Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

University of Michigan

Wonhee Michael Kim

Paul W Alexander

Diann Brei

Jonathan E Luntz

Koray Benli

Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz

Nilesh D Mankame

Nancy L Johnson

Paul Edward Krajewski

Taeyoung Han

Richard J Skurkis

Daniel W Booth

Louis D Thole

HyungMin Chae

Bahram Khalighi

Julien P Mourou

Chin-Hsu Lin

Michael J Walker

Tyson W Brown

Amberlee S Haselhuhn

Jeff E Nasca

Manuel Forero Rueda

Ian J Sutherland

Tiantian Li

Noah Luntzlara

Adeline Emily Wihardja

Yun Ju Kim

Xiujie Gao

James Holbrook Brown

Chih-Hung Yen

Joseph M Polewarczyk

Kuo-Huey Chen

Bhavesh Shah

Kamran Ali

Craig A Kollar

SeungHwan Keum

Mark Allen Smith

William Joseph Barnes

Dooil Hwang

Yi-pen Cheng

James Herbert Shoemaker

Matthew M Stack

Peter J Gareau

Stephanie C Radion

Neil Tagner

Md Ashabul Anam

Dayananda Narasimhaiah

David Acosta

Jaehun Kim

Besy J Philip

Samuel Derian

Sarah E Smith

Calin Tapuchievici

Chih-hung Yen

Nicholas J Christoff

Conner J Stormer

Shiyu Zhao

James Menno Nykamp

Rafael Gabriel Casalduc

Boyu Wan

Zining Zhang

Paul Q Powers

Jason R Wilkins

Patrick K Kenney

Alejandro Garcia

Yonghoon Shim

Karan Moorjani

Sarah M Sober

Kevin P Nguyen

Evan Millison

Kunj P Patel

A belt securement verification system includes a belt and a securement verification device connected to the belt. When a tension force on the belt exceeds a threshold corresponding to a desired belt tightness or a desired belt slackness, the securement verification device moves from a first configuration to a second configuration to indicate to a user that the belt has achieved the desired belt tightness or desired belt slackness.

Belt securement verification system

A deployable ramp is provided for a cargo loading system of a vehicle. The ramp includes one or more rigid element having a surface for supporting a load. The ramp further includes one or more bladders defining a chamber that is fluidly connected to an outlet of a compressor. The chamber is adapted to receive a fluid from the compressor. The bladder is attached to rigid element, and the at bladder is movable to a collapsed state where the chamber has a first volume. The bladder is further movable to an expanded state where the chamber has a second volume and contains a pressurized fluid for supporting the rigid element, in response to the bladder receiving the fluid from the compressor. The second volume is higher than the first volume.

Deployable truck ramp with bladders

An extendable arm assembly includes an extendable arm structure defining a first axis, a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, and a third axis perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis. The extendable arm structure is configured to be actuated between a stowed configuration, an extended configuration in which the extendable arm structure extends along the first axis, and an intermediate configuration between the stowed configuration and the extended configuration. The extendable arm structure includes a plurality of expandable cells defining cell chambers therein. The extendable arm assembly is configured to inflate the cell chambers to actuate the extendable arm structure from the stowed configuration to the intermediate configuration.

Extendable arm assembly

Cargo systems are provided for vehicles that include, in one embodiment: a variable cargo surface disposed within a body of the vehicle behind one or more occupant seats, the variable cargo surface including: a low friction surface that facilitates movement of cargo within the cargo system, the low friction surface having a first coefficient of friction; a high friction surface that inhibits movement of cargo within the cargo system, the high friction surface having a second coefficient of friction that is greater than the first coefficient of friction; and a control device that selectively activates the low friction surface and the high friction surface based on conditions for the vehicle; wherein the low friction surface contacts the cargo within the cargo system when the low friction surface is activated; and the high friction surface contacts the cargo within the cargo system when the high friction surface is activated.

Variable friction cargo surface system for vehicles

A cushion member having improved variable stiffness for a target is provided. The cushion member comprises a cushion housing having an interior with a variable internal pressure and an exterior surface for receiving the target. The cushion housing is arranged to be deformable and comprises granular particles disposed in the interior of the cushion housing. The cushion housing further comprises hollow particles disposed therein with the granular particles. Each hollow particle is compressible and hollow to define a void therein. The hollow particles have a size, a wall thickness, a material, and a bulk modulus defining infill properties thereof. The hollow particles and the granular particles are arranged to allow the cushion housing to be deformed upon contact with the target. The hollow particles and granular particles define a cushion infill having a variable stiffness based on the infill properties and the variable internal pressure of the interior.

Cushion member having variable stiffness

An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air therebetween, and a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, each tether in the plurality of tethers having a first end coupled to the top end cap and a second end coupled to the bottom end cap, wherein when the bladder is inflated, the bladder expands axially forcing the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another, the plurality of tethers adapted to restrict movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, at least one of the plurality of tethers is elastic, and the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple support profiles that are capable of supporting compressive loading.

Inflatable with elastic constraint tethers

A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, a seat back pivotally moveable between an upright position and a reclined position, and at least one upper arm support selectively moveable between a stowed position and an extended position, the at least one upper arm support adapted to provide support for an upper arm of an occupant when the seat back of the vehicle seat is in the reclined position and the at least one upper arm support is in the extended position.

Seat upper arm supports

A lifting system includes a top plate, a bottom plate and N pairs of hinged plates. The N pairs of hinged plates are connected by 2N pairs of hinges to N sides of the top plate and the bottom plate, where N is an integer greater than 2. A bladder is arranged between the top plate and the bottom plate and between inner edges of the N pairs of hinged plates.

Lifting system and vehicle including a lifting system

An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air, a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, the inflatable structure moveable between a stowed profile and a final support profile, wherein the bladder is pressurized and expanded axially and the plurality of tethers are fully extended and restrict further movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, a pulley assembly mounted within the bottom end cap, wherein in the stowed support profile, the plurality of tethers are wound onto the pulley assembly, the pulley assembly adapted to allow selective extension of the tethers allowing axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple intermediary support profiles capable of supporting compressive loading.

Load lifting tensioned inflatable structure

A vehicle includes a passenger compartment having a roof structure having a front header, a pair of side headers and a rear header. A headliner is disposed beneath the roof structure. At least one inflatable bladder is disposed along at least one of the front header, the pair of side headers and the rear header. The at least one inflatable bladder is connected to an inflator. A rib structure is disposed adjacent to the at least one inflatable bladder. The inflatable bladder inflates to a maximum height of 12 cm below the at least one of the front header, the pair of side headers and the rear header.

Inflatables used to address rollover

An inflatable insulation panel includes a bladder configured to contain air, plurality of tethers disposed within an interior cavity of the bladder, and at least one reflective film disposed within the interior cavity of the bladder. The bladder includes a first wall, a second wall opposite of the first wall, and perimeter walls extending between and connected to perimeter edges of the first and second walls. The first and second walls and the perimeter walls collectively defining the interior cavity of the bladder. The plurality of tethers extend between and are connected to interior surfaces of the first and second walls. The plurality of tethers limit movement of the first and second walls away from one another when the bladder is inflated. The at least one reflective film is disposed between the interior surfaces of the first and second walls.

Inflatable insulation panel and vehicle including inflatable insulation panels that define a cargo area of the vehicle

A sleeping occupant crash protection system includes an occupant sleeping compartment positioned within an autonomous vehicle. A substantially flat platform of the occupant sleeping compartment supports an occupant reclining in a horizontal sleep position. An elastic bedsheet is positioned in direct contact with an upper surface of the platform positioned between the occupant and the platform. A sensing system is in communication with the occupant sleeping compartment and triggers deployment of a bedsheet displacement system during a vehicle rapid deceleration event.

Sleeping bedsheet crash protection system for lie-flat sleeping passenger

Systems and methods are provided for shape controlled gripping of a workpiece. A layer jamming structure includes a membrane defining an internal cavity containing a number of overlapping material layers. A pressure system includes a pump coupled with the internal cavity. A shape conforming tool includes at least one part configured to move to apply a force to the layer jamming structure. The shape conforming tool, by operation of the part, conforms the layer jamming structure to the workpiece. The pressure system, with operation of the pump, changes a pressure in the internal cavity to impart rigidity to the layer jamming structure.

Shape control in gripping systems and methods

A distributed inflatable touch sensing system is provided. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system includes a sensing bladder array, the sensing bladder array having a plurality of bladders, passageways, and ports in fluid communication. The system further includes a pressure regulator in fluid communication with one of the plurality of ports for regulating a pressure in the sensing bladder array. The system further includes a plurality of sensors, each in fluid communication with one of the plurality of ports, for measuring the pressure in the sensing bladder array. The system further includes a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors. The processor is configured to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by a user.

Distributed inflatable touch sensing

Systems and methods are provided for gripping of a workpiece with a layer jamming structure having rigid datum structures. A system includes a layer jamming structure configurable in an inactivated conformable state, with a membrane defining an internal cavity containing a number of overlapping material layers. The rigid structures engage the layer jamming structure. A pressure system includes a pump coupled with the internal cavity to change a pressure therein to transform the layer jamming structure from the inactivated conformable state to an activated rigid state disposed around the workpiece. The rigid structures help conform the layer jamming structure to the workpiece during transformation to the activated rigid state and to present datum fixturing surfaces in the activated rigid state.

Rigid insert shape control in layer jammming systems and methods

Growing community of inventors

Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Wonhee Michael Kim