Vehicle seat support with incorporated device for damping longitudinal acceleration

• US 4,382,573 A
• Filed: 11/20/1980
• Issued: 05/10/1983
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1979
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sable Freres International
• Original Assignee: Sable Freres International
• Inventors: Aondetto, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Zugel, Francis K.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRETTEL, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US06/208,510
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 248/419, 248/561, 248/563, 248/588, 248/574, 248/575, 248/564, 248/421
• US Class Current: 248/561
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/072 Complex cross-section, e.g. obtained by extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0825 outside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0875 in a vertical direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/544 Compression or tension springs B60N2/542 takes precedence

Abstract

The support comprises means for elastic longitudinal positioning of the upper chassis carrying the seat, constituted by a first rigid element (51) which is fixed in the horizontal direction with a lower chassis for fixing on the vehicle and which is situated between two further rigid elements (42A, 42B) fixed in the horizontal direction with an upper chassis (2) carrying the seat, while two opposed elastic elements (52, 53) are interposed respectively between the said first rigid element and the two other rigid elements.

Claims

1. Vehicle seat support comprising:

an upper chassis intended to receive a seat, support means for mounting said upper chassis on a vehicle, said upper chassis being longitudinally movable with respect to said support means, means for elastic damping of said upper chassis in the longitudinal direction, and means for fixing the mean longitudinal position of said upper chassis in relation to said support means;

said elastic damping means being constituted by a first rigid element which is fixed in the longitudinal direction with one of the two structure elements constituted by said upper chassis and said support means, two second rigid element fixed in the longitudinal direction with the other of said two structure elements, said first rigid element being situated between said two second rigid elements, two elastic elements interposed between said first rigid element and said two second rigid elements respectively;

said means for fixing the mean longitudinal position of said upper chassis in relation to said support means comprising a longitudinal toothed rack fixed with said upper chassis, and side pieces fastened with one of said rigid elements of said elastic damping means and engageable with said toothed rack to effect a longitudinal connection between said upper chassis and said support means through the intermediary of said elastic damping means.

2. Seat support according to claim 1, wherein said two other rigid elements are constituted respectively by the two extremities of a cage of elongated form and wherein said first rigid element is an intermediate shoulder of a rod on which said cage is mounted for longitudinal sliding movement, said elastic elements being constituted by two opposite helical springs fitted over said rod between said intermediate shoulder and said two extremities of said cage.

3. Seat support according to claim 1, further comprising means for making said first rigid element and said second rigid elements fixed with respect to one another in the longitudinal direction.

4. Seat support according to claim 2, wherein said side pieces pertain to a locking device movable vertically in relation to said support means and connected thereto in the longitudinal direction, said side pieces forming between them a notch capable of engaging selectively over one of the teeth of said longitudinal toothed rack fixed with said upper chassis, said seat support further comprising a return spring to urge said notch over one said teeth and a manual control to displace said locking device against the action of said return spring in the opposite direction to disengage it from said rack.

5. Seat support according to claim 4, wherein said cage constituted said movable locking device and said rod is connected to said support means in the horizontal direction, a lever being pivotally mounted on said cage to move said cage away from said rack under the action of said manual control.

6. Seat support according to claim 5, wherein said lever pivotally mounted on said cage has a nose and said rod has a matching notch engageable by said nose to immobilize said cage positively in relation to said fixed chassis.

7. Seat support according to claim 5, further comprising a cross piece which connects said two pivoting levers and a horizontal longitudinal rod which bears against said cross piece and is connected to said manual control for vertical movement together with said cross piece.

8. Seat support according to claim 6, wherein said manual control is adapted to selectively occupy three positions, namely:

a first service position in which said cage is locked on said rack but said nose of said pivoting lever is disengaged from said rod;

a second position for locking said elastic positioning means in which said cage is locked on said rack and said nose of said lever is engaged in said notch of said rod; and

a third position for longitudinal adjustment of the seat in which said cage is disengaged from said rack while said nose of said lever is engaged in said notch of said rod.

9. Seat support according to claim 1, wherein a vertically adjustable elastic suspension system is associated with said support means.

10. Seat support according to claims 4 or 9 considered together, wherein said elastic suspension system is of the type comprising suspension levers articulated in scissors manner, and said locking devices for locking said upper chassis are pivotally mounted on the upper extremity of each of two matching said suspension levers situated on two opposite sides of the seat support assembly.

11. Seat support according to claim 9, further comprising a cross piece which connects said two pivoting levers and a horizontal longitudinal rod which bears against said cross piece and is connected to said manual control for vertical movement together with said cross piece.