Vehicle seat frame and belt assembly

• US 6,767,055 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2003
• Issued: 07/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CVG Alabama LLC (Commercial Vehicle Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Bostrom Seating, Inc. (Commercial Vehicle Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sparks, C. Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuomo, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): D ADAMO, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US10/374,952
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.13, 297/216.14, 297/470, 297/452.18, 297/452.2, 297/250.1, 297/256.13, 297/354.1
• US Class Current: 297/216.14
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/162 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1665 Hydraulic or pneumatic actuation
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/433 Safety locks for back-rests, e.g. with locking bars activated by inertia
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/502 attached to the base of the seat B60N2/504 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/508 Scissors-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/525 using gas
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/688 Particular seat belt attachment and guiding
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0074 Utility vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

The present invention pertains to a vehicle seat with an integrated frame and restraint assembly that is particularly suited for a truck. The frame assembly includes a seat frame mounted to a slide rail pedestal anchored to the vehicle floor, and a back frame joined to the seat frame. The frame has a lightweight construction and includes a conventional recline assembly for maintaining the seat back in one of a variety of recline positions. The restraint assembly has a lap and shoulder belt that is firmly secured to the frame. The seat frame has a pair of upwardly extending struts with rearward facing angled surfaces. The back frame has a pair of forwardly extending struts with forward facing angled surfaces. The angled surfaces flushly engage each other when the seat is in an upright position. Should the recline mechanism fail during a sudden deceleration or accident, the forward rotation of the back frame will stop at its upright position.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat and restraint assembly for supporting an occupant and restraining their lap and upper torso during a sudden deceleration, said vehicle seat and restraint assembly comprising:

a frame assembly including a seat frame and a back frame, said back frame being rotatably joined to said seat frame and movable through a range of positions between an engaged position and a lower recline position;

a set of cooperating first and second struts, said first strut extending upwardly from said seat frame and forming a rearwardly facing abutment, and said second strut extending forwardly from said back frame and forming a forwardly facing abutment, said rearwardly facing abutment of said first strut abuttingly engaging said forwardly facing abutment of said second strut when said back frame is in said engaged position;

a recline assembly secured to said frame assembly and movably joining said back frame to said seat frame, said recline assembly selectively positioning said back frame at a desired position relative to said seat frame; and

,

a restraint assembly having a lap portion for engaging the lap of the occupant and an upper torso portion for engaging the upper torso of the occupant, both said lap portion and said shoulder portion being fixedly secured to said frame assembly.

2. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said forwardly and rearwardly facing abutments of said struts are angled surfaces, said angled surfaces flushly mating when in said engaged position.

3. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 2, and wherein back frame is about normal to said seat frame when in said engaged position, and said angled surface of said first strut is fixed at an angle of about 55 degrees relative to said seat frame, and said angled surface of said second strut is fixed at an angle of about 35 degrees relative to said back frame.

4. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said vehicle seat complies with pull test requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 571.207 Section 4.2(c) Oct. 1, 2001, and supports an upper torso load of 3,000 pounds applied to said shoulder portion of said restraint assembly and a seat mass load of 20 times the mass of the seat multiplied by 9.8 applied through a center of gravity of said seat, both of said loads being simultaneously held for a duration of ten seconds.

5. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 4, and wherein said vehicle seat is a truck seat, and said frame and struts retain their integrity when simultaneously supporting upper torso and seat mass loads equal to 130 percent of said Section 4.2(c) pull test requirements.

6. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 5, and wherein said frame assembly and struts are generally formed from hollow tubular component parts made of steel.

7. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said seat frame has front and rear ends and opposed sides, and said back frame has bottom and top ends and opposed sides, and said first strut is directly secured to said seat frame and said second strut is directly secured to said seat back.

8. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 7, and wherein said first strut is rigidly secured to said seat frame proximal said front end of said seat frame, and said first strut extends along a majority of its said side of said seat frame, and wherein said second strut is rigidly secured to said back frame proximal said top end of said back frame, and said second strut extends along a majority of its said side of said back frame.

9. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 8, and wherein said first strut has an upper surface angled about 10 degrees from said seat frame, and said rearward facing surface is angled about 55 degrees from said seat frame.

10. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 9, and wherein said second strut has a forward surface angle about 10 degrees from said back frame, and said forward facing surface is angled about 35 degrees from said back frame, and said seat back is about normal to said seat frame when in said engaged position.

11. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 8, and wherein said first strut includes a first elongated brace and a first abutment member, said first brace being angled about 10 degrees from said seat frame, and said first abutment member being angled about 55 degrees from said seat frame, and said second strut includes a second elongated brace and a second abutment member, said second brace being angled about 10 degrees from said back frame, and said second abutment member being angled about 35 degrees from said back frame.

12. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 11, and wherein said seat frame includes a side frame member, and said first brace and first abutment member of said first strut are rigidly joined to a side frame member to form a triangular truss with a rearwardly facing surface offset from said rear end of said seat frame a predetermined distance.

13. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 7, and further including a second set of cooperating first and second struts, one set of said cooperating struts being located on each opposed side of said frame assembly.

14. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said seat frame is mounted to a pedestal having a slide rail and a height adjustment mechanism, said slide rail being secured toward an upper end of said pedestal to allow selective forward and rearward positioning of said frame assembly, said height adjustment mechanism being secured to said frame assembly to allow selective upward and downward positioning of said frame assembly.

15. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said engaged position is an upright position.

16. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said lap and shoulder restraint includes a single continuous belt.

17. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 16, and wherein said restraint assembly includes a latch mechanism securely mounted to said seat frame, said latch mechanism including a mating latch slidingly joined to said belt, said latch selectively connecting to and disconnecting from said latch mechanism.

18. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 17, and wherein said belt has a connected end and a retracting end, said connected end being securely connected by a connector mounted to said seat frame, and said retracting end being retractably received and securely connected by a retractor mounted to said seat frame.

19. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 18, and wherein said connector is mounted to one side of said seat frame and said latch mechanism is mounted to an opposite side of said seat frame, said latch dividing said belt into said lap portion that engages and restrains the lap of the occupant and said shoulder portion that engages and restrains the upper torso of the occupant.

20. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 19, and wherein said seat frame has a rear end with said retractor mounted to said rear end, said back frame has top end with a guide ring secured toward said top end, and said shoulder portion of said belt extends from said latch mechanism through said guide ring to said retractor.

21. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 1, and wherein said back frame is rotatably joined to said seat frame by a rotation assembly, said recline mechanism being a portion of said rotation assembly.

22. A vehicle seat and restraint assembly for supporting an occupant and restraining their lap and upper torso during a sudden deceleration, said vehicle seat and restraint assembly comprising:

a frame assembly including a seat frame and a back frame, said seat frame having front and rear ends and opposed sides, and said back frame having bottom and top ends and opposed sides, said back frame being rotatably joined to said seat frame and movable through a range of positions between an engaged position and a lower recline position;

two sets of cooperating first and second struts, each of said first struts being rigidly secured to and extending upwardly from said seat frame and forming a rearwardly facing abutment surface, and each of said second struts being rigidly secured to and extending forwardly from said back frame and forming a forwardly facing abutment surface, each of said rearwardly facing abutment surface flushly engaging one of said forwardly facing abutment surface when said back frame is in said engaged position, said frame assembly and struts being generally formed from hollow tubular component parts;

a recline assembly secured to said frame assembly, said recline assembly selectively positioning said back frame at a desired position relative to said seat frame;

a lap and shoulder restraint assembly fixedly secured to said frame assembly, said restraint assembly including a single continuous belt and a latch mechanism, said belt having a predetermined length and two ends, said latch mechanism being securely mounted to said seat frame and including a mating latch that is slidingly joined to said belt, said latch dividing said belt into a lap portion and a shoulder portion, said lap portion engaging and restraining the lap of the occupant and said shoulder portion engaging and restraining the upper torso of the occupant; and

,

wherein said vehicle seat complies with pull test requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 571.207 Section 4.2(c) Oct. 1, 2001, and supports an upper torso load of 3,000 pounds applied to said shoulder portion of said restraint assembly and a seat mass load of 20 times the mass of the seat multiplied by 9.8 applied through a center of gravity of said seat, both of said loads being simultaneously held for a duration of ten seconds.

23. The vehicle seat and restraint assembly of claim 22, and wherein said seat frame and back frame include opposed side frame members, and each of said first struts includes a first elongated brace and a first abutment member, each of said first braces being rigidly joined to and angled about 10 degrees from its said side frame member and extending along a majority of its said side frame member, and each of said first abutment members being rigidly joined to and angled about 55 degrees from its said side frame member, each of said first struts forming a triangular truss with a rearwardly facing surface offset from said rear end of said seat frame a predetermined distance, and each of said second struts includes a second elongated brace and a second abutment member, said second brace being rigidly joined and angled about 10 degrees from said back frame, and said second abutment member being angled about 35 degrees from said back frame, each of said rigidly joined second brace, second abutment member and side frame member being joined by a stiffening plate.