Longitudinal adjuster for a vehicle seat

• US 20060113829A1
• Filed: 11/23/2005
• Published: 06/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper Seating Mechanisms Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Klahold, Wolfgang, Mitulla, Gerhard
• Granted Patent: US 7,726,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/341
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0818 inside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

In a longitudinal adjuster (3) for a vehicle seat having a backrest that can pivot freely, a first seat rail (13), and a second seat rail (15) relative to which the first seat rail (13) can be displaced longitudinally, a locking device (16) for locking the longitudinal adjuster (3), a memory device assigned to the first seat rail (13) and interacting with the second seat rail (15), said memory device memorizing a set longitudinal seat position which is relinquished when the vehicle seat (1) is longitudinally displaced during the free pivoting of the backrest (5) and is then re-assumed once the seat is displaced back again, and an actuation device (101) assigned to the first seat rail (13), which actuation device actuates the resetting of the memory device and the unlocking of the locking device (16), the actuation device (101) is arranged with limited movement capability in the longitudinal direction relative to the first seat rail (13).

Claims

1. A longitudinal adjuster that is for a vehicle seat and that is capable of being responsive to predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest, the longitudinal adjuster comprising:

a first seat rail;

a longitudinally extending second seat rail, wherein the first seat rail is mounted for longitudinally moving relative to the second seat rail;

a locking device for locking the longitudinal adjuster and thereby restricting the first seat rail from longitudinally moving relative to the second seat rail;

a memory device mounted for longitudinally moving with the first seat rail relative to the second seat rail, wherein the memory device interacts with the second seat rail for remembering a longitudinal position of the first seat rail with respect to the second seat rail so that the first seat rail can be longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position after the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved out of the remembered longitudinal position, wherein the first seat rail having been longitudinally moved out of the remembered longitudinal position is at least partially in response to the predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest; and

an actuation device for actuating

resetting of the memory device'"'"'s remembered longitudinal position, and

unlocking by the locking device,

wherein the actuation device is mounted for

longitudinally moving with the first seat rail relative to the second seat rail, and

being longitudinally movable, to a limited extent, relative the first seat rail.

2. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the actuation device is positioned on the first seat rail.

3. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is connected to the actuation device.

4. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising a spring that is operatively associated with the action device for biasing the actuation device longitudinally toward a predetermined position, wherein the actuation device being longitudinally movable relative the first seat rail comprises the actuation device being longitudinally movable relative to the predetermined position.

5. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising a cable that is operatively associated with the actuation device so that a pull on the cable can cause the actuation device to longitudinally move relative to the first seat rail.

6. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, further comprising a cable and a spring, wherein:

the actuation device being longitudinally movable relative the first seat rail comprises the actuation device being longitudinally movable between a first position and a second position;

the cable is operatively associated with the actuation device so that a pull on the cable can cause the actuation device to longitudinally move from the first position to the second position; and

the spring is operatively associated with the actuation device for longitudinally moving the actuation device from the second position to the first position.

7. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the memory device includes at least one pivotable locking element for making locking contact against the second seat rail in response to the first seat rail having been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position.

8. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 6, wherein the memory device includes at least one pivotable locking element for:

making locking contact against the second seat rail in response to the first seat rail having been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, and

detaching from the second seat rail in response to the actuation device longitudinally moving from the second position to the first position.

9. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.

10. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 in combination with the vehicle seat having the backrest, wherein:

the predetermined pivoting comprises pivoting the backrest to a predetermined position;

a backrest fitting of the backrest secures the backrest in the predetermined position; and

the combination further comprises a release device for releasing the backrest, so that the backrest can be pivoted out of the predetermined position, in response to relative movement between the actuation device and the first seat rail.

11. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 in combination with the vehicle seat having the backrest.

12. The combination according to claim 11, further comprising a spring and a cable, wherein:

the predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest is a first predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest;

a second predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest is in a direction opposite to the first predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest;

the actuation device being longitudinally movable relative the first seat rail comprises the actuation device being longitudinally movable between a first position and a second position;

the spring is operatively associated with the actuation device, and the cable is operatively connected between the seat'"'"'s backrest and the actuation device, so that

(a) the first predetermined pivoting of the seat'"'"'s backrest causes the actuation device to longitudinally move from the first position to the second position, and

(b) a second predetermined pivoting the seat'"'"'s backrest results in the actuation device longitudinally moving from the second position to the first position; and

the actuation device longitudinally moving from the second position to the first position is at least partially caused by the spring.

13. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the memory device is connected to the actuation device for longitudinally moving with the actuation device relative the first seat rail, whereby the memory device is longitudinally movable, to the limited extent, relative the first seat rail.

14. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 13, further comprising a cable and a spring, wherein:

the actuation device being longitudinally movable relative the first seat rail comprises the actuation device being longitudinally movable between a first position and a second position;

the cable is operatively associated with the actuation device so that a pull on the cable can cause the actuation device to longitudinally move from the first position to the second position; and

the spring is operatively associated with the actuation device for longitudinally moving the actuation device from the second position to the first position.

15. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 14, wherein the memory device includes at least one pivotable locking element for:

making locking contact against the second seat rail in response to the first seat rail having been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, and

detaching from the second seat rail in response to the actuation device longitudinally moving from the second position to the first position.

16. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 13, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.

17. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 4, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.

18. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 5, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.

19. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 6, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.

20. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 11, wherein the memory device includes:

a displacement measuring device that is rotatable about an axis of rotation and that can be brought into cooperative interaction with the second seat rail; and

a control signal generator mounted for moving relative to the displacement measuring device, with the moving of the control signal generator relative to the displacement measuring device corresponding to how far the first seat rail has longitudinally moved relative to the remembered longitudinal position,

wherein the control signal generator is operative for

experiencing, at the latest when the first seat rail has been longitudinally moved back to the remembered longitudinal position, a control torque, and

then actuating at least one pivotable locking element so that the locking element makes locking contact against the second seat rail, and

wherein the actuating of the pivotable locking element is by way of a control spring.