Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Barbara Ann McKeehan

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Kirk David Arthurs

Stephen Hongbin Kang

Sarah Beth Certeza

A knee bolster assembly having a vehicle frame structure, a bracket structure having a base portion and two contoured side wall portions that extend from the base portion to ends that attach to the frame structure, a trigger point occurs in each side wall portion at a first maximum width and a first minimum width between side wall portions, and a knee bolster plate cooperating with the base portion.

Knee bolster bracket

An occupant restraint system for a vehicle having an energy absorbing device. The energy absorbing device is attached to a vehicle pillar and is also attached to the vehicle's seat belt. When a predetermined load is placed on the seat belt, the energy absorbing device is activated to reduce the peak load. The energy absorbing device includes a spool rotatably mounted to the pillar, a wire member attached at one end to the spool, wound around the spool, and attached at another end to the seat belt. Tear resistant media at least partially encases the wire member and the spool such that as the wire member unwinds from the spool, it cuts through the tear resistant media thereby absorbing energy so as to reduce the peak seat belt load.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Barbara Ann McKeehan