Vehicle fenders – Buffer or bumper type
Patent
1994-09-29
1996-04-16
Pedder, Dennis H.
Vehicle fenders
Buffer or bumper type
293136, 293120, 267140, B60R 1918
Patent
active
055075401
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a bumper with modular shock absorber, particularly for a motor vehicle.
Bumpers with built-in shock absorber are already known, of the type in which the shock absorber is either added on, or moulded integrally at the same time as the scuff moulding of the said bumper.
Such shock absorbers described particularly in EP-A-0,256,174 exhibit the drawback of having mechanical characteristics which are definitively established from the moment of manufacture.
However, the regulations in force as regards road safety require each vehicle to be equipped with a bumper, the mechanical characteristics of which are determined as a function of the weight of the vehicle.
Consequently, depending on whether one and the same model of automobile is in the coupe, saloon or commercial version, it requires a bumper of a particular type, whilst the external form of the scuff moulding remains unchanged.
Furthermore, this problem is accentuated by the fact that the standards differ from one country to another.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a novel bumper, the impact resistance of which is adaptable depending on the type of use for which it is intended.
Furthermore, a bumper according to the present invention is particularly simple and economic to produce.
The subject of the present invention is a bumper with built-in shock absorber, particularly for a motor vehicle, of the type including, on the one hand, a scuff moulding and, on the other hand, at least one reinforcing element capable of being inserted into the said scuff moulding in order to increase its mechanical strength, characterized in that the scuff moulding is internally equipped with partitions which are parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, the said partitions forming a partitioned shock absorber, and that the reinforcing elements consist of additional partitions capable of adding to the partitions already present in the partitioned shock absorber.
According to the invention, a partitioned shock absorber is produced which consists of a plurality of partitions, most of which are parallel to the direction of operation of the said shock absorber, which is, in general, the direction in which the vehicle is travelling.
Advantageously, the additional partitions exhibit a cross-section, for example in the form of an irregular line or sinusoid, which gives them a greater moment of inertia i.e. which gives them greater resistance to deformation.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, at least one of the additional partitions includes, open on one of its edge sides, a positioning slit, the width of which corresponds substantially to the thickness of a partition of the shock absorber, while the said partition of the shock absorber includes, emerging on its edge side intended to receive the additional partition, a slit, the width of which is close to the thickness of the additional partition.
In this embodiment, the additional partition is inserted into the shock absorber by offering the said additional partition up with its slit facing that of the partition of the shock absorber, these two partitions being substantially perpendicular with respect to each other.
According to a preferred variant, the additional partition is equipped with stiffening ribs in the vicinity of its positioning slit, that partition of the shock absorber which is intended to receive it preferably also including ribs interacting with those of the additional partition when the latter is positioned in the shock absorber, which makes it possible to improve the way in which the two partitions are held in a mutually perpendicular position.
For the purpose of making the invention easier to understand,, an embodiment thereof, given by way of example and with no limiting nature will now be described with reference to the appended drawing in which:
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partially cut-away perspective view of a bumper viewed from the inside and of a reinforcing element according to a fir
REFERENCES:
patent: 4925224 (1990-05-01), Smiszek
patent: 5108138 (1992-04-01), Kawaguchi
Compagnie & Plastic Omnium
Pedder Dennis H.
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