Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Krishnakanth E Aekbote

Zhibing Deng

Deepak Patel

James Chih Cheng

Srinivas Reddy Malapati

Weigang Chen

Jialiang Le

Joseph Edward Abramczyk

Linh Ngoc Doan

Tzu-Chen Weng

Nitesh Jadhav

Yun Cai

Michael James Stiyer

Baohua Xiao

Alison Callaghan

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Manoharprasad K Rao

Robert William McCoy

Marwan Ahmad Elbkaily

Mangala Ambalangodage Jayasuriya

Todd Nelson Clark

Matt Alan Niesluchowski

Kenneth S Laird

Steve William Gallagher

Steven M Kelly

Hassen Hammoud

Bakhtyar Baig

Yudong Zhou

Stephen Philip Panoff

Rongrong Zhou

Harikrishna Devaraj

Brent Michael White

Ramakrishna Jingade

Kevin Alexander Gardner

Melissa Gayle Parks

Carrie Ann Bittick

Mirza Safder Baig

A chassis brace includes a body having a first end and a second end, a chassis structure abutment at the first end and a body structure abutment at the second end. Together, the chassis brace, the chassis component secured the chassis structure abutment of the chassis brace and the body component secured to the body structure abutment of the chassis brace form a small offset rigid barrier reinforcement assembly. A method of reinforcing a vehicle is also disclosed.

Chassis brace and small offset rigid barrier reinforcement assembly

A side airbag assembly includes a seatback and a side airbag supported by the seatback. The side airbag has a first panel and a second panel. The first panel and the second panel have an expandable region including an inflation chamber. The first panel and the second panel are connected to each other defining a substantially non-expandable region. The first panel and the second panel are connected to each other around an opening. The opening extends through the first panel and the second panel and the opening is between and adjacent to the substantially non-expandable region and the expandable region.

Side airbag including non-expandable region

An assembly includes a seatback and an airbag. The airbag includes an upper panel and a lower panel spaced from each other and an intermediate panel disposed therebetween. The upper panel and the lower panel are each uninflatable and each supported by the seatback. The intermediate panel is supported by the seatback and inflatable to an inflated position. The intermediate panel in the inflated position includes a valley elongated in a direction from the lower panel towards the upper panel.

Seat airbag

A restraint system includes a side curtain airbag and a tether. The side curtain airbag includes an outboard side and an inboard side, and the inboard side including a protrusion. The tether includes a central seam, a first extension attached at the outboard side, a second extension attached at the inboard side above the protrusion, and a third extension attached at the inboard side below the protrusion. The extensions are attached to each other at the central seam.

Side-impact restraint system

A vehicle includes a system including an instrument panel, a knee airbag, and a front airbag assembly. The knee airbag is inflatable downwardly from the instrument panel. The front airbag assembly is inflatable upwardly from the instrument panel. The front airbag assembly may be spaced from a windshield of the vehicle when the front airbag assembly is in the inflated position such that the windshield does not act as a reaction surface for the front airbag assembly, and the front airbag assembly is designed to control the kinematics of the occupant without using the windshield as a reaction surface.

Front airbag restraint system for vehicle

A system includes an airbag including a first lobe, a second lobe, a first tether connected to the first lobe, and a second tether connected to the second lobe, a seat rotatable relative to the airbag from a first position to a second position, and a computer programmed to, based on whether the seat is in the first position or the second position, release one of the first tether or the second tether.

Vehicle airbag operation

A seat includes a seat bottom and a seatback. A seatbelt buckle is supported by the seat bottom. A restraint is deployable from the seatback to a deployed position and in the deployed position includes a first edge extending along the seatback, a second edge extending along the seat bottom, and a third edge extending from the first edge to the second edge. The restraint is disposed outboard of the seatbelt buckle relative to the seat bottom.

Vehicle seat with deployable panel

A restraint system includes a retractable steering wheel, an airbag inflatable from the steering wheel, two primary tethers, two secondary tethers, and a tether release engaged with both secondary tethers. The airbag when inflated includes a front panel adjacent the steering wheel and an impact panel opposite the front panel. The primary tethers extend from the front panel to the impact panel. The secondary tethers extend from the front panel to each primary tether.

Airbag for retractable steering wheel

A side airbag for a vehicle includes a main chamber and a necking chamber. The main chamber has an opening for connecting to an inflator and a first thickness in an inflated condition. The necking chamber is peripherally surrounded by the main chamber and is connected to the main chamber by a restrictive vent. The necking chamber has a second thickness in the inflated condition less than the first thickness and is aligned with a targeted body area.

Side airbag with necking chamber

A test apparatus includes a linear motion generator, an airbag, a plate, a platform, an anthropomorphic test device, and a crushable member. The airbag is spaced from the linear motion generator. The plate is moveable by the linear motion generator toward the airbag, and the platform is fixed relative to the plate. The anthropomorphic test device is adjacent the airbag and includes an end coupled to the platform. The crushable member is disposed between the plate and the platform, and the crushable member is deformable by the plate. During operation of the test apparatus, the linear motion generator moves the plate into the crushable member to slow movement of the anthropomorphic device toward the airbag. The crushable member crushes to simulate the forces on the anthropomorphic test device from a vehicle side impact.

Airbag testing apparatus having an anthropomorphic test device

A side air curtain includes an inner panel and an outer panel defining an inflation chamber. The inflation chamber is inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The side air curtain includes a tether attached to the inner panel and the outer panel. The tether includes at least one hole extending through the first tether and spaced from the inner panel and the outer panel.

Vehicle side air curtain with tether including a hole

A vehicular armrest assembly includes a laterally collapsible substrate having a gap defined between inner and outer substrate portions. A tunable stiffening feature is disposed on the collapsible substrate and has an aperture positioned over the gap, and engagement tabs that engage the inner and outer substrate portions. The stiffening feature provides lateral support to the collapsible substrate to selectively allow the inner and outer substrate portions to deflect toward each other after a predetermined lateral load is placed on the collapsible substrate and an elastic bed disposed on the tunable stiffening feature and covering the aperture. The elastic bed vertically supports a cover member at the aperture and the lateral support provided to the collapsible substrate is solely provided by the stiffening feature.

Energy absorbing collapsible armrest with tunable stiffening feature

A vehicle armrest assembly includes a vertically operable armrest. A door frame is coupled to the armrest and the armrest assembly includes an adjustment mechanism that selectively positions the armrest between a plurality of vertical positions relative to the door frame. A control is in communication with the adjustment mechanism. An interior door trim is configured to slidably engage a recess defined in the armrest. The recess positions the door trim distal from a substrate of the armrest.

Vertically adjustable ergonomic armrest for automobile

A door trim assembly includes an armrest, a pull-cup unit, and an attachment structure. The attachment structure has a first portion with a first flange, a second portion with two second flanges on opposing sides of the first flange, and an attachment member engaged with the at least one first flange and the at least two second flanges. The first and second portions are respectively coupled to one each of the armrest and the pull-cup unit, which may prevent separation during and after a crash event.

Coupling structure for pull-cup and armrest assembly

An airbag assembly has an airbag, a gas emitting inflator, and an airbag thickness limiting structure. The airbag thickness limiting structure limits a first body region engaging portion to having a lateral thickness within a first lateral thickness range when the gas emitting inflator delivers a first amount of inflation gas into the interior space of the airbag and allows the first body region engaging portion of the airbag to have a lateral thickness within a second lateral thickness range when the gas emitting inflator delivers a second amount of inflation gas greater than the first amount into the interior space of the airbag. A second body region engaging portion has a substantially fixed maximum attainable lateral thickness. Maximum attainable lateral thickness of the first body region engaging portion of the airbag can be dependent upon whether or not inflation of the airbag is implemented using pre-crash sensing technology.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Krishnakanth E Aekbote