Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Tesla Motors, Inc.

Other

Telsa Motors, Inc.

Jonathan Richard Young

Naipaul Deo Ramoutar

Taichi Yamashita

Gerritt Benjamin Meyers

Ernest Matthew Villanueva

Adam D Holmstrom

Jesse Thomas Buehler

Donald James Robert Parr

Mark Kulik

Manikandan Baby Mony

Maurice P Silva

Carlos M Briceno

John Kim

Corinne D Uskali

Paul Dewitt Frey

Valerie Schnabelrauch

Behnaz Hajimohsen

Derek Paul

Nathan Nelson

Manikandan Babymony

Jonathan Joseph Quijano

Masahiro Onoda

Matthew C Tier

Brian L Tew

Palani Palaniappan

Shinpei Matsumoto

George A Young

William Brian Deming

Ronald Bowers

Robert D Smith

Colin Michael Ravenscroft

Christopher Paul Sheehy

Toshiyuki Kasai

Peter C J Piper

Alex B Taylor

Justin Thomas Lenoir

Yuuichi Tsunoda

Toro Ishimaru

Kelly L T Harbison

Hiroki Sawa

Jaspreet Singh

Noell G Johnson

Gerritt B Meyers

Jesse Buehler

Anchor brackets/tethers may be used to reinforce a vehicle's resin rear door without substantially increasing the mass of the resin rear door. Such anchor brackets hold an interior trim panel(s) in place, and keep the interior trim panel(s) connected to the door structure or portion(s) thereof. The interior trim panel(s) can act as a protective interior shield that eliminates any exposure of the interior cabin/passenger compartment from any outer (and/or interior) door panel cracks/gaps that may be created during an adverse event. Moreover, conventional interior trim panels may, during a collision, break apart, the broken pieces becoming potentially dangerous projectiles. By being attached to the door structure and/or door componentry, the chance that the interior trim panel (or portions thereof) becoming a projectile is negated or at least lessened.

Combination interior trim and reinforcement for exterior resin pane

A spacer for vehicle panels can be shaped such that it absorbs a substantial portion of a first load, the first load applied in a first direction substantially perpendicular to the exterior panel; controllably deforms along a second direction when a second load is applied substantially along the second direction; wherein the second direction is other than the first direction. The spacer need not deform along the second direction when the first load is applied. The spacer can have a shaped member having a channel extending through the spacer perpendicular from the exterior panel, such that the spacer can controllably deform along a width of the channel.

Resin panel spacer block for energy absorption, load support, and gap prevention

A vehicle includes a rocker support that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A side roof rail structure extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction along a vehicle roof assembly. A front pillar assembly is coupled to and extends upward from the rocker support to the side roof rail structure. The front pillar assembly includes a first panel that extends along a height of the front pillar assembly at a front side of the front pillar assembly. A second panel extends along the height of the front pillar assembly that is connected to the first panel at least partially defining an enclosed cavity that extends along the height of the front pillar assembly. The first panel is formed of a material having a lower minimum tensile strength than a material forming the second panel thereby forming a zone of reduced minimum tensile strength along the front side of the front pillar assembly.

Pillar assemblies for vehicles having sections formed of materials having different material properties

A vehicle sliding door assembly includes a rail that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a hard stop spaced apart from the rail in a vehicle vertical direction, a slide assembly including a follower member that is slidably engaged with the rail, and a closing member pivotally coupled to the follower member, where the closing member is repositionable between an open position, in which the closing member is spaced apart from the hard stop in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a closed position, in which the closing member contacts the hard stop.

Vehicle sliding door assemblies and vehicles including the same

A vehicle includes a side member that extends in a vehicle longitudinal direction. A rocker support extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction and is spaced outboard of the side member in the vehicle lateral direction. A C-pillar assembly is coupled to and extends upward from the rocker support. A floor cross member extends in a vehicle lateral direction that is connected to the side member. A pillar assembly to floor cross member reinforcement gusset links the C-pillar assembly and the floor cross member.

Pillar assembly to floor cross support member reinforcement gussets for vehicle side structures

Impact protection structures for vehicles are described. An impact protection structure includes a support structure of the vehicle, an interior rail coupled to the support structure, and an exterior rail coupled to the interior rail. The exterior rail has an inboard boundary wall positioned between an upper mounting region and a lower mounting region. The upper and the lower exterior mounting region of the exterior rail are coupled to an upper and a lower mounting region of the interior rail. At least a portion of the inboard boundary wall is spaced apart from an outboard wall of the interior rail such that when the exterior rail is impacted by a blunt-object barrier, the inboard boundary wall of the exterior rail deforms, thereby damping energy of the impact at the exterior rail and arresting crack propagation between the exterior rail and the interior rail.

Impact protection structures for vehicles and vehicles incorporating the same

Embodiments of a bumper assembly includes a reinforcement beam that extends in a vehicle lateral direction, the reinforcement beam including a front face that extends in the vehicle lateral direction and a rear face that is positioned rearward of and spaced apart from the front face in a vehicle longitudinal direction that is transverse to the vehicle lateral direction, and a front spacer member coupled to an outboard end of the front face of the reinforcement beam, the front spacer member including an end plate that extends between the front face and the rear face of the reinforcement beam and is positioned at least partially within the reinforcement beam.

Bumper assemblies including spacer members and vehicles incorporating the same

Vehicle structures for dissipating energy associated with a collision are described herein. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes a first side support extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a second side support extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and spaced apart from the first side support in a vehicle lateral direction that is transverse to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a cross-vehicle stabilizing structure extending between the first side support and the second side support, the cross-vehicle stabilizing structure including a first joint portion coupled to the first side support, the first joint portion including a stiffness-reducing portion positioned within a perimeter of the first joint portion, a second joint portion coupled to the second side support, and a cross-vehicle stabilizer portion coupled to the first joint portion and the second joint portion.

Vehicles having a cross-vehicle stabilizing structure

Vehicles incorporating load-transferring hood hinge members are disclosed. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes an A-pillar portion, an upper side member coupled to the A-pillar portion and extending forward from the A-pillar portion in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and a dash panel coupled to the A-pillar portion and extending in a vehicle lateral direction that is transverse to the vehicle longitudinal direction. The vehicle also includes a hood hinge member that is coupled to the upper side member and positioned forward of the A-pillar portion. The hood hinge member includes an attachment portion that is coupled to the upper side member, a flange member that extends upward from the attachment portion, a hood attachment opening passing through the flange member, and a rearward-projecting protrusion having a distal surface that is positioned transverse to the flange member.

Vehicles having load-transferring hood hinge members

A vehicle including a side support extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a cross member extending transverse to the side support, and a reinforcement gusset coupled to the side support and the cross member, where the cross member and the reinforcement gusset define an interrupted interface in which one of the cross member or the reinforcement gusset includes a recessed portion and the opposite of the cross member or the reinforcement gusset includes an extended portion, and the recessed portion and the extended portion have complementary shapes and are detached from one another.

Vehicles having side support reinforcement gussets

Vehicle structures for dissipating energy associated with a collision are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes a side support that extends between a front suspension mount and a rear suspension mount of the vehicle. The side support includes a targeted energy absorption portion that defines a high-strength region of the side support. The vehicle also includes a cab mounting bracket coupled to the side support and extending outward from the side support. The cab mounting bracket includes a rearward attachment position on the side support and the rearward attachment position of the cab mounting bracket is positioned proximate to the high-strength region of the side support. The vehicle further includes a wheel assembly that is coupled to the front suspension mount and is positioned forward of the cab mounting bracket in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

Vehicles including targeted energy absorption structures

Vehicle structures for dissipating energy associated with a collision are described herein. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes a side support extending in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a bumper assembly coupled to the side support and extending in a vehicle lateral direction that is transverse to the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a repositionable joint assembly extending between and pivotally coupled to the side support and the bumper assembly, the repositionable joint assembly including an outboard linking member pivotally coupled to the bumper assembly at a bumper securement location, an inboard linking member pivotally coupled to the side support at a side support securement location, and a fulcrum portion, where the outboard linking member is pivotally coupled to the inboard linking member at the fulcrum portion.

Bumper assembly and side support linking members

A rear corner vehicle roof structure includes a rear structural pillar and a small cap-like reinforcement member. The rear pillar includes a vertically elongated base portion which transitions into a bifurcated upper end portion forming a longitudinally extending stub arm which is affixed to an associated side roof rail and a laterally extending stub arm which is affixed to an associated rear roof header. The reinforcement member includes a central bridge portion trifurcated to form extensions conforming to the pillar upper portion, the longitudinally extending stub arm and the laterally extending stub arm. The reinforcement member further includes peripherally flanged web segments disposed between circumferentially adjacent pairs of the pillar base portion, longitudinal and lateral stub arms. The flanged web segments are affixed to opposed continuous flange portions of the upper end portion and configured to support the central bridge portion in a spaced relation from the upper end portion.

Vehicle pillar reinforcement member

Vehicle structures for dissipating and distributing energy associated with an impact are described herein. In one embodiment, a vehicle includes a dash panel, a wheel well portion that is positioned proximate to an outboard portion of the dash panel, and a side support coupled to the dash panel. The vehicle also includes a front suspension mount that is coupled to the side support and a rocker support positioned outboard of the side support. The vehicle further includes a wheel that is coupled to the front suspension mount and is positioned at least partially within the wheel well portion and forward of the rocker support, an A-pillar portion that is coupled to the rocker support and to the dash panel, and an inboard gusset that is coupled to the side support and the dash panel at a position proximate to the side support and is spaced apart from the A-pillar portion.

Vehicles having a dash panel reinforcement gusset

Growing community of inventors

Saline, MI, United States of America

Jonathan Richard Young