GB2340031A - Vehicle seat enabling location of seat belt assembly - Google Patents

Description

2340031 VEHICLE SEAT CONSTRUCTION The present invention relates to the

construction of a vehicle seat, particularly but not exclusively a vehicle rear seat of the kind where the cushion is fixed in use.

During the manufacture of the vehicle it is usual to secure the rear passenger seat belt buckle assemblies to the vehicle body at points which are covered by the rear seat cushion when the rear seat is assembled into the vehicle. Since the rear seat belt buckles must be accessible at the top surface of the seat in use special provision must be made, when fitting the seat, to lead the buckle assemblies between the rear edge of the seat cushion and the lower edge of the seat back, or alternatively the seat buckles must be pulled through the interface of the seat cushion and the seat back after the seat has been assembled into the vehicle.

Japanese Patent No 94.024291 illustrates an attempt to mitigate these difficulties by the provision of rigid moulded box structures which are secured to the vehicle body and locate the buckle ends of the buckle assemblies in a predetermined position relative to the top surface of the associated seat cushion or cushions. The seat cushion or cushions are shaped to fit against the box structures, and while such an arrangement mitigates the above mentioned problem it has the attendant disadvantages of the cost of the manufacture of specific box structures, the inconvenience of attaching these box structures to the vehicle box, and the discomfort which a user may experience when sitting on, or closely proximate, the rigid box structure. It is an object of the present invention to facilitate the assembly of a veh icle -seat to the vehicle body, accommodating the provision of seat belt buckle assemblies, and without the disadvantages inherent in the box structure known in the prior art.

2 In accordance with the present invention there is provided a vehicle seat including a resilient component which, in use, covers the point at which a seat belt buckle assembly is anchored to the vehicle body, said component being formed with an aperture through which the free end of the buckle assembly can pass, and, a cover member attached to said component and moveable between an operative position in which said aperture in covered, and an open position in which said aperture is exposed.

Preferably said aperture is normally filled by a displaceable flap of the resilient material of said component, said flap lying beneath, and supporting, said cover in the operative position of the cover.

Desirably said cover is disposed in a plane lying below the plane of the upper surface of the component immediately around the cover so as to define the base of a recess in the exposed face of the seat component, said recess being dimensioned to accommodate and locate the buckle of the buckle assembly when not in use.

Desirably the seat component comprises a resilient element formed as a foamed synthetic resin moulding, and a separately formed skin which is affixed over the resilient element to define the exposed surface of the seat component in use, said cover being provided as part of said skin.

Preferably said seat component is the seat cushion.

Preferably said cover includes a hinged synthetic resin substrate and a covering layer of the material of the skin of the seat component.

3 Conveniently said cover is generally rectangular, has, at one edge, a hinge connection with the remainder of the seat component, and has, at its opposite edge, a releasable snap-fit connection, when in its operative position, with a latch member within the seat component.

Preferably said cover includes an extruded synthetic resin element incorporating an integral hinge joining an anchorage region fixed to the seat component and a planar region which overlies said aperture in use.

Preferably said element includes a second, parallel integral hinge at the edge of the planar region remote from the first hinge and joining the planar region with a clip region of the element.

Preferably said latch member is also an extruded synthetic resin element.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view, partly broken away, of a vehicle seat; Figure 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of part of the seat of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the resilient element of the seat of Figure 2; Figures 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views respectively of a cover and a cover latch element of Figure 2; 4 Figure 6 is a diagrammatic perspective view of the cover of Figures 2 and 41 Figure 7 is a view illustrating the cover and an alternative to the element of Figures 4 and 5 interconnected; and Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 of a further alternative construction.

Referring to the drawings, the vehicle seat illustrated in Figure 1 is a rear seat construction for a saloon car and comprises a seat cushion component 11 which is positioned generally horizontally in use, and a seat back (squab) component 12 which is positioned generally vertically in use. The invention is primarily, but not exclusively, concerned with the seat cushion component 11 although it is to be understood that there may be circumstances where, by virtue of the design of the seat back component 12, and/or the positioning of the seat belt buckle assembly anchorages, the invention, at least in its broadest aspects, may be employed in the construction of a seat back component.

The seat illustrated in Figure 1 is intended to accommodate two passengers, one on either side of the centreline of the seat, but the central region 13 of the seat may accommodate a third, occasional passenger.

There will be provision within the vehicle for seat belts for each of the possible three rear seat passengers, and thus there will be three seat belt buckle assemblies which will be anchored to the body of the vehicle behind the seat in conventional manner. Each seat belt buckle assembly includes an anchor member secured to the vehicle body, and a flexible connector, usually in the form of a webbing strap extending from the anchor member and terminating at its free end in a buckle in known manner. Generally there will be two anchor points spaced apart on opposite sides of the centreline of the vehicle and positioned beneath the cushion component 11 adjacent its rear edge. One of the anchor points will accommodate a single buckle assembly while the other anchor point accommodates a pair of buckle assemblies.

Generally the buckle assemblies are anchored to the vehicle body before the seat components 11, 12 are secured in place. Accordingly, in the case of the conventional seat cushion component, unless special provision is made to locate and position the free ends of the buckle assemblies during installation of the cushion component, then the buckle assemblies will be beneath the cushion component of the seat, and after completion of the seat installation will be difficult to find and retrieve.

Conventionally a seat cushion component comprises a resilient element 14 in the form of a closed-cell, polyurethane foam, moulding covered by a separately formed, and subsequently applied, fabric skin 15. The term "fabric" as used in relation to the skin 15 of the seat component is to be taken to embrace a wide variety of upholstery materials, ranging conceivably from leather through woven natural fibres and woven manmade fibres, to non-woven membranes. The nature of the skin 15 itself is not of particular importance to the invention and will be well understood to experts in the field of vehicle seating.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings illustrates that the seat cushion component 11 has, on opposite sides of its centreline, first and second recesses 16, 17, the recess 16 being dimensioned to receive a single belt buckle, and the recess 17 being dimensioned to receive a pair of belt buckles side-by-side. The depth of the recesses 16, 17 is substantially equal to the thickness of a buckle so that when a buckle or buckles are within a respective recess they are located both laterally, and forward and 6 aft of the vehicle, and are positioned with their upper surfaces generally flush with, or slightly below, the surface of the surrounding part of the cushion component 11. Although not apparent in Figure 1 the base of each recess 16.17 is defined by a moveable cover member 18 (Figure 2).

The moulded resilient element 14 defines the general shaping of the cushion component 11 and is formed, in known manner, with grooves 19 for receiving seams at which panels of the skin 15 are stitched together. At various points along the grooves 19 the base of the groove is deepened to form a plurality of pockets 19a exposing regions of one or more support wires 21 which are embedded in a predetermine array within the material of the element 14 during moulding of the element. In known manner the seam structure of the skin 15 may include a downward extension 22 anchored at the base of a recess 19a to a support wire 21 by a "hog-ring" in known manner. In this way parts of the skin are anchored to the resilient element 14 in a stretched configuration to provide a smooth predetermined shaping of the cushion component.

Each recess 16J. 17 is defined by a generally rectangular void in the upper surface of the element 14. The positioning of each recess 16, 17 is such that the recess overlies a respective buckle assembly anchor point of the body of the vehicle in use. The laterally outermost edge of each void 16, 17 coincides with a groove 19 in the element 14 running front to rear of the top surface of the cushion component 11. Along the boundary of the other three edges of the recesses 16, 17 the material of the element 14 is cut through the thickness of the element 14 either by the use of a knife or similar tool after the element 14 has been moulded or by the use of inserts in the mould dies which produce a U-shaped slot 23 (Figure 3) extending through the thickness of the element 14. The cut or slot 23 defines a flap 7 24 of the material of the element 14 hinged to the remainder of the element 14 by the thickness of material from the base of the groove 19 to the lower surface of the element 14. In effect therefore there is hinged flap 24 integral with the remainder of the element 14 and, in its normal, rest position partially filling a rectangular aperture through the thickness of the element 14.

As is apparent from Figure 2, the skin of the cushion component 11 has a seam received with the groove 19. At the seam a number of panels or other elements of the skin are stitched together, and the seam occupying the groove 19 at the edge of the flap 24 includes an edge of a skin panel 15b; a downward extension component 22; a welt component 25 which defines a piping in the upholstery of the cushion component 11; and a stitching region 26 of the cover 18. These elements of the seam are secured together by stitching 27 in known manner.

The cover 18 is defined by a length of material cut from an elongate, generally planar, polypropylene extrusion. The extrusion is formed with an integral bead 27 of rectangular cross-section along one longitudinal edge of the stitching region 26 and an integral bead 28 of triangular crosssection along its opposite longitudinal edge. Spaced inwardly of the extrusion from the bead 271 at the opposite edge of the region 26, is a longitudinally extending narrowed region 29 defining a first integral hinge within the extrusion, and a second, similar integral hinge 31 is formed by a narrowed region positioned inwardly from the bead 28. The intermediate region 32 between the integral hinges 29, 31 is equal in width to the dimension of the respective recess 16, 17 measured widthwise of the vehicle. Thus the cover of the recess 16 which is to accommodate a single belt buckle will have a region 32 which is significantly narrower than the region 32 of the cover of the recess 17, 8 since the recess 17 is, as shown in Figure 2, intended to accommodate first and second belt buckles "A" and "B" respectively. The difference in these two dimensions is apparent in Figure 3 where the broken lines denote the boundaries of the flap 24 and the cut 23 in relation to the recess 16, and the solid lines denote the boundary of the flap 24 and cut 23 of the recess 17.

In each case the length of material cut from the respective extrusion to form the cover 18, is determined the front to back dimension of the recess 16, 17, and general ly th is wi I I be the same i rrespective of whether or not the recess is to accommodate a single belt buckle or a pair of belt buckles.

The region 26 of the cover 18 is stitched into the seam received within the groove 19 of the element 24, and the intermediate region 32 of the cover overlies the upper surface of the flap 24. The cover 18 is bent at the hinge 31 so that a free edge region 33 terminating in the bead 28 lies parallel to the region 26 and thus lies at right angles to the intermediate region 32. The free edge region 33 thus extends downwardly into the cut 23 opposite the groove 19 where its triangular bead 28 can snap into engagement with a clip formation 35 formed integrally along one edge of an extruded latch element 34.

The latch element 34 is extruded from polypropylene in a similar manner to the cover 18 and the element is defined by a piece cut from the extrusion of a length substantially identical to the length cut to form the cover 18. A stitching region 36 is defined along the edge of the extrusion opposite the edge carrying the clip formation 35, and an integral hinge 37 allows the region 36 to be bent at right angles to the remainder of the extrusion. The clip formation 35 includes a pair of integral, opposed ramp forms 38 beneath which the shoulders of the triangular bead 28 can be 9 received. Figure 7 illustrates a modification wherein the free edge of the formation 35 is extended to provide an inclined wall 39 to lead the bead 28 into the formation 35 when closing the cover.

The region 36 of each element 34 is stitched to a respective skin panel 15a along the edge of the recess 16, 17 remote from the groove 19 and its clip formation 35 extends downwardly into the respective cut 23 by a distance such that the bead 28 of the associated cover can be received therein as a snap-fit when the cover intermediate region 32 overlies the flap 24 of the element 14.

The thickness of the material of the element 34 and the cover 18 is such that these items will be self-supporting during handling and in use, but will not be so rigid that they cannot deform under the weight of an occupant of the seat if necessary.

In use, when assembling the seat into the vehicle body, the cushion component 11 can be offered into the vehicle body ignoring the fact that the buckle assemblies may be beneath the cushion component 11. The covers 18 forming the bases of the recess 16, 17 can be unclipped from the clip formations of their respective latch elements 34 permitting the covers 18 to be hinged upwardly exposing the displaceable flaps 24 of the material of the element 14. Because the element 14 is formed from a foamed synthetic resin material the flaps 24 can readily be displaced and deformed leaving apertures through the cushion component 11 adequately sized to permit the fitter to reach through the cushion component 11, so that he can grasp and withdraw the buckle assemblies. Thereafter, as the flaps 24 are allowed to restore to their rest configurations, the straps of the buckle assemblies will pass through appropriate parts of the respective cut 23 and the covers 18 can then be snapped back into their closed positions with the straps of the buckle assemblies extending through the seat cushion component 11 and the buckles themselves can be seated on the covers 18 within the respective recess 16, 17.

The fact that the covers 18 snap-fit into their latch elements 34 in a releasable manner ensures that the procedure can be repeated later if necessary during servicing or replacement of buckle assemblies. Indeed, it is possible to arrange the flaps 24 and covers 18 such that the anchor points themselves are exposed through the aperture revealed by displacing the cover 18 and flap 24 so that the anchorage to be dismantled to allow buckle assemblies to be replaced without removing the seat cushion component 11 from the vehicle.

It will be recognised that if desired the cover 18 and latch element 34 could be covered with appropriately shaped and stitched skin panels whereupon the extruded components can be considered to be substrates carrying skin panels. Alternatively of course the colouring and surface finish of the extrusions could be such that no skin panels are necessary.

It will be understood that if desired it will be possible to dispense with the flaps 24 by moulding the element 14 with voids extending completely through the element 14. However, in many applications the support for the cover 18 provided by the flap 24, although no essential, is desirable.

Figure 8 illustrates an alternative extruded form of the clip formation 35 in which the function of the ramp forms 38 is performed by an inturned integral edge 41.

Claims (10)

1. A vehicle seat including a resilient component (11; 12) which, in use, covers the point at which a seat belt buckle assembly is anchored to the vehicle body, said component being formed with an aperture through which the free end of the buckle assembly can pass, and, a cover member (18, 34) attached to said component (11; 12) and moveable between an operative position in which said aperture in covered, and an open position in which said aperture is exposed.

2. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1 wherein said aperture is normally filled by a displaceable flap (24) of the resilient material of said component, said flap lying beneath, and supporting, said cover (18) in the operative position of the cover.

3. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said cover (18) is disposed in a plane lying below the plane of the upper surface of the component (11) immediately around the cover so as to define the base of a recess (16; 17) in the exposed face of the seat component, said recess being dimensioned to accommodate and locate the buckle of the buckle assembly when not in use.

4. A vehicle seat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the seat component (11) comprises a resilient element (14) formed as a foamed synthetic resin moulding, and a separately formed skin (15) which is affixed over the resilient element (14) to define the exposed surface of the seat component (11) in use, said cover (18, 34) being provided as part of said skin.

12

5. A vehicle seat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said seat component is the seat cushion (11).

6. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5 wherein said cover 0 8f 34) includes a hinged synthetic resin substrate (18) and a covering layer of the material of the skin of the seat component.

7. A vehicle seat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cover (18) is generally rectangular, has, at one edge,, a h i nge connection (31) with the remainder of the seat component, and has, at its opposite edge, a releasable snap-fit connection, when in its operative position, with a latch member (34, 35) within the seat component.

8. A vehicle seat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein said cover 0 8) includes an extruded synthetic resin element incorporating an integral hinge (29) interconnecting an anchorage region (26) fixed to the seat component and a planar region (32) which overlies said aperture in use.

9. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 8 wherein said element includes a second, parallel integral hinge (31) at the edge of the planar region (32) remote from the first hinge (29) and joining the planar region with a clip region (33, 28) of the element.

10. A vehicle seat as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 7 to 9 wherein said latch member (34, 35) is also an extruded synthetic resin element.