Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Jeffrey Charles Paddock

Benjamin Yilma

Johnathan Andrew Line

Brian Robert Spahn

Joseph Edward Abramczyk

Marcos Silva Kondrad

Zhibing Deng

Deepak Patel

Anna Miller Hill

Robert Ralph Armitage, Jr

Paul Alan Forgette

Robyne Mcbride

S M Akbar Berry

Kevin Michael Pline

Raed Essa El-Jawahri

Alan George Dry

Joseph Michael Kish

Sean Timothy Ryan

Derek Board

James Robert Chascsa, Ii

Abdelmonaam Sassi

William C Bauer

Michal Jan Swiniarski

Barry Grindle

Chuck R Reese

Macit Aktas

Eric D Veggian

Marcus John Scott Ward

Jay Douglas Blackson

Mahesh Bhattacharyya

Raed EL-Jawahri

Rachel Demerly

Manoj Desai

Salvatore Moceri

Michael Timothy Feiten

Jason Richard Nagy

Kattya Gabriela Miranda Quintana

Joseph Giaimo

A motor vehicle seating assembly includes a conventional common seat back frame, a plurality of forward soft trim carrier assemblies each having a unique configuration, a plurality of corresponding seat back panel and closeout assemblies, and an adapter carrier coupled with the common seat back frame and disposed between the forward soft trim carrier assembly and the corresponding seat back panel and closeout assembly. The adapter carrier includes a composite upper portion and a pair of depending frame attachment brackets coupled with a lower inboard and outboard lateral side of the composite upper portion of the adapter carrier. The pair of depending frame attachment brackets are coupled with a pair of opposed lateral side rails of the common seat back frame. The adapter carrier has a unique configuration corresponding with one of the plurality of forward soft trim carrier assemblies and the seat back panel and closeout assemblies.

Flexible upper frame adapter for traditional back frame and seat back assemblies

A seat assembly includes a seat portion having a frame assembly. A routing mechanism includes a plate member that is operably coupled to the frame assembly. The plate member includes a first portion having first and second raised portions spaced-apart from one another to define a channel therebetween. The routing mechanism further includes a connection assembly having upper and lower tabs spaced-apart from one another with a routing column assembly interconnecting the upper and lower tabs. A tether member includes a body portion that is routed through the routing mechanism, in that the body portion of the tether member is received in the channel of the routing mechanism and is wrapped around the routing column assembly and directed in forward direction.

Seat assembly with deployable belt member

An assembly includes a vehicle seat. The assembly includes an armrest supported by the vehicle seat. The armrest includes an upright portion elongated along an axis and an arm support portion supported by the upright portion. The assembly includes an airbag supported by the arm support portion of the armrest. The airbag inflatable to an inflated position. The airbag includes an upper portion extending upwardly from the arm support portion when the airbag is in the inflated position and a lower portion extending downwardly from the arm support portion when the airbag is in the inflated position. The upper portion is vehicle-inboard of the axis and the lower portion being vehicle-outboard of the axis.

Airbag supported by an armrest of a vehicle seat

An assembly includes an airbag having an inflation chamber. The inflation chamber is defined by a first inflatable section, a second inflatable section, and a duct fluidly connecting the first inflatable section and the second inflatable section. A tether is external to the inflation chamber. The tether has a cinching loop encircling the duct. The tether has a tail extending from the cinching loop and the tail is fixed to the airbag.

Curtain airbag including external cinching loop

An assembly includes an airbag that has a panel defining an inflation chamber. The assembly includes a foam pad exterior to the inflation chamber with the foam pad fixed to the panel of the airbag. The foam pad is intended to provide an additional layer of reinforcement for the inflation chamberwhen the foam pad interacts with its surroundings upon inflation.

Assembly including foam pad fixed to airbag

A vehicle includes a door, a seat spaced from the door, and an airbag supported by the seat and inflatable to an inflated position between the door and the seat. The airbag includes a plurality of first threads and a plurality of second threads being a different type of thread than the first threads. The airbag includes a first portion having the first threads interwoven with each other. The airbag includes a second portion having the second threads interwoven with the first threads. The second portion faces the door in the inflated position.

Airbag including reinforcing threads

A restraint system includes an inflator, an airbag inflatable by the inflator and having an exterior surface, and a fabric tunnel attached on the exterior surface of the airbag and elongated from a sealed end to an open end. The tunnel is fluidly isolated from the inflator. The tunnel is oriented relative to the airbag so that the open end is aimed in a direction of motion during inflation of the airbag.

Airbag with external tunnels

A system includes a seat frame member, an airbag disposed outboard of the seat frame member, an inflator disposed inboard of the seat frame member, and a bracket extending through the seat frame member. The bracket includes an upper portion and a lower portion spaced from each other and disposed inboard of the seat frame member, and an intermediate portion extending from the upper portion to the lower portion and disposed outboard of the seat frame member. The bracket supports the inflator and the airbag.

Vehicle seat side airbag bracket

A vehicle includes a roof. The vehicle includes a first row and a second row of airbags supported by the roof and elongated along a vehicle-longitudinal axis. The vehicle includes a third row and a fourth row of airbags supported by the roof, elongated along a vehicle-lateral axis, and intersecting the first row and the second row of airbags.

Vehicle airbag

A vehicle includes a floor and a seat supported by the floor. The vehicle includes a roof. The vehicle includes a base supported by the roof and movable relative to the roof. The vehicle includes an airbag supported by the base.

This disclosure details accessory rail systems for securing various accessory devices to vehicles that are equipped with either standard roofs or roofs with one or more roof openings. An exemplary accessory rail system includes an accessory rail that is configured to simultaneously mount one or more interior accessories and/or one or more exterior accessories relative to the vehicle. A trim piece may be secured to the accessory rail, and an airbag curtain may be secured to either the accessory rail, the trim piece, or a roof frame rail.

Vehicle multi-function accessory rail systems

A vehicle seat includes a seat back having a front surface and a rear surface, a panel movable along the rear surface from a stowed position adjacent the rear surface to a deployed position facing the front surface, and an airbag supported on the panel and inflatable toward the front surface to an inflated position in which the airbag contacts the panel.

Vehicle seat

A side-curtain airbag assembly includes a body structure including a roof rail and a pillar extending downwardly from the roof rail. The roof rail has an upwardly extending side portion and a first ramped surface extending inwardly from the side portion at a downward angle. An airbag is mounted to the side portion above the first ramped surface. A trim component is mounted to the pillar below the first ramped surface and has a face, a top, and a second ramped surface extending outwardly from the top at an upward angle towards the side portion. The first and second ramped surfaces are arranged to form a ramp that guides the airbag during deployment of the airbag. The first ramped surface has a higher yield strength than the second ramped surface.

Side-curtain airbag assembly

A curtain airbag for a motor vehicle includes an inflatable cushion and a protective sheet having an attachment edge attached to the airbag and a free-length extending from the attachment edge. The cushion formed into a folded condition from which it is deployable in a deployment direction, and the free-length of the sheet is positioned adjacent to the deployment direction of the cushion. The airbag is installed in the vehicle to deploy adjacent to a daylight opening of the vehicle. Deployment of the cushion during inflation causes the protective sheet to be drawn along with the cushion in the deployment direction so that the sheet overlays the outboard-facing side of the cushion (between the cushion and the daylight opening) and thereby provides a degree of protection against damage to the cushion that may be caused by, for example, broken window glass.

Curtain airbag with protective sheet

An air curtain unit of a vehicle includes an inflator assembly and an air curtain that is in fluid communication with the inflator assembly. A clip includes a hook that extends at least partially around the air curtain. The clip includes a mounting portion that is fixed to the hook and is engaged with the inflator. The mounting portion of the clip supports the air curtain relative to the inflator assembly, and the hook of the clip supports the air curtain in a desired location.

Growing community of inventors

Dearborn Heights, MI, United States of America

Jeffrey Charles Paddock