Trw Limited

Ford Motor Company Limited

Jordan M Stevenson

Bipin D Parekh

Fred W Butler

Jeffrey C Lewis

Dennis Shifflett

James F Fleck

A fastener assembly is integrated with a motor vehicle component such as an assist strap handle in a manner to allow the assist strap to be releasably mounted to overhead or other structural vehicle body panels. The fastener assembly includes a first set of resilient latch legs that extend from a main body of the fastener and are adapted to engage in a motor vehicle body panel opening. The latch legs are interengaged at their respective termini opposite the fastener body to facilitate insertion into the panel opening by preventing the latch legs from deflecting away from one another during movement through the opening. A second set of semi-rigid lateral support legs carried on the main body permit the fastener construction to be preassembled to another vehicle component, such as a headliner, prior to the time that the assist strap component and the headliner component are joined to the vehicle body panel. When assembled, the support legs engage the body panel to provide relative lateral support between the fastener assembly and the panel to prevent assist strap rocking when tugged by an occupant of the vehicle.

Releasable fastener with lateral stabilizing brace members and latch legs carrying fastener insertion guide

A rotary temperature control system for use in controlling the temperature of a blended air stream supplied to a vehicle passenger compartment is combined with a rotary ventilation mode control system in a common housing. The ventilation mode and temperature control systems include manually operable rotary control knobs operatively connected through pull-pull cable systems to gears in the housing that operate a temperature blend door controlling the output temperature of a blended air stream and one or more vent dampers controlling the ventilation mode of the system. A drive connection in the housing includes irregularly shaped gears for producing a predetermined generally non-linear relationship between rotary movement of an input control member and rotary movement of the temperature blend door to produce a generally linear relationship between the rotary movement of the temperature control knob and the temperature of the air stream throughout a major portion of the rotary movement of the control knob.

Integrated ventilation mode and temperature control system for vehicles

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

A headlight adjustment mechanism comprised of interactive plastic drive and adjustment bevel gears located within a two-piece plastic housing wherein a threaded adjustment rod passes through a threaded axial bore in the adjustment bevel gear. Cooperating flats on the adjustment rod and the drive gear prevent rotation of the adjustment rod during rotation of the adjustment gear.

Growing community of inventors

Walled Lake, MI, United States of America

Jordan M Stevenson