Patent ID: 7192079

Claim:
A pedestrian protection apparatus for a motor vehicle comprising: a grill affixed to a front end structure of the motor vehicle, an actuator coupled to the grill for moving the grill between a retracted position and an extended position, with the grill in the extended position providing impact protection for a pedestrian impacted by the motor vehicle through energy absorption through retraction of the grill against the actuator, a control unit for controlling the actuator based at least in part on the forward speed of the motor vehicle; wherein when the forward speed of the motor vehicle is greater than a first predetermined threshold, and the grill is in the extended position, the control unit causes the grill to move to the refracted position; and wherein when the forward speed of the motor vehicle is less than the first predetermined threshold and greater than a second predetermined threshold, and the grill is in the retracted position, the control unit causes the grill to move to the extended position.