Patents by Inventor Wonhee Michael Kim
Wonhee Michael Kim 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).
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Patent number: 11975643Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, a seat back pivotally moveable between an upright position and a reclined position, and at least one upper arm support selectively moveable between a stowed position and an extended position, the at least one upper arm support adapted to provide support for an upper arm of an occupant when the seat back of the vehicle seat is in the reclined position and the at least one upper arm support is in the extended position.Type: GrantFiled: April 21, 2022Date of Patent: May 7, 2024Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Nilesh D Mankame, Chin-hsu Lin, Paul W Alexander, Wonhee Michael Kim, Manuel Forero Rueda
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Publication number: 20240097263Abstract: A battery includes a housing defining a sealed chamber, a battery pack positioned within the sealed chamber, and a shape memory alloy member that is adapted to axially compress the volume within the sealed chamber to pressurize the sealed chamber to an optimal pressure, and to automatically allow axial expansion of the volume of the sealed chamber in response to an increase of the pressure within the sealed chamber to maintain the pressure within the sealed chamber at the optimal pressure.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 20, 2022Publication date: March 21, 2024Inventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Hanho Yun
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Patent number: 11912546Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air, a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, the inflatable structure moveable between a stowed profile and a final support profile, wherein the bladder is pressurized and expanded axially and the plurality of tethers are fully extended and restrict further movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, a pulley assembly mounted within the bottom end cap, wherein in the stowed support profile, the plurality of tethers are wound onto the pulley assembly, the pulley assembly adapted to allow selective extension of the tethers allowing axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple intermediary support profiles capable of supporting compressive loading.Type: GrantFiled: May 26, 2022Date of Patent: February 27, 2024Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Paul W. Alexander, Yun Ju Kim, Diann Brei, Koray Benli, Jonathan E. Luntz, Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz
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Publication number: 20230382697Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air, a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, the inflatable structure moveable between a stowed profile and a final support profile, wherein the bladder is pressurized and expanded axially and the plurality of tethers are fully extended and restrict further movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, a pulley assembly mounted within the bottom end cap, wherein in the stowed support profile, the plurality of tethers are wound onto the pulley assembly, the pulley assembly adapted to allow selective extension of the tethers allowing axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple intermediary support profiles capable of supporting compressive loading.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Paul W. Alexander, Yun Ju Kim, Diann Brei, Koray Benli, Jonathan E. Luntz, Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz
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Publication number: 20230383811Abstract: An inflatable structure includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, a bladder attached to the top and bottom end caps and configured to hold pressurized air therebetween, and a plurality of tethers disposed within the bladder, each tether in the plurality of tethers having a first end coupled to the top end cap and a second end coupled to the bottom end cap, wherein when the bladder is inflated, the bladder expands axially forcing the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another, the plurality of tethers adapted to restrict movement of the top end cap and the bottom end cap away from one another and limit axial expansion of the bladder, wherein, at least one of the plurality of tethers is elastic, and the inflatable structure is adapted to provide multiple support profiles that are capable of supporting compressive loading.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 26, 2022Publication date: November 30, 2023Inventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Paul W. Alexander, Diann Brei, Jonathan E. Luntz, Koray Benli
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Publication number: 20230339375Abstract: A vehicle seat includes a seat cushion, a seat back pivotally moveable between an upright position and a reclined position, and at least one upper arm support selectively moveable between a stowed position and an extended position, the at least one upper arm support adapted to provide support for an upper arm of an occupant when the seat back of the vehicle seat is in the reclined position and the at least one upper arm support is in the extended position.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 21, 2022Publication date: October 26, 2023Inventors: Nilesh D. Mankame, Chin-hsu Lin, Paul W Alexander, Wonhee Michael Kim, Manuel Forero Rueda
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Patent number: 11760292Abstract: A sleeping occupant crash protection system includes an occupant sleeping compartment positioned within an autonomous vehicle. A substantially flat platform of the occupant sleeping compartment supports an occupant reclining in a horizontal sleep position. An elastic bedsheet is positioned in direct contact with an upper surface of the platform positioned between the occupant and the platform. A sensing system is in communication with the occupant sleeping compartment and triggers deployment of a bedsheet displacement system during a vehicle rapid deceleration event.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2021Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Yi-Pen Cheng, Chin-hsu Lin, Louis D. Thole, Wonhee Michael Kim
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Patent number: 11698683Abstract: A distributed inflatable touch sensing system is provided. The distributed inflatable touch sensing system includes a sensing bladder array, the sensing bladder array having a plurality of bladders, passageways, and ports in fluid communication. The system further includes a pressure regulator in fluid communication with one of the plurality of ports for regulating a pressure in the sensing bladder array. The system further includes a plurality of sensors, each in fluid communication with one of the plurality of ports, for measuring the pressure in the sensing bladder array. The system further includes a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors. The processor is configured to determine which of the plurality of bladders has been depressed by a user.Type: GrantFiled: May 12, 2022Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Paul W. Alexander, Diann Brei, Jonathan E. Luntz, Koray Benli, Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz, James Menno Nykamp
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Patent number: 11658544Abstract: A rotor for an electric motor includes a rotor core defining a first face, a second face, and an opening extending from the first face to the second face. The rotor also includes an output shaft received by the opening of the rotor core and a valve disposed within a passageway of the output shaft. The valve controls a flowrate of the coolant and is actuated into a fully opened position at a maximum operating temperature of the rotor. The valve includes a stem having a first end portion and a second end portion, a plug disposed at the first end portion of the stem, a valve seat disposed opposite to the plug, and a shape memory alloy actuator that expands to urge the stem of the valve and the plug away from the valve seat and into the fully opened position at the maximum operating temperature.Type: GrantFiled: August 10, 2021Date of Patent: May 23, 2023Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, SeungHwan Keum
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Publication number: 20230126971Abstract: A sleeping occupant crash protection system includes an occupant sleeping compartment positioned within an autonomous vehicle. A substantially flat platform of the occupant sleeping compartment supports an occupant reclining in a horizontal sleep position. An elastic bedsheet is positioned in direct contact with an upper surface of the platform positioned between the occupant and the platform. A sensing system is in communication with the occupant sleeping compartment and triggers deployment of a bedsheet displacement system during a vehicle rapid deceleration event.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 27, 2021Publication date: April 27, 2023Inventors: Yi-Pen Cheng, Chin-hsu Lin, Louis D. Thole, Wonhee Michael Kim
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Publication number: 20230047629Abstract: A rotor for an electric motor includes a rotor core defining a first face, a second face, and an opening extending from the first face to the second face. The rotor also includes an output shaft received by the opening of the rotor core and a valve disposed within a passageway of the output shaft. The valve controls a flowrate of the coolant and is actuated into a fully opened position at a maximum operating temperature of the rotor. The valve includes a stem having a first end portion and a second end portion, a plug disposed at the first end portion of the stem, a valve seat disposed opposite to the plug, and a shape memory alloy actuator that expands to urge the stem of the valve and the plug away from the valve seat and into the fully opened position at the maximum operating temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 10, 2021Publication date: February 16, 2023Inventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, SeungHwan Keum
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Patent number: 11572949Abstract: An incrementally assembled skin-constrained inflatable bellows system includes a top end cap, a bottom end cap, and a bellows attached to and separating the top end cap and the bottom end cap and configured to hold pressurized fluid between the top and bottom end caps. The system further includes a nozzle configured to allow fluid to enter and exit the bellows, and an inextensible skin attached to each of the top end cap, the bottom end cap, and to the bellows. The top end cap assumes a first position when the bellows is inflated via the nozzle and, when the top end cap is adjusted from the first position to a second position, the skin is configured to maintain the top end cap in the second position and constrains the bellows into a predefined rigid three-dimensional shape.Type: GrantFiled: June 8, 2022Date of Patent: February 7, 2023Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Wonhee Michael Kim, Paul W. Alexander, Diann Brei, Jonathan E. Luntz, Laura Alejandra Giner Munoz, Koray Benli, Adeline Emily Wihardja, Evan Millison