Adjustable vehicle seat

• US 8,186,737 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2009
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Original Assignee: Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Volkswagen AG)
• Inventors: Jungert, Dieter, Gilbert, Tassilo, Hutschek, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): BLANKENSHIP, GREGORY A
• Application Number:
  US12/551,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20100102587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 296/65.05, 296/65.08, 296/65.09, 296/65.16, 296/65.17, 296/65.18, 297/31, 297/330, 297/340, 297/343, 297/353, 297/362.11
• US Class Current: 296/65.09
• 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 2/22 the back-rest being adjustable B60N2/2878 takes precedence

Abstract

An adjustable vehicle seat (1) has an inclinable seat part (2) and an inclinable backrest (3) mounted to the seat part (2). Front and rear areas of the seat part (2) are mounted pivotably in bearings (7, 5) at positions adjacent to remote sides of the seat part (2). The bearings (7, 5) also are mounted pivotably in the vehicle floor or rails (11). The lengths of the front bearings (7) can be changed for changing an inclination of the seat part (2). A backrest adjusting motor adjusts inclination of the backrest (3) to compensate for changes in the inclination of the seat part (2).

Claims

1. An adjustable vehicle seat with an inclinable seat part and an inclinable backrest mounted to the seat part, front and rear areas of the seat part being mounted pivotably in bearings at positions adjacent to remote sides of the seat part, each of the bearings being mounted pivotably in the vehicle floor or rails, seat adjustment means for adjusting the front bearings or the rear bearings for changing a spacing between pivot axes of the respective bearing and thereby changing an inclination of the seat part, and backrest adjusting means for detecting the changing of the inclination of the seat part and adjusting inclination of the backrest relative to the vehicle floor to maintain a substantially constant angle of inclination of the backrest relative to the vehicle floor before and after the changing of the inclination of the seat part, so that the adjusting of the inclination of the backrest substantially compensates for the adjusting of the seat part.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat adjusting means and the backrest adjusting means are electric adjusting means.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the seat adjusting means and the backrest adjusting means act isochronously or with a time delay.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the rear bearings are links that cannot be changed in length.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 4, wherein the front are bearings toggle levers, each of the toggle levers having first and second rockers connected pivotably to each other, the first rocker being mounted pivotably in the seat part and the second rocker being mounted pivotably in the vehicle floor or the rail.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 4, wherein the front bearings are links that can be changed in length.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 6, further comprising an electromotive adjusting means for changing the length of the front bearings.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat part has a seat support, a cushion shell held by the seat support and a posterior and thigh rest held by the cushion shell.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 8, wherein the seat support, the cushion shell and the posterior and thigh rest constitute a single unit.

10. An adjustable vehicle seat comprising:

an inclinable seat part having front and rear ends;

front and rear links each having an upper end pivotably connected respectively to the front and rear ends of the seat part and lower ends pivotably mounted in a floor or rails, the front links being adjustable for changing a spacing of pivot axes of the front links and for changing an inclination of the seat part the floor;

an inclinable backrest mounted pivotably to the rear end of the seat part;

a seat adjusting means for adjusting the front links and changing the inclination of the seat part relative to the floor; and

a backrest adjusting means for detecting the changing of the inclination of the seat part and inclining the backrest sufficiently relative to the vehicle floor to compensate for the changed inclination of the seat part.

11. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the seat adjusting means and the backrest adjusting means are electric adjusting means.

12. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the seat adjusting means and the backrest adjusting means act isochronously.

13. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the seat adjusting means and the backrest adjusting means act with a time delay.

14. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the seat adjusting means comprises an electromotive adjusting means for adjusting the front links.

15. A method for adjusting a vehicle seat relative to a floor of a motor vehicle, the vehicle seat having a seat cushion inclinably mounted on the floor and a backrest pivotably mounted to the seat cushion, the method comprising:

adjusting an inclination of the seat cushion relative to the floor based on user input;

detecting the changing of the inclination of the seat cushion; and

automatically pivoting the backrest relative to the seat cushion so that an angle of inclination of the backrest relative to the floor remains substantially unchanged after the step of adjusting the inclination of the seat cushion.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of adjusting the inclination of the seat cushion and the step of automatically pivoting the backrest relative to the seat cushion occur substantially isochronously.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of automatically pivoting the backrest relative to the seat cushion occurs with a time delay after the step of adjusting the inclination of the seat cushion.