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AssigneeToyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
InventorsJonathan Richard Young, Taichi Yamashita, Jesse Thomas Buehler, Gerritt Benjamin Meyers
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A frame structure absorbs energy from frontal impacts and extends under a front portion of the body frame. The frame structure includes a rear sub-frame located below and in front of a pair of side frame under-members, and an inverter protection brace extending between the front sub-frame and the rear sub-frame. Loading from the inverter protection brace travels through the rear sub-frame to A-point bolt connections located on the pair of front frame side members. The rear sub-frame moves rearward and deforms at the A-point bolt connections. The load through the A-point bolt connections changes the deformation mode of the frame front side members between the A-point bolt connections and B-point bolt connections. At least one of the pair of side frame under-members buckles rearward of the B-point bolt connection located on the pair of side frame under-members for energy absorption during the frontal impact.
A frame structure for a land vehicle having wheels to engage a surface over which the vehicle moves, an electric motor enabling the vehicle to be moved along the surface, the frame structure providing support for a vehicle body, where at least a portion of the frame structure changes shape in response to impact of the frame structure with another body, the frame structure adapted to absorb energy from frontal impacts, the frame structure extending under a front portion of the vehicle body, the frame structure comprising:
A method of assembling structural members for absorbing energy from frontal impacts of a frame structure for a land vehicle having wheels to engage a surface over which the vehicle moves, an electric motor enabling the vehicle to be moved along the surface, the frame structure providing support for a vehicle body, where the frame structure changes shape in response to impact of the frame structure with another body, the frame structure extending under a front portion of the vehicle body, the method comprising:
A frame structure adapted to absorb energy from frontal impacts, the frame structure extending under a front portion of a vehicle body, the frame structure comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.