Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

William Moore Sherwood

Zhenyan Gao

Shaikh Akhlaque-e-rasul

Cheng Luo

Nitesh Jadhav

Shaikh Akhlaque-E-Rasul

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Todd Nelson Clark

Paul Elia

Peyman Aghssa

Mustafa Ahmed

Kevin Berington Johnson

Corey John Jarocki

Tyler Glenn

Jeff Steven Vinton

Sara E Veyo

Ian Dupret

Jeffrey Comfort

John Patrick Doyle

Ray Hari Manala Rethinam

Sarah Beth Certeza

Steven Angus

Rachelle Tustanowski

John Jude Fusco

Alvin Matti

Harikrishna Devaraj

Yishak Habtemichael

Thejaswi Prabhakar

Justin I Thakolkaran

Shawn Grayson Gloden

Daniel Blaine Bollinger

Martin Wedel

Jeffrey Berliner

An exemplary motor vehicle includes a first door on a first side of the motor vehicle including a first pad adjacent a rear edge of the first door, and a second door on the first side of the motor vehicle including a second pad adjacent a front edge of the second door. Further, the first pad and second pad are arranged such that, in a first condition, the first pad and second pad are spaced-apart from one another and, in a second condition, the first pad and second pad contact one another to prevent overlap of the first door and second door.

Vehicle door arrangement configured to prevent overlap

A test apparatus includes a linear-motion generator, an airbag, a plate, an anthropomorphic test device, a crushable member, and a guide bar. The linear-motion generator is deployable in a deployment direction. The airbag is spaced from the linear-motion generator and inflatable from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The plate and the anthropomorphic test device are movable together by the linear-motion generator. The crushable member is fixed relative to the airbag in the uninflated position and disposed in the deployment direction from the plate. The guide bar has an end fixed relative to the airbag in the uninflated position and is positioned to intersect the airbag in the inflated position. The test apparatus has a beltline bar that is elongated along an axis transverse to the deployment direction, adjacent the airbag in the uninflated position, and spaced farther from the linear-motion generator than the airbag in the inflated position.

Airbag testing apparatus

A rocker assembly, or an elongated beam, for a vehicle that includes an outer panel, a side sill and an insert disposed in a cavity. The insert includes a plurality of layers of reinforcements made up of hexagonal cells having interconnected walls defining a plurality of transversely extending open cells that define openings extending perpendicularly relative to the length of the rocker assembly. The plurality of layers of reinforcements may further comprise a first layer of cells assembled to the outer panel, a second layer of cells assembled to the side sill and a third layer of cells disposed between the first and second layers of cells. A wall thickness and bending strength of one of the plurality of layers of reinforcements is different than a wall thickness and bending strength of another of the plurality of layers of reinforcements. The insert is structured to deform progressively.

Stepped honeycomb rocker insert

A rollover mitigation device for a motor vehicle comprises a frame mounted to a roof assembly within which is disposed a transversely mounted deployable rollover protector shaft. The frame comprises a pair of lateral mounting rails mounted to the roof assembly and a tubular cross member extending between the pair of lateral mounting rails. The deployable rollover protector shaft is substantially disposed within the tubular cross member when in the stowed position and is actuated from the stowed position to a locked deployed position by a spring disposed within the tubular cross member. A controller actuates a release lock to release the deployable rollover protector shaft to the deployed position upon a sensor detecting a roll angle of the motor vehicle exceeding a predetermined value. A deployment lock restrains the deployable rollover protector shaft in the deployed position.

Active rollover protection

An elongated beam, or rocker assembly, is disclosed that includes a first panel and a second panel attached to the first panel to define a cavity. A reinforcement is disposed in the cavity that includes a first tubular member adhesively connected to the first panel inside the cavity and a pair of tubular members are connected with an adhesive to the second panel, to each other, and the first tubular member. The tubular members are arranged in a triangular array within the cavity and extend along the length of the elongated beam. The wall thickness and bending strength of the tubular members are selected to provide an insert that collapses preferentially with the outer tubular member of the insert collapsing before the inner tubular members.

Rocker insert formed by connected tubular members

A structural member for a vehicle includes an outer panel defining a U-shaped channel. The outer panel is formed from a first material. The structural member further includes a reinforcement panel defining a U-shaped channel. The reinforcement panel is formed from a second material different than the first material and is formed to attach to the outer panel. The structural member also includes an inner panel defining a U-shaped channel. The inner panel is formed from a third material different than the first and second materials and is formed to attach to the reinforcement panel such that the outer panel, reinforcement panel, and the inner panel are oriented along an axis and span an entire length of each of the U-shaped channels.

Light weight hybrid B-pillar

A vehicle includes a door and an impact absorbing structure. The door has an interior panel. The impact absorbing structure is secured to an inner surface of the interior panel. The impact absorbing structure has a centrally located hub and a plurality of spokes extending radially outward from the hub toward a peripheral boundary of the interior panel.

Impact absorbing system for a vehicle

A vehicle assembly includes a front end module, an upper panel, and a fender covering the upper panel. The vehicle assembly also includes a housing, mounted to the front end module, having a first contour, and a bracket, having a second contour complementary with the first contour, attached with the housing. The bracket generally maintains a position of the headlamp assembly relative to the upper panel during a RCAR Low Speed Structural Crash Test Protocol (Issue 2.2).

Headlamp retaining bracket assembly

A vehicle includes a fuel tank, a battery, a first exoskeleton, and a second exoskeleton. The fuel tank and the battery straddle a driveline and are each disposed below a seating area. The first exoskeleton has a first pair of rails secured to each other by a first cross member. The second exoskeleton has a second pair of rails secured to each other by a second cross member. The first and second exoskeletons surround the fuel tank and battery, respectively, and are configured to absorb energy during an impact to protect the fuel tank and battery.

Hybrid vehicle packaging system

A pencil brace is incorporated into a cross car assembly of an automotive vehicle as a secondary energy absorption device to assist in managing the energy and controlling the column stroke due to a collision.

Device for secondary energy management in a steering column assembly

An impact event countermeasure control method and system for an automotive vehicle includes management of impact countermeasures using not only variable timing responsive to impact severity, but also event control as a function of the displacement of a vehicle's occupant with respect to the passenger cabin environment, including various countermeasure devices.

Impact event countermeasure control method and system for automotive vehicle

The present invention provides a rear impact absorption system for a motor vehicle. The rear impact absorption system includes a rear body assembly including longitudinally extending rear rails including first and second portions having first and second respective heights relative to a generally horizontal plane, the first height being greater than the second height. The invention further provides a neutralizing member connectable to bridge the first and second heights of each rear rail so as to minimize the effect of a moment arm created by the first and second heights during a rear impact.

Growing community of inventors

Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

William Moore Sherwood