Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Sreenivas Kuchibhatla

Dragan B Stojkovic

Kalyanaraman Bharathan

Tim R Beard

Dan G Busuioc

Matthew Jameson Hickey

Jeffrey Peter Webb

Joseph Strozeski

Richard L Routson

Julian Garby, Ii

David Warren Wilson

A vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a display screen positioned within a housing, wherein the housing includes first and second protrusions. The vehicle instrument panel assembly includes a cross-car beam and a first bracket coupled to the cross-car beam. A second bracket is coupled to the first bracket and the first and second protrusions.

Display screen mounting assembly

A stiffening assembly for a vehicle cowl panel includes a pair of cooperating C-shaped brackets. Each of the pair of cooperating C-shaped brackets comprises cooperating bracket arms adapted for holding opposed ends of the pair of cooperating C-shaped brackets at varying distances from one another. Each of the pair of cooperating C-shaped brackets comprises a pair of parallel bracket arms which align with one another when the stiffening assembly is attached to the cowl panel. Cowl panel and instrument panel assemblies incorporating one or more stiffening assemblies and vehicles incorporating the cowl panel and instrument panel assemblies are provided.

Instrument panel to front cowl attachment

A vehicle instrument panel attachment joint assembly includes a first bracket associated with a strut holding a portion of the instrument panel and a second bracket associated with a portion of the vehicle. The assembly is configured whereby the second bracket underlies the first bracket on attachment. One or fasteners pass first through one or more second bracket through-bores and next through one or more first bracket through-bores to attach the first and second brackets one to the other. The first bracket includes one or more associated cooperating fastener receivers aligned with the one or more first bracket through-bores.

Instrument panel secondary service joint

An assembly includes a base component secured to vehicle frame components and a first body component having an inside surface abutting the base component. The assembly further includes a first fastening member securing the first body component to the base component. The first fastening member has a first flange portion engaging the outside surface of the first body component and a first shaft portion engaging the base component. The assembly also includes a second body component abutting the first flange portion of the first fastening member opposite the first body component and a second fastening member securing the second body component to the first body and base components. The second fastening member has a second flange portion engaging the second body component and a second shaft portion engaging the first shaft portion of the first fastening member.

Assembly of vehicle structural components at a common joint

A road vehicle has an instrument panel substrate supported by a sheet metal body cowl. The body cowl is configured to be supported by a firewall of the vehicle. A fastener joins the instrument panel substrate and the body cowl comprising a magnetic member mechanically affixed to one of the instrument panel substrate or the body cowl at a predetermined location. The magnetic member attaches with a substantially horizontal magnetic surface of the other one of the instrument panel substrate or the body cowl. The magnetic member vertically separates from the magnetic surface in response to an impact force applied against the body cowl that is greater than a predetermined force. Furthermore, the magnetic attachment of the magnetic member to the magnetic surface prevents separation below the predetermined force. Thus, the conflicting demands of squeak and rattle performance versus pedestrian protection are easily satisfied.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Sreenivas Kuchibhatla