Patents Assigned to Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
  • Patent number: 7350867
    Abstract: A seat for a vehicle is provided with a sliding device including a slide-lock mechanism, the sliding device sliding a seat body in a case of releasing the slide-lock mechanism, a seatback including a reclining device, the seatback being tilted forward in a case of releasing the reclining device, a seat cushion including a tip-up device, the seat cushion being tipped up in a case of operating the tip-up device and a walk-in mechanism including a lever, the walk-in mechanism configured to release the slide-lock mechanism, release the reclining device and operate the tip-up device in proportion to a shifting length of the lever. The tip-up device is operated in a case where the lever is shifted in an intermediate position and the slide-lock mechanism and the reclining device are released in a case where the lever is shifted in an end position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Gil Sam Park
  • Patent number: 7284795
    Abstract: An automobile seat having a seat cushion, a seatback, and a headrest is disclosed. The headrest includes a stay and a headrest main body. The stay is generally U-shaped and is detachably coupled to the seatback. The stay includes a generally horizontal portion having an axis. The headrest main body is rotatably coupled to the horizontal portion of the stay and includes a receiving port for receiving the horizontal portion of the stay. The headrest main body rotates around the axis of the horizontal portion of the stay. The receiving port is located at a position that is coaxial with the axis of the horizontal portion of the stay.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuya Sato, Makoto Sawazaki
  • Patent number: 6869145
    Abstract: In a seatback frame for a vehicle seat having a seatback and a seat cushion and equipped with a seat belt of a three-point type, a pipe frame formed along an external shape of the seatback and a vertically extending tower frame located in the seatback at the same side as a belt-through member of the seat belt of the three-point type and fixedly connected to the pipe frame are provided. The tower frame includes an outer side bracket, an inner side bracket, both of which are formed of vertically extending, elongated metal sheets each formed in a substantially C-shaped cross section and both of which are coupled to one another in abutting engagement with one another to form an internal space, and an intermediate brace member incorporated in the internal space to provide a reinforcement rib structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2005
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Noriyoshi Matsunuma
  • Patent number: 6817672
    Abstract: In a seatback frame for a vehicle seat having a seatback and a seat cushion and equipped with a seat belt of a three-point type, a pipe frame formed along an external shape of the seatback and a vertically extending tower frame located in the seatback at the same side as a belt-through member of the seat belt of the three-point type and fixedly connected to the pipe frame are provided. The tower frame includes an outer side bracket, an inner side bracket, both of which are formed of vertically extending, elongated metal sheets each formed in a substantially C-shaped cross section and both of which are coupled to one another in abutting engagement with one another to form an internal space, and an intermediate brace member incorporated in the internal space to provide a reinforcement rib structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2004
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Noriyoshi Matsunuma
  • Patent number: 6702377
    Abstract: A vehicle seat back assembly is provided with: a seat back frame including, at both sides thereof, at least side frames; a head rest support member supported with upper distal ends of the side frames to be rotatable; a pressure receiving member supported with the head rest support member and remaining in a position to receive an impact load caused by a rear-end collision of a vehicle; a head rest holder supported with the head rest support member; and a head rest supported with the head rest holder to be moveable in upper and lower directions. The head rest support member has an upper wall segment, a rear facing wall segment bent from the upper wall segment and extending downward, and a support section supporting the head rest holder at the upper wall segment and a portion extending from the rear facing wall segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2004
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Nobuyuki Nakano
  • Patent number: 6648395
    Abstract: A vehicle rear seat is provided with a seat cushion, a seat back connected to the seat cushion and foldable from an upright position to a forwardly folded position over the seat cushion, and a retainer board mounted to a rear surface of the seat back for tilting movement. The seat back has a body portion and a decorative cover placed over the body portion. The decorative cover has an upper decorative cover component and a rear decorative cover component. The retainer board includes a core material, a decorative cover composed of one cover element and the other cover element opposing to the one cover element to enclose the core material, and a mount segment extending from the retainer board and connected to the rear decorative cover component of the seat back. The mount segment serves as a hinge to enable the retainer board to be placed in an inoperative rest position and in an operative unfold position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hoshino
  • Patent number: 6634713
    Abstract: The invention provided a reclining apparatus is provided with a fixed plate in which a guide portion having a pair of mutually opposing guide walls is provided, a shaft provided in the fixed plate so as to freely rotate around an axis in a horizontal direction, a rotary plate relatively rotating around the shaft with respect to the fixed plate and in which an internal gear is provided along a circular arc around the shaft, a slide gear received between respective guide walls of the guide portion and freely moving between a lock position engaged with the internal gear and a lock canceling position moving apart from the internal gear, and a cam member mounted to the shaft and rotated by the shaft, thereby moving the slide gear to the lock position and the lock canceling position. A wall portion protruding to a side of the internal gear and a side of the guide portion in a plan view is provided in the slide gear, and a side surface of the wall portion is slidably in contact with the guide portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2003
    Assignees: NHK Spring Co., Ltd., Johnson Controls Automotive System Corporation
    Inventors: Masaaki Nonomiya, Isao Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6616230
    Abstract: A vehicle seat assembly is provided with a seat frame supporting a seat cushion, a pair of lateral slide units longitudinally spaced to each other and coupled to the seat frame for lateral sliding movement of the seat cushion, and a pair of longitudinal slide units laterally spaced to each other and adapted to be fixedly secured to a floor panel of a vehicle body for longitudinal sliding movement of the seat cushion. The lateral slide units is coupled to the longitudinal slide units. Also, the lateral slide units include front and rear stationary rails, which are longitudinally spaced to each other and supported with the longitudinal slide units, and front and rear movable rails, which are longitudinally spaced to each other and held in engagement with the stationary rails for the lateral sliding movement of the seat cushion, respectively, and the front and rear movable rails of the lateral slide units form a part of the seat frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Naoki Niikura
  • Patent number: 6588722
    Abstract: Roller receiving step portions (12f) are formed in both sides of a bottom portion of a main body portion (12a) in a lower rail (12). A roller (27) is inserted between the step portions (12f) in the lower rail (12) and an upper wall (13d) in an upper rail (13). Left and right roller portions (27A, 27B) are formed so as to be separated into left and right sections in a substantially center portion of the roller (27). An elastic washer (28) corresponding to an elastic body is inserted to a roller shaft (47c) at the separated position of the roller (27). Taper surfaces (41) are formed in both side portions (27a) of the roller (27) and are mounted on taper surfaces (43) formed in the step portions (12f) in the lower rail (12) and downward inclined toward a center in a width direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Moriyuki Eguchi, Ryo Fujimoto, Tomonori Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6578810
    Abstract: Roller receiving steps (12f) are formed in both sides of a bottom portion of a main body portion (12a) in a long lower rail (12). An upper rail (13) is formed by a main body portion (13a) and a vertical wall (13e) protruding upward from a center of an upper wall (13d) and protruding upward from an opening portion (12e). A roller (27) is inserted to a portion between the step (12f) in the bottom portion of the main body portion (12a) and the upper wall (13d) of the main body portion (13a) in the upper rail (13). Circular arc surfaces (27d) are formed in both side portions (27a) of the roller (27). The circular arc surfaces (27d) in both side portions (27a) of the roller (27) are mounted to circular arc surfaces (28) of the steps (12f).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2003
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Moriyuki Eguchi, Ryo Fujimoto
  • Patent number: 6575420
    Abstract: An engaging and sliding portion (21) having a substantially inverted-U cross sectional shape is formed in a lower base (11). An upper base (13) is arranged via an engaging and sliding portion (21) of the lower base (11) and a first rolling member (23). A sliding portion (25) having a substantially U cross sectional shape and engaging with the engaging and sliding portion (21) is formed in a holding member (15). A second rolling member (27) is provided between the sliding portion (25) of the holder (15) and the engaging and sliding portion (21) of the lower base (11). A recess (13a) is formed at a position of an adhered portion of the holder (15) in the upper base (13). A position of an adhered portion in a seat main body is formed in a substantially linear shape. A mounting portion (15a) having a substantially inverted-U cross sectional shape is formed in the holder (15). A rotating lever (45) having a lock hook (45a) inserted to a lock hole (62) of the lower base (11) is pivoted to the upper base (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Tomonori Yoshida, Moriyuki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 6497397
    Abstract: First hook portions (15) are formed at front end portions in a side of an opening portion (12e) of a main body portion (12a) in a long lower rail (12), and second hook portions (17) are formed in lower portions of both side portions (12b) in the main body portion (12a). First engagement portions (18) engaged with the first hook portions (15) in the long lower rail (12) are formed in upper walls (13d) in an upper rail (13). Projection portions (18a) are formed in the first engagement portions (18) so as to protrude to the side of the first hook portions (15). Second engagement portions (19) engaged with the second hook portions (17) in the long lower rail (12) are formed in front end sides of both side portions (13b) of the main body portion (13a) in the upper rail (13).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2002
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventors: Ryo Fujimoto, Tomonori Yoshida
  • Patent number: 6305658
    Abstract: An automotive power seat sliding device comprises first and second lower rails secured to a vehicle floor; first and second upper rails slidably and respectively engaged with the first and second lower rails and supporting thereon a seat; a cross beam member having both ends secured to the first and second upper rails respectively, so that the first and second upper rails slide on and along the first and second lower rails like a single unit; a drive shaft extending along the first upper rail and having a spiral groove formed therearound; a nut member secured to the first lower rail and operatively engaged with the drive shaft; an electric power unit supported by the cross beam member for rotating the drive shaft about an axis thereof; a supporting member connected to the first upper rail for rotatably supporting one end portion of the drive shaft; and a protector bracket secured to the first upper rail and having a recessed structure into which the other end of the drive shaft is received without contacting
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Johnson Controls Automotive Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Shinichiro Kita