Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Continental Structural Plastics, Inc.

Matthew A Jansma

Christopher M Higgins

Scott Louis Frederick

Herbert Meingast

Naoya Ashida

Wei Jiang

Ryan Craig Harris

Keith O'Brien

James J Chung

Jeffrey S Knutsen

Steven D Harmon, Jr

Yuki Yoshimura

Myron D Bowers

Mark A Gawronski

Manpreet Singh

A vehicle bumper assembly includes a single-piece sub-frame having at least one step portion. The sub-frame is structured to be mountable on an extended portion of a vehicle frame so that the at least one step portion resides directly above the portion of the vehicle frame.

Step bumper with load support on truck frame

A vehicular body structure includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes an adjacent ridge and valley with a leg shared therebetween, a crossbeam footprint crosswise to the adjacent ridge and valley, and a rib extending along the adjacent ridge and valley. Outside the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the ridge, approaching the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the leg into the valley, and across the crossbeam footprint, the rib extends along the valley.

Vehicular body structure

A vehicular body structural arrangement includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes corrugations, a crosswise crossbeam footprint and, along a partial length of the crossbeam footprint, two features for securing a crossbeam thereto. The corrugations include an adjacent ridge and valley. The features include a first feature having a first direction along the deck panel, and a second feature having a second direction toward the deck panel. The first feature includes a unitarily-formed web projecting normally to the deck panel past the ridge, and a rivet nut installed to the web against a backing facing the first direction. The second feature includes a unitarily-formed stanchion behind the web projecting normally to the deck panel from inside the valley, and a threaded insert seated in the stanchion facing the second direction.

Vehicular body structural arrangement

A vehicular body structural arrangement includes a unitarily-formed polymeric bed box including a bulkhead panel, an elongate reinforcement including a spine, and a row of rivet nuts securing the reinforcement to the bulkhead panel in an unconcealed manner. The reinforcement is backed against the bulkhead panel from outside the bed box. The rivet nuts are installed to the bulkhead panel against the reinforcement facing inside the bed box.

Vehicular body structural arrangements

A bed for a vehicle can include tie down anchors that extend at an acute angle relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. As a result, the tie down anchors can match a loading direction of a strap or other securement device, thereby minimizing or avoiding bending moments on the tie down anchors. The bed can include a tie down flange provided at an interface between a transverse wall and a side wall of the bed. A recess being defined on an outer side of the bed at the location of the tie down flange. A tie down anchor operatively connected to the tie down flange.

Angled tie down anchors

A side wall of a vehicle bed can be configured to provide support against vertical loads, such as step loading, imposed on a lateral side wall of the bed. The bed can be defined in part by a first lateral side wall and a second lateral side wall. The first and/or second lateral side wall can include an inner wall member, an outer wall member, and a top protector. The top protector can being operatively connected to the inner and outer wall members. The top protector can define a top surface of the respective lateral side wall. The inner wall member can include a transverse portion that extends to an innermost end. The innermost end can be substantially adjacent to an inner side of the top protector. Thus, the inner and outer wall members can support the top protector across substantially its entire width.

Vehicle bed side wall configured for vertical load support

A vehicle includes a frame rail, a crossbeam resting atop the frame rail, a deck panel resting atop the crossbeam, an adaptor resting inside the crossbeam, and a fastener extending from atop the adaptor to the frame rail through the adaptor and the crossbeam. The deck panel includes an aperture and a bordering area around the aperture. The adaptor rises through the aperture and overtop the bordering area. The fastener overhangs the bordering area and is engaged with the adaptor overtop the bordering area, and is secured to the frame rail. The fastener thereby secures the adaptor to the frame rail against the crossbeam without tightening against the deck panel at the bordering area.

A vehicular body structure includes a polymeric deck panel. The deck panel includes adjacent ridges and valleys with legs shared therebetween, crossbeam footprints crosswise to the adjacent ridges and valleys, and ribs extending along the adjacent ridges and valleys between the crossbeam footprints and ending short thereof. The ribs project normally to the deck panel past the ridges, and have elongate cross-sectional shapes, with cross-sectional thicknesses substantially the same as or greater than the cross-sectional thicknesses of the adjacent ridges and valleys.

Described herein are embodiments of an autonomous drone for refueling. The autonomous drone may comprise a fuel storage area; a fuel delivery mechanism coupled to the fuel storage area; a delivery connection coupled to the fuel delivery mechanism; a drive mechanism; and a central controller. The central controller may be configured to receive a refueling location; and control the drive mechanism to pilot the autonomous drone to the refueling location.

On-the-fly autonomous vehicle refueling and recharging

Water management for vehicles with an open top cargo bed are described. A plurality of vehicle components can form a portion of the open-top cargo bed. The plurality of vehicle components can define a gap. A seal plug can be received in the gap. The seal plug can sealingly engage the first and/or second lateral side of the gap. The seal plug can be configured to direct water away from the vehicle. For instance, the seal plug can include a deflection surface. The deflection surface can be angled downwardly and away from the gap. The seal plug can include a water drainage channel. The water drainage channel can include a first end opening to an upper surface of the seal plug and the second end opening to the deflection surface and/or other surface that slopes downwardly and away from the gap.

Water management for vehicles with tonneau covers

A hood assembly includes an outer panel that is connected to an inner panel. The inner panel includes one or more elongated slots that extend lengthwise in a vehicle longitudinal direction. The elongated slots can provide a line of weakness to reduce deceleration of an impacting body. A slot protector is fitted within the elongated slots. The slot protector is formed of a flexible material that facilitates an interference fit within the slot.

Slot protectors for hood assemblies

A bumper assembly includes a bumper upper member that is reinforced in a vehicle vertical direction against a bumper energy absorber structure. The bumper upper member includes a vertical rigidity flange that extends outwardly toward the bumper energy absorber that limits movement of the bumper upper member in response to a downward vertical force, which can improve static subjective rigidity, while maintaining pedestrian performance.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

Matthew A Jansma