Patents Assigned to Gecom Corporation
  • Patent number: 11560182
    Abstract: A latch system for a vehicle includes a synchronizer and a lock unit. The synchronizer is configured to block and allow release of a number of latches of the vehicle such that some latches are blocked from being released if other latches are already released. The lock unit is configured to block selectively the release of the number of latches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2023
    Assignee: GECOM Corporation
    Inventors: Peter O. Keller, Anil K. Jain
  • Patent number: 11286707
    Abstract: An opening and closing system includes a first human detection sensor configured to detect a vehicle user who enters a first area defined on a periphery of a vehicle body, a lamp visible by the vehicle user who enters the first area, and a control device configured to control an unlocking operation of the lock device, a closing operation of the striker device, a pop-up operation of the striker device, and switching on and off of the lamp. The control device switches on the lamp when the vehicle user is detected by the first human detection sensor and starts the controlling of the unlocking operation of the lock device and the closing operation and the pop-up operation of the striker device in response to the lamp being switched on.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignees: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION, GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michio Ohashi, Satoru Nishizawa, Takashi Teraoka
  • Patent number: 11203888
    Abstract: Latches including a slot having a length that allows a striker of the latch to move from a normal closed position downwardly toward the closed bottom of the slot into an over travel position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Gecom Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler
  • Patent number: 11174662
    Abstract: A drive apparatus includes a sun gear, a ring gear, a carrier which supports planetary gears, a drive source which drives the ring gear as an input element, and fixing mechanism which fixes selectively one output element of the sun gear as a first output element and the carrier as a second output element so as not to rotate, and driving force is outputted from the other output element which is other than the one output element of the sun gear and the carrier fixed by the fixing mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Yokota
  • Patent number: 11035156
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door latch device comprises a locking motor; a locking rotary member that can be rotated by the locking motor; a locking mechanism comprising a mechanical element that can be shifted to an unlock state or a lock state by rotation of the locking rotary member; a releasing motor; and an electric release lever pivotally mounted to a housing via a release shaft and rotated by the releasing motor to enable an engagement mechanism to be released regardless of a state of the locking mechanism. If an entering line along which a striker enters a striker entering groove of a body to engage with the engagement mechanism is defined as a striker entering line, a case for the locking motor is positioned above the striker entering line and a case for the releasing motor is positioned below the striker entering line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Gecom Corporation
    Inventors: Cristian Damboiu, Bryan Farris
  • Patent number: 10907384
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door latch device comprises an engagement unit that can engage with a striker and an operating unit attached to the engagement unit. The operating unit comprises an operating mechanism. The operating mechanism comprises a locking motor; a locking mechanism comprising mechanical elements that can be shifted to an unlock state and a lock state based on drive of the locking motor; an electric release motor for releasing the opening lever regardless of a state of the locking mechanism based on drive of the releasing motor; and an inside lever that is pivotally mounted, via a first shaft, for pivotally mounting the electric release lever to a housing and is rotated based on a door opening action of the internal mechanical elements thereby releasing the opening lever, when the locking mechanism is in an unlock state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian Damboiu, Bryan Farris
  • Patent number: 10837205
    Abstract: A motor vehicle door latch device that prevents a latch from being held in a half-latch position when a door opens and enables itself to be smaller. The door latch device comprises a latch that is pivotally mounted via a first shaft to engage with a striker; a pawl that can hold the latch in a full-latch or a half-latch position; a memory lever pivotally mounted via a third shaft not to overlap the latch or the pawl, the memory lever enables holding the pawl in a release position without the full-latch position or half-latch position when the pawl rotates in a releasing direction from the full-latch position; and a releasing portion enabling the pawl to rotate from the release position to the half-latch or full-latch position when the latch rotates from the full-latch position toward an open position to be in between the half-latch position and the open position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Katsuyuki Ishiguro
  • Patent number: 10829965
    Abstract: Provide a door latch device that allowing a childproof-double-lock mechanism is simplified and the size of the door latch device is miniaturized. While supporting a childproof lever and a double lock lever by a support shaft, coordinating the childproof lever and the double lock lever by an interlocking means and for moving the double lock lever in the direction of a double-lock position in conjunction with the childproof lever and the double lock lever move to the 3rd position from the 2nd position where is a childproof lock position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Gecom Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler, Aaron Martin
  • Patent number: 10697205
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch device comprises a latch; a ratchet for releasing the latch; a first lever that can rotate in a releasing direction from an initial position due to releasing of the ratchet, a synthetic resin part being fixed to a metal part on the first lever; a first spring biasing the first lever toward the initial position, a second lever pivotally mounted to the first lever via a second shaft at a certain angle and rotating from the initial position to a block position for preventing the first lever from rotating in a releasing direction; a second spring comprising a torsion spring for biasing the second lever toward the initial position; and a holding member made of the synthetic resin part and holding a coil of the second spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM Corporation
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Bryan Farris
  • Patent number: 10641017
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch device comprises an engagement mechanism housing having a striker entering groove into which a striker can enter, a cover member occluding an opening of the engagement mechanism housing, a latch pivotally mounted in the engagement mechanism housing and capable of engaging with the striker which has entered the striker entering groove, a ratchet pivotally mounted in the engagement mechanism housing and capable of engaging with the latch, and movable elements relating to the operation of the ratchet. The housing has a guide path through which the invasion fluid can be guided to an outside direction of a region that the movable elements are disposed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Shigekazu Sugo
  • Patent number: 10641016
    Abstract: A door latch device is provided which has a childproof locking mechanism of which a childproof lever is pivotally supported by a support shaft. The childproof lever of the childproof locking mechanism is pivotally supported on a casing by the support shaft extending in a transverse direction of a vehicle. This mechanism shifting between a childproof unlock state, in which a door opening operation by an inside handle is transmitted to an engagement mechanism, and a childproof lock state, in which this opening operation is not transmitted, and a manual operation part is formed at an end portion of the childproof lever in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle perpendicular to the support shaft such that this manual operation part passes through a cover member and projects backward.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian Damboiu, Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler
  • Patent number: 10626638
    Abstract: A door latch device having a motor cover for covering a motor and connection parts thereof, wherein the motor cover in a size for covering the motor from a vehicle interior side is formed to a switch member housed in a casing, connection parts of the motor are respectively connected to conductive members of the switch member on a vehicle-exterior-side side face of the motor cover, and the motor 44 and the connection parts thereof are covered with the motor cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Brian Kepler, Aaron Martin, Bryan Farris
  • Patent number: 10597909
    Abstract: A door latch device which allows shared use of a connector for use in door latch devices equipped with standard electric components and a connector for use in door latch devices equipped with special electric components in addition to the standard electric components, thereby achieving an increase in the efficiency of the work of connecting to an external connector and a reduction in costs. A connector (32) of a standard switch plate (26) has a coupling hole (51) which penetrates, in the connecting direction of the external connector, a portion having no standard connecting terminals (304). The coupling hole (51) can be fitted with another switch plate (46) that allows the passage of electric current through electric components different than the standard electric components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Cristian Damboiu, Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler, Aaron Martin
  • Patent number: 10597914
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch device comprises an outside lever, a locking lever, a holding member, an opening link and a spring. The spring applies an urging force, smaller than an elastic holding force of the holding member in an unlocking direction, to the opening link. A coil is held in a holding recess of a rotation central portion of the opening link. The first arm engages with the outside lever, and the second arm engages with the opening link. If a panic state occurs, the locking lever can rotate to an unlock position, and the opening link returns to an initial position before a releasing action and is moved to the unlock position by the urging force of the spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 27, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignees: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION, GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Daisuke Enomoto
  • Patent number: 10577842
    Abstract: Latches including a slot having a length that allows a striker of the latch to move from a normal closed position downwardly toward the closed bottom of the slot into an over travel position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Gecom Corporation
    Inventors: Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler
  • Patent number: 10570649
    Abstract: A door lock apparatus has a lock mechanism for holding a vehicle door in a closed state, an assisting mechanism for assisting in closing and/or opening the vehicle door, and a driving portion for operating the assisting mechanism, and the driving portion has a plurality of motors in which output shafts are disposed parallel to each other and pinion gears are provided individually on the output shafts, a rotational shaft which is disposed parallel to the respective output shafts of the plurality of motors, an internal ring gear which is fixed to a first end portion of the rotational shaft and which meshes with the respective pinion gears of the plurality of motors, and a worm which is fixed to a second end portion of the rotational shaft and which is configured to transmit power to the assisting mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yoshiaki Yokota
  • Publication number: 20200040638
    Abstract: An opening and closing system includes a first human detection sensor configured to detect a vehicle user who enters a first area defined on a periphery of a vehicle body, a lamp visible by the vehicle user who enters the first area, and a control device configured to control an unlocking operation of the lock device, a closing operation of the striker device, a pop-up operation of the striker device, and switching on and off of the lamp. The control device switches on the lamp when the vehicle user is detected by the first human detection sensor and starts the controlling of the unlocking operation of the lock device and the closing operation and the pop-up operation of the striker device in response to the lamp being switched on.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 2, 2019
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Applicants: MITSUI KINZOKU ACT CORPORATION, GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Michio OHASHI, Satoru NISHIZAWA, Takashi TERAOKA
  • Patent number: 10471810
    Abstract: A vehicle door lock device includes a lock/unlock unit including a lock/unlock mechanism switching whether to transmit a door opening operation to a latch mechanism; and a transmission unit transmitting a lock/unlock operation to the lock/unlock unit. Further, the lock/unlock unit includes a main case housing the lock/unlock mechanism and supporting the latch mechanism, an input member having a rotation shaft passing through the main case, being coupled to the lock/unlock mechanism in the main case, and having an external coupling part outside the main case; and a cover closing an opening of the main case, the transmission unit includes a coupling member coupling a turned member to the external coupling part, and a sub case housing the coupling member, and the external coupling part protrudes from the main case in a vehicle outside direction in a state where the main case is attached to the door.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignees: Mitsui Kinzoku Act Corporation, Gecom Corporation
    Inventors: Aaron Martin, Brian Kepler, Janani Viswanathan, Bryan Farris, Hiroki Hattori
  • Patent number: 10465424
    Abstract: A vehicle door latch device comprises a latch that can engage with a striker; a ratchet that engages with the latch to hold a door closed; a stationary stopper; a first lever pivotally mounted on a first shaft to rotate from an initial position in a releasing direction; a first spring that biases the first lever toward the initial position, a second lever supported to the first lever on a second shaft and rotating between an initial position where the second lever cannot contact the stationary stopper and a blocking position where the second lever can contact the stationary stopper and prevents the first lever from rotating in the releasing direction; and a second spring that biases the second lever toward the initial position with a force greater than a biasing force of the first spring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Ishiguro, Bryan Farris
  • Publication number: 20190112841
    Abstract: Provide a door latch device allowing a childproof-double-lock mechanism is simplified and the size of the door latch device is miniaturized. While supporting a childproof lever and a double lock lever by a support shaft, coordinating the childproof lever and the double lock lever by an interlocking means and for moving the double lock lever in the direction of a double-lock position in conjunction with the childproof lever and the double lock lever move to the 3rd position from the 2nd position where is a childproof lock position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Publication date: April 18, 2019
    Applicant: GECOM CORPORATION
    Inventors: Bryan Farris, Brian Kepler, Aaron Martin