Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Markus Hagen

Steven Yellin Schondorf

Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam

Abraham G Philip

Thomas Arndt

Ralf Brosig

Exemplary methods of making a bumper component are disclosed, along with exemplary bumper assemblies and vehicles. An exemplary method may include providing a first mold portion defining at least in part a front surface, and positioning at least one sensor in the first mold portion. Exemplary methods may further include enclosing the at least one sensor within the first mold portion with a second mold portion. The second mold portion may define at least in part a rear surface. The method may further include forming a body within the first and second mold portions, thereby embedding the at least one sensor between the front and rear surfaces, the body extending between the front and rear surfaces.

Bumper component with embedded sensor

An occupant sensor system is coupled to an airbag deployment system . Occupant sensor system has an occupant sensor that comprises a seat belt and a plurality of wires extending a predetermined length within seat belt . Wires are coupled to a controller that is used to sense a changing electrical characteristic of wires such as capacitance or inductance to determine the presence of an occupant. Controller in response to the signal from occupant sensor may then adjust the deployment of an airbag

Growing community of inventors

Cologne, Germany

Markus Hagen