Apparatus and methods for vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly enabling tunable deceleration characteristics
First Claim
1. A vehicle bolster having a body, the body comprising:
- a first portion comprising a first member, a second member opposed from the first member, a third member positioned between and at one end of the first and second members, a fourth member opposed from the third member and positioned between and at an end of the first and second members opposite the third member, the first portion of the body fabricated from a polymer composite material, anda sensor mount portion connected to the first member and the third member of the bolster, the sensor mount portion comprising a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded onto the polymer composite material, and a sensor directly attached to the sensor mount portion.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly or crash sensor assembly includes a body, wherein a first portion of the body comprises a polymer composite material and a sensor mount portion of the body is connected to the first portion; and a sensor directly attached to the sensor mount portion. The sensor mount portion comprises a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded within the polymer composite material. A method for enabling tunable deceleration characteristics in a vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly includes forming a structural or semi-structural component for a vehicle from a polymer composite material; over-molding a flexible reinforcement material within the polymer composite material at one or more locations along the component; and attaching a sensor directly to at least one of the one or more locations.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. A vehicle bolster having a body, the body comprising:
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a first portion comprising a first member, a second member opposed from the first member, a third member positioned between and at one end of the first and second members, a fourth member opposed from the third member and positioned between and at an end of the first and second members opposite the third member, the first portion of the body fabricated from a polymer composite material, and a sensor mount portion connected to the first member and the third member of the bolster, the sensor mount portion comprising a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded onto the polymer composite material, and a sensor directly attached to the sensor mount portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method, comprising:
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forming, using a mold, a structural or semi-structural component for a vehicle from a polymer composite material comprising a glass mat thermoplastic which includes a chopped fiber glass mat reinforced polypropylene laminate with randomly oriented glass fibers, the component comprising a first member; positioning a flexible reinforcement material within the mold; and over-molding the flexible reinforcement material onto the first member only at one or more localized positions on the first member, and not on the entire first member, to form one or more sensor mount portions at the one or more localized positions. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17)
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18. A method for a vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly, the method comprising:
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forming, using a mold, a structural or semi-structural component for a vehicle from a polymer composite material, the component comprising a first member, a second member opposed from the first member, a third member positioned between and at one end of the first and second members, a fourth member opposed from the third member and positioned between and at an end of the first and second members opposite the third member, and a cross member connected between the third and fourth members; over-molding a flexible reinforcement material onto the polymer composite material at one or more locations within the mold to form one or more locations along the cross member; and directly attaching a sensor to the flexible reinforcement material at at least one of the one or more locations along the cross member. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21)
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22. A method of retrofitting a vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly, the method comprising:
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removing an existing metal sensor mount from an existing vehicle structural or semi-structural component; replacing the existing metal sensor mount with a new sensor mount comprising a glass mat thermoplastic having a flexible reinforcement material over-molded therein, the glass mat thermoplastic including a chopped fiber glass mat reinforced polypropylene laminate with randomly oriented glass fibers; and mounting a crash sensor on the new sensor mount. - View Dependent Claims (23)
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Specification