Patents Assigned to TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
  • Patent number: 6919221
    Abstract: The electronic module whose electronic components are connected by conductor tracks has a housing with a base body housing made of electrically non-conductive plastic. The base body housing is provided with recessed conduits on the inside surface of its housing wall, and a galvanizable plastic is introduced into these conduits. The conductor tracks are formed by a metallization applied onto the galvanizable plastic and they can run three-dimensionally along different wall sections of the base body housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Ralph Linke
  • Patent number: 6907965
    Abstract: A park brake system for vehicles is provided that has an actuator with an electric drive motor (36, 38) and an electronic control unit. A reduction gear has an input connected to the output of the electric motor and a pull force output member (56) for connection to mechanical brakes of the vehicle. The reduction gear has an input connected to the output of the electric motor. A command unit is connected to the electronic control unit. The reduction gear comprises a first reduction train and a second reduction train. The first reduction train includes a worm gear (42, 44) and the second reduction train includes a threaded spindle (46) and a screw nut (50) engaged with the spindle (46). The worm gear connects the spindle (46) to the output of the electric motor (36, 38). The pull force output member (56) is connected to the screw nut (50). The two-step reduction gear ensures the required high rate of reduction to generate high pull forces with a relatively compact electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Cornelius Peter
  • Patent number: 6894242
    Abstract: The rotary light switch for motor vehicles has a housing (10) and an actuating member (14) mounted rotatably. In a peripheral wall (24) of the housing, a cam surface (26) is recessed, which runs in peripheral direction and rises axially facing axially away from the actuating member. A cam follower (22) projects radially from the actuating member (14) and runs up on the cam surface on rotation of the actuating member, bearing only axially on the cam surface and forcing the actuating member (14) to move axially.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Klaus Müller, Jürgen Girke, Karl-Heinz Wohlfahrt
  • Patent number: 6893149
    Abstract: A lamp socket for a bulb has two latching hooks by means of which the lamp socket can be latched into place at a reflector, and that a spring, which can abut at the lighting means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ralf Mock, Olaf Rottstädt
  • Patent number: 6888079
    Abstract: A multifunctional pushbutton switch for a vehicle steering wheel has a plurality of pushbutton switching units with pushbutton surfaces that are close to each other in a common operating surface. The switch has a common switch housing in which actuation tappets of the pushbutton switching units are movably guided. A cap is mounted onto the switch housing. The cap is made by means of a two-component injection-molding technique of a relatively rigid plastic frame with a cutout window whose shape and size correspond to the circumference of a pushbutton surface and of a silicone membrane stretched over the window.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Markus Altmann
  • Patent number: 6863603
    Abstract: An air vent for ventilation installations in vehicles comprises a housing (10) which defines an air outlet channel (12), and a manual operating element (24) formed by a partial sphere to adjust direction and flow rate of air delivered by the vent. The operating element (24) is mounted in the housing to be rotatable about two axes perpendicular to each other. The air vent further comprises a first set of blades (18) that are pivotally mounted in the air outlet channel (12) and coupled with each other for joint motion, an actuating arm (28) connected with the operating element (24) and adapted to pivot about one of the two axes, and a coupling link (30) connecting the blades with the actuating arm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Demerath
  • Patent number: 6860356
    Abstract: A drive for a hood on a motor vehicle, in particular an engine hood, which is movable between a closed position and a lifted position that is abruptly achieved in the case of an accident. The drive comprises a drive unit having an electric drive motor and being effective between a vehicle structure and the hood. The drive motor moves the hood into the lifted position in the case of an accident.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Cornelius Peter
  • Patent number: 6854711
    Abstract: An assembly consists of a housing and a flap unit. The housing and the flap unit are each one-piece injection-molded parts and the flap unit is mounted in the housing. The flap unit has at least two flap elements and a connection section arranged between each two flap elements. The connection section has a compensation element that can compensate for shrinkage-related length changes, in particular of the connection section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Reinhard Krause
  • Patent number: 6848263
    Abstract: A setting system for a vehicle air-conditioner is provided. The setting system allows for individual settings coupled with ergonomic functionality. The setting system comprises a control panel with a touch-sensitive display screen connected to a microcomputer-based controller having control outputs at least to a fan unit, to air distribution valves and to temperature adjusters of the air-conditioner. The display screen is adapted to display current settings and available setting options of at least (i) air flow rate, (ii) air distribution and (iii) air temperature, in the form of analog symbol representations that respond to tactile contact to vary current settings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ernst Hafner, Peter Bubb, Matthias Götz
  • Patent number: 6850412
    Abstract: A housing for an electronic monitoring device on a vehicle part such as a lead accumulator comprises a metallic, load-bearing baseplate and an injection molded, generally parallelepipedal housing body encapsulating the baseplate. The baseplate projects out of the housing body on at least one side with a cantilevered attachment section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Cornelius Peter
  • Patent number: 6848645
    Abstract: A belt retractor for a vehicle safety belt comprises a frame, a belt spool which is rotatably arranged in the frame, and a drive motor which can cooperate with a drive wheel which is coupled with the belt spool. The retractor further comprises a locking catch and locking teeth into which the locking catch can be guided in order to lock the belt spool. The drive wheel is rotatable relative to the belt spool to a limited extent and the locking catch is controlled as a function of this relative rotation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Cornelius Peter
  • Patent number: 6839240
    Abstract: A housing for electronic control devices in motor vehicles comprises a generally parallelepipedal frame of plastics and a metallic envelope with spaced parallel top and bottom walls interconnected by parallel side walls and at least one open face. The top, bottom and side walls define a space and the frame is fitted into such space. The control device includes a printed circuit board and electronic components connected to the printed circuit board and engaged in shaped holding structures of the frame. The printed circuit board is located between the bottom wall and the frame. The printed circuit board is rigidly connected to the metallic envelope by metallic fasteners extending from the top wall through the frame and to the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Robert Skofljanec, Reinhard Lange
  • Patent number: 6837357
    Abstract: A compact drive unit for actuating parking brakes is provided. The drive unit has a reduction gear that is formed by a two-stage belt drive, in combination with a drive motor that is made up of a brushless direct current motor. The two-stage belt drive preferably consists of two toothed belt drives functionally arranged in series; the direct current motor preferably has an external rotor with a rare-earth magnetic ring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Cornelius Peter
  • Publication number: 20040238339
    Abstract: A pushbutton switch having a housing (10), a push button (12) mounted in said housing for axial movement between a normal position and a depressed position, the push button being spring-loaded into the normal position and carrying an elastically mounted cam element (24), at least one micro-switch (14) arranged in the housing, and a switch actuating rocker mounted within the housing for pivotal movement, the switch actuating rocker having an actuating arm (20) for actuating the micro-switch and a transmission arm (18) engaged by the cam element to hold the actuating rocker in the normal position when the push button is in the normal position, move the actuating arm away from the micro-switch when the push button is initially depressed, move the actuating arm to a position actuating the micro-switch on movement of the push button to its depressed position, and force the actuating rocker to its normal position on return of the push button from the depressed position to the normal position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Publication date: December 2, 2004
    Applicant: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Klaus Schwarz
  • Publication number: 20040224625
    Abstract: An air vent for a ventilation system in a vehicle is disclosed that has an air circulation chamber (1) defined by a housing (9) that has a generally bulged shape. An inflow duct (2) is connected to this housing and opens into the circulation chamber (1), the housing having a perforated wall area (3). An air stream, in use, enters the circulation chamber (1) through inflow duct (2), circulates through the air circulation chamber and exits through the perforated wall area. The air vent further comprises a movable air deflection member disposed to deflect the air stream transversely to an axial direction of the inflow duct.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2004
    Publication date: November 11, 2004
    Applicant: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh & Co. KG
    Inventors: Michael Demerath, Markus Bittcher
  • Publication number: 20040217269
    Abstract: An optoelectronic angle-of-rotation sensor, in particular for detecting the steering angle in a vehicle steering system, comprises a light source, a photosensitive receiver, and a code disk which can be coupled to a component whose angle of rotation should be detected. The code disk is at least partly transparent for the light of the light source and is provided with an optical coding. The code disk constitutes a light guide and comprising a coupling surface via which the light of the light source enters the code disk, and comprising at least one deflection surface which deflects the light rays to the photosensitive receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2004
    Publication date: November 4, 2004
    Applicant: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Andreas Kall, Harald Koehnlein, Wolfgang Bruetsch, Ulf Mordau
  • Patent number: 6812415
    Abstract: A mulitfunction switch, especially a mirror adjustment switch for motor vehicles, containing a housing (4, 6), and an actuating element (36) which protrudes from the housing. Said actuating element is mounted on a supporting peg (12, 28) in such manner that it can pivot around two approximately vertical pivoting axes situated one on top of the other and actuates, according to pivoting, one of four switches (46), said switches being arranged at equal angle distances around the peg. The peg (12, 28) is rotationally fixed to the actuating element (36) and can rotate around a housing-fixed rotational axis. At least one additional switch (56) is provided whose function is determined by the rotational position of the peg. Housing-fixed shaped areas (40) determine the ability of the actuating element (36) to pivot by means of the interaction of said shaped areas with shaped surfaces (48).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Wolfgang Priesemuth
  • Patent number: 6803531
    Abstract: The electrical turn/pull switch for vehicle lighting has an operating part (14) that is mounted in a switch housing (12) so as to be rotatable as well as axially movable. The movable contact elements (22, 24, 26) of a contact carrier (20) interact with fixed contact elements (30). The contact elements for the turn switch function (22) and for the axial switch function (24, 26) are integrated on the contact carrier (20). An actuation part (16) entrained by the operating part (14) has cams and/or ramps (18) that engage the movable contact elements (24, 26) and actuate them.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2004
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Klaus Müller, Jürgen Girke
  • Publication number: 20040195723
    Abstract: In order to produce a plastic part 5 that has an opaque body 1 and a front surface with at least one translucent area delineated from an opaque area, in a first step, a blank with a recessed volume 2 is formed by means of injection molding using an opaque plastic component. The recessed volume 2 extending from an opening in a face of the blank and inwardly of the blank corresponds in shape and position to the translucent area. In a second step, at least the face of the blank is over-molded with a layer of a coloured plastic component. Hereby, the opening in the face of the blank is over-spanned by a layer of this coloured plastic component being sufficiently thin to be translucent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2004
    Publication date: October 7, 2004
    Applicant: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components Gmbh & Co. KG
    Inventor: Thomas Ebner
  • Patent number: 6800023
    Abstract: An air vent, especially for vehicle air-conditioning, comprises a frame, a plurality of vanes that are pivotally arranged around a first axis, and at least one coupling element with which each of the vanes is coupled. The coupling element is capable of being adjusted relative to the first axis between a neutral position in which the vanes are parallel to each other, and a comfort position in which at least some of the vanes are swiveled in directions opposite each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2004
    Assignee: TRW Automotive Electronics & Components GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Michael Demerath