DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to vehicular structures and more particularly, to a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle such as an off road vehicle having large tyres, in which the front panel rail assembly is adapted to absorb impact energy during a collision. Further, embodiments herein relate to a method of providing a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND
[002] Passenger and pedestrian safety is one of the important aspects in which research and development is being done in the automobile design and manufacturing field. Several systems have been proposed for occupant as well as pedestrian safety during a head on collision and a rearward collision of the vehicle. Modern vehicles use a variety of structures to protect the vehicle's occupants during a crash. Some of these structures are used to control the transmission of the crash energy to the passenger compartment while other structures, such as seat belts, head restraints, and air bags, are intended to restrain passenger movement during a crash, thereby preventing the passengers from hurting themselves as their bodies react to the crash forces.
[003] A bumper is typically the first vehicle structure to be impacted during a crash, many crash structures attempt to absorb as much energy as possible in the bumper itself, thus minimizing the energy that is transmitted into the vehicle. While crash energy may be absorbed in a bumper, large impact crashes typically require the use of other energy absorbing structures. For example, in a conventional vehicle the bumpers are often coupled to the vehicle by one or more crash boxes that are designed to collapse during a crash, thereby absorbing crash energy. A conventional art discloses a design for a crash box in which two overlapping and interconnected sheet metal shells form the crash box. The crash box is bolted to the bumper cross-member using at least one bolt that extends in a vertical direction through the overlap zone of the structure.
[004] In an off road vehicles, it is critical for designing the front structure of the vehicle to absorb and distribute the impact loads generated during a crash, as the vehicle includes larger tyres which further include larger tyre envelopes. With larger tyre envelope, the space available to assemble the aforementioned structures is very less. For example, in a front end structure of the off road vehicle, the space available for assembling a shot gun assembly which is primary energy absorbing member in body on frame vehicle is less.
[005] In addition to the above, many vehicle manufacturers and some insurance groups and government entities are pressing for improved crashworthiness of vehicles, and also for bumper systems that will provide for better pedestrian safety. Longer bumper strokes with lower initial energy absorption rates have the possibility of satisfying these desires, but this can result in energy absorbers that are physically larger in size than present bumper systems, and that are not easy to package and carry at a front of the vehicle. Thus, new integrated front panel rail assembly is desired to deal with the conflicting functional and design requirements.
[006] Therefore, there exists a need for a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle which is adapted to absorb impact energy during a collision. Further, there exists a need for a front panel rail assembly, which obviates the aforementioned drawbacks.

OBJECTS
[007] The principal object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle.
[008] Another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a method of providing a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle.
[009] Another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly for the vehicle such as an off road vehicle having large tyres, which absorbs impact energy during a collision and thereby meets safety requirements of the vehicle.
[0010] Yet another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly which includes a tyre catcher which is adapted to restrict a movement of tyre during collision thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle.
[0011] Still another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly which facilitates in easy assembling of a shot gun assembly thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle.
[0012] Still another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly which facilitates mounting of radiator thereon.
[0013] Further another object of an embodiment herein is to provide a front panel rail assembly which facilitates connecting of vehicular body to chassis.
[0014] These and other objects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0015] The embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, throughout which like reference letters indicate corresponding parts in the various figures. The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of one of a front panel rail assembly of a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0017] FIGS. 2a and 2b depict a right side view and a left side view of one of the front panel rail assembly, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0018] FIGS. 3a and 3b depict a top view and a bottom view of one of the front panel rail assembly, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0019] FIG. 4 depicts an enlarged perspective view of first and second mounting brackets connected to a front end of the front panel rail assembly, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0020] FIG. 5 depicts an enlarged perspective view of a tyre catcher connected to a second end of the front panel rail assembly, according to embodiments as disclosed herein;
[0021] FIGS. 6a and 6b depict a front view and a perspective view of a shot gun assembly connected to one of the front panel rail assembly, according to embodiments as disclosed herein; and
[0022] FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart indicating a method of providing a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[0024] The embodiments herein achieve a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle. Further, the embodiments herein achieve a method of providing a front panel rail assembly for a vehicle. Furthermore, the embodiments herein achieve the front panel rail assembly for the vehicle such as an off road vehicle having large tyres, which absorbs impact energy during a collision and thereby meets safety requirements of the vehicle. Moreover, the embodiments herein achieve the front panel rail assembly which includes a tyre catcher which is adapted to restrict a movement of tyre during collision thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle. Also, the embodiments herein achieve a front panel rail assembly which facilitates in easy assembling of a shot gun assembly thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 through 7, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown embodiments.
[0025] FIG. 1 depicts a perspective view of one of front panel rail assembly (100) of a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the front panel rail assembly (100) is explained herein below with reference to a absorbing impact energy in the vehicle such as an off road vehicle having larger tires. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide the front panel rail assembly (100) for absorbing impact energy in any other type of vehicles without otherwise deterring the intended function of the front panel rail assembly (100) as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. In an embodiment, the front panel rail assembly (100) includes a pair of front panel rails (102 and 104), (only one of which is shown in fig. 1 to fig. 6b), at least one first and second mounting brackets (108 and 110), (as shown in FIG. 2a and 2b) and at least one tyre catcher (106).
[0026] The pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) are disposed towards a front end of the vehicle. Further, the pair of front panel rails (102 and (104) defines a first end (116a) and second end (116b) opposite to the first end (116a), (as shown in fig. 1). The pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) is at least a left front panel rail (102) and a right front panel rail (104), each of which extends in a length-wise direction from a dash panel of the vehicle to the front end of the vehicle. The front panel rail (102) is spaced away and parallel with respect to the other front panel rail (104). The pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) is adapted to absorb impact energy during a collision of the vehicle, thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle. Further, the pair of front panel rails (102 and 104 (not shown) are adapted to transmit impact energy to a portion of vehicular structure.
[0027] FIGS. 3a and 3b depict a top view and a bottom view of one of the front panel rail assembly (100), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. Further, each front panel rails (102 and 104) include an inner panel rail (112) and an outer panel rail (114), (as shown in fig. 1) which are connected together. In an embodiment, the inner panel rail (112) and the outer panel rail (114) are flat beam structures having a front wall (not shown), a rear wall (not shown), a top wall (not shown) and a bottom wall (not shown). The front wall of inner panel rail (112) is connected to the rear wall of the outer panel rail (114) to form each of the front panel rails (102 and 104). In an embodiment, the inner panel rail (112) is connected to the rear wall of the outer panel rail (114) by welding. However, it is also within the scope of the invention to provide any other type of connection between the inner panel rail (112) and the outer panel rail (114) without otherwise deterring the intended function of the front panel rail assembly (100) as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings. Furthermore, each flat beam structure includes a linear portion (not shown) defined towards the first end (116a) and a curved portion extending from the linear portion and defined towards the second end (116b) of the front panel rails (102 and 104) as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b. Each front panel rail (102 and 104) defines a plurality of crush initiating portions (not shown) adapted to facilitate deformation of the front panel rails (102, 104) during collision.
[0028] FIG. 4 depicts an enlarged perspective view of first and second mounting brackets (108, 110) connected to a front end (116a) of one of the front panel rail assembly (100), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. The front panel rail assembly (100) further includes the at least one first and second mounting brackets (108 and 110) which are secured to the front end (116a) of each front panel rails (102 and 104 (not shown)). In an embodiment, the first mounting bracket (108) is at least a radiator mounting bracket which is adapted to mount a radiator (not shown) of the vehicle and the second mounting bracket (110) is a body mounting bracket which is adapted to connect vehicular body to chassis of vehicle.
[0029] FIG. 5 depicts an enlarged perspective view of a tyre catcher (106) connected to a second end (116b) of one of the front panel rail assembly (100), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. Furthermore, the front panel rail assembly (100) includes the tyre catcher (106) which is connected at the second end (116b) of both the left and right front panel rails (102 and 104). In an embodiment, the tyre catcher (106) is connected to the second ends (116b) of the front panel rails (102 and 104) by welding. In an alternate embodiment, the tyre catcher (106) and the front panel rail (102 or 104) are in unitary i.e. the tyre catcher (106) may be fabricated as an integral part of the front panel rails (102 and 104). In another embodiment, the tyre catcher (106) is a separate part which is connected to the front panel rail (102, 104). Each tyre catchers (106) are adapted to restrict a movement of tyre during the collision of the vehicle, thereby meeting crash and safety requirements of the vehicle.
[0030] FIGS. 6a and 6b depict a front view and a perspective view of a shot gun assembly connected to one of the front panel rail assembly (100), according to embodiments as disclosed herein. In an embodiment, the front panel rail assembly (100) is adapted to be coupled to a shot gun assembly (300) towards the top wall (not shown) of the front panel rails (102 and 104). The front panel rail assembly (100) almost nullifies the space constraint and thereby provides a predetermined space for assembling the shot gun assembly in the vehicle.
[0031] FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart indicating a method (200) of providing a front panel rail assembly (100) for a vehicle, according to embodiments as disclosed herein. For the purpose of this description and ease of understanding, the method (200) is explained herein below with reference to absorbing impact energy in the vehicle such as an off road vehicle having larger tyres. However, it is also within the scope of this invention to practice/implement the entire steps of the method (200) in a same manner or in a different manner or with omission of at least one step to the method (200) or with any addition of at least one step to the method (200) for absorbing impact energy in any other type of vehicles without otherwise deterring the intended function of the method (200) as can be deduced from the description and corresponding drawings.
[0032] The method (200) of providing a front panel rail assembly (100) for the vehicle is described herein. The method (200) includes providing a pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) towards front end of the vehicle (At step 202). Further, the method (200) includes connecting at least one first and second mounting brackets (108 and 110) at a first end (116a) of each front panel rails (102 and 104) (At step 204). Furthermore, the method (200) includes coupling a tyre catcher (106) to a second end (116b) of each front panel rails (102 and 104) (At step 206).
[0033] The technical advantages of the front panel rail assembly (100) are as follows. The front panel rail assembly (100) absorbs impact energy during a collision and thereby meets safety requirements of the vehicle. The front panel rail assembly (100) which includes a tyre catcher (106) which is adapted to restrict a movement of tyre during collision to meet crash standards of the vehicle. Also, the embodiments herein achieve a front panel rail assembly which facilitates in easy assembling of a shot gun assembly thereby meeting safety requirements of the vehicle.
[0034] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
,CLAIMS:We claim,
1. A front panel rail assembly (100) for a vehicle, said front panel rail assembly (100) comprising:
a pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) disposed towards a front end of said vehicle;
at least one first and second mounting brackets (108 and 110) secured at a first end (116a) of each of said front panel rails (102 and 104); and
a tyre catcher (106) coupled to a second end (116b) of each of said front panel rails (102 and 104).

2. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) are adapted to absorb impact energy during a collision; and
said tyre catcher (106) is adapted to restrict a movement of a tyre during collision.

3. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) are at least a left front panel rail (102) and a right front panel rail (104), each of which extends in a length-wise direction from a dash panel to front end of said vehicle.

4. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said front panel rails (102 and 104) includes an inner panel rail (112) and an outer panel rail (114) which are connected together, said each of inner and outer panel rails (112 and 114) are flat beam structures having a front wall, a rear wall, a top wall and a bottom wall, said front wall of said inner panel rail (112) is connected to said rear wall of said outer panel rail (114) to form each of said front panel rails (102 and 104).

5. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 4, wherein said each flat beam structure is includes a linear portion defined towards said first end (116a), and a curved portion, said curved portion extends from said linear portion and is defined towards said second end (116b) of said front panel rails (102 and 104).

6. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first mounting bracket (108) is a radiator mounting bracket adapted to mount a radiator; and
said second mounting bracket (110) is a body mounting bracket adapted to connect vehicular body to chassis of said vehicle.

7. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said tyre catcher (106) is connected to said second ends (116b) of said front panel rails (102 and 104) by welding, where the second (116b) of the front panel rails (102 and 104) is a rear end of the front panel rails (102 and 104) which is opposite to the front end (116a) of said front panel rails (102, 104).

8. The front panel rail assembly (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said tyre catcher (106) is a separate part or integrally formed on each of said front panel rails (102 and 104).

9. A method (200) of providing a front panel rail assembly (100) for a vehicle, said method (200) comprising:
providing a pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) towards a front end of said vehicle;
connecting at least one first and second mounting brackets (108 and 110) at a first end (116a) of each of said front panel rails (102 and 104); and
coupling a tyre catcher (106) to a second end (116b) of each of said front panel rails (102 and 104).

10. The method (200) as claimed in claim 9, wherein said pair of front panel rails (102 and 104) are adapted to absorb impact energy during a collision; and
said tyre catcher (106) is adapted to restrict a movement of a tyre during collision.