Device for longitudinal positioning of a vehicle seat

• US 5,717,300 A
• Filed: 02/24/1995
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Faure France
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Faure France
• Inventors: Taylor, Marc, Baloche, Fran.cedilla.ois
• Primary Examiner(s): Martin, David S.
• Application Number:
  US08/393,737
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 297/330-336, 297/340-344.17, 318/280, 318/286, 318/446, 318/466, 318/468
• US Class Current: 318/282
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0248 with memory of positions
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0252 with relations between different adjustments, e.g. height of headrest following longitudinal position of seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for longitudinal positioning of a vehicle seat, including an electrical automatic device for displacing the seat part of the seat forwards when the backrest of the seat is folded down, and backwards as far as a previously set position when the backrest is brought upright again. The automatic device includes a slider which can move longitudinally, a sensor for detecting a position known as the locking position of the slider relative to the seat part, a lock for securing the slider and the seat part in this position, a circuit-breaker for stopping the action of the automatic device in the event where the latter is displacing the seat part backwards and where the locking position is detected, the lock and the circuit-breaker being neutralized when the backrest is folded down.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat part mounted on a base so that said seat part can move forward and backward in a longitudinal direction,

a backrest mounted on the seat part and able to pivot between a folded-down forward position and an upright position in which a user can sit down on the seat,

adjustment means for enabling said user to displace the seat part longitudinally to a position chosen by said user along said base,

an automatic displacement motor for automatically displacing the seat part forward as far as an end-of-travel position when the backrest is in said folded-down position, and for automatically displacing the seat part backward as far as said chosen position when the backrest is returned from said folded-down position to said upright position,

a slider which can move longitudinally relative to the base,

an abutment secured to the seat part,

a locking member able to pivot on the seat part between an engagement position where said locking member can interfere with said slider and a non-obstructing position where said locking member does not interfere with said slider, said locking member being urged by a spring toward said engagement position and being displacable into said non-obstructing position by neutralizing means actuated by the backrest when said backrest is placed in said folded-down position, said locking member including an operative face pointing forward, the slider being locked relative to the seat part between the abutment and said operative face when said slider and said seat part are in a relative locking position when the locking member is in said engagement position and the backrest is in said upright position, the slider and the locking member respectively including surfaces designed to interact with each other in order to displace the locking member toward said non-obstructing position through a cam effect, without displacing the slider, when the seat part is being displaced automatically backward, so that the seat part and the slider can come back into the locking position relative to the slider,

a sensor mounted on said seat part for sensing the slider when said slider is in the locking position relative to the seat part,

and means for stopping the action of the automatic displacement motor when said locking position is detected by the sensor and when the backrest is in said upright position.

2. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the neutralizing means include a cable mounted between the locking member and the backrest of the seat, and tensioned when the backrest is in said folded-down position, in order to cause the locking member to pivot into said non-obstructing position.

3. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automatic displacement motor is electrically powered by electrical power supply means and the stopping means comprises a stop switch mounted in series with said motor, the sensor including a detection lever which operates the stop switch and which pivots on the locking member, said detection lever being movable between a position of rest in which the stop switch allows the automatic displacement motor to be powered and a detection position in which said stop switch cuts off the power of said automatic displacement motor, the detection lever being urged elastically towards said position of rest, said detection lever being movable into said detection position by the slider when the slider and the seat part are in said relative locking position and the locking member is in said engaged position, and the detection lever no longer contacts the slider when the locking member is in said non-obstructing position, so that said detection lever is then in said position of rest.

4. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 3, further including a folded-down position switch and an upright-position switch, the automatic displacement motor and the stop switch being connected in series between the folded-down-position switch and the upright-position switch, and wherein said folded-down-position and upright-position switches interact with the backrest of the seat in order to connect the automatic displacement motor to said electrical power supply means, reversing a direction of rotation of said motor depending on whether the backrest is in said folded-down position or in said upright position.

5. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the electrical power supply means includes a first terminal linked to the upright-position switch when the backrest is in the upright position, a second terminal linked to the upright-position switch by an end-of-travel switch when the backrest is in the folded-down position, said end-of-travel switch being open when the seat part of the seat is forward in said end-of-travel position, and closed when the seat part of the seat is not in said end-of-travel position.

6. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4, wherein the backrest of the seat is mounted so as to rotate about a rotation axis, and wherein the seat further includes a rotary cam secured to the backrest and having a circular arc centered on said rotation axis and extending over an angle sufficient to allow for a range of angular adjustment of the upright position of the backrest, the upright-position switch including an operating member displaced elastically by the cam member when the backrest is in said upright position, and which contacts the circular arc of said cam member, the member for operating the upright-position switch being in contact with said circular arc in the upright position of the backrest throughout said adjustment range.