Methods for varying seal force in active seal assemblies for doors

US8109042B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC · US

Inventors

• Geoffrey P. McKnight · Los Angeles, US
• Cameron Massey · Hawthorne, US
• William Barvosa-Carter · Ventura, US
• Christopher P. Henry · Thousand Oaks, US
• Guillermo A. Herrera · Calabasas, US
• Andrew C. Keefe · Calabasas, US
• Alan L. Browne · Grosse Pointe, US
• Nancy L. Johnson · Northville, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 9, 2005
• Grant date: Feb 7, 2012
• Expiry date: Apr 11, 2026

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10T292/11
• WIPO field: Civil engineering
• WIPO sector: Other fields

Abstract

Methods for varying seal force in active seal assemblies for doors employ active materials that can be controlled and remotely changed to alter the seal effectiveness, wherein the active materials actively change modulus properties such as stiffness, or a combination of modulus and shape in response to an activation signal. In this manner, in seal applications such as a vehicle door application, door opening and closing efforts can be minimized yet seal effectiveness can be maximized.