Seat positioning mechanism

• US 4,993,678 A
• Filed: 10/17/1989
• Issued: 02/19/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Motor Company
• Inventors: Easter, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Talbott, David L.
• Application Number:
  US07/422,870
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 248/371, 248/393, 248/394, 248/396, 248/421, 248/398, 297/325, 297/345, 297/348
• US Class Current: 248/371
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/165 Gear wheel driven mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1675 with weight compensating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1842 pivoting about an axis located in the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1864 Gear wheel driven mechanism

Abstract

A seat height and tilt mechanism for a vehicle seat has separate hand wheel controlled adjustors for adjusting the seat height and tilt having a control lever which can be moved relative to the seat base and a system of pivoted links which results in the seat as a whole being raised or lowered, the control lever then alternatively being locked relative to the seat base, the front edge of the seat then being lifted to tilt the seat.

Claims

1. A seat positioning mechanism for a motor vehicle having a floor and slides mounted on the floor for carrying a seat of the type having a seat cushion, the mechanism being of the type which allows adjustment of both the seat height and the seat tilt with respect to the vehicle floor, the mechanism comprising punctuation

a first frame to be attached to the underside of the seat cushion;

a second frame to be mounted on the seat slides for fore and aft movement thereon;

a first adjustment device for operating the seat height adjustment;

a second adjustment device for operating the seat tilt adjustment;

an axle mounted on said second frame, said second adjustment device being rotatively operable to produce vertical movement of said axle relative to said second frame;

a control link pivotally mounted to said first frame and to said axle, said first adjustment device being operable upon pivotal movement to alter the angle said control link makes to said first frame; and

a system of pivoted links interconnecting said two frames and said axle.

2. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein both said first and second frames are four-sided frames having two lateral members joined by two transverse members, said pivoted links connecting one frame to the other frame at each corner of said frames.

3. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said adjustment devices comprise manually operated shafts operatively connected to clutch spring devices to prevent adjusting movement of said frames except when said shafts are being turned.

4. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said pivoted links comprise bell crank levers and the two levers on each side of said frame are connected to one another so that they make corresponding movements without any lost motion.

5. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein said first adjustment device comprises a shaft having a toothed pinion carried thereon and said control link comprises a toothed quadrant meshing with said toothed pinion.

6. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 5, wherein said control link is unitarily formed with one of the pivoted links.

7. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, and further comprising vertically extending rack means positioned adjacent said axle and wherein said axle carries toothed pinions rotatively engaging said second adjustment device and meshingly engaged with teeth of said rack means.

8. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 1, wherein a spring arrangement is fitted to urge the first frame in an upward direction.

9. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 8, wherein the spring comprises a torsion bar.

10. A seat positioning mechanism for a motor vehicle having a floor and slides mounted on the floor for carrying a seat of the type having a seat cushion, the mechanism being of the type which allows adjustment of both the seat height and the seat tilt with respect to the vehicle floor, the mechanism comprising punctuation

a first four-sided frame adapted to be attached to the underside of the seat cushion;

a second four-sided frame adapted to be mounted on the seat slides intermediate said seat slides and said first frame for fore and aft movement on said seat slides;

a first manually operable adjustment device operative to effect seat height adjustment;

a second manually operable adjustment device operative to effect seat tilt adjustment;

an axle mounted on said second frame, said second adjustment device being rotatively operable to produce vertical movement of said axle relative to said second frame;

a control link pivotally mounted to said first frame and to said axle, said first adjustment device being operable upon pivotal movement to alter the angle said control link makes to said first frame; and

linkage means operatively connected between adjacent corners of said frames and interconnecting said two frames and said axle.

11. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 10, wherein said first adjustment device comprises a shaft having a toothed pinion carried thereon and said control link comprises a toothed quadrant meshing with said toothed pinion.

12. A seat positioning mechanism as defined in claim 10, and further comprising vertically extending rack means positioned adjacent said axle and wherein said axle carries toothed pinions rotatively engaging said second adjustment device and meshingly engaged with teeth of said rack means.