GB2255903A - Locking and release mechanism for slidable vehicle seat - Google Patents
Locking and release mechanism for slidable vehicle seat Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2255903A GB2255903A GB9209294A GB9209294A GB2255903A GB 2255903 A GB2255903 A GB 2255903A GB 9209294 A GB9209294 A GB 9209294A GB 9209294 A GB9209294 A GB 9209294A GB 2255903 A GB2255903 A GB 2255903A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- lever
- seat slide
- slide device
- upper rail
- lower rail
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Granted
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
- B60N2/02—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable
- B60N2/04—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable
- B60N2/12—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable slidable and tiltable
- B60N2/123—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles the seat or part thereof being movable, e.g. adjustable the whole seat being movable slidable and tiltable and provided with memory locks
Abstract
An upper rail 4 slidable on a lower rail 1 mounts a seat assembly (not shown) with an inclinable seatback. A latch 8 pivotally held by the upper rail 4 is engageable with lock openings in the lower rail 1; a spring 7 biases the latch in the engagement direction. A lever 14 pivotally connected to the upper rail 4 disengages the latch from the lock openings when, due to the forward inclination of the seatback, the lever is pivoted in a first direction to a given angular position. A first structure (15, 18) locks the lever 14 at the given angular position when the lever is pivoted in the first direction to the given angular position. A second structure 9b, 17b unlocks the lever, thereby to permit it to pivot in a second direction to allow the engagement of the latch with the lock openings, when the upper rail 4 moves to a given position relative to the lower rail 1. <IMAGE>
Description
WALK-IN TYPE SEAT SLIDE DEVICE
The present invention relates in general to seat slide devices for motor vehicles, and more particularly to automotive seat slide devices of a type having a walk-in mechanism by which egress and ingress of a rear seat passenger is facilitated.
Hitherto, various types of seat slide devices have been proposed and put into practical use particularly in the field of motor vehicles. Some are of a type having a so-called "walk-in" mechanism which, for facilitation of egress and ingress of a rear seat passenger, permits a forward movement of the seat when a seatback of the seat is inclined forward relative to a seat base of the seat.
However, due to the inherent construction, some of the seat slide devices of such walk-in type take greater assembly time. Furthermore, the seat slide devices of such walk-in type are complicated in construction due to usage of numerous parts therein.
It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide a walk-in type seat slide device which is free of the above-mentioned drawbacks.
According to the present invention, there is provided a walk-in type seat slide device for a seat assembly having an inclinable seatback.
The device comprises a lower rail which is adapted to be secured to a floor; an upper rail slidably disposed on the lower rail and adapted to mount thereon the seat assembly; a latch member pivotally held by the upper rail and latchingly engageable with lock openings formed in the lower rail; biasing means for biasing the latch member in a direction to achieve a latched engagement of the latch member with the lock openings; a first lever pivotally connected to the upper rail, the lever disengaging the latch member from the lock openings when pivoted in a first direction to a given angular position, the lever being pivoted in the first direction when the seatback is inclined forward; first means for locking the lever at the given angular position when the lever is pivoted in the first direction to the given angular position; and second means for unlocking the lever thereby to permit the lever to pivot in a second direction to allow the engagement of the latch member with the lock openings of the lower rail when the upper rail moves to a given position relative to the lower rail.
Preferred features- and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a seat slide device of a first embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is an exploded view of a walk-in mechanism employed in the seat slide device cf the first embodiment;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the seat slide device of the first embodiment, with the walk-in mechanism dismantled;
Fig. 4 is a partial plan view of the seat slide device of the first embodiment, showing a condition wherein a second walk-in lever contacts a walk-in plate;
Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a condition wherein the walk-in mechanism is under operation;;
Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 4, but showing a condition wherein the walk-in mechanism is not under operation;
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a seat slide device of a second embodiment of the present invention;
Fig. 8 is an exploded view of a walk-in mechanism employed in the seat slide device of the second embodiment;
Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a part of the seat slide device of the second embodiment, with the walk-in mechanism dismantled;
Fig. 10 is a partial plan view of the seat slide device of the second embodiment, showing a condition wherein the walk-in mechanism is not under operation; and
Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10, but showing a condition wherein the walk-in mechanism is under operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to Figs. 1 to 6, particularly
Fig. 1, there is shown a seat slide device 10 of a first embodiment of the present invention.
It is to be noted that upon practical use, the illustrated device is arranged to support a left side of a seat assembly (not shown). The right side of the seat is supported by another seat slide device (not shown) which is substantially the same in construction as the illustrated device except for a walk-in mechanism which will be described hereinafter.
Thus, for facilitation of the description, only the illustrated device, viz., the left device, will be described in detail in the following.
In Fig. 1, designated by numeral 1 is a
lower rail which is secured to a vehicle floor
(not shown) through front and rear leg brackets 2 and 3. The lower rail 1 is a channel member which comprises a longitudinally extending base wall la, two side walls lb raised vertically
from lateral sides of the base wall la, and two upper flanges lc each extending outwardly from an upper end of the corresponding side wall lb.
As will be seen from fig. 3, one of the side walls lb is formed with a plurality of lock openings ld which extend along the axis of the lower rail 1.
Referring back to Fig. 1, designated by numeral 4 is an upper rail which is slidably mounted on the lower rail 1. Although not shown in the drawings, a seat assembly is mounted on the upper rail 4 to move therewith. The seat assembly has an inclinable seatback. The upper rail 4 is also a channel member which comprises a longitudinally extending base wall 4a, two side walls 4b extending downward from lateral sides of the base wall 4a, and two lower flanges 4c each extending inwardly from a lower end of the corresponding side wall 4b.
As is seen from Fig. 1, upon assembly, the upper flanges lc of the lower rail 1 are movably interlocked with the lower flanges 4c of the upper rail 4.
Although not shown in the drawings, known rollers are operatively interposed between the lower and upper rails 1 and 4 to smooth the movement of the upper rail 4 relative to the lower rail 1.
A support plate 5 is securedly mounted on the upper rail 4, which has two curled supporting portions 5a projected laterallv from the upper rail 4. As is seen from Fig. 3, the support plate 5 has two raised portions 5b and Sc on which an after-mentioned walk-in mechanism
(11) is mounted.
Rotatably supported by the curled supporting portions 5a is a base end of a control shaft; 6 which has a handle 6a at its front end. A middle portion of the control shaft 6 is rotatably supported by a holder (no numeral) secured to the upper rail 4. A torsion spring 7 is connected the control shaft 6 to bias the same to rotate in the direction of the arrow A (see Fig. 1).
As is seen from Fig. 3, a latch member 8 is secured to the control shaft 6 at the position between the two curled supporting portions 5a of the support plate 5. Although not seen in the drawing, the latch member 8 has at its lower end latch pawls which are latchingly engageable with the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1. As is seen from the drawing, the latch member 8 has at its upper end an enlarged head portion 8a.
Thus, it will be appreciated that when the latch pawls of the latch member 8 are engaged with some of the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1, the upper rail 4 is locked relative to the lower rail 1, and thus the seat assembly mounted on the upper rail 4 assumes a certain locked position relative to the vehicle floor.
While, when, due to manipulation of the handle 6a, the control shaft 6 is turned in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow A (see
Fig. 1) against the force of the torsion spring 7, the latch pawls of the latch member 8 are disengaged from the lock openings ld. Under this condition, the upper rail 4 can be moved freely forward or rearward relative to the lower rail 1. That is, under this unlocked condition, the seat assembly can be moved to a desired position.
As is seen from Fig. 1, a striker plate 9 is secured to a rear portion of the lower rail 1. The striker plate 9 comprises a lower horizontal wall which is secured to the base wall la of the lower rail 1 and an upper vertical wall 9a which extends along the side wall 4b of the upper rail 4 defining a small clearance therebetween. For the purpose which will be described hereinafter, the vertical wall 9a has a front edge 9b near a middle part of the lower rail 1.
Designated by numeral 11 is a walk-in mechanism which is mounted on the support plate 5.
As will become apparent as the description proceeds, the walk-in mechanism 11 is formed into a unit. Thus, such mechanism 11 can be easily mounted to a usual seat slide device to provide a walk-in type seat slide device.
As is seen from Fig. 2, the walk-in mechanism 11 comprises a generally triangular base plate 12 which has two mounting lugs 12d and 12e which are secured to the raised portions 5b and Sc of the support plate 5 through bolts 20 (see Fig. 3). The triangular base plate 12 is formed at its generally center portion with an arcuate slot 12a and at two corner portions with respective circular openings 12b and 12c.
Pivotally disposed on the triangular base plate 12 is a first lever 14 which is formed with both an arcuate slot 14a and a generally Lshaped guide slot 15. For effecting the pivotal connection of the first lever 14 relative to the triangular base plate 12, a pivot pin 13 is passed through an opening (no numeral) of the first lever 14 and engaged with the circular opening 12c of the triangular base plate 12.
The arcuate slot 14a is concentric with the pivot pin 13, and receives therein the enlarged head portion 8a of the latch member 8. The Lshaped guide slot 15 includes an arcuate part 15a which is concentric with the pivot pin 13 and a base part 15b which extends radially outwardly from an end of the arcuate part 15a.
The first lever 14 has further a raised end 14c to which a pin 14b is secured.
As is seen from Fig. 1, a wire W extending from a known seatback inclining mechanism (not shown) is connected to the pin 14b of the first lever 14. That is, when the seatback is inclined forward by a given degree, the mechanism pulls the wire W.
Referring back to Fig. 2, pivotally connected through a pivot pin 16 to a rear side of the triangular base plate 12 is a second lever 17. For effecting the pivotal connection of the second lever 17 relative to the triangular base plate 12, the pivot pin 16 is passed through an elongate slot 17a of the second lever 17 and engaged with the circular opening 12b of the triangular base plate 12. A stud member 18 is secured to one end of the second lever 17, which stud member is passed through the arcuate slot 12a of the triangular base plate 12 and slidably engaged with the guide slot 15 of the first lever lA. The second lever 17 has further a projection 17b.
As is understood from Fig. 1, the projection 17b of the second lever 17 is exposed to outside of the upper rail 4, so that when the upper rail 4 is moved rearward by a certain distance, the projection 17b is brought into abutment with the front edge 9b of the striker plate 9. A spring 19 extends between the first
and second levers 14 and 17, so that, in Fig. 4,
the first lever 14 is biased in a clockwise
direction and the second lever 17 is biased in a
counterclockwise direction.
As is understood from Fig. 3, before -mounting to the support plate 5, the triangular
base plate 12, the first lever 14, the second
lever 17 and the spring 19 are assembled to form
a unit of the walk-in mechanism 11. The unit 11
is then placed on the support plate 5 in such a manner that the arcuate slot 14a of the first
lever 14 receives the enlarged head portion 8a
of the latch member and the two mounting lugs
12d and 12e of the triangular base plate 12 are
seated on the raised portions Sc and 5b of the
support plate S Then, the mounting lugs 12d
and 12e are secured to the raised portions Sc and 5d by means of bolts 20, and the wire W from
the seatback inclining mechanism is fixed to the pin 14b of the first lever 14.Because of
nature of the unit of the walk-in mechanism 11,
the work for assembling the unit to the support plate 5 is very easy.
In the following, operation of the seat
slide device 10 of the first embodiment will be
described.
For ease of understanding, the description will be commenced with respect to a normal
condition of the seat assembly.
Under this condition, the seat slide device
10 assumes the condition as shown in Fig. 1. (It
is however to be noted that when the seat
assembly assumes a relatively rear position, the projection 17b of the second lever 17 is placed behind the striker plate 9, as is seen from
Fig. 6) That is, the latch member 8 of the control shaft 6 is latchingly engaged with some of the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1, and thus the seat assembly assumes a certain locked position relative to the vehicle floor.
Furthermore, under this condition, the enlarged head portion 8a of the latch member 8 engages one end of the arcuate slot 14a of the first lever 14, the stud member 18 of the second lever 17 is received in the arcuate part 15a of the Lshaped guide slot 15 of the first lever 14, and the projection 17b of the second lever 17 is kept away from the front edge 9b of the striker plate 9.
When, upon requirement of egress or ingress of a rear seat passenger, the seatback of the seat assembly is inclined forward by a certain degree, the wire W is pulled rearward. With this, the first lever 14 is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction in Figs. 1 and 6 about the pivot pin 13 to a position where the stud member 18 is located in a middle part
(viz., a junction portion between the arcuate part 15a and the base part 15b) of the L-shaped guide slot 15. Due to the counterclockwise pivoting of the first lever 14, the latch member 8 is forced to pivot together with the control shaft 6 in a direction opposite to the direction of the arrow "A" (see Fig. 1). Thus, the latch member 8 is disengaged from the lock openings Id of the lower rail 1.
When the stud member 18 thus comes to the middle part of the L-shaped guide slot 15, the second lever 17 is allowed to pivot about the pivot pin 16 in a counterclockwise direction with an aid of the spring 19, permitting the stud member 18 to move into the base part 15b of the guide slot 15. Thus, the walk-in mechanism 11 assumes the condition as shown in Fig. 5 wherein a clockwise pivoting of the first lever 14 is suppressed due to abutment of one side edge of the base part 15b with the stud member 18. Thus, thereafter, the latch member 8 is kept disengaged from the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1 even when the seatback is raised slacke-ning off the wire W.
Upon this, the seat assembly (more specifically, the upper rail 4) is forced to move to the foremost position due to a force of a spring (not shown).
When, after completion of egress or ingress of the rear seat passenger, the seatback is pulled rearward with a certain force, the same is raised and the seat assembly is moved rearward. During this rearward movement of the seat assembly, the projection 17b of the second lever 17 abuts against the front edge 9b of the striker plate 9, as is seen from Fig. 4. Thus, the second lever 17 is forced to pivot in a clockwise direction in Fig. 4 moving the stud member 18 to the middle part of the L-shaped guide slot 15.
When the stud member 18 thus comes to the middle part of the guide slot 15, the first lever 14 is allowed to pivot in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 13 with an aid of the spring 19 and the torsion spring 7, permitting the stud member 18 to move into the arcuate part 15a. The clockwise pivoting of the first lever 14 causes the latch member 8 to engage with predetermined lock openings 1d of the lower rail 1. Thus, the seat assembly is locked at a predetermined position relative to the lower rail 1.
When a new position of the seat assembly is required, the handle 6a is manipulated to disengage the latch member 8 from the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1 and the seat assembly is moved to the new position with the handle 6a kept manipulated. During the disengaging movement of the latch member, the enlarged head portion 8a of the same moves freely in the arcuate slot 14a of the first lever 14 and thus has no effect on the first lever 14. When the seat assembly comes to the new position, the handle 6a is released. With this, due to the force of the torsion spring 7, the latch member 8 is brought into engagement with new lock openings ld of the lower rail 1.
Thus, a new locked position of the seat assembly is provided.
Referring to Figs. 7 to 11, particularly
Fig. 7, there is shown a seat slide device 10' of a second embodiment of the present invention.
Since the device 10' of the second embodiment is substantially the same as the device 10 of the first embodiment except the walk-in mechanism, the following description will be directed to only the walk-in mechanism 11'. In fact, a lower rail 1, an upper rail 4, a control shaft 6, a latch member 8, a support plate 5 and their associated small parts are the same as those of the device 10 of the first embodiment.
As is seen from Fig. 7, a striker plate 9 is secured to a rear portion of the lower rail 1. The striker plate 9' has a horizontal wall part 9'a which extends along the side wall 4b of the upper rail 4 defining a clearance therebetween. The horizontal wall part 9'a has a front edge 9'b near a middle part of the lower rail 1.
Designated by numeral 11 is a walk-in mechanism which is employed in the second embodiment. The mechanism 11 is mounted on the support plate 5.
Similar to the first embodiment 10, the walk-in mechanism 11' is formed into a unit for
facilitating the assembly of the same to the upper rail 4.
As is seen from Fig. 8, the walk-in mechanism 11' comprises a generally triangular base plate 12' which has two mounting lugs 12'e
and 12'f which are secured to the raised portions 5b and Sc of the support plate 5 by means of bolts 18' The triangular base plate
12' includes a horizontal portion 12'a raised
from the mounting lugs 12'e and 12'f and a vertical small portion 12'b. The horizontal portion 12'a has at one corner part a circular opening 12'c and the vertical small portion 12'b has also a circular opening 12'd.
Pivotally disposed on the triangular base plate 12' is a first lever 14' which is formed with an arcuate slot 14'a. For effecting the pivotal connection of the first lever 14' to the triangular base plate 12', a pivot pin 13 is passed through an opening (no numeral) of the
first lever 14' and engaged with the circular opening 12'c of the triangular base plate 12'.
The arcuate slot 14'a is concentric with the pivot pin 13', and receives therein the enlarged head portion 8a of the latch member 8. The first lever 14' has a radially outwardly extending arm portion 14'b to which a pin 14'c is secured.
As is seen from Fig. 7, a wire W extending from a known seatback inclining mechanism (not shown) is fixed to the pin 14'c of the first lever 14'. That is, when the seatback is inclined forward by a given degree, the mechanism pulls the wire W.
Referring back to fig. 8, pivotally connected through a pivot pin 15 to the vertical small portion 12'b is a generally Lshaped second lever 16'. The axes of the two pivot pins 13' and 15' extend perpendicular to each other. For effecting the pivotal connection of the second lever 16' to the vertical small portion 12'b, the pivot pin 15' is passed through an opening (no numeral) of the second lever 16' and engaged with the circular opening 12'd of the vertical small portion 12'b.
The second lever 16' includes a first arm part 16'b and a second arm part 16'c which are united to form the generally L-shaped structure.
As will be seen from Fig. 9, the first arm part 16'b is usually positioned below the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14'.
The first arm part 16'b is formed with a step 16'a by which thicker and thinner portions bounded. As will become apparent hereinafter, when the step 16'a receives an edge of the arm portion 14b of the first lever 14', the first lever 14' is prevented from pivoting in a clockwise direction in Fig. 8.
The second arm part 16'c is contactable with the front edge 9'b of the striker plate 9', as will become apparent hereinafter.
Between the first lever 14' and the second lever 16', there extends a spring 17 which biases them in given directions. That is, due to the force of the spring 17', the first lever 14 is biased to pivot about the pivot pin 13 in the direction of the arrow B in Fig. 10, and the second lever 16' is biased to pivot about the pivot pin 15 in the direction of the arrow
C in Fig. 9.
It is to be noted that when the step 16'a of the first arm part 16b' of the second lever 16' is engaged with the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14', the pivoting of the first lever 14 in the direction of the arrow B is prevented.
As is understood from Fig. 7, the second arm part 16'c of the second lever 16' is exposed to the outside of the upper rail 4, so that when the upper rail 4 moved rearward by a certain distance, the second arm part 16'c is brought into abutment with the front edge 9'b of the striker plate 9'.
As is understood from Fig. 9, before mounting to the support plate 5, the triangular base plate 12', the first lever 14', the second lever 16 and the spring 17' are assembled to form a unit of the walk-in mechanism 11'. The unit 11' is then placed on the support plate 5 in such a manner that the arcuate slot 14'a of the first lever 14' receives the enlarged head portion 8a of the latch member 8 and the two mounting lugs 12'e and 12'f of the triangular base plate 12' are seated on the raised portions 5b and Sc of the support plate 5.Then, the mounting lugs 12'e and 12'f are secured to the raised portions 5b and Sc by means of bolts 18', and the wire W from the seatback inclining mechanism is fixed to the pin 14'c of the first lever 14'. Because of nature of the unit of the walk-in mechanism 11', the work for assembling the unit to the support plate 5 is very easy.
In the following, operation of the seat slide device 10' of the second embodiment will be described.
For ease of understanding, the description will be commenced with respect to a normal condition of the seat assembly.
Under this condition, the seat slide device 10' assumes the condition as shown in Fig. 7.
(It is however to be noted that when the seat assembly assumes a relatively rear position, the second arm part 16'c of the second lever 16' is placed behind the striker plate 9'.) That is, the latch member 8 of the control shaft 6 is latchingly engaged with some of the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1, and thus the seat assembly assumed a certain locked position relative to the vehicle floor. Furthermore, under this condition, the enlarged head portion 8a of the latch member 8 engages one end of the arcuate slot 14'a of the first lever 14', the entire of the first arm part 16'b of the second arm 16' is positioned below the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14', and the second arm part 16'c of the second lever 16 is kept away from the front edge 9'b of the striker plate 9'.
When, upon requirement of egress or ingress of a rear seat passenger, the seatback of the seat assembly is inclined forward by a certain degree, the wire W is pulled rearward. With this, the first lever 14' is pivoted in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 7 about the pivot pin 13' to a position where a trailing edge of the arm portion l4'b of the first lever 14' mates with the step 16'a of the first arm part 16' of the second lever 16'. Due to the counterclockwise pivoting of the first lever 14', the latch member 8 is forced to pivot together with the control shaft 6 in a direction opposite to the arrow "A" (see Fig. 7). Thus, the latch member 8 is disengaged from the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1.
When the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14' thus mates with the step 16'a of the second lever 16', the second lever 16 is allowed to pivot in a counterclockwise direction in Fig. 7 with an aid of the spring 17 resulting in that the step 16'a of the second lever 16' holds the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14'. Thus, the walk-in mechanism 11' assumes the condition as shown in Fig. 11 wherein a clockwise pivoting of the first lever 14' is suppressed due to the abutment of the trailing edge of the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14' against the step 16'a of the second lever 16'. Thus, thereafter, the latch member 8 is kept disengaged from the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1 even when the seatback is raised slackening off the wire W.
Upon this, the seat assembly (more specifically, the upper rail 4) is forced to move forward to the foremost position due to a force of a spring (not shown).
When, after completion of egress or ingress of the rear seat passenger, the seatback is pulled rearward with a certain force, the same is raised and the seat assembly is moved rearward. During this rearward movement of the seat assembly, the second arm part 16'c of the second lever 16 abuts against the front edge 9'b of the striker plate 9. Thus, the second lever 16 is forced to pivot in a clockwise direction in Fig. 7 about the pivot pin 15 causing the entire of the first arm part 16'b of the second lever 16 to get under the arm portion 14'b of the first lever 14'.
Upon this, as is seen from Fig. 10, the first lever 14 is permitted to pivot in the direction of the arrow "B" with an aid of the spring 17 and the torsion spring 7. This pivoting of the first lever 14' brings the latch member 8 into engagement with predetermined lock openings ld of the lower rail 1. Thus, the seat assembly is locked to the lower rail 1 at a predetermined position.
When a new position of the seat assembly is required, the handle 6a is manipulated to disengage the latch member 8 from the lock openings ld of the lower rail 1 and the seat assembly is moved to the new position with the handle 6a kept manipulated. During the disengaging movement of the latch member 8, the enlarged head portion 8a of the same moves freely in the arcuate slot 14'a of the first lever 14' and thus has no effect on the first lever 14'. When the seat assembly comes to the new position, the handle 6a is released. With this, due to the force of the torsion spring 7, the latch member 8 is brought into engagement with new lock openings ld of the lower rail 1.
Thus, a new locked position of the seat assembly is provided.
In the following, advantages of the present invention will be described.
First, since the parts of the walk-in mechanism 11 or 11' can be assembled to form a unit, the work for assembling the mechanism 11 or 11' to the upper rail 4 is very easy.
Second, since the walk-in mechanism 11 or 11 is very simple in construction and compact in size, the mechanism 11 or 11' can be widely applied to various types of seat slide devices.
In fact, those which are movable in the walk-in mechanism 11 or 11' are only the first and second levers 14 and 17 (or, 14' and 16').
Claims (17)
1. A seat slide device for a seat assembly having an inclinable seatback, said device comprising:
a lower rail which is adapted to be secured to a floor;
an upper rail slidably disposed on said lower rail and adapted to mount thereon said seat assembly;
a latch member pivotally held by said upper rail and latchingly engageable with lock openings formed in said lower rail;
biasing means for biasing said latch member in a direction to achieve a latched engagement of said latch member with said lock openings;
a first lever pivotally connected to said upper rail, said lever disengaging said latch member from said lock openings when pivoted in a first direction to a given angular position, said lever being pivoted in said first direction when said seatback is inclined forward;;
first means for locking said lever at said given angular position when said lever is pivoted in said first direction to said given angular position; and
second means for unlocking said lever, thereby to permit said lever to pivot in a second direction to allow the engagement of said latch member with said lock openings of said lower rail, when said upper rail moves to a given position relative to said lower rail.
2. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 1, in which said first means and said second means comprise:
means defining in said first lever a generally L-shaped guide slot;
a second lever pivotally connected to the upper rail;
a stud member secured to the second lever and slidably engaged with the guide slot;
biasing means for biasing the first and second levers in opposite directions; and
a striker plate secured to the lower rail, the striker plate having a front edge with which a part of the second lever is contactable when the upper rail moves to the said given position relative to the lower rail.
3. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 2, in which the
L-shaped guide slot comprises:
an arcuate part which is concentric with the pivot axis of the first lever; and
a base part which extends radially outwardly from an end of the arcuate part.
4. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, in which the pivot axis of the second lever is parallel with and spaced from the pivot axis of the first lever.
5. A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 4, in which the second lever has a projection which is brought into abutment with the said front edge of the striker plate when the upper rail moves to the said given position relative to the lower rail.
6. A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, in which the second lever has an elongate slot through which its pivot axis passes.
7. A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 6, in which said first and second levers are pivotally connected to upper and lower surfaces of a base plate which is secured to said upper rail.
8. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 7, in which said base plate is formed with an arcuate slot through which said stud member passes, said arcuate slot being concentric with the pivot axis of the second lever.
9. A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 43, in which said first lever has an arcuate slot into which a part of said latch member is received.
10 A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 2 to 9, in which said first lever has a pin to which a wire from a seatback inclining device is fixed.
11. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 1, in which said first means and said second means comprise:
an arm portion possessed by said first lever;
a generally L-shaped second lever pivotally connected to said upper rail, said second lever including a first arm part and a second arm part, said first arm part having a step with which an edge of said arm portion is contactable, said second arm part being exposed to the outside of said upper rail;
biasing means for biasing said first and second levers in given directions; and
a striker plate secured to said lower rail, said striker plate having a front edge with which said second arm part of said second lever is contactable when said upper rail moves to said given position relative to said lower rail.
12. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 11, in which said second lever is so constructed and arranged that when said first arm part gets under said arm portion of said first lever, said first lever is permitted to pivot in said second direction to achieve the latched engagement of said latch member and the locking openings, and that when said step of said first arm part engages with said edge of said arm portion of said first lever, said first lever is prevented from pivoting in said second direction.
13. A seat slide device as claimed in
claim 11 or 12, in which said second lever is pivotal about a second axis which is perpendicular to and spaced from a first axis about said first lever pivots.
14. A seat slide device as claimed in claim 13, in which said first and second levers are pivotally connected to horizontal and vertical portions of a base plate which is secured to said upper rail.
15. A seat slide device as claimed in any of claims 11 tol4, in which said first lever has an arcuate slot into which a part of said latch member is received.
16. A seat slide device as elaimed in any of claims 11 to 15, in which said first lever has a pin to which a wire from a seatback inclining device is fixed.
17. -A seat slide device substantially as described with
reference to, and as shown in, Figures 1 to 6 or Figures 7 to
11 of the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP3871091U JPH0752749Y2 (en) | 1991-04-30 | 1991-04-30 | Walk-in seat slide device for automobiles |
| JP3870491U JPH0714060Y2 (en) | 1991-04-30 | 1991-04-30 | Walk-in seat slide device for automobiles |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9209294D0 GB9209294D0 (en) | 1992-06-17 |
| GB2255903A true GB2255903A (en) | 1992-11-25 |
| GB2255903B GB2255903B (en) | 1995-05-03 |
Family
ID=26377983
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9209294A Expired - Fee Related GB2255903B (en) | 1991-04-30 | 1992-04-30 | Walk-in type seat slide device |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2255903B (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1994021486A1 (en) * | 1993-03-17 | 1994-09-29 | Johnson Controls Automotive (Uk) Limited | Sliding seat mechanism and latch therefor |
| EP0683066A1 (en) * | 1994-05-20 | 1995-11-22 | Cesa Compagnie Europeenne De Sieges Pour Automobiles | Memory lock slide, in particular for vehicle seats |
| WO2000027668A1 (en) * | 1998-11-05 | 2000-05-18 | Magna Seating Systems Inc. | Easy entry mid-position memory seat |
| EP0878344A3 (en) * | 1997-05-13 | 2000-08-30 | Fujikiko Kabushiki Kaisha | Seat sliding apparatus |
| WO2001021432A2 (en) * | 1999-09-22 | 2001-03-29 | Magna Seating Systems Inc. | Easy entry seat track assembly |
| WO2006032574A3 (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2006-11-30 | Johnson Controls Gmbh | Device for a vehicle for automatically blocking a component, in particular a motor vehicle seat, and motor vehicle seat |
Citations (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1401794A (en) * | 1971-07-10 | 1975-07-30 | Nissan Motor | Movable seat for a motor vehicle |
| GB1402647A (en) * | 1972-10-07 | 1975-08-13 | Turner Willenhall Ltd H R | Vehicle seats |
| GB1432889A (en) * | 1973-07-23 | 1976-04-22 | Nissan Motor | Temporary latch releasing mechanism for two door vehicle front seat |
| GB1445820A (en) * | 1974-03-02 | 1976-08-11 | British Leyland Uk Ltd | Vehicle seats |
| GB1463685A (en) * | 1974-04-25 | 1977-02-02 | Sessa T | Support for an automotive vehicle seat |
| GB1583369A (en) * | 1976-11-04 | 1981-01-28 | Mitsubishi Motors Corp | Vehicle seat |
| GB2201451A (en) * | 1986-10-07 | 1988-09-01 | Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd | Automotive seat slide device |
| GB2234431A (en) * | 1989-06-22 | 1991-02-06 | Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd | Locking and release mechanism for slidable car seat |
| GB2235372A (en) * | 1989-08-30 | 1991-03-06 | Ikeda Bussan Co | Vehicular seat assembly |
-
1992
- 1992-04-30 GB GB9209294A patent/GB2255903B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB1401794A (en) * | 1971-07-10 | 1975-07-30 | Nissan Motor | Movable seat for a motor vehicle |
| GB1402647A (en) * | 1972-10-07 | 1975-08-13 | Turner Willenhall Ltd H R | Vehicle seats |
| GB1432889A (en) * | 1973-07-23 | 1976-04-22 | Nissan Motor | Temporary latch releasing mechanism for two door vehicle front seat |
| GB1445820A (en) * | 1974-03-02 | 1976-08-11 | British Leyland Uk Ltd | Vehicle seats |
| GB1463685A (en) * | 1974-04-25 | 1977-02-02 | Sessa T | Support for an automotive vehicle seat |
| GB1583369A (en) * | 1976-11-04 | 1981-01-28 | Mitsubishi Motors Corp | Vehicle seat |
| GB2201451A (en) * | 1986-10-07 | 1988-09-01 | Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd | Automotive seat slide device |
| GB2234431A (en) * | 1989-06-22 | 1991-02-06 | Ohi Seisakusho Co Ltd | Locking and release mechanism for slidable car seat |
| GB2235372A (en) * | 1989-08-30 | 1991-03-06 | Ikeda Bussan Co | Vehicular seat assembly |
Cited By (14)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO1994021486A1 (en) * | 1993-03-17 | 1994-09-29 | Johnson Controls Automotive (Uk) Limited | Sliding seat mechanism and latch therefor |
| GB2283166A (en) * | 1993-03-17 | 1995-05-03 | Johnson Controls Automotive Uk | Sliding seat mechanism and latch therfor |
| GB2283166B (en) * | 1993-03-17 | 1996-08-14 | Johnson Controls Automotive Uk | Sliding seat mechanism and latch therfor |
| EP0683066A1 (en) * | 1994-05-20 | 1995-11-22 | Cesa Compagnie Europeenne De Sieges Pour Automobiles | Memory lock slide, in particular for vehicle seats |
| FR2720037A1 (en) * | 1994-05-20 | 1995-11-24 | Cesa | Slide with memory especially for vehicle seat. |
| EP0878344A3 (en) * | 1997-05-13 | 2000-08-30 | Fujikiko Kabushiki Kaisha | Seat sliding apparatus |
| WO2000027668A1 (en) * | 1998-11-05 | 2000-05-18 | Magna Seating Systems Inc. | Easy entry mid-position memory seat |
| US6619741B1 (en) | 1998-11-05 | 2003-09-16 | Magna Seating Systems Inc. | Easy entry mid-position memory seat |
| WO2001021432A2 (en) * | 1999-09-22 | 2001-03-29 | Magna Seating Systems Inc. | Easy entry seat track assembly |
| WO2001021432A3 (en) * | 1999-09-22 | 2001-10-11 | Magna Seating Sys Inc | Easy entry seat track assembly |
| US6439531B1 (en) | 1999-09-22 | 2002-08-27 | Magna Seating Systems, Inc. | Easy entry seat track assembly |
| WO2006032574A3 (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2006-11-30 | Johnson Controls Gmbh | Device for a vehicle for automatically blocking a component, in particular a motor vehicle seat, and motor vehicle seat |
| CN101014482B (en) * | 2004-08-06 | 2010-05-05 | 约翰逊控制器有限责任公司 | Device for a vehicle for automatically blocking a component, in particular a motor vehicle seat, and motor vehicle seat |
| US7926875B2 (en) | 2004-08-06 | 2011-04-19 | Johnson Controls Technology Company | Memory mechanism |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB9209294D0 (en) | 1992-06-17 |
| GB2255903B (en) | 1995-05-03 |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US6817646B2 (en) | Vehicle seat | |
| US5052751A (en) | Walk-in device of automotive seat having cooperating pivoted levers | |
| US4881774A (en) | Memory seat track assembly for vehicle seat | |
| US5052750A (en) | Tiltable auxiliary chair having locking means and pivotal seat belt engagement plate for forward and rearward facing | |
| US5100092A (en) | Two-way manual seat adjuster with full memory easy entry | |
| US4742983A (en) | Seat sliding device | |
| US5800015A (en) | Long slide rail device for vehicle seat | |
| US7997653B2 (en) | Stand up seat | |
| US5695247A (en) | Safety lock-out mechanism for use in a sliding vehicle seat | |
| US5702145A (en) | Folding second seat with seat track release latch mechanism | |
| JPH0645322B2 (en) | Vehicle seat device | |
| US6183032B1 (en) | Vehicle seating assembly | |
| JP2001225676A (en) | Seat slider | |
| GB2255903A (en) | Locking and release mechanism for slidable vehicle seat | |
| US20020195857A1 (en) | Slide rail structure of seat for vehicle | |
| US5810444A (en) | Seat latch blockout mechanism | |
| JP3385144B2 (en) | Jumping seat lock device | |
| JPH0684140B2 (en) | Folding sheet | |
| JP3546471B2 (en) | Locking device for seat back | |
| JP3361425B2 (en) | Storage structure for vehicle seats | |
| JP3942084B2 (en) | Vehicle seat | |
| JPH07304359A (en) | Seat for vehicle | |
| JP2838636B2 (en) | Walk-in adjuster mechanism for seat | |
| JP3014941B2 (en) | Seat slide device for vehicle seat | |
| JPS6135013B2 (en) |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 732E | Amendments to the register in respect of changes of name or changes affecting rights (sect. 32/1977) | ||
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20020430 |