Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Wei Richard Wang

Thiag Subbian

Jiamaw Doong

Nagaraj Mariyappa

Kumar Mahadevan

Robert Pellillo

A system for providing protection to a vehicle occupant during a side impact event is disclosed. The system includes an outer panel, which may be a vehicle door outer sheet metal, an inner panel, which may be a vehicle door trim, and an elongated structural member disposed between the outer panel and the inner panel. The elongated structural member is generally disposed perpendicularly with respect to the inner and outer panels and is in general alignment with the pelvic area of the adjacent occupant. The elongated structural member may have an I-beam configuration which extends from the outer panel to the inner panel in the occupant's pelvic zone. The elongated structure may progressively crush during the impact event while pushing the occupant. During an impact event, the elongated structure is pushed vehicle-inward and provides pelvic support to the adjacent occupant.

Deployable energy managing pelvic pusher for use in vehicle

A shield () for an automotive vehicle () is provided to lessen the impact force to a foreign body by absorbing energy or converting energy from the foreign body with the shield (). The shield () has a ramped surface (), an inner surface (), and a periphery () delineating the inner surface () from the ramped surface (). The inner surface () is further refined into an upper area () and a lower area (), where a ridge () extends from the inner surface () portioning the upper area () from the lower area (). At least one rib () is connected to the ridge () and extends from the inner surface (), whereby the ridge () or the rib () may absorb energy or divert direct contact into sliding contact when the ramped surface () is impacted by a foreign body reducing the impact force upon the foreign body. Also, a method of using a shield () in an automotive vehicleis provided.

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West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Wei Richard Wang