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Johnson Controls Power Seating Approach Offers Comfort Luxuries

16 October 2000

Johnson Controls Power Seating Approach Offers Comfort Luxuries Without Increased Complexity

Company's i-Seating(TM) system is an optimal
seating technology for automakers and customers

    DETROIT, Oct. 16 Imagine getting all of the power seating
comfort features -- such as heated, ventilated, self-adjusting and massage
seating -- along with more room and more reliability. Johnson Controls
is making this a reality with the development of i-Seating(TM)
(Intelligent Seating Systems) technology -- which is on display at the
Convergence 2000 International Congress on Transportation Electronics at
Detroit's Cobo Center from Oct. 16 through Oct. 18.
    A major step forward in seat control and electrical architecture,
i-Seating is a clean sheet approach that enables Johnson Controls to combine
all of the comfort options customers desire in one easy-to-use device.
    In addition, Johnson Controls' i-Seating architecture reduces the number
of wires by nearly 50 percent, reduces connections by a third and dramatically
reduces the weight and volume of the seat.
    "The i-Seating system is clearly a breakthrough in the area of power
seating," said Jim Geschke, vice president and general manager, Electronics
Integration. "This improved electrical architecture allows for new power
seating features to be added easily -- reducing complexity, enhancing
reliability and eliminating increased design and manufacturing costs."
     Johnson Controls' i-Seating system is an innovative and reliable
combination of cutting-edge technology and economic efficiency. It combines
the logic of a traditional seat controller into a smart switch module and the
high current portion of the controller into the motors, thereby eliminating
the need for a separate seat control module. In addition to reducing overall
mass and improving packaging, this approach enhances reliability due to the
reduction of components, interconnects, wires and terminations.
    Johnson Controls' one-source seating system and interior integration
expertise leads to greater master planning flexibility and frees up valuable
seat real estate for additional comfort and convenience features.
    "Customers in every vehicle segment are looking for more comfort and more
control. With i-Seating technology, everyone involved benefits," said Geschke.
"The automaker gets a complete, integrated seating system directly from one
supplier -- simplifying the business model -- and the vehicle consumer
receives more comfort-pleasing options."
    The automotive business of Johnson Controls -- which employs more than
65,000 people at 275 facilities worldwide -- achieved US$12.1 billion in sales
for the 1999 fiscal year. In model-year 2000, it will supply interior products
for more than 23 million vehicles.