Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Aisin Seiki Company, Ltd.

Continental Structural Plastics, Inc.

Christopher M Higgins

Matthew A Jansma

Jessica A Riffe

Nathaniel P Jordan

Michael James Delp

Daisuke Teramoto

Jay Leonard Sackett

Herbert Meingast

David Lafayette Minock

Naoya Ashida

Christopher G Grant

Kazuhiro Fukazawa

Scott Louis Frederick

Paxton Steven Williams

Hideki Shimizu

Scott P Robison

Adam D Holmstrom

Christian Arthur Trager

Brian T Thurgate

Chad Eric Anderson

James J Chung

Wei Jiang

Masaaki Tanaka

Hironori Koeda

Steven D Harmon, Jr

Yuki Yoshimura

Yoshiteru Taniguichi

Yasuyuki Hihara

A stake assembly is disclosed with reference to a vehicle that includes a bed with a deck and a wall, and a rail secured to the wall. The stake assembly includes a stake axis, a stake base, a rail adaptor supported from the stake base, and a deck adaptor supported from the stake base. The stake base extends along the stake axis. The rail adaptor extends laterally to the stake axis beside the stake base and is configured to secure to the rail. The deck adaptor extends along the stake axis beneath the stake base and is configured to secure to the deck.

Stake assembly

A vehicular body structure includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes an adjacent ridge and valley with a leg shared therebetween, a crossbeam footprint crosswise to the adjacent ridge and valley, and a rib extending along the adjacent ridge and valley. Outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the ridge, approaching the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the leg into the valley, and across the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the valley.

Vehicular body structure

A vehicular body structural arrangement includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes corrugations, a crosswise crossbeam footprint and, along a partial length of the crossbeam footprint, two features for securing a crossbeam thereto. The corrugations include an adjacent ridge and valley. The features include a first feature having a first direction along the deck panel, and a second feature having a second direction toward the deck panel. The first feature includes a unitarily-formed web projecting normally to the deck panel past the ridge, and a rivet nut installed to the web against a backing facing the first direction. The second feature includes a unitarily-formed stanchion behind the web projecting normally to the deck panel from inside the valley, and a threaded insert seated in the stanchion facing the second direction.

Vehicular body structural arrangement

A vehicular body structural arrangement includes a unitarily-formed polymeric bed box including a bulkhead panel, an elongate reinforcement including a spine, and a row of rivet nuts securing the reinforcement to the bulkhead panel in an unconcealed manner. The reinforcement is backed against the bulkhead panel from outside the bed box. The rivet nuts are installed to the bulkhead panel against the reinforcement facing inside the bed box.

Vehicular body structural arrangements

A bed for a vehicle can include tie down anchors that extend at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, the tie down anchors can match a loading direction of a strap or other securement device, thereby minimizing or avoiding bending moments on the tie down anchors. The bed can include a tie down flange provided at an interface between a transverse wall and a side wall of the bed. A recess being defined on an outer side of the bed at the location of the tie down flange. A tie down anchor operatively connected to the tie down flange.

Angled tie down anchors

A vehicle includes a frame rail, a crossbeam resting atop the frame rail, a deck panel resting atop the crossbeam, an adaptor resting inside the crossbeam, and a fastener extending from atop the adaptor to the frame rail through the adaptor and the crossbeam. The deck panel includes an aperture and a bordering area around the aperture. The adaptor rises through the aperture and overtop the bordering area. The fastener overhangs the bordering area and is engaged with the adaptor overtop the bordering area, and is secured to the frame rail. The fastener thereby secures the adaptor to the frame rail against the crossbeam without tightening against the deck panel at the bordering area.

A vehicular body structure includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes adjacent ridges and valleys with legs shared therebetween, crossbeam footprints crosswise to the adjacent ridges and valleys, and ribs extending along the adjacent ridges and valleys between the crossbeam footprints and ending short thereof. The ribs project normally to the deck panel past the ridges, and have elongate cross-sectional shapes, with cross-sectional thicknesses substantially the same as or greater than the cross-sectional thicknesses of the adjacent ridges and valleys.

A computing system for an autonomous engine module stores a self-driving capability and is configured to determine, by communication between an autonomous engine module in which the computing system resides and other autonomous engine modules, and responsive to a user request for use of an autonomous engine module, at least one suitable autonomous engine module use candidate. The computing system may also generate a notification directed to the user including information relating to the at least one suitable autonomous engine module use candidate. The computing system may also receive a selection by the user of an autonomous engine module use candidate. The computing system may also, using the self-driving capability, autonomously drive the autonomous engine module to a designated pickup location responsive to selection by the user of the autonomous engine module as the autonomous engine module use candidate.

Transportation system including autonomous detachable engine modules and passenger module

A vehicle includes a vehicle body that has a cabin area and a cargo area including a truck bed assembly. A tailgate assembly is pivotally connected to the truck bed assembly at a location between a pair of tailgate posts, the tailgate assembly being moveable between a raised configuration and a lowered configuration. A vehicle video system includes a first rear video camera that captures a first field of view at least partially rearward of a rear bumper assembly of the vehicle body with the tailgate assembly in the raised configuration and a second rear video camera that captures a second field of view rearward of the tailgate assembly with the tailgate assembly in the lowered configuration.

Vehicle video systems including rear mounted video cameras

One or more vehicle sensors can be integrated into existing vehicle housings or structures to provide a streamlined appearance, potentially improved sensing capabilities, and a reduction in the use of extra structures to hold the one or more vehicle sensors. In one or more arrangements, one or more vehicle sensors can be located within a body of the vehicle and can be spaced from the vehicle emblem in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The one or more sensors can be configured and/or operatively positioned to sense at least a portion of an external environment of the vehicle through the vehicle emblem. In one or more arrangements, one or more sensors can be located within a front grille of the vehicle. The one or more sensors are configured to sense at least a portion of an external environment of the vehicle through the front grille.

Sensor integration into existing vehicle structures

A rear deck post assembly is provided for reinforcing a cargo bed of a utility vehicle. The assembly includes a first deck mount coupled to a vehicle frame, and a first rear deck post coupled to the first deck mount. A second deck mount is provided coupled to the vehicle frame and spaced apart from the first deck mount. A second rear deck post is coupled to the second deck mount. A deck sill component is provided longitudinally extending between the first deck post and the second deck post. Deck bolts may be used to couple the deck sill component, deck mounts, and deck posts to the vehicle frame. The first and second deck mounts and deck posts may be a cast aluminum alloy, a cast magnesium alloy, or a fiber reinforced composite material.

Two-piece deck post

A transportation system includes at least one passenger module and at least one autonomous engine module configured to operatively couple with the at least one passenger module to form an autonomous passenger vehicle.

A stake pocket insert is structured to be positionable in a stake pocket of a vehicle cargo bed side wall. The stake pocket insert includes a stake receptacle defining a stake-receiving cavity and a mounting member secured to the stake receptacle and structured to define an opening leading from an exterior of the stake pocket insert into the stake-receiving cavity. A stake securement mechanism is mounted along a first portion of the stake pocket insert. The stake securement mechanism is structured to be operable to press against a stake positioned in the stake-receiving cavity so as to bias the stake against a bearing surface, thereby securing the stake within the stake receptacle between the stake securement mechanism and the bearing surface.

Stake pocket insert

An apparatus and a method for designing a reinforcement structure. The reinforcement structure includes a deck sill with a connecting end, having substantially uniform area moment of inertia throughout a length of the deck sill. Also, the reinforcement structure includes a rear post with a connecting end and a free end, having a varying area moment of inertia, and where the rear post is attached to the deck sill in a substantially perpendicular manner by attaching the connecting end of the deck sill to the connecting end of the rear post forming the reinforcement structure that limits deflection of the free end of the rear post to a target value upon application of a cantilever force at the free end of the rear post.

Apparatus and method for designing deck sill and rear post

A system and method that detects, using processing circuitry, a predetermined energy condition. The processing circuitry determines a geographic location of a vehicle, identifies at least one energy station as a function of a plurality of factors, determines a vehicle range based on an energy level of the vehicle and a first mode of vehicle operation, determines whether an energy saving condition is satisfied based on the vehicle range, a location of the at least one energy station, and the geographical location of the vehicle, and enters an economy mode when the energy saving condition is satisfied.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Christopher M Higgins