Abstract:
A front bumper system for a motor vehicle including a body and a front end module includes a beam coupled to the body and an energy absorbing cover coupled to the beam. The front bumper system also includes a grille coupled to the cover and covering at least a portion of the front end module. The grille can define a plurality of openings sized to at least partially restrict objects from contacting the front end module.

Description:
FIELD  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to energy absorbing systems, and more particularly to a front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.  
         [0003]     Generally, many motor vehicles employ front bumper systems that can withstand low speed impacts. Typically, these front bumper systems include a bumper beam and a bumper fascia coupled to the beam. During a low speed impact, the interior of the bumper fascia can become damaged from contact with the bumper beam. In addition, most motor vehicles do not provide a debris grill in front of the radiator or front end module. In many instances, debris damages the radiator or front end module causing costly repairs.  
         [0004]     Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0005]     A front bumper system for a motor vehicle, which includes a body and a front end module, has a beam coupled to the body and an energy absorbing cover coupled to the beam. A grille is coupled to the cover and covers at least a portion of the front end module. The grille defines a plurality of openings sized to at least partially restrict objects from contacting the front end module.  
         [0006]     Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     
    
     DRAWINGS  
       [0007]     The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0008]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary motor vehicle employing a front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille according to the principles of the present invention;  
         [0009]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 3  is a front view of the front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0011]      FIG. 4  is a partial side view of the front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille of  FIG. 1  coupled to a beam as shown along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0012]     The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, application, or uses. Although the following description is related generally to a front bumper energy absorber with an integrated debris grille for a mobile platform, such as a motor vehicle, it will be understood that the front bumper system, as described and claimed herein, is used with any appropriate application. Therefore, it will be understood that the following discussions are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.  
         [0013]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , a motor vehicle  10  is shown including a front bumper system  12  coupled to a body  14 . In addition, the term “body” as described herein is used to denote the traditional frame and body or a uniform motor vehicle body. The front bumper system  12  includes a bumper fascia  16 , an energy absorbing debris grille  18 , a beam  20  and a front end module  22 .  
         [0014]     The bumper fascia  16  is generally coupled to the body  14 , or is coupled to the front end module  22 . Generally, the bumper fascia  16  is formed of a polymeric material, such as polypropylene (PP) or thermoplastic-olefin elastomers (TEO) however, various other materials could be employed, along with fiber reinforcement, such as glass reinforcement, if desired. The bumper fascia  16  is molded into any desired shape, such as arcuate or semi-elliptical, but it will be understood that the bumper fascia  16  could be formed into any desired shape as required for the particular mobile vehicle  10 . The bumper fascia  16  defines at least one or a plurality of openings  24  therein to enable air to flow into the front end module  22 , as will be discussed in greater detail herein. The bumper fascia  16  also generally defines an outer surface  26  and an inner surface (not specifically shown). The inner surface  28  is disposed adjacent to the energy absorbing debris grille  18  (not specifically shown).  
         [0015]     With reference to  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the energy absorbing debris grille  18  includes an energy absorbing cover  30  coupled to a grille or screen assembly  32 . The energy absorbing debris grille  18  is formed of any desirable material, such as PP and TEO, but other materials having similar properties could be used. Typically, the cover  30  is integrally formed with the screen assembly  32  through any appropriate process, such as injection molding.  
         [0016]     The cover  30  generally serves to absorb energy or force F, which is generated from a low speed collision. The cover  30  generally extends for a substantial length of the beam  20 , but the cover  30  could be any other desired length. The cover  30  generally acts as a buffer between the bumper fascia  16  and the beam  20  to reduce the likelihood of deformation of the beam  20  upon application of the force F. Thus, the cover  30  also protects the inner surface  28  of the bumper fascia  16  from damage by reducing the chance for sharp edges (not shown), which results from deformation of the beam  20 . The cover  30  defines at least one or a plurality of apertures  34  for receipt of fasteners to couple the cover  30  to the beam  20 .  
         [0017]     The cover  30  further includes a first side  38  and a second side  40 . The first side  38  is generally disposed adjacent to the inner surface  28  of the bumper fascia  16 . It should be noted that the first side  38  also includes at least one raised additional energy absorbing feature (not specifically shown). An example of a suitable additional energy absorbing feature is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,510, assigned to Shape Corporation, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The second side  40  of the cover  30  is configured to mate with the beam  20  (not specifically shown). The cover  30  also includes an end  42 , which couples the cover  30  to the screen assembly  32 , as shown best in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0018]     The screen assembly  32  includes a lip  44 , which includes a first end  46  coupled to the end  42  of the cover  30  ( FIG. 4 ). The lip  44  is any desired shape, but generally has a width W that is approximately equivalent to a width W 2  of the beam  20  ( FIG. 4 ). The lip  44  is generally planar, but may include an area  48  with an increased thickness T for rigidity ( FIG. 3 ). The lip  44  also includes at least one or a plurality of notches  50 . The notches  50  acts to keep the energy absorbing cover  30  tight around a bottom of the beam  20 . The lip  44  also includes a second end  52 , which is coupled to a first end  54  of a frame  56 . The frame  56  provides a support structure for a screen  58 .  
         [0019]     The frame  56  generally includes the first end  54  coupled to the lip  44 , a second end  60  and a plurality of sides  62 . The first end  54 , second end  60  and sides  62  generally form a rectangular shape; however, the shape of the frame  56  is modified according to the front end module  22  as will be described in greater detail below. The second end  60  defines at least one or a plurality of cavities  64 . The cavities  64  are generally U-shaped to enable an assembly operator to insert a fastening tool (not shown) and a fastener (not shown) to couple the front end module  22  to the body  14 . The sides  62  of the frame  56  generally have a thickness T 3  to provide stability and rigidity to the frame  56  ( FIG. 4 ). At least one or a plurality of arms  66  is coupled to or forms an intersection of the second end  60  and the sides  62 . Each of the arms  66  defines an aperture  68  for receipt of a fastener to couple the second end  60  of the frame  56  of the screen assembly  32  to the front end module  22  (not specifically shown). It should be noted, however, that the second end  60  of the frame  56  could be coupled to the front end module  22  through any appropriate technique, such as through welding or adhesives.  
         [0020]     The screen  58  is integrally formed between the first end  54 , the second end  60  and the sides  62 . Generally, the screen  58  is integrally formed with the first end  54 , the second end  60  and the sides  62 . The screen  58  defines a plurality of apertures  72 . The apertures  72  are hexagonal in shape, but the apertures  72  could also be octagonal or any other shape. Generally, the apertures  72  forms a honeycomb pattern, but any other configuration could be used. The apertures  72  are spaced a desired distance apart; however, it should be noted that depending on the bumper fascia  16  and the front end module  22 , the apertures  72  could be spaced a larger or smaller distance apart. It should be noted that although the screen  58  is described herein as being integrally formed with the frame  56 , the screen  58  could be a conventional wire mesh screen, which is coupled to the frame  56  via mechanical fasteners and the like.  
         [0021]     The beam  20  is coupled to the body  14  and includes a first side  74  and a second side  76 . The first side  74  of the beam  20  defines at least one or a plurality of apertures (not specifically shown) for receipt of the fasteners  36  to couple the cover  30  to the beam  20  and the second side  76  is generally substantially planar to the screen assembly  32 . The beam  20  is composed of a metallic material, such as steel or steel alloys, but could also be composed of magnesium, aluminum or plastic composites. The second side  76  of the beam  20  is generally adjacent to the front end module  22 .  
         [0022]     The front end module  22  generally provides an interface between a drivetrain (not specifically shown) and a vehicle body (not specifically shown) of the motor vehicle  10 . Given that the front end module  22  is configured to contain a variety of components, such as a heating and cooling system and other components typically found in the front end of a motor vehicle, only a few of these components will be discussed herein. It will be understood, however, that the front end module  22  could contain any of the numerous components listed above, or additional components depending on the manufacturer&#39;s specifications.  
         [0023]     With reference to  FIG. 1 , the front end module  22  includes a support structure  80 , and a cooling system  82  coupled to and disposed in the support structure  80 . The support structure  80  defines at least one or a plurality of apertures therein (not shown) for receipt of a fastener to couple the support structure  80  to the body  14 . The support structure  80  further defines at least one or a plurality of apertures (not shown) for receipt of the fastener to couple the screen assembly  32  to the front end module  22 . The fastener is inserted through the arms  66  of the frame  56  of the screen assembly  32  to couple the screen assembly  32  and, thus, the energy absorbing debris grille  18 , to the front end module  22 . The support structure  80  defines an opening  94  for receipt of the cooling system  82 .  
         [0024]     As is generally known, the cooling system  82  includes a radiator  96  coupled to a plurality of coolant lines  98  to receive a coolant from a coolant reservoir (not shown) and a coolant pump (not shown) for supplying the coolant. The radiator  96  is operable to cool the drivetrain (not shown). The radiator  96  is generally positioned in the support structure  80  so that the radiator  96  receives air through the openings  24  of the bumper fascia  16  to cool the coolant in the radiator  96 . The radiator  96  is coupled to the support structure  80  through any appropriate technique, such as mechanical fasteners or welding. The radiator  96  generally extends for a desired length within the support structure  80 , and the screen assembly  32  is generally disposed over at least one-third to one-half the desired length of the radiator  96 , which is generally equivalent or slightly larger than a length of the openings  24  of the bumper fascia  16  (not specifically shown). Thus, the screen assembly  32  of the energy absorbing debris grille  18  serves to protect an exposed area of the radiator  96  from debris or particles that could enter through the openings  24  of the bumper fascia  16 .  
         [0025]     In order to assemble the front bumper system  12 , the energy absorbing debris grille  18  is coupled to the front end module  22  and beam  20  after the front end module  22  is assembled with the radiator  96  of the cooling system  82  and other desired components. It should be noted that the following description is for illustration only, and the front bumper system  12  could be assembled in any desired order. Generally, the first side  38  of the cover  30  is coupled to the first side  74  of the beam  20  by inserting the fasteners  36  through the apertures  34  of the cover  30  and into the apertures of the beam  20  (not specifically shown). Next, the fasteners  70  are inserted through the apertures  68  defined in the arms  66  and into the apertures  92  defined in the support structure  80  to couple the screen assembly  32  to the front end module  22 . Next, the front end module  22  is coupled to the body  14 . Typically, an assembly operator inserts a fastening tool through the U-shaped cavities  64  to couple the front end module  22  to the body  14  via a fastener. Then, the bumper fascia  16  is disposed around the energy absorbing debris grille  18  and front end module  22  and coupled to the body  14  to complete the assembly process.  
         [0026]     When the motor vehicle  10  is in operation, debris entering the openings  24  in the bumper fascia  16  is prevented from contacting the radiator  96  of the cooling system  82  by the honeycombed screen  58 . If, during operation, the motor vehicle  10  is subjected to the force F of a low speed collision, the cover  30  absorbs the force F of the collision to prevent damage to the beam  20  and bumper fascia  16 .  
         [0027]     The description of these teachings is merely exemplary in nature and, thus, variations that do not depart from the gist of the teachings are intended to be within the scope of the teachings. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the teachings.