Patent 9669771 was granted and assigned to Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America on June, 2017 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
An apparatus structured for installation in a component of a vehicle is provided. The component is rotatable to any of a plurality of angular orientations relative to a remainder of the vehicle. The apparatus includes a sensing element and mounting means structured for coupling to the component so as to move with the component. The mounting means is also structured for operative coupling to the sensing element so as to enable free rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means. Retention means is provided and is structured for coupling to the component. The retention means is operable to prevent rotation of the sensing element with respect to the mounting means.