GB2469109A

GB2469109A - Seat with mutually engageable fingers

Info

Publication number: GB2469109A
Application number: GB0905737A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Kimmo Tapani Wihinen
Original assignee: Valtra Oy AB
Current assignee: Valtra Oy AB
Priority date: 2009-04-03
Filing date: 2009-04-03
Publication date: 2010-10-06
Also published as: GB0905737D0

Abstract

A seat (10) comprises a seat base (16) having two mutually engageable seat base portions (16a, 16b) and each seat base portion comprises a set of transversely extending fingers (22a, 22b) in a comb-like structure. The sets of fingers are engageable with one another to allow the base portions to be moved between a stowed position in which the fingers are fully engaged and an extended position in which the fingers are only partially engaged. Gaps which exist between adjacent fingers of the separated portions provide ventilation thus improving the user's comfort. The seat may further include a backrest (18) which also comprises two mutually engageable portions (18a, 18b) in a similar manner to the seat base. When the seat is in a stowed position, the seat can be used as a table.

Description

DESCIUPTION

SEAT

The invention relates to seats and particularly those suitable for use as a passenger seat in a utility vehicle such as agricultural tractor or harvester.

Modern tractors often include a passenger seat which allows a passenger to accompany the driver in a safe manner. Legal requirements in some jurisdictions dictate that a passenger seat must be at least 400mm wide and 3 00mm long. Due to the limited space available within a tractor cab achieving these minimum dimensions without creating an obstruction to the driver is difficult. There have been several attempts to provide a passenger seat which can be folded away into a stowed position when not in use. However, there still remains a desire to improve the design of passenger seats to meet safety, strength, comfort and ergonomic requirements.

It is an object of the invention to provide a seat which is suitable for the aforementioned application with improved user comfort and which can be moved into a stowed position in a simple manner.

According to the present invention there is provide a seat comprising a seat base having two mutually engageable base portions each comprising a set of transversely extending fingers, each set being slidably engageable with one another to allow the base portions to be moved between a stowed position in which the fingers are fully engaged and an extended position in which the fingers are only partially engaged.

By providing a seat base having two engageable portions in this manner, the seat can be slid from a narrow, stowed, position into a wider, extended, position. Advantageously, this allows the size of the seat to be reduced when not in use. Therefore, the seat in accordance with the invention lends itself particularly well when fitted as a passenger seat in a utility vehicle.

The mutually engaging finger arrangement advantageously allows air to circulate through the seat base itself. When in the extended position, gaps may exist between the respective fingers which allow air to pass therethrough thus improving the comfort of a user.

The term "transverse" and terms derived therefrom should be understood to mean a direction along an axis which is substantially horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the direction in which a user of the seat generally faces.

When in the stowed position the fingers preferably provide a substantially continuous upper surface. Advantageously, this maximizes the space occupied by the seat. Furthermore, the continuous surface may provide a shelf for a driver when implemented as a tractor passenger

seat for example.

In a preferred arrangement one of said seat base portions is fixed in the transverse direction and the other of said base portions is slideable away therefrom. The fixed portion may additionally conform with the profile of a surface to which it is fixed. For example, when implemented as a passenger seat in a tractor, the fixed base portion may have a profile which matches that of a fender to which the seat is attached. Not only does this improve the aesthetic appearance of the passenger seat but also provides a continuous surface with no protruding edges on which a driver may snag himself.

Preferably, the seat further comprises guiding means which connects the two base portions together and allows slideable movement therebetween. The guiding means may comprise a shaft fixed to one of said base portions between two fingers on that base portion, the shaft extending parallel to said two fingers and being slidably connected to the other base portion through an extreme end of one finger of said other base portion. The provision of at least one transverse shaft extending through the end of one finger delivers some rigidity to the overall seat structure whilst allowing the portions to be moved between the stowed and extending positions. Preferably, the shaft comprises a stop which limits the sliding separation of said two base portions.

The guiding means preferably comprises a plurality of shafts as described above providing a secure and sturdy connection between the two base portions. Preferably further still each of the plurality of shafts is separated by at least two fingers, thereby optimizing the use of the shafts by spreading the support provided thereby.

The guiding means may further comprise a backing plate which is disposed under at least a pair of adjacent fingers of one base portion, and wherein the fingers of the other portion are supported on said base plate. The base plate may be moulded together with the fingers of the associated base portion thereby reducing the number of components required. The combination of the side walls of the adjacent fingers and the underlying base plate provides three surfaces to guide the engageable finger. Advantageously, the base plate not only improves the rigidity of the associated base portion, but also improves the strength of the overall structure.

In a preferred arrangement one base portion consists of one more finger than the other base portion.

The seat may further comprise a back rest having a first back rest portion which is mutually engageable with a second back rest portion, said first back rest portion comprising a set of transversely extending fingers which are slidably engageable with a respective channel provided in the second back rest portion and each back rest portion being connected to a respective one of said base portions. Advantageously, the back rest is provided with a similar mechanism to that of the seat base. This allows both to be extended in area by simultaneous separation of the respective pairs of engaging portions.

Preferably, the back rest is pivotally connected to a rear edge of the seat base to allow the back rest to be pivoted between a raised position and a lowered position. Advantageously, this maximises the available surrounding space when the seat is not in use. This is particularly beneficial when implemented as a passenger seat in a tractor cab. Furthermore, the rear surface of the back rest may serve as a table when in the lowered position which increases the functionality of the seat. The compatible mechanisms of the back rest and seat base allow such a table to be extended by simply separating the mutually engageable portions, even when the backrest is in the lowered position. Each back rest portion is preferably hingeably connected to a respective base portion.

Guiding means may be provided between the two back rests to improve both the structural integrity of the seat and the ease at which the two portions can be moved between a stowed position and an extended position. Such back rest guiding means may comprise one or more shafts which are slidably engageable in the ends of respective fingers in a similar manner to that as described with reference to the seat base above.

Preferably the seat base is formed of moulded plastic which facilitates easy manufacture and assembly.

As mentioned above the seat in accordance with the invention is particularly advantageous when implemented as a passenger seat on a tractor. For example, the seat base my have a profile which conforms with the fender to which it is attached.

Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a specific embodiment with reference to the appended figures in which:-Figure 1 is a perspective view of part of a tractor cab which includes a passenger seat in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the passenger seat of Figure 1 shown in the stowed position; Figure 3 shows a perspective frontal view of the passenger of Figure 1 shown in the stowed position with the back rest in the raised position; Figure 4 shows a perspective frontal view of the passenger seat of Figure 1 shown in the extended position with the back rest raised; Figure 5 shows a perspective view of the seat of Figure 4 from above, and Figure 6 is a perspective view of the seat of Figure 1 shown in the extended position with the back rest in the lowered position.

With reference to Figure 1, a passenger seat 10 (shown in the stowed position) is fixed to an inside surface of a fender 11 of a tractor cab also comprising upright pillars 12, a floor 13 and a driver's seat 14. It will be appreciated that only a part of the tractor cab is shown in Figure I and that those parts not shown are not essential to the understanding of the invention.

With reference to all figures, the seat 10 comprises a seat base 16 and a back rest 18. The back rest 18 is pivotally connected to a rear edge of the seat base 16 by a hinge arrangement referenced generally at 20 which will be described in more detail below. The hinged arrangement 20 allows the back rest 18 to be pivoted between a raised position (figures 3,4 and 5) and a lowered position (figures 1, 2 and 6). When in the lowered position, as shown in figure 2 for example, the rear surface 21 of back rest 18 may serve as a table for the driver to rest a laptop computer or drink thereupon.

In accordance with the present invention the seat base 16 comprises two mutually engageable base portions 1 6a, I 6b. First base portion I 6a is held in a transverse direction relative to the fender 11 and comprises a set of transversely extending fingers 22a, each finger being spaced from, and extending parallel to, one another as best seen in Figures 4 and 5. Therefore, first base portion 1 6a adopts the form of a comb-like structure. Likewise, second base portion 1 6b comprises a co-operating set of transversely extending fingers 22b which slideably engage with the fingers 22a of first base portion 1 6a.

The first base portion 16a and second base portion 16b are connected together by three shafts 24,25 and 26. Each shaft 24,25, 26 is fixed at one end to the second seat base portion 16b in a gap between a respective pair of adjacent fingers 22b. Each shaft 24,25, 26 extends parallel to the fingers 22b and is slideably connected to the first seat base portion 1 6a through an extreme end of a respective finger 22a on first seat base portion 1 6a. The slideable connection of each shaft 24,25, 26 is through a respective bore 24a, 25a,26a in the end of the associated finger 22a on first base portion 16a. Each shaft 24,25, 26 comprises a stop (not shown) on the end remote the second seat base portion 1 6b which limits the sliding separation of the two seat base portions I 6a, I 6b. It will be appreciated that the stop is contained within the volume of the respective finger 22a of the first seat base portion I 6a and that the stop is wider than the associated respective bore 24a, 25a, 26a to prevent complete separation of the two seat base portions 1 6a, 6b.

Although not critical, each shaft 24,25,26 is separated by at least two fingers 22b. Therefore with reference to the second seat base portion 1 6b first shaft 24 is located between the first and second fingers, second shaft 25 is located between the third and fourth fingers and third shaft 26 is located rearward of the fifth finger. Advantageously, this spreads the support provided by the shafts 24,25,26 over the depth of the seat base 16.

The sliding mechanism provided by the shafts 24,25 and 26 in combination with the mutual engagement of the two sets of fingers 22a,22b allow each seat base portion I 6a, 1 6b to be moved between a stowed position (Figure 3), in which the fingers 22a,22b are fully engaged, and an extended position (Figure 4), in which the fingers 22a,22b are only partially engaged.

This demonsfrates the essence of the invention in which the seat base 16 can be extended in effective area when required for use. Conversely, the stowed position, in which the fingers 22a,22b are fully engaged, occupies less space and allows the seat 10 to be stored without interfering with the driver's working space. It will be appreciated from Figures 1 and 2, for example, that seat base 16, when in the stowed position, conforms with the profile of fender 11 which not only conceals the presence of the stowed seat but minimizes the obstruction to the driver.

The fingers of each set are of substantially the same length so as to provide a substantially continuous upper surface when fully engaged.

In a similar manner to the seat base 16, the back rest 18 comprises a first back rest portion 11 8a which is mutually engageable with a second back rest portion 1 8b. The first back rest portion 18a comprises a continuous backing plate 27, the rear side of which forms the table surface 21 mentioned above. Integrated onto the front surface of the backing plate 27, seven protrusions in the form of elongated fingers 28a are formed thus providing a set of channels 29a each disposed between a respective pair of fingers 28a. The second back rest portion 18b comprises a set of six transversely extending fingers 28b and has a similar structure to that of second seat base portion 16b. Fingers 28b are slideably engageable in channels 29a in a single movement together with the engagement of respective seat base portions 16b, 16a.

Also in a similar manner to the connection of the seat base portions I 6a, I 6b, second back rest portion 18b is connected to first back rest portion 18a by means of three shafts 30, 311, 32.

Shafts 31,32 are each connected at one end to second back rest portion 1 8b between a respective pair of fingers 28b. Each shaft 3 1,32 is slideably connected through a bore in an extreme end of one of protrusions 28a in the first back rest portion 1 8a. In a similar manner to the shafts of the seat base I 6a, each shaft 31,32 comprises a stop (not shown) which prevents complete separation of the back rest portions 18b,18a.

Shaft 30 is also connected at one end to the second back rest portion 1 8b but on the axis of hinge assembly 20. The other end of shaft 30 extends through a bore 33 in the extreme end of lower most protrusion 28a.

The first back rest portion 118a is hinged to first seat base portion 16a by hinge means 20a which may comprise a simple bolt (not shown) through moulded bracket 34a and into the lower most protrusion 28a. In a similar manner second back rest portion 1 8b is hingeably connected to second seat base portion 16b by hinge means 20b which includes a bolt 35 inserted through bracket 34b and into the second back rest portion I 8b. Bolt 35 (together with appropriate securing means) may also serve to retain shaft 30 with second back rest portion 1 8b.

From the above description of stmctural features it will be appreciated that both the seat base 16 and back rest 18 may be moved from a stowed position to an extended position by sliding engagement of the respective sets of fingers. Furthermore, movement between the stowed position and the extended position is not limited by the position of the back rest and that the scat may be extended when the back rest 18 is in the lowered position as shown in figure 6.

Advantageously this allows the driver to extend the available table surface thus providing a greater area for resting a laptop for example.

The seat base portions and back rest portions are all formed of moulded plastic which allows the easy integration of the fingers with the rest of the structure. However it will be appreciated that other materials may instead be used albeit at less convenience.

Although the above embodiment includes a first seat base portion 16a which is fixed relative to the fender 11, it is envisaged that both seat base portions 16,1 6b may be moveable with respect to a fixing structure, whether that be in a tractor application or otherwise. In this case it is envisaged that at least one of shafts 24,25,26 may be slidably supported from the underside to allow both seat base portions to move relative to the fixing structure whilst providing the necessary support.

The inventive concept of slidably engaging sets of fingers advantageously introduces the provision for air flow through the structure of the seat base and back rest. Advantageously, this increases the comfort of the user by providing a cooling effect which is particularly beneficial when operating in warm environments.

Although the above described embodiment includes sets of fingers which are substantially uniform throughout their length it is envisaged that other finger profiles may be adopted providing they are suitable for slideable engagement. For example it is envisage that tapered fingers may be employed without deviating from the scope of the invention.

The above described embodiment includes a backing plate 27 moulded together with the fingers 28a on first back rest portion 1 8a. However it will be appreciated that this back rest plate 27 may be omitted without deviating from the scope of the invention. Furthermore a backing plate may instead or additionally be provided with first seat base portion 1 6a which is disposed under the fingers 22a and wherein the fingers of 22b of second seat base portion I 6b are supported on the backing plate. However it will be appreciated that this comes at the expense of reducing the air flow through the first seat base portion 16a.

In summary, there is provided a seat comprising a seat base having two mutually engageable base portions. Each seat base portion comprises a set of transversely extending fingers in a comb-like structure. The sets of finger are slidably engageable with one another to allow the base portions to be moved between a stowed position in which the fingers are fully engaged and an extended position in which the fingers are only partially engaged. Gaps which exist between adjacent fingers of the separated portions provide ventilation thus improving the user's comfort. The seat may further include a backrest which also comprises two mutually engageable portions in a similar manner to the seat base.

From reading the present disclosure, other modification will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such modifications may involve other features which are already known in the field of seats and component parts therefore and which may be used instead of or in addition to features already described herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A seat comprising a seat base having two mutually engageable base portions each comprising a set of transversely extending fingers, each set being slidably engageable with one another to allow the base portions to be moved between a stowed position in which the fingers are fully engaged and an extended position in which the fingers are only partially engaged.
2. A seat according to Claim 1, when in the stowed position the fingers provide a substantially continuous upper surface.
3. A seat according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein one of said portions is fixed in the transverse direction and the other of said base portions is slideable away therefrom.
4. A seat according to any preceding claim, further comprising guiding means which connects the two base portions together and allows slideable movement therebetween.
5. A seat according to Claim 4, wherein the guiding means comprises a shaft fixed to one of said base portions between two fingers on that base portion, the shaft extending parallel to said two fingers and being slidably connected to the other base portion through an extreme end of one finger of said other base portion, said one finger being engageable between said two fingers.
6. A seat according to Claim 5, wherein said shaft comprises a stop which limits the sliding separation of said two base portions.
7. A seat according to Claim 5 or 6, wherein the guiding means comprises a plurality of shafts each fixed between a respective pair of fingers on said one of said base portions.
8. A seat according to Claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of shafts are separated by at least two fingers.
9. A seat according to any one of Claims 4 to 8, wherein the guiding means comprises a backing plate which is disposed under at least a pair of adjacent fingers of one base portion, and wherein the fingers of the other portion are supported on said base plate.
10. A seat according to any preceding claim, wherein one base portion consists of one more finger and the other base portion.
11. A seat according to any preceding claim, further comprising a backrest having a first backrest portion which is mutually engageable with a second backrest portion, said second backrest portion comprising a set of transversely extending fingers which are slidably engageable with a respective channel provided in the first backrest portion and each backrest portion being connected to a respective one of said base portions.
12. A seat according to Claim 11, wherein the backrest is pivotally connected to a rear edge of the seat base to allow the backrest to be pivoted between a raised position and a lowered position.
13. A seat according to Claim 12, wherein the each backrest portion is hingably connected to a respective base portion.
14. A seat according to Claim 12 or 13, wherein the base portions can be moved between the stowed position and the extended position when the backrest is in either the raised position or the lowered position.
15. A seat according to any one of Claims 11 to 14, further comprising guiding means which includes a shaft fixed to said second backrest portion between two of said fingers, hereinafter termed backrest fingers', the shaft extending parallel to said two backrest fingers and being slidably connected to the first backrest portion through an extreme end of a protrusion in the first backrest portion, said protrusion being engageable between said two backrest fingers.
16. A seat according to any preceding claim wherein the seat base is formed of moulded plastic.
17. A passenger seat for a tractor according to any preceding claim.
18. A seat constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in the accompanying Figures.