Longitudinal seat adjuster for a vehicle seat having easy entry functionality and folding functionality

• US 9,126,507 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Adient Luxembourg Holding S..R.L.
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Radermacher, Markus, Sooda, Jeevan, Deshmukh, Harshal, Woolston, Stuart
• Primary Examiner(s): Michener, Joshua J
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHIBOGU, CHIEDU A
• Application Number:
  US13/797,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20130292982A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 248/430, 297/341, 296/65.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/08 characterised by the locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/12 slidable and tiltable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/146 characterised by the locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/20 the back-rest being tiltable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/04, B60N2/22 , B60N2/3002 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a longitudinal seat adjuster for a vehicle seat having easy entry functionality and folding functionality, comprising a rail system for longitudinal seat adjustment having a lower rail and an upper rail and an unlocking device.

Claims

1. A longitudinal seat adjuster for a vehicle seat having entry functionality and folding functionality, comprising a rail system for longitudinal seat adjustment comprising a lower rail and an upper rail, an unlocking device for unlocking the longitudinal seat adjustment, and a securing device for fixing the vehicle seat to the rail system, wherein the unlocking device comprises a roller element and at least one unlocking lever arranged at one side of the vehicle seat which has a protruding guiding lever, wherein the securing device is able to be released, the roller element is configured to roll along a surface of the protruding guiding lever in response to rotation of the vehicle seat about a rotation axis, and the protruding guiding lever is configured to progressively drive the unlocking lever toward an unlocking position that unlocks the longitudinal seat adjustment as the roller element rolls along the surface of the protruding guiding lever.

2. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the protruding guiding lever is curved.

3. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 1, wherein a backrest of the vehicle seat is rotatably secured to the securing device so as to be able to be pivoted relative to the securing device about a pivot axis, and wherein the securing device comprises at least one locking element fixing the vehicle seat to the rail system in a locked position wherein the backrest is able to be pivoted about the pivot axis.

4. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 3, wherein the rotation axis extends through an end of the securing device, and the vehicle seat is rotatable with the securing device when the at least one locking element is released.

5. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 3, wherein the at least one locking element forms a hook which releasably engages a receiving element of the upper rail while in the locked position.

6. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the securing device is provided with a retention pin which protrudes therefrom and on which the associated roller element is rotatably arranged.

7. The longitudinal seat adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the unlocking lever is non-rotatably coupled to a transmission element.