DEVICE FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING AND REDUCING THE BACKWARD DISPLACEMENT OF A VEHICLE SEAT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT

• US 20140339863A1
• Filed: 11/29/2012
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adient US, LLC (Adient plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Metals And Mechanisms GmbH & Co. KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Eckhoff, Sascha, Kaestner, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,579,997 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/216.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4228 due to impact coming from the rear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4249 fixed structures, i.e. where neither the seat nor a part thereof are displaced during a crash
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/4256 the shape of the seat being specially adapted for a particular purpose or for particular vehicles

Abstract

A device for selectively monitoring and reducing a backward displacement of a vehicle seat in the event of an accident, having at least one stop element (4) which arranged on a pair (1) of seat rails and has a stop face (5) which is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of the pair (1) of seat rails, and having at least one stop body (6) which is arranged on the vehicle seat, having a contact face (8) which is arranged in a normal position at a distance from the stop face. In order to make available a device which efficiently reduces a backward displacement movement of a motor vehicle seat in a simple way in the event of an accident of the motor vehicle, there is provision that the stop element (4) and the stop body (6) are embodied and arranged with respect to one another in the mounted state in such a way that in a crash position which occurs in a tail-end impact with a motor vehicle having the vehicle seat, the stop face (5) of the stop element (4) and the contact face (8) of the stop body (6) enter into contact and as a result the backward displacement of the vehicle seat which is caused by the accident is reduced.

Claims

1-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A device for selectively controlling and reducing backward displacement of a seat in a vehicle relative to a vehicle floor in the event of an accident, the device comprising;

a stop element arranged on a pair of seat rails, said stop element having a stop face which is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of said pair of seat rails; and

a stop body arranged on the vehicle seat and having a contact face, said contact face being arranged in a normal position at a distance from said stop face, said stop element and said stop body being arranged in a mounted state with respect to each other so that in a crash position which occurs during an impact on the vehicle, said stop face of said stop element and said contact face of said stop body enter into contact, as a result of the contact, backward displacement of the seat which is caused by the impact is reduced.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said stop body is integral with a component of a vehicle seat frame of the seat.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein:

said stop body is a beading of a seat link of the seat.

14. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said stop element has a further retaining element.

15. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said stop body in a region of said contact face defines a recess;

said stop element has a pin projecting from said stop face, said recess and said pin being arranged so that in the crash position, said pin projecting from the stop face comes into engagement with said recess of said stop body in a region of said contact face.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

said stop element has a deformation zone, said deformation zone causes a targeted deformation of said stop element during transition from the normal position into the crash position.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein:

said deformation zone is in a form of a recess.

18. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

said recess penetrates more than half a length of said stop element parallel to an adjustment direction of said pair of seat rails.

19. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

said recess completely penetrates an entire length of said stop element parallel to an adjustment direction of said pair of seat rails.

20. The device according to claim 15, wherein:

said recess has a cross-sectional area orthogonal to an adjustment direction of said pair of seat rails, said cross-sectional area being diamond-shaped.

21. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said stop face is formed flat.

22. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said stop face has a rough surface structure.

23. The device according to claim 21, wherein:

said stop face has a rough surface structure.

24. The device according claim 11, wherein:

said stop face is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of said pair of seat rails by 15°

to 55°

.

25. The device according claim 11, wherein:

said stop face is inclined with respect to a longitudinal axis of the pair of seat rails by 25°

to 45°

.

26. The device according to claim 11, wherein:

said contact face and said stop face are arranged parallel to each other in said normal position.

27. The device according claim 11, wherein:

said contact face is formed corresponding to a shape of said stop face.

28. A seat arrangement for a vehicle, the arrangement comprising:

a vehicle seat mounted on a floor of the vehicle;

a safety system in the vehicle, said safety system protecting an occupant of the seat within a safety range of positions of the seat when an impact force exceeding a predetermined amount is applied to the vehicle;

a support system supporting said vehicle seat in the vehicle, said support system including a stop element and a stop body, said stop element being arranged closer to the floor of the vehicle then said stop body, said stop body being arranged closer to said vehicle seat than said stop element, said stop element having a stop face, said stop body having a contact face, said stop face and said contact face being spaced from each other in a first state of the seat arrangement, said stop face and said contact face being arranged to contact each other in a second state of the seat arrangement, said second state occurring when the impact force is applied to the vehicle, said stop face and said contact face contacting each other in said second state to block movement of said vehicle seat out of said safety range when said impact force is applied to the vehicle.

29. A seat arrangement in accordance with claim 28, wherein:

said stop element and said stop body are arranged to absorb energy from relative movement of the seat with respect to the floor when said stop face and said contact face contact each other.

30. A seat arrangement in accordance with claim 29, wherein:

said contact face defines a recess;

said stop element includes a pin projecting from said stop face, said recess and said pin being arranged to have said pin engage said recess in said second state;

said stop element including a deformation zone, said deformation zone deforming and absorbing the energy during a transition from said first state into said second state.