Patent ID: 11964719
Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 7:
8. A method comprising:
along a longitudinal axis disposed substantially orthogonal to a longitudinal axis of a vehicle, providing a component comprising:
a rod portion comprising:
a proximal end;
a proximal ball joint disposed at the proximal end;
a distal end;
a male threaded section disposed at the distal end;

a receiver portion comprising:
a proximal end;
a female threaded section disposed at the proximal end;
a distal end;
a distal ball joint disposed at the distal end; and
a wrench flat;

narrowing a section of the receiver portion different from the wrench flat and disposed between the proximal end and distal end, wherein the narrowed section of the receiver portion is configured to fracture when subjected to a threshold shearing force substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
providing a protuberance disposed on the receiver portion adjacent to the narrowing feature and projecting in a substantially forward direction along the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, such that during a crash event involving a barrier, the protuberance allows the barrier to contact the component earlier in the crash event than would occur if the protuberance were not present; and
receiving the male threaded section of the rod portion into the female threaded section of the receiver portion, forming a threaded connection,
such that the distal end of the rod portion is disposed proximate to the narrowed section.