GB2410927A

GB2410927A - A seat assembly with a cantilever arrangement attached to a central support

Info

Publication number: GB2410927A
Application number: GB0502745A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ross Heyward
Original assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Current assignee: Nissan Technical Centre Europe Ltd
Priority date: 2004-02-13
Filing date: 2005-02-10
Publication date: 2005-08-17
Anticipated expiration: 2025-02-10
Also published as: WO2005080128A3; GB0407200D0; GB2410927B; GB0407202D0; GB0502745D0; EP1722999A2; WO2005080128A2

Abstract

A seat assembly for a vehicle includes at least one seat 40, a central support 18 which is arranged, in use, to extend along the centre of the vehicle floorpan and a cantilever arrangement 60 for mounting the seat on the central support in a cantilevered manner. The cantilever arrangement may be mounted to the seat support to allow pivotal movement of the seat between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and an elevated position, in which the seat is moved out of the way in order to provide a luggage carrying volume. In one embodiment, the cantilever arrangement is axially movable along the central support so that the seat can be moved therealong. The seat may be folded to form a compact seat module (figure 11) which may then be removed from the central support.

Description

24 1 0927 SEAT ASSET\ IBLY

FOR USE IN A VEHICLE

The invention relates to a seat assembly for use in a vehicle. In particular, the s invention relates to an adjustable seat assembly, which provides convenient adaptation of the vehicle for different uses.

In many vehicles, the front seat assembly includes a driver's seat on one side of the vehicle, which is arranged next to a passenger's seat on the other side of the lo vehicle. The rear seat assembly often includes a rear seat extending across the width of the vehicle (a so-called bench- type seat) which is suitable for carrying two or more passengers. Alternatively, and particularly in Multi Passenger Vehicles (MPVs), the rear seat assembly may include two or more separate seats.

Each front and rear seat is usually mounted upon a respective seat support structure which is fixed to the vehicle floorpan. Known seat support structures are relatively bulky and heavy and thus take up a large volume of the vehicle interior.

It is common for the seat supports for the front seats to be mounted in runners or guide tracks fixed to the floorpan, thereby to permit a degree of forwards and to rearwards movement of the seats along the vehicle axis. The rear seat assembly may also be mounted in a similar fashion, although more commonly the rear seat assembly is static.

It is desirable in many instances for a vehicle to be adaptable in terms of the number of passengers and the size and volume of luggage that can be carried. The adaptability of known vehicles of the aforementioned type is limited, and it is an object of the invention to address this. r

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a seat assembly for a vehicle having a vehicle floorpan and a vehicle interior, the seat assembly comprlsmg: at least one seat, a central seat support which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan between front and rear ends thereof, cantilever mounting means for mounting the seat upon the central seat support in a cantilevered manner, wherein the cantilever mounting means is pivotally mounted to the seat support to allow pivotal movement of the seat between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and an elevated position, in Is which the seat is moved out of the way to clear a volume for carrying luggage within the vehicle interior.

In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat assembly for a vehicle having a vehicle floorpan and a vehicle interior, the seat assembly comprising: at least one seat, a central seat support which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan between front and rear ends thereof, cantilever mounting means for mounting the seat upon the central seat support in a cantilevered manner, wherein the cantilever mounting means is axially movable upon the central seat support so as to permit the seat assembly to be moved in forwards and rearward directions along the central seat support.

In the first aspect of the invention, the cantilever mounting means may be movably mounted upon the axis of the central seat support so as to permit the seat to be moved in forwards and rearward directions, back and forth, along the central seat support.

lo Likewise, in the second aspect of the invention, the cantilever mounting means may be pivotally mounted to the seat support to allow pivotal movement of the seat between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and an elevated position, in which the seat is moved out of the way to clear a volume for carrying luggage.

The phrase "vehicle floorpan" is a well known term of art for the manufactured part of the vehicle which defines the floor of the vehicle interior.

It is preferable, but not essential, for the central seat support to be an I-beam to support (i.e. a beam having a generally I-shaped cross section).

It is a particular advantage of the invention that a versatile seat assembly is provided, which is adaptable between several different configurations depending on the vehicle user's requirements. For example, the or each seat is movable along the central seat support so as to clear a way for luggage within the vehicle interior. It is preferable for the or each seat to take the form of a seat which is foldable into a compact seat module, as described further below. By pivotally mounting the cantilever mounting means to the seat support, the or each seat may be elevated out of the way, through pivotal movement of said cantilever mounting means, when they are not required for seating purposes. This enables a large luggage-carrying volume to be cleared within the vehicle interior, utilising the space that is usually occupied by passengers. It is a further advantage of the invention that the seats are supported only by the central seat support, via the cantilever mounting means, and not by any other floor-mounted support. As the seat support extends centrally along the vehicle floorpan and the seats are cantilevered (or 'hung') from the I-beam support, an obstacle-free surface of the lo floorpan can be used for convenient loading and carrying of luggage. This is in contrast with known vehicle seat assemblies, where relatively bulky seat supports and guide tracks andlor runners are located on both left and right sides of the floorpan.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the seat assembly includes at least a first seat and a second seat, wherein the first seat is mounted to one side (e.g. the left side) of the central seat support on a first cantilever mounting means and the second seat is mounted on the other side (e.g. the right side) of the central seat support on a second cantilever mounting means.

The central seat support (for example an I-beam seat support) may be integrally formed with the vehicle floorpan, or may be a separate part mounted thereupon.

The seat support is preferably provided with a movable carriage member for carrying the cantilever mounting means.

In a further preferred embodiment, cantilever mounting means includes a lower cantilever member which is pivotally mounted to a carriage member and an upper cantilever member which is pivotally mounted to the carriage member so as to enable the seat to be moved between elevated and lowered positions.

An upper portion of the carriage member is arranged so as to be slidable within a channel defined, in part, by a roof section of the central seat support, and a lower portion of the carriage member is slidingly cooperable with a base section of the central seat support.

Preferably, one end of each of the upper and lower cantilever members is pivotally mounted at a respective pivot axis, wherein said pivot axes are laterally offset from one another relative to the axis of the central seat support. A sliding co-operation between the 'free' (i.e. unsupported) ends of the cantilever members Is enables pivotal movement of both members together about the laterally offset axes of pivotal movement. For example, one end of the lower cantilever member may be in slidingly engagement with a channel in the upper cantilever member so as to allow the members to slide relative to one another as the seat is pivoted between the elevated and lowered positions.

It is preferable for the cantilever mounting means to include a detachable mounting arrangement to allow the seat to be detached completely from said cantilever mounting means completely. If the seat takes the form of a foldable seat module it can be conveniently carried once removed from the vehicle. For example, the seat may include a seating portion and a seat back and a hinged mounting arrangement to permit the seating portion and the seat back to be folded together the form the seat module.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a floorpan for a vehicle, including a generally flat surface which dehmes the floor of the vehicle interior when the vehicle is assembled and a mounting arrangement for a seat s assembly, wherein the mounting arrangement includes a seat support which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan between front and rear ends thereof, said central seat support being adapted for mounting a seat movably, and in cantilever fashion, thereon.

lo According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a mounting arrangement for a seat assembly of a vehicle having a vehicle floorpan, the mounting arrangement comprising a central seat support which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan between front and rear ends thereof, and cantilever mounting means for mounting the seat assembly upon the central seat support, wherein the cantilever mounting means is (I) axially movable upon the central seat support so as to permit the seat assembly to be moved back and forth along the central seat support and/or (II) pivotally mounted to the seat support to allow pivotal movement of the seat between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and an elevated position, in which the seat is moved out of the way to clear a volume for carrying luggage.

The mounting arrangement preferably includes a support member upon which the cantilever mounting means is pivotally mounted. Preferably, the support member takes the form of a carriage member which is slidably mounted upon the central seat support.

According to a fifth aspect of the invention, there is provided a seat for use in a vehicle, wherein the seat includes a seating portion and a seat back portion which are mounted together in a foldable fashion so as to be adaptable between an unfolded configuration in which the seating portion and the seat back portion define a seating position for a vehicle passenger and a folded configuration in which the seating portion and the seat back portion are folded together to define a compact seat module.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided a cantilever lo mounting arrangement suitable for use in mounting a seat assembly upon a vehicle seat support, such as a central I-beam support on or forming part of a vehicle floorpan, the cantilever mounting arrangement comprising a lower cantilever member which is pivotally mounted to a support member and an upper cantilever member which is pivotally mounted to the support member so as to Is enable the seat assembly to be elevated out of a seating position into an elevated position through pivotal movement of said cantilever members.

For the purpose of this specification, references to 'front' and 'rear', and forward' and 'rearward', shall be taken to refer to what is considered usually to be the front (forward) end of a vehicle and the rear (rearward) end of the vehicle.

Reference to the 'seating position' of the seat assembly shall be taken to mean that seat configuration which provides a vehicle passenger with a seat, and reference to the 'elevated position' shall be taken to mean one in which the seat, folded or otherwise, is at least partially elevated within the vehicle interior so as as to clear a volume for luggage.

It will be appreciated from the following description that preferred and/or optional features of the first and second aspects of the invention may be provided on, or used with, other aspects of the invention also.

The invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an I-beam seat support of the seat assembly of the present invention, Figure 2 is a similar view of the I-beam seat support shown in Figure 1, but from a different perspective, Figure 3 is a cross sectional end view of the I-beam seat support in Figures 1 and 2,, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the I-beam support in Figure 3, and also showing a cantilever mounting means mounted thereupon for supporting a vehicle seat, Figure 5 is an end view of a U-shaped carriage member for mounting upon the I beam seat support in Figures 1 to 4, Figure 6 is a perspective view, from the front, of a seat for mounting upon the I beam seat support in Figures 1 to 4, Figure 7 is a side view of the seat in Figure 6, Figure 8 is a schematic view, from the side, of the seat in Figures 6 and 7 when in a folded configuration and a lowered position, to illustrate mounting of the folded seat upon the cantilever mounting means, Figure 9 is a side view of the folded seat shown in Figure 8 when in the lowered position and with a head rest thereof folded away, Figure 10 is a similar view of the folded seat shown in Figure 9, to illustrate the lo head rest unfolded to provide a handle means, Figure 11 is a view from the rear of the folded seat shown in Figures 8 to 10 when in the lowered position, Figure 12 is a perspective view of the folded seat in Figures 9 to 11 when the seat is in an elevated position, Figure 13 is a view of the folded seat shown in Figures 9 to 12, viewed from the rear, when in a part-elevated position, Figure 14 is a view of the folded seat shown in Figures 9 to 13, viewed from the rear, when in a fully elevated position, Figure 15 is a similar view ofthe folded seat to that shown in Figure 14, and Figure 16 is a schematic view of the seat in Figure 8, but in which a detachable mounting arrangement is provided to allow the seat to be removed from the I- beam support altogether.

s Referring to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown a portion of a floorpan 10 of a vehicle upon which a seat support structure, referred to generally as 12, is mounted. The floorpan 10 extends between a front end 1 pa thereof, located towards the front of the vehicle, and a rear end lOb thereof, located towards the rear of the vehicle. The floorpan 10 may be manufactured to include side portions lo (not shown) which form the vehicle wheel arches and a raised front portion lOc through which the stem of a vehicle steering wheel 14 projects. When the vehicle is fully assembled, the vehicle floorpan 10 defines the floor of the vehicle cabin interior 16, being that volume within which passengers and/or luggage may be carried. In the particular example of Figures 1 and 2, the floorpan 10 is shaped at Is its rear end lOb to define a ceiling led of a luggage storage volume 20.

Referring also to Figures 3 and 4, the seat support 12 includes a support beam 18 which extends along the major axis of the vehicle, mounted upon or being integrally formed with the floorpan 10 and being substantially centrally located to between left and right sides of the vehicle. As shown in Figure 3, the central beam 18 has a cross section generally in the form of the letter 'I'. Structures of this type are often referred to as 'I-beam' structures. The I-beam support 18 includes a generally vertical upright section 22, an upper horizontal roof section 24 and a lower horizontal base section 26. The upright section 22 of the I-beam as support 18 includes first and second openings 28 in a front section thereof, as can be seen in Figures 1 and 2. By providing the openings 28, the overall weight of the I-beam support 18 is reduced. A rear section of the I-beam support is solid, however, and defines a wall of the luggage space 20 at the rear of the vehicle.

Modifications of the shape and style of the upright section 22 of the Ibeam support are envisaged for different vehicles. The I-beam support 18 may be formed form carbon fibre, titanium or steel, for example, and is a sufficiently s strong enough structure to support one or more vehicle seats, and seated passengers, which are not supported upon any other part of the floorpan 10, as described further below.

The roof section 24 of the I-beam support 18 includes first and second flanges lo 24a, 24b which extend along the length of the roof section 24, one on each side of the upright section 22. Each flange 24a, 24b defines, together with the outer surface of the upright section 22, a channel 30. The channels 30 extend along the length of the I-beam support 18, one either side of the upright section 22, and receive a portion of a movable carriage 52 (see Figure 4) which supports a vehicle seat. The upper outermost edges 32 of the base section 26 are of generally square section. The base section 26 of the I-beam support 18 rests upon the vehicle floorpan 10 or, alternatively, may be integrally formed therewith.

The I-beam support 18 provides a support for one or more seats (not shown) of the vehicle. Typically, two front seats may be supported by the I- beam support 18, one on either side of the I-beam support 18 (i.e. one of the left vehicle side and one on the right vehicle side) towards the front end lea of the floorpan 10.

Two seats may be mounted rearward of the front seats, again one on either side of the I-beam support towards the rear end 1 Ob of the floorpan 10.

The I-beam support carriage member 52 is mounted upon the beam so as to allow sliding movement of the carriage member 52 along the main beam axis. The carriage member 52 is formed from a pair of front and rear struts, 60 and 62 respectively, connected at base ends thereof by a carriage foot portion 64. As can be seen more clearly in Figure 5, the carriage member 52 is of generally U-type shape, with the struts 60, 62 and the foot 64 defining an internal U-shaped channel 65. Each strut 60, 62 of the pair is generally upright and of slightly bowed or curved form.

In order to mount the carriage member 52 on the I-beam support 18, an upper end of each strut 60, 62 is located within one of the upper channels 30 of the I-beam lo support 18 (as seen in Figures 3 and 4). The carriage foot 64 has a squared recess or groove 70 on its inwardly-facing side (i.e. that side facing the I-beam support 18), which is shaped to co-operate with the outer squared edges 32 of the I-beam base section 26. The carriage member 52 is able to slide along the main I-beam axis, with the upper ends of the struts 60, 62 riding in the channel 30 and the squared recess of the foot 64 in sliding contact with the base section 26 of the beam 18. If a second, similar seat is to be mounted on the other side of the I-beam support 18, a second carriage member is mounted on the other side of the beam, in reverse orientation, in a similar fashion.

So Figures 6 and 7 show a vehicle seat 40 which is suitable for mounting upon the I beam support 18 in Figures 1 to 4. Although in practice several seats may be supported on the I-beam support 18, for simplicity only one of the seats will be described in detail here. The seat 40 includes a seating portion 42, upon which a passenger sits, a seat back portion 44 upon which a seated passenger rests his or her back, and a rest 46 for a seated passenger's head. The seating portion 42 and the seat back 44 may have several sections, depending on stylistic requirements, and are mounted relative to one another in a foldable fashion so that the seat 40 has folded and unfolded configurations. When in the folded configuration, the seat forms a compact seat module (hereinafter identified by numeral 140) having a generally suitcase-style or briefcase-style appearance, as shown in Figures 9 to 11. The folding mechanism to allow folding of the seating portion 42 and the seat back 44 relative to one another may be provided by means of a hinged mounting 47 connecting the base of the seat back 44 with the rear of the seating portion 42 at their intersection.

In an alternative embodiment, instead of providing the hinged mounting lo arrangement 47 the seat back 44 and the seating portion 42 may be integrally formed, with the seat material being suitably pliable or flexible to allow bending of the seating portion and the seat back 44 relative to one another.

As can be seen in Figures 6 and 7, it may be preferable for the seat back 44 to take the form of an adjustable seat back formed in several sections; an upper seat back section 44a, a lower seat back section 44b and an intermediate seat back section 44c. When the seated position is to be adopted, it is beneficial for the intermediate seat back portion 44b to be present for the seated passenger for reasons of comfort. However, when the seat is to be folded it is advantageous to move the upper seat back section 44a is relative to the lower seat back section 44b, thereby engaging these parts (at engagement line X, as shown in Figures 9 and 10). For example, the upper seat back portion 44a may be hollow and shaped to receive the intermediate seat back section 44b. With the upper and lower seat back parts 44a, 44b moved into contact with one another, the intermediate section 44c is enclosed within the upper section 44a so that the overall shape of the seat back 44 matches that of the moulded seating portion 42 when these seating and seat back parts are folded together.

When the seat adopts the folded module configuration, the head rest 46 provides a convenient handle means for manoeuvring the seat back and forth along the I- beam support 18 or for carrying the folded seat when detached from the I- beam support 18, as described further below. When the seat 40 is required to accommodate a passenger, the seating portion 42 and the seat back 44 are unfolded to adopt the unfolded configuration of the seat shown in Figures 6 and 7. As can be seen by comparing Figures 9 and 10, preferably the head rest 46 of the seat is itself hingedly mounted to the seat back 44 so as to allow the rest 46 to lo be folded out (Figure 10) to provide a rest surface for a passengers head when the seat 40 is unfolded, or folded away (Figure 9) to reduce the overall volume occupied by the folded seat module configuration.

Referring to Figures 11 to 15, the seat 40 is mounted upon the I-beam carriage member 52 by a cantilever mounting means, referred to generally as 50. The cantilever mounting means 50 is configured so as to support the seat 40 such that a substantially vacant space (58 - Figure 11) is defined between the underside of the seating portion 42 and the vehicle floorpan 10. Thus, as will be further apparent from the following description, the cantilever mounting means 50 So enables the seat 40 to be mounted upon the seat support 18 in such a manner that they are supported only upon the I-beam support 18, and by no other part of the vehicle floorpan 10 or any structure mounted thereupon.

The cantilever mounting means 50 includes a first, lower cantilever arm 56 which as is mounted upon the carriage member 52 in the region of the carriage foot 64 by a first pivot mounting means 80. The first pivot mounting means includes a first pivot pin 80 which extends through the lower sections of the carriage struts 60, 62 to cross the U-shaped channel 65 at a base end thereof (as shown in Figure 5).

An upper cantilever arm 54 is mounted upon the carriage member 52 through a second pivot mounting means 82, which takes the form of a second pivot pin.

The second pivot pin 82 crosses the U-shaped channel 65 at an upper end thereof and passes through upper sections of the carriage struts 60, 62.

A first end of the lower cantilever arm 56 is pivotally mounted upon the first pivot pin 80 so as to allow pivotal movement of the arm 54 about a first pivot axis, defined by the first pivot pin 80. A first, upper end of the second cantilever lo arm 54 is pivotally mounted upon the second pivot pin 82 so as to allow pivotal movement of the upper arm 54 about a second pivot axis, defined by the second pivot pin 82. Due to the slight outward bowing of the carriage struts 60, 62 towards the carriage foot 64, it will be appreciated that the pivot axes, defined by pins 80 and 82, are laterally spaced from one another (i.e. lateral, relative to the main I-beam axis).

The ends of the cantilever arms 54, 56 remote from the pivot pins 80, 82 are in sliding co-operation with one another so as to allow pivotal movement of both the lower and upper arms 56, 54 together despite the lateral spacing of their pivotal So axes. To allow said sliding cooperation, a first pair of flanges or projections 156 is provided on the lower cantilever arm 56, each of which is slideable within a respective channel 154 defined by a groove along the outer edge of the upper cantilever arm 54. The projections 156 are slideable within their respective channels 154 so as to allow the free end of the lower cantilever arm 56 to slide relative to the upper cantilever arm 54 as the arms 54, 56 are pivoted about their respective pivot pins 82, 80 between elevated and lower positions.

As can be seen most clearly in Figures 4, 11 and 12, the upper cantilever arm 54 is a generally L-shaped member having a first arm part 54a, forming the back of the L, and a second arm part 54b forming the foot of the L. Referring to Figure 12 in particular, the underside of the seating portion 42 of the seat 40 is provided with a retaining channel 142 within which the back part 54a of the upper cantilever arm 54 is received. A clear view of the sliding connection between the upper and lower cantilever arms 54, 56, and the mounting of the upper cantilever arm 54 to the seat 40, is also shown in Figure 13. A narrow clearance is defined between the retaining channel 142 and the back part 54a of the upper cantilever lo arm 54 so as to allow the projections 156 on the lower cantilever arm 56 to ride through the channels 154, with clearance through the channel 142, when the seat module 140 is being raised and/or lowered.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description and accompanying drawings that the cantilever arms 54, 56 mount the seat upon the I-beam support 18, via the carriage member 52, by extending beneath the seat 40 from one of the seat sides.

This differs from a conventional flip-up type of seat (for example as found in football stadiums and the like) where the hinge mechanism for lowering and raising the seat extends underneath the seat from the rear of the seat.

A more detailed description of pivotal (hinged) movement of the cantilever means SO, relative to I-beam carriage member 52, will now be described with reference to Figures 11 to 15. Pivotal movement of the cantilever means 50 allows the folded seat module 140, to be moved between a lowered position and an elevated position. Starting from the lowered position, if the seat 40 is unfolded (as shown in Figures 6 and 7 for example) a seat position is provided for a vehicle passenger. If the seat is folded to form the module 140, as shown in Figure 11, the seat module 140 can then be raised or elevated, relative to the vehicle floor pan, into the position shown in Figures 14 and 15. As the module is raised, the lower cantilever arm 56 is caused to ride within the channel 154 defined in the upper cantilever arm 54, in the direction of arrow X, as the upper and lower arms 54, 56 are caused to pivot about their laterally offset pivot axes.

As the seat module 140 is elevated further, the lower arm 156 rides further through the channel 154 until the seat module 140 is brought to rest in a fully elevated position (as shown in Figures 14 and 15).

lo It will be appreciated that when the folded seat module 140 is in the elevated position, a large volume of space is cleared within the vehicle interior 16 where the seats are located when seating passengers. This is best illustrated by reference to Figures 1 and 2, where the volume of the vehicle interior 16 above the floorpan is indicated. By elevating the folded seat module 140 above the vehicle floorpan 10, this relatively large volume of the vehicle interior 16 may then be used for carrying luggage. Furthermore, due to the central I-beam support 18 providing the sole means of support for the seat 40 through the cantilever mounting means 50, no runners or guide tracks are required on the floorpan 10 for manoeuvring the seat 40 back and forth, and a relatively flat and obstacle-free to surface is provided for loading, unloading and storing luggage.

When the seats 40 are unfolded to define seat positions for vehicle passengers, their positions along the I-beam 18 may be adjusted by moving the seats back and forth through relatively small distances. When the seats are folded, they may be :5 slid further along the I-beam support 18(i.e. towards the rear end lOb of the floorpan 10) to clear a larger space for carrying luggage. Conveniently, the head rest 46 of the seat may be used as a handle means to effect said sliding movement of the seat module 140.

Suitable lock means (not shown) are provided for locating the carriage member s 52 in a fixed position once the desired position of the seat 40 or module 140 has been set along the axis of the I-beam support 18.

If desired, the seat module 140 may also be mounted upon the cantilever mounting means 50 so as to allow the module to be removed from the vehicle lo altogether. This embodiment ofthe invention is shown in Figure 16, in which detachable mounting means is provided for detachably connecting the upper and lower cantilever arms 54, 56 with the seat module 140. The detachable mounting means includes a movable catch 90 which is received within a recess 92 provided in the underside of the seating portion 42 of the seat 40. The catch 90 is spring Is biased into the recess 92 by means of a locking spring, and is disengageable from the recess 92 upon activation of a handle 94 which acts against the spring force.

If the handle is pulled, the catch 90 disengages from the recess 92 and allows the upper cantilever arm 154 to be removed from the channel 142 on the underside of the seat 40, thereby allowing the seat module to be dismounted from the to cantilever mounting means 50 and, hence, removed from the seat support 18 altogether. Once removed from the vehicle, the seat head rest 46 provides a convenient handle with which to carry folded seat.

Other detachable mounting arrangements are also envisaged, which permit the seat modules 140 to be removed from the vehicle altogether so as to clear a further enlarged volume within the vehicle interior 16 for carrying luggage.

In an alternative embodiment to that illustrated in the accompanying figures, the I-beam seat support 18 may be replaced by a centrally extending support in the form of a reinforced 'transmission tunnel'. The transmission tunnel in a vehicle is usually defined by a raised section of the vehicle floorpan 10, extending centrally along the main vehicle axis (i.e. between front and rear ends of the vehicle) to accommodate the vehicle transmission system. A transmission tunnel is usually relatively thin-walled, and thus of limited strength and rigidity. However, in the present invention the transmission tunnel may be provided with reinforced tunnel walls (e.g. relatively thick walls or walls having reinforcement cross bars). The lo cantilever mounting means 50 may then be mounted upon the transmission tunnel, with the vehicle seats mounted upon the cantilever mounting means 50 in the aforedescribed manner. In this embodiment, the transmission tunnel seat support ofthe invention may also form an integral part of the vehicle floorpan 10.

Claims

1. A seat assembly (40, 18, 50) for a vehicle having a vehicle floorpan (10) and a vehicle interior (16), the seat assembly comprising: s at least one seat (40) a central seat support (18) which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan (10); and cantilever mounting means (50) for mounting the seat (40) upon the central seat support (18) in a cantilevered manner, wherein the cantilever mounting means (50) is pivotally mounted to the seat support (18) to allow pivotal movement of the seat (40) between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and Is an elevated position, in which the seat (40) is moved out of the way to provide a luggage carrying volume (16); characterized in that the cantilever mounting means (50) is axially movable along the central seat support (18) so as to permit the seat (40) to be moved back and forth along the axis of the central seat support (18) .

2. A seat assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein the central seat support (18) is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan (10) between front and rear ends (lea, lOb) thereof;

3. A seat assembly as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the seat support (18) is provided with a movable carriage member (52) for carrying the cantilever mounting means (50).

4. The seat assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the cantilever mounting means (50) includes a lower cantilever member (56) which is pivotally mounted to the carriage member (52) and an upper cantilever member (54) which is pivotally mounted to the carriage member (52) so as to enable the seat (40) to be moved between the elevated and lowered positions.

5. The seat assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the carriage member (52) is slidably mounted within a channel (30) defined, in part, by a roof section lo (24) of the central seat support (18).

6. The seat assembly as claimed in claim 4 or claim 5, wherein one end of each of the upper and lower cantilever members (54, 56) is pivotally mounted at a respective pivot axis (80, 82), wherein said pivot axes (80, 82) are laterally offset from one another relative to the axis of the seat support (18).

7. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein one end of the lower cantilever member (56) is in slidingly engagement within a channel (154) in the upper cantilever member (54) so as to allow the members (54, 56) to So slide relative to one another as the seat (40) is pivoted between the elevated and lowered positions.

8. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the cantilever mounting means (50) includes a detachable mounting arrangement (90, 92, 94) to allow the seat (40) to be detached completely from said cantilever mounting means (50).

9. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the central seat support (18) is of generally I-shaped cross section so as to form a central I-beam support (18).

1 O. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the central seat support (18) is provided by a reinforced transmission tunnel ofthe vehicle.

11. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the lo central seat support (18) is integrally formed with the vehicle floorpan (10).

12. The seat assembly as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the seat (40) is foldable into a compact seat module (140).

13. The seat assembly as claimed in claim 12, wherein the seat (40) includes a seating portion (42), a seat back portion (44) and a hinged mounting arrangement (47) to permit the seating portion (42) and the seat back portion (44) to be folded together the form the seat module (140).

14. A mounting arrangement for a seat (40) of a vehicle having a vehicle floorpan (10), the mounting arrangement comprising: a central seat support (18) which is arranged, in use, to extend substantially centrally along the vehicle floorpan (10) between front and rear ends (lea, lOb) thereof, and cantilever mounting means (50) pivotally mounted to the seat support (18) to allow pivotal movement of the seat (40), in use, between a lowered position, in which a passenger can be seated, and an elevated position, in which the seat (40) is moved out of the way to clear a luggage carrying volume (16).

15. The mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein the cantilever s mounting means (50) is movably mounted upon the central seat support (18) so as to permit the seat (40) to be moved back and forth along the axis of the central seat support (18).

16. The mounting arrangement as claimed in claim 15, wherein the cantilever to mounting means (50) includes a lower cantilever member (56) which is pivotally mounted to a carriage member (52) and an upper cantilever member (54) which is pivotally mounted to the carriage member (52), thereby to enable the seat (40) to be moved between the lowered and elevated positions through pivotal movement of said cantilever members (54, 56).

17. The mounting arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the central seat support (18) is of generally I-shaped cross section so as to form an I-beam support (18).

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18. The mounting arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the central seat support (18) is integrally formed with the vehicle floorpan (10).

19. The mounting arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 14 to 18, :5 wherein the central seat support (18) is provided by a reinforced transmission tunnel of the vehicle.

20. A seat (40) for use in a vehicle, wherein the seat (40) includes a seating portion (42) and a seat back portion (44) which are mounted together in a foldable fashion so as to be adaptable between an unfolded configuration in which the seating portion (42) and the seat back portion (44) define a seating position for a vehicle passenger and a folded configuration in which the seating portion (42) and the seat back portion (44) are folded together to define a compact seat module (140).

21. The seat as claimed in claim 20, the seat (40) further comprising handle means (46) for manoeuvring the seat module back and forth along the central seat lo support (18), in use, wherein the handle means provides a seat head rest (46) when the seat (40) is in an unfolded configuration.

22. The seat as claims in claim 21, wherein the handle means (46) is hingedly mounted to the seat back portion (44) so as to allow said handle means (46) to be folded away.

23. The seat as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the seat (40) is adapted for mounting upon a cantilever mounting means (50).

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24. The seat as claimed in claim 23, wherein the seating portion (42) has an underside provided with means for mounting the seat (40) to a cantilever arm (54) of the cantilever mounting means (50).

25. A cantilever mounting arrangement (50) suitable for use in mounting a seat (40) upon a vehicle seat support (18), the cantilever mounting arrangement (50) comprising a lower cantilever member (56) which is pivotally mounted to a support member (52) and an upper cantilever member (54) which is pivotally mounted to the support member (52) so as to enable the seat assembly (40) to be elevated out of a seating position into an elevated position through pivotal movement of said cantilever members (54, 56).

26. The cantilever mounting arrangement (50) as claimed in claim 25, wherein the support member is a movable carriage member (52) which is slidably mountable upon the vehicle seat support (18), in use.