Operating lever structure for vehicle seat, and method of manufacturing operating lever structure

• US 8,678,507 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2012
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamazaki, Akira, Tomonari, Yoshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Allred, David E
• Application Number:
  US13/705,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20130093235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 475 Days
• Field of Search: 297/452.38, 297/463.1
• US Class Current: 297/463.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/6009 covering more than only the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/90 Details or parts not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/1818 Belt guides
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/34 Belt retractors, e.g. reels anchoring devices , e.g. guide loops , with means to tension the belt in an emergency B60R22/195
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

In an operating lever structure for a vehicle seat in which an opening through which a seat belt extends is provided adjacent to a seat cushion lifting and lowering mechanism and a fixed end portion of the seat belt is connected to a seat cushion frame, a lifter lever includes a plate-like extending portion that is coupled to the lifting and lowering mechanism and a protrusion portion. The plate-like extending portion extends toward a front of the seat. The protrusion portion extends from the front end of the plate-like extending portion toward the outside in the seat width direction. The protrusion portion protrudes from an outer shield through a first exposing port of the outer shield, installed to a side portion of the seat cushion.

Claims

1. An operating lever structure for a vehicle seat in which an opening through which a seat belt extends is provided adjacent to a lifting and lowering mechanism that changes a vertical position of a seat cushion by lifting or lowering the seat cushion, and a fixed end portion of the seat belt is connected to a frame of the seat cushion, the operating lever structure comprising:

a lifting and lowering lever that is used for lifting and lowering operation of the lifting and lowering mechanism;

a reclining lever that is used for reclining operation to recline a seat back so as to change a back rest position of the seat back, and an operating knob attached to an end of the reclining lever; and

a shielder that is installed so as to cover a side portion of the seat cushion in a state where the reclining lever and the lifting and lowering lever are operably exposed outside the shielder, wherein

the shielder has a first exposing port that is opened toward an outer side in a seat width direction of the vehicle seat to allow the lifting and lowering lever to be inserted and a second exposing port that is opened toward a front of the vehicle seat to allow the reclining lever to be inserted, and

the lifting and lowering lever includes a plate shaped extending portion, of which one end portion is coupled to the lifting and lowering mechanism and the other end portion extends toward the front of the vehicle seat, and a protrusion portion that extends from the other end portion of the plate shaped extending portion toward the outer side in the seat width direction and that protrudes from the shielder through the first exposing port,

wherein the opening through which the seat belt extends is formed in the shielder, is located in the seat width direction between a portion of the shielder and the operating knob, and is located adjacent to and continuous with the second exposing port.

2. The operating lever structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the first exposing port is located forwardly, toward the front of the vehicle seat, of the opening through which the seat belt extends.

3. The operating lever structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein

the first exposing port is located forwardly, toward the front of the vehicle seat, of the opening through which the seat belt extends and the second exposing port.