FR2878476A1 - Fold-down seat for use in vehicle, has slide fixed between seat cushion and vehicle floor, so as to enable movement of seat cushion in forward and backward directions - Google Patents

Abstract

The fold-down seat (S) has a foldable seat cushion (SC) and a seatback (SB) that is foldable relative to seat cushion. A link (4) is fixed between the seat cushion and vehicle floor so as to move in upward and downward directions. A slide (1) is fixed between the seat cushion and vehicle floor, so that seat cushion is movable in forward and backward of the seat.

Description

The present invention relates to a folding or folding seat intended for

  be used in a vehicle, especially automobile, seat that is able to be folded into a folded state to be stored in a location

  given seat of the motor vehicle.

  Various types of foldable vehicle seats are known. With respect to the present invention, conventional folding vehicle seats can be classified into two types. More specifically, a first type of conventional folding vehicle seat has a structure in which two rods are pivotally mounted at their respective two ends between a seat base and a floor of the vehicle according to what is called a configuration. articulated at four points, so that the seat back can be folded forwards at the position in which the seat is located, after which the seat seat can be folded down into a storage position , at this position, so that it can be folded stably via the rods on the floor.

  However, this type of four-point hinged folding seat requires the user a significant force to raise the folded seat seat in a normal use position and, furthermore, the folding and unfolding of the seat are tedious and inconvenient because of this complicated and relatively heavy structure.

  On the other hand, the other type of folding vehicle seat has a structure in which the seat and the backrest of the seat are both movable on the floor of the vehicle in forward and backward directions, the seat back being folded forward on the seat seat which is foldable downward in a storage area. This collapsible seat is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 55-160626, however, like the folding seat described above, its structure is complicated and relatively heavy, whereby the folding and unfolding of the seat require a lot of strength and effort on the part of the user.

  In view of the disadvantages described above, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved foldable vehicle seat that can be easily folded and unfolded with little force by a user.

  To achieve this goal and according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a folding vehicle seat in combination with a vehicle floor, characterized in that it comprises: a seat seat having a top side and a lower side opposite the upper side, the lower side having a front end portion defined at the front of the foldable vehicle seat, and a rear end portion defined at the rear of the seat; a seat back pivotally connected to the seat seat to be folded over the upper side thereof; connecting means movably mounted between the front end portion of the lower side of the seat cushion and the vehicle floor to be movable up and down from and to the vehicle floor ; and slide means operably disposed between the rear end portion of the underside of the seat cushion and the vehicle floor, the slide means for sliding movement of the seat cushion to the seat front and rear of the folding vehicle seat.

  Preferably, there are provided locking means operable in a locking direction to place the foldable vehicle seat in a locked state in a given position, and also in an unlocking direction to place the vehicle seat. foldable in an unlocked state from the given position. The locking means may comprise a female coupling means and a movable male coupling means for coupling and uncoupling with respect to the female coupling means, the female coupling means being defined in the means forming a slide, while the male coupling means is provided on the lower side of the seat cushion. Actuation of the locking means in the locking direction causes coupling of the male coupling means with the female coupling means, thus placing the foldable vehicle seat in the locked state, whereas on the contrary the Actuation of the locking means in the unlocking direction causes the male coupling means to disengage from the female coupling means, thus placing the foldable vehicle seat in the unlocked state.

  Also preferably, the female coupling means comprises a plurality of locking holes formed in the slide means, while the male coupling means comprises a locking rod movably disposed on the lower side of the seat cushion. to be able to be engaged in a selected hole multiple locking holes and disengaged from it.

  The foregoing, as well as other objects, features and advantages of the present invention, will emerge more clearly from the following detailed description of an embodiment given by way of non-limiting example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a foldable vehicle seat according to the present invention, showing the seat in its normal use position; Figure 2 is a schematic side elevational view of the foldable vehicle seat, showing the seat in the folded state; Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a locked state of a locking mechanism provided in the seat; Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the locking mechanism and a height adjustment of the seat; Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing an unlocked state of the locking mechanism provided in the seat; and Figure 6 is a diagram for explaining a method of unfolding and returning the seat to its normal use position.

  Referring to Figures 1 to 6, there is shown an exemplary embodiment of a folding vehicle seat according to the present invention which is designated as a whole by the reference S. The folding seat (S) shown proper is a bench seat or a second seat provided in the rear part of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle,

for example.

  As can be seen in the drawings, a floor on which the seat S is mounted is designed to include a cargo floor area 71, a seat mounting floor area 70 and a floor area forming a footrest. 72. The cargo cargo floor area 71 is a conventional load bearing platform area defined in the rear portion of the passenger compartment of the vehicle (not shown). The seat mounting floor area 70 is a floor area on which the folding seat S of the present invention is movably mounted and which is located lower than the cargo floor area 71. The floor area The footrest 72 is a floor area defined at a level below that of the seat mounting floor area 70 to allow an occupant of the seat S to rest therein. Reference numeral 6 denotes a vertical side wall that extends downward from the cargo floor area 71 to the two seat mounting and footrest floor areas 70 and 72. is not shown, another identical vertical side wall is defined on the opposite side to the vertical side wall 6, so that there are two vertical side walls 6 which substantially define a seat area in which the seat S is located and where the seat mounting floor area 70 and footrest floor area 72 are formed.

  According to the present invention, the folding seat S basically comprises a seat back SB, a seat seat SC, a rod member 4, a locking mechanism L and a slide means 1.

  In the following description, the term "forward" or "forward" will refer to a direction facing a front side F, while the term "backward" or "backward" will refer to a direction oriented to a rear side R. Specifically, the seat back SB is, at its lower end portion, pivotally connected to a rear end of the seat seat SC via a device 5. The seat seat SC has, at its rear end portion, a connection with the lower end portion of the seat back SB by means of the tilting device 5, while being, at its forward end, movably connected to the upper end of the bead member 4. The lower end of the bead member 4 is pivotally connected to a support lug 41 secured to the mounting floor area of Seat 70. Therefore, as can be seen in FIG. 1, for example, the front end portion of the seat seat SC is supported at a normal seat height at P1 by this bead member 4. The locking mechanism L may comprise a female coupling means generally designated by the reference H, and a male coupling means designated by the reference numeral 3 and operable to mate and disconnect with respect to each other. of the female coupling means H. The slide means may comprise a slide rail 1 and a guide roller 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the slide rail 1 may be shaped to have a U-shaped cross-section. comprising an upper horizontal wall 1A, a lower horizontal wall 1C fixedly connected to the seat mounting floor area 70 through a support member 14, and a vertical wall 1B. The guide roller 2 is, at its axis 22, rotatably connected to the lug 20 and is arranged so as to be able to roll in a guide passage defined by the upper, lower and vertical walls 1A, 1C and 1B of the Thus, the seat seat SC can not only pivot vertically on the central axis 22 of the roller 2, but is also mobile thanks to the guide roller 22 and the slide rail 1 in the directions F and R facing forward and backward.

  The female coupling means H may comprise multiple locking holes formed in the vertical wall 1B of the slide rail 1 in the length direction thereof. The locking holes may consist, for example, of a first locking hole 10, a second locking hole 11, a third locking hole 12 and a fourth locking hole 13.

  The male coupling means may comprise a locking rod 3 movably supported by a connecting lug 32 fixed to the lower side 21 of the seat cushion SC, so as to extend on a horizontal line and concentric with each of the locking holes H, as can be seen in FIG. 3. The locking rod 3 is slidably received in two through-holes 32H formed in the two respective vertical walls 32A of the connecting lug 32, and comprises a flange 33.

  In the locking mechanism L, a biasing spring 31 is interposed between the two vertical walls 32A of the connecting lug 3 in order to exert an outward biasing force on the flange 33, so as to normally urge the rod of 3 in a direction directed towards the locking holes of the female coupling means H. Thus, as can be seen in FIG. 3, one of the end portions of the locking rod 3 is normally urged to engage a hole selected from the locking holes of the means H, thereby locking the seat S in a given position in the directions facing forward and backward. In addition, a wire rope 30 is connected to the other end portion 3B of the connecting rod 3 and is also operably connected to a handle member 34 (eg a joystick or other suitable user can manually enter) which is movably mounted on the front end portion of the seat seat SC. With this device, when the handle element 34 is manually pulled forward by the user, the wire rope 30 is also subjected to traction, which forces the locking rod 3 to disengage from the one of the locking holes H, overcoming the biasing force of the spring 31.

  The way to use the folding seat S will now be described. First, Figure 1 shows a state in which the seat S is locked at a normal seating position and height corresponding to the highest seating level indicated by the reference P1. In this position, as can be seen, the locking rod 3 is engaged in the first locking hole 10 under the effect of the biasing of the spring 31, to thereby retain or block the seat S in this position of normal sitting. To fold the seat S from the normal seating position P1 into a folded storage position designated by the reference P3 in FIG. 2, the user must exert a pull on the handle member 34 forwards in a direction as indicated by the arrow, whereby the locking rod 3 is disengaged from the first locking hole 10, as can be seen in FIG. 5, to unlock the seat S. Then, by pulling the seat of SC seat forward while maintaining the handle member 2 in the unlocking direction, the user can rotate the seat seat SC down, as indicated by the corresponding arrow, while moving it towards the front, as indicated by the arrow A1. As can be seen in FIG. 2, when the seat S moves forward and reaches the folded storage position P3, the disengaged locking rod 3 is brought to a point which is aligned coaxially with the fourth locking hole 13, and the seat seat SC can be folded over the seat mounting floor area 70. Then, the seat back SB can be folded back to the seat. front on the seat seat SC thus folded. Therefore, the seat S is folded back to the storage position P3 shown in FIG. 2, in which position the rear side of the seat back is substantially at the same level as the upper surface of the cargo floor area. to thereby define an extended cargo floor area. Then, the user releases the handle member 34 which is then automatically returned to its unlocking position under the effect of the elastic return force of the spring 31. Also thanks to the biasing force of the spring 31, the rod of locking 3 is automatically engaged in the fourth locking hole 13, so that the folded seat S is locked in the storage position P3.

  As shown in Fig. 6, if the user wishes to return the seat S from the storage position to the normal seating position shown in Fig. 1, he must pull the handle member 34 forward to disengage the locking rod 3 of the fourth locking hole 13 and continue to push the seat S backwards.

  The seat seat SC then backs off, while the guide roller 2 moves along the slide rail 1 in the same rearward direction, while being raised with respect to the floor area 70 due to the simultaneous upward pivoting movement of the rod 4 connected to it relative to the tab 41. Finally, when the seat cushion SC reaches the normal seating position P1, the user releases the handle member 32, this has the effect of automatically engaging the locking rod 3 in the first locking hole 10 by the biasing force of the spring 31, so that the seat S is locked in the normal seating position Pl, after the seat back SB is returned to its normal upright position to completely unfold the seat and bring it back to its normal state shown in Figure 1.

  As will be understood from reading the description above, the rear end portion of the seat seat SC is slidably displaced through the roller 2 and the slide rail 1, while that the front end thereof is guided by the rod member 4 downwardly and upwardly, which effectively makes it possible to fold the seat easily into its storage position P3 by a simple traction exerted on the handle member 34 forwards, or unfolding the seat to return it to its normal seating position P1 by simply pulling on the handle member 34 forwards and lifting the seat cushion HC. This in fact reduces the force or effort required by the user to fold and unfold the seat, and also eliminates the tedious seat folding steps of the prior art.

  In addition, it is possible to easily adjust the height of the seat simply by pulling and releasing the handle member 34 to force the locking rod 3 to disengage from one of the multiple holes 10, 11, 12 , 13 and to engage in another. More specifically, as can be understood from Figure 4 considered in relation to Figures 1 to 3 and 5, when the locking pin 3 is engaged in the first hole 10, the seat seat SC is placed at or at the normal sitting height (e) P1, and, for example, if the user releases the handle member 34 to let the locking pin 3 engage in the third locking hole 12, the seat seat SC is then placed at a seat height P2 less than the normal seating height Pl, which thus provides a third level of seating. As can be seen in Figure 2, when the locking pin 3 is engaged in the fourth hole 13, the seat seat is placed at the lowest level thus defining the lowest seat height.

  On the other hand, it can be seen that when the seat S is locked in the position of use, as shown for example in FIG. 1, the seat seat SC is supported by two support points on the seat area. floor 70, that is to say by a support point defined by the rod member 4 and by another support point defined by the locking rod 3 and the slide rail 1. In other words, a robust triangular structure is created by the actual seat seat SC which is inclined upwards, by the rod member 4 inclined towards the rear and by the horizontal floor area 70. This simplified triangular support structure offers therefore a much greater force of attachment of the SC seat cushion to the floor of the vehicle.

  In addition, the locking holes 10, 11, 12 and 13 are formed directly in the slide rail 1 and, therefore, the locking mechanism L is mounted on the slide rail 1 in an extremely simple manner, which adds to the simplicity of the folding seat structure of the present invention.

  Although the foregoing description has dealt with a particular embodiment of the present invention, it is of course not limited to the specific example described and illustrated herein, and those skilled in the art will readily understand that it is possible to make many variations and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention.

Claims (3)

  A foldable vehicle seat in combination with a vehicle floor, characterized in that it comprises: a seat seat (SC) having an upper side and a lower side opposite the upper side, the lower side having a seat part; front end defined at the front of the folding vehicle seat (S) and a rear end portion defined at the rear of the seat; a seat back (SB) pivotally connected to the seat seat (SC) so that it can be folded down on the upper side thereof; a connecting means (4) movably mounted between the front end portion of the underside of the seat cushion (SC) and the vehicle floor (70) to be movable up and down to from the vehicle floor and towards it; and slide means (1) operably disposed between the rear end portion of the lower side of the seat cushion (SC) and the vehicle floor (70), the slide means (1) allowing movement by sliding the seat cushion forward and rearward of the folding vehicle seat (S).   2. Vehicle seat according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises locking means (L) operable in a locking direction to place the foldable vehicle seat in a locked state in a given position , and also in an unlocking direction to place the foldable vehicle seat in an unlocked state from the given position, in that the locking means (L) comprises a female coupling means (H) and a means male coupling coupling (3) movable to mate and disengage with respect to the female coupling means, in that the female coupling means (H) is defined in the slide means (1), while the male coupling means (3) is arranged on the lower side of the seat cushion (SC), and in that the actuation of the locking means in the locking direction causes the coupling of the locking means COUPLER the male coupling means (3) with the female coupling means (H), thereby placing the foldable vehicle seat in the locked state, while on the other hand the actuation of the locking means in the unlocking direction causes the uncoupling male coupling means vis-à-vis the female coupling means, thereby to place the foldable vehicle seat in the unlocked state.   Vehicle seat according to claim 2, characterized in that the female coupling means (H) comprises a plurality of locking holes (10, 11, 12, 13) formed in the slide means (1), and the male coupling means comprises a locking pin (3) movably disposed on the lower side of the seat seat (SC) so that it can be engaged in a selected one of the plurality of locking holes and disengaged from this one.