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:
Jan. 23, 2007
Filed:
Dec. 20, 1999
Subin Sha, Coldwater, MI (US);
Joseph Spencer, Coldwater, MI (US);
Brian Bowerman, Quincy, MI (US);
Douglas Autotech Corporation, Bronson, MI (US);
Abstract
An assembly is provided for fixing the position of an adjustable component () of a vehicle, comprising in combination a fixed reference frame () within the vehicle such as a dash or a firewall, an adjustable component () also disposed in the vehicle such as an adjustable steering column (), pedals, or a seat. Interconnecting the fixed reference frame () and the adjustable component () is a fluid locking mechanism () which permits selective positioning of the adjustable component relative to the fixed reference frame () and holds the adjustable component () in position. The fluid locking mechanism () is preferably a non-Newtonian flow fluid locking mechanism which uses a magneto-rheological fluid () to fix the position of the adjustable component () in place once the desired position is selected. To provide additional safety for the vehicle occupants, the fluid locking mechanism may be controlled by an electrical microprocessor () or circuit which adjusts the locking strength of the fluid locking mechanism () based upon user inputs and dynamic events.