional body having a negative Poisson's Ratio. The lattice core may be formed by an additive printing process.

A bumper assembly includes a bumper beam and a fin supported by the bumper beam. The fin has a proximate end proximate to the bumper beam and a distal end distal to the bumper beam and an axis extending from the proximate end to the distal end. The fin has a sinuous shape in a cross section normal to the axis.

Apparatus and methods for additively manufactured structures with augmented energy absorption properties are presented herein. Three dimensional (3D) additive manufacturing structures may be constructed with spatially dependent features to create crash components. When used in the construction of a transport vehicle, the crash components with spatially dependent additively manufactured features may enhance and augment crash energy absorption. This in turn absorbs and re-distributes more crash energy away from the vehicle's occupant(s), thereby improving the occupants' safety.

A bumper beam structure includes a bumper beam that extends in the vehicle-width direction and that has a closed section formed by an outer vertical wall, an inner vertical wall, a top member, and a bottom member and a reinforcing member that is mounted inside the closed section of the bumper beam at the center in the vehicle-width direction of the bumper beam. The reinforcing member has a pair of angled members that diverge in the vehicle-width direction from the outer vertical wall toward the inner vertical wall and, in a minor collision, causes an impact load to act as a tensile force on the inner vertical wall of the bumper beam through the angled members. The angled members are spot-welded to the bottom member with mounting surfaces therebetween. In a major collision, spot welding points fracture after the bumper beam collapses, thereby absorbing impact energy.

A vehicle body front structure, including a front bumper face positioned in front of a front bumper beam, and an ornamental front panel located above the front bumper face; wherein the front panel includes at least a substantially vertically extending vertical surface and an inclined surface continuous with the vertical surface, and the inclined surface is provided with a transmitting member configured to transmit radio wave or light, a radar device or an image capturing device being positioned behind the transmitting member.

A bumper beam 100 includes a closing plate 2 and a hat member 1. The hat member 1 includes a top plate 1a, two flanges 1c, and two walls 1b. The hat member 1 includes a high-strength portion 10H and low-strength portions 10L. The high-strength portion 10H includes a longitudinally middle portion of each of the two walls 1a and extends a length of at least 250 mm. The high-strength portion 10H has a tensile strength not lower than 1.5 GPa. The low-strength portions 10L are located outward of the high-strength portion and extends a length not smaller than the height of the walls. The low-strength portions have a tensile strength lower than the tensile strength of the longitudinally middle portion of the two walls.

Systems and methods of automatically controlling the application of a magnetic field based on certain sensed conditions and/or environmental considerations are provided. Sensed conditions may be vehicle operational characteristics and environmental considerations may be from V2X communications, which may be utilized to determine the current vehicle speed and the distance between a vehicle and an obstacle. When speed and distance meet certain thresholds, the magnetic components present on front, rear, and/or side panels of the vehicle may be activated to prevent or mitigate collision impact. The magnetic components may be activated with a determined amount of current for a specific repel force.

A holder (10) for mounting a camera in a through-opening (12) in the region of a bumper (14) of a vehicle (16) has an outer part (18) that can be mounted on the bumper (14) from an outer face (20) of the bumper and an inner part (22) that can be mounted from an inner face (24) of the bumper (14). A receiving space (26) for receiving the camera is formed between the outer part (18) and the inner part (22) and the outer part (18) is designed for mounting the camera.

A pedestrian protection device for a motor vehicle includes a bumper crossmember and a deformation element which is arranged on the bumper crossmember and which has a first element and a second element which are displaceable relative to each other in the event of a collision of the motor vehicle, and a mechanical locking mechanism. The locking mechanism has a movable locking element which is pretensionable or is pretensioned with a spring device and which is arranged on the first element or on the second element, and with a depression or step to which the other of the first element and the second element can be latched in a form-fitting manner. In the event of a high displacement speed which is greater than or equal to a predetermined second displacement speed, the locking mechanism prevents displacement of the first element relative to the second element by means of self-locking of the locking element. In the event of an average displacement speed which is lower than the predetermined second displacement speed and greater than a predetermined first displacement speed, the locking mechanism permits displacement of the first element and of the second element relative to each other.