FR3089896A1 - Motor vehicle seat with reversible backrest - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a seat (10) of a motor vehicle, comprising: - a chassis (100) which defines two lateral rails (110), - a seat (200) which is mounted so as to tilt on the chassis, - a backrest ( 300) which is slidably mounted in the two lateral rails of the chassis, between two extreme positions, and - means for locking the backrest in one or the other of the two extreme positions. According to the invention, the backrest includes a support cam which, when the backrest is in one or other of the extreme positions, presses on a support element of the seat, so as to block the seat against a stop member of the chassis. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 2

Description

Description

Title of the invention: Motor vehicle seat with reversible backrest

Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates generally to the habitability of motor vehicles.

It relates more particularly to a motor vehicle seat, comprising: - a chassis which defines two lateral rails, - a seat which is mounted movable in tilting on the chassis, - a backrest which is slidably mounted in the two rails sides of the chassis, between two extreme positions in which it is located on one side and the other of the seat, and

- backrest locking means in one or other of the two extreme positions.

It also relates to a motor vehicle comprising a driving position, a driver's seat located opposite the driving position, and a passenger seat as mentioned above, located next to the driver's seat.

State of the art

A car generally has two rows of seats, including a front row comprising a driver's seat and a passenger seat, and a rear row.

It is known to mount the front row seats pivotally on the vehicle floor, around vertical axes, so that these seats can be returned to the rear row seats.

This configuration then allows the users of the vehicle to face each other to chat together when the vehicle is stopped.

In practice, mounting the seats in the front row so as to pivot around vertical axes is expensive since the shaft providing this mobility must be able to withstand high mechanical stresses.

It is then known, for the same purpose, to mount the backrest so that it can tilt from a position located at the rear of the seat (in which case the passenger can sit facing the road) to a position at the front of the seat (in which case the passenger can sit back to the road), using rails in which the backrest can slide. Such a file then includes two sides on which the passenger can lean.

To ensure passenger comfort, the seat must also be able to tilt slightly forward or backward, depending on the position of the backrest. One solution is to motorize the seat to control this tilting. This solution unfortunately turns out to be expensive.

Presentation of the invention

To overcome the aforementioned drawback of the prior art, the present invention provides a solution for tilting the seat by sliding the backrest in its rails, so that the seat is stuck in a fixed position when the backrest is held in at least one of its two extreme positions.

More particularly, there is provided according to the invention a seat as defined in the introduction, wherein the backrest comprises a support cam which, when the backrest is in at least one of the extreme positions, presses a seat support element, so as to lock the seat against a stop element of the chassis.

Thus, thanks to the invention, the cam allows to press against the support element of the seat when the backrest tilts and arrives at the end of the race, so as to tilt this seat in the desired position and wedge it in this position.

Other advantageous and non-limiting characteristics of the seat according to the invention, taken individually or in any technically possible combination, are the following:

- said support cam comprises a rolling roller;

- Said support element delimits a cam path on which the rolling roller can roll so as to tilt the seat relative to the chassis by virtue of the sliding of the backrest from one to the other of its positions extremes;

- the backrest includes two support cams;

- the seat four supporting elements;

- Each of the two side rails has three sections connected together by elbows whose average radii of curvature are strictly less than the average radii of curvature of the three sections;

- The locking means comprise two hooking systems respectively adapted to lock the file in its two extreme positions;

- There is a lever adapted to actuate the two hooking systems to release the file;

- Each picking system comprises a fixed jaw fixed or coming from formation with the chassis, and a mobile jaw mounted movable in tilting on the chassis, said fixed and mobile jaws being adapted to pick a keeper of the backrest;

- the lever is connected to the movable jaws by cables;

- there is provided a seat belt strap equipped with a buckle, and two peduncles for receiving said buckle;

- Each peduncle is mounted movable in tilting relative to the chassis, between a position of use in which it protrudes above the seat and a retracted position in which it does not protrude above the seat;

- The backrest includes a lug adapted to come to rest against a part of each peduncle so as to force each peduncle to switch to the position of use by sliding the backrest towards one or other of its extreme positions ;

- There are two fixed slides comprising means for fixing to the floor of the motor vehicle, two mobile slides fixed to the chassis and adapted to slide in the fixed slides, means for blocking the sliding of the mobile slides relative to the fixed slides, and release means adapted to actuate the locking means to release the sliding of the movable slides relative to the fixed slides, said release means comprising two operating levers accessible from two opposite sides of the seat.

The invention also relates to a motor vehicle whose passenger seat is as mentioned above.

Of course, the different characteristics, variants and embodiments of the invention can be associated with each other in various combinations as long as they are not incompatible or mutually exclusive of each other. Detailed description of the invention

The description which follows with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of nonlimiting examples, will make it clear what the invention consists of and how it can be carried out.

In the accompanying drawings:

[Fig.l] is a schematic perspective view of a seat according to the invention;

[Fig.2] is another schematic perspective view of the seat of Figure 1, seen from a different angle;

[Fig.3] is a schematic perspective view of the seat of Figure 1, in which the backrest is shown in a first extreme position;

[Fig.4] is a schematic perspective view of the seat of Figure 1, on which the backrest is shown in an intermediate position;

[Fig.5] is a schematic perspective view of the seat of Figure 1, in which the backrest is shown in a second extreme position;

[Fig.6] is a schematic perspective view of part of the seat frame of Figure 1;

[Fig.7] is another schematic perspective view of the part of the seat frame of Figure 1, viewed from a different angle;

[Fig.8] is yet another schematic perspective view of the part of the seat frame of Figure 1, viewed from a still different angle;

[Fig.9] is a detailed view of part of the seat frame of Figure 1, on which the support cam appears;

[Fig.10] is a homologous view of that of Figure 9, in which certain elements of the seat have not been shown for reasons of clarity;

[Fig.ll] is a counterpart view of that of Figure 9, shown from another angle;

[Fig.12] is a schematic front view of the hooking means of the seat back of Figure 1; and

[Fig.13] is a view of the rails for guiding the sliding of the seat backrest of Figure 1.

In Figure 1, there is shown a seat 10 intended to be installed in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle (car, coach, truck ...) and to be fixed to the floor of this motor vehicle.

It will be considered here that this motor vehicle is a car which comprises a driving position (with in particular a steering wheel), a driver's seat situated opposite the driving position, and a passenger seat situated next to the driver's seat. The seat 10 shown in the various figures is here the passenger seat.

This seat 10 is described as reversible in the sense that it can accommodate a passenger facing the road or rearward facing, as desired.

In the description, the terms "front" and "rear" will be used relative to the motor vehicle, the front part of an element designating the part of this element which is located on the side of the hood of the vehicle and the rear part designating the part of this element which is located on the opposite side.

The terms “lower” and “upper” will be used in the same way, the lower part of an element designating the part of this element which is located on the side of the vehicle floor and the upper part designating the part of this element which is located on the roof side of the vehicle.

A "longitudinal axis" will be an axis oriented from the front to the rear of the vehicle, parallel to the direction of advance of the vehicle when the steering wheel is in the neutral position.

A "transverse axis" will be an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axes, extending horizontally when the vehicle is located on a horizontal road.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the seat 10 has several components, including in particular a chassis 100 intended to be attached to the floor of the motor vehicle, a seat 200 mounted on the chassis 100, a backrest 300 also mounted on the chassis 100 and a headrest 400 mounted on the backrest 300.

We can first of all briefly describe these different components.

The chassis 100 comprises two symmetrical lateral flanks 101, connected together by connecting shafts 120. Each of these flanks 101 defines a lateral rail 110.

The seat 200 has a frame 201, here in the form of a shell (see Figure 6), on which is attached a lining 202, here a piece of foam which has been expanded to the desired shape.

The frame 201 of the seat here has two lateral pins (not visible in the figures), which are located on the same central axis of the seat. These pins are engaged in openings of corresponding shapes provided in the two sides 101 of the chassis 100, to give the seat 200 a degree of mobility in tilting relative to the chassis 100.

The backrest 300 also includes a frame 301 (Figure 6) covered with a lining 305. The frame has two side walls connected together by a metal frame (not visible in the figures). The back upholstery 305 extends on both sides of the metal frame, symmetrically, to allow the passenger to lean against each of the two faces of the back upholstery 305.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the backrest 300 also includes two lateral uprights 302 which are articulated on the frame 301 of the backrest 300 around a transverse axis passing through the lower edge of this frame 301. As the shown in FIG. 7, a thumbwheel 303 makes it possible to adjust the orientation of the framework 301 of the backrest 300 relative to these lateral uprights 302. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, these lateral uprights 302 are provided to be covered and protected by rigid 304 protective covers.

The headrest 400 is articulated with respect to the backrest 300 around another transverse axis, so as to have an adjustable inclination as a function of the position of the backrest 300.

The backrest 300 is here provided to be able to slide in the side rails 110 of the chassis 100, between two end positions called the front position and the rear position.

We can now describe in more detail the different elements of the seat 10 to move it from a position in which it can accommodate a passenger facing the road to a position in which it can accommodate a rearward facing passenger.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, each side 101 of the frame has an elongated metal wall 102 on which is fixed a metal section 103 having a U-shaped section.

The elongated wall 102 is intended to be covered by a protective cover 104 made of plastic (see Figures 1 and 2).

The bottom of the profile 103 is fixed on the outer face of the elongated wall 102, for example by welding. It therefore opens laterally, towards the outside of the seat. This profile 103 thus delimits a lateral rail 110 which extends from the rear edge to the front edge of the elongated wall 102.

As shown in Figures 6 to 8, each side rail 110 is here formed of three sections 111, 113, 115, including a first end section 111, an intermediate section 113 which extends the first end section 111, and a second end section 115 which extends the intermediate section 113.

Here, these three sections 111, 113, 115 are rectilinear and inclined with respect to each other. They are therefore connected to each other by elbows 112, 114.

In a first variant, one could provide that the sections are slightly curved, in which case they will be less curved than the elbows.

Of course, alternatively, the side rails 110 could have very different shapes, for example in arcs-of-circles or rectilinear.

However, the advantage of using side rails 110 having the shapes shown in the figures rather than side rails in the shape of arcs-of-circles is that, when the backrest 300 travels its path between its two positions front and rear, it rises only moderately in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, which prevents the headrest 400 from striking the roof of the vehicle.

The advantage of using side rails 110 having the shapes shown in the figures rather than completely straight side rails is that, when the backrest 300 travels its path, it rises slightly so as not to rub against the seat (which would otherwise make maneuvering the backrest more difficult).

As shown in FIG. 13, each lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300 carries on its inner face at least two rollers 310 provided for rolling in the lateral rail 110 which is associated with it, so as to guide the backrest 300 during sliding between its front and rear positions.

In the embodiment shown here, each lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300 comprises three rollers 310, 311, including a central roller 311 and two other rollers 310. These three rollers have diameters strictly less than the width of the side rail 110.

Each roller 310, 311 is rotatably mounted on the lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300 around a transverse axis of rotation. The three axes of rotation are parallel but are not coplanar. The central roller 311 is in fact offset above the plane passing through the axes of rotation of the other two rollers 310. In this way, while the central roller 311 rolls along the upper face of the side rail 110, the other two rollers 310 roll along the underside of this rail.

To avoid that there is play between the rollers 310, 311 and the side rail 110, provision can be made to force the central roller 311 to remain in abutment against the upper face of the side rail 110. For this, the 'shaft around which the central roller rotates can for example be slidably mounted on the lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300, in a substantially vertical direction. In this event, it is then necessary to plan to recall this central roller 311 upwards, for example by means of a spring (not shown in the figures). It will be observed here that this architecture has various advantages. The first is that it allows the backrest 300 to be mounted in side rails of different widths. The second is that it facilitates the passage of the three rollers in the elbows 112, 114 of the side rails 110.

Thanks to its six rollers 310, 311, the backrest 300 is therefore mounted movable relative to the chassis 100 between a rear position in which it is placed at the rear of the seat 200 so as to allow the passenger to s 'sit facing the road (see Figure 3), and a front position in which it is placed at the front of the seat 200 so as to allow the passenger to sit backward facing the road (see Figure 5).

The backrest 300 can also take all the intermediate positions between these two extreme front and rear positions (see Figure 4).

These two extreme positions are, however, those which will be used by the passenger to sit, there are means for locking the backrest 300 at least in one of these two extreme positions, namely the rear position.

Here, the locking means are designed to also be able to lock the backrest 300 in the front position. The seat 10 is in fact designed to be able to be used in the position facing the road and in the rearward facing position when the vehicle is moving.

In practice, these locking means comprise at least two hooking systems 150. Here they comprise four hooking systems 150 distributed in pairs on each side 101 of the chassis 100, a hooking system being provided at the front of each sidewall 101 and another hooking system being provided at the rear of each sidewall 101.

These hooking systems 150 are all identical, so that we will only describe one of them here.

As shown in Figures 9 to 11, each hooking system 150 has a fixed jaw 152 and a movable jaw 151 which are adapted to pick a strike 350 provided on the backrest 300.

Here, the keeper 350 is formed by a metal rod which extends projecting from the inner face of the lateral upright 302 corresponding to the backrest 300, orthogonally to the latter.

It is observed that two metal rods are provided on each lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300. These two rods have a strike function 350, depending on whether the backrest 300 is locked on a hooking system 150 provided at the front of the corresponding flank 101 of the chassis 100 or at the rear thereof.

We also observe in Figures 9 and 11 that the elongated metal wall 102 of each side 101 of the frame 100 has an elongated opening 105 which extends over most of its length, and through which the two strikes 350 extend. These two strikes 350 can thus navigate in this elongated opening 105 when the backrest 300 slides from front to back.

As shown in Figures 9 and 11, the fixed jaw 152 of each hooking system 150 is formed by a plastic part which is fixed on the edge of one end of this elongated opening 105 and which delimits a reception cradle for the strike 350 when the backrest 300 is in the front position (or rear depending on the hooking system considered).

Alternatively, one could provide that the end of the edge of this elongated opening itself forms the receiving cradle of the strike. However, in this variant, the arrival of the backrest in the front position would cause a shock between two metal parts, which would generate an unpleasant noise.

As shown in Figures 10 and 11, the movable jaw 151 is metallic and has a hook shape. It is articulated on the elongated wall 102 of the sidewall 101 of the chassis 100. It therefore has an opening through which is engaged a shaft 154 which is fixed to the elongated wall 102. The movable jaw 151 can therefore pivot between a hooked position on the corresponding keeper 350, and an off-hook position in which it releases this keeper.

The mobile jaw 151 is equipped with a return means in the hooked position. This return means is here formed by a torsion spring 154A threaded on the shaft 154.

The edge of the movable jaw 151 here has a shape such that, when the backrest 300 reaches the front position and the keeper 350 comes to rest against this edge of the movable jaw 151, the force exerted by the keeper 350 forces the hook to pivot towards its off-hook position so that it does not interfere with the sliding of the backrest 300. Once the backrest 300 has arrived in the front position, the movable jaw 151 is returned by the torsion spring in the hooked position on the keeper 350, so that the backrest 300 is locked in this position and can no longer change it.

As shown in Figures 7, 8 and 12, there is then provided a lever 160 adapted to actuate the hooking systems 150 to release the backrest 300 so that the latter can again slide towards the other from its front positions or back.

In this case, this lever 160 is formed by a handle which is fixed to a shaft 161 (Figure 8) extending through the two sides 101 of the frame, orthogonally to them. This shaft 161 is mounted mobile in rotation on these two sides 101 so as to allow the lever 160 to pivot.

This shaft 161 carries, on either side of the two sides 101, two crowns 162 (Figure 12) connected to the four movable jaws 151 by cables 153 so as to be able to force these movable jaws to pivot in the off-hook position when the lever 160 is operated. The ends of these cables 153 are for this purpose fixed in openings provided in the rings 162 and in the movable jaws 151.

In this way, when the passenger actuates the lever 161, it simultaneously forces the four movable jaws 151 to pivot, which releases the backrest 300 regardless of the front or rear position in which it is located.

As shown in Figures 3 to 5, when the backrest 300 slides from one to the other of its front and rear positions, the seat 200 must tilt so as to be able to provide the passenger with a comfortable seat.

For this, as shown in Figures 9 to 11, according to a particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the backrest 300 includes a support cam 320 which, when the backrest 300 is in one or the other from the front and rear positions, presses on a support element 220 of the seat 200, so that the seat 200 becomes sandwiched between this support cam 320 and a stop element of the chassis 100.

This support cam 320 comprises a flange 322 fixed to the free ends of the strikes 350, orthogonally to the latter, and a rolling roller 321 rotatably mounted on the flange 322, around a transverse axis.

This roller 321 is thus adapted to roll on the support element 220 of the seat 200.

This support element 220 delimits for this a cam path on which can roll the roller 321 so as to tilt the seat 200 relative to the chassis 100 by virtue of the sliding of the backrest 300 from one to the other of its front and rear positions.

Here, the support element 220 is formed by a plate screwed onto the frame of the seat 200.

This plate has an upper edge 221 which is for the most part rectilinear but one end of which is curved upwards so as to conform to the rounded shape of the rolling roller 321 when the backrest 300 reaches the end of its travel.

This plate further comprises a lower edge 222 which has a notch 222 whose shape matches that of the abutment element of the chassis. In practice, this stop element is here formed by one of the connecting shafts 120, which it is recalled that they connect together the two sides 101 of the chassis 100.

When the backrest slides towards one of its front or rear positions, the roller 321 therefore comes to bear against the upper edge 221 of the plate, which forces the seat 200 to tilt until the lower edge 222 of this plate comes into contact with the connecting shaft 120.

It is here provided that each lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300 comprises a support cam 320 and that the seat 200 comprises four plates.

Conventionally, the seat 10 is designed to be able to slide relative to the floor of the motor vehicle, from the front to the rear.

As shown in FIG. 8, it therefore has two movable slides 801 which are respectively fixed on the lower edges of the elongated walls 102 of the two sides 101 of the chassis 100.

It also includes two fixed slides 802 comprising means for fixing to the floor of the vehicle (it is in this case means of screwing to the floor).

The movable slides 801 are shaped so that they can slide freely in the fixed slides 802.

There is then provided means for blocking 804 of the sliding of the movable slides 801 relative to the fixed slides 802 (it may for example be notches carried by the movable slides and adapted to engage in notches of the slides. fixed).

There are also provided release means adapted to actuate the locking means 804 to release the sliding of the movable slides 801 relative to the fixed slides 802.

Here, these release means advantageously comprise two operating levers 803 respectively accessible from the front side and from the rear side of the seat 100.

These operating levers 803 are fixed to connecting shafts mounted mobile in rotation on the two sides 101 of the chassis 100.

The operating levers 803 then have opposite ends, positioned so as to be able to press on the same actuating element of the locking means 804 in order to release the sliding of the movable slides 801 relative to the fixed slides 802.

As explained above, the seat 10 is intended to be used both facing the road and rearward facing when the vehicle is moving.

It is therefore equipped not only with a strap 700 of seat belt in which is threaded a buckle 701, but also with two peduncles 500, 600 for receiving said loop 701. These two peduncles are intended to be used alternatively, depending on whether the backrest 300 is in the front or rear position.

As shown in Figure 6, each peduncle 500, 600 is movably tilted on one of the sides 101 of the chassis 100, between a position of use in which it projects above the seat 200 and a retracted position in which it does not protrude above the seat 200 (so as not to disturb the passenger).

When they are in the retracted position, the two peduncles 500, 600 are turned towards one another.

Each peduncle 500, 600 here comprises a tulip 501, 601 for receiving the buckle 701 of the seat belt, and a rod 502, 602 one of whose ends is fixed to the tulip 501, 601 and whose another presents an eyelet. Thanks to this eyelet, the peduncle 500, 600 can be screwed onto the corresponding flank 101 of the chassis 100, with a degree of rotational mobility about a transverse axis.

It is observed in this FIG. 6 that, for kinematic reasons specific to the architecture presented of the seat 10, the rods 502, 602 of the two peduncles 500, 600 do not have the same length here.

Each peduncle 500, 600 is here equipped with a return means in the retracted position. This return means can for example be formed by a torsion spring (not visible).

The two peduncles 500, 600 are advantageously provided to be brought back automatically to the position of use, respectively, by sliding the backrest 300 towards the front or rear position.

For this, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 304 of the corresponding lateral upright 302 of the backrest 300 comprises a lug 380 adapted to come to rest against a finger 510, 610 equipping each peduncle 500, 600.

This finger 510, 610 comes here from formation with the rod 502, 602 of each peduncle 500, 600 and rises from the eyelet, substantially orthogonally to this rod.

Here again we observe that, for reasons of kinematics specific to the seat 10 shown, the two fingers have different shapes, that of the peduncle 500 whose rod 501 is the longest having a rectilinear shape while that of the another peduncle 600 has a shape curved towards the stem.

Claims (1)

Claims [Claim 1] Motor vehicle seat (10), comprising: - a frame (100) which defines two lateral rails (110), - a seat (200) which is movably tilted on the chassis (100), - a backrest (300) which is slidably mounted in the two lateral rails (110) of the chassis (100), between two extreme positions, and - backrest locking means (300) in one or the other of the two extreme positions, characterized in that the backrest (300) comprises a support cam (320) which, when the backrest (300) is in at least one of the extreme positions, presses on a support element (220) of the seat (200), so as to lock the seat (200) against a stop element (120) of the frame (100). [Claim 2] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, in which said support cam (320) comprises a roller (321), and in which said support element (220) delimits a cam path on which the roller can roll (321) so as to tilt the seat (200) relative to the chassis (100) by virtue of the sliding of the backrest (300) from one to the other of its extreme positions. [Claim 3] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, in which the backrest (300) comprises two support cams (320) and in which the seat (200) four support elements (220). [Claim 4] Seat (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which each of the two lateral rails (110) comprises three sections (111, 113, 115) connected to each other by elbows (112, 114) whose mean radii of curvature are strictly smaller than the average radii of curvature of the three sections (111, 113, 115). [Claim 5] Seat (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which the locking means comprise two hooking systems (150) respectively adapted to lock the backrest (300) in its two extreme positions, and in which a lever is provided ( 160) adapted to actuate the two hooking systems (150) to release the backrest (300). [Claim 6] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, in which each hooking system (150) comprises a fixed jaw (152) fixed or coming from formation with the chassis (100), and a movable jaw (151) mounted movable in tilting on the frame (100), said fixed (152) and movable (151) jaws being adapted to hook a keeper (350) of the backrest (300). [Claim 7] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, wherein the lever (160) is connected to the movable jaws (151) by cables (153). [Claim 8] Seat (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which there is provided a strap (700) of seat belt equipped with a buckle (701), and two peduncles (500, 600) for receiving said buckle (701 ). [Claim 9] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, in which each peduncle (500, 600) is mounted movable in tilting relative to the chassis (100), between a position of use in which it protrudes above the seat ( 200) and a retracted position in which it does not protrude above the seat (200). [Claim 10] Seat (10) according to the preceding claim, in which the backrest (300) comprises a lug (380) adapted to bear against a part (510, 610) of each peduncle (500, 600) so as to force each peduncle (500, 600) to be tilted in the use position by sliding the backrest (300) towards one or the other of its extreme positions. [Claim 11] Seat (10) according to one of the preceding claims, in which it is provided: - two fixed slides (802) comprising means for fixing to the floor of the motor vehicle, - two movable slides (801) fixed to the frame (100) and adapted to slide in the fixed slides (802), means for blocking (804) the sliding of the movable slides (801) relative to the fixed slides (802), and - release means adapted to actuate the locking means (804) to release the sliding of the movable slides (801) relative to the fixed slides (802), said release means comprising two operating levers (803) accessible from two sides opposite of the seat (100). [Claim 12] Motor vehicle comprising a driving position, a driver's seat located opposite the driving position, and a passenger seat located next to the driver's seat, characterized in that the passenger seat conforms to one of the preceding claims. 1/5