Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Bhimaraddi Venkaraddi Alavandi

Erika Kristin Low

Rajarathinam Jayachandran

Djamal Eddine Midoun

Vladimir Vladimirovich Bogachuk

Matt Alan Niesluchowski

Harsha Kusnoorkar

Shekar Prabhakar Erasala

John Michael McGuckin

Scott J Bell

Kevin A Gustafson

Se Kyoon Shin

Sankar Krishnamoorthy

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Zhibing Deng

Deepak Patel

Todd Nelson Clark

Matthew Brian Makowski

Sean Timothy Ryan

Zhenyan Gao

Jeffrey Dan Rupp

Thiag Subbian

Stephen Thomas Kozak

Conor Daniel Hennessey

Roy Joseph Scott

Herbert Yang

Erich Kemnitz

John Vincent Fazio

Michael Luchtman

Jeffrey Lawrence Laya

Kirk D Rasmussen

Wanjun Lei

Oliver O Nwankwo

Aileen M DeVoe

Morteza Tanbakuchi

John Joseph Nizienski

Sriram Gopal

Andres Gonzalez Mendivil

Adrian Diaz

Ranny Hamameh

Edgar Butron Luz

Robert Sharp

Vinaya Rachala

Paul Ribai

Lalitha Gade

Venkateswaran Ramanarayanan

Pradeep Borate

Harshavardhan Virinchipuram Kylas

Pratt Kamath

Senthilkum Mahadevan

A structural assembly for a vehicle includes a left frame, a right frame, a cross beam, a bumper structure, and a pair of deflectors. The left frame rail and the right frame rail are spaced apart from each other and extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The cross beam extends in a transverse direction and connects the left and right frame rails to each other. The bumper structure extends in the transverse direction and is secured to front ends of the left frame rail and the right frame rail. Each deflector includes a rear end secured to an outboard wall of a respective left and right frame rail and a front end secured to a respective end of the bumper structure. Each deflector is angled in a forward direction of the vehicle from a location adjacent to the cross beam.

Structural assembly having angled deflector

Vehicle subframes and methods of producing the same are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a subframe of a vehicle including longitudinal members, and lateral extensions extending from the longitudinal members, the lateral extensions extending outward from a longitudinal centerline of the vehicle, outer edges of the lateral extensions including contours to avoid turn radii of steerable tires of the vehicle.

Vehicle subframes and methods of producing the same

A vehicle load management system includes, among other things, a traction battery mounted to an underbody structure of a vehicle, a rear subframe of the vehicle and a bushing sleeve of the rear subframe. The bushing sleeve has a convex outer surface. The system further includes a rear rail of the vehicle and a blocker that is disposed along a longitudinal axis of the vehicle between the bushing sleeve and at least a portion of the traction battery. The blocker has a concave surface adjacent the convex outer surface of the bushing sleeve.

Vehicle load management system and method

An apparatus for protecting against damage to a vehicle during a low speed collision. The apparatus includes a headlamp adapted to breakaway to provide the vehicle with front end compliance for pedestrian protection. To avoid causing further damage to vehicle components during the low speed collision, a compressible stopper, such as a foam block, is provided for simultaneously engaging the headlamp and a component of the vehicle during the rearward movement of the headlamp as a result of the collision. Related methods are also disclosed.

Compressible stopper behind headlamp for protecting closures against damage during a low speed collision

A vehicle bumper assembly may include a fascia, a bumper beam arranged inside of the fascia including an upper portion and a lower portion, and a reinforcement block arranged only on the upper portion of the bumper beam and configured to absorb energy and to eliminate contact of the upper portion with the fascia during a collision.

Reinforcement block

A side impact protective structure is provided for a vehicle floor pan. Right and left rear rails are attached, respectively, to right and left lateral sides of the floor pan. A kick-up cross member extends transversely between the right and left rocker assemblies. A right reinforcement is welded to the floor pan, the right rear rail, and the kick-up cross member. A left reinforcement is welded to the left rear rail, to the floor pan and the kick-up cross member. An assembly method includes the steps of selecting a thin mild steel floor pan between a thicker HSLA steel structural member and a thicker corner reinforcement and welding the components together with three thickness welds.

Method and apparatus for reinforcing a vehicle floor pan to prevent separation in a side impact

A motor vehicle headlamp assembly mounted to a front corner of a motor vehicle between a side fender panel and a front body panel has a front portion and a rear portion, a forward mount attached to a front structure of the motor vehicle, and a rearward mount attached to a rear structure of the motor vehicle situated rearward of the front structure. An anchor cable has a first end attached to the rear portion of the headlamp assembly and a second end attached to the motor vehicle proximate the rear structure, whereby the rear portion of the headlamp assembly is substantially restrained from rearward, upward, and outward movement during a low velocity impact event.

Cable device to restrict headlamp motion in frontal low speed impacts

A deflector assembly for a vehicle having a bumper and a frame rail that are connected by a crush-can. The deflector assembly absorbs impact forces in a small overlap rigid barrier test by directing the impact from the barrier in a lateral direction toward the frame rail. A guide and follower, such as a wheel-shaped roller, a ball-shaped roller, a sliding shoe, or a fastener is received in a guide member that defines a guide surface extending longitudinally to guide a back end of the deflector assembly in a full frontal impact in a longitudinal direction.

Deflector with frame rail follower and guide on deflector end

A bumper assembly includes a beam and a rigid device. The beam is at least partially spaced from a vehicle fascia. The rigid device is disposed on the beam in a space defined between the fascia and the beam. The rigid device is configured to transmit and at least partially absorb a force applied to the fascia and limit damage to a rear of the vehicle. The exemplary bumper assembly may further include at least one crush can disposed on the beam. The rigid device is generally aligned with the crush can but on opposing surfaces of the beam.

Rigid device for low speed damageability of vehicles

An impact absorption assembly includes a bumper that is attached to a crush-can. The crush-can is assembled within a frame rail or other chassis frame member. A load path for a low speed impact is provided from the bumper through the crush-can and to the frame rail. An outer body structure defines an opening through which the crush-can is assembled to avoid damage to the outer body structure that may include a back-light support panel, a lift-gate and a rear tail light.

Crush-can attached to a frame rail through a vehicle body

A catcher bracket disposed between a powertrain and a sub-frame of a vehicle. The catcher bracket defines a load path in a collision that is sufficient to displace the powertrain that directs the force of the impact through the catcher bracket to a sub-frame of the vehicle. The sub-frame is connected to the body structure of the vehicle by fasteners that fracture to decouple the powertrain and sub-frame from the body structure of the vehicle to reduce the collision pulse.

Powertrain catcher bracket

A front-end assembly including a deflector and a catcher bracket. The V-shaped deflector is attached to a bumper of a vehicle, a rear leg of the deflector has a distal end disposed adjacent to the frame rail. In a collision, the distal end of the rear leg engages the catcher bracket to reduce intrusion into the passenger compartment of the vehicle.

Deflector-catcher for small overlap vehicle impacts

A mounting system for a control module in a vehicle comprises a housing with a flange formed with an opening adapted to receive a fastener for securing the housing to the vehicle. A crack initiator causes a crack to occur in the flange or the housing and thus reduces bending of the housing during a side impact collision causing lateral forces. Preferably, an attachment bolt extends through the opening into the vehicle and the flange forms a C-shape around the opening to allow lateral forces during the side impact collision to force the attachment bolt to slide out of the opening. Preferably, electronic components in the module include an event data recorder for recording data about the vehicle collision and relaying the data after the collision, a communications system for calling for assistance and a controller for cutting off the vehicle fuel supply.

Mounting system for an electronic control module housing in a vehicle

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle structural frame with an overlap-barrier-impact deformation scheme, the frame has: a rail defining a first longitudinal axis; a first energy absorption device defining a second longitudinal axis outside of the first longitudinal axis with respect to a vehicle; and a connector extending between the rail and the first energy absorption device.

Vehicle structural frame with partial-overlap-barrier-impact deformation scheme

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Bhimaraddi Venkaraddi Alavandi