Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
  • B60N2/30—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
  • B60N2/3088—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats characterised by the mechanical link
  • B60N2/309—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats characterised by the mechanical link rods
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
  • B60N2/04—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable
  • B60N2/06—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable slidable
  • B60N2/065—Rear seats
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
  • B60N2/04—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable
  • B60N2/12—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable slidable and tiltable
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
  • B60N2/30—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
  • B60N2/3002—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements
  • B60N2/3004—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only
  • B60N2/3009—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only about transversal axis
  • B60N2/3011—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only about transversal axis the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement"
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
  • B60N2/30—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
  • B60N2/3038—Cushion movements
  • B60N2/3063—Cushion movements by composed movement
  • B60N2/3065—Cushion movements by composed movement in a longitudinal-vertical plane
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
  • B60N2/30—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
  • B60N2/3088—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats characterised by the mechanical link
  • B60N2/3093—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats characterised by the mechanical link slides
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
  • B60N2/32—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles convertible for other use
  • B60N2/36—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles convertible for other use into a loading platform
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
  • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
  • B60N2/68—Seat frames
  • B60N2/688—Particular seat belt attachment and guiding

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a vehicle seat, which is able to retract to reduce its size.
• the invention finds a particularly advantageous, but not exclusive, application in the automotive field.
• retractable seats are usually used, that is to say movable mounted seats moving between a position of use in which they are deployed so as to be able to receive occupants, and a storage position in which they are folded in order to occupy a minimal size.
• the kinematics of retraction of such a seat traditionally consists of tilting the backrest substantially horizontally against the top of the seat, and then down to the floor; the back of the folder then serving as a loading plan.
• the displacement of the seat between the position of use and the storage position is most often guided by links that operate according to the principle of deformable parallelograms.
• the seat is generally connected to the base by means of four connecting rods which are articulated substantially to the four corners of the seat.
• the immobilization of the seat relative to the underbody is usually achieved by locking one or more connecting rods, that is to say by directly blocking the mobility of at least one of them.
• This type of retractable seat has the disadvantage of requiring significant dimensioning rods, since they are the ones that will bear the majority of mechanical stresses.
• the rods will indeed have to be able to withstand any shocks suffered by the vehicle in the event of an accident. It should be noted that this need to reinforce the mechanical strength of the connecting rods becomes even more imperative since, as is generally the case with a seat type, the seat also serves as an anchorage point for a seat belt. security.
• the technical problem to be solved by the object of the present invention is to provide a retractable seat particularly for a motor vehicle, comprising a movably mounted seat moving relative to a base between a position of use and a storage position a backrest pivotally mounted relative to the seat, and means for guiding the displacement of the seat between the position of use and the storage position, retractable seat which would avoid the problems of the state of the technique presenting a substantially reduced cost, while providing optimum mechanical strength especially in the use position.
• the retractable seat further comprises locking means capable of blocking the displacement of the seat directly on the base, independently of the guide means.
• the invention applies to any type of seat, that is to say regardless of the structure of the frames supporting the seat and backrest. In particular, it appears perfectly compatible with seats fitted with standard fittings, which is particularly advantageous from an economic point of view. This also means that the invention does not call into question the integration of additional functions such as, for example, lumbar adjustment, adjustment of the backrest, heating, ventilation, air conditioning or electrical controls.
• the invention as thus defined has the advantage of separating the locking and guiding functions, so that their respective implementation means can be dimensioned independently of one another. , depending solely on the constraints specific to them.
• the guiding means used will certainly participate in the support of the seat in the use position, but they will not in any case to ensure immobilization. They therefore do not need to be oversized in order to withstand the most important mechanical stresses, ie the forces generated in the event of collision of the vehicle.
• Another advantage of this type of architecture is that it is very easy to adapt. It is indeed possible to adjust the height of a retractable seat according to the effective unevenness of a vehicle floor, simply by changing the dimensions of the base which remains an uncomplicated element to adapt in terms of mechanical strength . This makes it possible to avoid a systematic redefinition of the guide means which can then be standardized once an adequate structural dimensioning has been calculated.
• the retractable seat according to the invention also has the advantage of greatly improving the comfort of the passenger sitting directly behind.
• the present invention also relates to the features which will emerge during the following description, which should be considered in isolation or in all their possible technical combinations.
• Figure 1 illustrates the internal structure of a retractable seat according to the invention.
• Figure 2 is an exploded showing the retractable seat in rear perspective.
• Figure 3 shows an element of the locking means for immobilizing the seat of the retractable seat.
• Figure 4 is an exploded retractable seat, seen from below.
• Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 2, but in front perspective.
• Figures 6 to 10 are partially transparent side views, which illustrate the kinematics of the retractable seat detailed in Figures 1 to 5.
• Figure 6 shows more particularly the retractable seat locked in the use position.
• Figure 7 shows the retractable seat unlocked in the use position, that is to say at the beginning of the displacement phase to the storage position.
• Figure 8 shows the retractable seat during movement from the use position to the storage position.
• FIG. 9 shows the retractable seat at the end of displacement from the use position to the storage position, that is to say unlocked in the storage position.
• Figure 10 illustrates the retractable seat locked in storage position
• Figure 1 illustrates a retractable seat 1 of a motor vehicle, which is intended to take place in the second row of a passenger compartment, that is to say just behind the front seats. It is observed that for the sake of clarity, only its internal structure has been represented in this first illustration.
• the retractable seat 1 is essentially composed of a seat 10 on which is articulated a backrest 20 adjustable in inclination; the whole being mounted on a base 30 which is intended to be secured to the floor of the vehicle.
• the seat 10 is composed of a foam 11 which is supported by a metal frame 12 consisting of an assembly of a front cross member 13, a cross member rear 14, and two flanges 15, 16.
• a seat sheet 17 is also stretched between the front cross member 13 and the rear cross member 14, so as to support the foam 11 in the central area of the seat 10.
• the upper portion of the front cross member 13 has a convex shape to form an anti bump - submarine that can prevent small people from sliding under the seat belt during a frontal impact.
• the structure of the back 20 also results from the combination of a foam 21 and a metal armature 22. But this latter essentially consists of a tubular frame 23 on which are fixed a lattice 24 responsible for supporting the foam 21 in the central area of the backrest 20, and two flanges 25, 26 which are connected to the two seat flanges 15, 16 by pivot links.
• a tablet 27 is also secured to the back of the backrest 20, so that the latter has a flat surface at the level of the loading plane of the vehicle, once tilted against the seat 10.
• the base 30 comprises two brackets 31, 32 which are rigidly secured to one another via a central connecting tube 33.
• Each bracket 31, 32 is also mounted on a movable slideway 34, 35 which cooperates with each other. sliding with a fixed slide 36, 37 to be fixed to the floor of the vehicle.
• the purpose of such an arrangement is conventionally to be able to adjust the longitudinal position of the retractable seat 1 in the passenger compartment.
• the retractable character of the seat 1 is conferred by a movable mounting of the seat 10 relative to the base 30. This mobility is exerted between a position of use in which the seat 10 is deployed at a distance from the floor in order to receive an occupant, and a storage position in which it has descended closer to said floor so as to occupy only a small footprint.
• guide means 40 which are here in the form of four rods 41, 42, 43, 44.
• guide means 40 which are here in the form of four rods 41, 42, 43, 44.
• the retractable seat 1 also has locking means 50 which are able to immobilize the seat 10 by blocking its movement directly from the base 30, that is to say say completely independently of the guide means 40.
• the locking means 50 capable of immobilizing the seat 10 in any intermediate position between the use position and the storage position. However, it is especially essential that the locking means 50 are able to immobilize the seat 10 at least in the position of use.
• the locking means 50 are also capable of immobilizing the seat 10 in the storage position, as is precisely the case in the particular embodiment which has been chosen for example to illustrate the invention. This feature makes it possible to maintain the seat 1 near the floor, and thus to avoid unwanted noise during the rolling of the vehicle, or even untimely movements to the passage of a bump or a bleed.
• the assembly is preferably arranged so that the locking means 50 are able to block the displacement of the seat 10 at the anchor point 60 in question.
• the seatbelt is mainly responsible for retaining the occupant of the seat in the event of frontal impact, it will be extremely sought after it will be to cash this type of sudden deceleration. Very pulling forces Therefore important are likely to be applied to the anchor point 60. It is therefore very relevant to dispel them as quickly as possible in the floor of the vehicle, by transmitting directly from the seat 10 to the base 30, that is to say without passing them through the guide means 40.
• the assembly when the seat 10 of the seat 1 is further mounted to pivot forwardly relative to a transverse axis 70, the assembly is preferably arranged so that the locking means 50 are able to block the displacement of the seat 10 at the level of the tilting axis 70.
• the tilting axis 70 constitutes a kind of optimum.
• This mobility is intended to facilitate the passage behind the retractable seat 1 , for example to access a third row of seats.
• the kinematics adopted consists schematically to lower the seat nose when the seat 1 is advanced beyond what allows the classic longitudinal adjustment. It should be noted that in the traditional way, this operation is possible only after unlocking the movable slides 34, 35 with respect to fixed slides 36, 37.
• the front connecting rods 41, 42 are connected to the underbody 30 by sliding pivot links.
• their lower parts are coupled by means of a connecting tube 45 whose ends are able to slide along two slides 38, 39 respectively formed on the inner faces of the two brackets 31, 32.
• the connecting tube 45 is also secured to a strap 46 which is attached to the floor.
• the assembly is arranged so that in the manner of a stop, the strap 46 retains the connecting tube 45 when the advance of the retractable seat 1 exceeds a certain limit which is located in front of the relative to the longitudinal adjustment of the seat 10. It follows that if we continue moving the seat 1 even further forward, the front rods 41, 42 will begin to lie while the connecting tube 45 will finish by sliding back slides 38, 39.
• the seat nose 10 will therefore tilt gradually downwards, at the same time straightening the backrest 20 in a substantially vertical position and therefore less bulky.
• the front portion of the seat 10 is in turn somehow able to slip under the back of the front seat, increasing all the travel movement towards the front of the retractable seat 1.
• the retractable seat 1 has both an anchor point 60 for a seat belt, and a mobility tilt relative to a transverse axis 70.
• the anchoring point 60 and the tilting axis 70 in question here coincide with the parts of the seat 10 which cooperate with the locking means 50.
• This also shows the fundamental importance of the seat parts. in question which should serve as both locking zones, anchoring zones and pivot zones.
• the locking means 50 comprise on each side of the seat 1, a finger 51 which is secured to the seat 10, an oblong slot 52 which is formed in the base 30, and a locking element 53 which is pivotally mounted on said base 30.
• the assembly is arranged so that during the displacement of the seat 10 between the position of use and the storage position, the finger 51 is able to traverse the oblong slot 52 between two ends 52a, 52b respectively correspond to said use position and said storage position.
• the whole is moreover organized in such a way that the mobility of the locking element 53 is exerted between an active position in which it is able to block the finger 51 at each end. 52a, 52b of the oblong slot 52, and a passive position in which it is disposed away from said finger 51.
• each oblong slot 52 corresponds to the path traveled by the finger 51 associated therewith, when the seat 10 is moved between the position of use and the storage position.
• the two ends 52a, 52b of each oblong slot 52 act as abutments with respect to the associated finger 51, limiting the displacement of the seat 10 between two extremes which respectively correspond to the position of use and to the storage position.
• the locking means 50 are further provided with elastic return means which permanently drive each locking element 53 in the active position.
• This characteristic makes it possible to generate an automatic locking of each finger 51 when it reaches an end 52a, 52b of the oblong slot 52 associated therewith. It is thus possible to immobilize the seat 10 in the use position or in the storage position, without the user having to perform any locking action.
• this return function can be performed by any elastic return means known from the state of the art.
• connecting means 54 coupling the pivoting of the two elements of blocking 53 put at stake.
• connection means 54 is present in the form of a conjugation bar. It is furthermore understood that the presence of locking means 50 on each side of the retractable seat 1 constitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, since it makes it possible to guarantee perfect immobilization of the seat 10 by the symmetry of such an arrangement. However, it would be perfectly conceivable to design a variant equipped with locking means 51 only on one side of the retractable seat 1.
• the retractable seat 1 is further provided with control means 80 which are able to actuate the locking means 50 from the seat 10.
• control means 80 are able to drive each blocking element 53 in the passive position.
• control means 80 here comprise a lever 81 which is pivotally mounted on the seat 10 around a finger 51 of the locking means
• This lever 81 also supports a projecting stud 82 which is able to slide along a slot 83 formed on the locking element 53 associated with said finger 51.
• the retractable seat 1 can also be provided with control means 80 capable of actuating the locking means 50 from the backrest 20.
• control means 80 may particularly advantageously be constituted directly by the backrest 20 whose pivoting is able to actuate the locking means 50.
• Figures 6 to 10 illustrate more particularly the retraction kinematics of the retractable seat 1.
• FIG. 7 shows the unlocking of the retractable seat 1.
• the seat 10 is still in the use position, but the control means 80 have been actuated to deactivate the locking means 50.
• the pivoting of the seat lever 81 has caused each blocking element 53 to shift from the active position to the passive position, thus freeing the mobility of each finger 51.
• the seat 10 is then ready to be moved to the storage position.
• the displacement of the seat 10 from the use position to the storage position is achieved under the control of the guide means 40.
• the descent of the seat 10 operates by simple gravity by describing a circular trajectory, due to the simultaneous tilting of the front connecting rods 41, 42 and the rear connecting rods 43, 44.
• the fingers 51 freely traverse the lights 52 since during this phase, the locking means 50 are inoperative although blocking elements 53 have found the active position under the action of elastic return means associated with them.
• the control means 80 remain resting.
• Figure 9 illustrates the retractable seat 1 when it arrives in the storage position.
• the seat 10 reaches its lowest position, but it is not yet locked.
• the locking elements 53 have been moved to the passive position by the simple thrust exerted by the fingers 51 at the end of their movement, that is to say without the control means 80 have been activated.
• the retractable seat 1 finally appears locked in the storage position.
• the blocking elements 53 have found their active position always without user intervention, due solely to the action of the associated elastic return means.
• the fingers 51 are then locked at the lower ends 52b of the lights 52, thus perfectly immobilizing the seat 10 as close to the floor of the vehicle.
• the invention relates to any motor vehicle with at least one retractable seat 1 as previously described.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
• Transportation (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Seats For Vehicles (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=38982805

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (3)

Families Citing this family (2)

Family Cites Families (4)

• 2007
  • 2007-06-11 FR FR0755643A patent/FR2917024B1/fr not_active Expired - Fee Related
• 2008
  • 2008-05-14 EP EP08805776A patent/EP2152540A2/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2008-05-14 WO PCT/FR2008/050828 patent/WO2008152270A2/fr active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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