Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Basf Se Corporation

Flex-n-gate Advanced Product Development, LLC

Adient Engineering and IP Gmbh

Vikas Bhatia

Patrick J Edgar

Gregory Todd Donovan

Peter James Moegling

John Salvia

Robert Joseph Hazlewood

Robert Christopher Day

Masroor Fahim

Michael Zielinski

Yi-Ru Chen Sosnowski

George Mike Chalhoub

Shelby Leigh Brown

Brandon J Vick

Luke A McKean

Sathya Shankar Kuttumukkula Chandrasekaran

Todd Muck

Hideki Kobayashi

Hamshivraj Singh Dhamrat

Matthew Frank Parkinson

John J Salvia, Iii

Steven Perucca

Michael Sweers

Bill Deming

John Fredrik Runske

Shelley Bridget Szalay

Jacob C Herget

Robert Jones

Vasile V Jurge

Robert J Stauffer

Lynne Susan Dykins

Edward Qiu

Jacob A Herget

A seat back assembly including a pultrusion reinforcement and a seat back frame formed of a resin material, the seat back frame is only partially overmolded onto the pultrusion reinforcement such that the pultrusion reinforcement is configured to be visually inspected through a plurality of openings formed in the seat back frame.

Seat back frame assemblies and seat assemblies including pultrusion reinforcements

A retention mechanism for a removable access door includes a retention tab positioned along a side of the access door. The retention tab includes a resiliently deflectable stem and at least two engagement heads projecting from the stem. The tab extends to a first distance from a reference surface of the access door. An overstress prevention structure is positioned along the side of the access door so as to enable the retention tab to contact the overstress prevention structure when the stem is deflected a predetermined amount. The overstress prevention structure extends to a second distance from the reference surface, wherein the second distance is greater than the first distance. Support walls may strengthen the overstress prevention structure against forces exerted by the retention tabs during deflection of the tabs. The support walls may form a protective 'shroud' around the retention tab.

Retention mechanisms for service access doors

A vehicular storage arrangement includes a storage compartment, a resiliently normally bendable divider for dividing the storage compartment, and a mount for the divider in the storage compartment. The mount is configured to make slidable peripheral engagement with the divider, under which the mount is configured to support the divider in a mounted position, and urge the divider to normally bend in the mounted position, thereby tightening the slidable peripheral engagement.

Vehicular storage arrangement

A vehicle includes a cabin and a passenger seat assembly located in the cabin. The passenger seat assembly includes a base support assembly mounted to a floor of the cabin and comprising walls that form a storage compartment. A seat is supported by the base support assembly. The seat includes a seat back frame that supports one or more cushions thereon. A seat base frame supports one or more cushions thereon forming a seat base. The seat base frame is formed as a monolithic, single piece structure from a plastic resin material. The seat base frame has a sitting portion and a raised portion located forward of the sitting portion. The raised portion increases in elevation above the sitting portion to an apex of increased distance from the floor.

Reinforced rear seat assemblies for vehicles

A seat cushion, for a seat assembly, includes a seat cushion frame formed of a resin material. The seat cushion frame includes a base wall, a pair of side walls, and a front wall. The base wall includes a pair of side edges and a front edge that extends between the pair of side edges. The pair of side walls extend outward from the pair of side edges of the base wall. The front wall extends outwardly from the front edge of the base wall. The front wall configured to provide an anti-submarining feature.

Resin tip-up seat cushion frames and seat assemblies having resin tip-up seat cushion frames

A seat assembly, for a vehicle having a frame member, includes a seat back, a seat cushion, and a seat bracket. The frame member extends along a floor of the vehicle and includes a bore. The seat cushion is pivotally coupled to the seat back for movement between a use position and a raised position. The seat bracket is coupled to at least one of the seat back and the seat cushion. The seat bracket includes a pin that extends downwardly in a vehicle vertical direction. The pin engages with the bore to temporarily attach the seat cushion and the seat back to the frame member on the floor of the vehicle and inhibit a rotation of the seat assembly in a vehicle forward direction when the seat cushion is in the raised position due to the engagement of the pin extending through the bore of the frame member.

Seat assemblies for temporarily attaching a seat assembly to a vehicle

The present disclosure relates to a seat ventilation system for deployment in a seat of a vehicle. Specifically, the seat ventilation system includes a three-dimensional mesh for maintenance of airflow channels and a ductless blower system to prevent system pressure loss. The air-permeable three-dimensional scaffold prevents compression and closure of pad-based airflow channels. The blower system reduces system air pressure loss by residing adjacent to the volume of interest, eliminating the need for ductwork.

Seat back and cushion ventilation assembly

A vehicle seating apparatus includes a structural tub and a protective seat load floor wherein the protective seat load floor includes an anti-submarining feature. The apparatus can also be disposed on top of the structural tub housing a battery for an electrified vehicle, wherein the seat load floor serves as the battery cover.

Protective seat load floor for hybrid vehicles

A seat assembly includes a seatback, a seatback heater, a child restraint bracket, and a wire harness. The seatback is moveable between a seated position and a folded position. The seatback heater is connected to the seatback. The child restraint bracket includes a pair of isofix anchors. The wire harness includes a first end and an opposite second end. The first end is connected to the child restraint bracket. The second end is connected to the seatback heater. The wire harness accommodates movement of the seatback between the seated position and the folded position.

Seat assemblies having seat heater wire harnesses connected to child restraint brackets for vehicles

A mechanical lumbar system for vehicle seating. The lumbar system may be compact in size so as to require a smaller space within vehicle seating. The lumbar system may be adjustable in 4-ways. The lumbar system may be adjustable in an in and out fashion so as to decrease and increase, respectively, the amount of lumbar support. The lumbar system may be adjustable vertically so as to allow the vertical position of the lumbar support to be moved to accommodate the occupant. The lumbar system may utilize a U-shaped lower bridge member that allows the motors to be positioned vertically higher in the seat back while also allowing the lumbar support to be positioned below the motors. The legs of the lower bridge may extend below the lower frame cross member in the vehicle seat.

Compact mechanical lumbar vehicle seating

The present invention provides for a support structure and support structure attachment within a vehicle adjacent a vehicle seat. The support structure including a bolster having an external surface wherein the bolster has a cavity recessed behind the external surface wherein the cavity originates and opens to the external surface, an airbag mounted within the cavity, and an elongated bracket mounted to the bolster operable to secure the bolster and airbag assembly to the vehicle. The elongated bracket of the bolster attaches to a child restraint system existing within the vehicle while simultaneously securing the airbag within the cavity of the bolster. A trim piece having a weakened seam covers the cavity and the external surface of the bolster thereby covering the airbag.

Side bolster with air bag

A carrier assembly of a seat assembly for use in a motor vehicle allows for the efficient installation of the carrier assembly and several seat assembly accessories. The seat assembly has a seat back, a locking frame and a seat cushion. The carrier assembly includes an elongated base member extending along a longitudinal axis. A pair of outer hinge brackets are attached to the ends of the elongated base member. The seat back is pivotally mounted to the outer hinge brackets about a pivot axis that is spaced apart and parallel to said longitudinal axis of the elongated base member. A pair of floor brackets attached to the ends of the elongated base member secures the elongated base member to the floor of the motor vehicle. The carrier assembly is independent of the locking frame and the seat cushion.

Integrated carrier assembly for a seat back of a motor vehicle

A seat back support for seat cushioning to be attached thereto and provide a seat component is disclosed. In addition, a process for making the seat back support is also disclosed. The seat back support can have first panel and a second panel. The first panel can have a base portion and a raised portion extending outwardly from the base portion, and the second panel can have a corrugated structure with a channel portion extending from a joining surface. The second panel is fixedly attached to the first panel by having at least part of the raised portion melt and re-solidified while in contact with the joining surface of the second panel.

Multiple part resin seat back with integrated adjustable headrest support

A cover conceals a portion of a gap formed between an adjacent pair of seat backs of a motor vehicle seat assembly. The cover includes a substantially rigid portion and a substantially flexible portion. The flexible portion of the cover has first and second flanges that extend outwardly from opposite sides of the substantially rigid portion for concealing a portion of the gap between the seat backs of the seat assembly.

Side shield for motor vehicle seat assembly

A dual action seat release mechanism for a seat on a vehicle includes a seat assembly having a vertically oriented seat back portion pivotally connected to a horizontally oriented seat cushion portion. A lever is pivotally attached to the seat assembly, and includes an elongated handle extending from a disc-shaped portion, and a center of the disc-shaped portion is pivotally attached to the seat assembly. A cable attachment means is disposed on the disc-shaped portion of the lever, and is positioned radially outboard from the center of the disc-shaped portion. A cable having a first end and a second end is provided and the first end of the cable is attached to the cable attachment means on the lever. A cable support bracket for fixedly supporting the cable is fixedly attached to the seat assembly. A cable routing bracket for routing the cable is fixedly attached to the seat assembly, and includes an elongated channel for receiving the cable. A seat back release mechanism for unlocking the seat back from the seat cushion portion of the seat is provided, and a second end of the cable is operatively attached to the seat back release mechanism, such that rotation of the lever in a first direction releases the seat back release mechanism for rotation of the seat back in the first direction of rotation, and rotation of the lever in a second direction releases the seat back release mechanism for rotation of the seat back in the second direction of rotation.

Growing community of inventors

South Lyon, MI, United States of America

Vikas Bhatia