Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Clayton J Hayes

Paul W Alexander

Michael G Carpenter

Leigh A Berger

Dale Drew

Michael E Kilpinen

James A Smith

Michel Louis Duchesneau

Peter Laze

Michele Rosario Palomba

An active head restraint for supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, wherein the actuator further includes a spring-biased bar linkage system pivotally coupled to the shell, a radial ratcheting sector coupled to the linkage system, a pawl selectively engaging the sector, and a solenoid drivenly coupled to the pawl, and configured, when activated, to cause the pawl to disengage the sector.

Active head restraint utilizing solenoid activation and bar linkage transmission

An active headrest for selectively supporting the head of an occupant, includes a shell, and an actuator disposed within the shell, including a bar linkage system drivenly coupled to the shell, so as to adjust the distance or engagement between the shell and head when displaced, and an active material element drivenly coupled to the system, so as to cause or enable the displacement of the system, and preferably further including a ratchet sector/pawl and latch cooperating to present plural achievable deployment positions.

Active material actuated headrest utilizing bar linkage deployment system

An automotive vehicle seating system which in a preferred embodiment includes a rigid surface fixed with respect to the vehicle, the rigid surface having an aperture; a seating surface positioned generally adjacent the rigid surface, the seating surface having a frame, the frame having a portion generally formed as a loop extending into the aperture of the rigid surface; and a molded single-piece plastic retainer having two opposed walls, one of the walls having a lock ramp to aid in an interference fit within the aperture of the fixed surface and the retainer having on one of the opposing walls a collar and a lock ramp on another opposing wall to allow the opposing walls to be locked together and the retainer having a compliant locking finger interlocking into the loop of the seat frame to hold the seat in position within the vehicle.

Vehicle seat retention system

A vehicle seat assembly is provided which, in a preferred embodiment, includes a vehicle seatback frame with at least two spaced-apart rails defining a seating surface therebetween, a flexible seat suspension bridging over and connecting to the spaced-apart rails for supporting the seating surface and including a generally elongated member generally parallel to at least one of the rails, a wire wing reinforcement pivotally mounted at upper and lower ends to the elongated member and extending from the elongated member and having upper stop means and lower means by making contact with the elongated member to limit a maximum angle of the wing reinforcement with respect to the seating surface, and an elastic wing covering the wing reinforcement compliantly returning the wing reinforcement to an angle approximating the maximum angle of the wing reinforcement with respect to the seating surface whenever the wing has been angularly displaced toward the seating surface.

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Romeo, MI, United States of America

Clayton J Hayes