Height adjustment mechanism for a vehicle seat

• US 4,074,886 A
• Filed: 03/07/1977
• Issued: 02/21/1978
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/1977
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bostrom Seating Corporation
• Original Assignee: UOP Llc (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Yates, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Parsons, Jr., Marion
• Application Number:
  US05/775,077
• Time in Patent Office: 351 Days
• Field of Search: 248/396, 248/397, 248/394, 248/382, 248/373
• US Class Current: 248/394
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1803 with independent front and/or rear adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1875 Racks
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1892 characterised by a lock
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1896 Stepwise movement mechanisms, e.g. ratchets B60N2/1882 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/548 Torsion springs, e.g. torsion helicoidal springs

Abstract

A vehicle seat has a seat cushion frame supported on a seat frame by height adjustment mechanisms located at the front and rear of the seat. The rear height adjustment mechanism comprises a hinge plate pivoted at opposite ends to the seat frame and to the rear edge of the seat cushion frame, a rack pivoted to the seat frame and formed with vertically spaced slots, and a locking pin carried by the hinge plate and engageable in any selected one of the slots. The rack is movable by a handle out of engagement with the locking pin to release the seat cushion frame for upward movement under the force of a biasing spring or for down movement under the load of the seat occupant. Release of the handle engages the locking pin with the slot of the rack lying nearest opposite it to lock the adjustment mechanism.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising,

a seat frame,

a seat cushion frame,

two cushion-height adjustment mechanisms mounted on the seat frame at the front and back of the seat respectively and supporting the front and back of the seat cushion frame for independent movement upwards and downwards with respect to the seat frame,

one of said height adjustment mechanisms comprising

hinge means pivoted to the seat frame and to the seat cushion frame respectively on horizontally-spaced parallel pivots extending laterally of the seat, to allow the cushion frame to be raised or lowered pivotally,

a spring mounted on the seat frame and biassing the hinge means upwardly,

two co-operating locking means comprising a pin, and a rack having teeth spaced apart vertically to receive the pin therebetween in vertically downward load-supporting relationship,

means mounting one of said locking means on the seat frame,

means mounting the other of said locking means on the hinge means and cushion frame assembly,

one of the mounting means being a pivot on which the associated locking means is supported, and

biassing means acting on the pivotally supporting locking means to urge the two locking means into mutual engagement.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1 wherein said hinge means comprise a plate hinged along its forward and rearward edges to the seat cushion frame and to the seat frame respectively.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 1 wherein said rack is formed by a plate having a generally vertically extending main slot therein and a plurality of laterally-extending vertically-spaced branch slots defining between them the teeth of the rack.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 3 wherein the rack is pivoted adjacent one end thereof to the seat frame, and the pin is fixed to the hinge means.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 4 having a handle connected to the rack for rotating the rack out of engagement with the pin.

6. A vehicle seat comprising,

a seat frame

a seat cushion frame

two seat height adjustment mechanisms mounted on the seat frame at the front and back of the seat respectively and supporting the front and back of the seat cushion frame for independent movement upwards and downwards with respect to the seat frame,

the height adjustment mechanism at the back of the seat comprising,

a hinge plate hinged along its forward edge to the rearward edge of the seat cushion frame, and hinged along its rearward edge to the seat frame to permit upward and downward movement of the rearward end of the seat cushion frame,

a spring acting between the seat frame and the hinge plate to bias the forward edge of the hinge plate upwardly,

a pin mounted on the hinge plate,

a rack pivoted to the seat frame and biassed into engagement with the pin, the rack comprising a plate having a main upwardly directed slot and a plurality of vertically spaced branch slots extending from and inclined upwardly from the main slot to receive the pin therein, and

means biassing the rack in a sense to urge the pin and the selected one of the branch slots into mutual engagement, and

a handle connected to the rack for movement of the rack out of engagement with the pin to release the rearward end of the seat cushion frame for upward or downward movement.