Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Steering Solutions IP Holding Corporation

Nexteer (beijing) Technology Co., Ltd.

David Edward Harris

Joen Christen Bodtker

James Edward Rouleau

John Gardner Fischer

Randall Lee Dockery

Orrin A Woodward

Edward A Hantle, Deceased

Frederick J Berg

Shawn A Haring

Bruce Albert Kuehnemund

Dale M Pickelman

Kurt J Hilbrandt

Mitchal A Peterson

Brian J Christopher

Philip Moore Anderson

Cary W Rackett

Douglas James Golla

A steering column assembly includes a column jacket coupled to a support bracket. The column jacket is moveable in a longitudinal direction along a longitudinal axis and in a pivotable direction relative to the support bracket about a pivot axis. A locking mechanism interconnects the support bracket and the column jacket, and includes a torsion shaft rotatable about a shaft axis in a first direction and a second direction to move the locking mechanism between a lock position and a release position. A motor includes an output shaft rotatable about a primary axis in a single rotational direction. A linkage interconnects the motor and the torsion shaft of the locking mechanism. The linkage is actuated by rotation of the output shaft in the single rotational direction to rotate the torsion shaft in alternating fashion between the first direction and the second direction.

Electric steering column lock with single direction actuator travel

A steering column assembly having a column jacket defining a longitudinal axis and moveable in a telescoping direction and a tilting direction is disclosed. A first bracket defines a telescoping slot having a first tooth rack extending parallel to the longitudinal axis. A second bracket defines a tilting slot having a second tooth rack extending transverse to the telescoping slot. A first locking member and a second locking member are moveable along a pivot axis transverse the longitudinal axis between a locked position and an unlocked position. The locking members have a first locking surface parallel to the longitudinal axis and a second locking surface transverse to the longitudinal and pivot axes. The locking surfaces are disposed in the telescoping and tilting slots, respectively when in the locked position such that the locking surfaces engage the first and second tooth racks, respectively for preventing movement of the column jacket.

Adjustable steering column assembly

A steering column assembly having an outer jacket mounted to a support structure of a vehicle. A steering shaft is movably supported within the jacket for rotation relative to the jacket. A retainer is mounted to the outer jacket and is disposed about the shaft. A dampener is non-rotatably mounted to the retainer and defines a passageway with the shaft extending through the passageway and rotatable within the passageway. The dampener has a portion abutting the shaft and applying a frictional force between the dampener and the shaft against rotation of the shaft within the passageway relative to the dampener.

Steering column assembly having a dampener

A wear resistant fuel pump for a vehicle includes a pump section having a rotatable impeller and a plurality of plates disposed axially adjacent to and cooperating with the impeller to pump fuel therethrough. The wear resistant fuel pump also includes a motor section disposed adjacent the pump section and having a motor to rotate the impeller. The wear resistant fuel pump further includes an outlet section disposed adjacent the motor section to allow pumped fuel to exit therethrough. The impeller is made of a first compound and the plates are made of a second compound having an abrasion wear resistance on a surface thereof that improves abrasion wear characteristics therebetween.

Wear resistant fuel pump

A wear resistant fuel pump for a vehicle includes a pump section having a flow channel and a rotatable impeller cooperating with said flow channel to pump fuel therethrough. The fuel pump also includes a motor section disposed adjacent the pump section and having a motor to rotate the impeller. The fuel pump further includes an outlet section disposed adjacent the motor section to allow pumped fuel to exit the fuel pump. The pump section includes a plurality of plates disposed axially adjacent to and cooperating with the impeller. At least one of the plates includes a wear insert that improves abrasion wear characteristics therebetween.

A floated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank in a vehicle includes a strainer adapted to be connected to an inlet of either one of a fuel pump and fuel reservoir disposed in the fuel tank. The floated fuel strainer assembly also includes a float connected to the strainer to elevate the strainer off a bottom of the fuel tank as a fuel level rises in the fuel tank.

Floated fuel strainer assembly for a fuel tank

A passively filled reservoir in a motor vehicle fuel tank. The fuel tank has an electric fuel pump suspended therein and a tubular conduit through which surplus fuel is returned to the fuel tank. The passively filled reservoir includes a fuel containment vessel below the fuel pump, a passive fill port in the containment vessel juxtaposed a bottom panel of the fuel tank, a one-way valve in the passive fill port, a primary strainer around the containment vessel, and a secondary strainer inside of the containment vessel. The tubular conduit and a vapor discharge port of the electric fuel pump discharge into the containment vessel outside of the secondary strainer for recirculation to the fuel pump of surplus fuel and liquid fuel expelled from the fuel pump through the vapor discharge port. The primary strainer strains liquid fuel flowing through the passive fill port into the containment vessel. Capillary seal characteristics of the primary and the secondary strainers sustain vacuum at an inlet of the electric fuel pump until both the fuel tank and the containment vessel are substantially fully depleted.

Reservoir for motor vehicle fuel tank

A motor vehicle fuel pump including an electric motor, a high pressure pump, and a low pressure pump having a side channel pumping stage for pumping fuel from a fuel tank to a reservoir and a regenerative turbine pumping stage for pumping fuel from the reservoir to the high pressure pump. A pair of radial vapor ports are disposed between an inside diameter of a pump channel of the turbine pumping stage and an outside diameter of a concentric, radially inboard pump channel of the side channel pumping stage at a discharge port of the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage. Liquid fuel with entrained vapor near the inside diameter of the pump channel of the turbine pumping stage is aspirated through the radial vapor ports into the discharge port of the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage by liquid fuel flowing in the pump channel of the side channel pumping stage.

Electric fuel pump for motor vehicle

An open-vane regenerative turbine pump in an electric fuel pump operating submerged in fuel in a fuel tank of a motor vehicle. The regenerative turbine pump includes an open-vane impeller having paddle-like vanes extending radially out from a ring-shaped body of the impeller, an annular groove in a housing of the pump defining a pump channel around the periphery of the impeller and the vanes, a stripper on the pump housing fitting close around the impeller between an inlet port of the pump channel and a discharge port of the pump channel, a pair of radial vapor ports on opposite sides of the impeller at an inside diameter of the annular pump channel, and a pair of steps on opposite sidewalls of the pump channel sweeping downstream from an outside diameter of the pump channel to the inside diameter thereof at downstream sides of corresponding ones of the radial vapor ports. The swept-back steps on the sidewalls of the pump channel gradually reduce the cross sectional area of the pump channel to increase flow velocity in the pump channel ahead of the vapor ports for more thorough scavenging of vapor.

Fuel pump for motor vehicle

An open-vane regenerative turbine pump includes a housing, an impeller rotatably supported on the housing having a plurality of paddle-like open-vane type vanes thereon, an annular pump channel in the housing around the periphery of the impeller and around the vanes, a stripper in the pump channel between an inlet port of the latter and a discharge port thereof, and a pair of bosses on the housing in the pump channel on opposite sides of the impeller about midway between the inlet and discharge ports. The bosses each have an edge obstructing a radially inner fraction of the pump channel to intercept inertially separated vapor in the inner fraction having a velocity component in the direction of rotation of the impeller. A pair of notches are formed in the housing adjacent respective ones of the bosses in flow communication with a vapor collection chamber and with a radially innermost extremity of the pump channel. The momentum of the intercepted vapor induces flow thereof through the notches to the vapor collection chamber for maximum scavenging of vapor from the pump channel.

Growing community of inventors

Birch Run, MI, United States of America

David Edward Harris