Patent ID: 7134700

Claim:
A bumper system for a vehicle comprising: a beam for attachment to a vehicle; an energy absorber engaging a face of the beam; the energy absorber having a top horizontal section defined by a top wall and an upper-mid wall connected by an upper-front wall, and having a bottom horizontal section defined by a bottom wall and a lower-mid wall connected by a lower-front wall, and further having a middle horizontal section defined by a mid-front wall connecting the upper-mid wall and the lower-mid wall, the top and bottom horizontal sections including top and bottom front nose portions that extend forward of the mid-front wall and that define a horizontal channel therebetween in front of the mid-front wall; the front nose portions being configured to provide a first level of energy absorption during an initial impact stroke that collapses one or both of the front nose portions, and the top, middle, and bottom horizontal sections providing a higher second level of energy absorption during a continuing impact stroke that collapses the energy absorber against the face of the beam; and a fascia covering the energy absorber and the beam; whereby, during an initial front impact stroke, the top and bottom front nose portions provide a relatively low-energy absorption that contacts an impacted object, and then during a further continuing impact stroke, the top, middle, and bottom horizontal sections crush to provide an increased energy absorption.