Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Richard Edward Ruthinowski

Brian Robert Spahn

Ian Brewster Hall

Parakrama Valentine Weerappuli

Kevin Siasoco

Dean M Jaradi

Manoharprasad K Rao

Mangala Ambalangodage Jayasuriya

Kevin Michael Pline

Curtis David Kalina

Johnathan Andrew Line

Daniel Ferretti

James Chih Cheng

Robert William McCoy

Jamel E Belwafa

Sean Timothy Ryan

Derek Board

Joseph Robert Brown

Edward Joseph DeSmet

Jerry R Brown

William Jerome Olsen

Thomas J Joseph

An assembly includes a seat, a lap retractor fixed relative to the seat, a shoulder retractor fixed relative to the seat, and a first buckle fixed relative to the seat. A lap belt is retractably extendable from the lap retractor. A first tongue is fixed to the lap belt and is releasably engageable with the first buckle. A second buckle is fixed to the lap belt. A shoulder belt is retractably extendable from the shoulder retractor. A second tongue is fixed to the shoulder belt and is releasably engageable with the second buckle.

Seat belt assembly

A seatbelt assembly that includes a tongue assembly having a weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle; a webbing extends through the weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and with the weblock allowing for the webbing to slide between the torso and lap portions when in an unlocked position and pivoting relative to the tongue when in a locked position to reorient the torso portion extending from the tongue.

Seatbelt assembly

A seatbelt assembly and method of operating a seatbelt includes allowing webbing to slide between a lap portion and a torso portion through an unlocked weblock of a tongue assembly; and upon forces exerted by an occupant on the webbing, the weblock locking the webbing from movement between the lap and torso portions while increasing tension in the lap portion via the tongue assembly.

A seatbelt assembly and method of operating that includes a tongue assembly having a weblock and a secondary weblock mounted to a tongue selectively securable to a buckle; a webbing extending adjacent to the weblock and secondary weblock between a torso portion and a lap portion; and the weblock and secondary weblock allowing for the webbing to slide between the torso and lap portions when in unlocked positions and pivoting relative to the tongue such that the weblock and secondary weblock prevent the webbing from sliding between lap and torso portions in locked positions.

A seatbelt and method of operating a seatbelt that allows webbing to slide between a lap portion and a torso portion through an unlocked weblock of a tongue assembly, and upon forces exerted on the webbing by an occupant, the weblock locking the webbing from movement between the lap and torso portions while flexing to allow for webbing payout in the torso portion.

A thermistor-based system and method for distinguishing between adult and child passengers and, of the child passengers, between those seated in a child restraint system and those seated in a child booster is provided. The disclosed inventive concept includes at least one classification thermistor/temperature sensing device, at least one reference thermistor, an algorithm to compute and classify conditions, and related wiring and hardware. The classification thermistor/temperature sensing device is located in a seat cushion assembly and a seat back. The temperature sensors are used to detect heat transfer between an object in contact with the cushion through the seat trim and, if applicable, some amount of seat comfort base material. The reference thermistor may be provided to enhance robustness of classification determination. The algorithm computes and classifies conditions based on at least the magnitude and/or the rate of temperature change between the classification sensor and the reference sensor.

Vehicle seat thermistor for classifying seat occupant type

A method and apparatus for displacing a portion of either or both of a vehicle seat back and a seat base to reveal a CRS anchor are disclosed. The inventive concept disclosed herein provides the use of a seat back foam displacing assembly that includes a user-operable actuator, an interface attachment member, and a tension extension member connecting the actuator and the interface attachment member. By moving the user-operable actuator, a portion of either or both of the seat base and the seat back may be displaced allowing visualization of and access to the CRS anchor. Such a system fully satisfies the need to provide easy access to the CRS anchor while fully and aesthetically concealing the anchor when not in use. The actuator may be any one or more of a lever, a handle, or a strap. A tension member guide may optionally be provided.

Enhanced fixed anchor accessibility for child safety seat anchors in a vehicle

A system and method for articulating a vehicle child restraint anchor to which a child restraint seat (CRS) is attachable is disclosed, wherein one or more anchors individually or jointly articulate between at least a first and a second position about a pivotal axis, that axis and related hardware generally contained within a vehicle seat assembly or attached to a vehicle floor, package tray or alternative load bearing support structure located behind or above a vehicle seat such as a roof. One or more anchor positions may be fixable. The system may be operated manually or semi-automatically, incorporate springs and interlocks, and may be sensor or motor/solenoid-driven. Articulated anchor positions may include a position of enhanced visibility and accessibility to simplify consumer CRS to child restraint anchor connectivity or disengagement compared to alternative positions of generally limited anchor accessibility, partial or total concealment, stowed, alternative or secondary anchorage use positions.

Rotatable anchors providing enhanced child restraint system interface accessibility

A hybrid expandable restraint volume enclosure system incorporating at least one deployable semi-rigid human body reaction surface is provided. One or more walls of the expanding volume are substantially pliable, attaching at one end to a mounting base that is attachable to a structural member of a vehicle and another end attached to a semi-rigid deployable reaction surface. The energy absorbing expansion member may be thin walled or membrane-like and comprised of pliable rubber, plastic or a woven fabric. Methods of attaching a flexible expansion member to either a semi-rigid contact surface or a semi-rigid expansion wall of the enclosure include providing a mechanical attachment by capturing an expansion member edge between a frame and semi-rigid member. Material from a molded semi-rigid member may flow over or into geometries provided in a flexible expansion member for joining. An interface may be defined by blend-molding to transition different material stiffness.

Deployable semi-rigid body contact restraint member with integral flexible expansion member

A method and apparatus for concealing the CRS anchor of a vehicle when not in use and exposing the anchor when CRS attachment is required. The inventive concept disclosed herein provides the use of concealing seat trim that can be removed, slid, or rotated to reveal the CRS anchor. The disclosed system provides accessibility and finger and hand clearance to the anchor. The anchor concealing trim piece of the disclosed inventive concept may be small and individual, one for each affected anchor, or may be a single insert that spans the distance between multiple anchors. The size of the anchor concealing trim piece can vary based on anchor location and styling as well as on how much additional accessibility is desired. The anchor concealing trim pieces may be held in their concealing position in a pocket formed in the seat by hook-and-loop fasteners or CRS web strap and clips fastened to a wire frame.

Movable inserts for concealing child safety seat anchors in a vehicle

A hood front cover assembly usable on a vehicle in which the hood has a leading edge and an underside adjacent the leading edge to reduce pedestrian injury in a pedestrian-vehicle impact event is disclosed. The cover assembly includes a deployable cover and cover housing. The housing is located on the underside of the hood adjacent the leading edge. The cover is movable between a stowed position and a deployed position. The cover may be entirely rigid or may be partially deformable and may include a hollow flexible front portion. A mechanism is provided for moving the cover between the stowed and deployed positions. The mechanism is associated with the housing and may be driven by a spring driver, a motor or a pneumatic driver. A pedestrian impact sensor is provided in the front end of the vehicle. The sensor is operatively associated with the hood front cover assembly.

Active hood front cover for pedestrian protection

A pedestrian protection apparatus for use with a motor vehicle having a windshield, a cowl and an engine hood is provided. The apparatus includes a deployable hood extender, movable between a stowed position within or beneath the hood and a deployed position, wherein the hood extender substantially overlaps the cowl or an area of increased component stiffness rearward of the vehicle hood and beneath at least a portion of the windshield. The hood extender may include a positional control portion, an energy absorbing portion, a bending control feature, and softened edges. The hood extender may be a single moveable panel or may comprise a plurality of moveable panels, strips or rod-like elements, wherein the plurality of elements may be rigidly or pivotally attached to one another for linear or rotational displacement between stowed and deployed positions. The hood extender may be an expandable lattice structure. An actuation lock is included.

Deployable vehicle hood extender for pedestrian protection

A self-adjusting seat stiffness system that uses a tension member and tensioning device to maintain or increase tension in a seat component during a perceived vehicle dynamic event. The system may use an inertial latching spool for the tensioning device as an example of a way to maintain tension at a target acceleration of the spool by locking up the tension member, or may have a controller to control the tensioning member to provide variable tensions depending on varying perceived vehicle parameters. The tensioning of the tension member helps to avoid submarining of an occupant under a seatbelt due to unacceptable seat compression during a vehicle dynamic event.

Self-adjusting seat stiffness system

A serviceable seatbelt buckle mounted belt tensioner for use with a vehicle seat having a seat frame includes a bracket fixed to the seat frame and a pre-tensioning assembly releasably attached to the bracket, the pre-tensioning assembly includes a housing, a seatbelt attachment portion such as a seatbelt buckle, a cylindrical container and a cable connecting the seatbelt buckle and the cylindrical container, the cable passing through the housing. Both the bracket and the housing include attachment interfaces in the forms of flanges, tabs, pins, and slots. A fastener such as a screw or a clip is used to prevent movement of the housing relative to the bracket once the components are fitted together.

Serviceable seatbelt buckle and tensioner assembly

A dynamic energy management restraint anchor device interfaces with a child seat in a vehicle, engaging common child seat attachment clip features. A device restraint anchor is operable to dynamically extract and permit distortion of load bearing deformable member(s) in order to manage the displacement of, and load transferred through, an anchor connected to a child seat. The device may be further operable to limit or prevent restraint anchor displacement and the distortion of said deformable member(s) under quasi-static load conditions in order to meet motor vehicle static load/displacement anchorage performance requirements applicable to certain anchors. Anchor retraction capability and various interlocking configurations for securing the position of an anchor, before or after having extracted, may be incorporated relative to the energy management device interfacing with both a vehicle and a child seat. An indicator may further be provided to identify the functional state of the restraint device.

Growing community of inventors

Taylor, MI, United States of America

Richard Edward Ruthinowski