VEHICLE SEAT AND MANUFACTURING METHOD OF VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20090115217A1
• Filed: 10/21/2008
• Published: 05/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited
• Original Assignee: NHK Spring Company Limited
• Inventors: TANAKA, Yukio
• Granted Patent: US 7,815,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 296/65.90
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02258 characterised by the mounting of the electric motor for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2205/35 Seat, bench or back-rests being split laterally in two or more parts

Abstract

Disclosed is a vehicle rear seat whose seat back is foldable forwardly, comprising a seat back frame, a seat cushion frame, and a unit connected to the seat back frame and the seat cushion frame. The unit connected to the seat cushion frame comprises a pair of bases to be fixed to the vehicle body, an arm to be secured to the seat back frame, a hinge to connect the arm pivotally to one of the pair of bases, and a connecting bracket for connecting the base and the hinge. This configuration accomplishes shortened design time for vehicle seats with numerous variations.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat whose seat back is foldable forwardly comprising:

a seat back frame,

a seat cushion frame, and

a unit connected to the seat back frame and the seat cushion frame comprising;

a base connected to the seat cushion frame and fixed to a vehicle body;

an arm secured to the seat back frame;

a hinge for connecting the arm pivotally to the base; and

a connector for connecting the base and the hinge.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the unit further comprises a pair of bases and a beam which is secured to each of the pair of the bases to connect the pair of the bases.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein

the unit comprises at least two beams for connecting the pair of bases;

the two beams are each secured to both of the pair of bases to connect the pair of bases; and

the pair of bases and the two beams form a rectangle.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the unit comprises at least two beams for connecting the pair of bases;

the two beams are disposed away from each other in the fore-and-aft direction; and

the pair of bases are each fixed to the vehicle body at the positions away from each other in the fore-and-aft direction.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the unit further comprises a pivot angle adjustment mechanism for the arm.

6. A manufacturing method of a vehicle seat whose seat back is foldable forwardly comprising:

manufacturing a unit comprising a base, an arm, a hinge for connecting the arm pivotally to the base, and a connector for connecting the base and the hinge;

connecting a seat back frame to the arm of the unit; and

connecting a seat cushion frame to the base of the unit.

7. The manufacturing method of a vehicle seat according to claim 6 further comprising:

connecting a pair of bases by a beam.

8. The manufacturing method of a vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein

the pair of bases are connected by two beams so that the pair of base and the two beams form a rectangle.

9. The manufacturing method of a vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein

each of the pair of bases has fixing positions to a vehicle body at the front and the rear;

the pair of bases are connected by two beams;

one of the two beams is connected to the base at a position closer to the front fixing position than the other beam and the other beam is connected to the base at a position closer to the rear fixing position than the one of the two beams.