Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Jeff Webb

Kalyanaraman Bharathan

Tim R Beard

Bernard Gerard Marchetti

Gary D Mullen

Michael James Whitens

Scott A Clark

A vehicular instrument panel having a reinforcement that includes a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin, and a substrate coupled to the reinforcement comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin. The plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate. The substrate can also include a boundary region such that the plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are substantially mixed in the boundary region.

Hybrid composite instrument panel

A method of forming a vehicular instrument panel includes the steps: melting a first composite comprising carbon fibers and nylon resin; melting a second composite comprising glass fibers and nylon resin; injecting the melted composites into an instrument panel mold such that the carbon and glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the mold; and cooling the melted composites to form an instrument panel. The method may also include the step: forming a boundary region between the first and second melted composites in the mold such that the carbon and glass fibers in the mold are substantially mixed within the boundary region.

Method of making a hybrid composite instrument panel

A vehicular instrument panel having a reinforcement that includes a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin, a substrate coupled to the reinforcement comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin, and a steering column bracket defined from the substrate comprising a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin. The bracket engages a steering column such that the substrate and bracket support the steering column. The plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate can be segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate.

Fiber composite support for vehicular components

A vehicular instrument panel, including a substrate comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin, the substrate defines an airbag canister. The plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers are segregated such that the chopped carbon fibers are substantially concentrated within a driver-side portion of the substrate and the airbag canister, and the chopped glass fibers are substantially concentrated within a passenger-side portion of the substrate. The substrate can also include a boundary region such that the plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are substantially mixed in the boundary region.

Vehicular composite instrument panel and component

Modular composite instrument panel

A vehicle stowage assembly is provided that includes a compartment having an opening to allow access to the opening and a door proximate the opening. A ferrous member magnets are disposed on the compartment and the door to magnetically couple the magnets to the ferrous member when the door is in the closed position. A crash sensor is provided for detecting an expected vehicle crash event. An electromagnetic coil electromagnetically is coupled to the ferrous member, wherein the coil is electrically energized by current to create a polarity on the ferrous bar to create an increased force closure to the door relative to the housing when an expected vehicle crash is detected. The coil generates an opposite polarity on the ferrous member to open the door in response to a user actuated input.

Growing community of inventors

Iron Mountain, MI, United States of America

Jeff Webb