Lear Corporation

United Technologies Automotive Inc.

Ut Automotive Dearborn, Inc.

Lear Automotive Dearborn, Inc.

Other

H Winston Maue

John F Nathan

Ernesto E Blanco

Eric J Krupp

Karl Kennedy

Robin Mihekun Miller

Mark R Keyser

George A Wooldridge

Oliver J Young

Samuel R Hanlon

Timothy S Roddy

Zenon Hotra

Robert G Szudarek

Richard Meinzer

Mark Feldmeier

David A Powell

Brian E Henderson

Samir A Nayfeh

John David Youngs

Joseph A Paradiso

Timothy J Bomya

Gerald O Morrison

Mohammad Saberan

Monte L Falcoff

Michael Maass

Bert William Eakins

John R Sims

Daniel D Kilker

Thomas J Fowler

James Wayne Gibson

Michael Berta

Ronald K Reich

William Carl Zimmer

Jaron Rothkop

Robert G Morgan

Eugene S Dudash

Eric A Partington

Christopher R Tilli

Santosh Karumathil

Shawn P Slusser

Greg Fraley

Brian P Skarb

Keith Parrott

Michael Pajor

Philip LeMay

Robert A Jack

Michael Noorman

Vinod T Patel

Tomoyuki Yamai

John R Ballard

Joe Paradiso

Luke P Steigerwald

Mohamad H Zeiden

Luke Massery

Thomas C Wolanzyk

Rory Patrick Pheiffer

Paul Kucher

Chun Hua Zheng

Mara B Ignatius

Josue Sznitman

Joshua A Goldwitz

Scott Robert Gauss

Sofy Tarud

Naoko Kawahara

Nicole Poponea

Patrick A Petri

Craig Gerald Goodman

Justin W Raade

Amy W Cai

Daryl Gerard Petricca

Jeehan S Faiz

Erick Rios

Jonathan Lloyd Wenc

Mario Montoya

Daniel Sandoval

Pablo Tribin

Daniel Drew

Luis Otero

Jerremy Anderson

Mercedes Castelo

Jeremy R Geiger

Gabriel Estrada

Michael Paul Thielen

Lukman Efendy

A seat support system for supporting a seat in a manner that ameliorates or eliminates load applied to a driving mechanism. The system may be configured to support a seat back when the seat back in pivoted upwardly and downwardly relative to a seat bottom. The support system may create a load-bearing link between a non-driven component on the seat back and an anchor.

Multi-load floor smartfold hybrid

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seating surface, wherein the seating surface defines a plurality of temperature controlled zones. At least one electrically actuated heating/cooling source provides one of heating and cooling to the plurality of zones. A controller individually controls electrical power supplied from the source to each zone and is operative to reduce power consumption in one zone relative to another zone in accordance with a predetermined profile designed to limit the overall power consumption of the assembly.

Reduced power heat mat

An actuator configured to actuate a member. The actuator optionally including capabilities for storing and releasing kinetic energy. The actuator being suitable for use in any number of environments, including but not limited to facilitating seat folding operations.

Seat fold actuator

A method of directing and/or alert vehicles during an emergency or other event. The method may include providing messages and other information to the vehicles through wireless communications. The message may detail the emergency and/or an evacuation strategy for avoiding the emergency. Different vehicles may receive different messages and instructions depending on vehicle location and other parameters.

Method and system of directing vehicles traveling over roadway during emergency

An indication system () for a vehicle () includes a radio frequency circuit () with a transponder () and an in-vehicle RF tagged element (). The transponder () transmits a status request signal. A first radio frequency identification tag () is coupled to the in-vehicle RF tagged element (). The tag () inductively generates a current status signal associated with the in-vehicle element () and in response to the status request signal. A method of tracking, identifying, and determining the presence and status of an in-vehicle RF tagged element () includes transmitting a status request signal. The status request signal is inductively received via multiple radio frequency identification tags () that are associated with the in-vehicle RF tagged element (). A current status signal is transmitted from the radio frequency identification tags (). An in-vehicle task is performed in response to the current status signal.

RFID systems for vehicular applications

Method and system to alert drivers to driving related information thought controlling information displayed on one or more roadside displays. The displayed information may related to traffic flow, road conditions, emergencies, and any other type of information. Optionally, the displayed information may be determined at least in part of data collected from onboard the vehicles.

Roadside signage control from vehicle operating data

An electronic trigger assembly for triggering an actuator, the electronic trigger assembly having a trigger member capable of connection to the actuator. The trigger member may be configured for rotation between a first position and a second position and the trigger member may be able to trigger the actuator as the trigger member rotates between the first position and the second position. The trigger member may also include a guide. A shape memory alloy member may be connected to the trigger member and may be received by the guide such that a substantial portion of the shape memory alloy member is disposed in a curvilinear arrangement. The shape memory alloy member may contract when electrified. The shape memory alloy member may be confined by the guide to contract along a path such that the shape memory alloy member exerts torque on the trigger member and causes the trigger member to rotate from the first position to the second position.

Smartfold electronic actuation

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seat back that is pivotally connected to a seat bottom, a lock mechanism that is configured to inhibit the seat back from pivoting when locked and to permit the seat back to pivot when unlocked, and a release and drive mechanism. The release and drive mechanism includes a mounting member, a drive gear that is rotatable with respect to the mounting member and that is connected to the lock mechanism, and a motor that is connected to the drive gear. The drive gear is rotationally limited to a defined angular range. The motor rotates the drive gear through the defined angular range which moves the lock mechanism to an unlocked state and thereafter causes the seat back to pivot.

Vehicle seat having a recliner mechanism

A rotational based actuator configured to impart linear movement. The actuator may be suitable for use in any number of applications where a disk or other feature may be rotated over a wedge to impart linear movement. The forces used to generate the rotation movement may be imparted by the wedge against an element, causing the element to move linearly with the disk.

Rotational based actuator configured to impart linear movement

A linear motion actuator is disclosed in which an actuator shaft is held in a ready position by a latching ring. A spring is attached to the actuator shaft to exert a biasing force on the actuator shaft biasing it toward its actuated position. The latching ring receives one end of the actuator shaft and has locking elements that hold the actuator shaft in the ready position. A latching ring is rotated to selectively release the locking element. A shape memory alloy link extends partially around the latching ring and is secured to the latching ring. The link is shortened when current is applied to the link causing the link to rotate and release the locking element.

Shape memory alloy wire latch actuator

A haptic seat and system for use in imparting sensations to an occupant thereof. The haptic seat may be used to alert passengers of various operating conditions with some sort of tactile sensation, such as a vibration, pulse, shake, or other inducement that involves the occupant's sense of touch.

Haptic vehicle seat

A stall protection circuit is provided for bidirectional motor operation that is controlled by a half bridge switch that has forward, reverse and off positions. A method of protecting a motor is also disclosed. A Hall effect current sensor may be provided in a stall current protection circuit that engages a latching circuit. The latching circuit is operative to interrupt current flowing to the motor by disabling MOSFETs on opposite sides of the motor. Alternatively, FET voltage from drain to source may be used to measure the current supplied to the motor that is used to engage the latching circuit.

Bidirectional motor stall protection circuit

A shape memory alloy (SMA) system suitable for use in any number of environments, including but not limited to latching and unlatching vehicle seat tracks. The system including any number of configurations to support any number of operations, including but not limited to push-push, pull-pull, push-pull, and pull-push operations.

Shape memory alloy (SMA) system

An actuator for a latch assembly for securing a latched member that is linked to a trigger. The trigger may be a shape memory alloy actuating element that is actuated in response to receiving an electrical signal. The trigger may be mechanically reset to a locked state by the latched member. A method of operating the latch is also disclosed wherein the trigger is actuated in response to an electrical signal resulting in a force being applied in a first direction to a cable that connects the trigger to release the latch. The trigger is reset by exerting mechanical force on the trigger in the opposite direction. The latch system may be applied to a vehicle seat having a seat back that pivots relative to a seat base to allow the seat back to pivot over the seat base.

Latch actuator system

A non-contact seat position system is provided. The system includes a lower seat track, an upper seat track, a target and a sensor. The upper seat track is positionably connected to the lower seat track, whereby the upper seat track may be positioned into a desirable location. The target is connected either to the lower seat track or the upper seat track, and the sensor is connected to the other of the lower seat track and the upper seat track. The sensor has a line of sight with the target, wherein the sensor when powered, outputs a sensor signal determined from a reflected signal coming from the target. In a first embodiment of the system, the sensor is an infrared sensor. In a second embodiment of the system the sensor is an optical sensor. A method of non-contact seat position system determination is also provided.

Non-contact seat position system

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

H Winston Maue