Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Grant A Compton

John Wayne Jaranson

Johnathan Andrew Line

Daniel Ferretti

Kendrick Alden Harper

Kevin VanNieulande

Marc Silva Kondrad

Doug Vandervoort

Tejaswi Nandam

Michael Kolich

Jeroen Lem

Lorne Joseph Lovelace

Brenda J Johnson

Stanley Jay Novak

Kirk D Rasmussen

Marius Efstate

Michael Musa Azzouz

Harry X Zhong

Jay Robert Degenkolb

Lynda Kristen Fulgenzi

George Walowich

Lisa Burns

Gerald L Elrite

A seat includes a seat portion with an air bladder having an outer casing. Multiple fluidly interconnected cells are disposed within a cavity of the outer casing and are configured to inflate the outer casing from a deflated condition to an inflated condition. The cells may be arranged within the air bladder so as to provide a directional inflation of the air bladder from a first portion of the air bladder towards a second portion. First and second support substrates may be disposed within the seat portion, wherein the air bladder is positioned between the first and second substrates. The air bladder may be configured to inflate and displace the first and second substrates relative to one another from an at-rest position to an actuated position. A biasing mechanism may be coupled to at least one of the first and second substrates for biasing the substrates towards the at-rest position.

Air bladder with stacked cell system

A vehicle seat suspension system includes first and second side supports that define a seatback frame. A front trim piece is coupled between the first and second side supports. A suspension component is coupled with a central area of the front trim piece and has flexible members protruding forward and outward therefrom. A passenger support panel has a periphery coupled to distal ends of the flexible members and suspended away from the seatback frame.

Flexible seatback system

A vehicle seat suspension system includes first and second side supports defining a seatback structure. An upper component and a lower component are provided, each including at least two outwardly extending flex members. A passenger support includes a periphery operably coupled to distal ends of the flex members. An external peripheral gap is defined between the passenger support and the seatback structure.

A cushion module is provided herein and includes a mounting manifold and a retaining plate. An array of pneumatic assemblies is coupled to and disposed between the mounting manifold and the retaining plate. Each pneumatic assembly includes a pneumatic cylinder having a piston rod and configured to receive pressurized air for moving the piston rod to a selected position. The pressurized air supplied to each pneumatic cylinder is variable and the piston rods collectively define a support surface having variable contour and firmness, and on which an object is rested to assess the comfortability of the support surface.

Cushion module for assessing comfortability

A vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a door and a controller. The door is configured to transition to a partially opened position between a fully opened position and a closed position. The controller is programmed to issue an insufficient door clearance notification in response to an object being detected within a swing radius of the door between the closed position and the partially opened position. The controller may be further programmed to issue the insufficient door clearance notification in response to an object being detected within an egress path from the partially opened position of the door.

Vehicle and vehicle door clearance notification system

A seating assembly includes a seat frame. A first leg support is pivotally coupled with a forward portion of the seat frame. The first leg support is operable between raised and lowered positions. A first extendable member is disposed on a top portion of the first leg support and is operable between extended and retracted positions. A second leg support is adjacent to and independent of the first leg support and is pivotally coupled with the forward portion of the seat frame. The second leg support is operable between raised and lowered positions. A second extendable member is disposed on a top portion of the second leg support and is operable between extended and retracted positions.

Independent cushion extension and thigh support

A seat recliner system includes a seat back having a back support member configured to support the back of a passenger. A connecting member extends generally orthogonally from a lower end of the back support member. The connecting member includes a front portion and a rear portion. A seat base includes a forward link operably coupled to the front portion of the connecting member. A rearward link is operably coupled to the rear portion of the connecting member such that the seat back is rotatable about a virtual hip-point of a passenger that is above the seat base and forward of the seat back.

Virtual H-point seat back system

A vehicle seating assembly includes a seat frame. A first leg support is pivotally coupled with a forward portion of the seat frame. The first leg support is operable between raised and lowered positions. A first extendable member is disposed on a top portion of the first leg support and is operable between extended and retracted positions. A second leg support is adjacent to and independent of the first leg support and is pivotally coupled with the forward portion of the seat frame. The second leg support is operable between raised and lowered positions. A second extendable member is disposed on a top portion of the second leg support and is operable between extended and refracted positions.

A vehicle headrest assembly includes a head restraint operably coupled to a vehicle seatback and having a head support surface. A flexible member includes a top portion operably coupled to the head restraint. The flexible member includes an intermediate portion adjacent the head support surface, a lower portion, and an upper back support disposed on the vehicle seatback and defining an elongated slot through which the flexible member extends. An actuation system is operably coupled to the lower portion of the flexible member. The actuation system operates to move the flexible member through the slot between a deployed position and a non-deployed position.

Integrated thin flex composite headrest assembly

A vehicle seating assembly includes first and second side supports defining a seatback structure that is operable between upright and reclined positions. A motorized actuation assembly is disposed between the first and second side supports and is operably coupled to a pivot bar that is rotatably coupled with the seatback structure. An upper seatback suspension component is coupled to the pivot bar. The upper seatback suspension component automatically pivots relative to the pivot bar to a rearward position when the seatback structure is in the upright position and automatically pivots relative to the pivot bar to a forward position when the seatback structure is in the reclined position. An external peripheral gap is defined between the upper seatback suspension component and the seatback structure.

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

Grant A Compton