Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Kalyanaraman Bharathan

Bernard Gerard Marchetti

Tim R Beard

Jeff Webb

Dan G Busuioc

Gary D Mullen

Paul Bryan Hoke

Peter Joseph Bejin

Jennifer A Herr-Rathke

James R Hurd

Eric R Yerke

Robert Anthony Brancaleone

Michael Williams

Sreenivas Kuchibhatla

Brian Charles Slane

Michael Alan Samluk

James Grace

Andrew James Harley

Julian Garby, Ii

James Daniel Grace

David Warren Wilson

Timothy R Beard

Jim Harley

Mike Ford Motor Company Limited Samluk

A vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a display screen positioned within a housing, wherein the housing includes first and second protrusions. The vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a cross-car beam and a first bracket coupled to the cross-car beam. A second bracket is coupled to the first bracket and the first and second protrusions.

Display screen mounting assembly

A vehicle includes a body, a bumper and a plurality of self-tapping fasteners. The body defines mounting orifices. The bumper has an exterior shell that includes an interior wall. The interior wall has receiving portions that protrude inward relative to the shell such that the receiving portions are thicker than adjacent portions of the interior wall. Each of the plurality of self-tapping fasteners extend through one of the orifices and into one of the receiving portions to secure the bumper to the body.

Vehicle and vehicle bumper

A vehicular instrument panel having a reinforcement that includes a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin, and a substrate coupled to the reinforcement comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin. The plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate. The substrate can also include a boundary region such that the plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are substantially mixed in the boundary region.

Hybrid composite instrument panel

A method of forming a vehicular instrument panel includes the steps: melting a first composite comprising carbon fibers and nylon resin; melting a second composite comprising glass fibers and nylon resin; injecting the melted composites into an instrument panel mold such that the carbon and glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the mold; and cooling the melted composites to form an instrument panel. The method may also include the step: forming a boundary region between the first and second melted composites in the mold such that the carbon and glass fibers in the mold are substantially mixed within the boundary region.

Method of making a hybrid composite instrument panel

A vehicular instrument panel having a reinforcement that includes a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin, a substrate coupled to the reinforcement comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin, and a steering column bracket defined from the substrate comprising a plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a nylon resin. The bracket engages a steering column such that the substrate and bracket support the steering column. The plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate can be segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate.

Fiber composite support for vehicular components

A vehicular instrument panel, including a substrate comprising a plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers within a nylon resin, the substrate defines an airbag canister. The plurality of chopped carbon and chopped glass fibers are segregated such that the chopped carbon fibers are substantially concentrated within a driver-side portion of the substrate and the airbag canister, and the chopped glass fibers are substantially concentrated within a passenger-side portion of the substrate. The substrate can also include a boundary region such that the plurality of chopped carbon and glass fibers in the substrate are substantially mixed in the boundary region.

Vehicular composite instrument panel and component

A vehicular instrument panel including a substrate having a first plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a first nylon resin and an expanded reinforcement coupled to the substrate having a second plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a second nylon resin. The first plurality of chopped carbon fibers and the first plurality of glass fibers in the substrate are segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate. An expanded, structural duct has a second plurality of chopped glass fibers within a third nylon resin. The duct, reinforcement and substrate are coupled to form a hollow tube.

Hybrid composite utilizing injection-expansion molding

A vehicular instrument panel includes a substrate having a first plurality of chopped carbon fibers and a first plurality of chopped glass fibers within a first nylon resin. The first plurality of chopped carbon fibers and the first plurality of glass fibers in the substrate are segregated such that the carbon fibers and the glass fibers are each substantially concentrated within respective driver-side and passenger-side portions of the substrate. A reinforcement includes a second plurality of chopped carbon fibers within a second nylon resin. A reinforcement rib is integrally defined by the reinforcement. The reinforcement rib is substantially hollow and positioned on a driver-side portion of the reinforcement. A substrate rib is integrally defined by the substrate. The substrate rib is substantially hollow and positioned on the driver-side portion of the substrate. The substrate rib and the reinforcement rib are bonded to one another.

Hybrid composite utilizing gas-assisted molding geometries

A cross-car structure integrates an HVAC duct with a structural beam. An upper steel beam has opposing ends attached to opposite body sides. A pair of center brackets extend downward from the upper steel beam. An HVAC unit secured to a center bracket has an outlet for an air flow for ventilating a floor region. A plastic cross member has a center plate secured to the center brackets, a first hollow beam extending from the center plate to one steel beam end, and a second hollow beam extending from the center plate to the other steel beam end. Each hollow beam has an in-board opening fluidically coupled to the HVAC outlet and at least one floor outlet directed toward the floor region thereby providing a respective HVAC duct between the outlet of the HVAC unit and each of the floor outlets.

Cross-car structural support with integrated HVAC floor duct

Modular composite instrument panel

An instrument panel system includes box sections that increase the stiffness, rigidity, and natural frequency of the instrument panel system. A two-piece instrument panel system provides a two-tone appearance with differing die draws and grains.

Automotive vehicle instrument panel system

A seat support assembly for an automotive vehicle with a seat having integrated occupant restraints has forward and rearward transversely extending seat support members each having opposed ends with a seat attachment section and an attachment flange. A pair of seat reinforcement members are positioned adjacent and underside of the attachment section on each of the opposed ends of the forward and rearward seat support members, each of the pair seat support reinforcements members having a mating flange adapted for mating between the attachment flange and a portion of the vehicle floor pan. A floor pan reinforcement member is adapted for mating with an underside of the floor pan and has a support flange wrapping around an outer side adjacent the mating flange and the attachment flange. The seat is connected by seat brackets to the seat attachment sections of the seat support members via a bolt and bolt sleeve combination which maintains the seat support member in spaced relationship with the floor pan and provides increased load absorption from the seat.

Growing community of inventors

Canton, MI, United States of America

Kalyanaraman Bharathan