Slide for vehicle seat, and seat including such slide

• US 6,257,541 B1
• Filed: 04/23/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
• Inventors: Timon, Michel, Casellas, Pierre Moradell
• Primary Examiner(s): King, Anita M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAXTER, GWENDOLYN WRENN
• Application Number:
  US09/298,633
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 248/424, 248/429, 248/430, 297/341, 297/344.1
• US Class Current: 248/429
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0715 C or U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0818 inside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0875 in a vertical direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0887 with synchronised movements
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

A vehicle seat slide includes a fixed section, a mobile section, a memory shoe sliding along the fixed section and defining a memorized position of the mobile section, a first actuator which simultaneously unlocks the slide and fastens the shoe to the mobile section, and a second actuator which unlocks only the slide. The second actuator operates a fastener device of the shoe via a cable.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat slide including:

a fixed section adapted to be attached to a floor of a vehicle,

a mobile section mounted to slide along the fixed section and adapted to be attached to a squab of a seat to enable the squab to move forward and backward in a longitudinal direction,

a slide lock mounted on the mobile section and movable between a locked position in which said slide lock engages the fixed section to immobilize the mobile section and an unlocked position in which said slide lock does not engage the fixed section and allows said mobile section to slide, the slide lock being spring-loaded toward the locked position of said slide lock,

a memory shoe mounted to slide relative to the fixed section and parallel to the longitudinal direction, the memory shoe defining a memorized position of the mobile section,

a shoe fastener device mounted on the mobile section and movable between a coupled position in which said fastener device fastens the memory shoe to the mobile section and a decoupled position in which said fastener device does not fasten the memory shoe to the mobile section,

a first actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a first unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the coupled position of said fastener device to enable simultaneous sliding of the mobile section and the memory shoe relative to the fixed section in one of a forward and backward direction to adjust the memorized position of the seat, and

a second actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a second unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the decoupled position of said fastener device to enable the mobile section to slide forward without the memory shoe moving, the memory shoe thereby limiting backward movement of the mobile section, wherein one of the first and second actuator devices further includes a fastener actuator cable system, which is connected to the fastener device to actuate the fastener device, wherein the slide lock does not engage the fastener device, and

wherein the memory shoe includes a shoe lock movable between a locked position in which said shoe lock engages the fixed section to immobilize the memory shoe relative to said fixed section and an unlocked position in which said shoe lock does not engage the fixed section but engages the mobile section to fasten the memory shoe to said mobile section, wherein the shoe lock is spring-loaded toward the locked position of said shoe lock, so that said shoe lock is part of the fastener device, and wherein the fastener device further includes an actuator member operated by the fastener actuator cable system, wherein the actuator member of the fastener device engages the shoe lock to move said shoe lock into the unlocked position of said shoe lock on operation of the first actuator device.

2. The slide according to claim 1 wherein the first actuator device includes a first actuator member movable between a rest position and an actuation position, the actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, and the second actuator device includes a second actuator member movable parallel to the first actuator member between a rest position and an actuation position, the actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, wherein one of the first and second actuator members includes a fastener actuator member, wherein said fastener actuator member is connected to the fastener actuator cable system, and another actuator member is disposed so that movement of the fastener actuator member from the rest position of said fastener actuator member to the actuation position of said fastener actuator member moves said other actuator member from the rest position of said other actuator member to the actuation position of said other actuator member, and movement of said other actuator member from the rest position of said other actuator member to the actuation position of the other actuator member does not move the fastener actuator member.

3. The slide according to claim 2 wherein the fastener device is spring-loaded toward the decoupled position and the fastener actuator cable system is connected to the first actuator member to move the fastener device into the coupled position when said first actuator member is moved from the rest position to the actuation position.

4. The slide according to claim 3 wherein said actuator member of the fastener device includes a lever mounted to pivot on the mobile section about a vertical axis, the lever includes a vertical actuator finger disposed laterally relative to the slide and adapted to act on the shoe lock, and wherein the memory shoe is also disposed laterally relative to the slide.

5. The slide according to claim 4 wherein the mobile section is attached to a lug that covers the memory shoe at least partly when said mobile section is in the memorized position and the lug is shaped to co-operate with at least one part of the shoe lock when said shoe lock is in the unlocked position so that the memory shoe is then fastened to the mobile section.

6. A seat including a seat squab carried by at least one memory slide including:

a fixed section adapted to be attached to a floor of a vehicle,

a mobile section mounted to slide along the fixed section and adapted to be attached to the seat squab to enable the squab to move forward and backward in a longitudinal direction,

a slide lock mounted on the mobile section and movable between a locked position in which said slide lock engages the fixed section to immobilize the mobile section and an unlocked position in which said slide lock does not engage the fixed section and allows said mobile section to slide, the slide lock being spring-loaded toward the locked position of said slide lock,

a memory shoe mounted to slide relative to the fixed section and parallel to the longitudinal direction, the memory shoe defining a memorized position of the mobile section,

a shoe fastener device mounted on the mobile section and movable between a coupled position in which said fastener device fastens the memory shoe to the mobile section and a decoupled position in which said fastener device does not fasten the memory shoe to the mobile section,

a first actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a first unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the coupled position of said fastener device to enable simultaneous sliding of the mobile section and the memory shoe relative to the fixed section in one of a forward and backward direction to adjust the memorized position of the seat, and

a second actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a second unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the decoupled position of said fastener device to enable the mobile section to slide forward without the memory shoe moving, the memory shoe thereby limiting backward movement of the mobile section,

wherein one of the first and second actuator devices further includes a fastener actuator cable system, which is connected to the fastener device to actuate the fastener device, wherein the slide lock does not engage the fastener device, and

wherein the memory shoe includes a shoe lock movable between a locked position in which said shoe lock engages the fixed section to immobilize the memory shoe relative to said fixed section and an unlocked position in which said shoe lock does not engage the fixed section but engages the mobile section to fasten the memory shoe to said mobile section, wherein the shoe lock is spring-loaded toward the locked position of said shoe lock, so that said shoe lock is part of the fastener device, and wherein the fastener device further includes an actuator member operated by the fastener actuator cable system, wherein the actuator member of the fastener device engages the shoe lock to move said shoe lock into the unlocked position of said shoe lock on operation of the first actuator device.

7. A seat including a seat squab carried by at least one memory slide including:

a fixed section adapted to be attached to a floor of a vehicle,

a mobile section mounted to slide alone the fixed section and adapted to be attached to the seat squab to enable the squab to move forward and backward in a longitudinal direction,

a slide lock mounted on the mobile section and movable between a locked position in which said slide lock engages the fixed section to immobilize the mobile section and an unlocked position in which said slide lock does not engage the fixed section and allows said mobile section to slide, the slide lock being spring-loaded toward the locked position of said slide lock,

a memory shoe mounted to slide relative to the fixed section and parallel to the longitudinal direction, the memory shoe defining a memorized Position of the mobile section,

a shoe fastener device mounted on the mobile section and movable between a coupled position in which said fastener device fastens the memory shoe to the mobile section and a decoupled position in which said fastener device does not fasten the memory shoe to the mobile section,

a first actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a first unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the coupled position of said fastener device to enable simultaneous sliding of the mobile section and the memory shoe relative to the fixed section in one of a forward and backward direction to adjust the memorized position of the seat, and

a second actuator device mechanically connected to the slide lock and adapted to place the slide in a second unlocked state in which the slide lock is in the unlocked position of said slide lock and the fastener device is in the decoupled position of said fastener device to enable the mobile section to slide forward without the memory shoe moving, the memory shoe thereby limiting backward movement of the mobile section,

wherein one of the first and second actuator devices further includes a fastener actuator cable system, which is connected to the fastener device to actuate the fastener device, wherein the slide lock does not engage the fastener device,

wherein the first actuator device includes a first actuator member movable between a rest position and an actuation position, the actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, and the second actuator device includes a second actuator member movable parallel to the first actuator member between a rest position and an actuation position, the actuation position corresponding to unlocking of the slide lock, wherein one of the first and second actuator members includes a fastener actuator member, wherein said fastener actuator member is connected to the fastener actuator cable system, and another actuator member is disposed so that movement of the fastener actuator member from the rest position of said fastener actuator member to the actuation position of said fastener actuator member moves said other actuator member from the rest position of said other actuator member to the actuation position of said other actuator member, and movement of said other actuator member from the rest position of said other actuator member to the actuation position of said other actuator member does not move the fastener actuator member,

wherein the fastener device is spring-loaded toward the decoupled position of said fastener device, and the fastener actuator cable system is connected to the first actuator member to move the fastener device into the coupled position of said fastener device when said first actuator member is moved from the rest position of said first actuator member to the actuation position of said first actuator member,

wherein the seat squab is further carried by an additional slide including;

a fixed section extending in said longitudinal direction,

a mobile section mounted to slide along the fixed section of the additional slide and attached to the seat squab, and

a slide lock mounted on the mobile section of the additional slide and movable between a locked position in which said slide lock of the additional slide engages the fixed section of the additional slide to immobilize the mobile section of the additional slide and an unlocked position in which said slide lock of the additional slide does not engage the fixed section of the additional slide and allows said mobile section of the additional slide to slide, the slide lock of the additional slide being spring-loaded toward the locked position of said slide lock of the additional slide,

wherein each of the slide lock of the memory slide and the slide lock of the additional slide are operated by respective parallel first and second rigid links extending transversely relative to the slides, the first link is attached to the second actuator member and mounted to slide relative to the first actuator member and the second link is mounted to slide relative to the first and second actuator members,

wherein the first and second actuator devices comprise respective first and second lock actuator cable systems which each include a flexible outer sheath and a flexible inner cable, the outer sheaths of the first and second lock actuator cable systems are attached to a common rigid block mounted to slide relative to the first link and attached to the second link, the respective inner cables of the first and second lock actuator cable systems are mounted to slide relative to said rigid block, wherein the second actuator member is disposed between the first actuator member and the rigid block, wherein said rigid block is disposed toward the memory slide, and at least one compression spring is disposed between said rigid block and the second actuator member,

wherein the fastener actuator cable system includes a flexible outer sheath fixed to the first actuator member and a flexible inner cable which slides in the first actuator member and in a guide attached to the second link, the guide is disposed between the first actuator member and the additional slide, wherein the inner cable of the fastener actuator cable system has a rigid head that is normally situated at a particular non-zero distance d from said guide and between the guide and the additional slide, when the first and second actuator devices are not operated,

and wherein the rest and actuation positions of the first actuator member are separated by a distance greater than d/2 and the rest and actuation positions of the second actuator member are separated by a distance at most equal to d.