Teijin Automotive Technologies, Inc.

Teijin Limited

Continental Structural Plastics, Inc.

Teljin Limited

Teljin Automotive Technologies, Inc.

Hugh C Foran

Patrick Durham

Matthew Plauman

Evan Freeman-Gibb

Masatomo Teshima

Yuhei Konagai

Shunsuke Tamura

Eric J Haiss

Probir Kumar Guha

Brad Anthony Haskell

Yutaka Yagi

Yagi Yutaka

Tsukasa Arai

Max Kamiyama

Noriyuki Amano

Joshua Dech

A battery tray for mounting a battery for driving a vehicle includes a bottom; a peripheral wall erected on an outer circumference of the bottom; a flange connected to a top of the peripheral wall and extending outwards of the peripheral wall; a first inner wall connected to the bottom, a bending angle between the first inner wall and the bottom being between 90 degrees and 135 degrees; a second inner wall connected to the bottom, a bending angle between the second inner wall and the bottom being between 90 degrees and 135 degrees; and a stud bolt pedestal connected to both the first inner wall and the second inner wall and provided above the bottom. The bottom, the peripheral wall, the flange, the first inner wall, the second inner wall, and the stud bolt pedestal being integrally molded from fiber reinforced plastics containing discontinuous fibers.

Battery tray made of integrally molded fiber reinforced plastics

A modular utility vehicle construct that is light weight yet robust is provided. The construct is formed with a composite open area core sandwich structure capable of withstanding typical wear and tear and environmental elements experienced by utility vehicle compartments. The use of the composite sandwich structure allows for replacement of traditional materials such as steel or aluminum, without a loss of strength, in a vehicle's containment construct while also reducing the overall weight of the vehicle and increasing the ability to customize the vehicle's utility features to suit the specific needs of the purchaser.

Composite material modular utility vehicle construct

A vehicle cargo construct includes a floor, a plurality of side wall panels extending from the floor, and an end wall panel extending from the floor between the plurality of side wall panels. The floor has an upper surface and an oppositely opposed lower surface. Each of the plurality of side wall panels has an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface. The end wall panel has an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface. Each of the floor, the plurality of side wall panels, and the end wall panel being formed of a composite sandwich panel material formed of an open area core defining a plurality of pores, a surface sheet adhered to a first face of the open area core by a first adhesive layer, and a structural skin adhered to a second face of the open area core by a second adhesive layer.

Composite material vehicle cargo compartment construct

A battery containment construct is provided that includes a unitary tray having a bottom and a set of walls including a first side wall, a second side wall, a first end wall, and a second end wall. The set of walls extending from the bottom of the tray and defining a cavity within the tray. A cover removably attached to the plurality of walls of said tray opposite the bottom of said tray. Energy absorption components attached to the bottom of the tray external to at least one of the set of walls in some versions to enhance impact resistance. The construct has high strength, is light weight and well suited for containing and protecting energy cells or batteries that adjusted to impact resistance, fire resistance, and fluid penetration prevention.

Battery containment construct

A vehicle cargo construct including a floor, a plurality of side wall panels extending from the floor, and an end wall panel extending from the floor between the plurality of side wall panels. The floor has an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface. Each of the plurality of side wall panels has an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface. The has an exterior surface and an oppositely opposed interior surface. Each of the floor, the plurality of side wall panels, and the end wall panel are formed of a composite sandwich panel material formed including an open area core defining a plurality of pores disposed between a backing sheet and a surface sheet formed of a sheet molding composition (SMC) reinforced with unidirectional fibers.

A vehicle removable roof system including a fixed vehicle structure, one or more removable panels configured to engage with the fixed vehicle structure, and a water management system positioned between the one or more removable panels and the fixed vehicle structure. The removable panels may be formed of a composite sandwich panel assembly, which may include an open area core defining pores, a high gloss surface sheet adhered to a first face of the open area core by a first adhesive layer, and a structural skin adhered to a second side of the open area core by a second adhesive layer. The removable panels are configured for installation to and removal from the fixed vehicle structure by a single user and without the use of tools.

Multi-panel removable roof system

A battery containment system is provided that includes a unitary battery tray having a bottom and walls that from the bottom of said tray and defining a cavity within the tray. A cover is includes having a cover body portion and a first flange extending from the cover body portion, the cover body portion configured to overlie the cavity within the tray and the walls of the tray, the first flange of said cover configured to extend beyond the walls of the tray. A shield having a shield body portion and a second flange extending from the shield body portion, the shield body portion is configured to underlie the bottom of the tray, the second flange of the shield is configured to extend beyond the bottom of the tray and configured to engage the first flange of the cover.

Battery containment system

A high strength frame of a sealable containment system is provided for containing and protecting energy cells or batteries. The protection provided by the high strength frame provides impalement resistance, impact resistance, fire resistance, and fluid penetration prevention. The frame includes a shock structure/energy absorber to protect the battery from forces during potential impacts with other vehicles or objects. The frame of a battery containment system is further designed to resist impalements in order to protect the batteries. Furthermore, because vehicle batteries are prone to extreme fire in the event of an impact or impalement, the containment system provides a sealed battery environment to keep fluid and moisture out during normal operation and to limit oxygen in the event of a battery fire.

Impact resistant frame of battery containment system

A system and method for dielectric bonding including a dielectric heater having a pair of opposing electrode plates, a nest removably coupled to a first electrode plate of the pair of electrode plates, and an interchangeable electrode assembly removably coupled to a second electrode plate of the pair of electrode plates. The nest having a plurality of cooling channels defined in a body thereof in which a cooling fluid circulates to cool a material assembly that is supported by the nest. The interchangeable electrode assembly having a plurality of concentrator members that are configured to concentrate energy from a voltage source in predetermined locations on the material assembly.

System and method of dielectric bonding

A vehicle removable roof system including a roof support structure removably attachable to a vehicle, the roof support structure including a plurality of vertically oriented supports and at least one horizontally oriented support. The at least one removable panel configured to engage with the roof support structure. The vehicle removable roof system formed of a light weight sandwich composite structure that affords a high gloss surface without resort to additional processing after production with improved moisture resistance and edges suitable for sealing the removable roof assembly to other vehicle components.

Multi-panel removable roof

A composite sandwich panel assembly including an open area core, a high gloss surface sheet, and a structural skin. The open are core defines a plurality of pores and has a first face and an opposing second face. The high gloss surface sheet is adhered to the first face of the open area core by a first adhesive layer. The high gloss surface sheet has a high gloss surface. The structural skin is adhered to the second face of the open area core by a second adhesive layer. A process for forming the composite sandwich panel assembly includes positioning the high gloss surface sheet, joining the first face of the open area core to the high gloss surface sheet with a first adhesive layer intermediate therebetween, and joining the structural skin to the second face of the open area core with a second adhesive layer intermediate therebetween.

Open area core sandwich structure assembly with vehicle exterior surface glass

Pressurized air is conveyed through a manifold into contact with the first member via apertures having hole diameters of from 0.8 to 2.5 mm that are spaced apart at a distance of from 10 to 30 mm along the manifold to achieve a turbulent air flow pattern with a Reynolds number of greater than 2200 at a temperature of between 150 and 315&#xb0; C. and at an air pressure between 0.5 and 10 pounds per square inch (psi) over ambient pressure onto the outer surfaces of the first member and the second member for heat curing a curable adhesive between the members to achieve adhesive cure in 60 to 90 seconds and free of any bond-line read-out visible to an unaided normal human eye.

Growing community of inventors

Auburn Hills, MI, United States of America

Hugh C Foran