CRASH EXTENSION FOR CRASH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Abstract

A crash management system for a vehicle having a longitudinal direction X a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the plane defined by said directions X and Y, comprising a bumper cross member globally oriented in said transverse direction Y, at least a longitudinal member arrangement, at least a crash extension attached to at least one of the ends of said bumper cross member and extending over a predetermined length behind said bumper cross member in the longitudinal direction wherein said crash extension is a hollow profile having at least one chamber and having at least one flange attached on said bumper cross member, wherein said flange bends in the event of a deformation of the end portion of said bumper cross member following a collision of the vehicle, in particular a collision with small overlap.

Claims

1. Crash management system (1) for a vehicle having a longitudinal direction X a transverse direction Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X and a vertical direction Z perpendicular to the plane defined by said directions X and Y, comprising a bumper cross member (2) globally oriented in said transverse direction Y, at least a longitudinal member arrangement (5) at least a crash extension (6) attached to at least one of the ends of said bumper cross member (2) and extending over a predetermined length (a) behind said bumper cross member in the longitudinal direction characterized in that said crash extension (6) is a hollow profile having at least one chamber (61, 62, 63) and having at least one flange (60) attached on said bumper cross member (2), wherein said flange (60) bends in the event of a deformation of the end portion of said bumper cross member (2) following a collision of the vehicle, in particular a collision with small overlap.

2. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is designed in such a way that it deforms in cooperation with said longitudinal member arrangement (5) in the event of a deformation of the end portion of said bumper cross member (2) following a collision of the vehicle, in particular a collision with small overlap.

3. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) deforms increasingly according to an increasing force level in transverse direction y in the event of a deformation of the end portion of said bumper cross-member (2) following a collision of the vehicle, in particular a collision with small overlap.

4. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is an extruded hollow profile.

5. Crash management system (1) according to claim 4, wherein the extrusion direction (E) of said extruded hollow profile is substantially parallel to said vertical direction z.

6. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is a hollow profile having at least two chambers (61, 62, 63).

7. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said flange (60) of said crash extension (6) is attached on the outer face (11) of said bumper cross member (2).

8. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said flange (60) of said crash extension (6) is attached by welding, screwing, bonding, or riveting.

9. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is made of aluminium alloy.

10. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is made of an aluminium alloy with good crash properties.

11. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) is made of aluminium alloy from the AA6XXX-series aluminium alloy.

12. Crash management system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) has at least one chamber with walls (64 to 69) of different thicknesses

13. Crash management system according (1) to claim 1, wherein said crash extension (6) has a height (h) wherein said height (h) of said crash extension (6) is smaller than the height (H) of said bumper cross member (2) on which said crash extension (6) is attached.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0041] FIG. 1 is a bird's eye view of one crash management system according to the invention

[0042] FIG. 2 is a front view of one crash management system according to the invention

[0043] FIG. 3 is a top view of one side of the FIG. 1

[0044] FIG. 4 is a representation of one embodiment of the crash extension of the invention

LIST OF REFERENCES

[0045] 1: Crash management system [0046] 2: Bumper cross member [0047] 3: Absorber [0048] 4: Fixing plate [0049] 5: Longitudinal member arrangement [0050] 6: Crash extension [0051] 7: longitudinal side rail [0052] 11: outer face of the bumper cross member [0053] 12: inner face of the bumper cross member [0054] 60: Flange of the crash extension [0055] 61: Hollow chamber of the crash extension [0056] 62: Hollow chamber of the crash extension [0057] 63: Hollow chamber of the crash extension [0058] 64: Wall of the crash extension [0059] 65: Wall of the crash extension [0060] 66: Wall of the crash extension [0061] 67: Wall of the crash extension [0062] 68: Outer face of the crash extension 6 [0063] 69: Inner face of the crash extension 6 [0064] 80: Welding seam [0065] E: extrusion direction [0066] a: predetermined length of extension of the crash extension 6 [0067] H: Height of the outer face of the bumper cross member [0068] h: Height of the crash extension

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0069] Throughout all the figures, same or corresponding elements may generally be indicated by same reference numerals. These depicted embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting in any way.

[0070] FIG. 1 represents a bird's eye view front view of a crash management system 1 according to one embodiment of the invention connected to a longitudinal side rail 7. The crash management system 1 comprises a bumper cross member 2 on each side of which are positioned longitudinal member arrangements 5, and crash extensions 6.

[0071] The bumper cross member 2 is globally oriented along the transverse axis Y perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. The bumper cross member 2 is slightly curved. The bumper cross member 2 has one outer face 11 and one inner face 12. The outer face 11 faces the outside of the vehicle (not shown) and the inner face 12 faces the inside of the vehicle (not shown). The outer face 11 has a height H in the vertical direction Z.

[0072] On each side of the bumper cross member 2 near the end side, is attached a longitudinal member arrangement 5, which comprises one absorber 3 on which a fixing plate 4 is joined to fix the absorber 3 to the longitudinal side rail 7.

[0073] The absorber 3 is attached on one of its end to the inner face 12 of the bumper cross member 2 and on the other end to the longitudinal side rail 7 of the vehicle frame, using the conventional fixing plate 4. A second crash box 3 is attached symmetrically on the other end side of the bumper cross member 2 in a similar manner as the first crash box 3.

[0074] Two crash extensions 6 are attached to each end of the bumper cross member 2. A C-shape welding seam 80 shows one mean of attachment of the crash extension 6 to the outer side 11 of the bumper cross member 2. The crash extension 6 has a flange 60 and three hollow chambers 61, 62 and 63, with partition walls 65 and 66 and exterior walls 64 and 67. The crash extension has an outer face 68 facing the outside of the vehicle and an inner face 69 facing the inner side of the vehicle.

[0075] One side of the flange 60 serves as an attachment mean of the crash extension 6 on the outer face 11 of the bumper cross member 2. The flange 60 is curved to extend the crash extension 6 in the longitudinal direction X over a predetermined length a behind inner face of the bumper cross member 2.

[0076] The flange 60 has a height h on the side attached to outer face 11 of the bumper cross member 2. The height h is smaller than the height H of the cross member beam outer face 11.

[0077] In a symmetrical manner, on the other side of the cross bumper beam 2 is a longitudinal member arrangement 5, which comprises one absorber 3 on which a fixing plate 4 is joined to fix the absorber 3 on the longitudinal side rail 7, and a crash extension 6.

[0078] FIG. 2 represents only one side of the crash management system of FIG. 1. The other side may be essentially symmetrically the same except that it may comprise a towing eye.

[0079] FIG. 3 represents a top view of one side of the crash management system shown in FIG. 1. The shown part of crash management system 1 is composed by one end side of the bumper cross member 2, longitudinal member arrangement 5, and crash extension 6.

[0080] An absorber 3 is attached on one of its end to the inner face 12 of the bumper cross member 2 and on the other end to the longitudinal side rails 7 of the vehicle frame (in dotted line), using conventional fixing plate 4.

[0081] The crash extension 6 is attached to one of the ends of the bumper cross member 2. The crash extension 6 is an extruded hollow profile whose extrusion direction E is parallel to the vertical direction Z. The crash extension 6 has a flange 60, 3 hollow chambers 61, 62 and 63, with partition walls 65 and 66 and exterior walls 64 and 67. The crash extension has an outer face 68 facing the outside of the vehicle and an inner face 69 facing the inner side of the vehicle. The length (a) of the cash extension 6 does not exceed the sum of the length of the absorber 5 added to the thickness of the bumper cross member 2.

[0082] FIG. 4 represents more precisely the crash extension 6 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3. The crash extension 6 has a flange 60, 3 hollow chambers 61, 62 and 63, with partition walls 65 and 66 and exterior walls 64 and 67. The crash extension has an outer face 68 and an inner face 69. When the crash extension is attached to the bumper cross member the outer face 68 is facing the outer side of the vehicle and the inner face 69 the inner side of the vehicle.

[0083] The flange 60 serves as attachment means of the crash extension 6 on the bumper cross member 2. The flange 60 is curved to extend the crash extension 6 in the longitudinal direction X over a predetermined length a behind the bumper cross member 2. The length of the flange 60 permits to the flange 60 to bend in case of an impact in particular a collision with small overlap.