Vehicle seat section adjusting device

• US 20050046253A1
• Filed: 07/06/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMS Gear GmbH
• Original Assignee: IMS Gear GmbH
• Inventors: Ritter, Sven, Rackl, Rudolf, Hofschulte, Wolfram H., Margrander, Andreas, Feulner, Stefan
• Granted Patent: US 7,131,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/284.300
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0244 with logic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/026 varying hardness or support of upholstery, e.g. for tuning seat comfort when driving curved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/986 Side-rests B60N2/2872, B60N2/885 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/99 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/14 Inductive; Magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/50 Inertial sensors

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle seat section adjusting device having a seat section adjusting element (21) for adjusting the width of a seat section (20) of a seat in an adjustment direction, a mounting mechanism (22, 10) for movably supporting the seat section adjusting element (21) on the seat, and a drivable adjusting mechanism (35a, 45) for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) from or to a rest position relative to the mounting mechanism (22, 10).

Effective seat width adjustment with a small space requirement for installation is made possible in that the seat section adjusting element (21) forms an abutment (23; 46) running obliquely to its longitudinal direction and/or having an arc shape for the adjusting mechanism (35a; 45) and the adjusting mechanism (35a; 45) for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) is fashioned and arranged adjustably so that a portion of the adjusting mechanism (35a; 45) moves along the abutment (23; 46) and in contact therewith.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat section adjusting device, comprising:

a) a seat section adjusting element (21) for adjusting the width of a seat section (20) of a seat in an adjustment direction;

b) a mounting mechanism (22, 10) for movably supporting the seat section adjusting element (21) on the seat;

c) a drivable adjusting mechanism (31a, 45) for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) from or into a base position with respect to the mounting mechanism (22, 10), wherein

d) the seat section adjusting element (21) forms an abutment (23;

46) running obliquely to its longitudinal direction and/or having an arc shape for the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45); and

e) the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45) for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) is fashioned and arranged adjustably so that a portion of the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45) moves along the abutment (23;

46) and in contact therewith.

2. Device according to claim 1 wherein the seat section adjusting element (23), with respect to its width b in the region of the abutment (23), is fashioned increasing in width in the direction toward a support point (22) of the seat section adjusting element (21) on the mounting mechanism (22, 10).

3. Device according to claim 1 wherein the abutment (23) is fashioned on the side of the seat section adjusting element (21) that lies opposite the side of the seat section adjusting element (21) that is fashioned for the forward or reverse adjustment of a bolster element (20).

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment (23;

46) of the seat section adjusting element (21) is fashioned concave in shape.

5. Device according to claim 1, wherein the abutment (23;

46) of the seat section adjusting element (21) is fashioned with a space between a pivot support (22) of the seat section adjusting element (21) and its support on the mounting mechanism (22, 10).

6. Device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting mechanism (3) has a lever element (30;

41) with an outer section (31, 31a), the outer section (31a) being fashioned for motion in contact with the abutment (23).

7. Device according to claim 6 wherein the seat section adjusting element (21) and the lever element (30) or a guide rod (40) are supported spaced apart from one another and are arranged pivotably about their support points relative to a common plane.

8. Device according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45) is movable in a direction approximately perpendicular to the adjustment direction of the width b of the seat section adjusting element (21).

9. A vehicle seat section adjusting device, comprising:

a) a seat section adjusting element (21) for adjusting the width of a seat section (20) of a seat in an adjustment direction,

b) a mounting mechanism (22, 10) for movably supporting the seat section adjusting element (21) on the seat, and

c) a drivable adjusting mechanism for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) out of or into a base position relative to the mounting mechanism (22, 10), wherein

d) the seat section adjusting element (21) forms an abutment (23;

46) for the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45) and

e) the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45) has an outrigger element that extends laterally from the adjusting mechanism into a motion plane of the seat section adjusting mechanism (21), a section (31a;

45) of the outrigger element being fashioned so as to move along the abutment (23) and in contact therewith.

10. Device according to claim 9 wherein the outrigger element (31a;

45) comprises an outer circumference that is arc-shaped and at least partly convex in the motion plane and in particular is fashioned in the shape of a wheel.

11. Device according to claim 9, comprising a spindle drive (35), whose spindle axis extends in a longitudinal direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal alignment of the seat section adjusting element (21) in one of its positions, in particular the base position.

12. Device according to claim 11 wherein a non-co-rotating adjusting mechanism abutment (38) for the adjusting mechanism (30, 39) is supported on a spindle (33), in particular on its free front end, the adjusting mechanism abutment (38) in one position, in particular the base position, extending substantially parallel to the seat section adjusting element (21), the part (39) of the adjusting mechanism that moves in contact with the adjusting mechanism abutment (38) being arranged and moved between the abutment (23) and the adjusting mechanism abutment (38).

13. Device according to claim 9, comprising an arrangement of the individual elements in longitudinal extension each substantially parallel to one another when the adjusting device is in a selected position, in particular the base position.

14. Device according to claim 9, comprising a hole (23) or recess in the wall of the seat section adjusting element (21) in order to accommodate individual element sections of the device in at least a base position.

15. Device according to claim 9, wherein the abutment (46) is fashioned as a groove in the seat section adjusting element (21) and the adjusting mechanism has an adjusting element (45) engaging in the groove (46), which adjusting element is guided by the groove (46) in order to adjust the seat section adjusting element (21) in its lateral direction as the adjustment direction.

16. Device according to claim 9, comprising an electric motor drive (M) for adjusting the adjusting mechanism (45;

31a) for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21).

17. An apparatus for controlling a drive (35, M) for a vehicle seat section adjusting device, comprising:

a) a seat section adjusting element (21) for adjusting the width b of a seat section (20) of a seat in an adjustment direction,

b) a mounting mechanism (22, 10) for movably supporting the seat section adjusting element (21) on the seat,

c) a drivable adjusting mechanism for adjusting the seat section adjusting element (21) from or into a base position relative to the mounting mechanism (22, 10),

d) an electric motor drive (M, 35) for driving the adjusting mechanism (31a;

45),

e) an acceleration sensor (S) for determining an instantaneously effective and/or expected acceleration in the lateral direction of the seat, and

f) a control unit (C) for controlling the drive (M) in such fashion that the seat section adjusting element (21) momentarily enlarges the width of the seat section (20) on the side of the seat that is directed opposite to the acceleration direction.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said acceleration sensor comprises an accelerometer (S) for sensing a lateral acceleration and outputting an acceleration signal to the control unit (C).

19. The apparatus of claim 17 comprising a steering motion sensing unit (L) for sensing a steering motion of a vehicle steering wheel and outputting a steering signal to the control unit (C), the control unit (C) being fashioned so as to determine an acceleration signal for a lateral acceleration from the steering signal and a vehicle velocity.

20. The apparatus of claim 17 comprising a navigation system connection (N) for transmitting distance-covered data for a specified road course, the control unit (C) being fashioned for determining an expected lateral acceleration with the aid of the distance-covered data and an instantaneous vehicle motion.