Vehicle seat having folding mechanism

• US 20040021355A1
• Filed: 06/24/2003
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TF-Metal Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Fuji KIKO Company Limited
• Inventors: Ohba, Mitsuharu
• Granted Patent: US 6,986,551 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/341
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/20 the back-rest being tiltable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/04, B60N2/22 , B60N2/3002 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/206 to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2352 with external pawls
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"

Abstract

A vehicle seat having a folding mechanism is comprised of a locking mechanism allowing or preventing seat sliding, a wire joined to the locking mechanism, unlocking or locking the locking mechanism when pulled or at rest respectively, a base member disposed above the locking mechanism, a first actuating member, rotatably supported on the base member, a second actuating member, rotatably supported on the base member coaxially with the first actuating member and joined to another end of the wire, allowing the wire to be at rest when in a forward position and pulling the wire when rotated by the first actuating member to a backward position when the first actuating member is rotated backward, an upper member rotatably supported on the base member, and an engaging projection member which is contactable with the first actuating member to rotate the first actuating member backward or forward.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat having a folding mechanism, the vehicle seat being both fixable and slidable forward and backward relative to the vehicle, the vehicle seat comprising:

locking means for allowing or preventing seat sliding when unlocked or locked respectively;

a wire joined to the locking means at one end thereof, the wire unlocking or locking the locking means when pulled or at rest respectively;

a base member disposed above the locking means;

a first actuating member, supported to be rotatable in a first direction and a second direction on the base member;

a second actuating member, rotatably supported on the base member coaxially with the first actuating member and joined to another end of the wire, the second actuating member allowing the wire to be at rest when in a first position and pulling the wire when rotated by the first actuating member to be in a second position when the first actuating member is rotated in the second direction;

first urging means for urging the first actuating member in the second direction, disposed between the first actuating member and the second actuating member;

second urging means for urging the second actuating member in the first direction, disposed between the base member and the second actuating member;

an upper member rotatably supported on the base member; and

an engaging projection member rotating integrally with the upper member, the engaging projection member contactable with the first actuating member to rotate the first actuating member in the first direction or the second direction.

2. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging projection member describes a rotation arc when the upper member rotates on the base member, the first actuating member lying within the rotation arc, the first actuating member being rotated as a single body with the second actuating member when the engaging projection member rotates to push the first actuating member in the second direction, the first actuating member being rotated individually when the engaging projection member rotates to push the first actuating member in the first direction.

3. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging projection member describes a rotation arc when the upper member rotates on the base member, the first actuating member comprising a pair of surfaces which lie within the rotation arc, the first actuating member being rotated in the first direction when the engaging projection member rotates to push on one of the surfaces and rotated in the second direction when the engaging projection member rotates to push on the other surface.

4. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second actuating member comprises a stopper portion abuttable against the first actuating member, the first actuating member being urged to abut against the stopper portion by the first urging means, the second actuating member being rotated by the first actuating member to be in the second position when the first actuating member is rotated in the second direction.

5. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first actuating member comprises a projection portion which abuts against the stopper portion of the second actuating member.

6. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising maintaining means for maintaining the first actuating member rotated in the second direction by the engaging projection member, by maintaining the upper member at a predetermined angle position relative to the base member.

7. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the engaging projection member contacts with the first actuating member and rotates the first actuating member in the second direction within a predetermined angle range which includes the predetermined angle position at which the upper member is maintained by the maintaining means, and the engaging projection member is out of contact with the first actuating member when the upper member is rotated to a substantially horizontal position.

8. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a stopper disk rotating coaxially and integrally with the upper member, and disk stop means for stopping rotation of the stopper disk, the upper member being maintained at a predetermined angle position relative to the base member and the engaging projection member maintaining the first actuating member rotated in the second direction when the disk stop means engages the stopper disk.

9. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 8, wherein the disk stop means comprises a stopper lever which is axially supported to be rotatable on the base member, the stopper lever existing in one of a position where engagement is possible or a position where engagement is not possible with the stopper disk, the stopper lever being urged to be in the position where engagement is possible with the stopper disk.

10. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first actuating member and the second actuating member are disposed on one side of the base member, and the maintaining means is disposed on another side of the base member.

11. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 6, further comprising one reclining apparatus on one side of the vehicle seat and another reclining apparatus on another side of the vehicle seat, the engaging projection member, the first actuating member, and the second actuating member being disposed on one reclining apparatus, the maintaining means being disposed on the other reclining apparatus.

12. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging projection member is axially supported on the base member coaxially with the upper member.

13. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 12, wherein the engaging projection member comprises a pin member contacting with the first actuating member when the engaging projection member is rotated to push on the first actuating member.

14. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the engaging projection member is formed integrally with the upper member.

15. A vehicle seat having a folding mechanism, the vehicle seat being both fixable and slidable forward and backward relative to the vehicle, the vehicle seat comprising:

locking means for allowing or preventing seat sliding when unlocked or locked respectively;

a wire joined to the locking means at one end thereof, the wire unlocking or locking the locking means when pulled or at rest respectively;

a base member disposed above the locking means;

bottom actuating means for pulling the wire, rotatably supported on the base member and joined to another end of the wire, the bottom actuating means allowing the wire to be at rest when in a first position and pulling the wire when in a second position;

top actuating means for rotating the bottom actuating means from the first position to the second position, rotatably supported on the base member coaxially with the bottom actuating means;

an upper member rotatably supported on the base member; and

an engaging projection member rotating integrally with the upper member, the engaging projection member being in one of a first area, a second area, a third area, and a fourth area,

in the first area, the engaging projection member not contacting the top actuating means and the upper member being in a backward folding direction where it is possible to rotate the top actuating means in a second direction when the upper member is rotated in a forward folding direction,

in the second area, the engaging projection member pushing and rotating the top actuating means in the second direction and thereby causing the bottom actuating means to be in the second position,

in the third area, the engaging projection member not contacting the top actuating means and the upper member being in a forward folding direction where it is possible to rotate the top actuating means in a first direction when the upper member is rotated in a backward folding direction,

in the fourth area, the engaging projection member pushing and rotating the top actuating means in the first direction.

16. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 15, wherein the bottom actuating means comprises a stopper portion, the bottom actuating means being integrally rotated in the second direction when the top actuating means rotates in the second direction against the stopper portion.

17. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 15, further comprising urging means for urging the top actuating means to rotate in the second direction to rest on the stopper portion and for urging the bottom actuating means to be rotated in the first direction.

18. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a stopper disk rotating coaxially and integrally with the upper member, and a stopper lever which is engageable with the stopper disk, forward inclination of the stopper disk being stopped by engagement of the stopper lever therewith at a position to maintain the engaging projection member in the second area.

19. The vehicle seat having a folding mechanism as claimed in claim 18, wherein the engaging projection member, the bottom actuating means, and the top actuating means are on an outer side of the base member, and the stopper disk and stopper lever are on one of an outer side or inner side of the base member.

20. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat cushion;

a seat back swingably connected above the seat cushion;

a seat slide mechanism disposed between the seat cushion and a floor of a vehicle, the seat slide mechanism being capable of allowing the seat cushion to slide in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle; and

a lock mechanism putting the seat slide mechanism in a release state of allowing sliding movement of the seat cushion when the seat back is folded forward at a first angle within a first angle range, the lock mechanism putting the seat slide mechanism in a lock state of prohibiting the sliding movement of the seat cushion when the seat back is folded forward at a second angle within a second angle range greater than the first angle range relative to the seat back before folding forward.