The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 05, 2013
Filed:
Dec. 24, 2011
Hitendra Laxmidas Gadhiya, Irvine, CA (US);
Alexi Charbonneau, Hermosa Beach, CA (US);
Nils Petter Winberg, San Carlos, CA (US);
Hitendra Laxmidas Gadhiya, Irvine, CA (US);
Alexi Charbonneau, Hermosa Beach, CA (US);
Nils Petter Winberg, San Carlos, CA (US);
Tesla Motors, Inc., Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
A front structure for a vehicle is provided, the structure including (i) a pair of front rails (i.e., front left hand rail and front right hand rail) spaced apart in a widthwise direction with each rail extending lengthwise, where one end portion of each rail is mechanically coupled to the vehicle's bumper and the other end portion of each rail is mechanically coupled to a torque box, and where each rail is comprised of a polygonal-shaped upper hollow channel and a polygonal-shaped lower hollow channel, and where the upper and lower channels share a common wall; and (ii) a pair of rail reinforcement members, where one rail reinforcement member is mechanically mounted within each front rail, and where a plurality of features corresponding to each reinforcement member determines how the rails react to front impact loads.