US 12,404,712 B2
Hands-free assembly for a passenger vehicle
Nguyen Tien Foek Le, Arlington, TX (US)
Assigned to Safran Seats USA LLC, Gainesville, TX (US)
Appl. No. 17/925,513
Filed by Safran Seats USA LLC, Gainesville, TX (US)
PCT Filed Aug. 11, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/045798
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 15, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/236138, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/026,534, filed on May 18, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0193683 A1, Jun. 22, 2023
Int. Cl. E05F 15/73 (2015.01); E06B 3/46 (2006.01)
CPC E05F 15/73 (2015.01) [E06B 3/4654 (2013.01); E05F 2015/765 (2015.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A passenger vehicle comprising a hands-free door assembly, the hands-free door assembly comprising:
a stationary wall portion, wherein the stationary wall portion comprises at least a portion of a seat shell surrounding a passenger seat compartment;
a door portion moveable along at least one linear translation track;
at least one actuator operable to move the door portion along the at least one linear translation track; and
at least one sensor positioned on at least one of the stationary wall portion or the door portion,
wherein the sensor receives a hands-free input and transmits an activation signal to the at least one actuator,
wherein the at least one actuator moves the door portion along the at least one linear translation track based on receiving the activation signal to provide access to an interior of the passenger seat compartment; and
wherein the at least one actuator includes a series of motors and gears located within an interior cavity of the stationary wall portion and at least partially along an upper edge and a lower edge of the door portion, the series of motors and gears functioning as the linear translation track and being coupled to a power source so that actuation of the series of motors and gears upon receiving power generated by the power source causes the door portion to slide into and out of the interior cavity of the stationary wall portion due to a rotational motion of the gears.