Patents by Inventor Thomas Jenny

Thomas Jenny has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10442391
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a vehicle body, a drive motor, and a water tank delimited by walls. At least one airbag module includes a gas generator and an airbag configured to deploy in the area of an exterior of the motor vehicle for the protection of pedestrians or the like. The airbag module is fastened above the wall of the water tank. A device for lifting a front hood from a closed initial position into an accident position, which is partially open in the area of the front windscreen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Martin Stein
  • Patent number: 10369952
    Abstract: A backrest for a vehicle seat having a backrest side rail for supporting a side of a body of an occupant sitting on the vehicle seat, having an airbag and having a gas generator for protecting the occupant, having a hard cover housing for arrangement on the backrest side rail, wherein the hard cover housing in a lateral plan view is designed as a half shell arranged along a longitudinal extent of the backrest side rail with two longitudinal edges spaced from one another, wherein the airbag and the gas generator can be pushed in and/or are pushed in between the two longitudinal edges.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Juergen Maier
  • Patent number: 10232818
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a hinge mechanism supporting a hood and an airbag configured to deploy close to or into the exterior of the motor vehicle for protecting pedestrians. The hinge mechanism is operably for positioning the hood in a normal closed position to close off an engine compartment and a normal open position providing access to the engine compartment for servicing work. The hinge mechanism has a breakable connecting element for connecting a first part and a second part of the hinge mechanism. In the event of an accident the connecting element is broken, so that a rear end area of the hood is movable from the normal closed position into an accident position which is partly open in the area of the front windscreen. The second part is supported by a mechanism such that the hood is movable relative to the body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Jenny
  • Publication number: 20180339675
    Abstract: A seat belt retractor is provided for a vehicle and includes a safety seat belt strap for buckling up an occupant on a vehicle seat of the vehicle. The seat belt retractor also includes a regulator for regulating a seat belt restraining force level and/or a seat belt tensioner force level for the safety seat belt strap. A sensor detects restraining and/or tensioning-relevant data. A controller actuates the regulator on the basis of the restraining and/or tensioning-relevant data such that the seat belt retractor generates and/or includes the restraining and/or tensioning-relevant data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2018
    Publication date: November 29, 2018
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Jenny
  • Publication number: 20180312133
    Abstract: A motor vehicle body includes a hood, a cowl and at least one airbag arrangement. The cowl borders on a windshield of the motor vehicle body from outside and is at least partially located underneath an end of the hood. The airbag arrangement includes a housing, which is arranged underneath an end of the hood in an intermediate space therebetween. In case of a collision with a pedestrian, the airbag arrangement can be triggered and at least slightly raise the hood at a rear end opposite from the driving direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2018
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Oliver Scherf
  • Patent number: 10112577
    Abstract: An automatic seat belt retractor includes a belt reel configured to wind a seat belt and a sensor configured to permanently record a rotational speed of the belt reel. The sensor cooperates with an element that is speed-coupled to the belt reel to record the rotational speed. The automatic seat belt retractor includes a brake unit configured to decelerate the seat belt being unwound from the belt reel with a restraining force and a control module configured to control the brake unit with respect to the restraining force as a function of the rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Juergen Maier
  • Publication number: 20180281727
    Abstract: A safety belt restraint system for a seat, particularly a rear seat, of a motor vehicle includes a safety belt for the seat, a belt buckle configured to releasably fix the safety belt to the motor vehicle, a fastening element attached to the safety belt for separably latching in the belt buckle, and an airbag integrated into the safety belt. The airbag include a first section for the abdomen and the chest and a second section of the airbag for the head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2018
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Jenny
  • Patent number: 10017143
    Abstract: A side panel arrangement for a vehicle having a cladding arrangement including a first cladding element covering at least one pillar section made from a flexible and/or bendable material, and an airbag module with an inflatable airbag. The airbag module is arranged so as to be concealed behind the first cladding element. A first end side of the first cladding element is configured to border a door opening and to be fastened to the vehicle pillar. The first end side is releasable from the vehicle pillar 4 to create an outlet for the inflating airbag when the airbag module activated, or wherein the outlet for the inflating airbag is created in a base material of the first cladding element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Lars Willke
  • Patent number: 9975513
    Abstract: A protection arrangement for an occupant of a vehicle includes an air bag package and a structural component. The structural component includes a reception with a profile geometry for the air bag package. The air bag package includes a receiving section which is received in the reception. The receiving section includes a permanent press contour corresponding and/or equals to the profile geometry of the reception.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Jenny, Juergen Maier, Andreas Meinel
  • Publication number: 20180056916
    Abstract: A backrest for a vehicle seat having a backrest side rail for supporting a side of a body of an occupant sitting on the vehicle seat, having an airbag and having a gas generator for protecting the occupant, having a hard cover housing for arrangement on the backrest side rail, wherein the hard cover housing in a lateral plan view is designed as a half shell arranged along a longitudinal extent of the backrest side rail with two longitudinal edges spaced from one another, wherein the airbag and the gas generator can be pushed in and/or are pushed in between the two longitudinal edges.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas JENNY, Juergen MAIER
  • Publication number: 20170361804
    Abstract: An automatic seat belt retractor includes a belt reel configured to wind a seat belt and a sensor configured to permanently record a rotational speed of the belt reel. The sensor cooperates with an element that is speed-coupled to the belt reel to record the rotational speed. The automatic seat belt retractor includes a brake unit configured to decelerate the seat belt being unwound from the belt reel with a restraining force and a control module configured to control the brake unit with respect to the restraining force as a function of the rotational speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2017
    Publication date: December 21, 2017
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas JENNY, Juergen MAIER
  • Publication number: 20170318404
    Abstract: A transducer protection system for the protection of at least one transducer opening in a housing of a hearing device, including a support and a plurality of fibers each fixed at one end to the support and free to move on the other end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Publication date: November 2, 2017
    Inventors: Erdal Karamuk, Josef Mueller, Andi Vonlanthen, Thomas Jenny
  • Publication number: 20170282847
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a hinge mechanism supporting a hood and an airbag configured to deploy close to or into the exterior of the motor vehicle for protecting pedestrians. The hinge mechanism is operably for positioning the hood in a normal closed position to close off an engine compartment and a normal open position providing access to the engine compartment for servicing work. The hinge mechanism has a breakable connecting element for connecting a first part and a second part of the hinge mechanism. In the event of an accident the connecting element is broken, so that a rear end area of the hood is movable from the normal closed position into an accident position which is partly open in the area of the front windscreen. The second part is supported by a mechanism such that the hood is movable relative to the body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas JENNY
  • Publication number: 20170282848
    Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a vehicle body, a drive motor, and a water tank delimited by walls. At least one airbag module includes a gas generator and an airbag configured to deploy in the area of an exterior of the motor vehicle for the protection of pedestrians or the like. The airbag module is fastened above the wall of the water tank. A device for lifting a front hood from a closed initial position into an accident position, which is partially open in the area of the front windscreen.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2017
    Publication date: October 5, 2017
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas JENNY, Martin STEIN
  • Publication number: 20170057446
    Abstract: A protection arrangement for an occupant of a vehicle includes an air bag package and a structural component. The structural component includes a reception with a profile geometry for the air bag package. The air bag package includes a receiving section which is received in the reception. The receiving section includes a permanent press contour corresponding and/or equals to the profile geometry of the reception.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas JENNY, Juergen MAIER, Andreas MEINEL
  • Patent number: 9555765
    Abstract: An airbag module for a vehicle is disclosed. The airbag module includes a module housing, a gas generator in response to an impact of the vehicle, and an airbag for expanding with the gas. The airbag and the gas generator are arranged in the module housing. The airbag module includes an actuator member for carrying out a linear movement and for actuating an unlocking mechanism of an engine bonnet or hood of the vehicle. The actuator member in a position of rest is arranged within the module housing and in an activation position is arranged at least in sections outside the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Jenny
  • Publication number: 20160257281
    Abstract: An airbag module is disclosed for use in a motor vehicle, with an airbag and a gas generator. In such an airbag module, the airbag includes at least one actuator area and at least one retention area. The actuator area serves to act on a component of the motor vehicle that borders the airbag module. Further proposed is a use of such an airbag module, in which the actuator area serves to act on the front hood of the motor vehicle, and the retention area serves to cover an A-pillar of the motor vechicle, or retention areas serve to cover the A-pillar and a windshield wiper area adjacent to a windshield.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2016
    Publication date: September 8, 2016
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas JENNY
  • Publication number: 20160176377
    Abstract: A side panel arrangement for a vehicle having a cladding arrangement including a first cladding element covering at least one pillar section made from a flexible and/or bendable material, and an airbag module with an inflatable airbag. The airbag module is arranged so as to be concealed behind the first cladding element. A first end side of the first cladding element is configured to border a door opening and to be fastened to the vehicle pillar. The first end side is releasable from the vehicle pillar 4 to create an outlet for the inflating airbag when the airbag module activated, or wherein the outlet for the inflating airbag is created in a base material of the first cladding element.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2015
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Thomas JENNY, Lars WILLKE
  • Publication number: 20160121843
    Abstract: An airbag module for a vehicle is disclosed. The airbag module includes a module housing, a gas generator in response to an impact of the vehicle, and an airbag for expanding with the gas. The airbag and the gas generator are arranged in the module housing. The airbag, module includes an actuator member for carrying out a linear movement and for actuating an unlocking mechanism of an engine bonnet or hood of the vehicle. The actuator member in a position of rest is arranged within the module housing and in an activation position is arranged at least in sections outside the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2015
    Publication date: May 5, 2016
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas JENNY
  • Patent number: 9221424
    Abstract: A safety belt strap is proposed for arrangement on a vehicle seat of a motor vehicle, with a belt tensioning section. The safety belt strap is able to be shortened via the belt tensioning section. The belt tensioning section has two marginal regions and a central region, which connects the two marginal regions, with a pyrotechnic tensioning device. The pyrotechnic tensioning device is in operative connection with the belt tensioning section such that after triggering of the pyrotechnic tensioning device the two marginal regions of the belt tensioning section are moved to one another independently of the central region, in order to shorten the safety belt strap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Jenny