Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

John Pinkerton

Ian Brewster Hall

Zhibing Deng

Brian Robert Spahn

Joseph Edward Abramczyk

Linh Ngoc Doan

Ammad Bhatti

Michael Dong

Aleksandar Spasovski

Srinivas Sanikommu

Bhavani Thota

Krish E Aekbote

Yi Yang Tay

Mangala M Jayasuriya

Rabin Bhojan

James Zheng Peng

Glen Paul Ursaki

Kurt L Ewing

Sarah Beth Certeza

Marcus Oden

Richard Wang

Diane Carole Snoeyink

Todd George

Lee Fong Ho

Leiping Huang

Nagaraj Mariyapp

Alvin Lee

Jeff Chickola

A Mangala Jayasuriya

Vikram Gokhale

A door assembly includes a monolithic base including a top panel having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The monolithic base includes an attachment panel extending downwardly from the first end at an acute angle. The monolithic base includes an outer panel extending downwardly from the second end.

Crushable door assembly

A vehicle door assembly includes a door and a trim panel. The trim panel has a mount defining an aperture with a main portion and a keyway. A clip of the assembly includes a base connected to the door, a primary retainer, and a secondary retainer. The primary retainer is configured to extend through the aperture and engage with a periphery of the main portion. The secondary retainer is configured to extend through the aperture and to freely release through the aperture when the secondary retainer is disposed in the main portion allowing the clip to disconnect from the trim panel, and is configured to engage with the mount preventing release of the clip from the trim panel when the secondary retainer is disposed in the keyway.

Clip for a vehicle door assembly

A vehicle having a handle assembly with a lateral wall adapted to be mounted to a vehicle interior door trim is provided. The lateral wall has a top surface and a distal end offset from the top surface. A weakened portion is formed into the lateral wall for reducing the lateral stiffness of the handle assembly. The weakened portion is disposed adjacent the top surface and extends to the door trim to form a generally continuous top appearance surface. Upon a lateral force, the handle deforms along the weakened portion and the lateral wall rotates about the distal end, thereby promoting buckling in order to absorb energy and minimize the risk of passenger injury.

Vehicle grab handle assembly

A vehicle door construction having a 360&#xb0; grab handle includes a fastener cover that conceals a fastener hole in an A-surface of the vehicle door and which provides a buckling path for the 360&#xb0; grab handle. An L-shaped cover and a fastener hole configuration is provided in the lateral A-surface to reduce stiffness in the region and to absorb side impact loads.

Fastener cover extension providing buckling path during side impact

A door trim substrate having a construction which includes, in combination, an energy-absorbing pre-crush protective portion and a pelvic bolster portion is provided for use in a vehicle. The pre-crush protective portion is configured so as to protect the pelvic bolster portion from pre-crush in a vehicle side-impact event. The pre-crush portion is defined by a rib cassette structure which is preferably integrally molded into the door trim substrate below the pelvic bolster portion.

Integral pelvic impact energy-absorbing pre-crush protective construction for vehicle door

An integrated door substrate and pelvic bolster is provided for use in a vehicle. The integrated component is formed from a polymerizable material by injection molding. The pelvic bolster is formed from thin lateral walls that buckle and tear under compressive loading. The pelvic bolster is designed to bend but not fracture under load, thus maintaining a continuous loading curve.

Door trim-integrated pelvic impact energy-absorbing construction for vehicle

An integrated combined extended map pocket close-out and pelvic bolster component for attachment to a door trim substrate used in a vehicle door is disclosed. The component comprises a map pocket close-out portion, a pelvic bolster portion, and a bridge connecting the map pocket close-out portion and the pelvic bolster portion. The pelvic bolster portion is substantially hollow and preferably defines a box. The component includes a plurality of walls and the thickness of some of the walls is greater than the thickness of other walls. One or more of the walls may be angled. The map pocket close-out portion has a depth and the pelvic bolster portion has a depth. The depth of the map pocket close-out portion is greater than the depth of the pelvic bolster portion. The one-piece component is a molded component formed from a polymerized material.

Map pocket close-out as integrated pelvic bolster for vehicle door

A collapsible door support structure includes a pre-defined bend or local stiffening feature. The collapsible structure is either be incorporated into the door handle or is incorporated into a bracket that is either attached to the door handle or to the door pull cup. If in the form of a bracket, at least one end of the bracket is attached to the door inner sheet metal. The other end of the bracket may be attached to the door handle or to the door trim panel. If used as a door pull cup support bracket a portion of the bracket is fixed to the bracket. In the event of an impact upon the vehicle door, the door inner sheet metal panel is pushed horizontally in a direction that is vehicle inward. The collapsible feature of the structure formed between the door inner sheet metal and the door trim panel causes the horizontal movement to be translated into vertical or upward movement and transmitting the energy away from the vehicle occupant, thus avoiding the door trim panel from being pushed inward into the passenger area of the vehicle.

Collapsible door panel support structures and methods of assembly

A side impact door trim buckle initiator design is provided in a vehicle armrest and grab handle region. The disclosed support structure design induces buckling in the door handle supports while continuing to provide acceptable durability and strength. Two modifications to the door armrest and grab handle structures are made. First, an angled section is added to the material flow strap of the armrest supporting structure to promote buckling. This approach overcomes the difficulty of known material flow straps which tend to be horizontal, thus introducing a strong compressive load path. By adding an angle to the flow straps the vertical motion is forced upon a lateral impact. Second, vertical components of the door handle support structure are removed while a buckle initiator in the door handle support is added.

Side impact door trim buckle initiatory design in armrest and grab handle region

A pull cup in a vehicle door is fitted to a door trim panel substrate and is connected to the door inner sheet metal panel of the vehicle door by way of a bracket or by one of a pair of inner and outer support brackets. The pull cup is provided with a bending initiator feature which is positioned a trigger area formed in the door trim panel substrate. In the event that a horizontal force is applied to the vehicle door, the vehicle inward movement of the door inner sheet metal panel causes the pull cup to be pushed upward. The bending initiator feature pushes on the trigger area causing the door trim panel substrate to buckle, thus substantially preventing vehicle inward movement of the door trim panel substrate during the impact event. The bending initiator feature also reduces the lateral stiffness of the door trim sub-system.

Deformable pull cup arrangement and method of assembly

A pull cup in a vehicle door is solidly connected to the door inner panel by mechanical fastening. The armrest substrate structure is also solidly connected to the door inner panel by mechanical fastening. The armrest substrate has a pull cup-receiving cavity formed therein as is generally known in the art. The pull cup is not mechanically fastened to the armrest substrate. This arrangement is strong in tension but is weak in compression.

Collapsible armrest system with pull cup

A pull cup in a vehicle door is fitted to a door trim panel substrate and is connected to the inner door panel of the vehicle door by way of a bracket. The bracket is oriented to resist vertical loads and tension loads such that the bracket is allowed to deflect in compression loading in the event of a side impact. In one embodiment the bracket has horizontal slots through which shoulder fasteners are fitted to attach the bracket to the inner door panel. This configuration allows deflection in compression loading. In another embodiment of the bracket a pair of arms is provided between the pull cup and the inner door panel. This configuration allows buckling of the arms on compression loading.

Tension-member automotive door trim pull

A seating system for an automotive vehicle includes a side airbag mounted to an outboard portion of a seatback, with the side airbag having an occupant reaction surface which is combined with deployable upper and lower reaction members attached to the airbag to define an augmented occupant reaction surface available upon inflation of the airbag.

Vehicle seating system with airbag-based occupant reaction surface

An interior armrest for an automotive vehicle includes upper and lower horizontal walls and a channel-shaped lateral impact contactor joined to the upper horizontal walls by the means of shear planes. The lateral impact contactor has a number of wedge-shaped vertical interruptions which cooperate with the shear planes to produce a controlled collapse in the event of a lateral impact of an occupant of the vehicle against the armrest.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

John Pinkerton