Patent ID: 7461850

Claim:
In combination with a passenger vehicle having longitudinal chassis beams defining a vehicle longitudinal direction and having a support structure selected from the group consisting of a sub-frame and a cross member, an underride protection device, comprising: a substantially two-dimensionally extensive element delimiting the passenger vehicle towards a bottom side of the passenger vehicle, said substantially two-dimensionally extensive element having inner portions and outer portions, said inner portions being disposed closer to the support structure than said outer portions; a transverse member extending in a vehicle transverse direction; two lateral members extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction; said transverse member, said two lateral members, and said substantially two-dimensionally extensive element being disposed below the longitudinal chassis beams in front of the support structure such that said transverse member, said two lateral members, and said substantially two-dimensionally extensive element define a crash plane below the longitudinal chassis beams; first coupling elements connecting said inner portions of said substantially two-dimensionally extensive element to the support structure; and second coupling elements fixedly connecting said outer portions of said substantially two-dimensionally extensive element to the longitudinal chassis beams.