Vehicle seat having a seat proper of adjustable height

• US 6,578,920 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Faurecia Sieges D'Automobile (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Noiseau, Pascal, Delmas, Stéphane
• Primary Examiner(s): Nelson, Jr., Milton
• Application Number:
  US09/876,483
• Publication Number:
  US 20020060488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 740 Days
• Field of Search: 297/344.12, 297/344.13, 297/344.1, 297/344.15, 297/344.17
• US Class Current: 297/344.17
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02253 characterised by the transmission between the electric motor and the seat or seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/164 Linear actuator, e.g. screw mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1675 with weight compensating means

Abstract

A vehicle seat comprising a back and a seat proper which includes a rigid frame supported by a raising mechanism for moving the seat upwards or downwards, the raising mechanism being controlled by an actuator which comprises a tube provided with a nut and a screw which co-operates with the nut, the screw being provided with a free end situated inside the tube, the raising mechanism further comprising an elastically-deformable member for assisting the motor of the actuator. The elastically-deformable member is housed inside the tube of the actuator between the free end of the screw and a support element secured to the actuator tube.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising a back and a seat proper which extends in a longitudinal direction between a rear end close to the back and a front end remote from the back, said seat proper comprising a rigid frame supported by a raising mechanism for moving the seat proper upwards or downwards, the raising mechanism being controlled by an actuator comprising a tube having a nut fixed at one end thereof and having a screw rotated by a motor and co-operating with the nut, the screw of the actuator being provided with a free end situated inside the tube of the actuator, the raising mechanism further comprising an elastically-deformable member for assisting the motor of the actuator while moving the rigid frame upwards, wherein said elastically-deformable member is housed inside the tube of the actuator between the free end of the screw of the actuator and a support element secured to the tube of the actuator.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the elastically-deformable member operates in compression to urge the free end of the screw away from the support element.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the raising mechanism comprises at least four links distributed as a pair of front links and a pair of rear links, which links pivot in vertical planes parallel to the longitudinal direction when the raising mechanism is in operation, the two links of each pair of links being supported respectively by bottom pivots sharing common pivot axes, the bottom pivots being connected to supports for connecting to the floor of the vehicle, and these two links being connected respectively to the rigid frame via top pivots which likewise share common pivot axes, said actuator having a first end connected to one of the links of the raising mechanism and a second end connected to the support.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the actuator is designed to work in retraction during upward displacement of the rigid frame, and the support element is constituted by the nut of the actuator tube, the elastically-deformable member being disposed in an annular housing defined by the screw of the actuator and the tube of the actuator, and said elastically-deformable member being compressed between the nut of the tube and the free end of the screw of the actuator.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 4, in which the actuator is provided with an abutment member for limiting the stroke of the actuator screw during downward displacement of the rigid frame.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 5, in which the abutment member is constituted by a tubular member placed in the annular housing and surrounding a portion of the actuator screw, the tubular member having a first end connected to the nut of the tube and a second end for coming into contact with the free end of the actuator screw.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the actuator is designed to operate in extension during upward movement of the rigid frame, and the support element is constituted by an end wall of the tube cooperating with the free end of the actuator screw to define a cylindrical housing in which the elastically-deformable member is disposed.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the elastically-deformable member is constituted by a first compression spring.

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 7, in which the free end of the actuator screw includes an abutment member for coming into abutment against the nut of the actuator tube.

10. A vehicle seat according to claim 7, in which the elastically-deformable member is constituted by a first compression spring.

11. A vehicle seat-according to claim 10, in which an additional compression spring is placed in the cylindrical housing concentrically with the first compression spring.