Seat including an integrated seat belt

• US 6,048,034 A
• Filed: 11/27/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA (Forvia SE)
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA (Forvia SE)
• Inventors: Daniel, Patrick, Aumont, Jean-Claude
• Primary Examiner(s): BARFIELD, ANTHONY DERRELL
• Application Number:
  US09/200,461
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 297/474, 297/475, 297/480, 297/481, 297/478, 297/216.1, 297/216.18, 297/216.19, 280/801.1, 280/806
• US Class Current: 297/478
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1803 with independent front and/or rear adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/181 Rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1864 Gear wheel driven mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/403 using externally controlled means, e.g. linked with seat back hinge
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

In an automobile vehicle, a seat assembly includes a seat belt and a seat belt inertia reel attached to the seat. The reel is equipped with belt locking means. Also included is a seat pan position adjustment means that enables a seat pan to be inclined by pivoting around a transverse horizontal axis. The inertia reel is attached to the seat pan and is installed so as to pivot around an axis that is substantially parallel to the transverse horizontal axis. A correction mechanism corrects the angular position of the inertia reel with respect to the seat pan according to the inclination of the seat pan.

Claims

1. In an automobile vehicle, a seat assembly comprising:

a seat belt, a seat belt inertia reel attached to the seat assembly and equipped with belt locking means, seat pan position adjustment means enabling a seat pan to be inclined by pivoting around a transverse horizontal axis, the inertia reel attached to the seat pan and installed so as to pivot around a second axis substantially parallel to the transverse horizontal axis, and first correction means to correct the angular position of the inertia reel with respect to the seat pan according to the inclination of the seat pan.

2. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 1 further comprising both specific tilt adjustment means and non-parallel height adjustment means, enabling the height of the seat pan to be modified by a non-parallel movement of the seat pan in relation to a floor of the vehicle, the first correction means mating with the height adjustment means, and the seat pan including second correction means combined with the first correction means and shaped to mate with the tilt adjustment means to correct the angular position of the inertia reel in relation to the seat pan according to the position of the tilt adjustment means.

3. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 2 wherein the first and second combined correction means include a first pivoting cam nested within a second cam pivoting around the first cam.

4. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 2, wherein the first and second combined correction means comprises:

a truncated cone-shaped cam pivoting around a further axis that is substantially parallel to a plane containing the second axis, about which the inertia reel pivots, and a contact point between the inertia reel and the truncated cone-shaped cam, the cam being translatable axially along said further axis, pivoting control means and translation control means of the truncated cone cam respectively connected to the tilt adjustment means and to the height adjustment means.

5. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first correction means include a pivoting cam riding on a casing of the inertia reel.

6. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first correction means includes a sliding cam riding on a casing of the inertia reel.

7. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first correction means is attached to a connecting bar attached to a height adjustment means and driven in rotation by said height adjustment means.

8. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first correction means include a toothed wheel, attached to the connecting bar, mating with a toothed segment located on an inertia reel casing.

9. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first correction means includes a first wheel attached to the connecting bar and mating, by means of a belt, with a second wheel attached to the inertia reel and centered on the second axis.

10. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 7, wherein the first correction means includes a plate attached to the connecting bar (8), the plate being connected to the inertia reel by means of a rod, a first end of the rod hinged to an arm extending from the inertia reel, and a second end of the rod being linked to the plate.

11. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first correction means includes a first deformable parallelogram connecting a support of the seat to a bellcrank installed so as to pivot around the transverse horizontal axis, and a second deformable parallelogram connecting the bellcrank to the inertial reel, the support being fixed in orientation in relation to the vehicle, the first correction means having a position datum in relation to which the orientation of the inertia reel remains constant irrespective of the variations in seat pan inclination.

12. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 11, wherein the bellcrank includes two arms which extend radially from the ends of a tube that is coaxial with the transverse horizontal axis.

13. Seat assembly in accordance with claim 12, wherein the arms are connected to the support and to the inertia reel by a metallic wire, the ends of which are attached to the support and to the inertia reel respectively, and an elastically deformable center portion which is held on the ends of said arms.