Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Abdelmonaam Sassi

Jamil M Alwan

Joseph Edward Abramczyk

Matthew Brian Makowski

Shekar Prabhakar Erasala

Thiag Subbian

Djamal Eddine Midoun

Chelliah Madasamy

Peyman Aghssa

Ihab Grace

Amar Marpu

John Jardine

Anil Reddy Pullalarevu

Nathan Kristofor Tardif

Jayanth Kumar Basavalingiah

Sean Brady

Heiko Landsmann

Sean Timothy Ryan

Sudip Sankar Bhattacharjee

Christopher John May

Jeffrey Charles Paddock

Ahteram Khan

Mike Popovski

Michal Jan Swiniarski

Barry Grindle

Sino Johan Van Dyk

Marcus John Scott Ward

Jay Douglas Blackson

Adam Denlinger

Jaspinder S Sahi

Chi-Chin Wu

Tofiqul Islam

Courtney L'Arrivée

Abigail Evelyn Christensen

Echung Su

Michael Kryzaniwskyj

Kumar Mahadevan

Steven Michael Lutowsky, Jr

Frank Timm

Matthias Hofmann

Joseph Giaimo

Lawrence Bis

Aruna Nandadeva Tilakasiri

Diego Santos

Jonathan Beaudoin

Binyamin Qamruzzaman

A vehicle includes a vehicle body including a front pillar and a rear pillar spaced from the front pillar. The vehicle body includes a rocker extending from the front pillar to the rear pillar. The vehicle includes a step bar supported by the rocker. The step bar extends from a first end aligned with the front pillar to a second end aligned with the rear pillar. The step bar is movable between a raised position and a lowered position. In the raised position, the step bar overlaps the rocker in a vehicle-outboard direction. The step bar extends upwardly above the rocker.

Vehicle step bar

This disclosure details rigid linkages for mounting traction battery packs to portions of a vehicle frame. The rigid linkages are designed to allow the traction battery pack to articulate away from deforming structures of the vehicle frame as part of an energy distribution system. During the articulation, the rigid linkage is capable of conserving its integrity to push the traction battery pack away from the deforming structures, thereby preventing the deforming structures from contacting the traction battery pack.

Rigid linkages for battery packs

A vehicle includes a first pillar and a second pillar spaced from the first pillar along a vehicle-longitudinal axis. A rotational actuator is disposed at the first pillar. The rotational actuator is fixed relative to the first pillar. A cable is engaged with the rotational actuator and is elongated along the vehicle-longitudinal axis to the second pillar. The cable is moveable to a deployed position by the rotational actuator and is under tension in the deployed position.

Cable reinforcement for vehicle doors

A method and an apparatus, according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery pack supported by at least one vehicle frame member, a side frame member positioned adjacent to an edge of the battery pack, and a cross-member extending away from the side frame member and above the battery pack. The cross-member is spaced from the battery pack by a gap. At least one bracket is mounted to at least one of the side frame member and cross-member within the gap such that in response to an impact load, the bracket prevents the cross-member from direct contact with the battery pack.

Passive structural stopper bracket

A battery pack attachment assembly includes, among other things, a first bracket configured to be secured directly to a vehicle underbody, and a second bracket. The first bracket extends vertically above the first bracket such that the second bracket is spaced from the vehicle underbody when the first bracket is secured directly to the vehicle underbody.

Battery pack to vehicle attachment assembly and attachment method

An assembly includes a subframe, a rocker, a battery cage supported by the rocker, and a battery supported by the battery cage. The assembly includes a reinforcement bolted to the rocker and positioned to be along a load path through the subframe resulting from a vehicle frontal impact.

Vehicle frame assembly

A connected assembly can include, among other things, first and second side rails of a battery pack of an electrified vehicle. The battery pack including a plurality of battery arrays disposed between the first and second side rails within an enclosure assembly. The connected assembly further includes a lateral rail extending from the first side rail to the second side rail, and a bracket assembly directly connected to the first side rail and the lateral rail. A battery pack connection method can include, among other things, directly connecting a bracket assembly to a horizontally facing side of a lateral rail, and directly connecting the bracket assembly to a horizontally facing side of a first side rail of an enclosure assembly that holds a battery pack of an electrified vehicle between the first side rail and a second side rail.

Connected battery pack assembly and connecting method

A battery pack according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a tray, a cover mounted to the tray and a beam system including a first beam attached to the tray and a second beam attached to the cover.

Beam system for electrified vehicle battery packs

A vehicle body includes a roof rail elongated along a longitudinal axis, and first and second bows each connected to the roof rail. A brace includes a base, a first arm and a second arm. The base is elongated along the longitudinal axis, with the first arm extending from the base along the first bow and fixed to the first bow, and the second arm spaced from the first arm and extending from the base along the second bow and fixed to the second bow.

Vehicle body reinforcing brace

A vehicle sill reinforcement includes a first elongate member and a second elongate member. Each of the first elongate member and the second elongate member includes steps and walls disposed in alternating arrangement along an axis. The walls of the first elongate member are fixed to the walls of the second elongate member. The steps of the first elongate member and the steps of the second elongate member are aligned along the axis and define cavities therebetween. The steps and walls of the sill reinforcement resist buckling in response to both vertical and horizontal components of impact force applied to the sill reinforcement.

Vehicle sill reinforcement

An exemplary electrified vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a lower wall of a battery enclosure and an upper wall of the battery enclosure. The upper wall includes an upper wall deformation area that is configured to deform in response to a load applied to the battery enclosure prior to other areas of the upper wall.

Deformable battery pack enclosure

A curtain airbag for a motor vehicle includes an inflatable cushion and a protective sheet having an attachment edge attached to the airbag and a free-length extending from the attachment edge. The cushion formed into a folded condition from which it is deployable in a deployment direction, and the free-length of the sheet is positioned adjacent to the deployment direction of the cushion. The airbag is installed in the vehicle to deploy adjacent to a daylight opening of the vehicle. Deployment of the cushion during inflation causes the protective sheet to be drawn along with the cushion in the deployment direction so that the sheet overlays the outboard-facing side of the cushion (between the cushion and the daylight opening) and thereby provides a degree of protection against damage to the cushion that may be caused by, for example, broken window glass.

Curtain airbag with protective sheet

An exemplary rocker assembly includes a vehicle rocker at a lateral side of a vehicle, and a battery rocker at a lateral side of a battery pack of the vehicle. An exemplary energy absorbing method includes directing a first portion of a side load through a first load path that extends through a vehicle rocker at a lateral side of a vehicle, and directing a second portion of the side load through a second load path that extends through a battery rocker at a lateral side of a battery pack.

Energy absorbing rocker assembly

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Windsor, CA, United States of America

Abdelmonaam Sassi