Cable wheel deflector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11718346-B2
Application number	US-202117544135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2021
Priority date	Dec 7, 2021
Publication date	Aug 8, 2023
Grant date	Aug 8, 2023

Abstract

A vehicle includes a vehicle body defining a front wheel well. The vehicle body includes a rear wall vehicle-rearward of the front wheel well. The vehicle includes one or more cables supported at the rear wall. The cables are movable from a slack position to a taut position. The vehicle includes a pyrotechnic actuator operatively coupled to the cables to move the cables from the slack position to the taut position upon actuation of the pyrotechnic actuator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body defining a front wheel well, the vehicle body including a rear wall vehicle-rearward of the front wheel well;
a cable supported at the rear wall, the cable movable relative to the vehicle body from a slack position to a taut position;
a pyrotechnic actuator operatively coupled to the cable to move the cable from the slack position to the taut position upon actuation of the pyrotechnic actuator; and
a shuttle connected to the cable and slidable from a first position to a second position, the cable being at the slack position when the shuttle is at the first position and at the taut position when the shuttle is at the second position.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a second cable supported at the rear wall, the second cable movable from a second slack position to a second taut position, the pyrotechnic actuator operatively coupled to the second cable to move the second cable from the second slack position to the second taut position upon actuation of the pyrotechnic actuator.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the cable and the second cable are spaced from each other along a vertical axis.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable is elongated perpendicular to a vehicle-vertical axis.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable in the slack position is at the rear wall and the cable in the taut position is spaced from the rear wall.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable in the taut position is vehicle-forward of the cable in the slack position.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable in the taut position extends transversely to both a vehicle-longitudinal axis and a cross-vehicle axis.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of retainers fixed to the rear wall and engaged with the cable in the slack position.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the cable in the taut position is disengaged from the plurality of retainers.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable is fixed to the vehicle body vehicle-forward of the rear wall in the slack position and in the taut position.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle in the first position is vehicle-forward of the second position.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the shuttle is movable from the first position to the second position along a rocker of the vehicle body.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the shuttle is disposed within the rocker.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the pyrotechnic actuator is operatively coupled to the shuttle and the vehicle body to move the shuttle relative to the vehicle body.

15. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a lock engageable with the shuttle in the second position to maintain the shuttle at the second position.

16. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a spring and a pin supported by one of the vehicle body and the shuttle, the spring urging the pin toward the other of the vehicle body and the shuttle, and the other of the vehicle body and the shuttle defining a hole positioned to receive the pin as the shuttle moves from the first position to the second position.

17. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a ratchet tooth supported by the vehicle body and positioned to engage the shuttle in the second position.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the ratchet tooth is positioned to engage a vehicle-forward edge of the shuttle at the second position.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jaradi Dean M
• Faruque Mohammad Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander
• Barbat Saeed D

Classifications

• B62D7/06 Primary

  for individually-pivoted wheels, e.g. on king-pins · CPC title

• F15B15/19

  Pyrotechnical actuators · CPC title

• B60R2021/01252

  Devices other than bags · CPC title

• B62D21/15 Primary

  having impact absorbing means, e.g. a frame designed to permanently or temporarily change shape or dimension upon impact with another body (bumpers B60R19/02; shock absorbers in general F16F) · CPC title

• B60R19/00

  Wheel guards; Radiator guards, {e.g. grilles}; Obstruction removers; Fittings damping bouncing force in collisions ({reinforcement elements for side doors B60J5/0412; } mudguards B62D) · CPC title