Front seat for two-door vehicle

• US 5,292,178 A
• Filed: 07/15/1992
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Ches, Gregory S., Loose, Richard D., De Bano, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorner, Kenneth J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US07/914,818
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 297/344, 297/361, 297/483, 297/340-342, 297/337, 248/429
• US Class Current: 297/344.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/12 slidable and tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2213 Gear wheel driven mechanism B60N2/2231, B60N2/225 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/688 Particular seat belt attachment and guiding

Abstract

A front seat assembly for mounting to a floor pan of a two-door automobile vehicle and being movable for access to a rear seat. The front seat has a seat bottom. A power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism is carried between and slideably and constantly engageably connects the seat bottom portion to the floor pan for adjustable positioning the seat bottom between a forward position and a rearward position. A power operated reclining mechanism connects a seat back to the seat bottom for positioning and constantly retaining the seat back in positions between a forward tilt position and a rearward reclined position. A three point restraint system is mounted to the seat bottom and the seat back for retaining a front seat occupant. A switch mounted to the seat back of the seat assembly accessible to a rear seat occupant enables simultaneous movement of the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly.

Claims

1. A front seat assembly for mounting in a two-door vehicle and being movable for access to a rear seat, the front seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom;

a power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism slideably and constantly engageably connecting the seat bottom to the vehicle for adjustably positioning the seat bottom between a formed position and a rearward position;

a seat back;

a power reclining mechanism connecting the seat back to the seat bottom for positioning and constantly retaining the seat back in positions between a forward tilt position and a rearward reclined position;

a three point restraint system carried by the seat bottom and the seat back for retaining a front seat occupant, wherein loads on the three restraint system are transferred to the seat back and the seat bottom, wherein the loads transferred to the seat back travel through the power reclining mechanism to the seat bottom, and the loads transferred to the seat bottom travel through the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism to the vehicle; and

switch means mounted on the seat back accessible to a rear seat occupant for simultaneously actuating the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to simultaneously move the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly.

2. A front seat assembly for mounting in a two-door vehicle and being movable for access to a rear seat, the front seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom having a pair of longitudinal slide rails;

a pair of guide rails mounted to the vehicle and slideably engaging the longitudinal slide rails;

a power operated longitudinal seat adjuster drive mechanism for constantly retaining and slideably engageably positioning the longitudinal slide rails in relation to the guide rails thereby adjustably the seat bottom between a forward position and a rearward position;

a seat back having an inboard recliner frame and an outboard recliner frame;

a power reclining mechanism connecting the inboard and outboard recliner frames of the seat back to the seat bottom for positioning and constantly retaining the seat back in positions between a forward tilt position and a rearward reclined position;

a three point restraint system carried by the seat bottom and the seat back for retaining a front seat occupant, wherein loads on the three point restrain system are transferred to the seat back and the seat bottom, wherein the loads transferred to the seat back travel through the inboard and outboard recliner frames, through the power reclining mechanism to the seat bottom, and the loads on the seat bottom travel through the longitudinal slide rails, through the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster drive mechanism, through the guide rails to the vehicle;

first switch means mounted on the seat bottom accessible to the front seat occupant for actuating the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster drive mechanism to move the seat bottom either forwardly or rearwardly;

second switch means mounted on the seat bottom accessible to the front seat occupant for actuating the power reclining mechanism to rotate the seat back forwardly or rearwardly; and

third switch means mounted on the outboard frame of the seat back accessible to a rear seat occupant for simultaneously actuating the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster drive mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to simultaneously move the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly for access to the rear seat.

3. A front seat assembly for a vehicle being movable for access to a rear seat, the front seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom;

a power longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism slideably and constantly engageably connecting the seat bottom to the vehicle for adjustably positioning the seat bottom between a forward position and a rearward position;

a seat back;

a power reclining mechanism connecting the seat back to the seat bottom for positioning and constantly retaining the seat back in positions between a forward tilt position and a rearward reclined position;

first switch means mounted on the seat back accessible to a rear seat occupant for simultaneously actuating the power longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to simultaneously move the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly; and

second switch means mounted on the seat bottom accessible to a front seat occupant for actuating the power longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to independently move the seat bottom and the seat back forwardly or rearwardly.

4. A front seat assembly for mounting in a two-door vehicle and being movable for access to a rear seat, the front seat assembly comprising:

a seat bottom;

a power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism slideably and constantly engageably connecting the seat bottom to the vehicle for adjustably positioning the seat bottom between a forward position and a rearward position;

a seat back;

a power reclining mechanism connecting the seat back to the seat bottom for positioning and constantly retaining the seat back in positions between a forward tilt position and a rearward reclined position;

a three point restraint system carried by the seat bottom and the seat back for retaining a front seat occupant, wherein loads on the three point restraint system are transferred to the seat back and the seat bottom, wherein the loads transferred to the seat back travel through the power reclining mechanism to the seat bottom, and the loads transferred to the seat bottom travel through the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism, to the vehicle;

first switch means mounted on the seat back accessible to a rear seat occupant for actuating the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to simultaneously move the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly; and

second switch means mounted on the seat bottom accessible to the front seat occupant for actuating the power operated longitudinal seat adjuster mechanism and the power reclining mechanism to independently move the seat bottom and the seat back either forwardly or rearwardly.