Zoox, Inc.

Marcos Puerta Terron

Markus Jost

Andrew John Piper

Mark Alan Bates

Thomas Andrew Stoddart

Ramanjaneya Reddy Butukuri

Kevin Hothem

Vishveshwar Ramanathan Subramanian

Andrew Frank Raczkowski

Brandon Loeb

Kern Rameshwar Sharma

Mikael Jarsaeter

Anthony Earl

Daria Di Costanzo

Michael Franz Schink

Michael Anthony Baer

Karthikeyan Marudhamuthu

Mark Christian Allbee

An energy absorbing structure positioned proximate a vehicle body and a battery housing reduces impact forces imparted to a battery during a side collision. The energy absorbing structure may include energy absorbers positioned on longitudinal sides of the vehicle between the vehicle body and the battery housing. The energy absorbers can represent one or more hollow tubes having a passage aligned with a vent of the battery housing to receive gas from the battery housing and redirect the gas to an area away from a passenger compartment or an exit of the vehicle.

Energy absorbing structure for a battery

A headrest may be fixed relative to a seat or a bank of seats in a vehicle and can provide multiple stages of deformation in response to a collision event. The headrest can include a resilient member that deforms in response to a first force caused by the collision event. The headrest can also include a frame that deforms in a first manner in response to a second force greater than the first force and in a second manner in response to a third force greater than the second force. Such a headrest can provide improved impact mitigation for occupants, regardless of height and/or weight such that occupants ranging from the 5to 95percentile in height and/or weight are afforded similar impact mitigation despite a fixed headrest structure. In some examples, multiple such headrests may be conjoined.

Multiple stage headrest

A seat for a vehicle may include a seatback including an intermediate portion including a first portion having a first stiffness and a second portion including a second material different than a first material of the first portion, such that the seatback quickly couples an associated occupant and dissipates as much energy as possible. The intermediate portion may be configured such that as at least a portion of the back of an occupant of the seat pushes against a front surface of the seatback and the seatback is at least partially compressed, a reaction force from the seatback against at least a portion of the back of the occupant increases from a minimal reaction force to a first reaction force corresponding to a first displacement, and thereafter the reaction force decreases to a second reaction force as displacement of the front surface of the seatback further displaces.

Occupant protection system and method including seatback

An impact energy management system for a vehicle includes an impact energy absorbing structure to absorb energy from an impact with an external object, and an energy management structure to manage energy from an impact with an internal displaceable object (e.g., a motor or steering rack) with one or more protected objects (e.g., a passenger compartment or battery). The energy management structure may include one or more swingarms or other members configured to protect the protected object from impact by directing the displaceable object down and/or away from the protected object during a collision.

Vehicle impact energy management structures and techniques

An impact structure includes a beam configured to deform in a particular manner. The beam may include a first deformable portion extending from a front end of the beam toward a rear end of the beam. The first deformable portion may be configured to axially crush in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal direction of the beam. The beam may also include a second deformable portion extending between the first deformable portion and the rear end. The beam may also include a reinforced section configured to cause the second deformable portion to bend. The first and second deformable portions may be configured such that an axial force acting on the front end in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction causes the first deformable portion to axially crush prior to causing the second deformable portion to bend.

Impact structure

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Cheltenham, United Kingdom

Marcos Puerta Terron