Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Joseph F Mercurio

Christopher E Borroni-Bird

Marko Macura

Michael H Thomas

Michael J Gorman

Hua He

In Woong Lee

Peter G Matthews

Salvador Cantio

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment, a touch-screen for receiving an input signal from an occupant when the occupant touches the touch-screen, an output device, and a controller. The controller changes a characteristic of an electromagnetic wave in the form of visible light and/or an audible sound, which is transmitted into the passenger compartment via the output device in response to the input signal. The output device includes light sources, such as light-emitting diodes (LED) or electro-luminescent (EL) ribbon and a speaker. The controller presents a predetermined set of lighting and/or sound options on the touch-screen which the occupant can touch to generate the input signal, thus selectively illuminating the light sources or playing a particular sound file. The controller can also play a digital sound file whenever a corresponding vehicle condition is detected.

System for customizing lighting and sound effects in a vehicle

An acoustically improved cooling system is provided for an energy storage system including a battery with air from a carpeted vehicle compartment, the cooling system including: a carpet portion sufficiently spaced from a floor panel of a vehicle to define a cavity forming an air passage through which air may flow and including an air inlet opening integrally formed therein through which the air from the compartment may be drawn; a fan for circulating air from the cavity into heat exchange relationship with the battery for cooling the battery; and a vent opening connecting the cavity and the fan in air flow communication. The frame is curved above the vent opening, to force noise reflection off the curved portion of the frame. A sound absorption layer is installed underneath the curved portion of the frame for noise attenuation.

Integrated system and method of battery cooling for a hybrid or fuel cell vehicle

A vehicle includes a vehicle body which includes a storage area at the rear of the vehicle. A load floor located in the storage area is moveable between a first position and a second position relative to a stationary floor also located in the storage area.

Adjustable rear load floor for a hybrid vehicle

A variably illuminable display is provided for use with a vehicle having a regenerative braking capability with a detectable recharging rate. The display has a variable width, variable color, and variable intensity that are proportionately and continuously variable in response to the detected charging rate. The display is adapted to at least partially circumscribe a circular instrument gauge to thereby form an illuminable halo. A method is also provided for displaying the rate of energy transfer of a regenerative braking system aboard a vehicle, including detecting the recharging rate or rate of energy transfer of the regenerative braking process, communicating the detected recharging rate to a controllable display, and continuously varying at least one of the variable width, variable color, and variable intensity of the controllable display in proportion to the detected rate of energy transfer.

Regenerative braking halo and method

O-rings are machine installed in retention grooves cut into a cylindrical part through the use of a size matched cylindrical mandrel that moves in piston fashion within a guide cylinder. A feed ramp and loading slide stretch each O-ring over the end of the mandrel, which is then abutted with and pushed down by the part into the cylinder. The O-ring is thereby rolled off of the mandrel by the edge of the cylinder and onto the part until it snaps into the retention groove.

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Joseph F Mercurio