Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Yu-Kan Hu

Leonard Anthony Shaner

Tau Tyan

Ajay Kumar Gupta

Mark Wlotkowski

Narayana Venugopal

Fungtai Charles Ko

Saeed David Barbat

Mohamed Ridha Baccouche

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Darrin Neil Wagner

Edgar Edward Donabedian

John Wesley Stanley

Greg Gombert

Jeffrey A Walesch

Yu Liu

Kirk David Arthurs

Mikolaj Tyksinski

Sukhwinder Singh Dhindsa

Petros Frantzeskakis

Jiamaw Doong

Senthil Kumar Mahadevan

James Chih Cheng

Michael Musa Azzouz

Robert Reiners

Matt Alan Niesluchowski

Ching-Hung Chuang

Raj Jayachandran

Eric William Barrett

Dana Sun

Yiping Xie

Yuan Wang

Jing Han

An electric-vehicle frame includes a mid-section and an end section. The mid-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a first distance along a cross-vehicle axis defining a battery compartment therebetween. The end-section has first and second frame rails spaced from each other by a second distance along the cross-vehicle axis smaller than the first distance. A first connector is fixed to the first frame rail of the mid-section and to the first frame rail of the end-section. A second connector is fixed to the second frame rail of the mid-section and to the second frame rail of the end-section.

Vehicle frame for electric vehicle

Splayed front horn for vehicle frames are disclosed. An example apparatus disclosed herein includes a first structural member extending along an axial direction of a vehicle, a second structural member coupled to the first structural member, the second structural member splayed relative the first structural member, second structural member including a first section having a first material property, the first section adjacent to the first structural member, and a second section joined to the first section, the second section having a second material property, the first material property different than the second material property.

Splayed front horns for vehicle frames

Splayed front horn for vehicle frames are disclosed. An example apparatus includes a frame of a vehicle having a side rail directed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle and a splayed front horn coupled to the side rail, the splayed front horn angled outward relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, wherein the splayed front horn includes a first section and a second section, the first and second sections having different physical properties.

A cellular structure may include a plurality of cells each having a twelve-cornered cross section. The twelve-cornered cross section may include twelve sides and twelve corners creating eight internal angles and four external angles. Each cell may include a plurality of longitudinal walls extending between a top and a bottom of the cell, the longitudinal walls intersecting to create corners of the cell. A structural component may include at least one wall surrounding a component interior space with a cellular structure having at least two cells being positioned within the interior space. A sandwich structure may include first and second substantially planar structures, and a cellular structure with at least two cells positioned between the first and second substantially planar structures.

Cellular structures with twelve-cornered cells

A strengthening member for an automotive vehicle includes a twelve-cornered cross section including sides and corners creating eight internal angles and four external angles. The strengthening member also includes four indentations extending along a length of the strengthening member. Each indentation is respectively defined by two of the eight internal angles and one if the four external angles of the strengthening member.

Twelve-cornered strengthening member

A vehicle includes a strengthening member having a cross section including twenty-eight corners. The cross section has twenty-eight sides arranged to create twenty internal angles and eight external angles.

Twenty-eight-cornered strengthening member for vehicles

A strengthening member for a motor vehicle, the strengthening member has a cross section that comprises sixteen corners and includes sides and corners creating eight internal angles and eight external angles. Each internal angle ranges between about 90&#xb0; and about 145&#xb0; and each external angle ranges between about 95&#xb0; and about 175&#xb0;. One or more tunable parameters of a cross section can vary along a longitudinal axis of the strengthening member.

Sixteen-cornered strengthening member for vehicles

A strengthening member for a motor vehicle and a vehicle including a strengthening member are provided. The strengthening member can have twenty-eight sides arranged to create twenty internal angles and eight external angles.

A cellular structure may include a plurality of cells each cell of the plurality of cells having a fourteen-cornered cross section. The fourteen-cornered cross section may include fourteen sides and fourteen corners. Each cell may include a plurality of longitudinal walls extending between a top and a bottom of the cell, the longitudinal walls intersecting to create corners of the cell.

Cellular structures with fourteen-cornered cells

A vehicle roof structure assembly includes a mounting bracket having a first aperture disposed therethrough. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes a roof bow having a longitudinal body portion defining an inner channel. The longitudinal body portion includes a bottom wall having a second aperture axially aligned with the first aperture. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes an insert block disposed within the inner channel of the roof bow. The insert block defines a third aperture disposed through a thickness of the insert block. The third aperture is axially aligned with the first aperture and the second aperture. The vehicle roof structure assembly further includes a fastener disposed through the first aperture, the second aperture, and the third aperture to rigidly secure the roof bow to the mounting bracket, and to rigidly secure the insert block to the roof bow.

Vehicle roof support assembly

A vehicle rocker assembly is provided. The vehicle rocker assembly may include an outer panel, a side sill, and an insert. The side sill may define at least two cavities with the outer panel. The insert may be disposed in the cavities. The insert may include a longitudinally extending U-shaped carrier and a plurality of reinforcement members attached to the U-shape carrier. The plurality of reinforcement members may be spaced apart from a bottom of the U-shaped carrier by a predetermined distance.

Localized rocker reinforcement insert

A strengthening member for a motor vehicle and a vehicle including a strengthening member are provided. The strengthening member can have a cross-section that has twenty-four corners and includes sides and corners creating sixteen internal angles and eight external angles. The vehicle may include a strengthening member that has twenty-four corners and includes sides and corners creating sixteen internal angles and eight external angles.

Twenty-four-cornered strengthening member for vehicles

A strengthening member for a vehicle, a vehicle including a strengthening member, and a method of making a strengthening member for a vehicle is provided. The strengthening member can have a twelve-cornered cross section that includes sides and corners. The sides can include eight straight sides and four curved sides. A length of each straight side can be substantially the same, a radius of a curvature of each curved side can be substantially the same, and a ratio of the straight side length to the curvature radius may range from about 0.9 to about 1.6. In a motor vehicle, length of each straight side of the cross section of the strengthening member can range from about 10 mm to about 200 mm and the radius of the curvature of each curved side of the cross section of the strengthening member can range from about 3 mm to about 400 mm.

Twelve-cornered strengthening member for a vehicle with straight and curved sides and an optimized straight side length to curved side radius ratio

A motor vehicle assembly that includes a strengthening member having a twelve-cornered cross section along at least a portion of the strengthening member, and an automotive component having a four-cornered cross section along at least a portion of the automotive component. The cross section of one of the strengthening member and the automotive component transitions between twelve corners and four corners to facilitate a connection between the strengthening member and the automotive component.

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Ypsilanti, MI, United States of America

Yu-Kan Hu