U.S. patent application number 11/345592 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-09 for radiator grill attachment.
Invention is credited to Umesh Naik, Mingher Fred Shen, Eric Yoshinari.
Application Number | 20070182173 11/345592 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38324263 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070182173 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Shen; Mingher Fred ; et
al. |
August 9, 2007 |
RADIATOR GRILL ATTACHMENT
Abstract
A side attachment for attaching a grill to a front bumper of a
vehicle allows the grill to pivot independently relative to the
front bumper. The grill also includes tabs that locate the bottom
edge of the grill to the front bumper and release the grill to
allow rotation during a frontal impact of the vehicle, thereby
minimizing damage to the grill.
Inventors: |
Shen; Mingher Fred; (Ann
Arbor, MI) ; Yoshinari; Eric; (San Diego, CA)
; Naik; Umesh; (Ann Arbor, MI) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GIFFORD, KRASS, SPRINKLE,;ANDERSON & CITKOWSKI, P.C.
P.O. BOX 7021
TROY
MI
48007-7021
US
|
Family ID: |
38324263 |
Appl. No.: |
11/345592 |
Filed: |
February 1, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
293/115 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 2019/525 20130101;
B60R 19/52 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
293/115 |
International
Class: |
B60R 19/52 20060101
B60R019/52 |
Claims
1. An automotive vehicle comprising: a front bumper extending along
a front end of the vehicle; and a grill pivotally coupled to the
front bumper for rotation about a substantially horizontal pivot
axis relative to the front bumper, the grill having a bottom end
releasably coupled to the front bumper allowing rotation of the
grill relative to the front bumper about the pivot axis when the
front bumper is deformed during a front impact event.
2. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the grill includes at
least one outwardly extending tab for locating the bottom end of
the grill relative to a top edge of the front bumper, the tab have
an edge that hookingly engages the top edge and releases the top
edge when the front bumper is deformed during a front impact
event.
3. A vehicle as set forth in claim 2, wherein the pillar includes
an inner wall having a slot extending forwardly from a rear edge
thereof.
4. A vehicle as set forth in claim 3, wherein the grill includes a
hole aligned with the slot in the pillar for receiving a
longitudinally extending fastener therethrough and defining the
pivot axis of the grill.
5. A vehicle as set forth in claim 4 including a nut for
threadingly engaging the fastener to retain the grill to the
pillar, while allowing rotation of the grill relative to the front
bumper about the pivot axis when the front bumper is deformed
during a front impact event.
6. A vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the front bumper
includes a pair of pillars, the pillars being generally parallel
and spaced apart for receiving the grill therebetween.
7. A vehicle as set forth in claim 6, wherein the grill is
pivotally coupled to an upper end of each pillar for rotation about
the pivot axis relative to the front bumper.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to radiator grills for automotive
vehicles. More specifically, the invention relates to a side
attachment arrangement for connecting a radiator grill to a bumper
facia.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) presently
conducts among other tests a low-speed bumper test on new vehicle
models in order to assess performance and repair costs associated
with damage resulting from the test. In this test, the vehicle is
crashed four separate times at 5 mph--both front and rear bumpers
into a flat barrier, the front bumper into an angle barrier and the
rear bumper into a short pole. Ratings are then given on the usual
"Good" to "Poor" scale based on repair costs.
[0005] Most vehicles today, especially passenger cars, utilize
wrap-around style front bumpers and center radiator grills that are
made of resin. Typically, the bumper and grill are each fixedly
secured to the vehicle body or chassis using bolts, screws, push
fasteners and the like. Resins have become the materials of choice
for such applications, due to the relative light weight and design
flexibility over comparable metal equivalents. Plastic bumpers and
grills are, however, particularly susceptible to damage during
frontal impacts, including low speed impact events similar to those
encountered in the IIHS testing. During a low speed frontal impact
event, such as the IIHS flat barrier test, it has been repeatedly
observed in a variety of vehicles 1 that the front bumper and grill
are displaced relative to the vehicle chassis and damaged as a
result. Often the bumper and/or grill are damaged to such an extent
that they must be replaced. Replacement costs for these parts are
relatively high and are often the root cause of "poor" IIHS
performance ratings.
[0006] Thus, it remains desirable to provide a plastic bumper and
grill design that is less susceptible to damage during low-speed
frontal impacts, such as those encountered in IIHS testing.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] According to one aspect of the invention, a side attachment
is provided for attaching a grill to a front bumper of a vehicle
that allows the grill to pivot independently relative to the front
bumper during a frontal impact of the vehicle, thereby minimizing
damage to the grill and associated repair costs. More specifically,
the front bumper extends along a front end of the vehicle. The
grill is pivotally coupled to the front bumper for rotation about a
substantially horizontal pivot axis relative to the front bumper.
The grill has a bottom end releasably coupled to the front bumper
allowing rotation of the grill relative to the front bumper about
the pivot axis when the front bumper is deformed during a front
impact event.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Advantages of the present invention will be readily
appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to
the following detailed description when considered in connection
with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded front perspective view of a grill and
bumper assembly according to one embodiment of the invention;
and
[0010] FIG. 2 is an enlarged rear perspective view of the grill and
bumper assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The invention relates to an attachment of a front radiator
grill to a front bumper of an automotive vehicle. The attachment
allows the front grill to rotate relative to the front bumper
during an impact between an object and the front bumper, so as to
minimize damage to the front grill and costs associated with the
repair of the vehicle due to the impact.
[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle bumper 10 is adapted
to be fixedly secured to a front end of an automotive vehicle. The
bumper 10 includes a generally horizontal beam section 12 that
extends transversely along the front end of the vehicle. The beam
section 12 includes opposite top 14 and bottom 16 edges. A pair of
pillars 20, 22 extends upwardly from the top edge 14 of the bumper
10. The pillars 20, 22 are spaced apart from the ends of the beam
section 12 to define spaces for receiving headlamp housings. The
pillars 20, 22 are also spaced apart to receive a front grill 50
therebetween.
[0013] Each pillar 20, 22 includes a front face extending between
spaced apart inner 32 and outer side walls. Each inner wall 32
includes a rear edge 34. A slot 36 extends from the rear edge 34 of
the inner wall 32. The slot 36 is positioned adjacent the upper end
of the pillar 20, 22. A conventional spring-clip nut 40 is secured
to the inner wall 32. The nut 40 includes a threaded bore 42
aligned with the slot 36.
[0014] The grill 50 is generally rectangular shaped as viewed from
the front of the vehicle. The grill 50 includes opposite top 52 and
bottom 54 ends extending between opposite and spaced apart sides
56, 58. A hole 60 is formed in each side of the grill 50. The holes
60 in the grill 50 are substantially axially aligned with the slots
36 in the pillars 20, 22, when the grill 50 is seated in the space
between the pillars 20, 22.
[0015] The grill 50 is assembled to the bumper 10 by first
positioning the grill 50 between the pillars 20, 22. Flanges 28
extend outwardly from the pillars 20, 22 to engage corresponding
slots in the grill 50 to facilitate location of the grill 50
relative to the bumper 10. Threaded fasteners 70 are inserted
through the holes 60 in the grill 50 and the slots 36 along the
rear edge 34 the bumper 10. The fasteners 70 are threadingly
engaged with the nuts 40 and tightened to secure the grill 50 to
the bumper 10. Tabs 72 extend outwardly from the bottom end 54 to
secure the grill 50 to along the top edge 14 of the beam section
12. Optionally, push or barb-type fasteners are inserted through
corresponding holes formed in the bumper 10 and grill 50.
[0016] During the IIHS flat barrier front impact test, or other
similar low-speed impact event, the front bumper 10 is compressed,
deformed and displaced rearwardly and downwardly relative to the
front end of the vehicle chassis. The grill 50 is displaced along
with the bumper 10, until the tabs 72 disengage from the top edge
14 of the beam section 12. The grill 50 and bumper 10, however,
remain attached by the threaded fasteners 70 and are freely
pivotable relative to each other about a pivot axis 80 defined
through the holes 60 in the grill 50. As has been shown in repeated
testing, pivotal movement of the grill 50 relative to the bumper 10
during the impact event minimizes structural damage to the grill
50. Thus, the grill 50 is generally re-usable, notwithstanding any
minor cosmetic damage due to abrasions. Re-use of the grill 50
during a repair of the vehicle significantly reduces the repair
costs.
[0017] The invention has been described in an illustrative manner.
It is, therefore, to be understood that the terminology used is
intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of
limitation. Many modifications and variations of the invention are
possible in light of the above teachings. For example, the bumper
10 and grill 50 are typically formed from a glass-reinforced
plastic in an injection molding process, but can be produced from
any suitable materials and by any suitable methods known by those
having ordinary skill in the art. Further, any conventional
fastener 70 can be used for coupling the grill 50 to the bumper 10,
as long as it allows pivotal movement of the grill 50 relative to
the bumper 10 about the pivot axis 80 during a frontal impact
event. Thus, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention
may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.
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