Vehicle Seat with Swing-Out Lower Seat Portion
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle seat comprising:
- a seat back portion; and
a lower seat portion laterally pivotable independently of said seat back portion.
7 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle seat is provided with a swing-out lower seat portion that allows ease of entering and exiting a vehicle. The lower seat portion pivots laterally independently of the seat back portion. The pivot axis is inside of the outer perimeter of the lower seat portion, preferably toward the outboard side of the seat. This position of the pivot axis allows the lower seat portion to pivot through the vehicle doorway without interfering with a vehicle console running fore and aft adjacent the seat opposite the doorway. The amount of pivoting is preferably at least 60 degrees and may be up to 90 degrees depending on the vehicle parameters, such as the location of B-pillar.
34 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat comprising:
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a seat back portion; and a lower seat portion laterally pivotable independently of said seat back portion. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A vehicle comprising:
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a vehicle seat having a seat back portion and a lower seat portion; a vehicle frame forming a door opening adjacent said vehicle seat; and a console running fore and aft adjacent said vehicle seat opposite said door opening; wherein said lower seat portion is laterally pivotable with respect to said door opening independently of said seat back portion without interfering with said console. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A vehicle comprising:
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a vehicle seat having a seat back portion and a lower seat portion; a vehicle frame forming a door opening adjacent said vehicle seat; a console running fore and aft adjacent said vehicle seat opposite said door opening;
wherein said lower seat portion is laterally pivotable with respect to said door opening independently of said seat back portion without interfering with said console;a door supported by said vehicle frame and selectively openable and closeable with respect to said door opening; a sensor operatively connected to said door and operable to sense opening of said door and send a sensor signal in response to opening of said door; a controller in signal communication with said sensor and operable for receiving and processing said sensor signal and sending a control signal in response to said sensor signal; and a latching mechanism in signal communication with said controller and operable for receiving said control signal and selectively latching and releasing said lower seat portion;
wherein said latching mechanism releases said lower seat portion in response to receipt of said control signal from said controller.
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Specification