Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Automotive Components Holdings, LLC

Stacey H Raines

Sean Bayle West

Nicholas Andrew Mazzocchi

Brandon M Aselage

Kaitlin M Cischke

Robert A Chanko

Latasha Nicole Smith

Tyler Cohoon

Brian Robert Spahn

Benjamin Yilma

Raj S Roychoudhury

Anthony Ligi, Jr

Todd Nelson Clark

Russell Joseph Mihm

Edward Joseph Abramoski

Peter Joseph Bejin

James Hadley Muiter

Li Lu

Alan Perelli

Thomas William Pietila

Shannon Carloni

Daniel D Mitchell, Jr

Jose A Nava

Fernando Ovando

Anne Dirkes

Suresh S Lanka

Raffi B Manoukian

James Scott Simon

An airbag assembly for a vehicle is provided that includes a housing coupled to the support structure of a vehicle. An airbag module is coupled to and supported by the housing. The airbag module includes an airbag deployable from an undeployed condition to a deployed condition, and an inflator configured to inflate the airbag from the undeployed condition to the deployed condition. An air duct that is configured to transmit an airflow is at least partially integrally coupled to the housing.

Airbag with integrated air duct

A coupling system includes a glovebox panel having inner and outer surfaces and a keyhole slot disposed therethrough having an enlarged portion leading to a narrowed portion. A ramped flange is disposed on the outer surface of the glovebox panel. A damper mechanism includes an abutment plate with a post and head member. The head member is received through an enlarged portion of the keyhole slot when the damper mechanism is in a pre-load position. The abutment plate engages the ramped flange to progressively drive the head member into engagement with the inner surface of the glovebox panel as the damper mechanism moves from the pre-load position to a seated position.

Retention feature for snap-in attachments

An active glove box bolster system for an automotive vehicle comprises an instrument panel housing defining a door space. A glove box door comprises a longitudinally-movable latch rod having a sloped end. A striker is provided on the housing for receiving the latch rod in a pocket between a front wall and a rear wall. The front wall slidably engages the sloped end during closing of the door to retract the latch rod until it enters the pocket. The latch rod includes a first interlock element adjacent to the sloped end, and the rear wall includes a second interlock element aligned with the first interlock element. The interlock elements engage to resist movement in response to a force against the door in a direction to push the door through the door space.

Active glove box door with interlock between latch rods and strikers

A vehicle dashboard includes an air duct proximate an access aperture. The air duct selectively defines sealed and collapsed positions. A display module is positioned proximate the air duct. The display module is selectively accessible via the access aperture when the air duct is in the collapsed position. The collapsed position characterized by a nested portion of the air duct being removed from a duct receptacle.

Collapsible panel duct for a vehicle HVAC system

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic-molded front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle. An inflator couples an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. The pleated baffle forms a plurality of at least five vent openings including at least one stress relief vent juxtaposed to a peak stress region of the hot weld seam and a plurality of tuning vents which are concentrated at a lowest restraint-force region of the inflatable bladder.

Active bolster vent distribution for stress and load management

A glove box latch system for an automotive vehicle is provided. A glove box door is mounted in an instrument panel housing. The glove box door comprises a movable latch rod and an adjacent lock plate. In the event that the vehicle is involved in a collision, the lock plate engages the latch rod. The engaged lock plate arrests movement of the latch rod, securing the latch rod in the closed position and preventing the glove box door from opening. Exemplary methods and structures for restraining movement of latch rods are provided.

Impact-activated latch lock device, system, and method for glove box doors

An active glove box door includes a bladder member joined along an outer perimeter with a front wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes a circumferential pleat for unfolding in response to an inflation gas during a crash event. A door inner liner is joined to a central region of the bladder member and forms a generally continuous plate behind the bladder member. The door inner liner interfaces with the instrument panel to provide a reaction surface for expansion of the bladder. The pleat has a peak disposed proximate to the door inner liner, wherein the peak includes a vent opening that delineates a collision region on the door inner liner. The door inner liner includes a plurality of perforations in the collision region permitting flow of inflation gas from the vent opening through the door inner liner.

Active glove box door with ventilated reaction plate

A vehicle console includes a frame and an impact absorbing device supported on the frame. The impact absorbing device includes a bladder connected to the frame and a panel connected to the bladder. The bladder and the panel define an inflation chamber between the bladder and the panel. The panel is rigid relative to the bladder. An inflator is in communication with the inflation chamber.

Inflatable chamber integrated into center floor console

An active bolster includes a plastic trim wall that deploys toward a passenger compartment and a plastic-molded bladder member joined with the trim wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleat for unfolding in response to an inflation gas. A reaction member is joined to a central region of the bladder member to provide a reaction surface. The pleat has a peak disposed proximate to the reaction member and an outer band between the peak and the weld seam at least a portion of which extends perpendicularly to the reaction member. A buffer zone is formed circumjacent the outer band between the trim wall and the reaction member. The pleat has a vent opening formed in the outer band providing an unobstructed path for inflation gas from the inflatable bladder to the buffer zone.

Active bolster with directional vent into concealed buffer zone

An active glove box door is provided for a vehicle passenger compartment. A plastic-molded inner door liner forms a reaction plate. A plastic-molded front trim wall deploys toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the trim wall by a hot weld seam to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleat adjacent the weld seam and a central attachment region with a plurality of attachment bosses joined to the inner door liner. A skeleton member is mounted to the inner door liner between the bladder member and the inner door liner, wherein the skeleton member has a lattice structure for reducing flexing of the inner door liner. The skeleton member has at least one aperture receiving a respective attachment boss.

Active glove box door with intermediate skeleton member

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment in an automotive vehicle. A plastic front wall deploys in a deployment direction toward a passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic expandable bladder member is joined along an outer perimeter with the front wall by a weld seam to form a bladder. The weld seam has a nominal separation pressure. An inflator couples an inflation gas to inflate the bladder in response to a crash event. The bladder member includes a plurality of vent openings configured to regulate an inflation pressure of the inflation gas during an impact according to a passenger restraint profile. The bladder member further includes at least one stress relief vent comprising a frangible tear seam partially cut into the bladder member configured to tear open at a predetermined pressure between the passenger restraint profile and the nominal separation pressure.

Active bolster stress relief vents for failsafe weld protection

An active bolster for an automotive vehicle includes a plastic-molded outer trim panel with a welding track on an inside surface and a plastic-molded expandable bladder member with a welding flange along a peripheral edge with a first surface facing the trim panel inside surface and a second opposed surface. The welding track and the welding flange are joined by a hot weld to form a sealed chamber. A plurality of counterbores are distributed over the welding flange in order to form rivets that mechanically strengthen the weld. Each counterbore is comprised of a neck portion penetrating the first surface and a head portion penetrating the second surface. Each head portion includes an internal ledge extending laterally from the neck portion. The hot weld includes plastic-molded material that flows from the welding track through each neck portion and spreading onto the internal ledge in each head portion.

Active bolster with hot-weld rivets

An active bolster for an automotive vehicle includes a plastic-molded trim wall that deploys outwardly during a crash. A plastic-molded reaction plate is mounted as a deployment base. A plastic-molded bladder member is joined around a substantially sealed perimeter with the trim wall to form an inflatable bladder. The bladder member includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle around a central attachment region. The central attachment region includes an attachment boss projecting toward an attachment pad on the reaction plate to form a hot weld. The attachment boss has an arched cross section defining a weld surface with an apex. The weld surface is hot welded to the attachment pad such that the apex makes first contact with the attachment pad, wherein compression of the bladder member with the reaction plate creates a contact edge moving radially outward from the apex to expel gas from the hot weld.

Active bolster with bladder member hot welded to reaction plate

An active bolster mounts at an interior trim surface of a passenger compartment. A plastic-molded front wall deploys to receive an impacting passenger in the passenger compartment. A plastic-molded back wall is joined around a substantially sealed perimeter with the front wall to form an inflatable bladder, wherein the back wall includes at least one substantially circumferential pleated baffle for unfolding during inflation of the bladder to deploy the front wall. An inflator delivers an inflation gas into the inflatable bladder in response to a crash event of the vehicle. An absorber member is disposed along the front wall in the bladder prior to inflation and is configured to deploy transversely to the front wall and into fixed abutment with the back wall upon inflation of the bladder to mechanically resist post-inflation movement of the front wall toward the back wall and to dissipate energy of the impacting passenger.

Growing community of inventors

Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Stacey H Raines