Vehicle seat assembly

• US 8,308,235 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2010
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Company
• Inventors: Ellison, Terrie, Hobbs, Trenton, Lindsay, Derek Shane, Gross, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CRANMER, LAURIE K
• Application Number:
  US12/722,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20110221257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 297/216.1, 297/284.11, 297/452.21, 297/452.26, 297/452.27
• US Class Current: 297/216.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/7005 detachable
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly includes a seat back and a seat base extending forward from a lower end of the seat back. The seat base is formed of a first foam member extending laterally across the seat base to absorb loads and a second foam member formed over the first member to form a seating surface of the seat base. At least one wire frame section is secured to the first foam member and extends rearwardly therefrom toward a rear of the seat base for mounting the seat base to an associated vehicle body.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a seat back;

a seat base extending forward from a lower end of said seat back, said seat base formed of a first foam member extending laterally across said seat base to absorb loads and a second foam member formed over said first member to form a seating surface of said seat base; and

at least one wire frame section secured to said first foam member and extending rearwardly therefrom toward a rear of said seat base for mounting said seat base to an associated vehicle body, wherein said at least one wire frame section includes a first end secured to said associated vehicle body adjacent a forward edge of said seat base and a second end secured to said associated vehicle body adjacent a rearward edge of said seat base, said at least one wire frame section transferring submarine loads absorbed by said first foam member to said associated vehicle body.

2. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said first foam member is formed of a relatively rigid material and said second foam member is formed of a relatively less rigid material.

3. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 2 wherein said relatively rigid material is expanded polypropylene foam and said relatively less rigid material is urethane foam.

4. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said seat base has at least one hip point axis with a first lateral end and a second lateral end, said at least one wire frame section is laterally disposed at a B-location of each of said at least one hip point axis.

5. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 4 wherein said at least one wire frame section includes a first wire section and a second wire section, and wherein said at least one hip point axis includes a first hip point axis and a second hip point axis, said first wire section laterally disposed at a B-location of said first hip point axis and said second wire section laterally disposed at a B-location of said second hip point axis.

6. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein the associated vehicle body is a floor panel and said second end of said at least one wire frame section is bolted to said floor panel.

7. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said first foam member is overmolded onto said at least one wire frame section.

8. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 7 wherein said second foam member is overmolded onto at least one of said first foam member and said at least one wire frame section.

9. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 8 wherein the second foam member is overmolded directly onto said at least one wire frame.

10. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein each of said at least one wire frame section includes the first end secured to said associated vehicle body under a front end of said seat base, an inverted U-shaped section adjacent said first end embedded in said first foam member, an extending portion extending from said first foam member to a rear end of said seat base, and the second end secured to said associated vehicle body rearwardly of said seat base, an open side of the inverted U-shaped section faces downward toward the associated vehicle body.

11. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 10 wherein a plate is fixedly secured to said inverted U-shaped section.

12. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 11 wherein said plate has a first end portion secured to said extending portion, a second end portion secured to a base of said inverted U-shaped section and a middle portion secured to a leg of said inverted U-shaped section.

13. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 further including another wire frame section overmolded by said second foam member.

14. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 1 wherein said first foam member is substantially spaced apart from a rear of said seat base and is disposed only along a forward edge of said seat base.

15. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a seat back;

a seat base extending forward from a lower end of said seat back, said seat base formed of a first foam member extending laterally across said seat base to absorb loads and a second foam member formed over said first member to form a seating surface of said seat base;

at least one wire frame section secured to said first foam member and extending rearwardly therefrom toward a rear of said seat base for mounting said seat base to an associated vehicle body; and

a plate secured to said at least one wire frame section for preventing the at least one wire frame section from ripping through said first foam member during a collision event.

16. A vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

a seat base having a seat back extending upwardly therefrom, said seat base including a first foam portion extending laterally across said seat base with a wire frame section connected to said first foam portion and extending longitudinally therefrom to a rear of said seat base where said wire frame section is secured to a vehicle body component, said seat base further including a second foam portion molded over said first foam portion and extending longitudinally therefrom toward said rear of said seat base to form a seating surface thereof.

17. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein said first foam portion is formed of a rigid foam and said second foam portion is formed of a less rigid foam.

18. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein said seat base includes at least one hip point axis and said wire frame section is disposed centrally along each of said at least one hip point axis of said seat base.

19. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 18 wherein said seat base includes at least two hip point axes each having a first lateral end and a second lateral end, center points of said at least two hip point axes spaced apart from one another.

20. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein said wire frame section has a rear end secured to said vehicle body component adjacent a rear end of said seat base and a forward end secured to said vehicle body component or another vehicle body component adjacent a forward end of said seat base below said first foam portion.

21. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein a plate is fixedly secured to said rear end of said wire frame section.

22. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein the first foam portion is substantially spaced apart from a rear of said seat base and is disposed only along a forward edge of said seat base.

23. The vehicle seat assembly of claim 16 wherein the second foam portion is molded directly onto said wire frame section.

24. A method for constructing a vehicle seat assembly, comprising:

providing at least one wire frame section for extending from a forward portion of a seat base longitudinally toward a rearward portion of said seat base;

overmolding a laterally extending first foam member on said at least one wire frame section adjacent a forward end of said at least one wire section;

overmolding a second foam member on said first foam member and said at least one wire frame section to form a seating portion of said seat base; and

securing a first end of said at least one wire section to an associated vehicle body and securing second end of said at least one wire section to the associated vehicle body adjacent a rearward edge of said seat base for transferring submarine loads.

25. The method of claim 24 further including:

installing a trim cover over said first and second foam members.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said first foam member is an expanded polypropylene foam and said second foam member is a urethane foam.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein said overmolding of said first foam member includes positioning said at least one wire frame section in a lateral center of at least one hip point axis of said seat base.

28. The method of claim 24 further including securing a plate to said wire frame section for preventing ripping through the first foam member.