Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aamir U Warsi

Robert Joseph Hazlewood

John D Harkleroad

Manish Shah

Earnest L Cleary

An apparatus, a system, and a method for providing a smart multi-tier power running board (PRB) with ground sensing technologies. The apparatus includes one or more support bars, one or more steps, an actuator connected to one end of each support bar of the one or more support bars, one or more sensors, and a controller coupled to the actuator and the one or more sensors. The controller is configured to: obtain data indicative of a request to move the one or more support bars from a stowed position to a deployed position; determine, based on sensor data detected by the one or more sensors, the deployed position for moving the one or more support bars; and control, based on the determined deployed position, the actuator to move the one or more support bars from the stowed position to the deployed position.

Systems, methods, and apparatus for smart multi-tier power running board with ground sensing technologies

A rear seat assembly within an automotive vehicle is provided. The seat assembly including a seat bottom portion and a seat back portion where the seat back portion includes a fold down arm rest movable from a closed position to an open position. The fold down arm rest is pivotable about a first pivot point. A generally vertical wall separates a cab portion of the vehicle from a trunk portion of the vehicle. The wall is connected to the seat back portion and is generally parallel with the seat back portion. A passageway or pass through portion connects the cab portion of the vehicle with the trunk portion of the vehicle. A power supply portion is mounted to the generally vertical wall and is mounted adjacent to or within the passageway. The power supply portion is accessible when the fold down arm rest is in the open position.

Rear pass through power outlet

A bracket assembly allows assembly of a seat back frame to an attachment bar in a vehicle. The bracket assembly includes a locating bracket and a hook. The locating bracket is fixedly secured to the seat back frame. The locating bracket has a slot for receiving the attachment bar therein. The locating bracket has a bore adapted for lockingly engaging a fastener. The hook is pivotally coupled to the locating bracket for movement between a receiving position in which the hook is presented for hooking engagement with the attachment bar and a locked position in which the attachment bar is constrained between the hook and the slot of the locating bracket. The hook has a hole. The bore of the locating bracket and the hole of the hook are aligned in the locked position, such that the fastener can be inserted therethrough to retain the hook in the locked position.

Self locating bracket

A rear seat assembly is for use in an automotive vehicle having a package shelf includes a generally horizontal seat cushion, a seat back and a flap. The seat cushion is fixedly secured to the vehicle. The seat back is pivotally coupled to the vehicle for movement between a plurality of seating positions relative to the seat cushion. The seat back has a rear surface spaced apart from the package shelf to define a gap therebetween. The flap is fixedly secured to the rear surface of the seat back. The flap has a front wall adapted to be fixedly secured to the rear surface of the seat back. The front wall has an upper edge. An upper wall extends outwardly from the upper edge of the front wall for substantially concealing the gap while the seat back is in any one of the seating positions.

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Howell, MI, United States of America

Aamir U Warsi