APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR VEHICLE STRUCTURAL OR SEMI-STRUCTURAL COMPONENT ASSEMBLY ENABLING TUNABLE DECELERATION CHARACTERISTICS

• US 20150360634A1
• Filed: 06/13/2014
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bauch, David James, Blanchard, Patrick James, Cacovic, Michael, Smith, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 10,442,365 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/023 with reinforcing inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/74 Moulding material on a relatively small portion of the preformed part, e.g. outsert moulding B29C70/845 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2023/10 Polymers of propylene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2309/08 Glass
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/00 Arrangements for holding or mounting articles, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 19/483 with obstacle sensors of electric or electronic type
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0136 responsive to actual contact with an obstacle , e.g. to vehicle deformation, bumper displacement or bumper velocity relative to the vehicle monitoring crash strength in combination with passenger seat detection B60R21/01558
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49819 with conveying of work or disassembled work part
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49886 to roughen surface

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.

Claims

1. A vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly, the assembly comprising:

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, wherein the sensor mount portion comprises a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded within the polymer composite material; and

a sensor directly attached to the sensor mount portion.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensor mount portion does not include a monolithic metal plate.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensor mount portion has a Maximum G-Load spread of less than or equal to about 100 G'"'"'s.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the mount comprises a Maximum G-Load spread from about 1 G to about 100 G'"'"'s.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the mount comprises a Maximum G-Load spread from about 40 G'"'"'s to about 100 G'"'"'s.

6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the mount comprises a Maximum G-Load spread from about 60 G'"'"'s to about 100 G'"'"'s.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the flexible, reinforcement material is a material selected from the group consisting of a woven, continuous glass fiber substrate;

a continuous glass fiber within a polypropylene substrate;

a woven, comingled glass and polypropylene fabric;

continuous high-strength steel strands;

a woven, continuous polypropylene and fiberglass substrate, and any combination thereof.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the continuous high-strength steel strands comprise a plurality of individual, unidirectional continuous high-strength strands.

9. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the continuous high-strength steel strands comprise a flexible substrate and continuous high-strength steel strands attached to the flexible substrate.

10. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the continuous high-strength steel strands comprise a matrix of continuous high-strength steel strands interconnected with each other.

11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the polymer composite material comprises glass mat polymer.

12. A method of tuning deceleration characteristics within a vehicle structure or semi-structural component, the method comprising choosing the type of flexible, reinforcement material depending upon the deceleration characteristics desired for the vehicle structure or semi-structural component to form the assembly of claim 1.

13. A method of tuning deceleration characteristics within a vehicle structure or semi-structural component, the method comprising positioning a flexible, reinforcement material at specific locations within a mold in order to be in-molded within in a polymer composite material to form one or more sensor mount portions at specific locations along the vehicle structure or semi-structural component of the assembly of claim 1.

14. A crash detection assembly comprising:

a vehicle structural or semi-structural component configured to enable tunable deceleration characteristics, the component comprising;

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, wherein the sensor mount portion comprises a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded within the polymer composite material; and

a crash sensor connected directly to the sensor mount portion.

15. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the sensor mount portion does not include a monolithic metal plate or substrate for mounting the crash sensor.

16. The assembly of claim 15, wherein the flexible reinforcement material is a material selected from the group consisting of a woven, continuous glass fiber substrate;

a continuous glass fiber within a polypropylene substrate;

a woven, comingled glass and polypropylene fabric;

continuous high-strength steel strands;

a woven, continuous polypropylene and fiberglass substrate, and any combination thereof.

17. The assembly of claim 16, wherein the component is selected from a group consisting of a front end bolster, a bumper, a bumper support, a side rail, a door frame, body sides, frame connectors, shotgun rails, spare tire wheel tubs and/or any other body part that absorbs or transfers impact energy and any part or component that a sensor may be attached thereto.

18. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the component comprises a bolster, the bolster further includes:

a first longitudinal member;

a second longitudinal member spaced-apart from the first longitudinal member;

a first transverse member connecting the first and second longitudinal members; and

a second transverse member spaced-apart from the first transverse member and connecting the first and second longitudinal members;

wherein the flexible reinforcement material is over-molded within the polymer composite material along one or more of the first longitudinal member, second longitudinal member, first transverse member, or second transverse member.

19. The assembly of claim 14, wherein the sensor is an accelerometer, pressure transducer, thermocouple, load cell, deflection and/or contact sensor, or any other type of sensor that may be used for function of deployment of safety devices during a vehicle crash.

20. The component of claim 14, further comprising a second sensor mount portion and a second sensor mount mounted on the second sensor mount portion, wherein the second sensor mount portion comprises a polymer composite material and a flexible reinforcement material over-molded within the polymer composite material.

21. A method for enabling tunable deceleration characteristics in a vehicle structural or semi-structural component assembly, the method comprising:

forming, using a mold, 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 within the mold to form one or more locations along the component; and

attaching a sensor to at least one of the one or more locations comprising the flexible reinforcement material.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the one or more locations along the component that comprising the flexible reinforcement material comprise a Maximum G-Load spread from about 1 G'"'"'s to about 100 G'"'"'s.

23. A method of retrofitting a vehicle structure or semi-structural component assembly, the method comprising:

removing an existing metal sensor mount from an existing vehicle structure or semi-structural component;

replacing the existing metal sensor mount with a new sensor mount comprising a polymer composite material having a flexible, reinforcement material over-molded therein; and

mounting a crash sensor on the new sensor mount.