Vehicle seat fitted with a pivot mechanism
First Claim
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1. A vehicle seat comprising:
- first and second seat elements mounted so that one pivots relative to the other about an axis of rotation, at least one pivot mechanism which comprises a locking device displaceable between a locked position preventing relative pivoting movement between the first and second seat elements, and an unlocked position allowing a free pivoting movement between the first and second seat elements, said locking device being controlled by a first operating member which can be operated by a user, said first operating member being biased towards a non-operating position in which said first operating member places the locking device in its locked position, and the first operating member being displaceable in an angular operating direction towards an operating position in which said first operating member places the locking device in its unlocked position, the non-operating and operating positions of the first operating member being fixed relative to the first seat element, and an indexing mechanism which is displaceable between a non-operating position in which said indexing mechanism is designed not to impair the relative pivoting action of the first and second seat elements, and an operating position in which said indexing mechanism is designed to;
allow a free pivoting movement of the second seat element relative to the first seat element, in a first angular direction from the last relative position of adjustment of these two seat elements, then allow a free pivoting movement of the second seat element relative to the first seat element in a second angular direction opposite the first angular direction as far as said last relative position of adjustment of these two seat elements, the indexing mechanism being controlled by a second operating member which can be operated by a user, said second operating member being biased towards a non-operating position in which said second operating member places the indexing member in its non-operating position, the second operating member being displaceable to an operating position in which said second operating member places the indexing mechanism in its operating position, wherein the locking device provides a link between the first and second seat elements independently of the indexing mechanism, wherein the indexing mechanism comprises;
an indexing plate independent of the locking device, said indexing plate being mounted so as to pivot freely about the axis of rotation independently of the first and second seat elements, a first checking member independent of the locking device, said first checking member being linked to the second operating member and to the first seat element so that it can be displaced relative to said first seat element following the second operating member, said first checking member co-operating with the indexing plate in order to lock said indexing plate relative to the first seat element when the second operating member is in its non-operating position, and the first checking member allowing the indexing plate to pivot relative to the first seat element about the axis of rotation when said second operating member is in its operating position, and a second checking member independent of the locking device, said second checking member being linked to the second operating member and to the second seat element so that said second checking member can be displaced relative to said second seat element following the second operating member, said second checking member co-operating with the indexing plate in order to lock said indexing plate relative to the second seat element when the second operating member is in its operating position, and the second checking member allowing the indexing plate to pivot about the axis of rotation relative to the second seat element when said second operating member is in its non-operating position, and wherein the first and second operating members are linked to one another by a lost motion mechanical link which is designed;
to leave the second operating member in its non-operating position when acting on the first operating member by displacing it into its operating position, and to drive the first operating member from its non-operating position into its operating position when the second operating member is acted on by displacing it from its non-operating position into its operating position.
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Abstract
The backrest of a seat is linked to the seat part by a pivot mechanism comprising two plates which can be joined by means of toothed bearing plates controlled by a cam. To allow the backrest of the seat to be folded down forwards and this backrest then returned to its initial position, the cam of the pivot mechanism co-operates with an outer indexing mechanism, which comprises a control lever joined to this cam by a mechanical link with a lost motion designed so that operation of the cam will not cause the operating lever to be displaced and so that when the operating lever is operated, the cam will be driven in displacement into its locked position.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A vehicle seat comprising:
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first and second seat elements mounted so that one pivots relative to the other about an axis of rotation, at least one pivot mechanism which comprises a locking device displaceable between a locked position preventing relative pivoting movement between the first and second seat elements, and an unlocked position allowing a free pivoting movement between the first and second seat elements, said locking device being controlled by a first operating member which can be operated by a user, said first operating member being biased towards a non-operating position in which said first operating member places the locking device in its locked position, and the first operating member being displaceable in an angular operating direction towards an operating position in which said first operating member places the locking device in its unlocked position, the non-operating and operating positions of the first operating member being fixed relative to the first seat element, and an indexing mechanism which is displaceable between a non-operating position in which said indexing mechanism is designed not to impair the relative pivoting action of the first and second seat elements, and an operating position in which said indexing mechanism is designed to;
allow a free pivoting movement of the second seat element relative to the first seat element, in a first angular direction from the last relative position of adjustment of these two seat elements, then allow a free pivoting movement of the second seat element relative to the first seat element in a second angular direction opposite the first angular direction as far as said last relative position of adjustment of these two seat elements, the indexing mechanism being controlled by a second operating member which can be operated by a user, said second operating member being biased towards a non-operating position in which said second operating member places the indexing member in its non-operating position, the second operating member being displaceable to an operating position in which said second operating member places the indexing mechanism in its operating position, wherein the locking device provides a link between the first and second seat elements independently of the indexing mechanism, wherein the indexing mechanism comprises;
an indexing plate independent of the locking device, said indexing plate being mounted so as to pivot freely about the axis of rotation independently of the first and second seat elements, a first checking member independent of the locking device, said first checking member being linked to the second operating member and to the first seat element so that it can be displaced relative to said first seat element following the second operating member, said first checking member co-operating with the indexing plate in order to lock said indexing plate relative to the first seat element when the second operating member is in its non-operating position, and the first checking member allowing the indexing plate to pivot relative to the first seat element about the axis of rotation when said second operating member is in its operating position, and a second checking member independent of the locking device, said second checking member being linked to the second operating member and to the second seat element so that said second checking member can be displaced relative to said second seat element following the second operating member, said second checking member co-operating with the indexing plate in order to lock said indexing plate relative to the second seat element when the second operating member is in its operating position, and the second checking member allowing the indexing plate to pivot about the axis of rotation relative to the second seat element when said second operating member is in its non-operating position, and wherein the first and second operating members are linked to one another by a lost motion mechanical link which is designed;
to leave the second operating member in its non-operating position when acting on the first operating member by displacing it into its operating position, and to drive the first operating member from its non-operating position into its operating position when the second operating member is acted on by displacing it from its non-operating position into its operating position. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
an indentation in which the first checking member engages when said first checking member is in its non-operating position, and a circular guide surface centered on the axis of rotation, on which the first checking member slidably bears when the indexing mechanism is in its operating position and the second seat element has been displaced in the first angular direction relative to the first seat element from the last adjusted relative position.
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3. A seat as claimed in claim 2, in which the indexing plate also has a stop which is adjacent to the indentation of said indexing plate and which is disposed in the first angular direction relative to said indentation so as to allow the second seat element to pivot relative to the first seat element only in said first angular direction from said last adjusted relative position of these two seat elements when the indexing mechanism is in its operating position and then to check the relative pivoting movement between the two first and second seat elements in the second angular direction when the first seat element has been returned to its last adjusted position relative to the second seat element.
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4. A seat as claimed in claim 2, in which the first checking member is a hook joined to an operating lever which constitutes the second operating member and which is mounted on the first seat element so as to pivot about a pivot axis parallel with said axis of rotation, the indentation and the guide surface of the indexing plate being radially oriented towards the exterior relative to the axis of rotation.
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5. A seat as claimed in claim 4, in which the first operating member is mounted so as to pivot about the axis of rotation and is joined to an operating lever which is in turn pivotally mounted on a linking rod joined with a clearance to the operating lever, the non-operating positions of the first operating member and the operating lever being such that said clearance is picked up in a direction corresponding to the displacement of the operating lever from its non-operating position into its operating position when the indexing mechanism is in its non-operating position.
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6. A seat as claimed in claim 4, in which the second checking member is coupled with the operating lever by a coupling member joined to said operating lever so as to pivot at a fixing point which is located substantially on the axis of rotation when the indexing mechanism is in its non-operating position.
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7. A seat as claimed in claim 4, in which the operating lever is linked to a manual operating member accessible to a user, by a coupling member which is in turn linked to said operating lever so as to pivot at a fixing point which is located substantially on the axis of rotation when the indexing mechanism is in its non-operating position.
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8. A seat as claimed in claim 1, in which the second checking member is an indexing bearing plate controlled by a cam mechanically coupled with the second operating member, this cam being mounted so as to pivot on the second seat element about a pivot axis parallel with said axis of rotation, said cam having a circular operating surface centered on said pivot axis, which operating surface holds the indexing bearing plate locked against the indexing plate within a certain angular pivoting range of the cam when the second operating member is in its operating position.
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9. A seat as claimed in claim 1, in which the second checking member is directly coupled with the second operating member by a resilient link.
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10. A seat as claimed in claim 1, in which the first and second seat elements are a seat part and a backrest.
Specification
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Current AssigneeBertrand Faure Equipements SA (Forvia SE)
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Original AssigneeBertrand Faure Equipements SA (Forvia SE)
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InventorsLe Bourgeois, Fabien, Rohee, René
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Primary Examiner(s)REDMAN, JERRY E
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Application NumberUS09/604,345Time in Patent Office714 DaysField of Search297/367, 297/368, 297/378.12US Class Current297/367.00RCPC Class CodesB60N 2/20 the back-rest being tiltabl...
