Trw Limited

Ford Motor Company Limited

Dennis Shifflett

Bipin D Parekh

Fred W Butler

Jordan M Stevenson

Yuqi Chen

A rotary temperature control system for use in controlling the temperature of a blended air stream supplied to a vehicle passenger compartment includes a manually operable rotary control knob operatively connected with a control pulley that is, in turn, connected through a pull-pull cable system to a vent pulley. The vent pulley operates a blend door that controls the output temperature of a blended air stream. A drive connection between the vent pulley and a drive shaft of the blend door includes non-circular gears for producing a predetermined generally non-linear relationship between rotary movement of the control pulley and rotary movement of the output shaft to produce a generally linear relationship between the rotary movement of the control pulley and the temperature of the air stream throughout a major portion of the rotary movement of the control pulley.

Variable temperature control system for vehicles

An assembly of a first component and a second component joined by a locking lever connector mechanism includes a first component having an elongated guide rib extending outwardly thereof in a second direction. A flexible latch arm also extends outwardly from the second component at a location spaced from the guide rib to define a narrow slot extending in a first direction. The latch arm has a terminal end with a latch element extending therefrom in a direction laterally away from the slot. The first component has a catch element positioned to engage with the latch element when the first component and the second component are in an assembled relationship. The first component further includes a locking lever having a body portion extending from the first component into the slot to prevent movement of the latch arm laterally away from the catch element. A resilient portion is provided for permitting selective manual deflection of the locking lever out of the slot to permit lateral movement of latch arm away from the catch element to allow the first component and the second component to be disassembled.

Locking lever connector mechanism

A rotary detent mechanism comprises a first wheel having a plurality of radially extending lobes circumferentially spaced about its axis of rotation. Second and third wheels each having outwardly extending ribs spaced for driving engagement with the lobes of the first wheel are positioned on opposite sides thereof. The ribs of the second and third wheels are related to the lobes of the first wheel such that driving rotation between the first wheel and the second and third wheels requires relative movement of the wheels toward and away from one another in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the first wheel. A drive member is provided for selectively rotating one of the wheels and a spring assembly is provided for biasing the wheels toward one another in a direction perpendicular to the first axis.

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Macomb, MI, United States of America

Dennis Shifflett