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US 12,515,604 B2Granted
Active buckling frame rail
AssigneeZoox, Inc.
InventorsReginaldo Alves de Almeida, Alexandre Nunes, Fabricio Cesar Oda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An active buckling system for a vehicle including a force generator. The active buckling system includes the force generator that at least partially weakens a frame associated with the vehicle. The active buckling system may induce a buckling of the frame during a collision. The active buckling system may further reduce a longitudinal frame compression distance between a front of the vehicle and a cabin, associated with absorbing an impact from the collision, at least in part due to the inducing of the buckling of the frame.
Claims20
A method comprising:
- receiving sensor data associated with an environment of a vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a collision event associated with the vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the collision event is proximate an overhang area of the vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a first time associated with activating a first force generator;
- activating the first force generator to apply a first force to a first longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a first state of the first longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a first lateral direction;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a second time associated with activating a second force generator, wherein the first time is before the second time;
- activating the second force generator to apply a second force to a second longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a second state of the second longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a second lateral direction, the second lateral direction opposite of the first lateral direction;
- and
- activating the first force generator and the second force generator in response to the collision event.
6 more elements
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
- receiving sensor data associated with an environment of a vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a collision event associated with a vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the collision event is proximate an overhang area of the vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a first time associated with activating a first force generator;
- activating the first force generator to apply a first force to a first longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a first state of the first longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a first lateral direction;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a second time associated with activating a second force generator, wherein the first time is before the second time;
- activating the second force generator to apply a second force to a second longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a second state of the second longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a second lateral direction, the second lateral direction opposite of the first lateral direction;
- and
- activating the first force generator and the second force generator in response to the collision event.
6 more elements
A system comprising:
- one or more processors;
- and
- non-transitory computer-readable media storing processor-executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations comprising:
- receiving sensor data associated with an environment of a vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a collision event associated with the vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, that the collision event is proximate an overhang area of the vehicle;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a first time associated with activating a first force generator;
- activating the first force generator to apply a first force to a first longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a first state of the first longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a first lateral direction;
- determining, based at least in part on the sensor data, a second time associated with activating a second force generator, wherein the first time is distinct from the second time;
- activating the second force generator to apply a second force to a second longitudinally-extending member of the vehicle to change a second state of the second longitudinally-extending member to deflect in a second lateral direction, the second lateral direction opposite of the first lateral direction;
- and
- activating the first force generator and the second force generator in response to the collision event.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.