A vehicle (10, Fig.1) front end includes a bumper (14) and a carrier 20 attached to the bumper. A plurality of fins 24 are movably attached to the carrier and are spaced from each other. The fins taper in a direction transverse to the bumper, and may be V shaped. The fins may be moved to a deployed position to reinforce the bumper to improve low-speed damageability of the bumper, and moved to an inactive position, which may allow a fascia to more easily deform relative to the deployed position to provide energy absorption for pedestrian impacts. Preferably, a rack 58 and pinion 60 drive assembly, and associated actuator 28, is used to move each fin into position. The fins could be perpendicular to the bumper in the deployed position, and non-perpendicular in the inactive position. A processor and memory may be incorporated, wherein the processor is programmed to determine a vehicle speed, and position the fins based on said vehicle speed.
Bumper reinforcing assembly
2017-11-01
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60R Fahrzeuge, Fahrzeugausstattung oder Fahrzeugteile, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR |