Toyoda Iron Works Co., Ltd.

Sumitomo Metal Industries, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Sumitomo Pipe & Tube Co., Ltd.

National Institute for Environmental Studies

Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.

Accurate Systems Inc.

Mitsutoshi Kano

Kenji Tamura

Makoto Nakanishi

Katsutoshi Takagi

Yoshiaki Nakazawa

Michitaka Yoshida

Atsushi Tomizawa

Mitsutoshi Uchida

Hiroyasu Kosaka

Takeshi Taniguchi

Yasuhiro Yoshimura

Takashi Niiya

Yoshinori Kondo

Junichi Yasu

Shimpei Urata

Katsutoshi Takaki

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a small-sized electric vehicle that is capable of assisting power of a wheelchair coupled to the small-sized electric vehicle, and that is capable of traveling alone in a state of being detached from the wheelchair. A folding vehicleis capable of making a wheelchaircoupled by a coupling membermove in a self-traveling manner using a batteryand an in-wheel motor M etc. Furthermore, the folding vehicleis capable of self-traveling by using the batteryand the in-wheel motor M etc. while in an independent state of not being coupled to the wheelchair

Compact electric vehicle

A saddle member is attached to at least one of an upper end portion of a first frame member and an upper end portion of a second frame member of a main frame mechanism and remains to be in a state of being attached to at least one of the upper end portion of the first frame member and the upper end portion of the second frame member in a folded mode, a seated driving mode, and a standing driving mode, with locking function of a third lock mechanism.

Folding vehicle

A vehicle bumper beam including: a resin beam having an elongate body extending along a vehicle-width direction, two tubular shock-absorbing portions disposed at the beam body's opposite longitudinal end portions extending in front-rear direction, the beam body and shock-absorbing portions being formed with each other; a metal beam disposed outside the resin beam in the front-rear direction, fixedly fitted to the resin beam. Further, flat attachment portions, formed with inner end portions of the shock-absorbing portions in front-rear direction; bent portions bent in a crank extending from attachment portions outward in front-rear direction, the beam body being to attachment portions via bent portions, the metal beam fixedly fitted to an outer surface of the beam body's intermediate portion; metal beam's opposite end portions extending beyond bent portions covering the right and left sides, fixedly fitted to distal end portions; each space defined by shock-absorbing portion, metal beam and bent portion.

Vehicle bumper beam

A bumper-stay mounting structure includes a rear side member, a bumper stay and a load transmission member, in the bumper-stay mounting structure, a load being transmitted intensively to a lower side of a rear end portion of the rear side member, the bumper-stay mounting structure, the load transmission member having, on an inner peripheral side of a fastened portion, a protruding portion in a box shape, which protrudes toward the rear portion of the bumper stay in the vehicle longitudinal direction so as to be inserted into an opening of the bumper stay; and a side wall of the protruding portion having a substantially U-shaped cross section that is perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal direction, is opened on a vehicle upper side, and is provided with, at a front end edge of the side wall, a flange extending outward from a side wall as the fastened portion.

Bumper-stay mounting structure and load transmission member

Flanges () are provided on outer sides (in an upper-lower direction) of a pair of narrow side walls () of a crash box (). Each of flanges () is provided to be connected to the narrow side wall () at the central portion thereof, and the both lateral portions thereof (wing-like flanges ()) extend parallel to the narrow side walls () and in the opposite directions relative to each other. Therefore, even when an impact load is applied to the crash box () in an oblique direction of the vehicle, owing to disposition of the flanges () the crush box () is suppressed from lateral falling, so that excellent impact-absorbing property is stably obtained. Because the flanges () are formed parallel to the narrow side walls (), the impact absorbing member can be appropriately prevented from the lateral falling resulted from the impact load acting in an oblique direction of the vehicle, and can be compactified in size. As a result, mountability on a vehicle is improved.

Impact absorbing member for vehicle

Of side wall portions () of a tubular body portion () mainly constituting an impact absorbing member (), a wider side wall portion () on the vehicle inner side is provided with a projecting rib () projects outward in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the body portion. The projecting rib () extends from an axial end () adjacent to a mounting plate () and parallel to the axial direction of the body portion. Therefore, even when an impact load is applied to the impact absorbing member () in an oblique direction with respect to the vehicle to generate a moment load, the existence of the projecting rib () prevents the impact absorbing member from falling down laterally. Accordingly, excellent impact-absorbing properties are stably obtained. The projecting rib () is formed not to reach the load input side, i.e., the axial end () adjacent to a mounting plate (), where collapse starts. Therefore, no load increase occurs in a crash initial stage to well maintain impact-energy-absorbing properties.

The present invention relates to an impact absorbing member (L,R) for vehicle which has a hollow cylindrical shape and is disposed in a vehicle between a side member (L,R) and a bumper beam (), and which is axially crushed along an axis of the impact absorbing member by receiving a compressive force into a bellows shape to absorb an impact energy upon deformation, wherein (a) the impact absorbing member includes a main body () of a hollow cylindrical shape, and a pair of attaching plates () to which both axial ends of the main body are fixedly welded respectively; (b) the main body has, at least one axial end thereof, a flange () protruding at least axially and being integrally formed with the main body; (c) the attaching plate has an adhered supporting portion () formed in parallel to the flange to be surface contacted therewith; and (d) the main body is fixedly welded to the attaching plate with the flange being surface contacted with the adhered supporting portion.

Impack absorbing member for vehicle

An impact absorber for a vehicle, which has a tubular shape and which is to be disposed between a side member and a bumper beam of the vehicle, so as to be crushed like an accordion in an axial direction thereof upon application of a compressive load thereto, for absorbing an impact energy. (a) The impact absorber has a tubular main body and a pair of attachment plates that are welded to be fixed to respective axially opposite end portions of the tubular main body. (b) The main body has a thin plate portion having a plate thickness smaller than 1.4 mm and constituting an axially intermediate portion of the main body, and a pair of thick plate portions having a plate thickness not smaller than 1.4 mm and provided integrally on axially opposite sides of the thin plate portion, the thick plate portions being arc-welded to be fixed to the respective attachment plates while being held in contact with the respective attachment plates.

Shock absorbing member for vehicle

A crash energy absorption member is provided which has excellent crash energy absorbing properties with the ability of repeated buckling in a stable manner, a high average load at the time of collapse, and the maximum load which is within a range which does not break other members. It is a crash energy absorption member which preferably has a transverse cross-sectional shape of an octagon and which is intended for absorbing impact energy by buckling in the lengthwise direction into a shape of bellows when it receives an impact load. With respect to at least one side forming the transverse cross-sectional shape, when the angle formed by the two sides which adjoin the opposing ends of the one side is &#x3b1;, the relationship between the length L1 of the one side and the distance L2 between the two furthest ends of the two sides interposing the one side satisfies the following equation:0&#x3c;1/2&#x3c;1/{2&#xd7;sin(&#x3b1;/2)+1}.

Crash box

A vehicle bumper beam, attached at its ends to side members of a vehicle through respective impact absorbing members. The bumper beam is press-formed into a predetermined shape. A width Wof a connecting portion at an end portion thereof is larger than a width Wof a connecting portion at a center portion thereof. A height Hof a protruding portion at an end portion thereof is smaller than a height Hof a protruding portion at a center portion thereof. A connecting portion between the protruding portions cooperates with the protruding portions to define an M-shaped configuration. The opposite end portions have a bending strength higher than a crush strength of the impact absorbing members.

Bumper beam for vehicle

A crash energy absorption member capable of reducing the initial load without provision of a crushing bead and capable of achieving a sufficient amount of shock absorption with stable buckling behavior. The crash energy absorption member is formed from a tubular body which has a length L and a polygonal transverse cross-sectional shape with 2n corners due to having 2n ridge lines (wherein n is a natural number greater than or equal to 3) and 2n surfaces partitioned by these 2n ridge lines, and which absorbs impact energy by buckling when an impact load is applied to one end in the axial direction towards the other end, characterized in that some of the 2n ridge lines only exist in a region which extends from a position spaced by a distance h in the axial direction from the one end to the other end, and if the number of the remaining ridge lines which have a length L is m, the following equations are satisfied:&#xd7;0.30 &#x2003;&#x2003;(1)4&#x2266;&#x2266;2&#xd7;(&#x2212;1). &#x2003;&#x2003;(2)

Crash energy absorption member

A crash energy absorption member formed from a tubular body for absorbing impact energy by buckling when it receives an impact load in the axial direction from one end in the axial direction. It has a transverse cross-sectional shape along at least a portion in the axial direction which is a closed cross section having a plurality of vertices in which there is no flange on the outside of the closed cross section, and in a region of at least one side of a basic cross section formed from the largest outline obtained by connecting a portion of the plurality of vertices by straight lines, a groove which is recessed towards the inside of the outline is provided in a location other than at an end point of the side. Thus, the crash energy absorption member can achieve a prescribed amount of shock absorption by stably buckling in the axial direction without bending and without an increase in weight due to the addition of a partition or due to an increase in plate thickness.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Mitsutoshi Kano