Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Yudong Zhou

Linh Ngoc Doan

Kenneth S Laird

Nitesh Jadhav

Srinivasan Sundararajan

Krishnakanth E Aekbote

Krish E Aekbote

Ken S Laird

Karen Judge

A vehicle armrest including a fabric member tensioned across a gap defined between inner and outer armrest substrates that are formed around a portion of the fabric member. At least one buckling member extends across the gap between the inner and outer armrest substrates and a cover member extends over and vertically supported by the fabric member.

Door trim armrest substrate structure

A vehicular armrest assembly includes a laterally collapsible substrate having a gap defined between inner and outer substrate portions. A tunable stiffening feature is disposed on the collapsible substrate and has an aperture positioned over the gap, and engagement tabs that engage the inner and outer substrate portions. The stiffening feature provides lateral support to the collapsible substrate to selectively allow the inner and outer substrate portions to deflect toward each other after a predetermined lateral load is placed on the collapsible substrate and an elastic bed disposed on the tunable stiffening feature and covering the aperture. The elastic bed vertically supports a cover member at the aperture and the lateral support provided to the collapsible substrate is solely provided by the stiffening feature.

Energy absorbing collapsible armrest with tunable stiffening feature

A vehicle armrest includes an inner armrest substrate having at least one buckling member extending to an outer armrest substrate. A gap is defined by the inner and outer armrest substrates and the at least one buckling member. A fabric member extends across the gap and is attached to the inner and outer armrest substrates. A cover member extends over and is vertically supported by the fabric member.

Vehicle armrest with structural fabric substrate

A motor vehicle door and armrest assembly using a thin plate that is vertically strong while laterally collapsible. The plate is comprised of a matrix of intersecting parallel struts forming four sided cells having a first set of opposing acute angles and a second set of opposing obtuse angles. The obtuse angles span a direction normal to the motor vehicle door and allow the plate to more easily limit force transmission from a side impact force. The struts are coupled to a frame, the coupling struts variable in cross sectional area to further determine the lateral stiffness of the plate.

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Troy, MI, United States of America

Yudong Zhou