Apple Inc.

Jeffrey A Sewell

Arian Behzadi

Jack Erdozain, Jr

Johnny L Wall

Colin Szechy

Kurt R Stiehl

Clarisse Mazuir

Andrew W Kooker

A system may have an interior region. The system may have lighting that provides illumination for the interior region. The lighting may include light-emitting elements such as light-emitting diodes arranged in strips or two-dimensional patterns. A gesture sensor such as a touch gesture sensor or proximity gesture sensor may overlap the light-emitting diodes. As gesture input is received over the light-emitting elements, the lighting may toggle the states of the light-emitting elements, turning on elements that are off and turning off elements that are on. The lighting may toggle the states of the elements based on gesture input such as gesture input made along a strip of elements or gesture input involving gestures that pass over a selected set of elements in a two-dimensional array.

Systems with adjustable lights

A motion control system that can detect a change in a an operating characteristic and send a stabilizing command to an actuator system based on the change is described. A motion control component in the system includes a first component with an electropermanent magnet having a coil, differing first and second permanent magnet materials, and differing first and second states. The motion control component includes a second component configured to magnetically interact with the first component to define a damping characteristic that affects motion between the first component and the second component and a controller configured to supply a current pulse to the electropermanent magnet to switch the electropermanent magnet between the first and second states. The electropermanent magnet retains the respective first or second state after cessation of the current pulse.

Motion control system with electropermanent magnets

A controller may have an input device and a sensor adjacent to the input device. The input device may be a touch sensor, a touch screen display, a button, a rotatable knob, or other device that gathers user input. The input device may be reachable by different users occupying different respective seats. The sensor may be an infrared optical sensor that emits infrared light and measures the emitted infrared light after the emitted infrared light has reflected from the hand of a user. The sensor may determine from these hand measurements which of the different users is supplying user input to the input device. Hand distance information and other information on the current user of the input device may also be gathered. The input device may be deployed by an actuator based on hand speed information.

Systems with deployable controllers and user identification

A stability control system that detects a change in a vehicle operating characteristic and sends a stabilizing command to an actuator system based on identifying the change is described. The actuator system applies a first magnetic field having a predetermined strength to an electropermanent magnet for a predetermined duration based on receiving the stabilizing command. The first magnetic field transitions the electropermanent magnet from a first state to a second state. The electropermanent magnet generates a second magnetic field in the second state. The second magnetic field modifies at least one of a spring constant or a mechanical resistance of a suspension component within a suspension system of the vehicle, and the electropermanent magnet retains the second state after the predetermined duration in absence of the first magnetic field.

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Wyandotte, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey A Sewell