GB2564094A

GB2564094A - Vehicle seat assembly

Info

Publication number: GB2564094A
Application number: GB1710167.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Markwick Thomas; John Walker David
Original assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Current assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Ltd
Priority date: 2017-06-26
Filing date: 2017-06-26
Publication date: 2019-01-09
Anticipated expiration: 2037-06-26
Also published as: GB2564094B; GB201710167D0

Abstract

A seat assembly 20 for a vehicle 10, comprising a seat 20L, 20R, reinforcement means 26 for reinforcing the seat, a support platform 34 suspended from the seat and a load-transfer means 50 coupling the support platform 34 to the reinforcement means 26 such that a load applied to the support platform 34 is transferred to the reinforcement means 26 by the load transfer means 50. Preferably the seat is temporary mounted in the tailgate aperture, so as to serve as a recreational or social seat installed in the rear load space when the vehicle is stationary. The support platform 34 may be suspended from the seat above the ground 14, defining a step or a foot rest that a user can stand on for mounting or dismounting the seat. The load transfer means may comprise straps or flexible nylon webbing 52 coupling the footrest to the reinforcement means so as to support the users weight without breaking.

Description

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat assembly and particularly, but not exclusively, to a temporary seat assembly for installation in a rear load space of a vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to a vehicle seat assembly and to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND

It is known to provide vehicles with a single tailgate, which can be opened by a user to access a load space of the vehicle. The load space is typically used to transport goods or animals between two locations, but can provide other functions when the vehicle is stationary. In particular, it is not uncommon for individuals to sit on a floor of the load space when the tailgate is in an open position. Similarly, vehicles are known that comprise a split tailgate, in which the vehicle is provided with both an upper tailgate and a lower tailgate. Users can open the lower tailgate to a horizontal position, creating a platform that extends outwardly from the vehicle and, again, may choose to use the lower tailgate as an impromptu seat.

However, sitting on the floor of the load space or on the lower tailgate can prove uncomfortable, even for relatively short periods of time, since this is not the intended function of these parts of the vehicle.

A number of partial solutions to this problem have been suggested. In particular, it is known to provide seats for temporarily mounting in the tailgate aperture. However, such seats may in practice be difficult for a user to mount, particularly if the floor of the rear load space is some distance off the ground.

The present invention has been devised to mitigate or overcome at least some of the above-mentioned problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide a seat assembly and a vehicle as claimed in the appended claims.

According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a seat assembly for use in a vehicle, the seat assembly comprising a seat, reinforcement means for reinforcing the seat, a support platform suspended from the seat and a load-transfer means coupling the support platform to the reinforcement means such that a load applied to the support platform is transferred to the reinforcement means by the loadtransfer means.

By virtue of the support platform and load transfer arrangement, a user can use the suspended support platform as a ‘step’ that facilitates access to the seat for use. The user may step on the support platform, placing substantially all their weight on the platform. Since the reinforcement means is acts to reinforce the seat, the reinforcement means is apt to cope with the transferred load, and provides sufficient strength to bear the weight of the user. In this way, the reinforcement means provides the strength required to allow the user to employ the support platform as a step that facilitates access to the seat.

The seat may comprise a hollow shell and a load-bearing means inside the shell, the load-bearing means defining the reinforcement means.

The reinforcement means may comprise a load-bearing frame. The load-bearing frame may be a die-cast component.

The seat may comprise a base portion and a back portion. The reinforcement means may be integrated into the back portion.

The support platform may be suspended from the base portion of the seat. In this case, if the reinforcement means is integrated into the back portion, the load transfer means may extend through or around the base portion of the seat to transfer load between the support platform and the reinforcement means.

The load-transfer means may comprise a first portion coupled to the reinforcement means and a second portion coupled to the support platform. The first and second portions may be couplable to one another by a coupling means.

The coupling means may be configured to provide at least two coupling positions corresponding to two different positions of the support platform, for example a ‘high’ position and a ‘low’ position. This advantageously allows the support platform to be positioned securely in at least two different positions, according to user need. To this end, at least one of the first and second portions of the load-transfer means may support two coupling members, the two coupling members defining the two coupling positions.

The load-transfer means may comprise a flexible webbing. For example, the loadtransfer means may be made of a nylon webbing.

The load-transfer means may comprise at least one strap.

The load-transfer means may be fixed to the reinforcement means by a mechanical fastening, such as a hook and eyelet arrangement. Such an arrangement provides appropriate load transfer but is easily detached and re-attached as needed.

The load-transfer means may extend under the support platform.

The support platform may define a foot rest.

The seat assembly may be a temporary seat assembly for temporarily mounting in a rear load space of a vehicle.

The invention also extends to a vehicle comprising a seat assembly, the seat assembly comprising a seat, reinforcement means for reinforcing the seat, a support platform suspended from the seat and a load-transfer means coupling the support platform to the reinforcement means such that a load applied to the support platform is transferred to the reinforcement means by the load-transfer means.

The seat assembly may be mounted in a rear load space of the vehicle.

The seat assembly may be mounted in the vehicle such that the support platform may be suspended over the ground surrounding the vehicle to define a step that leads up to the seat.

Within the scope of this application it is expressly intended that the various aspects, embodiments, examples and alternatives set out in the preceding paragraphs, in the claims and/or in the following description and drawings, and in particular the individual features thereof, may be taken independently or in any combination. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination, unless such features are incompatible. The applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim although not originally claimed in that manner.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One or more embodiments of 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 a vehicle seat assembly mounted in the tailgate of a vehicle;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the right-hand vehicle seat of the vehicle seat assembly of Figure 1 with an internal load transfer means and an internal seat reinforcement means of the seat structure shown in dashed lines;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the interior structure of the vehicle seat of Figure 2 with components removed to reveal the internal load transfer means and the internal seat reinforcement means;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vehicle seat of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat of Figure 3, with a coupling means that couples a foot-rest portion of the load transfer to a seat portion of the load transfer means in a decoupled state;

Figure 6 is a partial enlarged view of the coupling means of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat of Figure 5 with a foot-rest portion in place and a seat cushion covering a seat portion of the vehicle seat;

Figure 8 is a partial perspective view of the foot rest portion of Figure 7, with the load transfer means visible beneath the support platform;

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the seat assembly with finishing elements and ready for installation in a vehicle;

Figure 10 is a perspective view of an another embodiment of the vehicle seat assembly with a different coupling means; and

Figure 11 is a partial enlarged view of the coupling means of Figure 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Figure 1 is a perspective view of seat assembly 20 mounted in a vehicle 10, and in particular mounted within a rear load space 12 of a vehicle 10 to provide a recreational or social seat to be used when the vehicle 10 is stationary. In the forgoing examples, the seating apparatus 20 is a temporary seat that is configured to be dismantled and erected by the vehicle user as required.

For reference, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “front” and “rear” will be used in relation to components of the attachment assembly to refer to the relative location of aspects of the assembly when the seating apparatus is in an upright, installed position as shown in Figure 1. For example, the terms “rear” and “front” are used to describe positions towards the rear and front of the vehicle, respectively, when the seating apparatus is in an upright, installed position. Furthermore, references herein to “left” and “right” refer to the corresponding sides of the vehicle when looking from the rear of the vehicle towards the front.

The seating apparatus 20 comprises left and right seats 20L, 20R arranged side by side, each of which has the same configuration. Each seat 20L, 20R comprises a substantially horizontal base portion 22 and a substantially vertical back portion 24 pivotally mounted to the base portion 22. The back portion 24 of each seat 20L, 20R is attached to a support structure 25 which provides structural support to the seats 20L, 20R and inhibits movement of the seats 20L, 20R in a direction parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle 10.

The seating apparatus 20 also comprises a support portion 30 that is suspended beneath both seats 20L, 20R of the assembly to provide a foot rest 32 associated with each seat. Each foot rest comprises a substantially horizontal support platform 34 suspended beneath the seat 20L, 20R that, in use, can take the weight of a user to provide a ‘step’ that leads up to the seat 20L, 20R.

When mounted in the vehicle 10, the seat assembly 20 is symmetrical about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle 10. As such, the right-hand side of the assembly 20 is a substantially identical mirror-reflection of the left-hand side. Therefore, for brevity, unless specifically indicated otherwise, only the right-hand side of the assembly 20 will be described in the following description.

Figure 2 reveals the interior structure of the seat 20R, and shows in particular that the seat 20R comprises a seat reinforcement means 26 that is housed inside the back portion 24 to reinforce the seat 20R, and a load transfer means 50 in the form of a webbing 52 that is housed in the foot support portion 30 and the base portion 22.

The webbing 52 is coupled to the support platform 34 at its lower end 54, and to the seat reinforcement means 26 at its upper end 56. In this way, the webbing 52 acts to transfer load from the support platform 34 to the seat reinforcement means 26 so that the support platform 34 can support large loads.

The internal structure of the seat 20R will now be described in more detail with reference to Figures 3 to 8.

Referring to Figures 3 and 4, the back portion 24 of the seat 20R comprises a hollow outer shell 70 that defines a tray 72. The tray 72 is typically made from a light-weight material such as plastics material, and is typically formed by vacuum-forming.

The seat reinforcement means 26 is located inside the tray 72 of the outer shell 70, and takes the form of a load-bearing frame 28 that is the primary load-bearing structure of the seat back 24. Being a load-bearing structure, the frame 28 is made of a high-strength material. For example, the frame may be made from die-cast aluminium, which is comparatively light while providing the requisite strength.

The load-bearing frame 28 is made of a single continuous block of cast material. The frame comprises a central piece 74 that is of generally flat construction, and four corner pieces 76 arranged at corners of the central piece 74, each corner piece 76 having a generally tubular structure.

The central piece 74 comprises a central spine 78, and left and right vertical arms 80L, 80R that extend parallel to the central spine 78, the central spine 78 being slightly shorter than the left and right arms 80L, 80R. Upper and lower ends of the left and right arms 80L, 80R are joined to upper and lower ends of the central spine 78 via diagonal cross-beams 82. The central spine 78, left and right vertical arms 80L, 80R and cross-beams 82 are all provided with openings 84 that serve to reduce the volume of material, and hence the weight, of the central piece 74, without compromising strength.

Above and below the central piece 74, the corner pieces 76 extend upwardly and downwardly from respective upper and lower ends of the left and right arms 80L, 80R. The corner pieces 76 define horizontal apertures through their tubular structures.

Upper and lower telescopic poles 86 forming part of the support structure extend through the tray 72 and the load-bearing frame 28. In particular, the telescopic poles 86 extend through the horizontal apertures in the corner pieces and through horizontal apertures in the tray in a push-fit, assisted by plastic bushings (not visible). The entire assembly is riveted together to fix the shell 70 and frame 28 to the telescopic poles 86. The telescopic nature of the poles 86 allows the left and right seats 20L, 20R to move horizontally relative to one another in the assembled structure.

In use, as shown in Figure 4, the frame 74 is covered by a foam cushion 90 to provide comfort for the user. The entire seat back is typically covered with a material 92 such as leather or fabric to provide a neat finish (See Figure 1). As also shown in Figure 4, the base portion of the seat is provided with a foam cushion 94, also covered in a material such as leather or fabric 96.

Turning now to the webbing 52 of the load-transfer means 50, Figure 3 reveals that the webbing 52 comprises two portions: an upper seat webbing portion 58 and a lower foot-rest webbing portion 60. The seat webbing portion 58 and foot rest webbing portion 60 are connected by a coupling means 62.

The seat webbing portion comprises left and right parts 58L, 58R in the form of straps 64. The straps 64 are made of a material that has a sufficiently high strength to transfer the load exerted by a user’s weight to the frame 28 without breaking. For example, the straps 64 may be made from nylon webbing.

Upper ends 64a of the left and right straps 64 are attached to the frame 28 of the seat reinforcement means 26 so as to provide load transfer through the straps 64 to the frame 28. For example, the straps 64 may be attached to the frame 28 via a mechanical engagement, such as an eyelet in the webbing that is received in the frame 28. Lower ends 64b of the left and right straps 64 are attached to the coupling means 62 for attachment to the foot rest webbing portion.

Figure 4, which illustrates the seat 20R in cross section, reveals that the seat webbing portion 58 extends through a base portion 22 of the seat 20R, between the foam cushion 94 and the material cover 96, though it will be appreciated that the seat webbing portion 58 may also extend around the base portion 22 of the seat 20R.

Referring again to Figure 3, the foot-rest webbing portion 60 comprises a single strap 66 that is substantially U-shaped to define left and right side pieces 66L, 66R joined at the base by a cross piece 66C. The strap 66 is made of the same material as the straps 64 of the seat webbing portion 58.

Referring now to Figure 5, the left strap 58L of the seat webbing portion 58 is connectable to the left side piece 66L of the foot-rest webbing portion 60 via a left coupling means 62L, and the right strap 58R of the seat webbing portion 58 is connectable to the right side portion 66R of the foot-rest webbing portion 60 via a right coupling means 62R. To this end, the left and right straps 58L, 58R of the seat webbing portion 58 each terminate in female coupling members 62F and the left and right side pieces 66L, 66R of the foot-rest webbing portion 66 each terminate in male coupling members 62M.

Figure 6 illustrates the coupling means 62 in more detail and illustrates that the coupling means 62 takes the form of a buckle arrangement.

The male coupling member 62M comprises a plate 98 that defines a pair of slots 100, and a tab 102. The slots 100 receive the end of the strap 66R to fix the male coupling member 62M to the load transfer means 50 in such a way that the plate 98 can be made to lie parallel with the strap 66R, or can be rotated to lie perpendicular to the strap 66R. The tab 102 is generally narrower than the remainder of the plate 98 of the male coupling member 62M and, in use, facilitates insertion of the male coupling member 62M into the female coupling member 62F.

The female coupling member 62F comprises a plate 104 having two slots 106, 108. A first slot 106 receives the strap 64R of the load transfer means 50 to fix the female coupling member 62F to the load transfer means 50 in such a way that the plate 104 can be made to lie parallel with the strap 64R, or can be rotated to lie perpendicular to the strap 64R. The second slot 108 receives the male coupling member 62M when the webbing portions 58, 60 are coupled.

The second slot 108 comprises a main portion 112 that is relatively narrow, and in particular is narrower than the plate 98 of the male coupling member 62M. A small central region 114 of the second slot 108 is widened compared to the narrow main portion 112, and in particular has a width that is greater than a width of the plate 98 of the male member 62M, to allow the plate 98 of the male member 62M to pass through the second slot 108 of the female member 62F in the wide central region 114 if the male member 62M is held at the correct angle. Once through the slot 108, the male member 62M can be released, whereupon the plate 98 of the male member 62M will tend to lie parallel to the plate 104 of the female member 62F, such that the male member 62M abuts against the narrower main portion 112 of the female member 62F and can no longer pass through the second slot 108 of the female member 62F, thereby coupling the male and female portions 62M, 62F together.

This type of buckle arrangement is particularly beneficial as it allows the plates 98, 104 of the male and female coupling members 62M, 62F, and hence the straps 64, 66 of the respective webbing portions 58, 60, to lie parallel to one another when the coupling means 62 is engaged, thereby ensuring a smooth and continuous profile of the straps 64, 66 with relatively little disturbance across the coupling member 62.

Turning now to the support portion 30 of the seat assembly, and referring to Figures 7 and 8 in particular, each foot rest 32 of the support portion 30 comprises a back cover 36 and a support platform 34 that extends substantially perpendicularly from the back cover 36 to define a ‘step’ or foot rest. Triangular side members 38 are arranged perpendicularly to both the back cover 36 and the support platform 34 to provide a neat finish. The support platforms 34 are made of a stiff, strong material such as Flexboard or composite plastic. To provide an aesthetically-pleasing finish, the back cover 36 and side members 38 may be covered with a material such as a padded fabric, visible in Figure 1, and the support platforms 34 may be provided with a cover made from a resilient material such as an anti-slip rubber or another suitable non-slip material.

As shown in Figure 8, the cross piece 66C of the foot rest webbing portion 60 of the webbing 52 extends underneath the support platform 34. In this way, when a downward force is exerted on the support platform 34 the downward force is transferred to the webbing 52. The left and right arms 66L, 66R of the foot-rest webbing portion 60 may also be integrated into the side members 38 and/or back board 36, for example beneath the fabric covers, leaving only the coupling members 62M exposed for coupling to the seat webbing portion 58.

Referring to Figure 9, in the finished seating apparatus 20 the appearance of the seats 20L, 20R is improved by various cover components. In particular, as also visible in Figure 4, a cover piece 40 depends downwardly a short distance from a from front region of the base portion 22 of the seat to cover over any gap between the base portion 22 and the support portion 30 in which the straps 64, 66 of the load transfer means 50 (not visible in Figure 9) might otherwise be visible. The back cover 36 of the support portion is made of a padded fabric and defines a backing piece 42 that provides a neat finish around the foot rest. Side pieces 44 are also provided, made of a similar padded fabric, which may hang from the seat assembly 20 at its left and right sides.

When the seat assembly 20 is erected, the backing piece 42 and side pieces 44 hang from the seats 20L, 20R to provide a neat finish, and to give the illusion of a solid support beneath the base of the seats 20L, 20R, which contributes to a luxurious feel and appearance of the seat assembly 20.

The backing piece 42 and side pieces 44 also co-operate together to form a storage bag for the seat assembly 20 when the assembly is dismantled. In this case, the support portion 30 and associated backing piece 42 can then be folded over the base portions 22 of the seats 20L, 20R in the direction of arrow C. The back portions 24 of the seats 20L, 20R can then be folded onto the respective base portions 22 of the seats 20L, 20R in the direction of arrow A, and hence onto the backing piece 42 for neat storage. Finally, the side pieces 44 can be folded over in the direction of arrow B.

In use, the seat assembly 20 is erected in the rear load space 12 of a vehicle 10 as shown in Figure 1, with the base portion 22 of each seat 20L, 20R parallel to and supported by the floor of the load space 12, and the back portion 24 of each seat 20L, 20R substantially perpendicular to the base portion 22. The support portion 30 is suspended from the seats 20L, 20R at a position that is above the ground 14 surrounding the vehicle 10.

To reach the seat 20L, 20R for use, the user can use the suspended support platform 34 as a ‘step’ that facilitates access. The user may step on the support platform 34, placing substantially all their weight on the platform 34. Referring to Figure 2, all the user’s weight will be transferred from the support platform 34 to the load-transfer means 50, and from the load-transfer means 50 to the reinforcement means 26 of the seat 20L, 20R. Since the reinforcement means 26 is the primary load-bearing means of the seat back 24, the reinforcement means 26 is apt to cope with the transferred load, and provides sufficient strength to bear the weight of the user. In this way, the reinforcement means 26 provides the strength required to allow the user to employ the support platform 34 as a step that facilitates access to the seat 20L, 20R.

When the user is sat in the seat 20L, 20R, the user can employ the support platform 34 as a foot rest, taking as much or as little of the user’s weight as required. When the user wishes to dismount from the seat 20L, 20R, the user may once again use the support platform 34 as a step to facilitate their dismount.

In this way, the load transfer arrangement provides a simple means for safely enabling the user to employ the support platform 34 as both a load-bearing step and a footrest.

To enable a user to secure the support platform 34 at the desired height, the support platform 34 may optionally be height-adjustable. This may be achieved by providing a height-adjustable load-transfer means 150 shown in Figures 10 and 11.

To this end, the coupling means 162 that couples the foot rest webbing portion 160 to the seat webbing portion 158 may be configured to allow coupling at different coupling points. In particular, the foot rest webbing portion 160 may comprise multiple male coupling members 162M arranged at different heights along the length of the webbing. In this case, two male coupling members are provided: an upper male coupling member 162MU and a lower male coupling member 162ML. Different male coupling members 162MU, 162ML can be engaged with the female coupling member 162F to adjust the height of the support platform 134. In this case, the lower male coupling members 162ML may be employed if the support platform 134 is to be located in a relatively high position, and the upper male coupling members 162MU may be employed if the support platform 134 is to be located in a relatively low position.

Many other modifications may be made to the above examples without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A seat assembly for use in a vehicle, the seat assembly comprising a seat, reinforcement means for reinforcing the seat, a support platform suspended from the seat and a load-transfer means coupling the support platform to the reinforcement means such that a load applied to the support platform is transferred to the reinforcement means by the load-transfer means.

2. The seat assembly of Claim 1, wherein the seat comprises a hollow shell and a load-bearing means inside the shell, the load-bearing means defining the reinforcement means.

3. The seat assembly of Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the reinforcement means comprises a load-bearing frame.

4. The seat assembly of Claim 3, wherein the load-bearing frame is a die-cast component.

5. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the seat comprises a base portion and a back portion.

6. The seat assembly of Claim 5, wherein the reinforcement means is integrated into the back portion.

7. The seat assembly of Claim 6, wherein the support platform is suspended from the base portion of the seat, and the load transfer means extends through or around base portion of the seat.

8. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the load-transfer means comprises a first portion coupled to the reinforcement means and a second portion coupled to the support platform.

9. The seat assembly of Claim 8, wherein the first and second portions are couplable to one another by a coupling means.

10. The seat assembly of Claim 9, wherein the coupling means is configured to provide at least two coupling positions corresponding to two positions of the support platform.

11. The seat assembly of Claim 10, wherein at least one of the first and second portions of the load-transfer means supports two coupling members, the two coupling members defining the two coupling positions.

12. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the load-transfer means comprises a flexible webbing.

13. The seat assembly of any Claim 12, wherein the load-transfer means comprises a nylon webbing.

14. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the load-transfer means comprises at least one strap.

15. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the load-transfer means is fixed to the reinforcement means by a mechanical fastening.

16. The seat assembly of Claim 15, wherein the load-transfer means extends under the support platform.

17. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the support platform defines a foot rest.

18. The seat assembly of any preceding claim, wherein the seat assembly is a temporary seat assembly for temporarily mounting in a rear load space of a vehicle.

19. A vehicle comprising a seat assembly, the seat assembly comprising a seat, reinforcement means for reinforcing the seat, a support platform suspended from the seat and a load-transfer means coupling the support platform to the reinforcement means such that a load applied to the support platform is transferred to the reinforcement means by the load-transfer means.

20. The vehicle of Claim 19, wherein the seat assembly is mounted in a rear load 5 space of the vehicle.

21. The vehicle of Claim 19 or Claim 20, wherein the seat assembly is mounted in the vehicle such that the support platform is suspended over the ground surrounding the vehicle to define a step that leads up to the seat.