Richard J Neely

US Patent:

53780434, Jan 3, 1995

Filed:

Jun 1, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/069317

Inventors:

David C. Viano - Bloomfield Hill MI
Richard J. Neely - Casco MI
Mladen Humer - East Detroit MI

Assignee:

General Motors Corporation - Detroit MI

International Classification:

B60R 2100

US Classification:

297408

Abstract:

A vehicle seat and headrest arrangement is provided including a seat bun frame having fore and aft ends, a seatback frame joined to the bun frame adjacent the aft end of the bun frame, and a headrest pivotally attached with the seatback frame along a pivotal axis generally perpendicular to the fore and aft direction whereby, upon a rear vehicle impact, the headrest moves in a forward direction toward the head of a vehicle seat occupant.

US Patent:

55097162, Apr 23, 1996

Filed:

Nov 8, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/335591

Inventors:

David P. Kolena - Bloomfield Hills MI
Paul A. Glinski - Chesterfield MI
Robert S. Crane - Waterford MI
Mladen Humer - Eastpointe MI
David C. Viano - Bloomfield Hills MI
Richard J. Neely - Casco MI

Assignee:

General Motors Corporation - Detroit MI

International Classification:

B60R 2100

US Classification:

29721613

Abstract:

A vehicle seat is providing including a seat bottom frame; a generally U-shaped seat back frame with an upper cross member with legs pivotally mounted with respect to the seat bottom frame, the seat back cross member being generally at least approximately 470 millimeters along a line generally parallel to the torso of a seated occupant from an H point of the seated occupant, and the cross member being concavely bowed if under approximately 525 millimeters from the H point of the seated occupant; and a deformable lower cross member having ends fixably connected to the seat back legs being concavely bowed, the cross member having a major dimension oriented generally parallel to the torso of the seated occupant, the lower cross member having an upper and a lower end, the lower cross member upper end being vertically above the H point of a seated occupant when the seat back frame is positioned in a normal seating position and where in a rear crash situation, the lower cross member deforms to pivot its lower end further away from the seat back frame legs than its top end to capture the seated occupant's pelvic region between the lower cross member and the bottom frame.

US Patent:

58236279, Oct 20, 1998

Filed:

Apr 11, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/835929

Inventors:

David Charles Viano - Bloomfield Hills MI
James Peter Nini - Clinton Township, Macomb County MI
Richard Jon Neely - Casco MI
Hans Gert Nilson - Wuppertal, DE

Assignee:

General Motors Corporation - Detroit MI
Delphi Automotive Systems Deutschland GmbH - Wuppertal

International Classification:

B60R 2228

US Classification:

297471

Abstract:

A vehicle seat (10) has a lower seat frame (14) and a seat back (16) pivoted about a recliner axis (20). An occupant (22) restraining shoulder belt (26) has an upper attachment point provided by a sliding belt guide (40) fixed to the top of a resilient, flexible elongated tower (36) attached to one side of the seat back (16). The tower (36) is normally unflexed, with the same orientation as the seat back (16), but is capable of bending with the belt guide (40) down and forwardly relative to the seat back and closer to the recliner axis (20) when a forward and downward force is applied to the belt guide (40). An inertially locking belt retractor (24) is rigidly fixed to the seat (10) below the belt guide (40). The retractor (24) provides a reserve length of belt (50) that extends up along the back of the tower (36) and over the belt guide (40) and then continues into the shoulder belt (26). In the event of rapid vehicle deceleration, the belt retractor (24) locks to the belt reserve length (50) as the occupant (22) moves relatively forward into the shoulder belt (26), thereby rapidly increasing tension in the shoulder belt (26) and applying a forward and downward bending force to the upper belt guide (40) and tower (36).