Vehicle seat and support assembly therefor

• US 3,954,245 A
• Filed: 03/03/1975
• Issued: 05/04/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lear Siegler Jennings Corp (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lear Siegler, Inc. (LSS Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Costin, Robert W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frazier, Roy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lyddane, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/554,863
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 297/338, 297/345-346, 297/347, 297/DIG. 3, 297/366-371, 248/157, 248/161, 248/400, 248/371, 248/396-399, 267/113, 267/114, 91/384
• US Class Current: 248/550
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/235 by gear-pawl type mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/501 actively controlled suspension, e.g. electronic control
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/505 Adjustable suspension including height adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/507 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 297/03 Pneumatic

Abstract

A vehicle seat support assembly including a fluid spring that supports an upper seat base on a lower floor base at a vertical height corresponding to the adjusted position of an adjustable control linkage which extends between the seat base and a time delay valve whose operation controls the amount of pressurized fluid within the fluid spring. The control linkage includes an adjustment link pivotally mounted on the seat base for adjusting movement and connected to one end of a connecting link whose other end is connected to an actuating link that controls the valve. The control linkage actuates the valve so that the seat base is positioned at the same vertical height for any adjusted position of the linkage regardless of the seat occupant'"'"'s weight. The control linkage is adjustable to vary the height at which the seat base is positioned and is prevented from transiently actuating the valve during dynamic vertical movement of the seat base by the time delay operation of the valve. The tilted position of an upright seat back mounted on the seat base is controlled by a recliner mechanism. A pawl of the recliner mechanism has ends that are slidably supported by two spaced support portions of the upper base between which a toothed keeper on the seat back is received. The keeper teeth engage the pawl and transfer forces from the seat back to the support portions on the seat base in a balanced manner due to the positioning of the keeper and pawl between the support portions. A seat cushion is mounted on the seat base for forward and rearward adjusting movement with respect to the seat back by a mounting arrangement having latch members that also latch the seat cushion to the seat base.

Claims

1. In a vehicle seat support assembly including a lower base adapted to be mounted on a vehicle floor and a movable upper base for supporting a seat, an adjustable fluid support system for the seat comprising:

a fluid spring extending between the upper and lower bases and including a chamber for receiving pressurized fluid from a source of pressurized fluid so as to raise the upper base with respect to the lower base, the fluid spring lowering the upper base upon exhausting pressurized fluid within the chamber thereof;

a valve for controlling the flow of pressurized fluid to and from the chamber of the fluid spring, the valve being mounted on the lower base and having an equilibrium position where pressurized fluid is isolated in the chamber and first and second actuated positions to which the valve is alternately movable in opposite directions from the equilibrium position, the valve communicating the chamber to the source of pressurized fluid in the first actuated position thereof and communicating the chamber to exhaust pressurized fluid therein in the second actuated position thereof; and

a manually adjustable control linkage having a rigid actuating link connected to the valve, an elongated adjustment link pivotally mounted about an intermediate portion thereof between its opposite ends on the upper base for manual adjustment at a location above the actuating link, and a connecting link extending between the lower actuating link and one end of the upper adjustment link, the control linkage moving the valve from the equilibrium position to the first actuated position upon downward movement of the upper base from a vertical position corresponding to the adjusted position in which the adjustment link positions the control linkage, the control linkage moving the valve from the equilibrium position to the second actuated position upon upward movement of the upper base from a vertical position corresponding to the adjusted position in which the adjustment link positions the control linkage, and the control linkage including positioning means extending between the upper base and the other end of the adjustment link in a spaced relationship to the pivotal axis of the adjustment link, the positioning means normally preventing rotation of the adjustment link but selectively allowing such movement in opposite directions to raise or lower the vertical position of the upper base that corresponds to the equilibrium position of the valve so as to thereby provide for vertical adjustment of the upper base.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the positioning means includes a spring that maintains a frictional engagement between the adjustment link and the upper base to locate the adjustment link with respect to the upper base and thereby position the control linkage in any selected adjusted position.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the adjustment link is pivotally mounted on the upper base by a pin-and-slot connection that permits shifting of the adjustment link to ensure the frictional engagement thereof with the upper base.

4. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein the adjustment link is mounted on the upper base extending forwardly and rearwardly with respect to the seat.

5. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the adjustment link includes a handle at the other end thereof which frictionally engages an arcuate slot in the upper base, the slot being generated about the axis of adjustment link rotation.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein the spring of the adjustment link is attached to the handle thereof.

7. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the connecting link is pivotally connected to both the adjustment and actuating links.

8. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the linkage has a somewhat U-shaped configuration that opens in a forward direction with respect to the seat.

9. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the adjustment link has a handle that is moved upwardly to raise the upper base and downwardly to lower the upper base.

10. In a vehicle seat support assembly including a lower base adapted to be mounted on a vehicle floor and a movable upper base for supporting a seat, an adjustable fluid support system for the seat comprising:

a fluid spring extending between the upper and lower bases and including a chamber for receiving pressurized fluid from a source of pressurized fluid so as to raise the upper base with respect to the lower base, the fluid spring lowering the upper base upon exhausting pressurized fluid within the chamber thereof;

a time delay valve for controlling the flow of pressurized fluid to and from the chamber of the fluid spring, the valve being mounted on the lower base and having an equilibrium position where pressurized fluid is isolated in the chamber and first and second actuated positions to which the valve is alternately movable in opposite directions from the equilibrium position, the valve communicating the chamber to the source of pressurized fluid after being moved to the first actuated position thereof for a predetermined period of time, and the valve communicating the chamber to exhaust pressurized fluid therein after being moved to the second actuated position thereof for a predetermined period of time; and

a manually adjustable control linkage having an actuating link pivotally supported by the valve, an elongated adjustment link pivotally mounted on the upper base in a first class lever manner for manual adjustment, and a connecting link pivotally connected to the actuating link and one end of the adjustment link, the control linkage moving the valve from the equilibrium position to the first actuated position upon downward movement of the upper base from a vertical position corresponding to the adjusted position in which the adjustment link positions the control linkage, the control linkage moving the valve from the equilibrium position to the second actuated position upon upward movement of the upper base from a vertical position corresponding to the adjusted position in which the adjustment link positions the control linkage, the linkage movement being prevented from transiently supplying and exhausting pressurized fluid in the fluid spring upon abrupt vertical movement of the upper base during use by the time delay operation of the valve, the upper base including a flange having an arcuate slot, the other end of the adjustment link including a handle that extends through the arcuate slot in the flange, a pin-and-slot means for pivotally mounting the intermediate portion of the adjustment link or the upper base, and a spring that biases the adjustment link so the handle thereof is normally maintained in engagement with the flange within the slot by sliding at the pin-and-slot means, and the handle of the adjustment link being manually moved upwardly and downwardly to respectively raise and lower the vertical position of the upper base that corresponds to the equilibrium position of the valve so as to thereby provide for vertical adjustment of the upper base.

11. An assembly as in claim 10 wherein the biasing spring of the adjustment link is of the helical type.

12. An assembly as in claim 10 wherein the adjustment link is located inboard of the flange defining the slot and the handle extends through the slot in an outboard direction.

13. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein the predetermined periods of time the valve must be actuated before supplying or exhausting pressurized fluid within the fluid spring are between about 0.75 seconds and about 2 seconds.