Seat for vehicles, particularly motor cars

• US 5,145,232 A
• Filed: 10/16/1991
• Issued: 09/08/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fiat Auto S.p.A.
• Original Assignee: Fiat Auto S.p.A.
• Inventors: Dal Monte, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Brittain, James R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US07/776,859
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• Field of Search: 297/329, 297/327, 297/313, 297/330, 297/322, 297/DIG. 1
• US Class Current: 297/329
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/045 Longitudinal adjustment by means of articulated rods supporting the seat, e.g. parallelogram mechanisms B60N2/38 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/161 Rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1625 Combination of rods and slides

Abstract

The squab of the seat is supported at its front and rear regions and by responsive support arms. The lower ends of the arms are mounted on the free ends of respective pivoted elements whose positions are adjustable selectively so as to enable the seat to be adjusted more precisely to the anthropometric characteristics of its occupant, the whole considerably reducing the vertical bulk of the squab and of the seat as a whole.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising a squab with a front region and a rear region, a backrest which rises above the rear region of the squab, and respective associated, selectively-pivotable support arms having upper ends and lower ends, the support arms being articulated at the upper ends to the squab and at the lower ends to respective adjustment elements which can be pivoted selectively in order to selectively vary the position of the lower articulation of the support arms;

wherein the backrest is provided at its lower end with support means which can perform a generally translational movement forwards and backwards relative to the vehicle, the support means being disposed between the rear region of the squab and at least one of the support arms and having an elongated, inclined slot formed therein, further wherein the at least one support arm includes a pin at the upper end and which passes through the slot provided in the support means and is connected to the rear region of the squab, the pin and slot cooperating to form a ramp coupling means, such that the forward-rearward movement of the support means of the backrest causes a vertical translation of the rear region of the squab as well as a corresponding forward-rearward movement of the squab.

2. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment elements are also constituted by arms which extend substantially in the opposite direction from the support arms, in a generally V-shaped configuration.

3. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the elongated, inclined slot is arranged such that a front end portion is located in a generally lower position than a rear end portion thereof.

4. A seat according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support arm which is articulated to the rear region of the squab is, in all possible positions of use, arranged with its lower articulation point in a generally lower position than its upper point of articulation to the squab.

5. A seat according to claim 1 including at least one support arm which is articulated to the front region of the squab and, in all possible positions of use, is arranged with its lower articulation point located in a generally lower position than its upper articulation point.

6. A seat according to claim 5, wherein in all possible positions of adjustment, the at least one front support arm is inclined at a generally smaller angle to the vertical than the at least one rear support arm.