Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Global Technology, LLC

Srivardhan Tallapragada

Jay Douglas Blackson

Joseph Edward Abramczyk

Linh Ngoc Doan

Bhavani Thota

Eric Axel Smitterberg

Chuck R Reese

Tahmidur Rahman

Pamela Avendano Arenas

Aleksandar Spasovski

John Rudolph

Kirk Robert Goleniak

A roof rail assembly for a motor vehicle having an open frame vehicle architecture includes a side air curtain fixedly coupled with a sports tube via a first fastener oriented at a first angle relative a horizontal transverse plane of the sports tube. A roof rail trim cover is coupled with the sports tube via a second fastener oriented at a second angle, wherein the first angle and the second angle are not parallel. A cover member depends from the roof rail trim cover and includes a plurality of parallel hinges integrally molded into the cover member. A releasable opening is disposed parallel to the plurality of parallel hinges. Activation of the side air curtain rotates the cover member about the plurality of parallel hinges to open the releasable opening to allow passage of side air curtain through an opening.

Open frame vehicle side occupant restraint system

A vehicle includes a frame. The vehicle is an open-frame vehicle. The frame includes an A-pillar, a B-pillar, and a roof siderail. The roof siderail extends between the A-pillar and the B-pillar. An A-pillar trim member is coupled to the A-pillar and includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion defines an aperture that receives the second portion. A B-pillar trim member is coupled to the B-pillar. A roof siderail trim member is coupled to the roof siderail and extends between the A-pillar trim member and the B-pillar trim member. An inflatable member is positioned between the frame and at least two of the A-pillar trim member, the B-pillar trim member, and the roof siderail trim member when the inflatable member is in a deflated state. An inflated state of the inflatable member separates the second portion of the A-pillar trim member from the aperture of the A-pillar trim member.

Open-frame vehicle having a two-piece trim member

A vehicle door includes a door inner and a trim panel fixed to the door inner. An energy absorber having a vehicle-rearward end and a vehicle-forward end is disposed between the door inner and the trim panel and elongated in a vehicle-forward direction from the vehicle-rearward end to the vehicle-forward end. The energy absorber includes a first energy-absorbing component defining a cavity facing the trim panel, and a second energy-absorbing component disposed in the cavity. The energy absorber has a stiffness that decreases in the vehicle-forward direction.

Energy absorber with varying stiffness

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Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Srivardhan Tallapragada