Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Nitesh Jadhav

Linh Ngoc Doan

Bhavani Thota

Tyler Glenn

Krishnakanth E Aekbote

William Moore Sherwood

Yudong Zhou

Bill Moore Sherwood

Mirza Safder Ali Baig

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Kenneth S Laird

Krish E Aekbote

Kevin Berington Johnson

Amit Chakravarty

Ryan Mowery

Daniel Morin

James Joseph Franko

Shaikh Akhlaque-E-Rasul

Harikrishna Devaraj

Mirza Safder Baig

Ken S Laird

Shakeeb Rehman

Maggie Walker

Jeffrey Berliner

A vehicle door includes an inner door liner having a substrate receptacle. An armrest substrate has a plurality of posts extending through the inner door liner at the substrate receptacle. The substrate receptacle has a plurality of one-way apertures that receive the plurality of posts. Integral retaining features positioned at an end of each post maintains engagement of each post within each respective one-way aperture.

Vehicle door armrest substrate having integral high retention fastener

A test apparatus includes a linear-motion generator, an airbag, a plate, an anthropomorphic test device, a crushable member, and a guide bar. The linear-motion generator is deployable in a deployment direction. The airbag is spaced from the linear-motion generator and inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The plate and the anthropomorphic test device are movable together by the linear-motion generator. The crushable member is fixed relative to the airbag in the uninflated position and disposed in the deployment direction from the plate. The guide bar has an end fixed relative to the airbag in the uninflated position and is positioned to intersect the airbag in the inflated position. The test apparatus has a beltline bar that is elongated along an axis transverse to the deployment direction, adjacent the airbag in the uninflated position, and spaced farther from the linear-motion generator than the airbag in the inflated position.

Airbag testing apparatus

A composite applique assembly for a vehicle interior trim piece includes a flexible receiver element and a flexible insert connected to the flexible receiver element by a sliding joint. An end of the flexible receiver element is fixedly connected to a vehicle door element. An end of the flexible insert opposite to the flexible receiver element end is fixedly connected to a vehicle door element. The flexible receiver element defines an internal channel configured for slidingly receiving the flexible insert therein. The flexible receiver element further defines at least a partial-length slot providing fluid communication with the internal channel.

Sliding joint applique

A vehicle includes a door and an impact absorbing structure. The door has an interior panel. The impact absorbing structure is secured to an inner surface of the interior panel. The impact absorbing structure has a centrally located hub and a plurality of spokes extending radially outward from the hub toward a peripheral boundary of the interior panel.

Impact absorbing system for a vehicle

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 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

A motor vehicle door and armrest assembly using a thin plate that is vertically strong while laterally collapsible. The plate is comprised of a matrix of intersecting parallel struts forming four sided cells having a first set of opposing acute angles and a second set of opposing obtuse angles. The obtuse angles span a direction normal to the motor vehicle door and allow the plate to more easily limit force transmission from a side impact force. The struts are coupled to a frame, the coupling struts variable in cross sectional area to further determine the lateral stiffness of the plate.

Thin plate structural support for a motor vehicle armrest

A vehicle door provides for the decoupling of the load path by a cut-out area formed in the door inner sheet-metal. In an impact event the front or lower portion of the door inner sheet-metal is pushed inboard while the cut-out area prevents the dragging of the rear or upper portion of the door inner sheet-metal. The cut-out area of the inner door sheet-metal is preferably elongated or can be another shape. It may be a close- or open-ended slot. A stiffening bead may be formed in the inner door sheet-metal adjacent the cut-out area. To provide a seal against water or debris, an adhesive material such as water-proof tape is positioned over the cut-out area. A door beam may be provided. A door spacer block may be positioned between the door beam and the door inner sheet-metal. Door trim padding may be provided over the inner door sheet-metal.

Decoupled load-path to reduce the pelvis combined load of a vehicle occupant

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Nitesh Jadhav