Methode Electronics, Incorporated

Michael Shahan

Vladimir Karasik

Thomas Joseph Wand

Roland Ruegenberg

Richard Alsobrooks

Richard Graham, Jr

Joseph Elias Khoury

Joseph c/o Methode Electronics Europe Ltd Khoury

A position sensor for determining the angular position of a steering wheel. The shaft of the steering wheel is connected to a code disk and turn ring of the sensor so that when steering wheel is rotated, the coded disk and turn ring are also rotated. The code disk is a flat circular disk having a series of cut-outs or bits around its perimeter. A light emitting diode shines a light through the cut-outs and is read by a photo detector which determines the angular position of the code disk. The turn ring is fitted on the outside of the code disk and rotates in a hypocycloidic circle so that for every full revolution of the code disk, the turn ring rotates through a smaller angle. The turn ring is placed over a series of Hall sensors to determine the number of revolutions of the code disk.

Rapid high resolution position sensor for auto steering

A combined windshield front and rear washing and wiping stalk switch having a single contact substrate that is adapted to engage a front wiper carrier, a front wash carrier and a rear wipe/wash carrier. To this end, the multifunctional steering column stalk switch comprises: (i) a housing; (ii) a substrate fixed inside the housing having a first leg and a second leg defining a predetermined angle between the first leg and the second leg; (iii) a conductive trace on one surface of each leg; (iv) a first carrier moveably engaged with the first leg having an electrical contact adapted to engage the conductive trace on the first leg; (v) a second carrier moveably engaged with the second leg having an electrical contact adapted to engage the conductive trace on the second leg; (vi) a first manual input device adapted to move the first carrier with respect to the first leg; and (vii) a second manual input device adapted to move the second carrier with respect to the second leg.

Multifunctional windshield wiper stalk switch

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Allen Park, MI, United States of America

Michael Shahan