SEAT

• US 20100109406A1
• Filed: 01/25/2007
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueda, Katsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,162,404 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/358
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0296 Central command actuator to selectively switch on or engage one of several special purpose circuits or mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/165 Gear wheel driven mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/167 Ratchet mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence

Abstract

A seat operation device having improved operability of both a height adjustment mechanism and an angle adjustment mechanism, and a seat. The vehicle seat (10) has a seat lifter (22) that is provided at a seat body for seating and is adjusted by operation force transmitted, a reclining mechanism (20) that is provided at the seat body and is adjusted by operation force transmitted, and an operation lever (30) that adjusts the seat lifter (22) and the reclining mechanism (20). The operation lever (30) can take both a first predetermined position and a second predetermined position. At the first predetermined position, operation force by operation of a person seated can be transmitted to an operation load input section (28) of the seat lifter (22). At the second predetermined position, operation force by operation of the person seated can be transmitted to a reclining release plate (38) of the reclining mechanism (20).

Claims

1. A seat comprising:

a first adjustable unit, provided to a seat body that is for sitting on, the first adjustable unit being adjusted by transmitted operation force;

a second adjustable unit, provided to the seat body, the second adjustable unit being adjusted by transmitted operation force; and

an operation member, able to take up a first predetermined position in which operation force from operation by a seat occupant is able to be transmitted to the first adjustable unit, and a second predetermined position in which operation force from operation by a seat occupant is able to be transmitted to the second adjustable unit.

2. The seat according to claim 1, wherein a movement direction of the operation member between the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position is different from both an operation direction when operation force is transmitted to the first adjustable unit, and from an operation direction when operation force is transmitted to the second adjustable unit.

3. The seat according to claim 2, wherein the operation member:

is provided to a side portion of a seat cushion configuring the seat body;

is supported so as to be able to rotate with respect to the seat cushion about an axis along the seat width direction;

transmits operation force from rotation about the axis to the first adjustable unit or to the second adjustable unit; and

switches between the first predetermined position and the second predetermined position by displacement along the seat width direction.

4. The seat according to claim 3, wherein the operation member is a lever in which:

the rear end side in the seat front-rear direction is supported so as to be able to rotate with respect to the seat cushion about an axis along the seat width direction; and

operation force is imparted upward or downward to the seat front-rear direction front end thereof.

5. The seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the operation member has an engaging portion, and:

in the first predetermined position the engaging portion engages with an engageable portion of the first adjustable unit so as to make it possible for operation force to be transmitted thereto, and engagement with an engageable portion of the second adjustable unit is released; and

in the second predetermined position the engagement with the engageable portion of the first adjustable unit is released, and the engaging portion engages with the engageable portion of the second adjustable unit so as to make it possible for operation force to be transmitted thereto.

6. The seat according any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a biasing member that biases the operation member to the first predetermined position.

7. The seat according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein:

one of the first adjustable unit or the second adjustable unit is a height adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the seat body in the up-down direction; and

the other of the first adjustable unit or the second adjustable unit is a reclining mechanism for switching between a state in which the angle of a seat back is locked with respect to a seat cushion and an unlocked state thereof.