Vehicle seat slide mechanism

• US 6,102,478 A
• Filed: 01/16/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Christopher, Hugh Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramirez, Ramon O.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wentsler, Stephen S.
• Application Number:
  US09/008,436
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 297/341, 248/429, 248/430
• US Class Current: 297/341
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0715 C or U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0825 outside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/085 about a transversal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

A vehicle seat slide mechanism has an upper rail provided with a pawl which holds an engagement member in a position where a trigger is disengaged from a lower rail while an upper rail is moved forwardly. A memory member comprises a front surface, a ramp surface, and a slot engageable by the engagement member in the form of a pin, whereby on rearward movement of the upper rail, the pawl engages the front surface and releases the pin which is moved along the ramp surface and into the slot.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat slide mechanism comprising two seat slides, each consisting of an upper rail adapted to carry the vehicle seat and a lower rail associated therewith and adapted to be connected to the vehicle floor, each upper rail being capable of movement in a fore-and-aft direction relative to the associated lower rail, a trigger mounted on at least one upper rail and normally urged by biasing means into a locked position in engagement with at least one of a series of apertures or notches in the associated lower rail to prevent relative movement of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail, a release member cooperating with the trigger and arranged to move the trigger from the locked position to an unlocked position out of engagement with the at least one aperture or notch in the lower rail, a memory member carried by the lower rail of one of the two slides and movable parallel thereto by engagement with an engagement member carried by the upper rail of the same slide, a latch operable to disengage the engagement member from the memory member and to move the trigger out of engagement with the associated lower rail to allow forward movement of the upper rail and seat thereon, the memory member remaining in position on the lower rail characterized in that the upper rail is provided with a pawl which holds the engagement member in the position where the trigger is disengaged from the lower rail while the upper rail is moved forwardly and the memory member comprises a front surface, a ramp surface and a slot engageable by the engagement member in the form of a pin, whereby on rearward movement of the upper rail, the pawl engages the front surface and releases the pin which is moved along the ramp surface and into the slot.

2. A vehicle seat slide mechanism according to claim 1 characterized in that the biasing means comprises a spring.

3. A vehicle seat slide mechanism according to claim 1 characterized in that on said rearward movement of the upper rail the pawl releases the engagement member in the form of a pin allowing the trigger to return to the locked position.

4. A vehicle seat comprising two seat slides, each consisting of an upper rail and a lower rail associated therewith and adapted to be connected to the vehicle floor, each upper rail being capable of movement in a fore-and-aft direction relative to the associated lower rail, a trigger mounted on at least one upper rail and normally urged by biasing means into a locked position in engagement with at least one of a series of apertures or notches in the associated lower rail to prevent relative movement of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail, a release member cooperating with the trigger and arranged to move the trigger from the locked position to an unlocked position out of engagement with the at least one aperture or notch in the lower rail, a memory member carried by the lower rail of one of the two slides and movable parallel thereto by engagement with an engagement member carried by the upper rail of the same slide, a latch operable to disengage the engagement member from the memory member and to move the trigger out of engagement with the associated lower rail to allow forward movement of the upper rail and seat thereon, the memory member remaining in position on the lower rail characterized in that the upper rail is provided with a pawl which holds the engagement member in the position where the trigger is disengaged from the lower rail while the upper rail is moved forwardly and the memory member comprises a front surface, a ramp surface and a slot engageable by the engagement member in the form of a pin, whereby on rearward movement of the upper rail, the pawl engages the front surface and releases the pin which is moved along the ramp surface and into the slot.

5. A vehicle seat further comprising a squab having a cam which is engageable with the latch.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 5 characterized in that the latch is linked to a plate on the other of the two slides and which also carries an engagement member in the form of a pin, movement of the squab in a forward direction operating the latch and the plate linked thereto to cause the two pins to move respective triggers, one on each slide, out of engagement with the two lower rails.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 6 characterized in that the memory member is in the form of a block frictionally engaged with but slidable on the lower rail, the pin on the latch normally being engaged in the slot in the block to cause it to move with the upper rail so long as the seat squab is not tilted forwardly.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 7 characterized in that forward tilting of the squab causes the pin to move out of the slot and the member remains in position until re-engaged by the pawl.