Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Pullman Industries, Inc.

Jeffrey Leonard Bladow

Peter John Schuster

Shui-Fang (Ray) Chou

Steven Nicholas Fidh

Frank G McNulty

Gregory S Frederick

Tad V Machrowicz

Dhafer Mansoor

Gerald Hackstock

Shui-Fang Chou

Walter D Jaeger

Robert Edward Kosior

Donald Paul Werner

Piyush P Parikh

A formed beam for use as a vehicle bumper having an elongated body exhibiting front and rear opposing surfaces and top and bottom surfaces interconnecting the front and rear surfaces, such that the beam defines a swept shape between first and second opposite ends. A plurality of spaced apart and transverse extending beads are formed upon the top extending surface of said beam and at least a portion of one of the front and rear surfaces are inwardly displaced relative to each other and during formation of an arcuate profile to the beam, and such that the front and rear surfaces exhibit at least partially non-parallel surfaces.

Crushed profile bumper and method for producing

A vehicle bumper system defined principally by outboard and inboard elongate beams which project transversely across the vehicle. The ends of the front and rear beams are joined by connecting points which function as energy-absorbing fulcrums or hinges, with the remainder of the front and rear beams initially being free of direct structural connection. The front beam is outwardly curved so that the center portions of the front and rear beams define a gap therebetween. The rear beam has connections to the vehicle at two points spaced transversely inwardly from the end connections, which connections define inboard fulcrum or hinge points. The front and rear beams are each formed as elongate monolithic structures, such as of high strength steel, and have configurations which enable them to nest one within the other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Vehicle bumper system

A vehicle structural beam, such as a door intrusion beam, which possesses an elongate tubular beam part which at opposite ends is provided with mounting flanges for securement to a vehicle frame. The elongate tubular beam part and the flanges provided at opposite ends are defined by an integral, one-piece, monolithic steel structure which has been initially roll-formed from an elongate flat metal sheet to define the closed tubular structure of the tubular beam part, and which has been subjected to heating and quenching so that the elongate tubular beam part is of relatively high strength steel throughout its entire length, whereas the integrally and monolithically joined end flanges remain as lower strength steel which has been significantly unaffected by the heat treatment and quenching so as to permit appropriate shaping thereof and ease of welding to the vehicle frame.

Vehicle structural beam and method of manufacture

A bumper system for a motor vehicle includes an energy absorber and a bumper beam interconnecting the energy absorber and vehicle structure. The bumper system also includes a push bar disposed below and operatively connected to the bumper beam to deflect and rotate during an impact with an object by the bumper system.

Bumper system for motor vehicles

A bumper system for a motor vehicle includes an energy absorber and a bumper beam connected to the energy absorber and for connection to vehicle structure and having a general B shape. The bumper system also includes a member disposed between the bumper beam and a rail of the motor vehicle to absorb energy during an impact with an object by the bumper system.

Method of manufacturing a vehicle structural beam

A pedestrian protection apparatus for a truck is provided. The apparatus includes a bumper member mounted to a vehicle, a linkage, a stiffener, an extendible cross-member and an actuator. The extendible cross-member is mounted on a stiffener which in turn is mounted at each end at a first linkage and a second linkage respectively. The pedestrian protection apparatus may extend out from under the vehicle at speeds greater than a predetermined speed in order to prevent injury to a pedestrian in a collision. The linkages are disposed between the extendible cross-member and the bumper.

A rear bumper assembly for an automotive vehicle is provided, which includes a bumper bar, an energy absorbing mechanism, a bumper cover overlying the energy absorbing mechanism of the bumper bar, and a rigid extension panel secured to the vehicle body and positioned to present an abutting surface to a stop surface formed on the bumper cover at a position intermediate of a vertically extending part of the vehicle body and essentially coplanar with it to prevent contact between the bumper cover and the vertically extending portion of the vehicle body during impact-induced compression.

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Leonard Bladow