Vehicle seat memory track assembly with external release

• US 8,800,949 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Schebaum, Andre, Wojatzki, Michael, Mischer, Hans-Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tan
• Application Number:
  US13/983,326
• Publication Number:
  US 20130334390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• Field of Search: 248/424, 248/429, 248/430, 248/423, 248/29, 297/341, 297/344.1, 297/378.1, 297/378.12, 297/394, 296/65.13
• US Class Current: 248/429
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/07 Slide construction
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0715 C or U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0722 Constructive details
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0818 inside the rail
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0831 Movement of the latch
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0843 about a longitudinal axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/123 and provided with memory locks

Abstract

A vehicle seat memory track assembly including two pairs of upper and lower seat rails that are positioned on opposite sides of a seat bottom of a vehicle seat, a seat track locking system, and a first actuator is operably connected to the seat track locking system. The first actuator includes a release lever positioned externally to the nested upper and lower seat rail pairs, and movable from a non-activated position to an activated position whereby the release lever causes an activation bracket to disengage the seat track locking system to allow slidable longitudinal movement of the seat to a different desired seating position. A memory system, when activated, records the longitudinal travel of the seat.

Claims

1. An adjustable memory track assembly for a vehicle seat including:

at least one lower rail fixedly attached to a vehicle support structure;

at least one upper rail fixedly attached to the vehicle seat bottom, and slidably mounted in one of the at least one lower seat rails;

a track locking system including at least one locking assembly fixedly attached to one of the at least one pair of upper and lower rails, disposed within the other of the pair of rails, and configured to lock the first rail of the pair in a variety of longitudinal positions with respect to the other rail of the pair;

a first actuator operably connected to the seat track locking system, the first actuator including an elongate release lever attached externally to one of the pairs of nested upper and lower rails and an activation bracket connected to the release lever and movable between a non-activated position and an activated position whereby the activation bracket disengages the seat track locking system to allow slidable longitudinal movement of the seat;

a memory system mounted on one of the at least one pair of rails within the nested pair and engageable with the other of the pair of rails upon activation to record the longitudinal travel of the seat;

a second actuator including an activation lever mounted externally of the nested rail pair for movement from a disengaged position to an engaged position in which the memory module is activated and the seat track locking system is disengaged, to thereby allow forward movement of the seat from the user selected location to a more forward location, and thereafter allow rearward movement of the seat back to, but not past, the user selected location, and

a reset lever mounted externally of the pair of nested upper and lower rails to which the memory system is mounted, which reset lever is mounted for movement from an inactive position to an active position whereby the reset lever locks the memory system in its activated condition, and wherein the reset lever is moved from its active to inactive position, and the memory system is thereby reset, only by operation of the first actuator.

2. The adjustable track assembly of claim 1 wherein the track assembly includes first and second pairs of upper and lower rails.

3. The adjustable track assembly of claim 2 wherein the track locking system includes two track locking assemblies, each one disposed, respectively, in one of the first and second pairs of upper and lower rails, and each track locking assembly being configured to lock a respective upper rail in a variety of longitudinal positions with respect to its corresponding lower rail.

4. The adjustable track assembly of claim 3 wherein the release lever is an elongate handle mounted for rotation on a cross bar which extends between the first and second pairs of upper and lower rails, and an activation bracket mounted on each end of the cross tube, each activation bracket being fixedly attached to one rail of one of the pairs of upper and lower rails externally of the nested pair for rotational movement from a disengaged position to an engaged position wherein each activation bracket, respectively, contacts and depresses an activation member, thereby disengaging each of the track locking assemblies.

5. An adjustable memory track assembly for a vehicle seat including:

first and second lower rails each fixedly attached in a spaced apart parallel arrangement to a vehicle support structure;

first and second upper rails each fixedly attached in a spaced apart parallel arrangement to a vehicle seat bottom, each slidably mounted, respectively, in the first and second lower rails;

a track locking system including a pair of locking assemblies, each assembly fixedly attached to one rail of one of the pairs of upper and lower rails, disposed within the other rail of the pair, and configured to lock the first rail of the pair in a variety of longitudinal positions with respect to the other rail of the pair;

a first actuator operably connected to the seat track locking system, the first actuator including,

an elongate release lever attached externally to one of the pairs of nested upper and lower rails, and

first and second activation brackets, each operably connected to the release lever and each fixedly attached to one rail of one of the pairs of upper and lower rails externally of the nested pair, each activation bracket being movable between a non-activated position and an activated position whereby the activation bracket disengages the locking assembly associated with the rail to which each bracket is attached, to allow slidable longitudinal movement of the seat;

a memory system mounted on one rail of one of the pairs of upper and lower rails within the nested pair and engageable, upon activation, with the other rail of the pair to record the longitudinal travel of the seat;

a second actuator including an activation lever mounted externally of the nested rail pair upon which the memory system is mounted for movement from a disengaged position to an engaged position in which the memory module is activated, and the seat track locking system is disengaged, to thereby allow forward movement of the seat from the user selected location to a more forward location, and thereafter allow rearward movement of the seat back to, but not past, the user selected location, and

a reset lever mounted externally of the pair of nested upper and lower rails to which the memory system is mounted, which reset lever is mounted for movement from an inactive position to an active position whereby the reset lever locks the memory system in its activated condition, and wherein the reset lever is moved from its active to its inactive position, and the memory system is thereby reset, only by operation of the first actuator.