Toronto, Ontario — Ford has filed a patent application for a retractable bumper assembly system intended to help vehicles avoid coming into direct contact with pedestrians.
The patent—which was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on May 19, 2023, and was published on November 21, 2024—specifically notes that “some vehicles, such as light duty trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUVs), for example, may have a bumper height that could lead to an uneven impact on the femur and/or tibia of the pedestrian by the vehicle bumper during certain vehicle-pedestrian impacts.”
“For example,” the patent continues, “light duty trucks may have bumper heights to provide ground clearance to clear speed bumps, curbs, parking blocks et cetera. As such, a design for the vehicle front-end is investigated for pedestrian leg impact energy management while addressing ground clearance requirements.”
The bumper described would thus rely on a rod, bracket and spring system that could be disengaged when a vehicle is travelling over a certain speed. As a result, the bumper would be able to retract in the event of a collision with a pedestrian and more evenly distribute force from the impact, which could in turn, reduce the risk of more severe injuries occurring.
Ultimately, while there is no guarantee that this patent will ever make it to the manufacturing stage, the technology is perhaps one way to acknowledge the size disparity between light-duty trucks, SUVs and pedestrians.
To read the full patent, click here.
