Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Automotive Components Holdings, LLC

Thomas Junior Luckett

Frank Qiukui Liu

Gregory Thomas Hedderly

Kenneth J Kwasnik

William Francis Weber

Matthew Jameson Hickey

Vijaykumar Hegde

Glen D Skinner

Yoon Kim

Brian Robb

Patricia Kaye Kutsche

Sean Bayle West

Ryan Welch

Nicholas Andrew Mazzocchi

Gregory Paul Thomas

Francis Raymond Gillis

Dale O Cramer

Francisco Ronquillo Melendez

Ravi S Thyagarajan

Leon Bruce Liu

Kumar Balakrishna Kulkarni

William L Fisher

Robert Daniel Restauri

Tariq Ismail

Kevin Robert Chauvin

James Paul Yizze

Michael Patrick Rodgers

Dave Joseph Bauer

Israel Martinez Martinez

Alejandro Nieto Gaspar

An instrument panel for vehicles includes a substrate and a an airbag door assembly having one or more gaps forming openings. The substrate includes a breakaway web below the airbag door assembly. An upper skin extends over a portion of the substrate and the airbag door assembly. Foam is disposed between the substrate and the upper skin. An airbag module is positioned below the breakaway web. When deployed, the airbag causes the breakaway web and foam above the airbag door assembly to rupture.

Instrument panel topper system for dual horizon display with encapsulated passenger side airbag door

A vehicle includes a support structure, a base supported on the support structure, a table supported on the base and movable relative to the base, and first and second arcuate cam slots provided on one of the base and the table. The vehicle also includes first and second pivot pins provided on the other of the base and the table and operatively coupled to the first and second arcuate cam slots and a locking mechanism configured to lock one of the pivot pins in a position to prevent one pivot pin from sliding within the arcuate cam slots and to allow the one pivot pin to rotate while the other of the first and second pivot pins slides within the corresponding arcuate cam slot to rotate the table to a use position.

Vehicle having deployable work table

An armrest center console for a vehicle includes a housing defining a storage bin, a track assembly having a first and second tracks provided on opposite sides of the housing, and an armrest cover assembly supported on the housing and having a deployable table. The armrest center console also includes a linkage assembly coupling the armrest cover assembly to the first and second tracks, wherein the armrest cover assembly is configured to slide forward on the first and second rail and to rotate upward via the linkage assembly to deploy the deployable table.

Vehicle console having deployable table

A glove box assembly includes a surround structure having a central opening and a striker opening in the surround structure. The surround structure includes an interlock structure that is spaced inwardly from the striker opening and aligned with the striker opening. A striker is mounted in the striker opening of the surround structure adjacent the central opening. The striker includes an interlocking extension engaging the interlock structure. A glove compartment door is received in the central opening of the surround structure. The glove compartment door includes at least one latch pawl that is configured to releasably engage the striker.

Interlocking latch striker design

A glove box retainer for a glove box comprises a tab or a catch on a forward portion of a movable bin received within a surround and a corresponding catch or tab on a forward portion of a surround disposed forward of the tab or catch on the movable bin when the movable bin is in a closed position. The movable bin displaces the tab or the catch on the movable bin so that it is juxtaposed against and displaced forward of the catch or tab on the surround to retain the glove box in the closed position during a frontal impact event.

Glove box self-locking feature

A vehicle glovebox includes a frame rotationally operable within a housing. A downstop is defined within the frame, wherein the downstop in a blocking position engages the housing to define a fully-open position of the frame. The downstop is operable to a release position that defines rotation of the frame beyond the fully-open position.

Glovebox downstop with bi-directional interlocking feature

An air bag chute assembly mounts a passenger air bag module to an automotive instrument panel. An outer flange collar of the assembly attaches to the instrument panel and defines a windshield-facing side. A tubular chute extends interiorly from the collar to a lower end that attaches to the air bag module. A door flap is disposed in an upper end of the chute. An S-shaped hinge has a first edge attached to the door flap. An apron extends from the collar laterally into the deployment path from the windshield-facing side. A second edge of the hinge attaches to the apron so that a sweep zone of the door flap is shifted by a distance corresponding to a reduction in a width of the deployment path at the upper end caused by the apron, reducing interference between the flap and a windshield during air bag deployment.

Restricted-opening door hinge for automotive air bag chute

An airbag assembly includes a housing having a chute defining an opening. A panel is joined with the chute at a first end and extends over the opening to a second end opposite the first end and elevated with respect thereto. A substrate overlies the panel such that the elevated second end is closer to the substrate than the first end, and a foam layer extends from the substrate to the panel.

Seamless passenger airbag system

An automobile air bag mounting structure includes a chute defining an opening with a first wall extending from the opening, a cover fully sealing the opening, and a hinge member extending integrally between the first wall and a portion of the cover. The hinge member extends from the first housing wall and to the cover in a direction toward the opening with at least one segment therebetween extending away from the opening.

Air bag door hinge for a motor vehicle

An upper glove box for the passenger side of an automotive vehicle in which a door is upwardly hinged and has an upper edge that is received into a void defined in the instrument panel when the door is opened. The revealed wall forward of the opening of the void is an integral portion of the foam injected instrument panel to provide the desired aesthetics.

Upper glove box assembly

A vehicle includes a receiver forming an aperture therethrough. A steering column armature assembly is received within the receiver aperture and includes a steering column. The steering column armature assembly includes a tilt locking feature for selectively locking the steering column at desired tilt locations with respect to the receiver, and a telescope locking feature for selectively locking telescoping movement of the steering column armature assembly with respect to the receiver. A single handle is operatively connected to the tilt locking feature and to the telescope locking feature for selectively disengaging the tilt locking feature and telescope locking feature for adjustment of the steering column.

Single release lever for steering column tilt and telescope

A vehicle includes a receiver forming an aperture therein and having first and second gear racks at opposing sides of the aperture. A steering column armature assembly is received within the receiver aperture and includes first and second gears engaged with the first and second gear racks, respectively, in a manner to facilitate counter-rotation of the first and second gears as the steering column armature assembly is moved along the first and second gear racks. The first and second gears are selectively lockable together to prevent movement of the steering column armature assembly along the first and second gear racks. The first and second gears include an energy absorber positioned therebetween for dissipating energy when the first and second gears are forcibly displaced and counter-rotate with respect to each other in a high energy impact.

Rotating, traveling energy absorber for steering column

A vehicle includes first and second A-pillars with a cross-car beam connecting the first and second A-pillars. A steering column assembly is positioned within the vehicle and includes at least one pivot joint. A single attachment component directly connects the pivot joint to the cross-car beam.

Integrated steering column and instrument panel structure apparatus

An automotive interior door panel having a decorative covering displayed to the interior compartment of a vehicle and a rigid substrate having a backing surface. The backing surface includes a plurality of energy absorbers integrally molded thereon. The method utilizing the following steps. A low-pressure or high pressure injection mold operable between open and closed positions is moved to the open position. The mold has a covering receiving surface and an energy absorber producing surface. A flexible covering is positioned juxtaposed the covering receiving surface. The mold is moved to the closed position to create a space between the covering and the energy absorber producing surface. A molten plastic material is injected into the space to form the door substrate. The substrate has a nominal cross-sectional thickness between said energy absorbers. The energy absorber producing surface includes a plurality of recesses having a width 75% or more of the nominal substrate thickness producing thick-walled energy absorbers on the backing surface. The molten plastic material fuses to the covering to from an integral door panel. The plastic material is allowed to cool and shrink. The plastic shrinkage produces depressions in the substrate called sink marks overlying the intersection between the energy absorber and the substrate wall. The covering bridges the sink marks to conceal the depressions and produce an aesthetically pleasing surface.

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Saline, MI, United States of America

Thomas Junior Luckett