An apparatus and method for improving the safety and performance of an automobile in crash events is disclosed. The apparatus includes a front crash pad, rear crash pad, and a connection beam. Both crash pads and the connection beam are coupled to an automobile in such fashion as to absorb and dissipate energy by converting kinetic energy into strain energy.

A frontal safety guard which functions to prevent objects lying in the path of a vehicle, such as a school bus, from entering beneath the vehicle for safety purposes includes a central guard portion hingedly connected to the bumper such that the central guard portion can pivot, against a biasing force, relative to the bumper, and side extensions hingedly interconnected to and extending laterally from opposing end portions of the central guard portion such that the side extensions can pivot in unison with the central guard portion relative to the bumper and also individually pivot relative to both the bumper and the central guard portion.

An automotive vehicle includes a body with a front portion, an underbody portion, a wheelhouse disposed in the underbody portion, and a front fascia disposed at the front portion. The wheelhouse is provided with a liner. A movable member is disposed between the wheelhouse liner and the front fascia. The movable member has a venting position and a barrier position. In the barrier position the front fascia, movable member, and wheelhouse liner define a generally contiguous surface, and in the venting position the movable member is displaced at least partly away from the body relative to the barrier position. An actuator is coupled to the movable member and configured to actuate the movable member between the venting position and the barrier position. A controller is configured to control the actuator to move the movable member to the barrier position in response to a first operating condition being satisfied.

A system for managing wheel kinematics during a small overlap collision event includes a deflector apparatus. The deflector is configured to direct a wheel away from an occupant compartment of a vehicle. The deflector includes a first section arranged at an inside wall of a wheel well facing a wheel, near the base of a hinge-pillar. The first section includes a hollow structure configured to absorb energy from the collision event by plastically deforming. The deflector also includes a second section arranged at an angle to the wheel and configured to deflect the wheel laterally outwards from the vehicle away from an occupant compartment during the small overlap collision event. The deflector may be formed of extruded aluminum. The system may include an absorber arranged behind the first section and configured to further absorb energy from the collision event by plastically deforming.

Particular embodiments disclosed herein provide a retractable guard assembly coupled to a caster of a mobile equipment, comprising a housing and one or more guards at least partially disposed in the housing. The one or more guards are independently movably coupled to the housing. The retractable guard assembly further comprises corresponding one or more biasing elements coupled to the one or more guards and to the housing for biasing the one or more guards towards a fully deployed state. When the one or more guards are in the fully deployed state, contact between a fixed object and a portion of the one or more guards disposed outside the housing causes the one or more guards to transition into a retracted state, and when the contact is removed, the corresponding one or more biasing elements cause the one or more guards to transition into the fully deployed state.

A vehicle frame component for limiting the movement of the wheel of the vehicle toward the cab of a cab on frame vehicle including a base member welded to openings in the frame side rail and extending outwardly and located proximal the wheel structure. In one embodiment the vehicle frame component is located forward of the wheel and includes a tire puncture device to deflate the tire during an offset front impact and in a second embodiment the vehicle frame component is located rearward of the wheel. The vehicle frame component has particular utility during an offset front impact where the offset is less than approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of the width of the vehicle.

A vehicle includes a body with an underbody portion having an outer periphery. At least one traction wheel is rotatably coupled to the body. The traction wheel has a track width defined by an inboard plane and an outboard plane. A movable panel with an inboard edge and an outboard edge is coupled to the underbody portion. An actuator is coupled to the movable panel and configured to actuate the movable panel between a stowed position and a deployed position. In the deployed position the outboard edge projects outboard of the outboard plane of the track width, and in the stowed position the outboard edge is retracted within the outer periphery of the underbody portion. A controller is configured to, in response to an operating condition being satisfied during a drive cycle, control the actuator to actuate the movable panel from the stowed position to the deployed position.

In an undercover structure according to the present invention, a first cover part that is a lowermost part of an undercover has a first rear end positioned ahead of a front wheel axle. Further, a curved part with a predetermined curvature is formed at the first rear end of the first cover part in a side view. This generates a strong negative pressure in a region ahead of the front wheel axle 21. Accordingly, the flow rate of air flowing to each wheelhouse 23 decreases (the flow rate of the airflow between a road and a vehicle generated along the bottom surface of the first cover part 15a of the undercover 15 increases). This causes an attraction force that attracts the vehicle to a road surface to act on a vehicle body of the vehicle, thereby making traveling stability more excellent.

A utility terrain vehicle fender system for reducing debris flying onto a utility terrain vehicle when driving includes a utility terrain vehicle and a plurality of removable tracks is rotatably coupled to the utility terrain vehicle. A fender is removably fastened to each removable track for reducing debris flying off the removable tracks onto the utility terrain vehicle.

An apparatus and method for improving the safety and performance of an automobile in crash events is disclosed. The safety device includes first and second crash pad regions and a connecting member region disposed between the first and second crash pad regions. At least a portion of the connecting member region is arranged to move in one of an upward and downward direction at the initial moment of a crash to absorb crash energy. The safety device is arranged to collapse on itself upon continuation of the crash. In some embodiments, the safety device collapses in a horizontal direction upon continuation of the crash.