Vehicle seat apparatus

• US 7,717,509 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2005
• 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): Brown; Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US11/611,960
• Publication Number:
  US 20070194613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.1, 297/216.13, 297/216.14, 297/216.16, 297/216.2, 297/344.15, 248/421, 248/429
• US Class Current: 297/216.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/165 Gear wheel driven mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/42736 of the whole seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/43 Safety locks for back-rests B60N2/433

Abstract

A vehicle seat apparatus includes a pair of vehicle-width spaced lower arms attached to a seat cushion, each of the lower arms having a rear portion; a connecting member fixed to the rear portion of each of the lower arms; a pair of vehicle-width spaced upper arms attached to a seat back, each of the upper arms being pivoted by a rotational shaft to the rear portion of the corresponding lower arm to rotate relative thereto; a reclining apparatus provided at one of the connecting member and serving for restricting and allowing the upper arms to rotate; and a load receiving portion provided at one of the lower arms for receiving a downward load, when the downward load is transmitted from the connecting member to the rear portion of one of the lower arms, by being brought into engagement with at least one of the upper arm, the reclining apparatus, and the connecting member.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat apparatus comprising:

a pair of vehicle-width spaced lower arms attached to a seat cushion, each of the lower arms having a rear portion;

a connecting member having an upper end portion and a lower end portion, the lower end portion of the connecting member being connected to the rear portions of the lower arms respectively;

a pair of vehicle-width spaced upper arms attached to a seat back;

a reclining apparatus provided at the upper end portion of the connecting member to allow the upper arms to rotate relative to the lower arms, respectively; and

a load receiving portion positioned below the connecting member to engage with at least one of the upper arms, the reclining apparatus, and the connecting member upon receipt of a downward load that is transmitted from the connecting member to the rear portion of one of the lower arms in case of a rear-end collision.

2. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is flexible when receiving the load.

3. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a seat lifting apparatus for moving the seat cushion vertically, the seat lifting apparatus including a pair of vehicle-width spaced link members, each of the link members being pivoted at both ends thereof to a corresponding upper rail and the seat cushion, respectively, a torque rod connected between the pair of link members for transmitting a torque from one of the link members to the other of the link members, the torque rod acting as the load receiving portion.

4. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the torque rod is in the form of a hollow tube.

5. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the load receiving portion is a fastener member connecting one of the lower arms and a portion of a vehicle floor.

6. A vehicle seat apparatus comprising:

first and second lower arms spaced-apart in a vehicle-width direction and attached to a seat cushion, each of the first and second lower arms having a rear portion;

first and second upper arms spaced-apart in the vehicle-width direction and attached to a seat back;

first and second reclining apparatuses spaced-apart in the vehicle-width direction and provided to the first and second upper arms, respectively;

a first connecting member having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion of the first connecting member being connected to the first lower arm, the upper portion of the first connecting member being connected to the first reclining apparatus such that the first reclining apparatus allows the first upper arm to rotate relative to the first lower arm;

a second connecting member having a lower portion and an upper portion, the lower portion of the second connecting member being connected to the second lower arm, the upper portion of the second connecting member being connected to the second reclining apparatus such that the second reclining apparatus allows the second upper arm to rotate relative to the second lower arm; and

first and second load receiving portions positioned below the first and second connecting members to associate with the first and second lower arms, respectively, and to engage with the first and second connecting members, respectively, upon receipt of a downward load that is transmitted from the first and second connecting members to the rear portions of the first and second lower arms, respectively, in case of a rear-end collision.

7. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 6, wherein each of the first and second connecting members is flexible when receiving the load.

8. A vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising a seat lifting apparatus for moving the seat cushion vertically, the seat lifting apparatus including:

first and second link members which are spaced-apart in the vehicle-width direction, the first link member being provided between the first upper rail and the first upper arm, the second link member being provided between the second upper rail and the second upper arm; and

a torque rod connected between the first and second link members to transmit a torque from one of the link members to the other of the link members, the torque rod acting as the load receiving portion.