CN216102403U - A installing support and vehicle for vehicle front end - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a mounting bracket for a front end of a vehicle. The mounting bracket includes a first cross member and a second cross member extending in a first direction; an end connector connecting an end of the first cross member and an end of the second cross member, wherein a projection of the end connector in a plane perpendicular to the first direction is triangular; and at least two connecting strips connected between the first cross member and the second cross member. The mounting bracket can be collapsed and deformed when being impacted in a collision test to absorb impact force in the collision, so that the injury to pedestrians is reduced, the requirement of protecting the pedestrians is met, and meanwhile, internal parts of a vehicle can be protected.

Description

A installing support and vehicle for vehicle front end

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to the field of vehicle technology, and more particularly to a mounting bracket for a front end of a vehicle and a vehicle having such a mounting bracket.

Background

With the popularization of vehicles, vehicle safety issues are receiving more and more attention. The vehicle needs to pass a series of tests to ensure that it meets the requirements.

These tests may include, for example, pedestrian protection and crash tests. Pedestrian protection has been incorporated into the evaluation criteria of C-NCAP (China-New Car Association Program), the New Car evaluation protocol of China. During pedestrian protection testing, a vehicle impacts a dummy for testing at a predetermined speed, with the center of impact being located at the front edge of the hood above the upper grill. In addition, in a C-IASI (China Insurance Automotive Safety Index) based crash test, a vehicle collides against a non-deformable rigid barrier at a predetermined speed to test crashworthiness of the front end of the vehicle and/or protection of interior components of the vehicle.

The prior art, for example, chinese patent publication CN210437133U, provides a stand, which includes: a a mounting panel two for installing radiator frame's mounting panel one and being used for installing the front bumper, the mounting panel two is located the front side below of mounting panel one and the mounting panel two-pass connecting plate links to each other with mounting panel one, a plurality of through-holes one have been seted up to one side that the connecting plate is close to mounting panel two, through-hole one is followed the length direction interval arrangement of connecting plate, is equipped with strengthening rib one between the adjacent through-hole one.

However, the inventors have recognized that there is still room for further improvement in such current solutions.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present invention summarizes aspects of the embodiments and should not be used to limit the scope of the present invention. Other embodiments are contemplated in accordance with the techniques described herein, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon study of the following figures and detailed description, and are intended to be included within the scope of the present application.

The utility model has the advantages that the improved mounting bracket for the front end of the vehicle can be deformed in a collapsing manner when being impacted in a collision test so as to absorb impact force in the collision, thereby reducing injury to pedestrians, meeting the requirements of pedestrian protection and protecting the internal components of the vehicle.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mounting bracket for a front end of a vehicle, the mounting bracket comprising a first cross member and a second cross member extending in a first direction; an end connector connecting an end of the first cross member and an end of the second cross member, wherein a projection of the end connector in a plane perpendicular to the first direction is triangular; and at least two connecting strips connected between the first cross member and the second cross member.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the angle between the at least two connecting strips and the first cross member is an oblique angle, and the at least two connecting strips are mirror symmetric with respect to a centre line therebetween.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the end connection comprises a first edge, a second edge and a third edge connected to each other, wherein the first edge connects an end of the first cross member and an end of the second cross member, and wherein the angle between the first edge and the first cross member is an oblique angle.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the end of the first cross member is located at the outer side with respect to the end of the second cross member in the first direction, and the angle between the first edge and the first cross member is acute.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the second side is connected to an end of the first cross member, the first side and the second side being S-shaped.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, at least two of the connecting strips are S-shaped.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the at least two connecting strips include two groups of at least four connecting strips, the two groups of connecting strips are disposed on two sides of a center line of the mounting bracket, and extending directions of the two groups of connecting strips are symmetrical to each other with respect to the center line.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the first cross member is located forward and downward relative to the second cross member when mounted to the vehicle.

According to one embodiment of the utility model, the mounting bracket further comprises a positioning strip connected with the connecting strip, and positioning points are arranged on the positioning strip.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle comprising the mounting bracket described above, wherein the first cross member is connected to the bumper and/or grille and the second cross member is connected to the vehicle body.

Drawings

For a better understanding of the utility model, reference may be made to the embodiments illustrated in the following drawings. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, and related elements may be omitted, or in some cases the scale may have been exaggerated, in order to emphasize and clearly illustrate the novel features described herein. In addition, the system components may be arranged differently as is known in the art. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a vehicle showing a mounting bracket for a front end of the vehicle in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a rear view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a side view of a mounting bracket according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a mounting bracket in an impact test according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a mounting bracket in an impact test according to one embodiment of the present invention;

figure 9 illustrates a side view of a mounting bracket in a crash test when impacted according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

While the present invention may be embodied in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described some exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, with the understanding that these are to be considered as examples of the utility model and are not intended to limit the utility model to the specific embodiments illustrated.

As mentioned in the background, vehicle front ends are required to meet pedestrian protection and impact testing requirements. The applicant of the present application has appreciated that in order to better meet pedestrian protection requirements and at the same time mitigate or mitigate intrusion or damage to vehicle interior components from stress impact in the event of a collision, the present invention proposes a mounting bracket 1 for a vehicle front end that, while meeting test requirements, may further provide one or more of light weight, energy absorption, and overall strength.

As shown in fig. 1, in one embodiment of the present invention, a mounting bracket 1 may be provided at a front position of a vehicle 100 for mounting a bumper 2 and/or a grille 3. The mounting bracket 1 may be connected to the bumper 2 and/or the grille 3 on one side and to the vehicle body on the other side. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket 1 may be connected to a front integrated module on the vehicle body, such as an integrated or integrated part of an active intake grille (AGS) and energy absorber assembly (Bloster). It will be appreciated that the mounting bracket 1 may also be mounted directly to one of the active grille or energy absorber assembly. In the vehicle longitudinal direction Y, vehicle interior components such as an engine assembly, a cooling system, etc. are disposed rearward of the front end integrated module.

Referring to fig. 2 to 5, in one embodiment, the mounting bracket 1 includes: a first cross member 10 and a second cross member 20 extending in a first direction X; an end connector 30 connecting an end of the first cross member 10 and an end of the second cross member 20, wherein a projection of the end connector 30 in a plane perpendicular to the first direction X is triangular; and at least two connecting strips 40 connected between the first cross member 10 and the second cross member 20. The mounting bracket 1 is generally a mesh structure configured to tend to collapse and deform in a predetermined manner upon impact. Furthermore, in a plane parallel to the first direction X, for example the view shown in fig. 4, the projection of the end connection 30 also appears triangular as a whole. It will be appreciated that in one or more embodiments of the present application, the projection of the end connector 30 is described as assuming a triangular configuration, but this does not mean that it must be a regular triangle formed by three sides having straight lines. The triangle should include shapes that generally have a three-sided configuration, e.g., one or more sides of the triangle may have a curved, curvilinear configuration. The following example or examples describe a triangular configuration with an S-shaped side structure. In some embodiments, the triangle is substantially an isosceles triangle. In other examples, the triangle is substantially a regular triangle. In still other embodiments, the triangle is oriented such that two sides of the triangle are above and below the first cross member 10 when the mounting bracket 1 is installed.

When the mounting bracket 1 is mounted to the vehicle 100, the first direction X may be a lateral direction of the vehicle 100. The first cross member 10 may be connected to the bumper 2 and/or the grille 3, and the second cross member 20 may be connected to the vehicle body — in a further embodiment, to the aforementioned front end integrated module. It should be understood that the term "transverse" is used for convenience of description only, and means a generally elongate member extending generally in one direction, and is not intended to be limiting. When the component placement positions are different, the first cross member 10 and the second cross member 20 may be different from the vehicle lateral direction X. In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cross member 10 is provided with a plurality of first mounting holes 11, and the bumper 2 and/or the grill 3 may be mounted to the first cross member 10 by fitting a connector, such as a screw, to the first mounting holes 11. Similarly, a plurality of second mounting holes 21 are provided on the second cross member 20, and the second cross member 20 may be mounted to the front end integrated module by engagement of a connector, such as a screw, with the second mounting holes 21. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this, and other means such as engagement, adhesion, etc. that can be used to achieve the connection are also applicable to the connection of the first cross member 10 to the bumper 2 and/or the grille 3 and the connection of the second cross member 20 to the front end integrated module according to the present invention.

The first cross member 10 and the second cross member 20 may be in various forms extending laterally, such as a bar shape or a sheet shape. For example, in one embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 2, the first cross member 10 may be rod-shaped and the second cross member 20 may be sheet-shaped. The centre lines of the first and second cross members 10, 20 may extend substantially in the first direction X, but this does not imply that the first and second cross members 10, 20 must be regular or straight. For example, the first cross member 10 may be generally arcuate to match the shape of the front end of the vehicle 100. Similarly, the second cross member 20 may also be correspondingly shaped to fit, for example, a front end integrated module.

Referring to fig. 4 and 6, the end connector 30 may include a first side 31, a second side 32, and a third side 33 connected to each other, the first side 31 connecting an end of the first cross member 10 and an end of the second cross member 20, the second side 32 connected to the end of the first cross member 10, and the third side 33 connected to the end of the second cross member 20, so that the end connector 30 forms a projection of a triangle in a plane perpendicular to the first direction X. The end connector 30 thus provided can provide a firm connection effect for the first cross member 10 and the second cross member 20, ensuring sufficient rigidity strength of the mounting bracket 1. In one embodiment, the number of end connectors 30 may be two, connecting the ends of the first cross member 10 and the second cross member 20 at both ends of the mounting bracket 1, respectively. The two end connections 30 may be mirror symmetric with respect to the centerline therebetween to provide a uniform force effect. In other embodiments, there may be more than two end connectors 30, for example a single side may be provided with two end connectors 30 spaced from each other.

Referring to fig. 2-3, the angle between the first edge 31 and the first cross member 10 is an oblique angle, i.e. the first edge 31 is not perpendicular to the first cross member 10. Thus, when performing a crash test, the impact force in a direction perpendicular to the first cross member 10 is angled relative to the direction of extension of the first side 31 such that the first side 31 can deform or collapse at a predetermined angle, the impact force being counteracted in a plurality of directions to avoid the impact force being directed against the first side 31 (in the direction of extension of the first side 31) and thereby hampering energy absorption, as will be described in more detail below, the first side 31 being capable of absorbing the impact energy in a predetermined manner such that the mounting bracket 1 collapses in a predetermined manner. It should be noted that the angle between the first edge 31 and the first cross member 10 may be represented as the angle between the general extending direction of the first cross member 10 and the general extending direction of the first edge 31 near the connection between the first edge 31 and the first cross member 10.

In a further embodiment, referring to fig. 2 to 3, in the first direction X, the end of the first cross member 10 is located at the outer side with respect to the end of the second cross member 20, i.e. the length of the first cross member 10 is longer than the length of the second cross member 20, so as to extend further to the outer side in the first direction X, when the angle between the first edge 31 and the first cross member 10 is acute. Referring to fig. 7 to 9, with such an arrangement, even if the end connector 30 is deformed or broken by the impact force F when the collision test is performed, it enters only the outer region of the second cross member 20 in the first direction X, thereby preventing the deformed or broken end connector 30 from intruding or damaging vehicle interior components such as a front end integrated module, an engine assembly, a cooling system, etc. located in the inner region.

In one embodiment, wherein first side 31 has an S-shaped configuration. For example, in a plane perpendicular to the first direction X as shown in fig. 6, the projection of the first edge 31 has an S-shaped configuration, or has a stepped configuration. The S-shaped configuration of first side 31 may guide the crush along first side 31 during an impact. In this plane, the projection of the second edge 32 may have an arcuate configuration with the center of the arc located on the side adjacent the first edge 31. In an embodiment wherein the second side 32 has a uniform thickness dimension, and in a plane perpendicular to the first direction X, the projection of the second side 32 as a whole has a thickness dimension larger than the first side 31. Wherein the first edge 31 may have an area of weakness relative to the second edge 32 such that upon impact, the first edge 31 may tend to collapse and absorb energy, while the second edge 32 may also deform relative to and fold and/or break. In another specific example, such as shown in FIG. 9, when the mounting bracket 1 is impacted on one side, both the first edge 31 and the second edge 32 collapse to absorb energy.

In one or more embodiments, the first and second sides 31, 32 can be S-shaped to more easily collapse and deform when subjected to an impact force F. For example, in the plane shown in fig. 6, the first edge 31 and the second edge 32 may have an S-shape or a step shape with a turn. Furthermore, as can be seen in the top views shown in fig. 2 and 3, both the first edge 31 and the second edge 32 exhibit an S-shape, and from this top view, at least in one embodiment, the S-shaped extension directions of the first edge 31 and the second edge 32 substantially overlap. The two S-shaped sides in one or more embodiments of the present application are designed such that the first side 31 and the second side 32 can only elastically deform to absorb energy when an impact force is within a certain range. When the impact force reaches a certain level, the first and second edges 31, 32 may collapse or disintegrate in a predetermined pattern to further absorb energy. As shown in fig. 7, the S-shaped first and second sides 31, 32 may be greatly deformed into multiple stages during a crash event, allowing the first cross member 10 to be deformed at least partially toward the second cross member 20, i.e., rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction Y, to reduce pedestrian injury and to adequately absorb stress impacts and reduce intrusion or damage of the impact force F to vehicle interior components.

In one or more embodiments, the third side 33 may extend in a vertical direction and be configured to be connected to a side of the front end integrated module to further improve the mounting stability of the second cross member 20. It will be appreciated that the first and second sides 31, 32 are required to withstand a relatively large stress impact due to their connection to the first cross member 10 relatively close to the front, as shown in fig. 9, with the first and second sides 31, 32 broken; while the third side 33 is connected to the second cross member 20 relatively close to the rear, the stress impact is small, as shown in fig. 9, and the third side 33 is only cracked. Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the first side 31 and the second side 32 may be S-shaped, and both of them are inclined at an angle with respect to the first cross member 10 to absorb stress shock, and the third side 33 mainly serves to reinforce the connection and installation. It can be seen that the end connector 30 can be a special triangular structure located in space with a twisted shape. Although the end connector 30 is described herein as having a triangular configuration and including a first side 31, a second side 32, and a third side 33, those skilled in the art will appreciate that this does not imply a definite boundary between the end connector 30 and the first and second cross members 10, 20, but rather the foregoing description is for convenience only. For example, in other embodiments, the third side 33 may also be considered part of the second cross member 20. The mounting bracket 1 itself may be integrally formed by, for example, injection molding, 3D printing, etc. Or may be formed separately and subsequently joined in a suitable manner.

In one embodiment of the utility model shown in fig. 2-3, the angle between the at least two connecting bars 40 and the first cross member 10 is an oblique angle, i.e. the at least two connecting bars 40 are not perpendicular to the first cross member 10. Thus, when a collision test is performed, an angle is formed between the impact force in the direction perpendicular to the first cross member 10 and the extending direction of the connecting bar 40, so that the connecting bar 40 can be deformed or collapsed at a predetermined angle, the impact force can be resolved in a plurality of directions, and the impact force is prevented from being directed against the connecting bar 40 (in the extending direction of the connecting bar 40) to cause interference with energy absorption. It should be noted that the angle between the connecting bar 40 and the first cross member 10 may represent the angle between the general extending direction of the first cross member 10 and the general extending direction of the connecting bar 40 near the connection between the connecting bar 40 and the first cross member 10. Further, at least two connecting strips 40 may be mirror symmetric with respect to a center line therebetween to offset the torque each other and increase the torsional rigidity of the mounting bracket 1.

At least two of the connecting strips 40 may be S-shaped so as to be more susceptible to collapsing deformation when subjected to an impact force F. The S-shaped design allows the connecting strip 40 to only elastically deform to absorb energy when the impact force is within a certain range. When the impact force reaches a certain level, the connecting strip 40 can collapse or disintegrate in a predetermined pattern to further absorb energy. As shown in fig. 7 to 8, the S-shaped at least two connecting strips 40 can be deformed in a wide range during the crash test, allowing the first cross member 10 to be deformed at least partially toward the second cross member 20, i.e., rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction Y, to reduce injury to pedestrians and to sufficiently absorb stress impact to mitigate transmission of the impact force F to the vehicle interior. Also, if the connecting bar 40 and the end connector 30 of the final mounting bracket 1 are crushed and broken after absorbing a large impact, the design of the crushing direction and the overall less crush-material can greatly reduce the intrusion or damage of the crush-breaking occurrence to the vehicle interior components.

Referring to fig. 3, in one embodiment of the present invention, the at least two connection bars 40 include two sets of at least four connection bars 41, 42, the two sets of connection bars 41, 42 are disposed at both sides of a center line C of the mounting bracket 1, and the two sets of connection bars 41, 42 extend in directions symmetrical to each other with respect to the center line C. For example, fig. 3 shows that the mounting bracket 1 includes two sets of 6 connecting bars 41, 42, and the extending direction of 3 connecting bars in one set of connecting bars 41 and the extending direction of 3 connecting bars in the other set of connecting bars 42 are symmetrical to each other with respect to the center line C.

In a further embodiment, for each set of tie bars 41, 42, a portion of the tie bars 40 in each set may extend from the first cross member 10 in a direction towards the centre line C to the second cross member 20 and another portion of the tie bars 40 may extend from the first cross member 10 in a direction away from the centre line C to the second cross member 20, whereby, in addition to overall torque cancellation by the two sets of tie bars 41, 42 being symmetrical to each other, local torque cancellation may be achieved within each set of tie bars 41, 42. For example, fig. 3 shows that in a set of tie bars 41, 1 tie bar extends from the first cross member 10 in a direction towards the centre line C to the second cross member 20, and 2 tie bars extend from the first cross member 10 in a direction away from the centre line C to the second cross member 20.

Referring to fig. 2 to 3, in an embodiment of the present invention, the mounting bracket 1 further includes a positioning bar 50 connected to the connecting bar 40, and the positioning bar 50 is provided with positioning points 51 for providing reference and indication for mounting other components. The positioning strap 50 may be connected between the plurality of connection straps 40, and may also be connected between the connection straps 40 and the first cross member 10.

Referring to fig. 1 and 4 to 5 in conjunction, when the mounting bracket 1 is mounted to the vehicle 100, the first cross member 10 is located forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction Y and below in the vertical direction Z with respect to the second cross member 20. The first edge 31 and the at least two connecting strips 40 thus extend not only in the vehicle longitudinal direction Y but also in the vertical direction Z, and can collapse and deform in both the vehicle longitudinal direction Y and the vertical direction Z during a crash test to protect pedestrians. It can be known that when a pedestrian impact test is performed, the leg portion of the dummy first collides with the front end of the vehicle in the vehicle longitudinal direction Y, and thereafter collides with the front end of the vehicle in the vertical direction Z. The mounting bracket 1 according to one embodiment of the utility model can protect pedestrians in both the vehicle longitudinal direction Y and the vertical direction Z.

Additionally, referring to fig. 7, during a crash test, the first cross member 10 is at least partially deformed by the impact force F to be proximate to the second cross member 20 and below the second cross member 20 in the vertical direction Z, and blocked by the third side 33 and/or the front end integrated module, mitigating or mitigating intrusion and/or damage to vehicle interior components.

One or more embodiments of the present invention provide a mounting bracket 1 that can provide a lightweight construction while meeting one or more test requirements. For example, but not limited to, weight reduction by a net design, energy absorption and cushioning deformation before crushing by angled and/or S-shaped designs of the connecting strips 40 and/or the first and/or second edges 31, 32 of the end connectors 30, and crushing in a predetermined manner when the impact force reaches a certain level, and avoiding excessive material build-up that could interfere with or intrude into the vehicle interior components.

It is to be understood that the features listed above for the different embodiments may be combined with each other to form further embodiments within the scope of the utility model, where technically feasible. Furthermore, the particular examples and embodiments described herein are non-limiting, and various modifications of the structure, dimensions, and materials set forth above may be made without departing from the scope of the utility model.

In this application, the use of the conjunction of the contrary intention is intended to include the conjunction. The use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality. In particular, references to "the" object or "an" and "an" object are intended to mean one of many such objects possible. Furthermore, the conjunction "or" may be used to convey simultaneous features, rather than mutually exclusive schemes. In other words, the conjunction "or" should be understood to include "and/or". The term "comprising" is inclusive and has the same scope as "comprising".

The above-described embodiments, particularly any "preferred" embodiments, are possible examples of implementations, and are presented merely for a clear understanding of the principles of the utility model. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the technology described herein. All such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A mounting bracket for a front end of a vehicle, comprising:

a first cross member and a second cross member extending in a first direction;

an end connector connecting an end of the first cross member and an end of the second cross member, wherein a projection of the end connector in a plane perpendicular to the first direction is triangular; and

at least two connecting strips connected between the first cross member and the second cross member.

2. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the angle between the at least two connecting strips and the first cross member is an oblique angle, and the at least two connecting strips are mirror symmetric with respect to a centerline therebetween.

3. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the end connector comprises a first side, a second side, and a third side connected to one another, wherein the first side connects an end of the first cross member to an end of the second cross member, and wherein an angle between the first side and the first cross member is an oblique angle.

4. A mounting bracket according to claim 3, wherein, in the first direction, an end of the first cross member is outboard relative to an end of the second cross member, the first edge being at an acute angle to the first cross member.

5. A mounting bracket according to claim 3, wherein the second edge is connected to an end of the first cross member, the first and second edges being S-shaped.

6. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the at least two connecting strips are S-shaped.

7. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the at least two connecting strips comprise two sets of at least four connecting strips, the two sets of connecting strips are disposed on two sides of a center line of the mounting bracket, and extending directions of the two sets of connecting strips are symmetrical to each other with respect to the center line.

8. The mounting bracket of claim 1, wherein the first cross member is forward and downward relative to the second cross member when mounted to a vehicle.

9. The mounting bracket of claim 1, further comprising a positioning strip connected to the connecting strip, wherein the positioning strip is provided with positioning points.

10. A vehicle comprising a mounting bracket according to any of claims 1-9, wherein the first cross member is connected to a bumper and/or grille and the second cross member is connected to a vehicle body.

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