1. A frontal impact countermeasure assembly for a vehicle, the countermeasure assembly comprising:
a front side rail extending in a generally longitudinal direction and having a forward end;
a bumper extending generally transverse and lateral to the longitudinal direction of the front side rail and having a main bumper member and a bumper extension forming an end portion of the bumper, the bumper extension extending laterally from the main bumper member and forming an outboard end of the bumper, wherein the bumper extension is mounted to the forward end of the front side rail; and
a pivot link having a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion, wherein the front mounting portion is engaged with the bumper extension and the rear mounting portion is engaged with the front side rail.
2. The countermeasure assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the bumper extension has a front member and a rear member; and
the rear member is bolted to the forward end of the front side rail.
3. The countermeasure assembly of claim 2, wherein:
the front side rail is a hollow box structure comprising an inner wall, an outerwall, an upper wall, and a lower wall; and
bolts attaching the rear member of the bumper extension to the front side rail extend into a cavity of the hollow box structure through the forward end of the front side rail.
4. The countermeasure assembly of claim 2, wherein:
the front member and the rear member of the bumper extension each comprise a pair of opposed flanges that extend substantially horizontally; and
the front mounting portion of the pivot link is received within the pairs of opposed flanges.
5. The countermeasure assembly of claim 1, wherein:
the front side rail defines a box structure including an outer wall, an inner wall, an upper wall and a lower wall; and
an engagement of the rear mounting portion with the front side rail defines a rear pivot joint that includes a pivot bracket mounted to the outer wall of the front side rail and engaged with the rear mounting portion of the pivot link.
6. The countermeasure assembly of claim 5, wherein:
the outer wall defines a vertical height of the front side rail; and
the pivot bracket has a base defining a length greater than the vertical height of the front side rail.
7. The countermeasure assembly of claim 6, further comprising a lower extension extending downward from the lower wall of the front side rail, wherein the base of the pivot bracket is further fastened to the lower extension.
8. The countermeasure assembly of claim 7, wherein the lower extension defines an outer wall that is generally planar with the outer wall of the front side rail.
9. The countermeasure assembly of claim 8, wherein the lower extension defines a box structure.
10. The countermeasure assembly of claim 5, wherein:
a bulkhead with a flange is disposed inside the front side rail; and
the flange is bolted to the pivot bracket through the front side rail.
11. The countermeasure assembly of claim 10, wherein the bulkhead extends across an entire width of a cavity defined by the box structure of the front side rail.
12. The countermeasure assembly of claim 10, wherein the pivot bracket and the bulkhead are arranged laterally outward from and longitudinally overlapping with an engine of the vehicle.
13. The countermeasure assembly of claim 10, wherein:
the bulkhead is substantially U-shaped and is positioned in the front side rail such that the U-shape of the bulkhead opens outward; and
the bulkhead forms a closed cavity with the outer wall of the front side rail.
14. The countermeasure assembly of claim 13, wherein:
a pivot bore of the rear mounting portion of the pivot link is aligned with apertures formed in the pivot bracket, the apertures defining a pivot axis of the rear pivot joint; and
the pivot axis is aligned with the bulkhead and positioned outward from the bulkhead.
15. The countermeasure assembly of claim 14, wherein:
the pivot bracket is secured to the front side rail with at least one front bolt and at least one rear bolt;
the closed cavity is located between the at least one front bolt and the at least one rear bolt in a longitudinal direction; and
the pivot axis of the rear pivot joint is located between the at least one front bolt and the at least one rear bolt in a longitudinal direction.
16. The countermeasure assembly of claim 10, wherein:
the pivot bracket includes a pair of opposed flanges that extend generally horizontally and laterally outward from the front side rail, the pair of opposed flanges being connected to and spaced apart by a vertical wall of the pivot bracket; and
the rear mounting portion of the pivot link is received between the pair of opposed flanges.
17. The countermeasure assembly of claim 1, wherein:
an engagement of the front mounting portion with the bumper extension defines a front pivot joint;
an engagement of the rear mounting portion with the front side rail defines a rear pivot joint; and
a center of the front pivot joint is offset from a center of the rear pivot joint in a vertical direction relative to the vehicle.
18. The countermeasure assembly of claim 17, wherein the center of the front pivot joint is vertically higher than the center of the rear pivot joint relative to the vehicle.
19. The countermeasure assembly of claim 1, wherein the rear mounting portion of the pivot link has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the front mounting portion of the pivot link.
20. A frontal impact countermeasure assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
a front side rail extending in a generally longitudinal direction to a forward end;
a bumper comprising a main bumper member and a bumper extension coupled to the forward end of the front side rail with fasteners extending through the forward end of the front side rail and into a cavity of the front side rail and the bumper extension is coupled to at least a portion of the main bumper member outboard of the front side rail; and
a pivot link comprising a front mounting portion and a rear mounting portion, wherein the front mounting portion is engaged with the bumper extension and the rear mounting portion is engaged with the front side rail.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A transformer inrush current suppression apparatus for suppressing a magnetizing inrush current generated by a three-phase transformer when the three-phase transformer is energized by a three-phase circuit breaker, which energizes the three-phase transformer with a three-phase power supply by simultaneous three-phase energizing, the transformer inrush current suppression apparatus comprises:
a target closing phase determining circuit for calculating energization flux errors in first to third phases by changing a closing phase of the first phase within a range from 0 degrees to 360 degrees, and for determining a target closing phase which minimizes an evaluated value of the energization flux errors in the first to third phases, each of the energization flux errors corresponding to a maximum offset amount of center values of transformer fluxes generated in a static state after the three-phase circuit breaker is energized when the three-phase circuit breaker is closed; and
a three-phase circuit breaker controller for controlling the three-phase circuit breaker to be closed at the target closing phase determined by the target closing phase determining circuit, and
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit calculates the energization flux errors in the first to third phases based on
residual flux values for the first to third phases of the three-phase transformer,
a variation in an inclination of a withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to a pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker,
a variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker, and
a connection condition of windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected,
while changing the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time within ranges including values the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time can have,
wherein the evaluated value is a sum of the energization flux errors in the first to third phases.
2. A transformer inrush current suppression apparatus for suppressing a magnetizing inrush current generated by a three-phase transformer when the three-phase transformer is energized by a three-phase circuit breaker, which energizes the three-phase transformer with a three-phase power supply by simultaneous three-phase energizing, the transformer inrush current suppression apparatus comprises:
a target closing phase determining circuit for calculating energization flux errors in first to third phases by changing a closing phase of the first phase within a range from 0 degrees to 360 degrees, and for determining a target closing phase which minimizes an evaluated value of the energization flux errors in the first to third phases, each of the energization flux errors corresponding to a maximum offset amount of center values of transformer fluxes generated in a static state after the three-phase circuit breaker is energized when the three-phase circuit breaker is closed; and
a three-phase circuit breaker controller for controlling the three-phase circuit breaker to be closed at the target closing phase determined by the target closing phase determining circuit, and
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit calculates the energization flux errors in the first to third phases based on
residual flux values for the first to third phases of the three-phase transformer,
a variation in an inclination of a withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to a pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker,
a variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker, and
a connection condition of windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected,
while changing the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time within ranges including values the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time can have,
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit further determines the energization flux errors based on offset amounts of closing time average values relative to the closing time of the first phase, the offset amounts being provided for two phases other than the first phase.
3. A transformer inrush current suppression apparatus for suppressing a magnetizing inrush current generated by a three-phase transformer when the three-phase transformer is energized by a three-phase circuit breaker, which energizes the three-phase transformer with a three-phase power supply by simultaneous three-phase energizing, the transformer inrush current suppression apparatus comprises:
a target closing phase determining circuit for calculating energization flux errors in first to third phases by changing a closing phase of the first phase within a range from 0 degrees to 360 degrees, and for determining a target closing phase which minimizes an evaluated value of the energization flux errors in the first to third phases, each of the energization flux errors corresponding to a maximum offset amount of center values of transformer fluxes generated in a static state after the three-phase circuit breaker is energized when the three-phase circuit breaker is closed; and
a three-phase circuit breaker controller for controlling the three-phase circuit breaker to be closed at the target closing phase determined by the target closing phase determining circuit, and
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit calculates the energization flux errors in the first to third phases based on
residual flux values for the first to third phases of the three-phase transformer,
a variation in an inclination of a withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to a pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker,
a variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker, and
a connection condition of windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected,
while changing the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time within ranges including values the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time can have,
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit determines the energization flux errors in the respective phases at the respective closing phases of the first phase based on the following:
an upper limit and a lower limit of the residual flux value for the first phase;
an upper limit and a lower limit of the residual flux value for the second phase;
an upper limit and a lower limit of the residual flux value for the third phase;
the variation in the inclination of the withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to the pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker;
the variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker;
the connection condition of the windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected; and
voltage phase differences.
4. A transformer inrush current suppression apparatus for suppressing a magnetizing inrush current generated by a three-phase transformer when the three-phase transformer is energized by a three-phase circuit breaker, which energizes the three-phase transformer with a three-phase power supply by simultaneous three-phase energizing, the transformer inrush current suppression apparatus comprises:
a target closing phase determining circuit for calculating energization flux errors in first to third phases by changing a closing phase of the first phase within a range from 0 degrees to 360 degrees, and for determining a target closing phase which minimizes an evaluated value of the energization flux errors in the first to third phases, each of the energization flux errors corresponding to a maximum offset amount of center values of transformer fluxes generated in a static state after the three-phase circuit breaker is energized when the three-phase circuit breaker is closed; and
a three-phase circuit breaker controller for controlling the three-phase circuit breaker to be closed at the target closing phase determined by the target closing phase determining circuit, and
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit calculates the energization flux errors in the first to third phases based on
residual flux values for the first to third phases of the three-phase transformer,
a variation in an inclination of a withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to a pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker,
a variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker, and
a connection condition of windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected,
while changing the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time within ranges including values the inclination of the withstanding voltage line and the closing time can have, further comprising:
a map memory for storing a map including relations between the residual flux values for the respective phases and the target closing phase,
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit determines the energization flux errors in the respective phases, at the respective closing phases of the first phase, for respective combinations of the residual flux values for the first to third phases based on the following:
the residual flux values for the first to third phases;
the variation in the inclination of the withstanding voltage line, the variation being due to the pre-arc characteristic of the three-phase circuit breaker;
the variation in closing time of the three-phase circuit breaker;
the connection condition of the windings of the three-phase transformer, to which the three-phase circuit breaker is connected; and
the voltage phase differences,
wherein, for the respective combinations of the residual flux values for the first to third phases, the target closing phase determining circuit determines the target closing phases of the first phase so as to minimize the evaluated value related to the energization flux errors in the first to third phases,
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit creates the map based on the target closing phases of the first phases determined for the respective combinations of the residual flux values for the first to third phases, and previously stores the map in the map memory,
wherein the target closing phase determining circuit determines the target closing phase of the first phase with reference to the map based on the residual flux values for the first to third phases.