Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Yizhou Fan

Mark D Clauser

Tyler E Schnug

Donald E Maynard

Kevin O'Beirne

Kuo Sun

Naipaul Deo Ramoutar

Corinne D Uskali

Manikandan Baby Mony

Palani Palaniappan

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method of assembling a unibody structure of a vehicle includes assembling a door surround ring comprising a forward pillar portion, a roof rail portion, a rearward pillar portion, and a rocker portion. The method also includes, subsequent to assembling the door surround ring, installing the door surround ring into a vehicle side outer panel, coupling the door surround ring to the vehicle side outer panel. The method further includes, subsequent to installing the door surround ring into the vehicle side outer panel, coupling the door surround ring and the vehicle side outer panel to a vehicle interior structural member.

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same

Bumpers and vehicles that include bumpers are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a bumper includes a bumper beam assembly, the bumper beam assembly including a beam, the beam including a front side that is oriented to face forward in a vehicle longitudinal direction, a bumper extension portion that is coupled to the beam and positioned at an outboard end of the bumper beam assembly, the bumper extension portion including a front side that is oriented face forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction, a top side that is oriented transverse to the front side, and a bottom side that is oriented transverse to the front side, and a reinforcement bracket that is coupled to the bumper extension portion, where the reinforcement bracket includes a front side that extends across the front side of the bumper extension portion.

Bumpers including a reinforcement bracket and vehicles incorporating the same

Vehicle structures and methods of assembling the same are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a unibody structure of a vehicle includes an inboard A-pillar member, an outboard A-pillar member positioned outboard of the inboard A-pillar member and coupled to the inboard A-pillar member, and a reinforcement member positioned between the inboard A-pillar member and the outboard A-pillar member. The reinforcement member is coupled to the outboard A-pillar member and has a plurality of reduced thickness regions that are positioned in a vehicle vertical direction along the reinforcement member.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Yizhou Fan