Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Jiamaw Doong

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Tau Tyan

Yu-Kan Hu

Kirk David Arthurs

Senthil Kumar Mahadevan

Kumar Mahadevan

Wei Richard Wang

Robert Pellillo

Jian Yang

Chang Tau Chou

A strengthening member for an automotive vehicle comprises an eight-cornered cross section including sides and corners. The sides comprise four straight sides and four curved sides. A length of each straight side ranges from about 10 mm to about 200 mm and a length of each curved side is about 10 mm to about 200 mm.

Multi-cornered strengthening members

A shield () for an automotive vehicle () is provided to lessen the impact force to a foreign body by absorbing energy or converting energy from the foreign body with the shield (). The shield () has a ramped surface (), an inner surface (), and a periphery () delineating the inner surface () from the ramped surface (). The inner surface () is further refined into an upper area () and a lower area (), where a ridge () extends from the inner surface () portioning the upper area () from the lower area (). At least one rib () is connected to the ridge () and extends from the inner surface (), whereby the ridge () or the rib () may absorb energy or divert direct contact into sliding contact when the ramped surface () is impacted by a foreign body reducing the impact force upon the foreign body. Also, a method of using a shield () in an automotive vehicleis provided.

Fuel tank protector shield

A side impact sensor system is used in a vehicle having a side air-bag, a lower body component, and a body side with a front door belt line area. The system includes a body side impact sensor mounted to the body side at least as high as the front door belt-line area. A lower body side impact sensor is mounted to the lower body component inboard from the body side. A safing sensor is secured to the vehicle. Electronic control module is provided in the electrical communication with the side air-bag and with the sensors for sending firing signals to the side air-bag when the safing sensor and at least one of the body and lower body side impact sensors signal a sufficiently high lateral acceleration indicative of a side impact.

Side impact sensor system and method

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Northville, MI, United States of America

Jiamaw Doong