US20140175815A1 - Pedestrian protective radiator grill - Google Patents
Pedestrian protective radiator grill Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20140175815A1 US20140175815A1 US13/829,952 US201313829952A US2014175815A1 US 20140175815 A1 US20140175815 A1 US 20140175815A1 US 201313829952 A US201313829952 A US 201313829952A US 2014175815 A1 US2014175815 A1 US 2014175815A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- radiator
- pill
- radiator grill
- guide
- end portion
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- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
- B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
- B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
- B62D25/08—Front or rear portions
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R19/00—Wheel guards; Radiator guards, e.g. grilles; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions
- B60R19/52—Radiator or grille guards ; Radiator grilles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60R—VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60R21/00—Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks
- B60R21/34—Protecting non-occupants of a vehicle, e.g. pedestrians
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a pedestrian protective radiator grill, and more particularly to a pedestrian protective radiator grill which, when a vehicle accidentally hits a pedestrian, moves to a pedestrian protecting position where the radiator grill has an almost vertical profile, so as to mitigate injuries of the pedestrian hit by the vehicle.
- a bumper is the front-most or rear-most part of a car, and the first part to absorb impact when the car collides with an object. However, generally, the bumper does very little to lessen the impact on a pedestrian who is hit by the car.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams to show a state in which a pedestrian is hit by the front bumper of a car.
- Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-000881 discloses a structure mounted to the front grill of an automobile. However, this technology cannot satisfactorily mitigate injuries sustained by a pedestrian who is hit by a car.
- the present invention has been made to address the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present invention is directed to a pedestrian protective radiator grill which, when a car (or other vehicle) hits a pedestrian, moves to a pedestrian protecting position where the radiator grill has an almost vertical profile, so as to mitigate injuries of the pedestrian.
- a pedestrian protective radiator grill including a radiator grill provided at a front end portion of a vehicle and configured to move in a manner that an upper end portion of the radiator grill moves forward to be away from a body of the vehicle so that an entire body of the radiator grill has a substantially perpendicular profile with respect to the ground, an operation unit connected to the radiator grill and configured to push the radiator grill in a forward direction of the vehicle when an impact signal is input, and a guide unit provided under the radiator grill, the guide unit guiding forward linear movement of the radiator grill when the radiator grill is pushed forward by the operation unit, and guiding rotational movement of the upper end portion of the radiator grill after the radiator grill is pushed in the forward direction up to an end of its movable range.
- the operation unit may include a rod connected to a rear end portion of the radiator grill and configured to extend and retract, the radiator grill being moved by the extension and retraction of the rod. Both ends of a link may be rotatably coupled to the rod and the radiator pill, respectively.
- the radiator grill may further include a reinforcing member provided on a rear surface thereof, and the operation unit may be connected to a rear surface of the reinforcing member.
- the guide unit may include a guide member being formed with a slot-like guide groove that extends in a longitudinal direction and which is installed at a rear end portion of a bumper of the vehicle, and a guide pin inserted in the slot-like groove so as to move in the slot-like groove along with the radiator grill and which is provided at a lower end portion of the radiator pill.
- the guide member may have a hinge structure-forming groove located under a front portion of the guide groove and being continuous to the front portion of the guide groove, so that the guide pin moves in the guide groove until reaching the front end portion of the guide groove and then the guide pin enters the hinge structure-forming groove. In this state, axial rotation is enabled.
- the guide pin may have a latching notch at an upper end portion thereof.
- a border portion of the guide member between the guide groove and the hinge structure-forming groove is inserted into the latching notch and then latched.
- the pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention has an advantage of lessening an impact on a pedestrian when the pedestrian is hit by a front end of a vehicle, when the radiator grill is configured to move and rotate in such a manner that a front end profile of the radiator grill becomes substantially perpendicular to the ground.
- the radiator grill since the radiator grill utilizes a link structure and a guide structure to rotate (instead of an actuator), the radiator grill according to the present invention is advantageous in terms of protection of a pedestrian. In addition, since the radiator grill rotates after linearly moving forward a predetermined distance, the rotational movement of the radiator grill is not interfered with by the bumper, thus preventing the bumper from being damaged.
- vehicle or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum).
- a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
- FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams depicting a leg injury of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle
- FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating states of a pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator according the present invention has moved, respectively;
- FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of the radiator grill according to the present invention and an actuator
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged diagrams illustrating a portion “A” and a portion “B” of FIG. 3 , respectively, in an enlarged manner;
- FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating states of the actuator before and after the actuator has operated, respectively;
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a guide unit according to the present invention.
- FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating states of the pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention has moved, respectively.
- FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating states of a pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator grill according the present invention has moved, respectively.
- a pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention which mitigates injuries to a pedestrian, preferably includes a radiator grill 10 , an actuator 30 , and a guide unit.
- a radiator grill 10 is affixed to a front end portion of a vehicle. When a person or object is struck by the front end of a vehicle, an upper end portion of the radiator grill 10 moves forward to be away from the front side of the body of the vehicle so that the body of the radiator grill 10 forms, as a whole, an almost perpendicular profile with respect to the ground.
- An operation unit is connected to the radiator grill 10 .
- the operation unit is configured to supply a force so as to push the radiator grill 10 in a forward direction of the vehicle, to the radiator grill 10 , when an impact signal of the vehicle is input.
- a guide unit is provided under the radiator grill 10 .
- the guide unit guides linear movement of the radiator grill 10 , which moves forward.
- the guide unit also guides rotational movement of the radiator grill 10 when the radiator grill 10 has moved forward up to an end of its movable range.
- the radiator grill 10 preferably is provided at the center of the front end portion of the vehicle, and installed at an upper portion of the bumper 20 .
- An upper portion of the radiator grill 10 moves forward to be away from the body of the vehicle when the vehicle bumps into an object, so that the outer contour of the radiator grill 100 becomes almost perpendicular to the ground.
- the operation unit preferably is installed behind the radiator grill 10 .
- the operation unit supplies, to the radiator grill 10 , the force of moving the radiator grill 10 in the direction in which the radiator grill 10 moves away from the body of the vehicle.
- the operation unit may be formed from the actuator 30 .
- An end of the actuator 30 may be coupled to the body of the vehicle.
- a rod 32 may be coupled to the other end of the actuator in such a manner to extend and contract.
- the rod 32 may be coupled to a rear surface of the radiator pill.
- the actuator 30 When an operation signal which is generated under the condition in which the vehicle bumps into an object is input, the actuator 30 extends in the forward direction of the vehicle so as to supply to the radiator grill 10 the force of pushing the radiator grill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle.
- FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of the radiator grill 10 and the actuator 30 according to the present invention.
- a reinforcing member 12 may be installed on a rear surface of the radiator grill 10 .
- the rod 32 of the actuator 30 may be coupled to a rear surface of the reinforcing member 12 .
- the rod 32 of the actuator 30 supplies the force which pushes the radiator pill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle.
- the rod 32 and the radiator 10 may be combined by a link 34 . Both ends of the link 34 may be coupled to the rod 32 and the radiator 10 in a rotatable manner using a pin structure.
- FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged diagrams showing a portion “A” and a portion “B” in FIG. 3 , respectively, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating states of the actuator 30 before and after operation of the actuator 30 , respectively.
- both ends of the link 34 may be rotatably coupled to the rod 32 and the radiator pill 10 , respectively.
- One end of the rod 32 and one end of the link 34 are coupled using a coupling pin 36 so as to be able to perform relative rotational movement.
- the reinforcing member 12 formed on the rear surface of the radiator pill 10 and the other end of the link 34 are also coupled by a coupling pin 36 so as to perform relative rotational movement.
- both ends of the link 34 perform relative rotation with respect to the rod 32 and the radiator pill 10 so that the radiator pill 10 may rotate in the forward direction.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the guide unit according to the present invention.
- the guide unit preferably is provided under the radiator pill 10 .
- the guide unit guides the linear forward movement of the radiator grill 10 , and then guides rotational movement of an upper portion of the radiator grill 10 when the radiator pill 10 reaches a distal end of its movable range.
- the guide unit may include a guide member 22 and a guide pin 14 .
- the guide member 22 preferably is affixed to a rear end of a bumper 20 .
- the guide member 22 has a slit-like guide groove 24 which extends in the longitudinal direction of the guide member 22 .
- the guide pin 14 is provided at a lower end of the radiator pill 10 .
- the guide pin 14 is inserted in the guide groove 24 so that the guide pin 14 may move in the guide groove 24 along with the radiator pill 10 .
- the rod 32 of the actuator 30 when the rod 32 of the actuator 30 extends, the rod 32 pushes the radiator pill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle, and the guide pin 14 fixed to the radiator pill 10 moves from the rear end to the front end of the guide groove 24 .
- the hinge structure-forming groove 26 is provided under and communicates with the front portion of the guide groove 24 , the guide pin 14 which has reached the front end of the guide groove 24 enters the hinge structure-forming groove 26 and the axial rotation occurs.
- a latching notch 16 is formed in an upper end portion of the guide pin 14 . Accordingly, when the guide pin 14 enters the hinge structure-forming groove 26 , a border portion of the guide unit between the guide groove 24 and the hinge structure installing groove 26 is latched in the latching notch 16 .
- the guide pin 14 when the guide pin 14 reaches the front end of the guide groove 24 , the guide pin 14 enters the hinge structure-forming groove 26 , and the radiator grill 10 rotates about the guide pin 14 .
- the radiator grill 10 when a pedestrian is struck by the front end of the vehicle, the radiator grill 10 is moved in the forward direction of the vehicle, and the guide pin 14 fixed to the radiator grill 10 is also moved to the front end of the guide groove 24 , and then enters the hinge structure installing groove 26 . Thereafter, the upper end portion of the radiator grill 10 rotates about the guide pin 14 in a manner that the upper end portion of the grill 10 moves away from the body of the vehicle. As a result, the radiator grill 10 comes to have a profile that is substantially perpendicular to the ground. This increases a contact area of the vehicle which comes into contact with a pedestrian when the pedestrian is struck by the vehicle, and thus distributes the impact force so that injuries of the pedestrian can be mitigated.
- the radiator grill 10 When the radiator grill 10 returns to an original position, the radiator grill 10 is first slightly lifted up so that the guide pin 14 can come out of the hinge structure-forming groove 26 , and then the radiator grill 10 is moved in a sliding manner in the backward direction of the vehicle.
- FIG. 7 is a sectional diagram illustrating states of the radiator grill 10 before and after the radiator gall 10 moves, respectively.
- the amount of the forward movement of the radiator grill 10 can be calculated by the following formula:
- Y is an amount of forward movement of the radiator grill 10
- X is a length of a lower flange of the radiator gall 10
- L is a protruding amount of the bumper 20 from a lower end of the radiator grill 10
- a is a slope of a front surface of the bumper 20
- ⁇ is a slope of a front surface of the radiator gall 10 .
- the radiator grill 10 moves forward and rotates so that the front surface of the bumper 20 is changed to be in an almost vertical profile, thereby lessening an impact to the pedestrian and mitigating injuries sustained by the pedestrian.
- the actuator does not directly rotate the radiator gall 10 but rather indirectly rotates the radiator gall 10 via the link 34 and the guide unit, the present invention provides a vehicle structure which is advantageous in terms of protection of a pedestrian.
- the radiator pill 10 rotates after linearly moving forward a predetermined distance, the rotation of the radiator grill 10 is not interfered with by the bumper 20 , so that the bumper 20 may not be damaged.
- the radiator grill 10 After the radiator has moved due to the impact, the radiator grill 10 is returned in a simple manner to the original position, which is the position of the radiator pill 10 prior to the occurrence of the vehicle collision. In this way, the radiator grill 10 can be reliably reused.
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Cooling, Air Intake And Gas Exhaust, And Fuel Tank Arrangements In Propulsion Units (AREA)
- Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0152954 filed Dec. 26, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
- (a) Technical Field
- The present invention relates to a pedestrian protective radiator grill, and more particularly to a pedestrian protective radiator grill which, when a vehicle accidentally hits a pedestrian, moves to a pedestrian protecting position where the radiator grill has an almost vertical profile, so as to mitigate injuries of the pedestrian hit by the vehicle.
- (b) Description of the Related Art
- A bumper is the front-most or rear-most part of a car, and the first part to absorb impact when the car collides with an object. However, generally, the bumper does very little to lessen the impact on a pedestrian who is hit by the car.
-
FIGS. 1A and 1B (RELATED ART) are diagrams to show a state in which a pedestrian is hit by the front bumper of a car. - With reference to
FIGS. 1A and 1B , because of the structural characteristic in which the front bumper protrudes from the front end of the body of a car, when the car accidentally hits a pedestrian, the impact to the pedestrian is concentrated on the pedestrian's leg, especially on the knee, and as a result, the shin or thigh of the pedestrian tends to severely bend due to the impact as shown inFIG. 1A , and the shin or thigh can be severely injured as shown inFIG. 1B , which may result in serious damage to the leg. - Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-000881 discloses a structure mounted to the front grill of an automobile. However, this technology cannot satisfactorily mitigate injuries sustained by a pedestrian who is hit by a car.
- The foregoing is intended merely to aid in the understanding of the background of the present invention, and is not intended to mean that the present invention falls within the purview of the related art that is already known to those skilled in the art.
- Accordingly, the present invention has been made to address the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present invention is directed to a pedestrian protective radiator grill which, when a car (or other vehicle) hits a pedestrian, moves to a pedestrian protecting position where the radiator grill has an almost vertical profile, so as to mitigate injuries of the pedestrian.
- In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pedestrian protective radiator grill including a radiator grill provided at a front end portion of a vehicle and configured to move in a manner that an upper end portion of the radiator grill moves forward to be away from a body of the vehicle so that an entire body of the radiator grill has a substantially perpendicular profile with respect to the ground, an operation unit connected to the radiator grill and configured to push the radiator grill in a forward direction of the vehicle when an impact signal is input, and a guide unit provided under the radiator grill, the guide unit guiding forward linear movement of the radiator grill when the radiator grill is pushed forward by the operation unit, and guiding rotational movement of the upper end portion of the radiator grill after the radiator grill is pushed in the forward direction up to an end of its movable range.
- The operation unit may include a rod connected to a rear end portion of the radiator grill and configured to extend and retract, the radiator grill being moved by the extension and retraction of the rod. Both ends of a link may be rotatably coupled to the rod and the radiator pill, respectively.
- The radiator grill may further include a reinforcing member provided on a rear surface thereof, and the operation unit may be connected to a rear surface of the reinforcing member.
- The guide unit may include a guide member being formed with a slot-like guide groove that extends in a longitudinal direction and which is installed at a rear end portion of a bumper of the vehicle, and a guide pin inserted in the slot-like groove so as to move in the slot-like groove along with the radiator grill and which is provided at a lower end portion of the radiator pill.
- The guide member may have a hinge structure-forming groove located under a front portion of the guide groove and being continuous to the front portion of the guide groove, so that the guide pin moves in the guide groove until reaching the front end portion of the guide groove and then the guide pin enters the hinge structure-forming groove. In this state, axial rotation is enabled.
- The guide pin may have a latching notch at an upper end portion thereof. When the guide pin enters the hinge structure-forming groove, a border portion of the guide member between the guide groove and the hinge structure-forming groove is inserted into the latching notch and then latched.
- The pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention has an advantage of lessening an impact on a pedestrian when the pedestrian is hit by a front end of a vehicle, when the radiator grill is configured to move and rotate in such a manner that a front end profile of the radiator grill becomes substantially perpendicular to the ground.
- Further, since the radiator grill utilizes a link structure and a guide structure to rotate (instead of an actuator), the radiator grill according to the present invention is advantageous in terms of protection of a pedestrian. In addition, since the radiator grill rotates after linearly moving forward a predetermined distance, the rotational movement of the radiator grill is not interfered with by the bumper, thus preventing the bumper from being damaged.
- It is understood that the term “vehicle” or “vehicular” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles (SUV), buses, trucks, various commercial vehicles, watercraft including a variety of boats and ships, aircraft, and the like, and includes hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, hydrogen-powered vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles (e.g. fuels derived from resources other than petroleum). As referred to herein, a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power, for example both gasoline-powered and electric-powered vehicles.
- The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
- The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIGS. 1A and 1B (RELATED ART) are diagrams depicting a leg injury of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle; -
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating states of a pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator according the present invention has moved, respectively; -
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of the radiator grill according to the present invention and an actuator; -
FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged diagrams illustrating a portion “A” and a portion “B” ofFIG. 3 , respectively, in an enlarged manner; -
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating states of the actuator before and after the actuator has operated, respectively; -
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a guide unit according to the present invention; and -
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating states of the pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention has moved, respectively. - Hereinbelow, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
-
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating states of a pedestrian protective radiator grill before and after the pedestrian protective radiator grill according the present invention has moved, respectively. - A pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention, which mitigates injuries to a pedestrian, preferably includes a
radiator grill 10, anactuator 30, and a guide unit. - With reference to
FIG. 2 , the structure of the pedestrian protective radiator grill according to the present invention will be described in detail. Aradiator grill 10 is affixed to a front end portion of a vehicle. When a person or object is struck by the front end of a vehicle, an upper end portion of theradiator grill 10 moves forward to be away from the front side of the body of the vehicle so that the body of the radiator grill 10 forms, as a whole, an almost perpendicular profile with respect to the ground. An operation unit is connected to theradiator grill 10. The operation unit is configured to supply a force so as to push theradiator grill 10 in a forward direction of the vehicle, to theradiator grill 10, when an impact signal of the vehicle is input. A guide unit is provided under theradiator grill 10. When theradiator grill 10 is pushed in the forward direction of the vehicle by the operation unit, the guide unit guides linear movement of theradiator grill 10, which moves forward. The guide unit also guides rotational movement of theradiator grill 10 when theradiator grill 10 has moved forward up to an end of its movable range. - More specifically, the
radiator grill 10 preferably is provided at the center of the front end portion of the vehicle, and installed at an upper portion of thebumper 20. An upper portion of theradiator grill 10 moves forward to be away from the body of the vehicle when the vehicle bumps into an object, so that the outer contour of the radiator grill 100 becomes almost perpendicular to the ground. - The operation unit preferably is installed behind the
radiator grill 10. When the impact signal is input, the operation unit supplies, to theradiator grill 10, the force of moving theradiator grill 10 in the direction in which theradiator grill 10 moves away from the body of the vehicle. - The operation unit may be formed from the
actuator 30. An end of theactuator 30 may be coupled to the body of the vehicle. Arod 32 may be coupled to the other end of the actuator in such a manner to extend and contract. Therod 32 may be coupled to a rear surface of the radiator pill. - When an operation signal which is generated under the condition in which the vehicle bumps into an object is input, the
actuator 30 extends in the forward direction of the vehicle so as to supply to theradiator grill 10 the force of pushing theradiator grill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle. -
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of theradiator grill 10 and theactuator 30 according to the present invention. - With reference to
FIG. 3 , a reinforcingmember 12 may be installed on a rear surface of theradiator grill 10. In this case, therod 32 of theactuator 30 may be coupled to a rear surface of the reinforcingmember 12. Therod 32 of theactuator 30 supplies the force which pushes theradiator pill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle. Therod 32 and theradiator 10 may be combined by alink 34. Both ends of thelink 34 may be coupled to therod 32 and theradiator 10 in a rotatable manner using a pin structure. -
FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged diagrams showing a portion “A” and a portion “B” inFIG. 3 , respectively, andFIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating states of theactuator 30 before and after operation of theactuator 30, respectively. - With reference to
FIGS. 4A , 4B, and 5, both ends of thelink 34 may be rotatably coupled to therod 32 and theradiator pill 10, respectively. - One end of the
rod 32 and one end of thelink 34 are coupled using acoupling pin 36 so as to be able to perform relative rotational movement. The reinforcingmember 12 formed on the rear surface of theradiator pill 10 and the other end of thelink 34 are also coupled by acoupling pin 36 so as to perform relative rotational movement. In particular, when therod 32 extends, both ends of thelink 34 perform relative rotation with respect to therod 32 and theradiator pill 10 so that theradiator pill 10 may rotate in the forward direction. -
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the guide unit according to the present invention. With reference toFIG. 6 , the guide unit preferably is provided under theradiator pill 10. When theradiator pill 10 is pushed in the forward direction by theactuator 30, the guide unit guides the linear forward movement of theradiator grill 10, and then guides rotational movement of an upper portion of theradiator grill 10 when theradiator pill 10 reaches a distal end of its movable range. The guide unit may include aguide member 22 and aguide pin 14. - The
guide member 22 preferably is affixed to a rear end of abumper 20. Theguide member 22 has a slit-like guide groove 24 which extends in the longitudinal direction of theguide member 22. Theguide pin 14 is provided at a lower end of theradiator pill 10. Theguide pin 14 is inserted in theguide groove 24 so that theguide pin 14 may move in theguide groove 24 along with theradiator pill 10. - In particular, when the
rod 32 of theactuator 30 extends, therod 32 pushes theradiator pill 10 in the forward direction of the vehicle, and theguide pin 14 fixed to theradiator pill 10 moves from the rear end to the front end of theguide groove 24. - When the
rod 32 further pushes theradiator pill 10 when theguide pin 14 reaches the front end of theguide groove 24, because theguide pin 14 cannot move further, the upper end portion of theradiator pill 10 rotates about theguide pin 14 serving as a rotation axis. - At this time, because the hinge structure-forming
groove 26 is provided under and communicates with the front portion of theguide groove 24, theguide pin 14 which has reached the front end of theguide groove 24 enters the hinge structure-forminggroove 26 and the axial rotation occurs. - A latching
notch 16 is formed in an upper end portion of theguide pin 14. Accordingly, when theguide pin 14 enters the hinge structure-forminggroove 26, a border portion of the guide unit between theguide groove 24 and the hingestructure installing groove 26 is latched in the latchingnotch 16. - In particular, when the
guide pin 14 reaches the front end of theguide groove 24, theguide pin 14 enters the hinge structure-forminggroove 26, and theradiator grill 10 rotates about theguide pin 14. - According to the present invention, when a pedestrian is struck by the front end of the vehicle, the
radiator grill 10 is moved in the forward direction of the vehicle, and theguide pin 14 fixed to theradiator grill 10 is also moved to the front end of theguide groove 24, and then enters the hingestructure installing groove 26. Thereafter, the upper end portion of theradiator grill 10 rotates about theguide pin 14 in a manner that the upper end portion of thegrill 10 moves away from the body of the vehicle. As a result, theradiator grill 10 comes to have a profile that is substantially perpendicular to the ground. This increases a contact area of the vehicle which comes into contact with a pedestrian when the pedestrian is struck by the vehicle, and thus distributes the impact force so that injuries of the pedestrian can be mitigated. - When the
radiator grill 10 returns to an original position, theradiator grill 10 is first slightly lifted up so that theguide pin 14 can come out of the hinge structure-forminggroove 26, and then theradiator grill 10 is moved in a sliding manner in the backward direction of the vehicle. -
FIG. 7 is a sectional diagram illustrating states of theradiator grill 10 before and after theradiator gall 10 moves, respectively. - With reference to
FIGS. 1A , 1B and 7, it is possible to compute the amount of forward movement of theradiator grill 10. - The amount of the forward movement of the
radiator grill 10 can be calculated by the following formula: -
- when Y is an amount of forward movement of the
radiator grill 10, X is a length of a lower flange of theradiator gall 10, L is a protruding amount of thebumper 20 from a lower end of theradiator grill 10, a is a slope of a front surface of thebumper 20, and β is a slope of a front surface of theradiator gall 10. - When a pedestrian is struck by the front end of a vehicle, according to the present invention, the
radiator grill 10 moves forward and rotates so that the front surface of thebumper 20 is changed to be in an almost vertical profile, thereby lessening an impact to the pedestrian and mitigating injuries sustained by the pedestrian. - Further, because the actuator does not directly rotate the
radiator gall 10 but rather indirectly rotates theradiator gall 10 via thelink 34 and the guide unit, the present invention provides a vehicle structure which is advantageous in terms of protection of a pedestrian. In addition, because theradiator pill 10 rotates after linearly moving forward a predetermined distance, the rotation of theradiator grill 10 is not interfered with by thebumper 20, so that thebumper 20 may not be damaged. - After the radiator has moved due to the impact, the
radiator grill 10 is returned in a simple manner to the original position, which is the position of theradiator pill 10 prior to the occurrence of the vehicle collision. In this way, theradiator grill 10 can be reliably reused. - Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.
Claims (7)
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
KR1020120152954A KR101438966B1 (en) | 2012-12-26 | 2012-12-26 | Radiator grill for relieving injury of pedestrian |
KR10-2012-0152954 | 2012-12-26 |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US20140175815A1 true US20140175815A1 (en) | 2014-06-26 |
US8764079B1 US8764079B1 (en) | 2014-07-01 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US13/829,952 Active US8764079B1 (en) | 2012-12-26 | 2013-03-14 | Pedestrian protective radiator grill |
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US (1) | US8764079B1 (en) |
KR (1) | KR101438966B1 (en) |
CN (1) | CN103895595B (en) |
DE (1) | DE102013206460B4 (en) |
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US9278657B2 (en) * | 2014-05-15 | 2016-03-08 | Kia Motors Corporation | Exterior panel for vehicle having structure for preventing water from remaining |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US8764079B1 (en) | 2014-07-01 |
KR20140084412A (en) | 2014-07-07 |
CN103895595B (en) | 2017-09-05 |
CN103895595A (en) | 2014-07-02 |
DE102013206460A1 (en) | 2014-06-26 |
DE102013206460B4 (en) | 2022-06-23 |
KR101438966B1 (en) | 2014-09-15 |
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