The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 12, 2012
Filed:
Nov. 05, 2010
Daniel Ralston, Walker, MI (US);
Vidya Revankar, Grand Haven, MI (US);
Amit Ashok Kulkarni, Grand Haven, MI (US);
Darin Evans, Spring Lake, MI (US);
Olaf Insel, Rothemühle, DE;
Yassine Ghozzi, Wolfsburg, DE;
Alexander Besch, Gifhorn, DE;
Oliver Knoke, Braunschweig, DE;
Ngoc-dang Nguyen, Wolfsburg, DE;
Daniel Ralston, Walker, MI (US);
Vidya Revankar, Grand Haven, MI (US);
Amit Ashok Kulkarni, Grand Haven, MI (US);
Darin Evans, Spring Lake, MI (US);
Olaf Insel, Rothemühle, DE;
Yassine Ghozzi, Wolfsburg, DE;
Alexander Besch, Gifhorn, DE;
Oliver Knoke, Braunschweig, DE;
Ngoc-Dang Nguyen, Wolfsburg, DE;
Shape Corp., Grand Haven, MI (US);
Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Wolfsburg, DE;
Abstract
A bumper system includes an injection molded energy absorber of polymeric material having hollow longitudinally-spaced lobes configured to crush and absorb energy during a pedestrian impact, and straps interconnecting adjacent lobes. The lobes are particularly sized and dimensioned, including potentially external ribs and/or apertures in corners, to provide a relatively uniform impact energy absorption during an impact stroke during crush of the shear walls of the lobes, such as within +/−30% or more preferably within +/−20% of a desired amount regardless of a specific location of impact, along a selected center portion of the energy absorber. A reason for the uniformity is to promote pedestrian safety regardless of the specific location where a pedestrian's leg strikes the energy absorber.