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US 2026/0158905 A1Published application
Side impact structure for a fuel tank of a vehicle
AssigneeVolvo Truck Corporation
InventorTanmay MITTAL
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A side impact structure for a fuel tank of a vehicle includes a base structure attached to a side-facing portion of the fuel tank, and at least one spheroidal element rotatably coupled to the base structure, wherein impact energy by an object with the at least one spheroidal element in a first direction causes the at least one spheroidal element to rotate to convert the impact energy into rotational energy to direct the impact energy toward a second direction normal to the first direction.
Claims15
A side impact structure for a fuel tank of a vehicle, the side impact structure comprising:
- a base structure attached to a side-facing portion of the fuel tank;
- and
- at least one spheroidal element rotatably coupled to the base structure, wherein impact energy by an object with the at least one spheroidal element in a first direction causes the at least one spheroidal element to rotate to convert the impact energy into rotational energy to direct the impact energy toward a second direction normal to the first direction.
A method comprising:
- rotatably coupling at least one spheroidal element to a base structure of a side-impact structure;
- coupling the base structure to a fuel tank of a vehicle wherein impact energy by an object with one of at least one spheroidal element in a first direction causes the at least one spheroidal element to rotate to convert the impact energy into rotational energy to direct the impact energy toward a second direction normal to the first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.