Description:VEHICLE FRONT BUMPER WITH LOWER IMPACT ABSORBER FOR PROTECTING PEDESTRIAN LOWER LEG
FIELD OF INVENTION:
[001] The present subject matter described herein, relates to an energy absorber for vehicle, and, in particular, to an lower impact energy absorber for front bumper of the vehicle to absorb impact energy thus protecting lower leg of pedestrian and reducing injury to pedestrian upon impact. In more particularly, the present subject matter relates to lower impact energy absorber which can be optimised in height at selected impact zones, such as upper impact zone, middle impact zone, and lower impact zone to absorbs impact energy at lower leg or tibia locations in the lower leg and reduce injury to pedestrian leg.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART:
[002] Current bumper systems are formed of plastic material to absorb impact energy during crash. Further, the bumper system has an energy absorber which absorbs energy during pedestrian impact with the vehicle. There are several zones, such as upper leg and lower leg where vehicle hit the leg of pedestrian. The upper leg energy absorber is provided at the upper side of the bumper where upper part of radiator is mounted. Further, the lower leg energy absorber is provided at lower side where lower part of the radiator is mounted.
[003] Bumper of the vehicle makes contact with the pedestrian’s leg in the vicinity of knee while standing, walking, or running. There is a tendency for the pedestrian foot to remain placed on the ground due to inertia which forces the vehicle to the pedestrian’s leg to rotate about the foot or ankle and pedestrian falls on the bonnet of the vehicle. This impact causes severe knee injury and injury below the knee.
[004] To make the vehicle pedestrian safe, pedestrian safety requirements have to be followed. If any vehicle does not fulfill the pedestrian safety requirements, it would be dangerous for pedestrian. There are two types of pedestrian leg impactors, i.e., TRL test and Flex PLI test which can be used to evaluate the safety of pedestrian. With pedestrian safety requirements, front section of the vehicle can be qualitatively assessed according to the following criteria: 1) impact with an upper leg, 2) impact with a lower leg, 3) impact with the head on a bonnet of a motor vehicle.
[005] In order to achieve the pedestrian safety requirements, different embodiments of bumper assemblies were proposed by the automobile industry for a front region of a passenger car faced with a casing. Several energy absorbers can be seen in the patent publications in ES2395716T3, KR1019990034601, and FR2955302B1, and US 20050017520A1.
[006] There are two regions upper region and lower region in the vehicle front bumper which come into contact with the leg of the pedestrian during collision. The upper region consists of Femur portion of the leg and lower region consists of Knee and Tibia portion of the leg. Generally, the bumper is faced with an outer shell which amongst other things is to ensure a pleasant aesthetic external appearance and guarantee desired aerodynamics. The lower region has reinforcing element which is frequently also referred to as a so-called “lower bumper stiffener” (LBS for short) for “pedestrian-protection lower leg impact”, or can be designated as a reinforcement of the lower front bumper region for the protection of pedestrians in a leg impact. These reinforcing elements are made of foam or other highly cost materials which absorb the impact.
[007] Fig. 1 illustrates the placement of the energy absorber in the lower front region for absorbing the impact energy of lower leg. The assembly front body 101 of the vehicle has a front bumper 102 with an absorber 103 which is mounted in between the front bumper 102 and the front body 101. The absorber 103 is mounted at lower side to protect the lower leg portion, such as tibia 1, 2, 3, 4 of the leg from impact.
[008] Fig. 2 illustrates the energy absorber 103 made of foam which can be mounted in the lower region of the front bumper to absorb the impact energy. Conventionally, in the front bumper assemblies, foam resins based energy absorbers are used. Foam based absorbers typically have slow loading upon impact resulting in a high displacement. Further, while foams are effective to a sixty or seventy percent compression, beyond that point foams become incompressible such that the impact energy is not fully absorbed. The remaining impact energy is absorbed through deformation of a backup beam and/or vehicle structure which causes injury to the leg. Further, foams are temperature sensitive which displace in high and low temperatures, accordingly impact absorption behavior of the foam based absorbers changes substantially with temperature. Typically, as temperature is lowered, the foam becomes more rigid, resulting in higher loads to attain displacement. Conversely, as temperature rises, foams become more compliant resulting in higher displacements and possible vehicle damage.
[009] Further, adding of these absorbers results in the cost and weight of the bumper assembly of the vehicle which reduces the overall efficiency of the vehicle. Further, the lower leg energy absorbers are not efficient which can protect the lower leg from the impact.
[0010] In the present competitive automotive market, a major challenge for an automobile design engineer is to reduce component mass, thus reducing the system cost and increasing the fuel efficiency.
[0011] Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide an energy absorber that can be more simple and inexpensive, and which can be optimized as per the impact zones to absorb the impact energy based on the location and force of impact imparted to the pedestrian's lower leg.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
[0012] The principal objective of the present invention is to provide a lower impact energy absorber which prevents the bending of pedestrian leg by absorbing impact energy in the event of pedestrian collision with vehicle front end.
[0013] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide a lower impact energy absorber to absorb lower leg impact energy during collision of vehicle with pedestrian from front side.
[0014] Another object of the present subject matter is to provide an optimized lower impact energy absorber which provides optimized stiffness at different locations of the front bumper assembly of the vehicle.
[0015] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a lower impact energy absorber which is simple and inexpensive, and efficiently absorbs the impact energy without major injury to lower leg of the pedestrian.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
[0016] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a lower impact energy absorber for front bumper of vehicle to protect lower leg of pedestrian during impact of the vehicle with the pedestrian. The lower impact energy absorber incorporates three impact zones, such as upper impact absorbing zone, middle impact absorbing zone, and lower impact absorbing zone in vertical direction which are spread across the width of the vehicle in longitudinal direction. Each absorbing zone is designed according to vehicle dimensions for absorbing impact force efficiently. The upper impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Further, each of lobe from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion supported by two vertical projecting walls and a rear connecting portion. The middle impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobe from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion supported by two vertical projecting walls and a rear connecting portion. The rear connecting portion of the upper impact absorbing zone is connected with rear end of the front portion of the middle impact absorbing zone. The lower impact absorbing zone is connected with the middle impact absorbing zone by the rear connecting portion. The vertical projecting walls of each lobe connected with the rear connecting portion of each of the forwardly projecting crushable lobes. The lower impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobe from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion and a rear bending portion which is connected with the front portion by lower vertical projecting walls. The rear bending portion of the lower impact absorbing zone is connected with an inclined connection portion comprising a plurality of projecting inclined ribs which is molded with a base plate having a plurality of mounting projections to mount the lower impact energy absorber on lower cross member of the vehicle. The lower impact energy absorber is flexible along with the fixed mounting on the lower cross member by the inclined connection portion and act as a hinge to absorb the impact force.
[0017] In order to further understand the characteristics and technical contents of the present subject matter, a description relating thereto will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings are illustrative only but not used to limit scope of the present subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present subject matter and are therefore not to be considered for limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0019] Fig. 1 illustrates placement of energy absorber for lower leg in the front bumper of the vehicle;
[0020] Fig. 2 illustrates foam based energy absorber as known in the art;
[0021] Fig. 3 illustrates placement of lower impact energy absorber in between front bumper and front body of the vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0022] Fig. 4 and 5 illustrate assembly of lower impact energy absorber with the front bumper, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0023] Fig. 6 illustrates structure of the lower impact energy absorber, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0024] Fig. 7 illustrates rear view of the lower impact energy absorber, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0025] Fig. 8 illustrates lower perspective view of the lower impact energy absorber, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0026] Fig. 10 illustrates cross section view of the location of the lower impact absorber with respect to leg of the pedestrian (leg Impactor) as shown in the figure 9, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0027] Fig. 11 illustrates cross section view AA of figure 9 of the lower impact absorber, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter; and
[0028] Fig. 12 and 13 illustrate structural features of the lower impact absorber at rear side, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter;
[0029] The figures depict embodiments of the present subject matter for the purposes of illustration only. A person skilled in the art will easily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the principles of the disclosure described herein.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
[0030] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a lower impact energy absorber for front bumper of vehicle to protect lower leg of pedestrian during impact of the vehicle with the pedestrian. The lower impact energy absorber incorporates three impact zones, such as upper impact absorbing zone, middle impact absorbing zone, and lower impact absorbing zone in vertical direction which are spread across the width of the vehicle in longitudinal direction. Each absorbing zone is designed according to vehicle dimensions for absorbing impact force efficiently. The upper impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Further, each of lobes from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion supported by two vertical projecting walls and a rear connecting portion. The middle impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobes from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion supported by two vertical projecting walls and a rear connecting portion. The rear connecting portion of the upper impact absorbing zone is connected with rear end of the front portion of the middle impact absorbing zone. The lower impact absorbing zone is connected with the middle impact absorbing zone by the rear connecting portion. The vertical projecting walls of each lobe connected with the rear connecting portion of each of the forwardly projecting crushable lobes. The lower impact absorbing zone has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobe from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes has a front portion and a rear bending portion which is connected with the front portion by lower vertical projecting walls. The rear bending portion of the lower impact absorbing zone is connected with an inclined connection portion comprising a plurality of projecting inclined ribs which is molded with a base plate having a plurality of mounting projections to mount the lower impact energy absorber on lower cross member of the vehicle. The lower impact energy absorber is flexible along with the fixed mounting on the lower cross member by the inclined connection portion and act as a hinge to absorb the impact force.
[0031] It should be noted that the description and figures merely illustrate the principles of the present subject matter. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present subject matter. It should also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that by devising various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the present subject matter and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present subject matter, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures.
[0032] These and other advantages of the present subject matter would be described in greater detail with reference to the following figures. It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles of the present subject matter and are included within its scope.
[0033] Fig. 3, 4, and 5 illustrate assembly of lower impact energy absorber on the front body of the vehicle. As shown in the figure 3, a lower impact energy absorber 302 is provided in between front bumper 303 and the front body 301 of the vehicle. The lower impact energy absorber 302 is provided at lower side of the front bumper. As shown in the figure 4, the lower impact energy absorber 402 is mounted at lower side of the front bumper 401.
[0034] Figure 6, 7, and 8 illustrate structure of the lower impact energy absorber. The figure 6, 7, and 8 shows different view of the lower impact energy absorber for better clarity and understanding of features. As shown in different perspective views in figure 6, 7, and 8, the lower impact energy absorber 600 has upper impact absorbing zone 601, middle impact absorbing zone 602, and lower impact absorbing zone 603. All three impact zones of the lower impact energy absorber are provided in vertical direction with each other. Further, each of the impact absorbing zone is spread across the width of the vehicle in longitudinal direction. Each absorbing zone is designed according to vehicle dimensions for absorbing impact force efficiently. The upper impact absorbing zone 601 has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 601a adapted to crush upon impact. Further, each lobe 601a from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 601a has a front portion 1003a supported by two vertical projecting walls 1003aa, 1003ab and a rear connecting portion 1003b (as shown in figure 10). Further, the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 601a are spaced apart an equal distance from each other. Furthermore, the distance between each lobe can be optimized as per requirement for efficient impact absorbing. Accordingly, the lobes 601a can be spaced apart an unequal distance from each other. Each lobe 601a can have same or different cross sectional area which can be optimized as per dimensions of the vehicle and location of the impact. For example, center front portion of the bumper is highly impact prone area, therefore, dimensions of the lobes at the center can vary from the dimensions of other lobes.
[0035] Referring to figure 6 and 8, the middle impact absorbing zone 602 has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 602a adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobe 602a from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 602a has a front portion 1003c supported by two vertical projecting walls 1003ca, 1003cb and a rear connecting portion 1003d (as shown in the figure 10). The vertical projecting wall 1003ca is connected with the rear connection portion 1003b of the lobe 601a. The vertical projecting wall 1003cb is connected with the rear connection portion 1003d of the lobe 602a which is further connected with the lobe 603a of the upper impact zone. The rear connecting portion of the upper impact absorbing zone is connected with rear end of the front portion of the middle impact absorbing zone. The plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 602a are spaced apart an equal distance from each other. Further, the distance between each lobe can be optimized as per requirement for efficient impact absorbing. Accordingly, the lobes 602a can be spaced apart an unequal distance from each other. Each lobe 602a can have same or different cross sectional area which can be optimized as per dimensions of the vehicle and location of the impact. For example, center front portion of the bumper is highly impact prone area; therefore, dimensions of the lobes at the center can vary from the dimensions of other lobes.
[0036] The lower impact absorbing zone 603 is connected with the middle impact absorbing zone 602 by the rear connecting portion 1003c. The vertical projecting walls of each lobe connected with the rear connecting portion of each of the forwardly projecting crushable lobes to form a web type structure with a plurality of projections. The lower impact absorbing zone 603 has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 603a adapted to crush upon impact. Each of lobe 603a from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 603a has a front portion 1003e supported by two vertical projecting walls 1003ea, 1003eb and a rear bending portion 1003f which is connected with the front portion 1003e by lower vertical projecting walls 1003eb. The rear bending portion 1003f of the lower impact absorbing zone 603 is connected with an inclined connection portion 605, 1003g comprising a plurality of projecting inclined ribs 605a to provide strength to the inclined connection portion 605. The inclined connection portion 605 is molded with a base plate 606 which has a plurality of mounting projections 607 to mount the lower impact energy absorber 600 on lower cross member 1004 of the vehicle.
[0037] The plurality of mounting projections 607 are provided on the base plate 606 to mount the lower impact absorber 600 on the lower cross member by a plurality of mounting screws. The lower impact absorber 600 has a plurality of mounting holes 608 above the upper impact absorbing zone 601 to mount the lower impact absorber 600 with the inner fascia of the front bumper. The inclination angle between the rear bending portion 604, 1003f and the inclined connection portion 605 is in range of 10o to 80o. The lower impact energy absorber 600 is flexible along with the fixed mounting on the lower cross member 1004 by the inclined connection portion 605 and act as a hinge to absorb the impact force by the inclined connection portion 605.
[0038] The lower impact absorber 600 is a single integral unit which is made by the injection molding process with a single material. The plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) of the lower impact absorber 600 are spaced apart longitudinally across width of front end of the vehicle and covers the complete surface of the lower cross member. A plurality of ribs can be provided in between the vertically positioned impact absorbing zone to provide strength and rigidity to the lower impact absorber 600. The plurality of ribs avoids vertical bending of the zones along gap between the impact absorbing zones. The lower impact absorber 600 is made of plastic material which is selected from Polypropylene virgin or with mixed additives and any other resin material for example PU ,Nylon, etc.
[0039] In the lower impact absorber 600, different height and dimensions of the impact absorbing zones can be optimized for utilizing the minimum present space for maximum energy absorption and to avoid from becoming an additional hard zone. Further, the number of lobes in each zone can be optimized as per vehicle dimensions and for efficient absorption of impact force in frontal crash with the pedestrian. The lower impact absorber 600 is flexible and move forward and backward by the inclined connection portion and rear bending portion. Upon impact, the lower impact absorber 600 move backward direction and absorb the impact force. If magnitude of the impact force is more, the plurality of crushable lobes plastically deforms to absorb the impact energy. The plurality of crushable lobes maintains the aesthetic appearance of the front bumper by support the inner fascia of the front bumper from all sides. Further, the impact response of the lower impact energy absorber can be tuned for a specific vehicle through both the use of different density material, thickness of material, and/or part geometry of the energy absorber. Furthermore, vertical distance between the three impact absorbing zones can be optimized as per dimensions of the vehicle and the front bumper. All impact absorbing zones are integrated with each other by injection molding process. Different manufacturing process, such as compression molding can be opted for manufacturing the lower impact absorber 600. Further, different manufacturing process, such as compression molding, injection molding, reaction injection molding, blow molding or 3D printing can be opted for manufacturing the lower impact absorber 600.
[0040] Fig. 9 and 10 illustrates impact of the pedestrian leg by the pedestrian leg impactor with the lower impact absorber at front side of the vehicle. There are two types of pedestrian leg impactors, i.e., TRL and Flexi PLI which can be used to evaluate vehicle for pedestrian leg impact performance assessment before manufacturing of the final product. To make the vehicle pedestrian safe, pedestrian safety requirements has to be followed. If any vehicle does not fulfill pedestrian safety requirements, it would be dangerous for pedestrian. From these tests front section of the vehicle can be qualitatively assessed according to the following criteria: 1) impact with an upper leg, 2) impact with a lower leg, and 3) impact with the head on a bonnet of a motor vehicle.
[0041] During the Flex PLI test as per pedestrian safety requirements, a collision speed of 40 km/h or 11.1 m/s is fixed to check whether vehicle meets the desired regulated criteria or not. Table 1 gives injury parameters for desired pedestrian safety limits:
Table 1:
Sl. No Injury Location Evaluation Parameter Type of injury
1 Knee MCL [mm] Knee ligaments elongation
2 ACL [mm]
3 PCL [mm]
4 Tibia Tibia-1 [Nm] Tibia bone bending moment
5 Tibia-2 [Nm]
6 Tibia-3 [Nm]
7 Tibia-4 [Nm]

[0042] Fig. 10 illustrates the location of the leg impactor with the lower impact absorber 600. The flex impactor 1002 shows the hitting point of vehicle to the leg of the human. In this front face bumper test zone, knee measurement (MCL elongation and Tibia measurement (tibia bending moment) shows various impact zones. Table 1 illustrates various evaluation parameters for both the zones. To make a vehicle safe for the pedestrian, the vehicle has to meet these pedestrian safety requirements.
[0043] The lower impact absorber 600 protects the leg of the pedestrian at tibia 2, 3, and 4 locations as shown. Upon impact, the lower impact absorber 600 moves in backward direction to absorb the impact force. Once application of the impact force is over, the lower impact absorber 600 moves forward to original position. If magnitude of the impact of the force is more, the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes 01a, 602a, and 603a deforms and absorb the impact force and avoid hitting of leg with the hard zone, such as lower cross member.
[0044] The present lower impact absorber provides a freedom of optimization based on the dimensions of the vehicle and requirement of the impact absorption. Due to optimization of the lower impact absorber, it becomes possible to achieve high energy absorbing capabilities from the single molded piece with different impact absorbing zone. The present energy absorber is simple and inexpensive.
[0045] Although embodiments for the present subject matter have been described in language specific to structural features, it is to be understood that the present subject matter is not necessarily limited to the specific features described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as embodiments for the present subject matter. Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system/component of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations which fall within the scope of the present subject matter.

Claims:
We claim:
1. A lower impact energy absorber (600) for front bumper of vehicle to protect lower leg of pedestrian during impact of the vehicle with the pedestrian, the lower impact energy absorber (600) comprising:
an upper impact absorbing zone (601) which has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a) adapted to crush upon impact;
a middle impact absorbing zone (602) has a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (602a) adapted to crush upon impact; and
a lower impact absorbing zone (603) connected with the middle impact absorbing zone (602), the lower impact absorbing zone (603) having a plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (603a) adapted to crush upon impact, wherein each of lobe (603a) from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (603a) comprising a front portion (1003e) supported by two vertical projecting walls (1003ea, 1003eb) and a rear bending portion (1003f) which is connected with the front portion (1003e) by the vertical projected wall (1003eb),
wherein the rear bending portion (1003f) is connected with an inclined connection portion (605, 1003g) having a plurality of projecting ribs (605a) which is molded with a base plate (606) having a plurality of mounting projections (607) to mount the lower impact energy absorber (600) on lower cross member (1004) of the vehicle.

2. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of lobe (601a) from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a) comprising a front portion (1003a) supported by two vertical projecting walls (1003aa, 1003ab) and a rear connecting portion (1003b).

3. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of lobe (602a) from plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (602a) comprising a front portion (1003c) supported by two vertical projecting walls (1003ca, 1003cb) and a rear connecting portion (1003), wherein the rear connecting portion (1003b) of the upper impact absorbing zone (601) is connected with rear end of vertical projected wall (1003ab) of the front portion (1003c) of the upper impact absorbing zone (601).

4. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower impact energy absorber (600) is adapted to move backward and forward as hinge by the inclined connection portion (605, 1003g) about fix mounting on the lower cross member (1004) to absorb impact force.

5. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lobe from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) has a forward facing wall to receive the impact force.

6. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower impact energy absorber (600) has a plurality of mounting holes (608) to mount the lower impact energy absorber (600) on the front bumper (401).

7. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) are spaced apart longitudinally across width of front end of the vehicle.

8. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower impact energy absorber (600) is single integral unit of injection molded material.

9. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lower impact energy absorber (600) is made of plastic material.

10. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each front portion from the front portion (1003a, 1003c, 1003e) of the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) is supported by two forwardly projecting walls which are connected with rear connecting portion of each of the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a).

11. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lobe from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) have different cross sectional area.

12. The lower impact energy absorber (600) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each lobe from the plurality of forwardly projecting crushable lobes (601a, 602a, 603a) have same cross sectional area.