Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Vishal Vinayak Nageshkar

Sangram Laxman Tamhankar

Patrick Maloney

Christian J Hosbach

John Wayne Jaranson

Victoria Leigh Schein

Johnathan Andrew Line

Alex Perkins

Kevin VanNieulande

Cindy Sofia Barrera-Martinez

Janice Lisa Tardiff

Chaitanya Nimmagadda

Marcos Silva Kondrad

Siddharthan Selvasekar

John Edward Huber

David Scott Rohweder

Adam Wirth

Ryan Buttimer

Jonathan Weiler

Robert Henry Camilleri

Fling Finn Tseng

Johannes Geir Kristinsson

Michael James Whitens

Shiqi Qiu

Himanshu Verma

Mike James Whitens

Bhagyashri Satyabodha Katti

Ireneusz Trybula

Kalyani Purushottam Sonawane

Alexander Perkins

Nikhil Kailas Jamdade

Samuel Laidlaw

A wheel assembly for a non-pneumatic tire includes a wheel including an inboard side, an outboard side, and an outer surface, the outer surface including at least one taper extending from the inboard side to the outboard side, and a locking ring configured to abut against at least one of the inboard side and the outboard side of the wheel and to secure the non-pneumatic tire to the wheel.

Serviceable non-pneumatic tire and wheel assemblies

A computer includes a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to receive a series of pressure maps indicating a respective series of sitting positions of an occupant in a seat, wherein the pressure maps include a current pressure map; update a profile of the occupant based on the pressure maps, wherein the profile includes a plurality of clusters of sitting positions and classifications of the clusters as preferred or nonpreferred, and updating the profile includes sorting one of the sitting positions into one of the clusters that is classified as preferred in response to the occupant remaining in that sitting position for greater than a threshold time; and adjust a physical configuration of the seat in response to the current sitting position being in one of the clusters that is classified as nonpreferred.

Seat adjustment

An articulation assembly for a vehicle seat includes a planar engagement surface. An inflatable member is operably coupled to the planar engagement surface. The inflatable member includes a plurality of polyhedral bodies that are configured to be formed via additive manufacturing. Each of the polyhedral bodies has a foldable portion that defines crease lines. A plurality of elastomeric members are disposed on each crease line. A planar base includes a port fluidly coupled to the polyhedral bodies. A manifold is fluidly coupled to the port of the planar base and is configured to translate fluid through the port to the polyhedral bodies.

Polyhedral body of an articulation assembly for a vehicle seat

A tire and wheel assembly includes a non-pneumatic tire and a wheel. The non-pneumatic tire has a tread, a plurality of spokes, and an inner liner with a first side, a second side, and at least one taper extending between the first side and the second side. The wheel has an inboard side, an outboard side, and an outer surface with at least one complementary taper extending between the inboard side and the outboard side such that the non-pneumatic tire is serviceably mounted on the wheel. A locking ring can be included and the locking ring can be configured to abut against the inboard side or the outboard side of the wheel. Also, a wheel flange extending inwardly from the inner liner can be included and the wheel flange is configured to abut against the outboard side or the inboard side of the wheel.

A support assembly for a vehicle is provided that includes a base fixedly coupled to a vehicle interior, a panel disposed on the base, and a track assembly disposed between the base and the panel. The track assembly includes a track and an actuator slidably coupled with the track and coupled with the panel and movable from a first position to a second position to move the panel from a stored position to a deployed position.

Support assembly

A vehicle door assembly includes, among other things, a ramp pivotable back-and-forth between a stowed position and a deployed position. The vehicle door assembly further includes a door slidable back-and-forth between a closed position and an open position. The door and the ramp are configured to slide together when the ramp is in the stowed position. The door is configured to slide relative to the ramp when the ramp is in the deployed position.

Vehicle door assembly having a ramp

An article, such as a vehicle seat, includes a one-piece vehicle head restraint structure that defines a frame and a plurality of receptacles. There are metallic resonators disposed in the receptacles. Polymeric dampers line the receptacles and circumscribe the metallic resonators.

Vehicle head restraint with tuned damper

A seat assembly includes a seatback having a cushioned component pivotally coupled to the seatback and operable between deployed and retracted positions. The cushioned component includes an interior cavity. A rack assembly is positioned within the interior cavity and includes a forward-most rack with a first receiving area. The rack assembly further includes a rearward-most rack having a second receiving area. A first cartridge assembly is removeably received in the first receiving area of the rack assembly. A second cartridge assembly is removeably received in the second receiving area of the rack assembly. The rack assembly may also include one or more intermediate rack assemblies positioned between the forward-most and rearward-most rack assemblies for supporting other intermediate cartridge assemblies. Each cartridge assembly includes a different density profile for providing variated comfort settings to the seatback of the seat assembly.

Seat assembly having interchangeable cartridge assemblies for adjustable comfort settings

A seat assembly includes a cushioned component having a lattice matrix, wherein the lattice matrix includes a first portion defined by a first pattern of interconnected links which defines a first set of cells, and a second portion defined by a second pattern of interconnected links which defines a second set of cells. The first portion of the lattice matrix includes a density profile that is different than a density profile of the second portion of the lattice matrix. An air bladder is disposed within a core portion of the lattice matrix and includes a non-porous outer casing surrounding an interior cavity. The outer casing of the air bladder and the lattice matrix are integrated components comprised of a common material to define a monolithic structure created using an additive manufacturing process.

Seat assembly having cushion supports with integrated air bladders for pneumatic activation

A headrest assembly includes a headrest bun having an interior portion. A support armature includes a portion thereof disposed within the interior portion of the headrest bun. A support member includes a lattice matrix comprised of a plurality of interconnected links. The support member is supported within the interior portion of the headrest bun by the support armature. A receptacle is operably coupled to the lattice matrix of the support member within the interior portion of the headrest bun and includes an interior cavity. A weighted insert is removeably received within the interior cavity of the receptacle.

Headrest assembly

A vehicle seating assembly includes a frame with an engagement portion, a carrier, and a strap disposed between the frame and the carrier, wherein if the carrier is in an attached position relative to the frame, then application of an actuating force to the strap moves the carrier to a detached position relative to the frame.

Strap assembly for carrier detachment

A seat of a vehicle seating assembly includes a seat carrier, a thigh tilt housing, a thigh extension housing, and an inflatable member. The thigh tilt housing is coupled to a forward region of the seat carrier. A recess is defined by the thigh tilt housing, with the recess being positioned in an upper surface of the thigh tilt housing. A motor is received within the recess. The thigh extension housing is coupled to the motor, with the thigh extension housing being movable in a fore-aft direction relative to the thigh tilt housing. A fastener couples the thigh tilt housing to the seat carrier in a manner that permits pivotable motion of the thigh tilt housing along a vertical plane. The inflatable member is positioned between the seat carrier and the thigh tilt housing.

Vehicle seating assembly with thigh tilt

A vehicle seating assembly including a seat and a seatback pivotably coupled to the seat. The seatback includes a frame, a sub-frame member, a carrier, a cushion, and an inflatable member. The sub-frame member is pivotably coupled to an occupant-facing surface of the frame by a bracket. The carrier is coupled to the frame such that the sub-frame member is positioned between the frame and the carrier. The cushion is coupled to an occupant-facing surface of the carrier. The inflatable member is positioned between the occupant-facing surface of the frame and an interior surface of the sub-frame member. The inflatable member is operable between a deflated state and an inflated state. The inflatable member initiates pivotable motion of the sub-frame member of an axis defined by the bracket.

Upper thoracic support for vehicle seating assembly

A control system includes a joystick and a computer. The joystick includes a joystick body, a cover hingedly coupled to the joystick body and movable between an open position and a closed position, and an input located on the joystick body. The input is exposed by the cover when the cover is in the open position and concealed by the cover when the cover is in the closed position. The computer is programmed to enter a first mode in response to the cover moving from the open position to the closed position, to enter a second mode in response to both the cover moving from the closed position to the open position and the input being activated, and to remain in a same of the first and second modes in response to the cover moving from the closed position to the open position without the input being activated.

Joystick for vehicle

A seat assembly includes a seat portion and a seatback. A cushioned component is disposed in either the seat portion or the seatback. The cushioned component includes a porous lattice matrix and non-porous first and second walls that are disposed within and surrounded by the lattice matrix. The first and second walls are spaced-apart from one another and disposed at opposed angles to define a channel therebetween. The lattice matrix and the first and second walls are deformable structures for supporting a seat occupant while still being able to channel air through the cushioned component. The lattice matrix and the first and second walls are contemplated to be integrally formed components defining a monolithic structure. The lattice matrix may include multiple sets of spaced-apart walls for channeling air through different portions of the cushioned component.

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Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Vishal Vinayak Nageshkar