Slide/fold/EZ entry seat mechanism

• US 6,152,533 A
• Filed: 11/26/1999
• Issued: 11/28/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Faure Components Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Faure Components Ltd.
• Inventors: Smuk, Wojciech
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US09/424,641
• Time in Patent Office: 368 Days
• Field of Search: 297/341, 297/378.12, 297/15, 248/429, 248/430
• US Class Current: 297/341
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/12 slidable and tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3011 the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3013 the back-rest being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/305 the cushion being hinged on the vehicle frame
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/3065 in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/309 rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly (20) attachable to a vehicle floor (21) has a seat back support frame foldable over a seat support frame and at least two seat track assemblies (22, 22'"'"') which provide for controlled adjustment of the seat assembly relative to the vehicle floor. An associated recliner mechanism (32) has a single lever acting as a control handle to permit controlled adjustment of the inclination angle of the backrest, to allow for forward dumping of the backrest over the seat support frame (29) and to permit forward downward folding of the seat support frame (29), as part of a parallelogram mechanism, thereby to permit collapsing of the seat support structure toward the vehicle floor (21) and forward dumping of the seat back, thereby to provide more volume for cargo within the vehicle, without the need for removing the seat assembly (20). An E-Z entry mechanism may also be incorporated into the assembly.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat assembly, attachable to a vehicle floor, which vehicle seat assembly has a seat support frame, a seat back support frame, at least two seat track assemblies, at least two rear supports and a seat control assembly, wherein:

(a) each seat track assembly comprises a first track section attachable to the vehicle floor, and extending from front to rear when installed on the vehicle floor, a second track section which is slidably engaged with the first track section, and a track locking assembly having track locking means for locking first and second track sections together at any position from a forward position of the second track section to a rearward position of the second track section;

(b) each said rear supports are fixedly attached to a rear portion of a second track section and a bottom end of said seat back support frame is supported on the rear support, at a seat back pivot;

(c) a front of the seat support frame is supported by front links, each of which are pivotable at an upper end of the front link about the front of the seat support frame and are pivotable at a lower end of the front link about a front end of the second track section, and a rear of the said support frame is supported at a rear seat support pivot, said rear support pivot being attached to the seat back support frame between the seat back pivot and a head end of the seat back support frame; and

(d) the seat control assembly has i) seat back locking means to lock the seat back support frame so that the seat back support frame is in a substantially upright position, ii) locking release means to release the seat back locking means so that the seat back support frame is able to pivot forwardly into a dump position and thus cause forward movement of the seat support frame and forward and downward movement of the front of the seat support frame about the upper pivots of the front links, and wherein the locking release means is interconnected with the track locking release means, for unlocking the track locking means when the seat back support frame is pivoted forwardly.

2. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the seat back locking means is able to lock the seat back support frame at the seat back pivot.

3. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 2, wherein the seat back pivot has a reclining mechanism associated therewith.

4. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 3, wherein the seat back locking means has a rotary recliner which has inner and outer rotatable halves, said rotary recliner having a rotational axis coincident with the seat back pivot, said inner rotatable half being fixedly attached to the back support frame and the outer rotatable half being fixedly attached to a rear support, and the seat back locking means is able to lock the inner and outer halves in predetermined positions, and wherein the inner rotatable half has intermediate linkage means which 1) in a first instance permits limited forward rotation of the seat back support frame without causing the track locking means to unlock the first and second track sections, and 2) in a second instance, upon further forward rotation of the seat back support frame is connected to a track locking linkage which causes the track locking means to unlock the first and second track sections.

5. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 4, wherein the seat control assembly has a recliner control crank which is connected to the seat back locking means at the seat back pivot, the recliner control crank being operatively connected to an E-Z entry control handle, and the intermediate linkage comprises a link member with a first end attached to the inner rotatable half and a second end operatively attached to the track locking means, said link member having a lost motion mechanism therein, said lost motion permitting rotation of the seat back support frame in the first instance.

6. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 5, wherein the vehicle seat assembly additionally has a seat reclining control assembly which has recliner actuating means for operating the seat back locking means in the first instance and disconnection means for making the track unlocking linkage inoperative, said seat reclining control assembly being independent of the seat control assembly.

7. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 4, wherein the vehicle seat assembly additionally has a seat reclining control assembly which has recliner actuating means for operating the seat back locking means in the first instance and disconnection means for making the track unlocking linkage inoperative, said seat reclining control assembly being independent of the seat control assembly.

8. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 7, wherein the seat control assembly has a recliner control crank which is connected to the seat back locking means at the seat back pivot, said recliner control crank being operatively connected to an E-Z entry control handle, and the intermediate linkage comprises an interlock link member with a first end attached to the inner rotatable half and second end which has engaging means for engaging with a hook of a pivotable interlock crank, said interlock crank being operatively connected to the track locking means;

said vehicle seat assembly additionally having a seat reclining control assembly which comprises a first class recliner lever which has a first arm and a second arm between which is a recliner lever pivot, said first arm being a manually operable handle and the second arm being cooperatively engaged with the interlock link member such that rotation of the recliner lever in a first direction removes the engaging means from being able to engage with the hook, said first arm having pivotally attached thereto a recliner actuation link with a lost motion mechanism at an end distal to the first arm, said recliner actuation link lost motion being operatively connected to the recliner control crank such that movement of the engaging means away from the hook occurs during the lost motion, and after there is no further lost motion, the recliner actuation link acts upon the recliner control crank in order to unlock the rotary recliner, said recliner actuation link and recliner lever being biased to return to their original positions.

9. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 4, wherein the seat control assembly has a recliner control crank which is connected to the seat back locking means at the seat back pivot, said recliner control crank being operatively connected to an E-Z entry control handle, and the intermediate linkage comprises an interlock link member with a first end attached to the inner rotatable half and second end which has engaging means for engaging with a hook of a pivotable interlock crank, said interlock crank being operatively connected to the track locking means;

said vehicle seat assembly additionally having a seat reclining control assembly which comprises a first class recliner lever which has a first arm and a second arm between which is a recliner lever pivot, said first arm being a manually operable handle and the second arm being cooperatively engaged with the interlock link member such that rotation of the recliner lever in a first direction removes the engaging means from being able to engage with the hook, said first arm having pivotally attached thereto a recliner actuation link with a lost motion mechanism at an end distal to the first arm, said recliner actuation link lost motion being operatively connected to the recliner control crank such that movement of the engaging means away from the hook occurs during the lost motion, and after there is no further lost motion, the recliner actuation link acts upon the recliner control crank in order to unlock the rotary recliner, said recliner actuation link and recliner lever being biased to return to their original positions.

10. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle seat assembly additionally has a seat reclining control assembly which has recliner actuating means for operating the seat back locking means in the first instance and disconnection means for making the track unlocking linkage inoperative, said seat reclining control assembly being independent of the seat control assembly.