Patent ID: 7607720

Claim:
A pedestrian protection apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a plate member which is disposed at a lower part of a front of the vehicle so as to extend in a frontward and backward direction of the vehicle, which includes a front portion and a rear portion, and which is fixed at the rear portion to the vehicle; and at least one reinforcing bead each formed integrally on the front portion of the plate member to form a channel-like configuration that alternatingly opens only upward or downward, and each including a bead-extending portion which extends in the frontward and backward direction of the vehicle and a bead-end portion which has a plate-like configuration and which extends integrally from a rear-side edge of the bead-extending portion for connecting the rear-side edge of the bead-extending portion and the rear portion of the plate member, the apparatus being arranged to sweep a leg portion of a pedestrian that has collided with the front of the vehicle by contact of a front end of the plate member with the leg portion of the pedestrian, thereby protecting the leg portion of the pedestrian, wherein a connecting portion between the bead-end portion of each of the at least one reinforcing bead and the rear portion of the plate member is gently curved.