Deformable seat pan for a tiltable vehicle seat

• US 20070222270A1
• Filed: 03/27/2006
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Combest, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,240,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/452.210
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42718 with anti-submarining systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42763 with anti-submarining systems

Abstract

A tiltable vehicle seat has a tiltable metallic seat pan that tilts upon rapid vehicle deceleration. The metallic seat pan is supported for movement between a normal seating position and a tilted or deployed position. The seat pan includes a deformable anti-submarining beam that extends laterally across the seat pan. The deformable anti-submarining beam is deformable in response to a prescribed deformation force exerted from the general direction of a buttocks supporting end thereof with the seat pan in the deployed position.

Claims

1. A metallic seat pan comprising:

a rear buttocks supporting portion; and

a front femoral supporting portion with a deformable anti-submarining beam extending laterally across the front femoral supporting portion,

the deformable anti-submarining beam being configured and arranged relative to the rear buttocks supporting portion to restrict movement of an occupant'"'"'s buttocks in a longitudinal direction from the rear buttocks supporting portion towards the front femoral supporting portion,

the deformable anti-submarining beam having a prescribed rigidity that resists deformation, the prescribed rigidity being set to a prescribed deformation limit that reduces spinal compression of an occupant by deforming when the occupant'"'"'s buttocks applies a deformation force in the longitudinal direction that exceeds the prescribed deformation limit.

2. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam has a generally convex occupant facing surface.

3. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 2, wherein

the generally convex occupant facing surface of the deformable anti-submarining beam includes a first generally planar section and a second generally planar section.

4. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one cut-out that facilitates deformation.

5. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one reinforcement to obtain the prescribed rigidity.

10. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 1, further comprising

a pair of curved rails fixed relative to the rear buttocks supporting portion and the front femoral supporting portion, the curved rails extending in the longitudinal direction.

11. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the curved rails, the rear buttocks supporting portion and the front femoral supporting portion are formed as a one-piece unitary structure from a single sheet of metallic material.

12. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam has a generally convex occupant facing surface.

13. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one cut-out that facilitates deformation.

18. The metallic seat pan as set forth in claim 10, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one reinforcement to obtain the prescribed rigidity.

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. (canceled)

9. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19. A tiltable vehicle seat comprising:

a stationary seat mounting structure;

an occupant seating structure attached to the stationary seat mounting structure, the occupant seating structure including a metallic seat pan having

a rear buttocks supporting portion, and

a front femoral supporting portion with a deformable anti-submarining beam extending laterally across the front femoral supporting portion,

the deformable anti-submarining beam being configured and arranged relative to the rear buttocks supporting portion to restrict movement of an occupant'"'"'s buttocks in a longitudinal direction from the rear buttocks supporting portion towards the front femoral supporting portion,

the deformable anti-submarining beam having a prescribed rigidity that resists deformation, the prescribed rigidity being set to a prescribed deformation limit that reduces spinal compression of an occupant by deforming when the occupant'"'"'s buttocks applies a deformation force in the longitudinal direction that exceeds the prescribed deformation limit; and

a seat pan tilting mechanism configured and arranged to selectively tilt the front femoral supporting portion upwardly relative to the rear buttocks supporting portion.

20. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam has a generally convex occupant facing surface.

21. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 20, wherein

the generally convex occupant facing surface of the deformable anti-submarining beam includes a first generally planar section and a second generally planar section.

22. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one cut-out that facilitates deformation.

23. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one reinforcement to obtain the prescribed rigidity.

25. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 19, wherein

the seat pan tilting mechanism includes a sliding arrangement coupled to the stationary seat mounting structure and a pair of curved rails fixed to the metallic seat pan and extending in the longitudinal direction of the metallic seat pan, with the curved rails engaging the sliding arrangement to selectively tilt the metallic seat pan relative to the stationary seat mounting structure.

26. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 25, wherein

the curved rails, the rear buttocks supporting portion and the front femoral supporting portion are formed as a one-piece unitary structure from a single sheet of metallic material.

27. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 26, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam has a generally convex occupant facing surface.

28. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 25, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one cut-out that facilitates deformation.

32. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 19, further comprising:

a pair of curved rails fixed relative to the rear buttocks supporting portion and the front femoral supporting portion, the curved rails extending in the longitudinal direction.

33. The tiltable vehicle seat as set forth in claim 32, wherein

the deformable anti-submarining beam includes at least one reinforcement to obtain the prescribed rigidity.

24. (canceled)

29. (canceled)

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)

34. A method of reducing spinal compression of an occupant in a vehicle comprising:

tilting a vehicle seat upon detecting that a rapid deceleration condition existing in the vehicle; and

supporting an occupant sitting in the vehicle seat with a metallic seat pan having a deformable anti-submarining beam extending laterally across a front femoral supporting portion of the occupant seating structure such that the deformable anti-submarining beam is configured and arranged to restrict movement of an occupant'"'"'s buttocks in a forward longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and such that the deformable anti-submarining beam has a prescribed rigidity that resists deformation, with the prescribed rigidity being set to a prescribed deformation limit that reduces spinal compression of an occupant by deforming when the occupant'"'"'s buttocks applies a deformation force in the forward longitudinal direction of the vehicle that exceeds the prescribed deformation limit.