Removable vehicle seat and vehicle comprising such a seat

• US 6,279,981 B1
• Filed: 07/19/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
• Original Assignee: Bertrand Faure Equipements SA
• Inventors: Mesnage, Stéphane
• Primary Examiner(s): Pape, Joseph D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARPENTER, SCOTT A
• Application Number:
  US09/357,054
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 296/65.03, 297/217.3, 297/344.1, 248/503.1, 340/310.01
• US Class Current: 296/65.03
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01583 locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0264 characterised by the type of electrical connection, e.g. wiring, plugs or USB

Abstract

A removable automobile vehicle seat, comprising anchorings adapted to enable rapid mounting and dismantling of the seat on the bodywork of a vehicle. The seat comprises in addition an electrical circuit connected to an electrical supply connector which is connected to an electrical connector mounted on the vehicle bodywork, the connection and disconnection being made by the installing movement of the seat on the vehicle bodywork.

Claims

1. An automobile vehicle comprising a bodywork on which is fixed at least one removable seat comprising anchorings adapted to enable rapid mounting and dismantling of the seat on said bodywork, by mounting and dismantling movements where at least one lower part belonging to the seat is moved along a pre-specified direction, so called mounting direction, said seat further comprising at least one electrical circuit supplied with electrical current by means of an electrical seat connection device which is fixed on said lower part of the seat, said bodywork comprising at least one location able to receive the removable seat positioned either in a frontward direction or in a rearward direction, the seat connection device being arranged to be in two different positions relative to said location according to the direction of the seat, and said location comprising first and second bodywork connection devices which are connected to the seat connection device respectively in said frontward and rearward directions of the seat, said seat connection device being adapted:

to connect to one of said bodywork connection devices by mutual engagement in the mounting direction, due only to the mounting movement of the seat,

and to disconnect from the bodywork connection device, by only the dismantling movement of the seat in said mounting direction,

said vehicle further comprising a central electronic processing unit which is adapted to communicate with the electrical circuit of the seat by modulation of the supply current, said central electronic processing unit being adapted to recognize the direction of the seat on said location by recognizing the bodywork connection device.

2. An automobile vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the mounting direction is vertical.

3. An automobile vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the bodywork comprises at least one slide able to receive the removable seat enabling it to slide, this slide comprising at least one movable component which is adapted to follow the sliding movement of the seat and which carries the connection device belonging to the bodywork.