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A vehicle bumper system includes a beam and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam. The thermoformed energy absorber has a plurality of elongated crush boxes thermoformed from a base flange. Crush boxes near a center of the beam are up to about three inches deep, and as a re

A vehicle bumper system includes a beam and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam. The thermoformed energy absorber has a plurality of elongated crush boxes thermoformed from a base flange. Crush boxes near a center of the beam are up to about three inches deep, and as a result have side walls that are stretched when thermoformed, while crush boxes near ends of the beam are much shorter and hence not as thin. As a result, the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact.

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I claim: 1. A bumper system for vehicles comprising: p1 a beam; and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, some of the crush boxes b

I claim: 1. A bumper system for vehicles comprising: p1 a beam; and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, some of the crush boxes being near a center of the beam and being designed for center impact, and others of the crush boxes being near ends of the beam and having a different shape designed for corner impact, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, the walls having a reduced thickness due to being stretched when thermoformed, with at least some of the walls having a side thickness less than half of a thickness of the base flange. 2. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein the crush boxes near the center of the beam have a front portion on the fore-aft-extending side walls that is less than about half of a thickness of the base flange, and the crush boxes near the ends of the beam have a forward portion with a thicker cross section than the front portion of crush boxes near the center, such that the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact. 3. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein the crush boxes near the center have a fore/aft dimension of at least 3 inches deep. 4. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein the crush boxes near the ends have a fore/aft dimension of below 1 inch deep. 5. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein all side walls have a cross section that is tapered in a fore/aft direction. 6. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein at least some of the crush boxes are two times longer than wide. 7. The bumper system defined in claim 1, wherein the front wall defines a first sweep that is greater than a second sweep defined by the base flange. 8. A bumper system for vehicles comprising: a beam; and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, some of the crush boxes being longitudinally-elongated to have a length at least three times a vertical dimension of the crush boxes, wherein the crush boxes near the center of the beam have a front portion on the fore-aft-extending side walls that is less than about half of a thickness of the base flange, and the crush boxes near the ends of the beam have a forward portion with a thicker cross section than the front portion of crush boxes near the center, such that the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact. 9. The bumper system defined in claim 8, wherein the crush boxes near the center have a fore/aft dimension of at least 3 inches deep. 10. The bumper system defined in claim 8, wherein the front wall defines a first sweep that is greater than a second sweep defined by the base flange. 11. A bumper system for vehicles comprising: a beam; and a thermoformed energy absorber positioned on a face of the beam, the thermoformed energy absorber having a base flange, and having a plurality of spaced-apart crush boxes thermoformed from the base flange, the crush boxes being longitudinally elongated to at least three times their width, some of the crush boxes being near a center of the beam and extending forward of the beam a first distance in height, and some of the crush boxes being near ends of the beam and extending forward of the beam a second distance in height, the first distance being at least double the second distance, the crush boxes each including a front section spaced from the base flange and including top, bottom, and fore-aft-extending side walls that extend from the front section to the base flange, the side walls having a non-constant thickness and being tapered in shape due to being stretched when thermoformed, the crush boxes near the center of the beam that are the first distance in height having a front portion of the fore-aft-extending walls that is less than about half of a thickness of the base flange, and the crush boxes near the ends of the beam that are a second distance in height having a thicker cross section than the crush boxes near the center, such that the center area has a softer impact intended to reduce pedestrian injury during impact.