Fayetteville, Arkansas Patent of the Year – 2024/2025
Tesseract Structural Innovations Inc. has been awarded the 2024/2025 Patent of the Year for its breakthrough in automotive crash safety. Their invention, detailed in U.S. Patent Application No. 20240083512, titled ‘Sill beam uniform deceleration unit’, introduces a Sill Beam Uniform Deceleration Unit (UDU) that enhances side-impact protection by absorbing crash energy more effectively.
This UDU integrates a lightweight metallic foam energy absorber within an outer skin casing, reinforced by an inner skin stiffener featuring press-formed projections. These projections interlock with openings in the foam, ensuring structural integrity and efficient energy dissipation during collisions. Designed for installation in a vehicle’s side sill, the unit aims to reduce intrusion into the passenger compartment, thereby enhancing occupant safety.
The use of metallic foam not only contributes to the unit’s lightweight nature but also allows for controlled deformation, absorbing kinetic energy and minimizing impact forces transmitted to passengers. The press-forming manufacturing process simplifies production, potentially lowering costs and facilitating widespread adoption in various vehicle models.
Tesseract Structural Innovations, Inc.’s development represents a significant advancement in vehicle safety technology. By focusing on side-impact scenarios, which are often challenging to mitigate, this innovation offers a promising solution to enhance protection for vehicle occupants. As automotive manufacturers continue to prioritize safety, such technologies are poised to play a crucial role in future vehicle designs.