Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Nathan Shaeff

David R Huelke

Joe L Buchwitz

James Adam Drozdowski

Henry W Hausler

Kathryn Megan Kosinski

Diego Enrique Chavez Munoz

A steering-wheel assembly includes a steering-wheel base including a plurality of catches, a horn electrical circuit extending along the steering-wheel base and electrically connected to a vehicle horn, and an airbag assembly including a plurality of hooks arranged to engage with respective ones of the catches. The horn electrical circuit includes a plurality of gaps across the respective ones of the catches. Each hook includes an electrical connector positioned to close the respective gap when the hook is fully engaged with the respective catch and to leave the respective gap open when the hook is disengaged from the respective catch. The horn electrical circuit is closable to activate the vehicle horn when the electrical connectors close the gaps. The horn electrical circuit is open when at least one of the electrical connectors is not closing the respective gap.

Steering-wheel assembly with airbag

A pivotable vehicle trailer hitch assembly may include a tube frame operably coupled to a chassis of a vehicle and extending transversely across a rear portion of the vehicle, a hitch receiver operably coupled to the tube frame to support a ball mount, and a pivot assembly defining a pivot axis substantially perpendicular to a direction of extension of the tube frame. The pivot assembly may be operably coupled to the hitch receiver and the tube frame to pivot the hitch receiver and ball mount about the pivot axis from an extended position in which the hitch receiver and ball mount extend substantially perpendicular to tube frame, and a retracted position in which the hitch receiver and ball mount extend substantially parallel to the tube frame. The pivot assembly comprises an electrically operated linear actuator operable to transfer the hitch receiver and the ball mount between the extended position and the retracted position.

Pivoting vehicle trailer hitch

A vehicle steering wheel is provided that includes a core structure, a heater mat surrounding a portion of the core structure to define a heated portion, a gap in the heater mat defining an unheated portion, a cover wrap surrounding the heater mat and having first and second edges stitched together at a seam, and a thermally conductive polymer thermally coupled to the heater mat and extending across the gap below the first and second edges of the cover wrap for conducting thermal energy.

Heated vehicle steering wheel having thermal conduction

A disclosed hitch receiver assembly includes receiver having a worm gear and a slide bushing, a worm shaft engaged to the worm gear for laterally moving the receiver, a slide bar extending through the slide bushing and fixed at each end to a static structure, a hitch received within the receiver and a receiver pin coupling the hitch to the receiver and the static structure.

Laterally articulating receiver system

A vehicle assembly includes, among other things, a camera module that is moveable back and forth between a first and a second position. In the first position, the camera module is mounted to, and at least partially housed within, a portion of a vehicle. In the second position, the camera module is mounted to a structure other than the vehicle. A viewing method includes using a camera module to view a first area when the camera module is at least partially housed within a portion of a vehicle in a first position. The method further includes using the camera module to view a different, second area after moving the camera module to a second position where the camera module is mounted to a structure other than the vehicle.

Growing community of inventors

West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

Nathan Shaeff