Walk-in-device

• US 7,562,926 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.)
• Inventors: Kojima, Yasuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Kiran B.
• Application Number:
  US11/574,512
• Publication Number:
  US 20070278814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 296/65.13
• US Class Current: 296/65.13
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

A walk-in device for a vehicle seat moved forward in conjunction with forward folding of a seatback. A lifting mechanism adjusts a surface height of a seat cushion, a reclining mechanism adjusts an inclination angle of a seatback that moves up and down together with the seat cushion, and a seat sliding mechanism remains at the same height regardless of the vertical position of the seat cushion and is used to adjust the longitudinal position of the vehicle seat. The vehicle seat is moved forward by the seat sliding mechanism in conjunction with the seatback being folded forward by the reclining mechanism, and a rigid member joining link connects a seatback coupling link, provided to the seatback and operating according to the forward-folding operation, and a slide lock releasing link, provided to the seat sliding mechanism and releasing the vehicle seat from being fixed in the longitudinal direction.

Claims

1. A walk-in device for a vehicle seat, comprising:

a lifting mechanism for adjusting the height of a surface of a vehicle seat cushion;

a reclining mechanism for adjusting the angle of inclination of a seatback of the vehicle seat, which moves up and down together with the seat cushion; and

a seat sliding mechanism that remains at the same height regardless of the vertical position of the seat cushion and that is used to adjust the longitudinal position of the vehicle seat;

wherein

the vehicle seat is moved forward by the seat sliding mechanism in conjunction with a forward-folding operation for folding the seatback of the vehicle seat forward; and

wherein

a joining link connects a seatback coupling link, which is provided to the seatback and which operates according to the forward-folding operation, and the joining link further connects a slide lock releasing link, which is provided to the seat sliding mechanism and which releases the vehicle seat from being fixed in the longitudinal direction.

2. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the joining link is rotatably fastened to the slide lock releasing link at a first fastening point at one end, and a second fastening point at the other end is rotatably fastened to a third fastening point of the seatback coupling link, whereby the slide lock releasing link and the seatback coupling link are connected to the joining link;

and

in cases in which the second fastening point and the third fastening point are not mutually constrained,

the trajectory of the second fastening point of the joining link that rotates about the first fastening point as a fulcrum in association with the up and down movement of the vehicle seat by the lifting mechanism, and

the trajectory of the third fastening point of the seatback coupling link that moves together with the reclining mechanism in association with the up and down movement of the vehicle seat by the lifting mechanism,

coincide in at least two points between the lowest part and the highest part of the vehicle seat that is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism.

3. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.

4. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.

5. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the joining link is made of a single rigid member.

6. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the joining link is configured from a plurality of link bodies that are rotatably fastened to each other;

a link body, of the plurality of link bodies, located at an end portion on a side of the seatback coupling link is rotatably fastened to a fastening point of the seatback coupling link; and

one of the link fastening points between link bodies is located in a central position or a substantially central position of a trajectory described by the seatback coupling link fastening point in association with the up and down movement of the vehicle seat by the lifting mechanism.

7. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein the joining link includes a first link body and a second link body;

and

wherein a link joining part between the first link body and the second link body is rotatably fastened to a distal end of an oscillating arm.

8. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein the joining link includes a first link body and a second link body;

and

wherein a link joining part between the first link body and the second link body is slidably provided in an oval-shaped groove.

9. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.

10. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.

11. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 7, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.

12. The walk-in device for a vehicle seat according to claim 8, wherein displacement of at least one link selected from the seatback coupling link and the slide lock releasing link is restrained so that a specific gap, which is provided in an adjustable range of the seatback in a normal seated position so that the reclining mechanism and the seatback coupling link do not make contact, is maintained irrespective of movement of the joining link brought about by changes in the height of the surface of the seat cushion.