Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Fubang Wu

Mohammad Omar Faruque

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Michael Musa Azzouz

Clifford C Chou

Yijung Chen

Mohamed Ridha Baccouche

James Chih Cheng

Dean M Jaradi

Brian Robert Spahn

David Anthony Wagner

Thiag Subbian

Jialiang Le

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Matthew John Zaluzec

Darrin Neil Wagner

David James Bauch

Mukesh J Amin

Duncan Whipps

Sino Johan Van Dyk

Nripen Kumar Saha

Cliff Chou

Li Chai

Saeed David Barbat

John Patrick Joyce

Robert William McCoy

Kevin Michael Pline

Christopher John May

Richard Howard Wykoff

Bruno M Barthelemy

Kirsten Marie Carr

Rick H Wykoff

Jacob Wesley Zindel

Karen M Balavich

Mei Li

Horst Heribert Lanzerath

Shane A Goodhall

Jamal Bakkar

Guosong Li

BeiBei Xu

An energy absorbing structure connects a first structure of a vehicle to an adjacent second structure of the vehicle. The energy absorbing structure includes support beams and lattice arrays. Each support beam is located at a respective corner of the energy absorbing structure and extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The support beams connect the first structure to the second structure. The lattice arrays are located at respective sides of the energy absorbing structure and form a periphery of the energy absorbing structure. Each lattice array connects adjacent support beams to each other.

Energy absorbing structure for vehicle

A vehicle includes a vehicle frame having a first frame rail and a second frame rail spaced from each other. The vehicle frame includes a cross-member extending from the first frame rail to the second frame rail. A battery enclosure extends from the first frame rail to the second frame rail. The battery enclosure includes a first side member and a second side member. The first side member is connected to and deformable relative to the first frame rail. The second side member is connected to and deformable relative to the second frame rail. The battery enclosure includes a reinforcement connected to the first side member, the second side member, and the cross-member.

Frame-mounted battery enclosure

An expanded laminate and method of forming an expanded laminate are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes selectively applying a relatively high temperature-resistant material to a surface of a first metal sheet to form a covered portion and an uncovered portion and diffusion bonding the first metal sheet to a second metal sheet at the uncovered portion to form a bonded region and an unbonded region. Pressurized gas may be introduced between the first and second metal sheets to expand the first and second metal sheets in the unbonded region. The metal sheets may be aluminum sheets. The sheets may be positioned in a die having a plurality of cavities such that when the pressurized gas is introduced the sheets expand into the cavities. The diffusion bonding may be performed by applying pressure, for example, using rollers.

Method of fabricating roll-bonded expanded load-bearing aluminum laminate structural elements for vehicle

A system includes a roof and an airbag supported by the roof. The airbag is inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position. The airbag includes an apex adjacent to the roof. The airbag includes a first leg inflatable away from the apex to an end, and a second leg inflatable away from the apex to an end spaced from the end of the first leg. The airbag includes a bottom portion spaced from the apex and inflatable to the inflated position. The bottom portion extends from the end of the first leg to the end of the second leg.

Roof mounted airbag

A cage assembly is provided to protect a battery pack in a vehicle. The cage assembly includes a top sub-assembly and a bottom sub-assembly that are secured together to protect the battery pack. U-shaped frames and base frames are connected together by tubular members. A method of making a cage for a battery pack of a vehicle is provided. The method may include assembling a first plurality of spaced tubes and a plurality of spaced inverted U-shaped frames to from a first sub-assembly. The method may also include assembling a second plurality of spaced tubes and a plurality of spaced frames to form a second sub-assembly. The first sub-assembly and the second sub-assembly may be assembled together to enclose the battery pack.

Protective vehicle battery cage and method of making a battery cage

A front end structure is disclosed for a vehicle to enhance vehicle compatibility performance. The front end structure includes a bumper disposed behind a front fascia panel. Crush cans are attached between the bumper and a frame rail. A shield is attached to the bumper that extends above the bumper and below the bumper to spread deformation caused by the crush cans and bumper of a deformable barrier in a collision to areas above and below the bumper.

Frontal shield system for enhanced vehicle compatibility performance

A roof bow for a vehicle is provided that has a 'bow-tie' shape including a central portion flanked by two triangular portions. The triangular portions are joined to right and left roof brackets that are, in turn, joined to right and left roof rails. The bow-tie roof bow may be assembled from extruded tubular parts. The bow-tie roof bow may be assembled in a clamshell structure including an upper shell and a lower shell that are joined together by welding. The roof bow may be formed in one piece as a sheet metal stamping having side portions that are wider than the central portion.

Bowtie shaped roof bow

A hydro-formed body side rail is assembled by a bracket to a front header. The front header is an extruded cross-car structural support that is joined to the body side rail by a framed joint. A gap is defined between the body side outer panel and the hydro-formed side rail relative to a lateral end of a front header. Side impact test loads are applied initially to the body side rail and compress the bracket. Compression of the bracket closes the gap and the impact loads are applied to the cross-car structural support.

Gap joint for closed section load transfer

The present invention in one or more embodiments provides a vehicle roof structure which includes a cast node including a pillar portion for receiving a pillar and a roof-rail portion for receiving a roof rail, the roof-rail portion having first and second ends, which may have a closed first cross-section and a closed second cross-section, respectively. The closed first cross-section may be different from the closed second cross-section such that the first and second ends are to receive two individual roof rails of different dimensions. The closed first cross-section may be larger in opening dimension than the closed second cross-section, when the first end is positioned closer to a front of the vehicle than the second end.

Vehicle roof structure including a cast node

A roof rail assembly for a vehicle that includes a body side outer and an interior trim piece connected to the body side outer. The body side outer and the interior trim piece define a cavity. A roof rail is positioned within the cavity, and a side curtain air bag is positioned below the roof rail. The interior trim piece is assembled about a lower surface of the roof rail in a spaced relationship relative to the curtain air bag to increase visibility around the roof rail assembly.

Vehicle roof support structure including side curtain air bags

A beam sub-assembly for a vehicle includes a beam member and at least one carbon-fiber prepreg bonded to a first portion of an exterior surface of the beam member so as to cover an entire length of the beam member along the first portion.

Carbon fiber prepreg-wrapped beam structures

A cage assembly is provided to protect a battery pack in a vehicle. The cage assembly includes a top sub-assembly and a bottom sub-assembly that are secured together to protect the battery pack. U-shaped frames and base frames are connected together by tubular members.

A vehicle panoramic sunroof assembly includes a vehicle frame including a medial pillar that extends vertically from a lower frame portion to a longitudinal member of a roof frame portion. A top portion of the medial pillar includes a supplemental support flange. A panoramic sunroof frame is set within and connected to the longitudinal member of the roof frame portion and connected to the supplemental support flange. The supplemental support flange is mechanically connected to the panoramic sunroof frame.

Supplemental support flange for a vehicle frame pillar and expanded daylight opening of panoramic sunroof

A roof support for a vehicle is provided containing a first side roof rail; a transverse roof bow fixed to and extending from the first side roof rail; and a first brace fixed to the first side roof rail at a forward point on the first side roof rail, wherein the first brace extends to the transverse roof bow and is fixed to a first aft point on the transverse roof bow, thereby advantageously defining a first angle between the first side roof rail and the first brace. The roof support may further include a second side roof rail opposite the first side roof rail such that the roof bow laterally extends from the first side roof rail to the second side roof rail, wherein a second brace is connected in like manner.

Growing community of inventors

Woodhaven, MI, United States of America

Fubang Wu