U.S. patent application number 13/829952 was filed with the patent office on 2014-06-26 for pedestrian protective radiator grill.
This patent application is currently assigned to HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. The applicant listed for this patent is HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. Invention is credited to Tae Soo Jung, Hae Ryong Kim, Hun Soo Kim, Nam Cheol Kim, Jeong Ho Lee, Jin Wook Lee, Hee Chan Yang.
Application Number | 20140175815 13/829952 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 50878938 |
Filed Date | 2014-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140175815 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kim; Nam Cheol ; et
al. |
June 26, 2014 |
PEDESTRIAN PROTECTIVE RADIATOR GRILL
Abstract
A pedestrian protective radiator pill includes a radiator pill,
an operation unit, and a guide unit. The radiator pill is provided
at a front end portion of a vehicle and has an upper end portion
that moves forward away from a vehicle body so that the radiator
pill becomes perpendicular to the ground. The operation unit is
connected to the radiator pill and pushes the radiator grill in a
forward direction of the vehicle when an impact signal is input.
The guide unit provided under the radiator grill guides forward
linear movement of the radiator grill when the radiator pill is
pushed forward by the operation unit, and guides rotational
movement of the upper end portion of the radiator pill after the
radiator grill reaches an end of its movable range.
Inventors: |
Kim; Nam Cheol; (Suwon,
KR) ; Kim; Hun Soo; (Bucheon, KR) ; Lee; Jin
Wook; (Busan, KR) ; Kim; Hae Ryong; (Incheon,
KR) ; Yang; Hee Chan; (Gunpo, KR) ; Jung; Tae
Soo; (Siheung, KR) ; Lee; Jeong Ho; (Suwon,
KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY |
Seoul |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
Seoul
KR
|
Family ID: |
50878938 |
Appl. No.: |
13/829952 |
Filed: |
March 14, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
293/115 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R 19/52 20130101;
B60R 21/34 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
293/115 |
International
Class: |
B60R 19/52 20060101
B60R019/52 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 26, 2012 |
KR |
10-2012-0152954 |
Claims
1. A pedestrian protective radiator pill comprising: 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 pill and configured to push the radiator grill in a
forward direction relative to the vehicle when an impact signal is
input; and a guide unit provided under the radiator pill, the guide
unit guiding forward movement of the radiator pill when the
radiator pill is pushed forward by the operation unit, and guiding
rotational movement of the upper end portion of the radiator grill
after the radiator pill is pushed in the forward direction up to an
end of a movable range.
2. The pedestrian protective radiator pill according to claim 1,
wherein the operation unit includes a rod connected to a rear end
portion of the radiator pill and which is configured to extend and
retract, the radiator pill being moved by the extension and
retraction of the rod.
3. The pedestrian protective radiator pill according to claim 2,
wherein opposite ends of a link are rotatably coupled to the rod
and the radiator grill, respectively.
4. The pedestrian protective radiator grill according to claim 1,
wherein the radiator pill further includes a reinforcing member
provided on a rear surface, the operation unit being connected to
the rear surface of the reinforcing member.
5. The pedestrian protective radiator pill according to claim 1,
wherein the guide unit includes 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 pill and which
is provided at a lower end portion of the radiator grill.
6. The pedestrian protective radiator grill according to claim 5,
wherein the guide member has a hinge structure-forming groove
located under a front portion of the guide groove so as to
communicate with the front portion of the guide groove, and the
guide pin which has moved to the front end portion of the guide
groove enters the hinge structure-forming groove to enable axial
rotation of the radiator pill.
7. The pedestrian protective radiator grill according to claim 6,
wherein the guide pin has a latching notch at an upper end portion
of the guide pin, and 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 and latched in the latching notch.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.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.
BACKGROUND
[0002] (a) Technical Field
[0003] 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.
[0004] (b) Description of the Related Art
[0005] 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.
[0006] 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.
[0007] 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 in FIG. 1A, and the shin or thigh can be severely injured
as shown in FIG. 1B, which may result in serious damage to the
leg.
[0008] 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.
[0009] 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.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] 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.
[0011] 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.
[0012] 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.
[0013] 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.
[0014] 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.
[0015] 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.
[0016] 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.
[0017] 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.
[0018] 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.
[0019] 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.
[0020] 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] 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:
[0022] FIGS. 1A and 1B (RELATED ART) are diagrams depicting a leg
injury of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle;
[0023] 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;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of the
radiator grill according to the present invention and an
actuator;
[0025] FIGS. 4A and 4B are enlarged diagrams illustrating a portion
"A" and a portion "B" of FIG. 3, respectively, in an enlarged
manner;
[0026] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating states of the actuator
before and after the actuator has operated, respectively;
[0027] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a guide
unit according to the present invention; and
[0028] 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.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] Hereinbelow, preferred embodiments of the present invention
will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
[0030] 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.
[0031] 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.
[0032] With reference to FIG. 2, the structure of the pedestrian
protective radiator grill according to the present invention will
be described in detail. 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. When the
radiator grill 10 is pushed in the forward direction of the vehicle
by the operation unit, 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.
[0033] 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 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.
[0034] The operation unit preferably is installed behind the
radiator grill 10. When the impact signal is input, 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.
[0035] 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.
[0036] 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.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a combined structure of the
radiator grill 10 and the actuator 30 according to the present
invention.
[0038] With reference to FIG. 3, a reinforcing member 12 may be
installed on a rear surface of the radiator grill 10. In this case,
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.
[0039] 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.
[0040] With reference to FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 5, both ends of the link
34 may be rotatably coupled to the rod 32 and the radiator pill 10,
respectively.
[0041] 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. In particular, when the rod 32 extends, 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.
[0042] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the structure of the guide
unit according to the present invention. With reference to FIG. 6,
the guide unit preferably is provided under the radiator pill 10.
When the radiator pill 10 is pushed in the forward direction by the
actuator 30, 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.
[0043] 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.
[0044] In particular, 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.
[0045] When the rod 32 further pushes the radiator pill 10 when the
guide pin 14 reaches the front end of the guide groove 24, because
the guide pin 14 cannot move further, the upper end portion of the
radiator pill 10 rotates about the guide pin 14 serving as a
rotation axis.
[0046] At this time, because 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.
[0047] 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.
[0048] In particular, 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.
[0049] 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 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.
[0050] 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.
[0051] FIG. 7 is a sectional diagram illustrating states of the
radiator grill 10 before and after the radiator gall 10 moves,
respectively.
[0052] With reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B and 7, it is possible to
compute the amount of forward movement of the radiator grill
10.
[0053] The amount of the forward movement of the radiator grill 10
can be calculated by the following formula:
Y = X sin .beta. tan .alpha. + L ##EQU00001##
[0054] when 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, and .beta. is a slope of a front surface of the radiator gall
10.
[0055] 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 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.
[0056] Further, because 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. In addition, because 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.
[0057] 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.
[0058] 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.
* * * * *