Vehicle seat with lordosis support

• US 7,862,119 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2006
• Issued: 01/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alfmeier Prã¤Zision AG Baugruppen und Systemlã¶Sungen
• Original Assignee: Alfmeier Prã¤Zision AG Baugruppen und Systemlã¶Sungen
• Inventors: Schäfer, Rolf, Knöpfle, Urban, Aeugle, Torsten, Hofmockel, Jürgen, Massara, Andrew, Hofschulte, Wolfram-H., Wöhrle, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): EDELL, JOSEPH F
• Application Number:
  US11/911,026
• Publication Number:
  US 20080238123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,732 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.4, 297/284.8, 297/284.7
• US Class Current: 297/284.8
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02253 characterised by the transmission between the electric motor and the seat or seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/66 Lumbar supports
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6671 with cable actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6673 with motor driven adjustments

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle seat with a back rest having a frame (2) and a lordosis support (6), with the following additional configuration: The lordosis support (6) comprises a pressure plate (9) that is essentially bend resistant in at least the transverse direction of the seat or the Y-direction, forms a supporting surface in the lordosis region of the back rest and is arranged between two side frame parts (3) of the frame (2); there is at least one holding element (5a, 5b) that extends between the side frame parts (3) with a length-variable adjustment section (21), which runs in the Y-direction and connects to the pressure plate (9), and is affixed there at fixing points (30) arranged opposite each other; in an inoperative position, the pressure plate (9) is arranged with a horizontal clearance (11) or a clearance in the X-direction behind the fixing points (30); there is a driving device with which the length of the adjustment section can be shortened as the horizontal clearance is reduced.

Claims

1. Vehicle seat comprising:

a back rest having a frame with two side parts;

a lordosis support

having a pressure plate that is substantially bend-resistant in at least the horizontal transverse direction of the seat, forms a supporting surface in the lordosis region of the back rest and is arranged between the two side parts of the frame;

two holding elements spaced apart from each other in the vertical direction, each holding element extending between the side parts with a length-variable adjustment section that runs in the horizontal transverse direction and connects to the pressure plate, and the holding elements being affixed to the side parts at fixing points arranged opposite each other,

the pressure plate being positioned by the holding elements in an inoperative position with a clearance in the horizontal longitudinal direction behind the fixing points; and

a driving device with which the length of the adjustment section can be shortened to thereby reduce the clearance in the horizontal longitudinal direction.

2. Vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the holding element is arranged on the back side of the pressure plate.

3. Vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the adjustment sections can be varied independent of each other.

4. Vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein each holding element has at least one spring element including a helical extension spring.

5. Vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein each of the holding elements includes two spring elements, each of which has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is always affixed to a respective side part and the second ends are connected to each other via a connecting element whose length can be reduced using the driving device.

6. Vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the connecting element is a Bowden cable made of an internal cable and a casing.

7. Vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein the casing is braced against the second end of one of the spring elements and the end of a section of the internal cable, which protrudes from the casing, is affixed to the second end of the other spring element.

8. Vehicle seat according to claim 6, wherein on the back side of the pressure plate, there is a receptacle groove extending over at least part of the width of the pressure plate, in which the internal cable of the Bowden cable is guided substantially free of backlash.

9. Vehicle seat according to claim 5, wherein the connecting element is a motor-driven turnbuckle, whose ends are connected with the helical extension springs.

10. Vehicle seat according to claim 9, wherein at least one existing unit comprising a turnbuckle, a gearbox, and an electric motor is arranged in a shared housing affixed to the back side of the pressure plate.

11. Vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein appendages, which extend in the horizontal transverse direction and at least partially cover the spring elements, are attached to the side edges of the pressure plate.

12. Vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein the appendages are hinged on the pressure plate in such a way that their angularity to the planar level of the pressure plate can be changed.

13. Vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein the appendages have a receptacle on their back side that holds the spring element which has a positive locking that works in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

14. Vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein each holding element is assigned a separately controllable driving device.

15. Vehicle seat according to claim 11, wherein a supporting plate is connected to the upper edge of the pressure plate.

16. Vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein the supporting plate is affixed to the side frame parts with spring elements.

17. Vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein the supporting plate is hinged to the pressure plate.

18. Vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein the supporting plate is flexible in the vertical direction.

19. Vehicle seat according to claim 15, wherein on the back side of at least one of the pressure plate and the supporting plate, a fan is arranged whose exhaust opening penetrates the at least one of the supporting plate or the pressure plate.