Operator presence sensing apparatus for a seat of a vehicle
First Claim
1. An operator presence sensing apparatus for a seat of a vehicle, comprising:
- a base member for supporting the seat;
a pivot axis provided in the base member to extend in a transverse direction, the seat being pivotable about the pivot axis;
a relay member disposed between the base member and the seat to extend vertically, the relay member pivotably supported at one end thereof by the pivot axis and at the other end by the base member through a cushion spring;
a seat lift-up spring disposed between an underside of the seat and the base member for receiving part of the weight of the seat, the seat unoccupied by the operator being oscillated by the lift-up spring to a floating position lifted from the relay member;
an operator presence sensing switch for detecting the seat occupied by the operator and oscillated from the floating position to a lowered seated position; and
a restricting device for restricting the relay member oscillating upwardly by action of the cushion spring when the seat is unoccupied by the operator.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An operator presence sensing apparatus for a seat of a vehicle includes a base member (7, 8) for supporting the seat (6), and a relay member (9) extending vertically between the base member and the seat. The seat is oscillatable about a pivot axis (X) extending in a transverse direction in the base member. The relay member is pivotably supported at one end thereof by the pivot axis and at the other end by the base member through a cushion spring (10). A seat lift-up spring (12) is disposed between an underside of the seat and the base member for receiving part of the weight of the seat. The seat unoccupied by the operator is oscillated to a floating position lifted from the relay member by the lift-up spring. The apparatus further comprises an operator presence sensing switch (13) for detecting the seat occupied by the operator and oscillated from the floating position to a lower seated position, and a restricting device (14, 15a) for restricting the relay member oscillating upward by action of the cushion spring when the seat is not occupied by the operator.
16 Citations
6 Claims
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1. An operator presence sensing apparatus for a seat of a vehicle, comprising:
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a base member for supporting the seat;
a pivot axis provided in the base member to extend in a transverse direction, the seat being pivotable about the pivot axis;
a relay member disposed between the base member and the seat to extend vertically, the relay member pivotably supported at one end thereof by the pivot axis and at the other end by the base member through a cushion spring;
a seat lift-up spring disposed between an underside of the seat and the base member for receiving part of the weight of the seat, the seat unoccupied by the operator being oscillated by the lift-up spring to a floating position lifted from the relay member;
an operator presence sensing switch for detecting the seat occupied by the operator and oscillated from the floating position to a lowered seated position; and
a restricting device for restricting the relay member oscillating upwardly by action of the cushion spring when the seat is unoccupied by the operator. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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Specification