Hoover Universal, Inc.

Excel Industries, Inc.

Marc D Hewko

Wee Tzee Gam

Ronald R Siegrist

Yannis Poulos

David W Husted

Chester S Fudala

Les Griswold

James A Kargol

Bruce A Hiemstra

Joanne H Cole

Robert W Jones

Robert D Elton

Duane E Potes, Jr

Curtis F Vail

Thomas F Kracht

William H Jones

Robert H Dietze

Martin Zynda

John Krieger

Frank Gerich

Paul M Grippo

A power seat adjuster for bucket type vehicle seats includes inboard and outboard track assemblies each including a fixed lower section, a movable upper or movable section and a precision sliding interface including roller bearings between the moving upper track and the fixed lower track, the surfaces of the tracks that are engaged by the roller bearings being crowned to provide a bearing surface that is slightly convex when the seat is unoccupied but which becomes nearly flat when the seat is occupied, and the bearing surfaces of the track being coated with a multi-layer dry film lubricant including a base coating of an anti-friction material and a top coating of an anti-stick material. The power seat adjuster includes screw drive mechanisms for providing horizontal fore-and-aft adjustment, vertical up-and-down adjustment and adjustment in the inclination of the seat back, with the length of travel being limited by travel limit stops, that include anti-jam mechanisms which are adapted to reduce the breakaway torque required to move the drive screws of the screw drive mechanisms away from either end position.

Vehicle seat adjuster

A power seat adjuster for bucket type vehicle seats includes inboard and outboard track assemblies each including a fixed lower section, a movable upper or movable section and a precision sliding interface including roller bearings between the moving upper track and the fixed lower track, the surfaces of the tracks that are engaged by the roller bearings being crowned to provide a bearing surface that is slightly convex when the seat is unoccupied but which becomes nearly flat when the seat is occupied, and the bearing surfaces of the track being coated with a multi-layer dry film lubricant including a base coating of an anti-friction material and a top coating of an anti-stick material. The power seat adjuster includes screw drive mechanisms for providing horizontal fore-and-aft adjustment, vertical up-and-down adjustment and adjustment in the inclination of the seat back, with the length of travel being limited by travel limit stops that include anti-jam mechanisms which are adapted to reduce the breakaway torque required to move the drive screws of the screw drive mechanisms away from either end position.

A vehicle seat back frame including two bracing members, one being linearly extended from the lower end of the outboard upright member to the upper end of the inboard upright member and the other being extended linearly from the lower end of the inboard upright member to the upper end of the outboard upright member, the bracing members being connected together at a point intermediate their ends so that a side impact load applied to the seat back frame will place one of the bracing members fully, and the upper half of the other member, in tension substantially instantaneously upon the application of the load to the seat back frame, enabling the seat back frame to resist lateral deformation due to side impact forces applied to the seat back frame.

Side impact seat back structure

A vehicle seat assembly with a structural seat back to accommodate the seat belt loads applied to the seat back by a belt system which is carried by the seat assembly. The seat back includes a reinforced beam along one side to accommodate these loads with a recliner mechanism along the same side of the seat assembly coupled to the reinforced member to resist forward rotation of the seat back caused by seat belt loads applied thereto. The seat assembly is configured to be as similar to conventional seat assemblies as possible to minimize the need to redesign the non-structural components of the seat assembly. The seat assembly includes many features found in current production seat assemblies such as a fore and aft adjuster, an adjustable lumbar support, a seat cushion lift mechanism and a seat back recliner. The seat belt loads have been efficiently managed to avoiding adding unnecessary structure and weight.

Vehicle seat assembly with structural seat back to accommodate seat belt

A vehicle seat assembly with a linear actuator is disclosed in which the actuator is used to adjust the relative position of two relatively movable components of the seat assembly. The actuator includes a first part attached to one of the seat assembly components in the form of a lead screw with an external helical screw thread. A second part of the actuator is attached to the other seat component that is relatively movable and includes a housing containing a spin nut threaded onto the lead screw. The second part further includes means for axially capturing the spin nut to prevent the spin nut from rotating along the lead screw and means for selectively releasing the spin nut from its axial capture to permit rotation about the lead screw and thereby relative movement of the actuator second part relative to the first part. A cam is mounted to the second part to selectively engage and release the spin nut from its axial capture.

Vehicle seat assembly with linear actuator

A seat assembly with an integrated seat cushion and seat track frame in which the lateral seat cushion suspension load is transferred from the seat cushion frame to the seat track frame enabling a seat cushion frame to be constructed without a rear cross member. As a result, the weight of the seat cushion frame is reduced, without sacrificing the structural integrity of the seat assembly frame.

Seat assembly with integrated seat cushion and seat track frame

A seat cushion frame for a vehicle seat assembly which is comprised of a metal reinforcing sheet insert molded into a plastic resin. By insert molding a reinforcing material into a low weight and strength plastic resin, a strength comparable to a high strength engineered plastic resin seat cushion frame and a stamped steel seat cushion frame can be achieved. However, the insert molded composite has the weight reduction advantages of the high strength engineered resin seat cushion frame at a cost comparable to a stamp steel seat cushion frame.

Insert molded composite plastic seat cushion frame

A hollow beam is disclosed for a vehicle door assembly which is configured to collapse upon a transverse impact to absorb impact energy, thus reducing the impact forces experienced by a vehicle occupant during a collison. The energy absorbing beam is configured as a parallelogram in cross-section so as to enable the beam to act as a four-bar linkage during collapse. The energy absorbing beam is preferably disposed in the door assembly at the vehicle beltline which is often impacted by the occupant's head or torso during a vehicle collision. Various features can be added to the provide localized stiffening of the beam as necessary depending upon the particular beam application.

Vehicle door structure with improved energy absorption characteristics

A dual drive window regulator mechanism is disclosed for use in an automobile door assembly for raising and lowering the window glass. The system provides two attachment points to the glass for raising and lowering the glass. This can be accomplished by using various lift mechanisms including a translating rack or a dual cable and drum mechanism. By driving the window at two points as opposed to one point in typical regulator mechanisms, more accurate control of the movement and location of the window glass in the door assembly is achievable.

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Canton, MI, United States of America

Marc D Hewko