Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Jeffrey Lawrence Laya

Jeffrey Dan Rupp

Aric David Shaffer

Matt Alan Niesluchowski

Bhimaraddi Venkaraddi Alavandi

Joseph Paul Tekelly

Ming T Loo

Prashanth Shankar

Garry J Schleicher

Laike Misikir

James M Hanford

A deflector assembly for a vehicle having a bumper and a frame rail that are connected by a crush-can. The deflector assembly absorbs impact forces in a small overlap rigid barrier test by directing the impact from the barrier in a lateral direction toward the frame rail. A guide and follower, such as a wheel-shaped roller, a ball-shaped roller, a sliding shoe, or a fastener is received in a guide member that defines a guide surface extending longitudinally to guide a back end of the deflector assembly in a full frontal impact in a longitudinal direction.

Deflector with frame rail follower and guide on deflector end

A method of alerting the driver of a vehicle to a lane departure condition. The method includes operating a lane detection system to detect that the vehicle is experiencing a lane departure condition, operating a sensor to detect background vibration experienced by the vehicle, determining a characteristic making a haptic signal likely to be distinguishable from the background vibration, and operating a haptic signal generator in response to the lane departure condition to deliver to a driver the haptic signal having the characteristic.

Lane departure haptic warning with compensation for road-caused vibration

An energy absorbing bolster (32) is provided for attachment to downward facing surfaces of an energy absorbing steering column support bracket (24). The bolster (32) includes longitudinally spaced mounting flanges (40, 42) for securement to the support bracket (24) and a energy absorbing linkage (44) arranged between the mounting flanges, the linkage taking the form of front and rear carrier portions (64, 46), depending from the support bracket and a bridge portion (66), and a load transfer portion (68) arranged between them.

Energy absorbing bolster assembly

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Northville, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Lawrence Laya