Chrysler Corporation

Fca US LLC

Brian M Beaudet

Mark W Crossman

Frederick M Peters

Sae U Park

Dale A Bode

Theodore W Tobin

A vehicle front structure includes a left side rail that extends longitudinally in a front left portion of the vehicle. The left side rail includes an inboard shell and an outboard shell. A forward section of the outboard shell is at least partially disposed in an outer left quarter of a total width of the vehicle. A rearward section of the outboard shell is disposed inboard of the outer left quarter. The forward sections of the inboard and outboard shells each have a distal side, top side, and bottom side that respectively form generally U-shaped cross-sections. The outboard shell is fixedly attached to the inboard shell to form a generally rectangular cross-section. The forward section of the outboard shell is a first lateral width. The rearward section of the outboard shell is a second lateral width that is less than the first lateral width.

Vehicle front structure for lateral deflection during narrow offset impact

An energy-absorbing plate for absorbing energy from the force of a knee of the driver of a motor vehicle when the driver is thrown forward in response to a frontal impact. The plate has a knee impact zone and is mounted on rigid vehicle support structure in a position placing the impact zone directly in front of the right knee of the driver. The impact zone is connected to an upper wall portion of the plate by a generally horizontal shelf placing the impact zone closer to the right knee and providing additional stiffness for better crashworthiness. The plate has a bead adjacent one side of the impact zone capable of deforming into a shallower channel shape upon impact. The impact zone has a relatively large radius side edge portion capable of rolling with the deformation of the impact zone to improve energy absorption.

Driver knee energy-absorbing plate

A test fixture for simulating the inflation profile of a vehicle air bag. The test fixture includes a cavity block containing compressed nitrogen at a first predetermined pressure, and accumulator containing compressed nitrogen a second higher predetermined pressure, a diffuser containing an air bag at ambient pressure, a first rupture disk intermediate the accumulator and the cavity block adapted to rupture at a third predetermined pressure intermediate the first and second predetermined pressures, and a second rupture disk intermediate the diffuser and the cavity block adapted to rupture at a fourth predetermined pressure intermediate the first and second predetermined pressures. A valve is connected to the cavity block to selectively open the latter to release the mixture from the cavity block, to thereby increase the pressure differential across the first rupture disk to rupture same and then subject the second rupture disk to the released mixture to rupture same and, thence, subject the diffuser to the released pressure to inflate the air bag.

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Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Brian M Beaudet