Volume filling mechanical structures for modifying crash deceleration pulse
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorsAlan Lampe Browne, Nancy L. Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A mechanical, active crash pulse management structure for providing modification of crash pulse, wherein the structure has a dormant (initial) state volume, but then in the event of a crash, timely expands into a much larger deployed volume for providing management of an expectant crash energy. The preferred crash energy management structure is a before expansion honeycomb celled material brick, wherein expansion of the honeycomb brick is in a plane transverse to the cellular axis of the cells thereof, and crash crush is intended to be parallel to the cellular axis. In the event of a crash, either an active or passive activation mechanism is provided for causing expansion of honeycomb celled material.
Claims19
A volume filling mechanical structure for modifying crash deceleration pulse comprising:
- a honeycomb celled material expandable from a nonexpanded state to an expanded state;
- and
- an activation mechanism regulating expansion of said honeycomb celled material from said nonexpanded state to said expanded state in response to a crash.
A method for filling a volume with a mechanical structure for modifying crash deceleration of a motor vehicle, comprising the steps of:
- selectively retaining a mechanical structure in a dormant state where during the mechanical structure has a first volume;
- and
- expanding the mechanical structure to a second volume, wherein said second volume is larger than said first volume.
A motor vehicle equipped with a crash energy management structure, comprising:
- a body;
- and
- a crash energy management structure connected to said body, said crash energy management structure comprising:
- a mechanical structure connected to said body, said mechanical structure being expandable from a first volume to a second volume, wherein said second volume is larger than said first volume;
- and
- an activation mechanism regulating expansion of said mechanical structure from said first volume to said second volume.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.