Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Corinne D Uskali

Naipaul Deo Ramoutar

Jonathan Richard Young

Mark D Clauser

Sagar Kulkarni

Matthew W Schnabelrauch

Shunsukei Kanagai

Tyler E Schnug

Donald E Maynard

David Takeo Nakayama

Kevin O'Beirne

William F Graves

Kuo Sun

Jason J Hallman

Yizhou Fan

Colin Michael Ravenscroft

Manikandan Babymony

Noell G Johnson

Jaspreet Singh

Shunsuke Kanagai

A vehicle includes a side member that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A rocker support extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and is spaced outboard of the side member in the vehicle lateral direction. A C-pillar assembly is coupled to and extends upward from the rocker support. A floor cross member extends in a vehicle lateral direction that is connected to the side member. A pillar assembly to floor cross member reinforcement gusset links the C-pillar assembly and the floor cross member.

Pillar assembly to floor cross support member reinforcement gussets for vehicle side structures

A vehicle includes a body framework including a side roof rail structure that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction that includes a slide rail portion including an upper slide rail channel panel and a lower slide rail channel panel connected to the upper slide rail channel panel forming a slide rail channel for receiving a slide door assembly. The side roof rail structure includes a side roof reinforcement portion including a rail reinforcement panel that is connected to the upper slide rail channel panel providing a space there between. A cross support member extends in a vehicle lateral direction toward the side roof rail. A vehicle side reinforcement member is located in the space and is connected at an inboard end to the cross support member and at an outboard end to the rail reinforcement panel.

Vehicle body side reinforcement members and vehicles incorporating the same

A vehicle includes a rocker support that extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A C-pillar assembly is coupled to and extends upward from the rocker support. A vehicle door includes a door reinforcement beam having a rear portion located adjacent the C-pillar assembly. A door reinforcement beam catch projection extends through at least part of the C-pillar assembly and terminates at a location above the rear portion of the door reinforcement beam in the vehicle vertical direction to engage the rear portion of the door reinforcement beam only after movement of the door reinforcement beam into the C-pillar assembly.

Door reinforcement beam catch projections for vehicle side structures

A vehicle includes a bumper beam and a bumper fascia that covers the bumper beam. An energy absorption member includes a first laterally positioned leg including a mounting flange connected to the bumper beam and a second laterally positioned leg including a mounting flange connected to the bumper beam. The first and second laterally positioned legs are located at opposite sides of a forward facing surface and are spaced-apart from each other.

Frontal impact energy absorption members

Vehicles incorporating load-transferring hood hinge members are disclosed. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes an A-pillar portion, an upper side member coupled to the A-pillar portion and extending forward from the A-pillar portion in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and a dash panel coupled to the A-pillar portion and extending in a vehicle lateral direction that is transverse to the vehicle longitudinal direction. The vehicle also includes a hood hinge member that is coupled to the upper side member and positioned forward of the A-pillar portion. The hood hinge member includes an attachment portion that is coupled to the upper side member, a flange member that extends upward from the attachment portion, a hood attachment opening passing through the flange member, and a rearward-projecting protrusion having a distal surface that is positioned transverse to the flange member.

Vehicles having load-transferring hood hinge members

A bumper beam assembly includes a bumper reinforcement beam that connects to right and left side members of a vehicle at a rear face of the bumper reinforcement beam at a respective bumper beam connecting location and that extend rearward therefrom in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A spacer member is connected to the rear face outboard of the bumper beam connecting location. The spacer member includes a front wall, a rear wall, an inboard wall and an outboard wall, the inboard and outboard walls extend between the front wall and rear wall in the vehicle longitudinal direction. The front wall is connected to the rear face of the bumper reinforcement beam at a connecting portion. The front wall includes a chamfer wall portion outboard of the connecting portion that is separated from the rear face of the bumper reinforcement beam providing a space between the chamfer wall portion and the rear face of the bumper reinforcement beam.

Bumper assemblies including spacer members and vehicles incorporating the same

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a unibody structure of a vehicle includes an inboard A-pillar member, an outboard A-pillar member positioned outboard of the inboard A-pillar member and coupled to the inboard A-pillar member, and a reinforcement member positioned between the inboard A-pillar member and the outboard A-pillar member. The reinforcement member is coupled to the outboard A-pillar member and has a plurality of reduced thickness regions that are positioned in a vehicle vertical direction along the reinforcement member.

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same

A vehicle including a lower reinforcement assembly for a front pillar assembly includes a rocker outer reinforcement member that extends in a vehicle lengthwise direction and includes a vertically oriented face. An upper portion extends inwardly from the face in a vehicle widthwise direction and a lower portion extends inwardly from the face in the vehicle widthwise direction thereby defining a vehicle lengthwise extending cavity. A front pillar lower reinforcement member is connected to the rocker outer reinforcement member. The front pillar lower reinforcement member includes an upwardly extending pillar portion and a lengthwise extending rocker portion having a vertically oriented face that extends downwardly terminating at the face of the outer reinforcement member at a lower edge that extends in the vehicle lengthwise direction. The front pillar lower reinforcement member includes a lower wrap reinforcement structure that extends downwardly beyond the lower edge and inwardly in the vehicle widthwise direction over a corner of the rocker outer reinforcement member. The corner connects the face of the rocker outer reinforcement member and the lower portion of the rocker outer reinforcement member.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Corinne D Uskali