The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 01, 2022
Filed:
Sep. 10, 2020
Ford Global Technologies, Llc, Dearborn, MI (US);
Stuart C. Salter, White Lake, MI (US);
Pietro Buttolo, Dearborn Heighls, MI (US);
James Robert Chascsa, II, Farmington Hills, MI (US);
Darren Palmer, Bloomfield Hills, MI (US);
Katherine Howard-Cone, Canton, MI (US);
Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A vehicle steering wheel is provided that includes a rim having a core structure, a plurality of heating zones surrounding at least a portion of the core structure, each heating zone having conductive circuitry to define a heater and a capacitive sensor for sensing location of a user's hand on the steering wheel, and a controller controlling the conductive circuitry in each heating zone to operate as the capacitive sensor to sense a presence of the user's hand in at least one heating zone and to switch to operate as the heater to heat the at least one heating zone when the hand is sensed in the at least one heating zone.