Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110028077 | HEADLINER DUCT - A headliner duct for a heating-venting-air conditioning (HVAC) system in a motor vehicle is provided. The headliner duct can include a headliner and an elongated thermoformed aircap that has a wall and is bonded to a top side of the headliner. The thermoformed aircap and the headliner form an air duct, the air duct having an inlet and being operable to have an air flow pass therethrough. The elongated thermoformed aircap has an air-kick that is integral with the wall of the aircap and extends into an air flow region thereof. | 02-03-2011 |
20110127803 | AIR DUCT SYSTEM MATING ROOF AIR DUCTS WITH HEADLINER AIR DUCTS - An air duct system which mates an air duct attached to the roof of an automotive vehicle and an air duct attached to a nonexposed surface of a headliner is provided. The air duct system is attached to an air supply which delivers directed air and is disposed between an inner surface of the roof and the nonexposed surface of the headliner. The headliner includes an opening into the passenger compartment of the automotive vehicle. The air duct system includes a first air duct and a second air duct. The first air duct is attached to the inner surface of the roof, and the second air duct is attached to the nonexposed surface of the headliner. Upon installation of the headliner to the roof a portal on the first air duct registers with a portal on the second air duct so as to provide an air flow passage between said first air duct and said second air duct. | 06-02-2011 |
20110127805 | HEADLINER ASSEMBLY HAVING A REINFORCEMENT MEMBER AND SUBCOMPONENT ROUTING AID - A headliner assembly for covering an inner surface of an automotive vehicle roof having an opening is provided. The headliner assembly includes a dimensionally stable substrate having an upper surface facing the inner surface of the roof, and an opposite lower surface. The substrate is secured to the opening of the roof at an attachment point. A reinforcement member having a top surface and an opposite bottom surface fixedly secured to the top surface of the substrate. The reinforcement member is disposed adjacent the attachment point to provide additional rigidity to a region of the substrate surrounding the attachment point. | 06-02-2011 |
20110127807 | ROOF ASSEMBLIES FOR VEHICLES INCLUDING MOON ROOF ASSEMBLIES - A moon roof assembly for a vehicle includes an actuator-driven panel having an open position and a closed position. A moon roof trim ring at least partially surrounds the panel. The moon roof trim ring includes a control housing for supporting a control system. A control system is located in the control housing. The control system includes a control member that is exposed through an opening in the moon roof trim ring for actuating the control member and moving the panel between the open position and the closed position. | 06-02-2011 |
20110128749 | LAMP RETAINER FOR CURTAIN SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT - The present invention provides an automotive interior lamp assembly mounted to an automotive headliner further including a curtain side airbag mounted about the headliner. As the curtain side airbag quickly deploys and forces through the vehicle headliner, the lamp assembly can be forcibly detached from the headliner at a high rate of speed. The present invention provides an improved retainer to better attach the light assembly to the headliner thereby preventing detachment of the lamp assembly from the headliner. The lamp assembly includes a lamp housing having a lamp receiving configured to accept a lamp. The housing further includes a retainer receiving side configured to accept a retainer. The retainer attached to the housing by means of a plurality of attachment members provided on the retainer, and at least one snap member also provided on the retainer. The housing has a plurality of attachment member receiving cavities and at least one snap member receiving cavity. The retainer configured to slidably connect to the lamp housing. The retainer comprised of a generally U-shaped mid-section and at least one extended member sufficiently extending over the headliner as to prevent accidental dislodgment of the lamp assembly. As the curtain side airbag deploys, the extended side members of the retainer prevent dislodgment of the lamp assembly from the headliner. | 06-02-2011 |
20110128755 | AMBIENT MOOD LIGHT IN A SUNROOF OPENING TRIM RING - The present invention provides a lighting assembly wherein a trim ring, containing a lighting assembly, is mounted on a vehicle headliner. The lighting assembly contains a lighting element having a light engine. The light engine having a housing and a light source mounted within the housing. The housing optionally containing a circuit board adapted to control light emitting from the light source. The light source contained within the housing may either be an LED or a traditional light bulb. The light source may optionally be colored, or textured, to provide unique ambient mood light options. The assembly further provides a light pipe having at least one light pipe aperture. The lighting element positioned adjacent, or connected to, the light pipe aperture. The light source in the lighting element directs light down the light pipe thereby creating a uniform output of light along the light pipe. Light from the light pipe is directed into the vehicle interior, mainly onto the vehicle headliner, thereby creating ambient mood lighting within the automotive interior. | 06-02-2011 |
20120193383 | ASSIST GRIP HANDLE INTEGRATED CLOTHESLINE ASSEMBLY - An integrated clothesline assembly, for supporting garments between two opposing surfaces, includes an assist grip handle attached to one of the two surfaces. The assist grip handle includes a body portion adapted to be gripped by a user, and at least one attachment portion to secure the assist grip handle to one of the surfaces. A retractable cord is disposed within the assist grip handle. The retractable cord includes a free end, and is positionable between a retracted position and an extended position. In the retracted position, the free end is positioned adjacent an outer surface of the assist grip handle, and in the extended position the free end is positioned remote from the assist grip handle. | 08-02-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100225258 | CONTROL OF AN ALTERNATOR-STARTER FOR A HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLE HAVING A DISCONNECTED HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY - A hybrid powertrain system includes an electric motor/generator unit having a multiphase asynchronous AC machine electrically connected to a multiphase bridge inverter. A high-voltage capacitor is electrically connected between positive and negative sides of a high-voltage DC power bus. High-voltage DC bus pre-charge circuits are electrically connected between gate drive bias power supplies and the multiphase bridge inverter. A low-voltage battery electrically charges the high-voltage DC link capacitor via the gate drive bias power supplies and the high-voltage DC bus pre-charge circuits when the high-voltage energy storage system is disconnected from the high-voltage DC power bus. | 09-09-2010 |
20100244760 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING LOSS OF ISOLATION WHILE AN AC MOTOR IS OPERATING - Methods and systems are provided for detecting loss of isolation of a motor, connections, or phase cables while an AC motor is operating. The system includes a power supply that is substantially isolated from the ground or chassis having a power supply voltage, and a power inverter electrically coupled to the power supply. The power inverter is configured to provide AC current from the power supply in an AC phase at an AC terminal, with the phase having current at a fundamental frequency that controls the motor speed. An electric motor is electrically coupled to the AC terminal of the power inverter and has a chassis that is substantially electrically isolated from the AC terminal of the power inverter under normal operating conditions. A processor is configured to control the AC current provided by the power inverter. The processor is configured to receive a first voltage signal related to current flowing through a motor chassis. The first voltage signal includes a first component related to the fundamental frequency of the phases, and a second component related to the power supply voltage. The processor is further configured to filter the first voltage signal to attenuate the second component, to measure an amplitude of the first component, and to determine if an AC loss of isolation condition exists by comparing the amplitude of the first component to a fault value. | 09-30-2010 |
20120303189 | METHOD AND APPARATUS TO OPERATE A POWERTRAIN SYSTEM INCLUDING AN ELECTRIC MACHINE HAVING A DISCONNECTED HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY - A powertrain system includes an electric motor/generator unit. Upon detecting an open high-voltage switch associated with a high-voltage DC electrical bus, low-voltage electrical power is employed to energize the high-voltage DC electrical bus, control parameters are adjusted to operate the electric motor/generator unit in a fault tolerant electric generation mode, an internal combustion engine is operated to spin the electric motor/generator unit, and the electric motor/generator unit is operated in the fault tolerant electric generation mode. | 11-29-2012 |
20130285581 | PASSIVE HIGH-VOLTAGE DC BUS DISCHARGE CIRCUIT FOR A VEHICLE - A vehicle includes a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS), an electric traction motor, a traction power inverter module (TPIM), a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) bus that electrically connects the RESS to the TPIM, a passive discharge circuit connected across the positive and negative rails of the bus, and a microprocessor. The circuit includes a semiconductor switch. The microprocessor provides an output signal at a first voltage level that opens the switch and prevents discharge of the HVDC bus when the microprocessor is operating normally, and at a default second voltage level that closes the switch in the presence of a predetermined vehicle condition to thereby discharge the HVDC bus. An optocoupler may receive the output signal, and a zener diode may be in electrical parallel with an output side of the optocoupler. The switch may be an insulated gate bipolar transistor or a thyristor in different embodiments. | 10-31-2013 |
20140118868 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FAULT PROTECTION - Systems and methods for a fault protection are provided that can be implemented in a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) to limit the magnitude of a current that flows when an AC-to-chassis fault (ACF) occurs between an AC connection and the chassis of the HEV. An electric machine having a winding, an inverter sub-module (ISM) having a first switch and a second switch, and fault protection elements (FPEs), coupled to the ISM, are provided. The winding is coupled to the ISM coupled via the AC connection. The FPEs can include, for example, first and second inductances. To limit the magnitude of the current, the current can be passed along a first current path that includes the second inductance when the first switch is closed, and can be passed along a second current path that includes the first inductance when the second switch is closed. | 05-01-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090110210 | Vehicle Audio System Including Door-Mounted Components - An audio system includes mounting one or more speakers on the surface between an exterior side panel and an interior side panel of a door on a vehicle. The one or more speakers may face substantially along an axis in the longitudinal direction of the door. When the door is open, a cover may be controlled to extend over and close an opening in the interior side panel, thereby allowing sound from the one or more speakers to project to an exterior of the vehicle. When the door is closed, the cover may be controlled to expose the opening, thereby allowing sound from the one or more speakers to enter an interior of the vehicle through the opening. | 04-30-2009 |
20100074453 | Spare Tire Cover-Mounted Loudspeaker - A spare wheel well cover includes an electro-acoustic transducer coupled to an opening in the spare wheel well cover. The spare wheel well cover and loudspeaker are arranged to cooperate with a spare wheel well to form an acoustic volume when the spare wheel well cover is secured to the spare wheel well | 03-25-2010 |
20100091997 | Integrated Vehicle Audio System - A loudspeaker, amplifier, media source, user interface, and mechanical interface are all contained in a single unit. The unit has a first portion configured to mount in a vehicle radio mounting location and a second portion configured to extend significantly outside the vehicle radio mounting location. | 04-15-2010 |
20130259258 | Vehicle Loudspeaker Module - An audio module for use in a vehicle cabin. An elongated substantially sealed enclosure has two ends in the lengthwise direction. A first acoustic driver is mounted in the enclosure near one end of the enclosure for radiating acoustic energy from the end of the enclosure. A second acoustic driver is mounted in the enclosure near a second end of the enclosure for radiating acoustic energy from the second end of the enclosure. The audio module includes a bass augmenting device for radiating low frequency acoustic energy from the enclosure. The audio module is constructed and arranged to be pre-assembled so that the audio module can be installed in the vehicle as a single assembly. The audio module is configured to be mounted to the vehicle so that the lengthwise direction is substantially vertical with the first end of the enclosure higher than the second end of the enclosure. | 10-03-2013 |