Spring Patents (Class 296/133)
  • Patent number: 11801800
    Abstract: An energy absorbing device is designed to increase the amount of absorbed energy and control the deformation of the device in case of an impact. The energy absorbing device consists in a hollow longitudinal member extending along a first longitudinal axis and a longitudinal guide extending along a second longitudinal axis, arranged within the longitudinal member and suitable for guiding the deformation of the longitudinal member in case of an impact. The length ratio between the longitudinal guide and the member is comprised between the values of 1/5 and 3/5.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2023
    Assignee: ARCELORMITTAL
    Inventors: Jean-Louis Colmont, Thierry Derchu, Sébastien Albeaux, Guillaume De Taillac
  • Patent number: 10875580
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a front side member disposed on each of opposite lateral sides in a front portion of a vehicle, and a crash box disposed forward of the front side member. The crash box extends further outward in a vehicle width direction with respect to the front side member. The motor vehicle further includes a triangular gusset attached to the front side member and the crash box. The triangular gusset includes an oblique portion extending diagonally forward from where the triangular gusset is joined to the front side member. A reinforcing patch is further disposed close to the triangular gusset along the oblique portion of the triangular gusset. This vehicle structure enables transmission to the front side member of a load input to the gusset, which is greater than an assumed load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshiharu Shinya, Yoshinori Domon, Haruhiko Yamamoto, Akira Sabu
  • Patent number: 10112563
    Abstract: Crush cans for motor vehicles are provided herein. An example crush can includes a first open end, a second open end, and a longitudinal axis running from the first open end to the second open end. The crush can further includes a top wall, a bottom wall, a first side wall and a second side wall. The top wall and the bottom wall taper from the second open end towards the first open end. The crush can uniformly collapses when under compressive forces along the longitudinal axis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: FARADAY & FUTURE INC.
    Inventors: Umran Ashraf, John Michael Colt, Cory Denis Borghi
  • Patent number: 9718495
    Abstract: A structural element in the front region of a motor vehicle is arranged between an engine subframe and a bulkhead of the motor vehicle. The structural element has a deformation element which is fastened via a front fixing to the engine subframe and a rear fixing to the bulkhead. The front fixing is connected via an upper shell and a lower shell to the bulkhead in such a way that the two shells form a closed, funnel-shaped structure with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2017
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Mark Muehlhausen, Thomas Ritschel, Franz-Peter Behrendt, Dirk Lukaszewicz, Sebastian Goldschmidt
  • Patent number: 9333928
    Abstract: A motor vehicle structure is disclosed which includes a cross member, at least one side member connected to the cross member via a crash box. At least one strut supports a lateral region of the cross member, and the strut is connected to a molded part which is connected to the crash box and/or the side member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Uwe Eckert, Ronald Scheer
  • Patent number: 8985671
    Abstract: A V shape bumper extension for a vehicle is provided where the V shape member has an extension member and a support member. The extension member extends linearly away from a bumper and the support member is positioned at an acute angle with respect to a crush can. The support member includes an outer edge spaced apart from the crush can and is connected to the crush can through at least one breakable attachment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanjun Lei, Yi Qu, Chris Stephen O'Connor, Naeem Ahmed Ghias, Erika Kristin Low
  • Patent number: 8814250
    Abstract: In an automobile front portion structure, a dilatant impact absorbing body that is formed from a material having dilatant characteristics is accommodated at an inner side of a crash box and is fixed to a front end surface of a front side member. A length dimension in a vehicle longitudinal direction of this dilatant impact absorbing body is set such that, when an axial compressive deformation amount of the crash box becomes greater than or equal to a set value that is smaller than a maximum value of the axial compressive deformation amount, the dilatant impact absorbing body receives compressive load between the front side member and a front bumper reinforcement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Osamu Fukawatase
  • Patent number: 8764096
    Abstract: A bumper assembly for vehicle may include a first side member disposed in each of both sides of a vehicle body in a longitudinal direction thereof, a second side member coupled to an external surface of the first side member, a fender member having one side coupled to an external side of the second side member, a member flange connected to front ends of the first and second side members respectively, a mounting flange coupled with the member flange, a first crash box having a rear end connected to the mounting flange, a second crash box having a rear end connected to the mounting flange, and a bumper beam having both distal sides, each of which may be coupled to front ends of the first and second crash boxes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Min Uke Han, Chang Ho Park, Hae Woong Kim, Jun Hyoung Kim, Soo Heung Eom
  • Patent number: 8459726
    Abstract: A strengthening member for an automotive vehicle comprises an eight-cornered cross section including sides and corners. The sides comprise four straight sides and four curved sides. A length of each straight side ranges from about 10 mm to about 200 mm and a length of each curved side is about 10 mm to about 200 mm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC.
    Inventors: Tau Tyan, Yu-Kan Hu, Leonard Anthony Shaner, Jiamaw Doong, Kirk David Arthurs, Senthil Kumar Mahadevan
  • Patent number: 8419090
    Abstract: A vehicular metal absorber for efficiently absorbing by a short stroke the impact energy received from legs of a pedestrian at the time of a collision between a pedestrian and an automobile, reducing the residual crush, and protecting the legs of the pedestrian, that is, a long vehicular metal absorber comprising a center flange, a top web and bottom web connected to the two sides of the center flange, a top flange connected to the top web, and a bottom flange connected to the bottom web and formed overall into a hat shaped cross-section, wherein an internal angle ?1 formed by the top web with a flange plane including the top flange and bottom flange and an internal angle ?2 formed by the bottom web with the flange plane are respectively over 0 degree to less than 90 degrees, and in that one or both of the top web and bottom web are provided with a recessed or projecting bead substantially parallel to a front-back direction of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2013
    Assignees: Unipres Corporation, Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Nojima, Isao Satsukawa, Takashi Ariga, Akihiro Uenishi, Toshiyuki Niwa
  • Patent number: 8256831
    Abstract: A vehicle body front structure is disclosed, wherein a large engine can be installed even if the entire vehicle body length is kept compact, and an impact load can be efficiently absorbed. In a vehicle body front structure (10), internal and external extension members (41, 42) protruding forward are provided to the front ends of left and right front side frames (11, 12) and the front ends of left and right upper members (13, 14) via a mounting plate (35). In the mounting plate, internal mounting parts (51) and front walls (68) of the internal extension members are inclined farther toward the front of the vehicle body nearer the center of the vehicle width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryota Abe, Kojiro Okabe, Shinichi Yoshikawa
  • Patent number: 7631924
    Abstract: A crash box for fastening a bumper beam on a vehicle, for example a passenger car, has a closed cross section. Its perimeter has at least two longitudinal portions (19, 21), and each of them has a concave portion (20) that passes into convex portions (19, 21) at both sides. The smallest distance from the centre (40) of the crash box to the concave portion is less than 12% shorter than the largest distance from this centre to any one of the adjacent convex portions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2009
    Assignee: Gestamp Hardtech AB
    Inventor: Johan Nilsson
  • Patent number: 7216921
    Abstract: A convertible vehicle has a carbody and a retractable top connected to the carbody. A top compartment is provided in the carbody, wherein the retractable top in a folded-down position of the retractable top is stowed in the top compartment. A top compartment lid for closing the top compartment is provided, wherein the top compartment lid extends within a rear carbody contour of the carbody. A holding-down device is arranged between the top compartment lid and the retractable top, wherein the holding-down device in a holding-down position is placed onto the retractable top stowed in the top compartment when closing the top compartment lid. The holding-down device has a counter member pivotably supported on the top compartment lid and a support part that is movable jointly with the retractable top and is connectable to the counter member in the folded-down position of the retractable top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 15, 2007
    Assignee: Wilhelm Karmann GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Habacker
  • Patent number: 6659535
    Abstract: An impact damper as a connecting member between a bumper and a chassis of a motor vehicle for the purpose of damping the shock loading during a collision between this motor vehicle and an obstacle, predominantly through deformation work in a tube of the impact damper. The tube is connected to the chassis via a bracket and to the bumper via a bumper receptacle. The bumper receptacle, the bracket and the towing lug with the tube are connected to one another by a joining technique before they are connected to one another by a stamping operation. The advantage of the invention lies in low-cost production without compromises in terms of the functioning of the impact damper.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: ZF Boge GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Dohrmann
  • Patent number: 6394513
    Abstract: This invention refers to a road block which is mounted at the rear end of a road vehicle (1) and comprises a vertical warning panel (7) for protecting a site of road works, and a crash attenuator (4), the latter being tiltable about a transversal axis (6) from a horizontal operative position into a vertical rest position suited for transportation, whereas the warning panel (7) can be moved between guidance means (9) substantially in a translational motion from an upper operational position and to a lower rest position. The tilting movement of the attenuator (4) is coupled to the translational motion of the warning panel (7) via cables or chains (11) in such a way that the attenuator and the warning panels move synchronously to the rest or operational position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2002
    Inventor: Michael Rossmann
  • Publication number: 20010024051
    Abstract: A lightweight car body energy absorber made of Al alloy which provides a high energy absorption performance. The car body energy absorber comprises a hollow shape 1 with a rectangular sectional profile and a reinforcing shape 2 attached to the front face of the collision plane of the hollow shape, where the hollow shape 1 and the reinforcing shape 2 are aluminum alloy extruded shapes. The reinforcing shape 2 has a hat-shaped open sectional profile, which is composed of a collision wall 6 almost parallel to the collision plane of the hollow shape 1, plural mutually parallel horizontal ribs 7a, 7b and 7c which support the collision wall 6, and vertical flanges 8a, 8b and 8c provided at the tips of these ribs. It is joined to the collision plane of the hollow shape 1 through the vertical flanges 8a, 8b and 8c.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 15, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Applicant: Kabushiki Kaisha Kobe Seiko Sho (Kobe Steel, Ltd.)
    Inventors: Koji Kariatsumari, Satoshi Nimura, Toru Hashimura
  • Patent number: 6003930
    Abstract: A vehicle features a bumper which runs transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and which is attached to the vehicle by at least one deforming element. The deforming element is essentially in the form of a tube-shaped length of section of light weight metal having its longitudinal axis lying in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is divided into longitudinal chambers by inner struts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 21, 1999
    Assignee: Alusuisse Technology & Management Ltd.
    Inventors: Simon Frank, Werner Graf