Vehicle seats

• US 8,366,194 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2009
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Tomoaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US12/368,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20090206643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 297/284.11, 297/344.15, 297/344.17, 297/284.4
• US Class Current: 297/284.11
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1821 Combination of Rods and slides
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1839 pivoting about an axis located in an intermediate position
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1864 Gear wheel driven mechanism

Abstract

A vehicle seat can include a seat cushion having a main portion and a tiltable portion, and a drive mechanism having a small gear and a large gear. The small and large gears are respectively attached to the main portion while meshing with each other. The tiltable portion is arranged and constructed to vertically move when the large gear is rotated upwardly and downwardly with respect to a rotationally reference position based on rotation of the small gear. The small gear and the large gear are positioned such that rotation centers thereof are vertically offset from each other.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat comprising:

a seat cushion having a main portion and a tiltable portion; and

a drive mechanism having a small gear and a large gear,

wherein the tiltable portion is disposed within the seat cushion and rotatably connected to the main portion,

wherein the small and large gears are respectively rotatably attached at the main portion while meshing with each other,

wherein the tiltable portion is arranged and constructed to vertically move when the large gear is rotated upwardly and downwardly with respect to a rotational reference position based on rotation of the small gear,

wherein the small gear and the large gear are positioned such that rotation centers thereof are vertically offset from each other,

wherein the large gear includes a geared portion meshing with the small gear and a lever portion,

wherein the lever portion extends in a direction opposite to the geared portion across the rotation center of the large gear and is coupled to the tiltable portion, and

wherein the tiltable portion includes an elongated slot that operatively couples the lever portion of the large gear to the tiltable portion.

2. The vehicle seat as defined in claim 1, wherein a rear end portion of the tiltable portion is rotatably connected to the main portion so that the tiltable portion can be moved vertically, and wherein a rotation center of the tiltable portion is positioned so as to be spaced from the lever portion of the large gear beyond the rotation center of the small gear.

3. The vehicle seat as defined in claim 1, wherein a rear end portion of the tiltable portion is rotatably connected to the main portion so that the tiltable portion can be moved vertically, and wherein a rotation center of the tiltable portion is positioned at the rear end portion thereof and configured to generally align with a body-center line of a passenger sitting on the vehicle seat.