Automotive vehicle seat with a lengthwise adjustment device, a seat carrier and rear rockers

• US 7,314,249 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2005
• Issued: 01/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C ROB Hammerstein GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: C ROB Hammerstein GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Beneker, Wilfried, Becker, Burckhard
• Primary Examiner(s): MCPARTLIN, SARAH BURNHAM
• Application Number:
  US11/171,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20060001306A1
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.1, 297/344.15, 297/325, 297/344.17, 297/468, 248/420, 248/421, 248/429
• US Class Current: 297/344.15
• 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 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1806 for buckles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1951 characterised by arrangements in vehicle or relative to seat belt
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/1952 Transmission of tensioning power by cable; Return motion locking means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/26 secured to the seat

Abstract

The automotive vehicle seat has a lengthwise adjustment device, a seat carrier and two rear rockers that are disposed between the seat carrier and the lengthwise adjustment device and that are each connected at an upper hinge point to the seat carrier and at a lower hinge point to the lengthwise adjustment device and a seat belt comprising a belt end on one side and a belt buckle on the other side of the seat. A fastening point, to which a respective one of the belt end and the belt buckle is fastened, is provided on at least one of the rear rockers. The fastening point is located in proximity to the lower hinge point and is nearer to the lower hinge point than to the upper hinge point.

Claims

1. An automotive vehicle seat comprising:

a lengthwise adjustment device;

a seat carrier;

two rear rockers disposed between said seat carrier and said lengthwise adjustment device, said two rear rockers are each connected at an upper hinge point to said seat carrier and at a lower hinge point to said lengthwise adjustment device;

a seat belt comprising a belt end on one side and a belt buckle on the other side of the seat; and

a fastening point to which a respective one of said belt end and said belt buckle is directly fastened, wherein said fastening point is positioned at a fixed location on at least one of said rear rockers nearer to said lower hinge point than to said upper hinge point and spaced apart from said lower hinge.

2. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein lengthwise adjustment device comprises a pair of rails on each seat side, each having a floor rail and a seat rail, and a sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant, said sensor being disposed between the fastening point and the seat rail disposed therebeneath.

3. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 2, wherein said sensor for detecting the weight of an occupant senses a torque or a weight.

4. automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein said fastening point is located in a lower third of a distance between said lower hinge point and said upper hinge point.

5. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 4, wherein said fastening point is located in a lower quarter of a distance between said lower hinge point and said upper hinge point.

6. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein said belt end comprises an end mounting, said end mounting is hinged at said fastening point to one of said two rear rockers.

7. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 6, wherein said end mounting is mounted to an outboard-side rear rocker of said two rear rockers.

8. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 1, wherein said belt buckle is connected to a belt tensioner, said belt tensioner is hinged to one of said two rear rockers at said fastening point.

9. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 8, wherein said belt tensioner is hinged to an inboard-side rear rocker of said two rear rockers.

10. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 8, wherein said belt tensioner comprises a pull member, said pull member has an upper end and a lower end, said upper end is connected to said belt buckle which it carries, said belt tensioner comprises a tensioner unit to which said lower end of said pull member is connected, said tensioner unit is connected to a crash sensor that enables said tensioner unit in a crash situation of the automotive vehicle in which the automotive vehicle seat is mounted and said tensioner unit exerts a tensile force onto said pull member to thereby pull said belt buckle substantially downward.

11. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 8, wherein said belt tensioner has an elongate body, said elongate body comprises a front end and a rear end, said elongate body is hinged to said fastening point in proximity to said rear end and said elongate body is slidably retained in a guide member.

12. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 11, wherein said seat carrier is hinge-linked to said lengthwise adjustment device through two front rockers and said guide member is disposed on one of said front rockers.

13. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 11, wherein said lengthwise adjustment device comprises one pair of rails on either seat side each having one floor rail and one seat rail, and said guide member is connected to said one seat rail.

14. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 11, wherein said elongate body is always parallel to a direction of adjustment of said lengthwise adjustment device, respectively, irrespective of an angular position of said rear rockers to which it is hinged.

15. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 12, wherein said guide member is hinged to an inboard-side of said one of said front rockers at a distance from a lower hinge of said one of said front rockers, said distance corresponding to a distance between said fastening point and said lower hinge point of said rear rocker on an inboard-side.

16. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 12, wherein said guide member is hinged to an inboard-side front rocker of said one of said front rockers.

17. The automotive vehicle seat as set forth in claim 13, wherein said guide member is hinge-linked to said one seat rail.