Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Miga Technologies. LLC

Paul A Gilmore

Umesh N Gandhi

Ryohei Tsuruta

Brian J Pinkelman

Michael Paul Rowe

Shardul S Panwar

Christian Arthur Trager

Jae Seung Lee

Yuyang Song

Taewoo Nam

Phouvadol P Khouphongsy

Yufei Zhu

Rikin Gupta

Xintong Deng

Danil V Prokhorov

Eric W Smith

Mark A Gummin

Maduran Palaniswamy

Brian J Stasey

Max P Herzog

Mark E Smith

A system includes a vehicle, an airbag located within the vehicle, an elongatable tether anchored to the airbag at both ends, and an actuator configured to control the elongatable tether. In a first state of the actuator, the tether elongates when the airbag is inflated, and in a second state of the actuator, the tether does not elongate when the airbag is inflated.

Active tethers for programmable shape deployment of airbags

An actuator can include one or more contracting members and a clutch. When an activation input is provided to the one or more contracting members, the one or more contracting members contract, which causes the actuator to morph into an activated configuration. A height of the actuator increases in the activated configuration. The clutch can be configured to maintain the actuator in the activated configuration when the activation input to the one or more contracting members is discontinued. One or more processors can be operatively connected to selectively and/or independently activate the one or more contracting members and the clutch.

Contracting member-based actuator with clutch

An actuator can include one or more shape memory material members and an electrostatic clutch. When an activation input is provided to the one or more shape memory material members, the one or more shape memory material members contract, which causes the actuator to morph into an activated configuration. A height of the actuator increases in the activated configuration. The electrostatic clutch can be configured to maintain the actuator in the activated configuration when the activation input to the one or more shape memory material members is discontinued. One or more processors can be operatively connected to selectively and independently activate the one or more shape memory material members and the electrostatic clutch.

Shape memory material member-based actuator with electrostatic clutch preliminary class

An electric mobility apparatus that can include at least one electric carbon fiber component. The electric carbon fiber component incorporating a structural battery, the structural battery including energy storage devices, each of the energy storage devices having an anode core of a continuous carbon fiber, an electrolyte arranged on the at least one continuous carbon fiber core, and a cathode layer arranged to the continuous carbon fiber core on the electrolyte. An interface is electrically connected to the structural battery, the interface for inputting power for charging the structural battery and for outputting power.

Structural energy storage for CF based powered mobile devices

An apparatus includes at least two disk spring washers, at least one ring-shaped outer spacer coupled to the outer edges of one or two of the disk spring washers, and at least one ring-shaped inner spacer coupled to the inner edges of one or two of the disk spring washers. The apparatus also includes a central shaft concentric with the disk spring washers, the outer spacers, and the inner spacers. The apparatus also includes a bottom attachment portion coupled to the bottom of the central shaft to support the at least two disk spring washers, and a top attachment portion configured to slide vertically along the central shaft. The top attachment portion is configured to, with an application of a downward force, compress the at least two disk spring washers.

Stacked disk spring vibration isolator with increased lateral load capacity

A rotating machine system include a rotating machine. The rotating machine system can include a housing. The housing can include an inner surface. The housing can surround at least a portion of the rotating machine. The inner surface of the housing can be spaced from the rotating machine such that a space is defined therebetween. The rotating machine system can include a plurality of vibration isolators. The vibration isolators can be positioned in the space and can be operatively connected to the rotating machine and to the inner surface of the housing. The vibration isolators can be compression-type vibration isolators.

Vibration isolation for rotating machines

A vehicle seat can be configured to provide support to a vehicle occupant in conditions when lateral acceleration is experienced. Shape memory material members can be operatively positioned with respect to a seat portion of the vehicle seat. The shape memory material members can be selectively activated by an activation input. When activated, the shape memory material members can engage a seat pan so as to cause the seat pan to tilt in a respective lateral direction. As a result, a seat cushion supported by the seat pan can also tilt in the respective lateral direction. The seat cushion can be tilted in a lateral direction that is opposite to the direction of the lateral acceleration. Thus, the effects of lateral acceleration felt by a seat occupant can be reduced. The shape memory material members can be selectively activated based on vehicle speed, steering angle, and/or lateral acceleration.

Seat with shape memory material member actuation

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seat frame, a seat pan, and a plurality of vibration isolators interposed between the seat frame and the seat pan for limiting transmission of vibrations from the seat frame to the seat pan.

Vehicle seat assembly incorporating quasi-zero/negative stiffness vibration isolators

A vibration isolator cartridge can be configured to exhibit a non-linear stiffness profile. The non-linear stiffness profile including a region of quasi-zero stiffness. The vibration isolator cartridge can include a housing. The vibration isolator cartridge can include a plunger. The plunger can be configured to be depressed toward a distal end portion of the housing. The vibration isolator cartridge can include a plurality of spring members operatively positioned within the housing between the plunger and the distal end portion of the housing. The plurality of spring elements can be arranged in a stack. The vibration isolator cartridge can be used to provide improved vibration isolation performance in various applications, such as a bicycle saddle.

Bicycle saddle with spring-based vibration isolation

A coaxially arranged energy storage device suitable for energy storage and structural support for a composite component is provided. The coaxially arranged energy storage device contains an anode core of a continuous carbon fiber;, an electrolyte coating coaxially arranged on the continuous carbon fiber core; and a cathode layer coating coaxially arranged to the continuous carbon fiber core on the electrolyte coating. The electrolyte coating comprises a gel or elastomer of a cross-linked polymer and a lithium salt and a Young's modulus of the gel or elastomer of a cross-linked polymer is from 0.1 MPa to 10 Mpa. The cathode layer comprises particles of a cathode active material embedded in a matrix of an electrically conductive polymer. Methods to prepare the coaxially arranged energy storage device are described and utilities described.

Structural energy storage with carbon fiber

A saddle for a bicycle can be configured to provide improved vibration isolation performance. The saddle can include a saddle body. The saddle can include a plurality of isolators. The plurality of isolators can be operatively connected to the saddle body. Each of the plurality of isolators can include a stack of a plurality of conical springs. The stack of the plurality of conical springs does not include a central shaft.

Bicycle saddle with vibration isolators

Systems and methods of a seatbelt with head restraint are provided. A seatbelt assembly for a vehicle may include a plurality of airbags and an electrostatic clutch to control a deployment of the plurality of airbags. The electrostatic clutch may be operable to limit a movement of the plurality of airbags relative to each other to define a deployment shape of the airbags. Associated vehicles including the seatbelt assembly are provided. Associated methods are also provided.

Seatbelt with head restraint systems and methods

A cargo organizer is constructed from one or more bi-stable strips with at least one shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator per bi-stable strip. The cargo organizer can reside in the bi-stable strips elongated (flat) stable state and require little or no volume of the cargo compartment that it resides. Upon actuating a SMA actuator, the rapid conversion to the curved stable state can occur with the formation of a barrier to partition the cargo compartment into at least to portions. The transformation into the flat stable state removes the partition where the transformation can be via a second SMA actuator or manually. The cargo organizer can be incorporated into the cargo compartment in a manner that it translates from one site and orientation to one or more other sites or orientations by activation an actuator that can be an additional SMA actuator.

Morphing trunk organizer using SMA enhanced bi-stable strips

Systems and methods for limiting transmission of vibrations and forces causing vibrations from one element to another are provided. A vibration isolator may include a compressible inner member and an outer member compressible with the inner member. The outer member may be positioned at least partially around the inner member to provide lateral support to the inner member. The outer member may maintain a consistent diameter and compression force when in a compressed state. The outer member may include a tube with a zero or near-zero Poisson's ratio.

Vibration isolator with zero Poisson's ratio outer tube

A multi-stable actuator includes a first superelastic-shape memory alloy (SE-SMA) wire extending between a first fixed support and a movable element and a second SE-SMA wire extending between a second fixed support and the movable element. The first SE-SMA wire is in tension against the second SE-SMA wire and the second SE-SMA wire is in tension against the first SE-SMA wire. The multi-stable actuator also includes at least one heating device configured to heat the first SE-SMA wire independent of the second SE-SMA wire and to heat the second SE-SMA wire independent of the first SE-SMA wire such that the movable element moves between and to at least three fixed positions without use of a brake or clutch.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Paul A Gilmore