FR2898554A1 - Motor vehicle folding seat, has backrest leg disposed in maximum inclination position towards rear in folded position of seat corresponding to maximum displacement of base towards bottom - Google Patents

Abstract

The seat has a back rest articulated on a backrest leg (31) and a base connected to a longeron (51) through front and rear small connecting rods (41, 42) which form a deformable parallelogram (ABCD). The backrest leg is connected to the rods, such that a displacement of the base towards front and bottom relative to the longeron is carried out by pivoting towards rear and front of the rods. The backrest leg is disposed in a maximum inclination position towards the rear in a folded position of the seat relative to a maximum displacement of the base towards the bottom.

Description

1 folding seat of a motor vehicle and vehicle comprising such

seat.

  The present invention relates to a folding seat for a motor vehicle, and more particularly a seat of the type on the one hand to facilitate access to rear seats, located behind said seat, and also on the other hand, to fold down the backrest forward, on the seat, to obtain in this folded position the minimum of space, especially in height. Seats of this type are particularly intended for use in the second row of seats in a vehicle which has three. Indeed, access to the seats of the third row, conventionally called access to the rear seats, requires to release a passage to access from the door opening which is located in the second row. Conventionally for this, the second row seat is arranged to be moved forward, by sliding, pivoting, or a combination of these movements. Commonly, there is at least one pivoting of the backrest forward, accompanied by a pivoting or translation of the seat forward. Moreover, it may also be desired that this seat is folded so as to release a maximum of loading volume in the vehicle, when the second row seats are not used. A known solution, for example US-6,676,216, is to tilt the seat forward, against the back of the front seat. The backrest can then be folded back to the location, thus released, the seat in the current use position, or brought in a vertical position against or above the seat thus folded, by the use of rods forming a deformable parallelogram for example.

  Another common solution is to fold the backrest on the seat, to free up space and so that the rear backrest wall is substantially horizontal and can serve as a loading surface. In addition, it is also known to try to lower the seat, to gain even more space. The document FR-2851211 shows a seat in which the front of the seat is supported by links and the rear of the seat is articulated on a backrest frame, in one piece, articulated at its lower end on a carriage slidably mounted on rails connected to the floor, the frame being lockable in inclination relative to the carriage. The backrest can be unlocked to be tilted forward, and facilitate access to the rear seats. The carriage can slide further forward, to free up additional space, the backrest also moving forward and causing in its movement the seat that pivots through its articulation on the front links. At the end of the race, the seat is moved forward forwards, downwards against the floor, and the backrest, whose articulation carried by the carriage is also moved forward, is folded down on the seat, its rear wall substantially horizontally. It has also been proposed to move the seat in a substantially translational movement to bring it as low as possible against the floor portion in front of the seat in the position of current use, so that the backrest is partially foldable in the normal position of the seat and partly above the seat and moved against the floor. EP-A-1547856 shows a seat of this type, where the seat is carried by a set of articulated feet forming a deformable parallelogram and can thus be moved forwards and downwards against the floor, while

  3 the backrest is mounted on a set of scissor rods, arranged to allow folding the backrest horizontally, in a retracted position, as low as possible.

  But these different systems, because the folding articulation of the backrest is located very low, can not be used when the seat and especially the backrest have lateral support padding, located on each side of the backrest, relatively bulky, because the volume of these padding prevents fold back enough to bring it to the horizontal. In seats with such padding, it is already known to provide a joint backrest at a relatively high point, allowing the folding of the backrest above the seat, horizontally. But this arrangement is used to put the folder in the position known as tablet position. The backrest is then in a horizontal position, but at a height that is too high to be used properly as a loading floor. In addition, this provision of folding the backrest is not sufficient on its own to allow easy access to rear seats.

  The present invention aims to solve these problems, and aims in particular to provide a folding seat whose structure allows both in a first objective, to release the maximum load space in case of non-current use of the seat and, in a second objective, to bring the seat in an optimal position to facilitate access to the rear seats.

  With these objectives in view, the invention relates to a motor vehicle seat comprising a seat

  4 supported by a stretcher having means of connection to the floor of the vehicle, and a backrest comprising an upper support zone and lateral holding elements, characterized in that: - the backrest is articulated on a footrest and foldable against the foot of the file, and - the seat is connected to the stretcher by front links and rear links, arranged so as to form with the seat and the stretcher a deformable quadrilateral, and the footrest is pivotally mounted and connected to the said links, so that a displacement of the seat forward and downwardly relative to the stretcher, by pivoting forward of said links, is carried out simultaneously with a pivoting of the foot frame backrest, so that in a folded position of the seat corresponding to a maximum displacement of the seat down, the backrest is in a position of maximum inclination to the rear. The backrest can then be folded substantially horizontally, the upper support zone of the backrest being lodged against a hollow central area of the seat and the lateral holding elements of the backrest being located laterally on either side of the seat. foot of file.

  Thus, by this arrangement, there is not, in the folded position of the seat, interference of the lateral holding elements, particularly when they are in the form of bulky padding, with the seat and in particular with the edges of the seat, which may also include lateral support padding. Indeed, the upper support zone of the backrest, which constitutes, or includes in a reported manner, a headrest, can be housed against the central hollow part of the seat cushioning, between said lateral support paddings of the seat, and the lateral support padding of the file are lodged around the foot of file. Thus, the backrest can be folded substantially horizontally on the seat, located at the lowest possible level, to form a lower loading floor and as flat as possible. The space saving is achieved in particular by the fact that, in this folded position, the lateral padding of the backrest and those of the seat are no longer located one above the other as is the case when the file is simply folded on the seat, but some staggered behind the others, without overlapping.

  According to a preferred complementary arrangement, particularly aimed at achieving the second objective by facilitating access to the rear seats, the rear links are connected to the stretcher by an intermediate frame on which they are mounted articulated, the intermediate frame being pivotally mounted on the stretcher so that the assembly formed by the seat, the rods and the intermediate frame can pivot forwardly relative to the stretcher, the forward pivoting of the front links accompanied by a relative pivoting of the foot of backrest in the opposite direction, so that the footrest remains oriented upward when pivoting the seat forward and that in a position of access to the rear seats, that is to say pivoting seat, the backrest foot and the backrest are in a substantially vertical position.

  Thus, similarly to the rearward pivoting of the resulting backrest, according to the main arrangement of the invention, by the pivoting of the rods forwardly during the forward movement of the seat, it is here is also the pivoting forward

  6 of the front links which causes the foot of the backrest to pivot in the opposite direction. But as here all the seat, connecting rods and the intermediate frame is pivoted forward simultaneously pivoting in the opposite direction of the backrest, the latter, and the folder which then remained bound to him, keep an upward orientation, which is closer to the vertical as the pivoting of the seat forward. At the end of the race, the seat is raised to the maximum, the backrest substantially in alignment, and the assembly applied, in a generally vertical position, against the back of the seat in front. To complete the clearance thus obtained from the space occupied by the seat in the position of current use, it can furthermore provide, advantageously, the connection of the stretcher to the vehicle floor by locking rails, in a manner known per se.

  Advantageously, the front links will be provided with control means arranged to cause automatic unlocking of said slides when pivoting the front links forward. Thus, whether it is when the seat is brought into the upright position for easy access to the rear seats, or in a retracted position against the floor to arrange the loading space, the entire seat can be easily advanced to the maximum , or positioned in the most suitable longitudinal position, almost automatically or at least without the need to exert additional manual action to unlock the slides.

  According to a particular arrangement, the front links are articulated on the stretcher, the intermediate frame is pivotally mounted on the stretcher along an axis located near the articulation of the front link and lockable on the stretcher when it is substantially parallel , in current use position of the seat or in a folded position towards the floor, and the rear links are hinged to the intermediate frame but can be secured with it, for the seat in the position of access to the rear seats. Thus, as will be better understood afterwards in view of the accompanying drawings: - for putting the seat in the folded position towards the floor, the intermediate frame remains connected to the stretcher, and all of the seat and links front and rear deforms in the manner of a deformable parallelogram, so that the seat moves forwardly and downwardly in a curvilinear translation resulting from the pivoting rods forward. - To put the seat in the access position to the rear seats, the intermediate frame is unlocked from the stretcher, but the rear links are locked pivotally relative to the intermediate frame. It is then the quadrilateral, formed by the joints of the front and rear links on the seat and by the joints respectively of the front link and the intermediate frame on the stretcher, which deforms during the pivoting of the seat towards forward. In either of these movements, it is the deformation of the parallelogram, or the quadrilateral, deformable, which, following the variations of length of a diagonal, causes the pivoting of the backrest in the opposite direction of the pivoting of the front link. To achieve this control of the pivoting of the backrest, preferably, it is pivotally mounted on the rear link, and is connected by a control arm to the front link, so that the

  8 arms, during the relative movement of the front links and rear links during movement of the seat, whether pivoting or translation, causes the pivoting of the backrest on the rear link. Other features and advantages will appear in the description to be made of an automobile seat according to the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a general perspective view of the assembly of the frame elements of the seat, in the position of current use; FIG. 2 is a side view of this assembly; FIG. Also in the position of current use, - Figure 3 is a partial view, illustrating the beginning of the pivoting of the seat forward, for the supply of the seat in the position of access to the rear seats, - the FIG. 4 is a partial view illustrating the beginning of the displacement of the seat forward by pivoting of the links for bringing the seat into the retracted position; FIGS. 5a to 5d illustrate the passage of the seat of the position of current use at the retracted position; FIGS. 6a to 6c illustrate the passage of the seat from the position of current use to the position of access to the rear seats; FIG. 7 shows, in perspective, the set of reinforcement 30 of the seat in the folded position, - Figure 8 shows, in perspective, the set of armatures of the seat in the access position to the rear seats.

  The seat shown comprises a seat 1 formed of a seat frame 11 covered, in a known manner

  9 in itself, a padding comprising lateral support pads 12, and a backrest 2 comprising a backrest frame 21 covered by a cushioning comprising lateral support pads 22 and in the upper part a bearing zone, consisting of a headrest 23. The backrest frame is articulated along a transverse axis J on a footrest 31, the J axis being located sufficiently above the seat so that from the position of current use seat, the backrest can be folded over the seat, with its rear wall 24 substantially horizontal, in the position commonly called tablet, as is well known. To this end, the articulation of the backrest 2 on the backrest 31 is achieved by means of hinge mechanisms 25 of known type, adjustable and lockable in position, and allowing a folding of the folder against the backrest, so more rotated than for the traditional tablet, as illustrated in Figures 5d and 7.

  The seat is carried by a set of rods comprising front links 41 and rear links 42. The front links are articulated along an axis A on a stretcher 51 of the seat support, and along an axis B on the armature of the seat. 11. The rear links are articulated along an axis C on the seat, and along an axis D on an intermediate frame 61, which is itself articulated on the stretcher 51 along an axis E, close to the axis A , but however at a certain distance behind it, this distance being predetermined according to the displacement kinematics which will be described later. The stretcher 51 is secured to the movable portion 71 of a slide 7 whose fixed portion 72 is fixed rigidly on the floor 70 of the vehicle. This slide has locking means, of a

  lo known, whose unlocking is controlled by a lever 73. The rear links 42 are lockable on the intermediate frame 61 by a first latch 43, so as to prevent the relative pivoting of the rear links relative to said intermediate frame according to the l D. The intermediate frame 61 is lockable on the stretcher 51, or the movable portion 71 of the slideway secured thereto, by a second latch 63, so as to prevent the pivoting of the intermediate reinforcement 61 relative to the stretcher 51 along the axis E. A compensation cylinder 62, is mounted between the stretcher 51 and the intermediate frame 61 to facilitate the pivoting of the seat forward around the axis A, compensating the weight of the seat when it is placed in an access position to the rear seats. A compensation spring 52 is mounted between the front links 41 and the stretcher 51, so as to push the front links backwards, to facilitate the return of the seat from the folded position to the position of current use. The foot of the backrest 31 is articulated along an axis H on the rear links 42, between the axes C and D. This articulation can be achieved by means of a conventional type of articulation mechanism, lockable in position. The bottom leg 31 has in its lower part a tab 32 which extends forwardly when the backrest is in a substantially vertical position. A control arm 81 is mounted articulated along an axis F on the front links 41 and along an axis G on the said tab 32. A cam tab 44, integral with a bar 45 connecting the front links 41, comprises a cut in cam shape 46 receiving a pin 74 integral with the lever 73 for unlocking the slideways 7, so that pivoting of the links 41 forwardly causes, via the cam 46 acting on the pin 74, a pivoting lever 73 and unlocking slides 7.

  Relaticn with Figures 4, 5a to 5d, and 7, we will now describe the operations of bringing the seat in the folded position.

  Firstly, the articulation linking the backrest 2 is unlocked on the backrest base 31, in order to be able to pivot the backrest forward along the axis J, as illustrated in FIG. 5b, in a position corresponding substantially to the tablet position. .

  The latch 43 is then unlocked to allow the pivoting of the rear links on the intermediate armature 61, the latter remaining in a horizontal position, connected to the stretcher by the lock 63. If necessary, the articulation mechanism connecting the armature 63 is also unlocked. back foot 31 on the rear links 42. Note that this locking is not necessary from a strictly kinematic point of view, insofar as the backrest is held in position by the control arm 81, when both latches 43 and 63 are activated and thus prevent the pivoting of the intermediate reinforcement and links. This locking of the backrest is however essential for the mechanical strength, to reinforce the rigidity of maintaining the backrest when the seat is in the position of current use. The latch 43 being released, as can be seen in FIG. 4, the rear link 42 can pivot, the assembly formed by the seat frame 11, the stretcher 51 and the intermediate frame 61, and the front links 41. and rear 42, forming a deformable parallelogram ABCD. Pushing the seat forward, and

  12 accompanied by a push back on the backrest, it causes a beginning of deformation of the parallelogram ABCD, visible Figure 4, the front links 41 and rear 42 pivoting forward, the seat moving towards the before, and the backrest foot 31 pivoting backwards, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 4. The pivoting of the backrest foot 31 towards the rear is effected in coordination with the pivoting of the links forwardly. by the control arm 81. Indeed, during the deformation of the parallelogram ABCD which then occurs, there is a rapprochement of the axes A and C and, because of the relative position of the axes F, G and H, in In particular since the axis G is located above the axes F and H, the control arm pushes on the tab 32 and pivots the backrest foot about the axis H. By continuing these movements, the seat is thus brought into the seat. position of FIG. 5c, then at the end of the run, of FIG. 5d, the ABCD parallelogram as flattened maximum, as can also be seen in Figure 7. A latch, not shown, may be provided to lock the assembly in this position and prevent the compensation spring 52 make up the seat. For example, it is possible to lock the links relative to the stretcher, to the intermediate frame or to the seat, or by using the latch of the articulation mechanism of the foot of the backrest on the rear link, when such a lock is used. The slides 7 having been unlocked, as indicated above, by the pivoting of the front links, it may be necessary if necessary to adjust the longitudinal position of the folded seat relative to the floor, so that it is positioned as close as possible to the seat back 10 located in front of. The backrest 2 can then be folded completely, its rear wall 24 horizontally, the headrest being housed in the hollow of the seat between the padding

  13 side of the latter, and the lateral padding of the backrest being located laterally on either side of the backrest, shifted rearwardly relative to the padding of the seat, as is well understood from the view of the Figure 5d. It should be noted that the unlocking of the backrest and its folding towards the front is not necessarily carried out first, but may also be done later, after the beginning of the pivoting of the backrest foot towards the rear. The return of the retracted position to the current use position of the seat will be effected by reverse displacements, this return being assisted, after unlocking, by the compensating springs 52 which compensate for the weight of the seat by exerting a return torque of the tie rods to the rear. At the end of the race, the lock 43 will be engaged again to maintain the rear links and thus the seat in position.

  In relation to FIGS. 3, 6a to 6c, and 8, the operations of bringing the seat into the position of access to the rear seats will now be described. In the first place, the lock 63 is unlocked to allow the intermediate frame 61 to pivot relative to the stretcher 51 along the axis E, the rear link remaining rotatably connected to the intermediate reinforcement by the lock 43. It also unlocks , where appropriate, the articulation mechanism linking the backrest foot 31 to the rear links 42.

  The latch 63 being released, as can be seen in FIG. 3, the assembly formed by the seat frame 11, the stretcher 51, the front link 41 and finally the rear link 42 secured to the intermediate frame 61, form a deformable quadrilateral ABCE. By pushing the backrest forward and upward, this movement being facilitated by the compensation jack which exerts its

14

  pushing on the intermediate frame to rotate it forward, it causes a beginning of deformation of the deformable quadrilateral ABCE, visible Figure 3, the forward links 41 pivoting forwardly along the axis A, the whole of the intermediate frame 61 and rear links 42 pivoting upwards along the axis E, the assembly of the seat, rods and the intermediate frame thus having a general general movement of pivoting forward, and the foot backrest 31 pivoting in opposite direction relative to the rear links, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 3. The pivoting of the backrest 3 is coordinated with the pivoting of the seat forward, thanks to the arm In fact, during the deformation of the deformable quadrilateral ABCE which then occurs, the axes A and C are brought closer together and, because of the relative position of the axes F, G and H, the control arm pushes on the leg 32 and rotate the foot of the back around the H-axis, similarly to what has been explained above for the supply of the seat in the folded position. In this case, however, because of the displacement of the rear link in rotation along the axis E, the backrest remains oriented upwards, with the backrest extension, as shown in Figure 6b. By continuing these movements, the seat is thus brought into the position of Figure 6b, then at the end of the race, of Figure 6c, the links before 41 being substantially horizontal, the intermediate frame 61 close to the vertical, as well as the back rest 31 and the backrest frame 21, as can also be seen in FIG. 8. A lock, not shown, may be provided to lock the assembly in this position. The slides 7 having been unlocked, as indicated above, by the pivoting of the front links 41, it will be possible to adjust the longitudinal position of the 15

  seat, and extended vertically, relative to the floor, so that it is positioned as close as possible to the seat back 10 located in front.

Claims (9)

  Motor vehicle seat comprising a seat (1) supported by a stretcher (51) having means of connection to the floor of the vehicle, and a backrest (2), characterized in that: - the backrest (2) is articulated on a footrest (31) and foldable against the footrest, - the seat (1) is connected to the stretcher (51) by front links (41) and rear links (42), arranged to form with the seat and stretcher a deformable quadrilateral (ABCD), and the footrest (31) is pivotally mounted and connected to said links (41, 42), so that a displacement of the seat forward and towards the bottom relative to the stretcher, by pivoting forward of said links, is carried out simultaneously with a pivoting of the backrest foot rearwardly so that, in a folded position of the seat corresponding to a maximum displacement of the seat down, the footrest is in a position of maximum inclination v behind.   2. Seat according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the folded position, the backrest (2) is foldable substantially horizontally, an upper support zone (23) of the backrest housing against a central zone in hollow of the seat (1) and the lateral holding elements (22) of the backrest being located laterally on either side of the backrest (31).   3. Seat according to claim 1, characterized in that the rear links (42) are connected to the stretcher (51) by an intermediate frame (61) on which they are articulated, the intermediate frame (61) being pivotally mounted on the stretcher (51) so that the assembly formed by the seat (1), the 17 links (41, 42) and the intermediate frame (61) can pivot forwardly relative to the stretcher (51), the forward pivoting of the front links (41) accompanied by a relative pivoting of the backrest foot (31) in the opposite direction, so that, in a position of access to the rear seats, that is to say -description of maximum pivoting of the seat forward, the backrest and the backrest are in a substantially vertical position.   4. Seat according to claim 3, characterized in that the front links (41) are articulated on the stretcher (51) along an axis (A), the intermediate frame (61) is pivotally mounted on the stretcher along an axis ( E) located close to the axis (A) of articulation of the front link, and lockable on the stretcher when it is substantially parallel thereto, and the rear links (42) are articulated on the intermediate frame (61) and solidarisables with it, for putting the seat in the access position to the rear seats.   5. Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the footrest (31) is pivotally mounted on the rear links (42), and is connected by a control arm (81) to the front links ( 41), so that the control arm, during the displacement of the front links and the rear links during movements of the seat, causes the pivoting of the backrest on the rear links.   6. Seat according to claim 3, characterized in that, for placing the seat in the folded position towards the floor, the intermediate frame (61) remains connected to the stretcher (51) by a lock (63). 18   Seat according to claim 6, characterized in that, for placing the seat in the rear seat access position, the intermediate frame (61) is unlocked from the stretcher and the rear links (42) are pivotally locked. relative to the intermediate frame (61) by a lock (43).   8. Seat according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the stretcher (61) is connected to the floor (70) of the vehicle by sliders (7) lockable in position.   9. Seat according to claim 8, characterized in that the front links (41) are provided with control means (44, 46) arranged to cause an automatic unlocking of the slides during pivoting of the front links forward.