Vehicle seat having a folded position

• US 20020130542A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Co.
• Original Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Co.
• Inventors: Kammerer, Joachim, Kunz, Holger, Kuschmann, Ralph, Ellerich, Frank
• Granted Patent: US 6,595,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/331
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01583 locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0292 Multiple configuration seats, e.g. for spacious vehicles or mini-buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame

Abstract

In a vehicle seat (1), in particular a motor-vehicle rear-seat bench, which takes up at least one seat position and at least one non-use or folded position in order to enlarge the loading area, having an articulated seat frame (3, 5, 7, 9), which has a cushion carrier (21) provided with a seat cushion (22), and having a backrest (27), which is coupled to the seat frame (3, 5, 7, 9) and has a backrest cushion (30), in which, during the transformation from the seat position into the non-use or folded position, the seat frame (3, 5, 7, 9) moves onto itself, and the backrest (27) and the cushion carrier (21) move relative to each other, the moving of a single part (5) of the vehicle seat (1) causes both a movement of the seat frame (3, 5, 7, 9) and a relative movement of the backrest (27) and the cushion carrier (21).

Claims

1. A vehicle seat that can be transformed in order to enlarge an area that is for being loaded, the vehicle seat comprising:

an articulated seat frame including a cushion carrier, with the cushion carrier carrying a seat cushion; and

a backrest including a backrest cushion, wherein the backrest is coupled to the seat frame in a manner so that the vehicle seat can be transformed from at least one seat position to at least one folded position, there is relative movement between parts of the seat frame while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, there is relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and moving of a single part of the vehicle seat causes both movement of the seat frame and relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat frame has a first four-bar linkage, and the backrest is coupled to the seat frame by way of a second four-bar linkage.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein said single part is part of both of the four-bar linkages.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein said single part is a rear foot of the vehicle seat.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the second four-bar linkage and the first four-bar linkage are constructed so that a pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage and a pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage occur while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, with the pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage substantially equalizing the pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the seat frame includes a front and a rear, a longitudinal direction extends from the front to the rear while the vehicle seat is in the seat position, the equalizing of the pivoting movements of the first and second four-bar linkages causes the backrest to be displaced in the longitudinal direction while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the backrest includes opposite sides, with one of the sides of the backrest facing the backrest cushion and the other of the sides of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion, and the side of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion bears against the seat cushion while the vehicle seat is in the folded position.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a gas-filled compression spring connected to said single part for at least partially causing said moving of said single part of the vehicle seat.

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein the gas-filled compression spring is for moving said single part of the vehicle seat in a manner that causes the vehicle seat to be transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

10. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein:

the movement of the seat frame that is caused by said moving of said single part is the relative movement between the parts of the seat frame that occurs while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and

the relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier that is caused by said moving of said single part is the relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier that occurs while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position,

whereby the moving of said single part causes the vehicle seat to be transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

11. A vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein:

the movement of the seat frame that is caused by said moving of said single part is the relative movement between the parts of the seat frame that occurs while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and

the relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier that is caused by said moving of said single part is the relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier that occurs while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position,

whereby the moving of said single part causes the vehicle seat to be transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

12. A vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the second four-bar linkage and the first four-bar linkage are constructed so that a pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage and a pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage occurs while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, with the pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage substantially equalizing the pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage, and wherein the seat frame includes a front and a rear, a longitudinal direction extends from the front to the rear while the vehicle seat is in the seat position, and the equalizing of the pivoting movements of the first and second four-bar linkages causes the backrest to be displaced in the longitudinal direction while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

13. A vehicle seat according to claim 12, wherein the backrest includes opposite sides, with one of the sides of the backrest facing the backrest cushion and the other of the sides of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion, and the side of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion bears against the seat cushion while the vehicle seat is in the folded position.

14. A vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the second four-bar linkage and the first four-bar linkage are constructed so that a pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage and a pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage occur while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, with the pivoting movement of the second four-bar linkage substantially equalizing the pivoting movement of the first four-bar linkage.

15. A vehicle seat according to claim 14, wherein the seat frame includes a front and a rear, a longitudinal direction extends from the front to the rear while the vehicle seat is in the seat position, and the equalizing of the pivoting movements of the first and second four-bar linkages causes the backrest to be displaced in the longitudinal direction while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

16. A vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein the backrest includes opposite sides, with one of the sides of the backrest facing the backrest cushion and the other of the sides of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion, and the side of the backrest facing away from the backrest cushion bears against the seat cushion while the vehicle seat is in the folded position.

17. A vehicle seat according to claim 16, further comprising a gas-filled compression spring connected to said single part for at least partially causing said moving of said single part of the vehicle seat.

18. A vehicle seat according to claim 17, wherein the gas-filled compression spring is for moving said single part of the vehicle seat in a manner that causes the vehicle seat to be transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

19. A vehicle seat that can be transformed in order to enlarge an area that is for being loaded, the vehicle seat comprising:

an articulated seat frame including a cushion carrier and an adjuster, with the cushion carrier carrying a seat cushion, and the adjuster being operative for moving the cushion carrier between positions, wherein the adjuster is selected from a group consisting of;

a height adjuster for moving the cushion carrier between heights, and

a longitudinal adjuster, wherein the seat frame includes a front and a rear, a longitudinal direction extends from the front to the rear, and the longitudinal adjuster is for moving the cushion carrier in the longitudinal direction; and

a backrest including a backrest cushion, wherein the backrest is coupled to the seat frame in a manner so that the vehicle seat can be transformed from at least one seat position to at least one folded position, wherein there is relative movement between parts of the seat frame while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, there is relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and the adjuster moves the cushion carrier between the positions while the seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position.

20. A vehicle seat that can be transformed in order to enlarge an area that is for being loaded, the vehicle seat comprising:

an articulated seat frame including a cushion carrier, with the cushion carrier carrying a seat cushion; and

a backrest including a backrest cushion, wherein the backrest is coupled to the seat frame in a manner so that the vehicle seat can be transformed from at least one seat position to at least one folded position, wherein there is relative movement between parts of the seat frame while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and there is relative movement between the backrest and the cushion carrier while the vehicle seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position, and the cushion carrier folds upward to the backrest while the seat is transformed from the seat position to the folded position.