Tech Briefs
LEED shows Intertronics

The Intertronics Innovation Center displays LEED Intertronics products and technologies, which represent a mix of current production and inventive concepts ready for implementation. The multifunction turn signal control is an integrated mechatronic control mounted on the steering column and was created through a collaboration between LEED and Panasonic. The integrated seat adjuster module is a mechatronic product that combines in one package the consumer interface control and the multiplexed electronic control for seat adjustment, power lumbar support, memory function, and heated seat.

The growth of interior electronics led Lear Electronics and Electrical Division (LEED) to develop Intertronics. "The significance of Intertronics is our unique ability to integrate electronics in vehicle interior systems," Kenneth Way, Lear Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said at the grand opening of the LEED Product Development Center and Intertronics Innovation Center in Dearborn, MI. The 7245-m² (78,000-ft²) technical facilities campus underwent $13 million in renovations and upgrades following Lear Corp.'s May 1999 acquisition of United Technologies Automotive.

Several production-ready interior control systems were on display. The company's multifunction turn signal control puts all controls on a dual stock in various combinations of hazard lights, headlamps, parking lamp, fog lamps, front/rear window wiper and washer, cruise control, high-/low-headlamp beams, turn signal functions, the clock spring or rotary connector, and the electronic control modules. The design saves weight, cost, and space and utilizes just three wires. The integrated, mechatronic control is mounted on the steering column. It was created in collaboration with Panasonic (specifically the Electromechanical Components Division of Matsushita Electronic Components Co., Ltd., of Osaka, Japan).

Parts consolidation is leading to the integration of switches and electronics behind a customized trim panel. "This is a trend because it simplifies what the OEM has to modify inside the vehicle in order to restyle it for a particular model year or customer," said David Hein, Manager of Advanced Systems Architecture for Lear. What remains a package standard are the electronics and switch cell technology, but the facing and features such as climate controls, audio controls, and headlamp switches can vary.

The customized multifunction trim panel with integrated switches and electronics is expected to debut in the 2003 model year.

Kami Buchholz