Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Samuel D Koch

Geoffrey David Gaither

Mark D Clauser

William Castleman

Shashikumar Honnikoppa

Toshiharu Noguchi

Yeongching Lin

Andrew F Stewart

Adam J Davis

Systems and vehicles including a pop-out trunk/frunk and methods of using the same. A system may include a storage compartment. The storage compartment may have a base configured to receive a payload. The system may further include a trunk/frunk area. The trunk/frunk area may be configured to receive the storage compartment. The system may further include a mechanism. The mechanism may be attachable to the storage compartment and configured to traverse the storage compartment between an up position where the storage compartment extends up and out of the trunk/frunk area and a down position where the storage compartment is within the trunk/frunk area.

Pop-out vehicle frunk and trunk

An internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft. The crankshaft includes multiple crank journals, at least two crank pins positioned between two of the multiple crank journals that neighbor one another, and at least one pin arm. Each pin arm may be positioned between two of the crank pins neighboring one another. Arrangements may include multiple crankshaft supports and multiple thrust bearings. These elements may be distributed about the crankshaft such that two or more of the multiple crankshaft supports have at least one associated thrust bearing. Each of the crankshaft supports having the associated thrust bearing may support one of the multiple the crank journals. Each thrust bearing may be positioned between the crankshaft and the crankshaft support having the associated thrust bearing.

Engines with multiple thrust bearings

Systems and methods are provided for a drive mechanism of a vehicle, that may include: a rotor comprising a ring of a plurality of magnets located about a circumference of a rim of a wheel of the vehicle, the plurality of magnets generating a first magnetic field; a stator comprising a plurality of coils, the stator mounted to a body of the vehicle, and located outside a wheel of the vehicle and proximate to an outer edge of the ring of the plurality of magnets; and wherein the plurality of coils of the stator, when energized by an AC waveform, generate a second magnetic field stator, and further wherein an interaction between the first and second magnetic fields creates an attractive force causing tractive motion of the wheel about an axis of rotation of the wheel.

Non-contact in-wheel motor with steering

Fuel protection apparatus and related systems for use with vehicles are disclosed. A disclosed vehicle includes a fuel component in an engine compartment of the vehicle. The vehicle also includes a spacer coupled to a cam carrier and positioned proximate to the fuel component. The vehicle also includes a protector coupled to a cylinder head and spaced from the spacer and the cam carrier. The protector is configured to receive a load from a cowl brace or firewall of the vehicle during a vehicle impact event in which an engine assembly of the vehicle moves relative to the cowl brace or firewall. The protector is configured to transfer the load to the cylinder head, the cam carrier, and the spacer to protect the fuel component.

Fuel protection apparatus and related systems for use with vehicles

Vehicle engine systems and protectors for such systems are presented. The protector can include a first end that is operatively connected to an intake manifold of the engine system. The protector can include a second end positioned between a fuel component of the engine system and a vehicle firewall. The protector can include one or more hooks that extend from an outer surface of the protector near the second end. The hooks are configured to engage the vehicle firewall during an impact collision. In one or more arrangements, the hooks can be configured to pierce through the vehicle firewall during the impact collision.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Samuel D Koch