Responsive To Engagement Of Portion Of Perimeter Of Vehicle With External Object Patents (Class 180/274)
  • Patent number: 10131304
    Abstract: A bumper assembly includes a bumper cover, a bumper reinforcement beam spaced apart from the bumper cover, a low speed bumper energy absorber that extends along a front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam between the bumper cover and the bumper reinforcement beam, and a low force energy absorber positioned below the low speed bumper energy absorber. The low force energy absorber includes a body portion extending along the front surface of the bumper reinforcement beam and one or more air deflectors extending from an upper surface of the body portion between the low speed bumper energy absorber and the bumper cover. The one or more air deflectors are configured to substantially isolate a portion of the bumper assembly from air leakage through the bumper assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Jeremiah T. Hammer, Avinash S. Phadatare, Robert J. Marks, David N. Evans, Majid Shaikh
  • Patent number: 10131317
    Abstract: An easily portable safety harness and head support system for a vehicle is disclosed. The apparatus includes clips that attach to the headrest posts of the existing vehicle seat and the brackets on the seat back. A head support portion including a neck cushion and two side cushions is included and front harness straps with a release secure the child or toddler. The vehicle seat belt fits between the doubled strap harnesses that extend from the headrest posts to the bottom of the seat back, preventing the child or toddler from being ejected from the vehicle in the case of a collision or the like. The head support portion with the neck cushion and side supports prevents neck injuries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Inventor: Kendall Harrington
  • Patent number: 10118586
    Abstract: Provided is a cyclist protection apparatus for a vehicle that includes a front section that protrudes forward from a boarding section. The cyclist protection apparatus includes a cyclist airbag device that includes airbags, and is configured to be disposed in a front-end area of the front section. The cyclist airbag device is configured to deploy the airbags adjacently in a front-rear direction on an upper surface of the front section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Isamu Nagasawa, Takao Kondo
  • Patent number: 10100565
    Abstract: A hinge assembly for attaching a hood to a body of a vehicle includes a body-side bracket fixedly attached to the body and a hood-side bracket fixedly attached to the hood. A pivot mechanism is configured to place the hinge assembly in: a stowed position, in which the hood is adjacent the body; an access position, in which the hood rotates toward a rear of the vehicle; and an active position, in which the hood rotates toward a front of the vehicle. The hinge assembly also includes an actuator that configured to move the pivot mechanism to, or toward, the active position. A pin is attached to the body-side bracket and an upstop link is attached to the hood-side bracket. The upstop link defines a slot. The pin becomes engaged with the slot when the pivot mechanism is in the active position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: David B. Waskie, David E. Thomas
  • Patent number: 10093310
    Abstract: A driver assistance apparatus includes a camera for acquiring a vehicle front view image or a surroundings-of-vehicle image; and a processor for providing a height control signal for a suspension for adjusting an expected impacted portion according to collision between a driver's vehicle and an object detected in the vehicle front view image or the surroundings-of-vehicle image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jeihun Lee, Jongwon Yoon, Jukyong Jin, Yeonchool Park
  • Patent number: 10093181
    Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle for maneuvering an occupant of the vehicle to a destination autonomously as well as providing information about the vehicle and the vehicle's environment for display to the occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Min Li Chan, Philip Nemec, Brian Douglas Cullinane, Julien Charles Mercay, Peter Crandall
  • Patent number: 10086399
    Abstract: A device for administering a fluid product, such as an industrial or a medical compound. The device includes a reservoir (18) in which a plunger (15) is axially movable, and an axially movable rod (16) on which a ferromagnetic rod connector (12) is attached. The ferromagnetic rod connector (12) is adapted for sliding cooperation within the reservoir (18). And, a detachable mechanical connection is provided between the plunger (15) and the ferromagnetic rod connector (12). A ferromagnetic plunger connector (13) is attached to the plunger and a magnet (11), arranged for magnetic cooperation with the ferromagnetic connectors (12, 13), to provide a mechanical connection between the ferromagnetic connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Faulhaber Precistep SA
    Inventors: Yves Moser, Jonas Monnin
  • Patent number: 10082161
    Abstract: A gas pressure actuator includes a launcher, a gas generator that is disposed at a first axial end of the launcher, a rocket part placed inside the launcher, an end pad and a sealing gasket respectively disposed at a second axial end of the launcher, and a gasket holder supporting the gasket. The rocket part includes a first portion disposed at a location corresponding to the first axial end and a second portion that has a diameter less than that of the first portion and that ranges from the first portion toward the second axial end. The end pad includes a position determination part that determines positioning of the rocket part and restricts the rocket part from being displaced in a direction away from the first axial end. The gasket holder may be pressed by the first portion when the rocket part protrudes from the launcher and plastically deformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Takata Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Inuzuka, Kazuhiro Abe
  • Patent number: 10081326
    Abstract: A passenger protection device includes an airbag case to be provided in an arm rest of a vehicle seat, and an airbag; wherein the airbag case has a passenger-side wall that is a cover that can rotate upward around its upper end; the device comprises support members that lie flat on a passenger-side surface of the cover and can assume an upright orientation; and if the vehicle collides at one side, the airbag is inflated and deployed outside the airbag case through the opening made in a passenger-side of the arm rest and pushes the cover, thereby rotating the cover upward, the support members may stand on the airbag case, supporting the cover rotated upward from back in an upright orientation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: TACHI-S CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Atsushi Koike, Tomohiro Amano
  • Patent number: 10071701
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a body, door, glass dome, and dynamic pillars. The body defines a cabin and has first and second static pillars. The door that accesses the cabin, is secured to the body, and is disposed between the first and second static pillars. The glass dome is secured to the body over the entirety of the cabin. The dynamic pillars are extendable in an upward direction and are secured to the body proximate to an outer perimeter of the glass dome.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Ridha Baccouche, Horst Heribert Lanzerath, Rahul Arora, Guosong Li
  • Patent number: 10059217
    Abstract: A system for controlling a battery to extend a driving mileage is provided. The system supplies a high voltage required to drive a motor by connecting a plurality of batteries in series by turning off a battery switching unit during engaged of an accelerator and balances voltage between the plurality of batteries. A voltage deviation is managed by connecting the plurality of batteries in parallel by turning on the battery switching unit when the accelerator is disengaged. The system includes a plurality of battery modules and a battery switching unit configured to connect the plurality of battery modules in parallel when an accelerator is disengaged and connect the plurality of battery modules in series when the accelerator is engaged. A motor driving unit is configured to receive an output by the battery switching unit when the accelerator is engaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Hong Seok Min, Seung Ho Ahn, Sung Min Choi, Ik Kyu Kim
  • Patent number: 10046729
    Abstract: The present invention provides for an advantageous external side airbag system (1), comprising at least one airbag (3, 3a-3c) with at least one dedicated inflator (5a-5c). The external airbag system is characterized in that at least one airbag has in a folded state an elongated shape that extends in a longitudinal direction (L) and is configured to be integrated in a side structure (19) of a vehicle, and in particular between a rocker panel (21) and a sill cover (31) of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: DALPHI METAL ESPANA S.A., AUDI AG
    Inventors: Azucena Perez Garcia, Emiliano Core Almarza, Andres Casanova Mateo, Christian Weiss, Michael Pichler
  • Patent number: 10046807
    Abstract: A hood panel is provided. The hood panel includes a plurality of first layers formed of a reinforced fiber and a resin and a plurality of second layers including a complex portion formed of a reinforced fiber and a resin and a resin portion formed of a resin. The first layer and the second layers form a multilayer structure. A reinforced area is formed by the first layers and the complex portions of the second layers and a shock absorption area is formed by the first layers and the resin portions of the second layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Kyu Nam Jeon, Jeong Min Cho
  • Patent number: 10000180
    Abstract: A pedestrian protection airbag device includes an airbag case, a pair of inflators and an airbag. The airbag case is disposed at a lower face side of a hood rear end portion with a length direction thereof extending along a vehicle width direction. A vehicle width direction middle region of the airbag case, when viewed in a vertical cross-section extending in a vehicle front-and-rear direction, has a cross-sectional height in a vehicle up-and-down direction smaller than a cross-sectional height in the vehicle up-and-down direction of a general portion of the airbag case located at outer ends in the vehicle width direction of the middle region. The inflators are accommodated at both of vehicle width direction ends of the middle region. The airbag in the airbag case inflates from pressure of gas generated by the inflators, and deploys rearward through a gap between the hood rear end portion and a windshield.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 19, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Naoya Higashimachi
  • Patent number: 9994177
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle occupant protection device, the device including (1) a rear detection section that detects an object approaching obliquely from a rear of an occupant's vehicle, (2) a signal output section that outputs an actuation signal, and (3) a seatbelt device that includes a mechanism to, in cases in which the object has been detected by the rear detection section, increase restraint force on an occupant by taking up webbing after being input with the actuation signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Katsuya Shimazu
  • Patent number: 9987896
    Abstract: A method of mounting to an A-arm suspension system a wheel spindle configured for use with a multi-link suspension system may involve the steps of: Removing at least one suspension link mount on the wheel spindle; mounting a ball joint bracket to the wheel spindle, the ball joint bracket being configured to mount to the A-arm suspension system, the removing and mounting steps producing a modified wheel spindle; and mounting the modified wheel spindle to the A-arm suspension system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: Vantage Mobility International, LLC
    Inventor: Michael J. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 9988011
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a pedestrian protection device having a car hood that can be opened on at least one edge facing the windscreen when a collision of a person against the vehicle is recognized. The device also includes at least one airbag, which in the triggered state, extends across a region of a windscreen pillar and a region of the windscreen adjacent to this.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2018
    Assignee: DAIMLER AG
    Inventors: Jens Battermann, Christian Burczyk, Klaus Grewing, Till Heinrich, Sven Kraß, Bengt Larsson, Franz Maier, Uwe Merz, Abdulkadir Oeztuerk, Marica Paurevic, Marco Wötzel
  • Patent number: 9981638
    Abstract: The vehicle pedal device includes a pedal bracket fixed to a dash panel, a pedal, a lever bracket fixed to the dash panel, fixing means fixing the pedal bracket and the lever bracket with a predetermined holding force for fixed state, a rotating lever, a reinforcement for instrument panel, a lever rotator which is fixed to the reinforcement for instrument panel, and bracket deforming means fixed to the reinforcement for instrument panel. The bracket deforming means contacts with the pedal bracket to deform the pedal bracket downward when the pedal bracket moves rearward together with the dash panel. The rotating lever comprises a press portion which can press the fixing means or the pedal bracket downward with a force exceeding the holding force for fixed state when the rotating lever is rotated by the lever rotator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiro Kawazu, Naruki Yamamoto, Takaomi Kondo
  • Patent number: 9981541
    Abstract: A battery module is mounted in the rear of a vehicle body and attached to at least one rear side frame extending rearward in the vehicle body such that the rear side module protrudes rearward beyond the battery module. One or a plurality of slope members is provided at the rear of the battery module. Each of the slope members forms a frontward rising inclined surface that protrudes above the rear side frame at the rear of the battery module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yu Onodera, Junya Okamura, Takayuki Tokunaga, Yasunori Mashio
  • Patent number: 9975527
    Abstract: A mounting structure for a pedal device including a pedal and a bracket is configured to mount the pedal device on a dash panel with the dash panel sandwiched by and between the bracket and a master cylinder device. The mounting structure includes: a plurality of fastening rods for fastening the bracket to the master cylinder device; and a plurality of collars interposed between the dash panel and the bracket for spacing the dash panel and the bracket apart from each other, the fastening rods extending through the collars. The collars include a pair of collars, and one of the pair of collars has an extending portion extending along the dash panel in a direction away from the other of the pair of collars and functions as a reinforcing member for reducing deformation of the dash panel caused when the pedal is stepped on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshihiro Kawazu, Satoshi Uchida, Takaomi Kondo, Naruki Yamamoto, Yasutoshi Noguchi
  • Patent number: 9969431
    Abstract: In at least one implementation, a structural rail for a vehicle includes a main body and a front portion. The main body has an upper wall, a lower wall, an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall spaced from the inner sidewall. The front portion has a rear end adjacent to the second end of the main body and a front end spaced from the rear end. The main body has a first bend between the first end and second end so that a portion of the main body is angled outwardly and an included angle of less than 180 degrees is provided in the outer sidewall. The rail also includes a second bend between the first bend and the front end, and the second bend further angles at least part of the front portion outwardly relative to the outwardly angled portion of the main body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2018
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Grzegorz Sopel, Rajkumar Rajagopalan, Joseph V Rozenbaum, Hassan H El-Hor, Rebecca L Tanguay, Zheng Qin, Michael Dreer, Shakti P Chavan, Venkata Vinod Pasumarthi
  • Patent number: 9956938
    Abstract: According to the present invention, a vehicular pop-up hood device includes a cylinder, a piston rod that can protrude from a front end of the cylinder, a gas generator to urge the piston rod, the gas generator provided at a side of a rear end of the cylinder, and a bracket to attach the cylinder to a vehicle body. The bracket includes a top portion engaged with the front end of the cylinder, and an overhanging portion for attachment to the vehicle body, the overhanging portion overhanging from the cylinder in a direction intersecting with an axial direction of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2018
    Assignee: TAKATA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Abe, Atsushi Noguchi, Koji Inuzuka, Takayuki Kawano
  • Patent number: 9932009
    Abstract: A front end structure is provided for a vehicle that includes a bracket for attaching front crash sensors to the vehicle. The front end structure includes an engine compartment and a hood connected to the engine compartment by a hood latch and a pair of hinges. The bracket is connected to the hood latch and the front crash sensors to maintain palpability with the vehicle through the hood in a collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John W. Jensen, Jason Shomsky, David James Bauch, Mahmoud Yousef Ghannam
  • Patent number: 9925951
    Abstract: An actuator includes a housing section that houses a driving source and is mountable on a first mounting region and a deploying section that is mountable on a second mounting region and deployable with a driving force of the driving source. The housing section includes a case of metal and a securing member supporting the driving source and secured to the case inside the case. A mounting hole is formed through the case and securing member for receiving a pivot member connected to the first mounting region. A fixing hole is formed through the case and the securing member at a different position from the mounting hole for receiving a fixing member that fixes the securing member to the case. An inner circumferential plane of the mounting hole of the case is in contact with the pivot member on the region disposed towards a deploying direction of the deploying section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: TOYODA GOSEI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joji Aoyama, Hisashi Takaya, Takashi Sasaki, Takaki Fukuyama
  • Patent number: 9919669
    Abstract: A front section of a motor vehicle includes a bumper shell, a bumper cross member and a shock sensor arranged at various locations inside a central intermediate space between the bumper shell and the bumper cross member. The bumper shell extends beyond the ends of the bumper cross member in the direction transverse to the vehicle. Extensions are attached to the ends of the bumper cross member, and the shock sensor is also distributed in various locations in peripheral intermediate spaces between the extensions and the bumper shell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Marco Nickel, Martin Likar
  • Patent number: 9897056
    Abstract: A protective cover assembly for a fuel pump in a motor vehicle includes a hooded cover having a first face and a second face in addition to distal and proximate stud bolts, and a base fastener. The hooded cover defines a plurality of apertures operatively configured to receive a corresponding fastener. The distal stud bolt may be operatively configured to affix a distal end of the hooded cover to a cam carrier. The proximate stud bolt may be operatively configured to affix a middle region of the hooded cover to the cam carrier while the base fastener may be operatively configured to affix a lower portion of the hooded cover to the cam carrier. The proximate stud bolt includes an outer diameter feature which is operatively configured to engage with a plunger region of the pump assembly when the proximate cover assembly is subjected to a load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Matthew D Kimball, Marc L Friedrich
  • Patent number: 9870701
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling opening and closing of a vehicle door are provided. The apparatus includes a driving unit that opens and closes a door a controller that operates the driving unit. Additionally, an acoustic wave processing unit receives and analyzes an acoustic wave signal generated by force exerted onto the door to generate a control signal for opening or closing of the door. The controller receives the control signal to thus operate the driving unit. Further, the acoustic wave processing unit includes an acoustic wave sensor disposed inside of the door and receives the acoustic wave signal, and an MCU that analyzes a signal output from the acoustic wave sensor to generate the control signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 16, 2018
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Hui Sung Lee
  • Patent number: 9862342
    Abstract: A vehicular emergency alert device mounted on a vehicle (100) and configured to issue an emergency alert signal to notify an emergency service center outside the vehicle of a location of the vehicle in the event of a collision of the vehicle includes: a collision detecting unit (11) that detects the collision of the vehicle (100) to output a collision detection signal; an emergency alert unit (13) that issues an emergency alert signal in response to the collision detection signal and relays the collision detection signal to the vehicle; and one or more modules (12) each of which performs a predetermined operation in response to the collision detection signal relayed by the emergency alert unit (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Kobayashi, Kengo Iwata, Masanobu Kosaka, Hikari Arimi, Risa Fujita, Yoshikata Kimura
  • Patent number: 9855915
    Abstract: An apparatus detects a vehicle/pedestrian impact event by sensing impact events near a forward location of a vehicle using both acceleration sensors and pressure sensors and providing associated signals indicative thereof, determining metric values for each of the sensor signals, and determining if a vehicle/pedestrian impact has occurred in response to the determined metric values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: TRW AUTOMOTIVE U.S. LLC
    Inventors: Chek-Peng Foo, Huahn-fern Yeh, Ying-chang Lee
  • Patent number: 9855914
    Abstract: A front hood assembly for a vehicle including a front grille may include a sensory assembly, a bumper assembly positioned adjacent to the front grille, and an energy absorber structure. The bumper assembly may include a bumper reinforcement having a front face and a top face, which front face is disposed below and extends away from the top face. The energy absorber structure may be positioned adjacent to the top face of the bumper reinforcement. The energy absorber structure may be rearwardly compliant in an impact direction and disposed below and rearwardly of the sensory assembly such that an impact of the sensory assembly with the energy absorber structure in the impact direction collapses the energy absorber structure rearwardly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeremiah T. Hammer, Aaron R. Steinhilb, Avinash S. Phadatare, Rahul B. Gururaj
  • Patent number: 9834172
    Abstract: A vehicular pedestrian protecting airbag device that is capable of suppressing increases in weight and cost accompanying reinforcement measures, and capable of maintaining good pedestrian protection performance of an upper face of a hood. An automobile pedestrian protecting airbag device is installed at a vehicle lower side of a rear end section of a hood at a vehicle rear side of a protruded portion. A pedestrian protecting airbag and an inflator are installed inside a module case. The inflator is attached to a bottom wall of the protruded portion by inflator attachment brackets each formed with an excess length portion at an intermediate portion. Accordingly, when the inflators attempt to move toward the vehicle front side due to deployment reaction force of the pedestrian protecting airbag, the excess length portions are compressed and deform to enable the deployment reaction force to escape.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Hara
  • Patent number: 9817397
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate to deploying safety mechanisms in an autonomous vehicle. A projected future location of an object may be identified. The projected future location of the object will intersect with a projected future location of the vehicle at a time T. An impact point P corresponding to a three dimensional location in space where the vehicle and object will collide at the time T may be identified. One of a plurality of safety mechanisms of the vehicle that can be moved closest to point P before or at the time T may be selected. The selected safety mechanism may be moved from a first point on the vehicle to a second point on the vehicle such that the safety mechanism moves towards the point P. After moving the selected safety mechanism, the safety mechanism is then deployed based on the time T.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2017
    Assignee: Waymo LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Lynn Larner, Atul Gupta, Felix Jose Alvarez Rivera, Thomas Daniel
  • Patent number: 9809113
    Abstract: A fuel tank system which has a revised mounting system and a revised location for the fuel system and fuel tanks to improve crashworthiness of the vehicle by reducing the occurrence of tank failure, fuel spillage, fire and/or explosion during and after a collision or similar event, while still providing a sufficient range for the vehicle. The fuel tanks are protected from damage from the side, bottom and between the tanks. The fuel tank mounting system also allows the energy associated with an event to be managed, such as by allowing the fuel tanks to be pushed or moved downwardly and/or laterally by the energy of the impact of a collision or similar event to a position in which the fuel tank is either out of the path of the impact or protected by the chassis or frame of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Inventors: Erin Marie Shipp, Peter J. Leiss
  • Patent number: 9809189
    Abstract: A vehicle side curtain airbag device having front protection function, comprising a side airbag (1) and an auxiliary airbag (2) connected to one side surface of the side airbag (1) and arranged in a left/right transverse direction after being expanded; a dividing hole membrane (3) is disposed between the side airbag (1) and the auxiliary airbag (2); the dividing hole membrane (3) is ensured to be opened only when the internal pressure of the side airbag (1) reaches a certain value, thus realizing self-adaptive opening threshold adjustment, controlling the instant of inflation and inflation speed of the auxiliary airbag (2), and adjusting the stiffness of the auxiliary airbag (2). When a vehicle has a collision, the device protects the head and neck of a passenger in both side collision and front collision traffic accidents, thus effectively absorbing the collision impact energy of the passenger, and reducing injury to the passenger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: YANFENG KSS (SHANGHAI) AUTOMOTIVE SAFETY SYSTEMS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Benedikt Grell, David Hampson, Zhijia Wang, Xiaoguang Zhu, Paul Lincoln
  • Patent number: 9802565
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for operating a safety system of a vehicle, which safety system comprises a remote sensor, an impact sensor and a protection system adapted to be activated by the impact sensor. The method includes scanning a selectable region in front of the vehicle by means of the remote sensor, determining that the selectable region provides a free path for the vehicle based on information from the remote sensor, and lowering a sensitivity of the impact sensor. The disclosure further relates to the safety system and a vehicle comprising the safety system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2017
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Par Nilsson, Stefan Jarvholm, Peter Harda, Bjorn Johansson, Anders Dahlen
  • Patent number: 9796355
    Abstract: A hood lifter assembly includes an actuator having a piston displaceable between a home position and a hood lifting position. The hood lifter assembly also includes a cover overlying the piston in the home position and protecting the actuator from water exposure. A cowl vent grille and a method of lifting a vehicle hood in response to a pedestrian impact event are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 24, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nancy C Evans, Dean Robert Rife, David Lee Jarvis
  • Patent number: 9776661
    Abstract: A vehicle lower portion structure includes a suspension member, an inclined portion, and a receiving portion. The suspension member is disposed at a lower portion of a space portion at a vehicle body front side of a vehicle cabin. The inclined portion is provided at a vehicle body structural member that is further toward a vehicle body rear side than a rear portion of the suspension member, and has an inclined surface that, when the suspension member moves toward a vehicle body rear side, guides the suspension member toward a vehicle body lower rear side. The receiving portion has a receiving surface that, when the suspension member moves toward a vehicle body obliquely rear side as seen in plan view, receives the suspension member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hayato Kaneko, Hiroshi Mizuo, Toshiki Iwama
  • Patent number: 9776670
    Abstract: A front vehicle body reinforcing structure may include a dash panel configured to partition an engine room and a passenger room, front side members deployed at both left and right sides in a width direction of a vehicle, formed to extend in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and having rear portions coupled to an outer surface of the dash panel, and a dash upper reinforcing member overlapped with an inner surface of the dash panel to be coupled together with the front side member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2017
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventor: KiBong Park
  • Patent number: 9774213
    Abstract: A vehicle-mounting structure for a wireless power reception device includes: a power-reception-side coil unit (23) including a power-reception-side coil (49) configured to wirelessly receive power transmitted from a power-supply-side coil; and a junction box (13) accommodating a rectifier (45) and mounted on a front part of the upper surface (23a) of the power-reception-side coil unit (23). A floor tunnel part (7) and the power-reception-side coil unit (23) form a closed-cross-section part (61), and the junction box (13) is accommodated in the closed-cross-section part (61). A rear part of the upper surface (23a) of the power-reception-side coil unit (23) is formed as an upward-airflow generation surface (47) configured to generate an upward airflow with heat of the power-reception-side coil (49).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2017
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Michio Ozaki
  • Patent number: 9745001
    Abstract: A floor module is provided for installation in the rear area of a motor vehicle. A rear area of the floor module facing the tail of the vehicle includes a first plastic composition, and a front area facing away from the tail includes a second plastic composition, wherein the first plastic composition imparts a higher elastic deformability to the rear area than to the front area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Udo Mildner, Lothar Teske
  • Patent number: 9731673
    Abstract: A sensing device for actuating an airbag system in a motor vehicle comprises an airbag having a stowed condition and an inflated condition, an inflator operationally coupled with the airbag responsive to electrical actuation for inflating the airbag with a gas, an impact detection sensor for generating a signal upon an offset impact event, and a controller for processing the signal generated by the sensor and electrically actuating the inflator upon computing a predetermined impact severity to a forward corner of the motor vehicle. The motor vehicle further comprises a front bumper beam attached proximate a distal end of a front rail and the sensor comprises a flexible electro-resistive sensor mounted to a rear side of an outboard portion of the front bumper beam.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Jialiang Le, Manoharprasad K. Rao, Mark A. Cuddihy
  • Patent number: 9725064
    Abstract: An airbag for a vehicle includes a hub, a first segment, a second segment, and a third segment. The first segment extends radially from the hub in a first direction. The second segment extends radially from the hub in a second direction different from the first direction. The third segment extends radially from the hub in a third direction different from the first direction and the second direction. When inflated in response to a sensed impact of the vehicle, the first segment, the second segment, and the third segment may extend from the hub between occupants of the vehicle to separate the occupants during the impact of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohammed Omar Faruque, S. M. Iskander Farooq, Dean M. Jaradi
  • Patent number: 9718400
    Abstract: A multi-sensory attention alert device for a vehicle includes a sensor arrangement, a warning signal emission arrangement for emitting haptic, acoustic and optical warning signals to the vehicle driver, and a control unit for analyzing and assessing the recorded measurement values and for controlling the warning signal emission arrangement. The direction of a potential source of danger can be indicated by emitting warning signals that address multiple sensory organs of the driver, and the direction of an interface can be indicated whose operation, by the driver, constitutes a counter measure for avoiding the dangerous situation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Heinz Knobl, Hans-Wilhelm Rühl
  • Patent number: 9708010
    Abstract: In a vehicle pop-up hood device, an actuator is coupled to a swinging arm so as to be relatively movable in a vehicle upward direction, so when the actuator pushes up a hinge arm to a pushed-up position, the actuator moves from the pushed-up position to a raised position because of vibration that occurs in a hood. Furthermore, in the raised position, an engagement piece of the actuator engages with a coupling shaft unit of the swinging arm so that the actuator is retained in the raised position. The amplitude of the hood at this time becomes about two times the push-up amount of the actuator. Because of this, the push-up amount of the actuator becomes smaller compared to a case assuming that the actuator pushes up the hinge arm to the raised position, so the amplitude of the vibration of the hood can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuya Inoue, Yoshinori Uozumi
  • Patent number: 9707884
    Abstract: A camouflaged vehicle includes a vehicle having lighting equipment and a plurality of windows, a camouflage positioned over an exterior of the vehicle and allowing visibility through at least a portion of the plurality of windows, and additional lighting equipment supported by said vehicle outside of said camouflage. At least a portion of the lighting equipment may be visible through the camouflage. A control module for controlling the lighting equipment is provided and the additional lighting equipment is controlled by the control module in parallel with the lighting equipment, and sensors, positioned between the control module and the lighting equipment, sense the application of power and generate additional control signals to operate the additional lighting equipment. The additional lighting equipment may include a minimum number of lamps, reflective devices and associated equipment required to satisfy the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Albert Ekladyous, Arun Kumar, Diane Marie LaHaie, Kelley Maria Adams-Campos, Mahendra Somasara Dassanayake, Hardyal Singh, Sleiman N. Abdelnour
  • Patent number: 9707943
    Abstract: A brake control device includes: a brake force generator of each wheel configured to generate a brake force according to a brake fluid pressure supplied from a fluid pressure channel; a pressurizer configured to pressurize a brake fluid and send the pressurized brake fluid to the fluid pressure channel; and a brake controller configured to reduce a pressurizing amount of the brake fluid pressure supplied to the fluid pressure channel or reduce the pressurizing amount to 0 before the collision of the own vehicle in a state where the possibility of collision of the own vehicle has been detected or after the collision, when the pressurizer has pressurized the brake fluid by the detection of the possibility of the collision and the pressurized brake fluid pressure has been supplied to the fluid pressure channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tsutomu Hattori, Hiroshi Onuma, Akira Nagae
  • Patent number: 9701318
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a vehicular control device and to a fail-safe method. The control device includes: a circuit that monitors an operation of a processor 11a in a main control unit 11; and a circuit that monitors a supply voltage Vcc of processor 11a. When processor 11a is in a normal operation state but the supply voltage Vcc abnormally increases, a part of control functions that operative sub-control units 12, 13, 14, 15, . . . , fulfill are shut off in accordance with a control command from main control unit 11. This makes it possible to maintain the control function to the extent possible even when the supply voltage Vcc of processor 11a abnormally increases while processor 11a operates normally.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotaka Amoh, Toshiyuki Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 9702303
    Abstract: At a supporting member, an angle between an imaginary extension plane of an outer surface of a first partition wall and an imaginary extension plane of an upper surface of a pedal arm is one of an obtuse angle and a right angle. An angle between an imaginary extension plane of an outer surface of a third partition wall and an imaginary extension plane of a lower surface of the pedal arm is one of an obtuse angle and a right angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takehiro Saito, Masahiro Makino
  • Patent number: 9701276
    Abstract: The invention relates to a drive device for lifting a vehicle engine hood to protect pedestrians, said drive device comprising a pressure pipe (1) in which a piston (2) which can be driven by a drive gas can be moved along a linear guideway (3), a piston rod (4) connected to said piston (2), said piston rod (4) having a connection point (6) to be connected force-lockingly to a lifting gear for the engine hood at a rod portion (5) projecting beyond a first guideway end (11) of the pressure pipe, a second connection point (7) disposed at the second guideway end (12) located opposite the first guideway end (11), for force-locking support of the pressure pipe on the vehicle body, wherein said two connection points (6) and (7) are arranged at the pressure pipe (1) in line with the linear guideway (3) of the piston (2), and a gas source (8) supplying the drive gas, said gas source (8) being disposed in a pressure pipe portion (9) which is at an angle to the linear guideway (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2017
    Inventors: Martin Specht, Thomas Schrott
  • Patent number: 9694788
    Abstract: In an anti-theft method for an automobile, each of NFC devices on the automobile is activated to detect corresponding induction coils when the automobile receives a preset door locking command. The method confirms a status of each of the plurality of doors according to detecting whether each of the NFC devices detects the corresponding induction coil, and further determines whether at least one of the doors of the automobile is opened abnormally according to the confirmed status of each of the doors. When at least one of the doors of the automobile is determined to be opened abnormally, the method controls an alarm unit of the automobile to output a preset warning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2017
    Assignee: FIH (HONG KONG) LIMITED
    Inventor: Wen-Hua Teng