Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Troy N Grantham

Haley L Grantham

Jeremiah Thomas Hammer

Aaron Richard Steinhilb

Paxton S Williams, I

Suk Jae Ham

Hailan Hu

A vehicle includes a vehicle frame member, a storage compartment, and a sealing device coupling the storage compartment to the vehicle frame member. At least a portion of the sealing device is configured to move in a downward vehicle vertical direction upon a force exceeding a predetermined threshold being applied against an upper end of the sealing device.

Vehicles including frangible storage compartment sealing devices

A vehicle includes a frame member and a tow hook assembly coupled to the frame member. The tow hook assembly includes a tow hook positionable between a first position and a second position, and a locking mechanism operable between a locked position and an unlocked position to permit the tow hook to move into the second position. The vehicle further includes a contact sensor and an electronic control unit communicatively coupled to the tow hook assembly and the sensor, the electronic control unit configured to operate the locking mechanism into the unlocked position to permit the tow hook to be positioned into the second position upon the sensor detecting that a predetermined condition is satisfied.

Movable tow hook assemblies and vehicles including same

A vehicle includes an active grille shutter system including an actuation frame and grille fins that extend between opposite sides of the actuation frame. The grille fins each include a fin body rotatably connected to the actuation frame and a fin extension movably connected to the fin body such that the fin extension moves from a stowed configuration to a deployed configuration relative to the fin body. An actuation device is configured to move the fin extension from the stowed configuration to the deployed position thereby adding to a length of the fin body.

Grille shutters with active upper load path and vehicles including same

A vehicle frunk assembly is provided. The vehicle frunk includes a frunk housing having a bottom wall and a side wall having an interior surface and an opposite exterior surface. The interior surface of the side wall and the bottom wall define a storage space. The vehicle frunk includes a hood moveable between an open position and a closed position. The hood has a hood inner panel. The vehicle frunk includes a sealing flange extending outwardly from the hood inner panel, and the sealing flange has an inner surface and an outer surface. The sealing flange is configured to bound at least a portion of the side wall such that the inner surface of the sealing flange faces the exterior surface of the side wall to form a seal between the hood and the frunk housing when the hood is in the closed position.

Vehicle frunk assemblies

A system for noise and vibration sealing of a vehicle while providing reduced impact resistance includes a block of compressible material positionable between a vehicle hood and a support structure of the vehicle. The block of compressible material may include an attachment surface configured to be secured to a portion of the vehicle and an impact surface formed opposite the attachment surface. The impact surface may be positioned in the vehicle to be contacted by the hood or support structure during an impact event. An exterior surface may extend between the attachment surface and the impact surface. A cavity may be formed in the exterior surface. The cavity may have a first inner surface and a second inner surface opposing the first inner surface, and may be shaped to accommodate crushing of the block of compressible material during the impact event.

Deformable automotive noise and vibration seal for pedestrian protection

Systems and apparatus for a vehicle for improving pedestrian safety. The apparatus includes a hood of a vehicle including a hood outer panel having an exterior surface and an interior surface. The hood includes a hood inner panel connected to the hood outer panel. The hood includes a reinforcing patch connected to the interior surface of the hood outer panel between the hood outer panel and the hood inner panel, at a reinforcing location aligned with a structural component of the vehicle. The reinforcing patch is configured to increase the rigidity and mass of the hood outer panel at the reinforcing location to absorb energy from a pedestrian struck by the vehicle and to reduce impact from the structural component of the vehicle onto the pedestrian when the hood outer panel and the hood inner panel become compressed onto the structural component of the vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Troy N Grantham