Vehicle seat support frame assembly

• US 6,991,293 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2003
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Porter's Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Porter's Group LLC
• Inventors: Murphy, Karl A., Poulos, Edward H., Lang, Yue, Liu, Hsing Lung Lewis
• Primary Examiner(s): Barfield, Anthony D.
• Application Number:
  US10/682,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20050077770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 297/336, 297/335, 296/65.03, 296/65.09
• US Class Current: 297/336
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/01583 locking on transversal elements on the vehicle floor or rail, e.g. transversal rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/36 into a loading platform B60N2/065 takes precedence

Abstract

A vehicle seat support frame assembly (14) has a seat cushion base member (16) with opposite ends (20) and (22) pivotally connected to first and second legs (28, 40). The first legs (28) are also pivotally connected to the associated vehicle and the second legs (40) have first and second latches (50) and (52). Each first latch (50) provides securement of the associated second leg to the associated vehicle in the seating position, and each second latch (52) prevents pivoting between the second leg and the seat cushion base member end (22) to provide rigidity in the seating position.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat support frame assembly comprising:

a seat cushion base member having opposite ends;

a first leg having opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to one of the ends of the seat cushion base member and the other of which includes a pivotal connection for providing pivotal connection thereof to an associated vehicle;

a second leg having opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to the other end of the seat cushion base member and the other of which provides support thereof on the vehicle in a seating position; and

a latch assembly including;

(a) a first latch having a latched condition for providing connection of the other end of the second leg to the associated vehicle in the seating position and having an unlatched condition for releasing the other end of the second leg from the vehicle for pivoting of the pivotal connections and concomitant movement of the seat support frame assembly to a stowed position, (b) a second latch having a latched condition where the second latch extends between the second leg and the seat cushion base member in order to prevent pivoting of the pivotal connection between the one end of the second leg and other end of the seat cushion base member in the seating position to provide rigidity to the seat support frame assembly, and the second latch having an unlatched condition disconnected between the second leg and the seat cushion frame member to permit pivotal movement of the pivotal connection between the one end of the second leg and other end of the seat cushion base member during movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions, and (c) a release actuator for selective releasing the first and second latches from their latched conditions to their unlatched conditions to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly from the seating position to the stowed position.

2. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 1 further including a control link extending between the first and second legs to control pivoting of the first and second legs with respect to the base member during movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions.

3. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 2 wherein the control link has a first end including a pivotal connection to the first leg and a second end including a second connection to the second leg.

4. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 3 wherein the pivotal connection of the control link to the first leg is located closer to the pivotal connection of the first leg to the one end of the seat cushion base member than the pivotal connection of the control link to the second leg is to the pivotal connection of the second leg to the other end of the seat cushion base member.

5. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 1 wherein the first latch of the latch assembly includes a latch member having a latched position for securing the second leg to the vehicle with the seat support frame assembly in the seating position and having an unlatched position where the second leg is released to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly to the stowed position, and the first latch also including a blocking member that is movable between a blocking position where it holds the latch member of the first latch in its latched position and an unblocked position where the latch member of the first latch is movable to its unlatched position.

6. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 1 wherein the second latch of the latch assembly includes a latching member and a blocking member that is movable between a blocking position where it holds the latching member of the second latch to prevent pivoting of the second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and an unblocked position where the latching member of the second latch permits pivoting of the second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member.

7. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 1 wherein the first latch includes a latch member having a latched position for securing the second leg to the vehicle with the seat support frame assembly in the seating position and having an unlatched position where the second leg is released to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly to the stowed position, the first latch also including a blocking member that is movable between a blocking position where it holds the latch member of the first latch in its latched position and an unblocked position where the latch member of the first latch is movable to its unlatched position, the second latch including a latching member and a blocking member that is movable between a blocking position where it holds the latching member of the second latch to prevent pivoting of the second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and an unblocked position where the latching member of the second latch permits pivoting of the second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member, and the latch assembly including a common actuator that is actuated to move the blocking members of the first and second latches from their blocking positions to their unblocked positions to release the second leg of the seat support frame from the vehicle and permit pivoting of the second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member.

8. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 1 wherein the seat cushion base member includes a pair of laterally spaced sides each of which includes opposite ends;

and the assembly further including a pair of the first legs respectively associated with the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member, a pair of the second legs respectively associated with the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member, and a pair of the latch assemblies respectively associated with the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member and that embody the pair of second legs.

9. A vehicle seat support frame assembly as in claim 8 further including a cable release connected to the release actuator of each of the pair of latch assemblies.

10. A vehicle seat support frame assembly comprising:

a seat cushion base member having a pair of laterally spaced sides each of which includes opposite ends;

a pair first legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to one of the ends of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which includes a pivotal connection for providing pivotal connection thereof to an associated vehicle;

a pair of second legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to the other end of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which provides support thereof on the vehicle in a seating position; and

a pair of latch assemblies respectively associated with the pair of second legs of the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member and each of which includes;

(a) a first latch having a latched condition for providing connection of the other end of the associated second leg to the associated vehicle in the seating position and having an unlatched condition for releasing the other end of the associated second leg from the vehicle for pivoting of the pivotal connections and concomitant movement of the seat support frame assembly to a stowed position, (b) a second latch having a latched condition where the second latch extends between the associated second leg and the adjacent side of the seat cushion base member in order to prevent pivoting of the associated second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and having an unlatched condition disconnected between the associated second leg and the adjacent side of the seat cushion frame member to permit pivoting of the associated second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions, and (c) a release actuator for selective releasing the first and second latches from their latched conditions to their unlatched conditions to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly from the seating position to the stowed position.

11. A vehicle seat support frame assembly comprising:

a seat cushion base member having a pair of laterally spaced sides each of which includes opposite ends;

a pair first legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to one of the ends of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which includes a pivotal connection for providing pivotal connection thereof to an associated vehicle;

a pair of second legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to the other end of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which provides support thereof on the vehicle in a seating position;

a pair of latch assemblies respectively associated with the pair of second legs of the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member and each of which includes;

(a) a first latch having a latched condition for providing connection of the other end of the associated second leg to the associated vehicle in the seating position and having an unlatched condition for releasing the other end of the associated second leg from the vehicle for pivoting of the pivotal connections and concomitant movement of the seat support frame assembly to a stowed position, (b) a second latch having a latched condition that prevents pivoting of the associated second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and having an unlatched condition that permits pivoting of the associated second leg with respect to the seat cushion base member and movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions, and (c) a release actuator for selective releasing the first and second latches from their latched conditions to their unlatched conditions to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly from the seating position to the stowed position; and

a pair of control links respectively associated with the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member and extending between the first and second legs of thereof to control pivoting of the first and second legs with respect to the base member during movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions, each control link having a first end including a pivotal connection to the associated first leg, and each control having a second end including a pivotal connection to the associated second leg.

12. A vehicle seat support frame assembly comprising:

a seat cushion base member having a pair of laterally spaced sides each of which includes opposite ends;

a pair first legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to one of the ends of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which includes a pivotal connection for providing pivotal connection thereof to an associated vehicle;

a pair of second legs each of which has opposite ends one of which includes a pivot connection for providing pivotal connection to the other end of one of the sides of the seat cushion base member and the other of which provides support thereof on the vehicle in a seating position; and

a pair of latch assemblies respectively associated with the pair of second legs of the pair of sides of the seat cushion base member and each of which includes;

(a) a first latch a latch member having a latched position for securing the associated second leg to the vehicle with the seat support frame assembly in the seating position and having an unlatched position where the associated second leg is released to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly to the stowed position, the first latch also including a blocking member that is movable between a blocking position where it holds its latch member in the latched position and an unblocked position where its latch member is movable to the unlatched position, (b) a second latch having a latching member mounted on the seat cushion base member and having a blocking member movable to a blocking position with respect to the latching member to maintain the latching member extending between the associated second leg and the adjacent side of the seat cushion base member in order to prevent pivoting of the pivotal connection between the one end of one of the associated second leg and other end of the associated side of the seat cushion base member in the seating position to provide rigidity to the seat support frame assembly, and the blocking member of the second latch having an unblocked position with respect to the latching member which is thereby disconnected between the associated second leg and the adjacent side of the seat cushion frame member to permit pivotal movement of the pivotal connection between the one end of the associated second leg and other end of the side of the seat cushion base member during movement of the seat support frame assembly between the seating and stowed positions, and (c) a release actuator for selective releasing the first and second latches from their latched conditions to their unlatched conditions to permit movement of the seat support frame assembly from the seating position to the stowed position.