ENERGY ABSORBING ARRANGEMENT FOR SEAT ON A VEHICLE

• US 3,582,133 A
• Filed: 07/26/1968
• Issued: 06/01/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1967
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hubert Y. Delavenne
• Original Assignee: Hubert Y. Delavenne
• Inventors: Delavenne, Hubert Y.
• Application Number:
  US04/747,999
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• US Class Current: 296/68.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/10 tiltable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2875 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4214 longitudinal
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4221 due to impact coming from the front
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42709 involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/28 incorporating energy-absorbing devices belt anchors provided with energy-absorbing means for protecting the occupants in case of physical contact therewith B60R21/055; belt retractors comprising energy-absorbing means B60R22/341, B60R22/4676
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 25/06 Harnessing

Abstract

Arrangement of a seat on a vehicle adapted to allow the seat to absorb energy upon impact on the vehicle. The seat is pivoted to floor of vehicle and a deformable energy absorbing device connects the seat to the floor. This device is so adapted as to avoid restoring energy after having absorbed energy upon impact on the vehicle so that the passenger on the seat is not thrown back subsequent to absorption of the energy.

Claims

1. An arrangement comprising a vehicle having a floor, a seat in spaced relation to said floor, a single foot mounted on the seat and a pivotal connection connecting the foot to the floor and allowing the seat to pivot relative to the floor upon impact on the vehicle, and two deformable energy absorbing devices which absorb energy upon deformation connecting the seat to the vehicle floor at points spaced from said pivotal connection, the energy absorbing devices being adapted and arranged to dissipate energy in a dynamic phase without subsequent restoration of the energy which would be liable to throw the passenger using the seat back at a speed substantially equal to the speed at the moment of impact on the vehicle.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising two absorbing devices arranged in parallel.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each absorbing device comprises two telescopic elements having means connecting them to the vehicle floor and seat respectively, and at least one deformable means deformable with absorption of energy disposed in such manner that it is deformed when the two elements undergo a relative displacement from positions they occupy in a normal position of the seat.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein the two telescopic elements are interconnected by a deformable rod comprising spires, said telescopic elements being tubular and encompassing said rod.

5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein one of the telescopic elements is a rigid cylinder and the other a rod, a crushable corrugated cylinder being interposed between the rod and the rigid cylinder.

6. An arrangement as claimed in claim 5, wherein said rod is notched and cooperates with a pawl carried by said rigid cylinder for maintaining the device in position when the corrugated cylinder is in a crushed condition.

7. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein each energy absorbing device comprises, in combination, a housing, a lever pivoted to the housing, elastically yieldable means maintaining the lever in an operative position in which the device is ready for energy absorbing operation, a rod pivoted to the lever and connected to the seat, and a retaining element cooperative with the lever and connected to the housing for preventing the lever from pivoting back after having pivoted in opposition to the reaction of the elastically yieldable means and absorbed energy.

8. An arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the retaining element comprises teeth means and the lever has a free end engaged with the teeth means, the free end and the teeth means being adapted to allow the lever to pivot in the direction for absorbing energy but to prevent the lever from pivoting in the opposite direction.

9. An arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein the retaining element is withdrawable.

10. An arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein said elastically yieldable means are spring strip means.

11. An arrangement as claimed in claim 7, wherein said elastically yieldable means are torsion bars.

12. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said single foot is located adjacent a front part of the seat and said absorbing devices are located adjacent a rear parT of the seat.

13. An arrangement as claimed in claim 12, comprising pivot pins extending transversely of the seat for the deformable devices and the pivotal connection of the foot.

14. An arrangement as claimed in claim 12, wherein said pivotal connection is capable of pivoting in any direction, the absorbing devices being also connected to the seat and to the vehicle by pivotal connections capable of pivoting in any direction.

15. An arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein said pivotal connections are ball and socket joints.

16. An arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein said pivotal connections are universal joints.

17. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the seat is connected to the floor of the vehicle by a foot located adjacent a rear part of the seat and by two energy absorbing devices disposed adjacent a front part of the seat.

18. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said floor has two nonelastically deformable zones, the energy absorbing devices being fixed to substantially the center of said zones, whereby said zones absorb additional energy when the energy absorbing device has absorbed maximum energy.

19. An arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein said zones of the floor have openings disposed on lines substantially concentric with the point at which each absorbing device is fixed to the corresponding zone.