Seat frame of a motor vehicle seat with a seat carrier having two side parts

• US 7,775,592 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper Seating Mechanisms Company Limited
• Original Assignee: C ROB Hammerstein GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Beneker, Wilfried, Becker, Burckhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown; Peter R.
• Application Number:
  US12/023,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20080179932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 929 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.11, 297/284.7, 297/312, 297/330, 297/311, 297/313, 297/337, 297/344.15, 297/344.17
• US Class Current: 297/344.17
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1695 with simultaneous height and inclination adjustment
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/181 Rods
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1814 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1842 pivoting about an axis located in the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1846 pivoting about a distant axis, e.g. virtual
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1853 Linear actuator, e.g. screw mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/23 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat frame of a motor vehicle seat with a seat carrier having two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis, a pivotal bridge being pivotal about at least one of said axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms, and with an adjustment device having a motor-driven drive unit. The drive unit is arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the two axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal. Said hinge shaft is shorter than the distance between the two seat parts and is not in contact with said two seat parts, but if at all with only one side part. There is provided at least one inner arm that connects said tie bar to said hinge shaft and is located in proximity to said drive unit.

Claims

1. A seat frame of a motor vehicle seat comprising:

a seat carrier including two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis, a front part, and a rear part;

a back rest hinged to said side parts;

a pivotal bridge being pivotal about one of said front and rear axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms, said bridge further being one of i) pivotal about said front axis and comprising said front part and ii) pivotal about said rear axis and comprising said rear part;

a transverse tube being arranged centrally with respect to the other one of said front and rear axes and is pivotal about said other axis;

at least one pivotal support having a projection, the transverse tube being solidly connected to the at least one pivotal support; and

an adjustment device including

a motor-driven drive unit having a first end and a second end, the first end being arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the front and rear axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal, and the second end being arranged for pivotal movement around the projection, and

at least one inner arm that connects said tie bar to said hinge shaft and is located in proximity to said drive unit,

wherein the hinge shaft is shorter than the distance between the two side parts and at least one of (i) the hinge shaft does not contact the two side parts and (ii) the hinge shaft contacts one of the side parts, and wherein during actuation of said motor-driven drive unit said transverse tube is pivoted about said other axis.

2. The seat frame as defined claim 1, wherein the hinge shaft extends from one side arm to the at least one inner arm, and a free length of the hinge shaft is not substantially longer than at least one of (i) the corresponding length of the drive unit and (ii) about 5 cm.

3. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, wherein two inner arms are provided, the hinge shaft extends between said two inner arms and the clear distance between the two inner arms is not substantially greater than at least one of (i) the corresponding distance of the drive unit and (ii) about 5 cm.

4. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, wherein the hinge shaft, one of the inner arms, the tie bar and either an additional inner arm or a side arm form a supporting four-bar linkage for receiving the drive unit.

5. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, further comprising a seat pan and a height adjustment device for adjusting the height of the front edge of the seat pan, wherein the height adjustment device comprises the pivotal bridge and the tie bar.

6. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, further comprising a seat pan and a back rest, wherein the adjustment device is a height adjustment device for the seat pan or an incline adjustment device for the back rest.

7. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, wherein the adjustment device comprises a spindle that is inclined at an angle of less than about 20°

relative to the side parts.

8. The seat frame as defined in claim 7, wherein the spindle is inclined at an angle of less than about 10°

relative to the side parts.

9. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, wherein there is a free space between the hinge shaft and one of the two side parts.

10. The seat frame as defined in claim 1, further comprising at least one additional adjustment device.

11. The seat frame as defined in claim 10, wherein the at least one additional adjustment device includes a positional adjustment device.

12. A seat frame of a motor vehicle seat comprising:

a seat carrier having two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis;

a back rest hinged to said side parts;

a pivotal bridge being pivotal about one of said front and rear axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms; and

an adjustment device including

a motor-driven drive unit arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the front and rear axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal, and

two inner arms that connect said tie bar to said hinge shaft and are located in proximity to said drive unit,

wherein said hinge shaft is shorter than the distance between the two seat parts and at least one of (i) the hinge shaft does not contact the two side parts and (ii) the hinge shaft contacts one of the side parts, and wherein an adjustment of the pivotal bridge does not have influence on the position of adjustment of the motor-driven drive unit relative to the pivotal bridge.

13. A seat frame of a motor vehicle seat comprising:

a seat carrier having two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis;

a pivotal bridge being pivotal about one of said front and rear axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms;

a transverse tube being arranged centrally with respect to the other one of said front and rear axes and is pivotal about said other axis;

at least one rear pivotal support being solidly connected to said transverse tube and comprising a projection; and

an adjustment device including

a motor-driven drive unit arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the front and rear axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal, said motor-driven drive unit being hinged to said projection, and

two inner arms that connect said tie bar to said hinge shaft and are located in proximity to said drive unit.

14. A seat frame of a motor vehicle seat comprising:

a seat carrier having two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis;

a pivotal bridge being pivotal about one of said front and rear axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms;

a transverse tube being arranged centrally with respect to the other axis of said front and rear axes and is pivotal about said other axis;

at least one rear arm, the transverse tube being solidly connected to the at least one rear arm;

a motor-driven drive unit having a first end and a second end, the first end being arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the front and rear axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal, and the second end being arranged for pivotal movement around the at least one rear arm; and

at least one inner arm that connects said tie bar to said hinge shaft and is located in proximity to said drive unit;

wherein said hinge shaft is shorter than the distance between the two seat parts, the hinge shaft does not contact the two side parts, and wherein during actuation of said motor-driven drive unit said transverse tube is pivoted about said other axis.

15. A motor car comprising a motor vehicle seat, said motor vehicle seat comprising:

a seat carrier including two side parts that are oriented transverse to a front axis and to a rear axis, a front part and a rear part;

a back rest hinged to said side parts,

a pivotal bridge being pivotal about one of said front and rear axes, said bridge comprising a tie bar and two side arms, said bridge further being one of i) pivotal about said front axis and comprising said front part and ii) pivotal about said rear axis and comprising said rear part;

a transverse tube being arranged centrally with respect to the other one of said front and rear axes and is pivotal about said other axis;

at least one pivotal support having a projection, the transverse tube being solidly connected to the at least one pivotal support; and

an adjustment device including

a motor-driven drive unit having a first end and a second end, the first end being arranged for pivotal movement about a hinge shaft that is substantially centered on that axis of the front and rear axes about which said pivotal bridge is pivotal, and the second end being arranged for pivotal movement around the projection, and

two inner arms that connect said tie bar to said hinge shaft and are located in proximity to said drive unit.