GB1567579A - Device for the preselected adjustment of a reclining seat back - Google Patents

Description

(54) IMPROVED DEVICE FOR THE PRESELECTED ADJUSTMENT OF A RECLINING SEAT BACK (71) We, GRINFA SOCIEDAD DE RESPONSABILIDAD LIMITADA, an Argentinian Body Corporate, of Timoteo Gordillo 1772, 1440 Capital Federal, Argentina, do hereby declare the invention, for which we pray that a patent may be granted to us, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: This invention relates to a device for preselecting the position of adjustment of the back of reclining seats and particularly to means which make it possible to preselect the position of the seat back so that after it has been tipped forward it will return to the preselected position.

In all twodoor motor vehicles, in light aeroplanes and certain types of boat or launches, access to the rear seats is facilitated by tipping forward the backs of the front seats Formerly, this state of affairs did not present any inconveniences since the upright position of the seat back was fixed; accordingly, it was sufficient for the back to be pivotable and to have a stop member in its rearward travel.

In view of the very widespread use of seats having reclining backs, the necessity has arisen for a device which both enables the most comfortable seat-back adjusted position for the occupant to be obtained and is provided with a preselector mechanism which locks the seat back in said previously adjusted position, after it has been tipped completely forward.

The invention provides a device for the preselected adjustment of the position of the back of a reclining seat, comprising a fixed ftame provided with means for attachment to a seat, said fixed frame having in its central portion an aperture through which a cylindrical bush projects, and having in its lower portion a pair of prismatic projections which are parallel to one another and which form guides between which a locking member is slidably received, the upper end of the locking member being in the shape of a U between whose arms the cylindrical bush is embraced, the locking member having in its lower portion a projection whose outer edge is of arcuate shape and is provided with teeth, the central portion of said locking member being provided with a slot in which there is slidably accommodated a pin attached to an actuating lever rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush, said lever being urged towards the lower edge of the locking member by resilient means, a movable frame pivotally connecting to said fixed frame by a shaft mounted in the cylindrical bush, the movable frame being provided with means for attachment to the seat back, and having on its lower periphery an integrally formed circular sector provided on its inner edge with teeth similar to those of the locking member and situated facing these latter teeth; there being accommodated between the frame fixed to the seat and the movable frame a selector disc rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush and provided with a part-circular slot, which slot has in its central portion on its edge remote from the centre a recess which accommodates a locking pin attached to the locking member, the selector disc being provided with an external toothed sector on which engages the toothed sector of an adjusting lock which is articulated at one of its ends in a shaft firmly attached to the movable frame, said lock being urged against the toothed sector of the selector disc by the action of resilient means, an adjusting lever being rotatably connected to a shaft attached to the actuating lever, the rear projection of the adjusting lever facing the free end of the adjusting lock and its front portion being provided with a contact edge for the actuating lever.

When the actuating lever is operated, the toothed projection of the locking member shifts, whereupon the pin leaves the recess provided in the disc slot, thus releasing the locking member and enabling the seat back to be tipped forwards drawing the selector disc with it. When the seat back is returned rearwards, the pin slides inside the slot until it encounters the recess, whereupon it fits into this latter simultaneously enabling the locking member to shift and lock the seat back, which always takes place in the same preselected position of the seat back.

In order to alter the preselected position of the seat back, it is only necessary to vary the relative position of the selector disc in relation to the adjusting lock, whereby the position of the recess of the selector disc slot in relation to the seat back is altered, which gives a new preselected position. In order to achieve this, the adjusting lever is articulated to the actuating lever, and in the first part of its travel, frees the adjusting lock which acts on the selector disc and then acts on the actuating lever thus displacing the locking member, whereby the seat back is released and may be put in a new position, upon reaching which the adjusting lock has been subjected to a relative movement in relation to the selector disc, so that when the lever is released, the locking component acts on the selector disc which is held fast in a new position.

In view of the fact that the positions are determined by the engagement of toothed sec tors, it is apparent that this device offers an extremely large number of adjustment possibilities.

A specific embodiment of the present in vention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of a device embodying this invention, shown in its locked position; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of the aforementioned device shown in its position with the seat back released; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of the aforementioned device shown with the seat back tipped forward; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view in side elevation of the aforementioned device shown at the instant when a new position is being selected; Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line A-A in Figure 1, and Figures 6 to 8 show the successive states of the aforementioned device for the transition from one selected position to another.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like parts, a fixed frame 1 is secured to a seat 2, the frame 1 having in the central portion of its body an aperture 3 (Figure 4) concentrically with which there is arranged a bush 4 which pro jects from the frame 1. Beneath said bush 4 the frame 1 has a pair of prismatic projections 5 which are parallel to one another and which form the guides between which a yoke 6 or locking member slides, whose U-shaped upper end partly embraces the bush 4, and whose lower end has a projection 7 (Figure 4) whose outer toothed edge 8 is of arcuate shape. In its central portion the yoke 6 has a diagonal slot 9 in which is accommodated a pin or shaft 10 of an actuating lever 11, this lever being rotatably mounted on the outside of the bush 4 and being firmly attached to a pedal 12 so as to operate the mechanism from behind the seat back. The actuating lever 11 is urged towards the lower edge of the fixed frame 1 by the action of a spring 13. A movable frame 15 is rotatably connected to the fixed frame 1 by means of a shaft 14 accommodated in the bush 4 and said movable frame is provided with means for attachment to the seat back 16 and its lower portion has securely attached thereto an internally toothed circular sector 17 facing the toothed edge 8 of yoke 6, which can engage in the sector and thus lock it.

A selector disc 18, (Figure 6), is rotatably mounted on the bush 4 and is accommodated between frames 1 and 15. The disc 18 has a part-circular slot 19 which encloses a wide aperture angle and which in its central portion has a recess 20 serving to accommodate locking pin 21 which is securely attached to the yoke 6. On its outer edge the selector disc 18 has a toothed sector 22 which engages a toothed sector 23 of an adjusting lock component 24 which, being articulated to the movable frame 15 by the shaft 25, is forced against the selector disc 18 under the action of a resilient spring 26.

Articulated on shaft 27, which forms a continuation of the shaft 10 which is securely attached to the actuating lever 11, is the main adjusting lever 28 whose rear projection, in the form of a round head 29, contacts the inside edge of the adjusting lock component 24.

The mode of operation of the device is as follows: 1. Tipping the seat back forwards as far as possible so as to permit access behind the seat, to allow a passenger either to alight from or to enter the vehicle (see Figure 6).

Lifting the lever (11) or, alternatively, depressing the pedal 12, the mechanism is actuated; the pin 21 joined to the yoke 6 follows the rectilinear movement of this latter and leaves the recess 20 in the selector disc 18. Simultaneously, the movable frame 15 is released from engagement with the fixed frame 1. The action of a spring located outside the mechanism causes the movable frame to pivot forward (to the left in Figure 3) until encountering an external stop member. The pin 21 remains within the slot 19 of the selector 18. When the operator releases the lever 11, the yoke 6 cannot be located in its locking position, being prevented by the pin 21 now situated in the slot 19.

2. Returning the seat back into its original poinon-actuation of the preselector mechanism (see Figure 7).

Once the seat back has been tipped forward in the way described above, it can be moved backwards overcoming the resistance of the exterior spring.

The selector disc 18 joined to the movable frame 15 by means of the lock component 24 follows this frame in its movement. Accordingly, the pin 21 slides along the slot 19 and upon reaching the recess 20 of the slot drops therein, whereby the yoke 6 and the toothed sector 8 joined thereto are moved downwards, thus engaging the toothed sector 8 with the sector 17. In this way the fixed and movable frames are locked together.

3. Pre-selection of a new position for the seat back (see Figure 8).

In order to choose a new position (inclination) for the seat back, the main lever 28 is operated upwardly and carries out its travel in two successive stages. In the first stage it pivots about the shaft 27. The round head 29 presses against the inside edge of the lock component 24 and causes it to pivot outwards about the shaft 25, thus disengaging the toothed sector 23 from the sector 22 which counects the selector disc 18 to the movable frame 15. The selector disc is thus unlocked from the frame 15. At the end of this travel the main lever 28 abuts against the lever 11.

In the second stage, in which the move ment is continued, the main lever 28 lifts the lever 11 thus releasing the mechanism, whereby the alteration in the seat-back position is effected.

The pin 21 leaves the recess 20, but does not move in the slot 19 since the selector 18 is not rotating.

When the seat back has taken up the desired position, the main lever 28 is released, whereby successive action of the springs 13 and 26 causes the reverse operations to those described to take place, the seat back thus being locked in its new position.

The preselecting adjustment device described above has the advantage that it makes possible the adjustment of the position of a seat back to one of very many possible positions, while retaining its ability to ensure that the seat back is always returned to the same preselected position after the back has been tipped forward.

WHAT WE CLAIM IS: - 1. A device for the preselected adjustment of the position of the back of a reclining seat, comprising a fixed frame provided with means for attachment to a seat, said fixed frame having in its central portion an aperture through which a cylindrical bush projects, and having in its lower portion a pair of prismatic projections which are parallel to one another and which form guides between which a locking member is slidably received, the upper end of the locking member being in the shape of a U between whose arms the cylindrical bush is embraced, the locking member having in its lower portion a projection whose outer edge is of arcuate shape and is provided with teeth, the central portion of said locking member being provided with a slot in which there is slidably accommodated a pin attached to an actuating lever rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush, said lever being urged towards the lower edge of the locking member by resilient means, a movable frame pivotally connected to said fixed frame by a shaft mounted in the cylindrical bush, the movable frame being provided with means for attachment to the seat back, and having on its lower periphery an integrally formed circular sector provided on its inner edge with teeth similar to those of the locking member and situated facing these latter teeth; there being accommodated between the frame fixed to the seat and the movable frame a selector disc rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush and provided with a part-circular slot, which slot has in its central portion on its edge remote from the centre a recess which accommodates a locking pin attached to the locking member, the selector disc being provided with an external toothed sector on which engages the toothed sector of an adjusting lock which is articulated at one of its ends in a shaft firmly attached to the movable frame, said lock being urged against the toothed sector of the selector disc by the action of resilient means, an adjusting lever being rotatably connected to a shaft attached to the actuating lever, the rear projection of the adjusting lever facing the free end of the adjusting lock and its front portion being provided with a contact edge for the actuating lever.

2. A device for the preselected adjustment of the back of a reclining seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (2)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. Once the seat back has been tipped forward in the way described above, it can be moved backwards overcoming the resistance of the exterior spring. The selector disc 18 joined to the movable frame 15 by means of the lock component 24 follows this frame in its movement. Accordingly, the pin 21 slides along the slot 19 and upon reaching the recess 20 of the slot drops therein, whereby the yoke 6 and the toothed sector 8 joined thereto are moved downwards, thus engaging the toothed sector 8 with the sector 17. In this way the fixed and movable frames are locked together. 3. Pre-selection of a new position for the seat back (see Figure 8). In order to choose a new position (inclination) for the seat back, the main lever 28 is operated upwardly and carries out its travel in two successive stages. In the first stage it pivots about the shaft 27. The round head 29 presses against the inside edge of the lock component 24 and causes it to pivot outwards about the shaft 25, thus disengaging the toothed sector 23 from the sector 22 which counects the selector disc 18 to the movable frame 15. The selector disc is thus unlocked from the frame 15. At the end of this travel the main lever 28 abuts against the lever 11. In the second stage, in which the move ment is continued, the main lever 28 lifts the lever 11 thus releasing the mechanism, whereby the alteration in the seat-back position is effected. The pin 21 leaves the recess 20, but does not move in the slot 19 since the selector 18 is not rotating. When the seat back has taken up the desired position, the main lever 28 is released, whereby successive action of the springs 13 and 26 causes the reverse operations to those described to take place, the seat back thus being locked in its new position. The preselecting adjustment device described above has the advantage that it makes possible the adjustment of the position of a seat back to one of very many possible positions, while retaining its ability to ensure that the seat back is always returned to the same preselected position after the back has been tipped forward. WHAT WE CLAIM IS: -

1. A device for the preselected adjustment of the position of the back of a reclining seat, comprising a fixed frame provided with means for attachment to a seat, said fixed frame having in its central portion an aperture through which a cylindrical bush projects, and having in its lower portion a pair of prismatic projections which are parallel to one another and which form guides between which a locking member is slidably received, the upper end of the locking member being in the shape of a U between whose arms the cylindrical bush is embraced, the locking member having in its lower portion a projection whose outer edge is of arcuate shape and is provided with teeth, the central portion of said locking member being provided with a slot in which there is slidably accommodated a pin attached to an actuating lever rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush, said lever being urged towards the lower edge of the locking member by resilient means, a movable frame pivotally connected to said fixed frame by a shaft mounted in the cylindrical bush, the movable frame being provided with means for attachment to the seat back, and having on its lower periphery an integrally formed circular sector provided on its inner edge with teeth similar to those of the locking member and situated facing these latter teeth; there being accommodated between the frame fixed to the seat and the movable frame a selector disc rotatably mounted on the cylindrical bush and provided with a part-circular slot, which slot has in its central portion on its edge remote from the centre a recess which accommodates a locking pin attached to the locking member, the selector disc being provided with an external toothed sector on which engages the toothed sector of an adjusting lock which is articulated at one of its ends in a shaft firmly attached to the movable frame, said lock being urged against the toothed sector of the selector disc by the action of resilient means, an adjusting lever being rotatably connected to a shaft attached to the actuating lever, the rear projection of the adjusting lever facing the free end of the adjusting lock and its front portion being provided with a contact edge for the actuating lever.

2. A device for the preselected adjustment of the back of a reclining seat substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.