US20060202531A1

US20060202531A1 - Vehicle seat presenting a back that can be folded down fowards

Info

Publication number: US20060202531A1
Application number: US11/369,189
Authority: US
Inventors: Francois Fourrey; Gilles Petit Jean
Original assignee: Faurecia Sieges dAutomobile SAS
Current assignee: Faurecia Sieges dAutomobile SAS
Priority date: 2005-03-07
Filing date: 2006-03-06
Publication date: 2006-09-14
Also published as: JP2006248515A; FR2882706A1; FR2882706B1

Abstract

A vehicle seat comprising a back and a seat proper secured to a first rigid frame, the first frame being itself supported on both sides of the seat proper by a second rigid frame on which the back is pivotally mounted. The first frame is movable between a first position and a second position relative to the second frame. The first frame is connected to the second frame via at least one link. A locking device is adapted to block the first frame in the first position, and a linking mechanism is adapted to release the locking device while the back is being tilted down towards the seat proper.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vehicle seats that take up less space when in the folded position.
More particularly, the invention relates to a vehicle seat comprising a back and a seat proper comprising a cushion secured to a first rigid frame, the first frame being itself supported on both sides of the seat proper by a second rigid frame, the first frame being movable between a first position and a second position relative to the second frame, the first frame incorporating a front portion and a rear portion, each connected to the second frame by means of at least one link, the link presenting firstly a bottom portion pivotally mounted on the second frame and secondly a top portion pivotally mounted on the first frame and movable relative to the second frame from an initial position, corresponding to the first position of the first frame, to a retracted position corresponding to the second position of the first frame, the link being designed so that the second position of the first frame is lower than the first position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A vehicle seat of the above-described type is disclosed in document FR-A1-2 705 289, in which the seat proper moves backwards in order to retract the padding on this seat as far as possible and thus obtain a horizontal stool (i.e. a folded-flat position)
However, this type of seat has the disadvantage of using a complex and bulky control system made up of a plurality of links, shafts, and slots involving significant amounts of slack in control.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A particular object of the present invention is to mitigate those drawbacks.
To this end, according to the invention, a vehicle seat of the type in question is characterized by the fact that the back is pivotally mounted directly on the second frame, in that a locking device is adapted to block the first frame in the first position, and in that a linking mechanism is adapted to release the locking device while the back is being tilted down towards the seat proper.
By means of these dispositions, the seat proper of the seat can be moved forwards and lowered in order to provide a vehicle seat that is compact when it is in the folded position, i.e. when the back is folded down onto the seat, with no complex and bulky control linkage.
In various embodiment of the seat of the invention, one or more of the following systems may optionally also be used:
the first frame is a sheet metal bucket;
the second frame comprises two cheekplates that surround the bucket;
the locking device comprises at least one blocking member pivotally mounted on the first frame to pivot between a blocking position in which it holds one of the links in its initial position and a release position in which it enables the link to move, the blocking member presenting a cam surface on which the link slides, moving the member towards its release position while the first frame is being moved towards the first position;
the seat includes a spring that urges the link towards its retracted position;
the seat proper is supported by two front legs and two rear legs and in which each second frame is mounted on a front leg in such a way that it pivots;
the second position is further forwards than the first position;
the seat back can be folded down onto the seat proper in a substantially horizontal stool position and in which the release of the locking device is achieved when the back is close to this stool position; and
the linking mechanism is a cable that extends between the back and the locking device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention become apparent from the following description of an embodiment given by way of non-limiting example and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side view of the seat of the invention in the deployed position;
FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 in which the seat is in the stool position;
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1 in which the seat is in a folded-up position; and
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the seat of the invention.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the various figures, the same references designate elements that are identical or similar.
The terms front, rear, top, and bottom are used in the description in their usual meanings in connection with a vehicle.
The seat assembly of the invention is for use in vehicles such as minivans that offer increased load space when the seats are in the folded-up position, as shown in FIG. 3. More particularly, the seat assembly of the invention can be used for so-called second and third row seats, which must be highly versatile, and in particular must be capable of being folded down into a stool position (shown in FIG. 2) or of being folded up into an upright position such as the folded-up position (shown in FIG. 3) in which it provides a high-capacity trunk, or of being tipped into a position in which the deployed seat together with its seat proper is pivoted to allow access to the space at the rear (not shown).
In the invention, the seat assembly comprises a seat 10 made up of a seat proper 12 that extends substantially longitudinally along the axis X inside the vehicle between a front part 14 and a rear part 16, and of a back 18 that extends substantially vertically inside the vehicle when the seat is in the deployed position as shown in FIG. 1.
The back 18 is pivotally mounted relative to the seat proper 12 about a transverse axis Y1. The angle of inclination of the back 18 relative to the seat proper 12 is adjustable by means of a discontinuous hinge of the type described in document FR-A1-2 740 406, which enables the hinge to be held in its unlocked position, even after its unlocking control member 20 has been released, for certain maneuvers of the back 18 such as folding it down forwards onto the seat proper 12 in order to put the seat 10 into the stool position, shown in FIG. 2, or folding up the seat as shown in FIG. 3.
The seat proper 12 is slidably mounted on the floor 22 using a runner 24 including a stationary bar 26, which is itself secured to the floor 22.
The seat proper 12 is connected to the stationary bars 26 by a pair of front legs 28 and a pair of rear legs 30, disposed on either side of the seat proper 12 and joined together by crosspieces. These crosspieces present a substantially flat portion forming part of a disk with its rounded side facing towards the vehicle cabin in such a way as to limit snagging on other elements.
The front legs 28 are L-shaped, each comprising a first limb 28 a that extends vertically and a second limb 28 b that extends horizontally along the axis X along the stationary bar 26.
The second limb 28 b of the L-shaped leg 28 extends along the axis X, parallel to the stationary bar 26 of the runner 24, between a front and rear end, and itself forms a moving bar of the runner 24 that slides along the stationary bar 26 in order to enable the seat to be moved longitudinally along axis X to occupy different positions in the vehicle. The rear leg 30 is secured to a bottom end on the second limb 28 b of front leg 28.
For this purpose, each front leg 28 includes a runner lock known to the person skilled in the art.
The seat proper includes a cushion 32 secured to a first frame 34 that is carried by a second frame 36 made of rigid metal and on which the back 18 is mounted.
The first frame 34 is in the form of a metal bucket that has vertical sides 34 a and 34 b on either side of the seat 10. The front edge of the bucket forms an upward fold that forms a safety crosspiece. This crosspiece is adapted to be deformed plastically while absorbing part of the mechanical energy due to the inertia of the user in the event of a frontal impact, thereby limiting the forces exerted under the thighs of the user during an accident and thus improving safety.
The second frame 36 comprises two metal cheekplates on either side of the seat.
The first frame 34 presents a front part and a rear part whose sides 34 a and 34 b are connected to the second frame 36 by respective front and rear links 38 and 40 on either side of the seat proper 12. In the description below, only one side of the seat proper 12 is described to facilitate the reader's understanding, the other side being symmetrical about a central longitudinal axis of the seat.
The front link 38 and the rear link 40 present respective top portions 38 a and 40 a that are pivotally mounted on the first frame 34 by means of first pivots. They also have respective bottom portions 38 b and 40 b pivotally mounted on the second frame 36 by means of second pivots. The first and second pivots present axes of rotation in alignment on opposite sides of the seat.
Since the second frame 36 is secured to the floor 22 of the vehicle via front legs 28 and rear legs 30, only the top portions 38 a and 40 a of the links 38 and 40, connected to the seat proper 12, can move relative to the second frame 36 from an initial position rearwards or forwards to a retracted position by the links 38 and 40 pivoting about the first and second pivots.
The two links 38 and 40 are positioned so that they pivot in the same angular direction, between the initial position in which the seat 10 is deployed and corresponding to a first position of the first frame 34, shown in FIG. 1, and a second position in which the seat is folded down and corresponding to a second or stool position of the first frame, shown in FIG. 2. In the first position, the first frame 34 and thus the seat proper 12 are higher than in the second position. While the seat is moving, the top portions of the links 38 a and 40 a describe downward circular arcs.
FIG. 2 shows the seat 10 when the links 38 and 40 have turned counter clockwise. In a variant of the invention, they could turn in the opposite direction, with the seat then being moved backwards.
In the normal-use position of the seat, the links 38 and 40 are held in their initial high position, and as a result the first frame 34 is blocked in its first position, by means of a locking device, which is shown diagrammatically in the accompanying figures.
This mechanism comprises two blocking members formed by two hooks 44, each positioned on the rear portion on either side of the seat proper, and only one of which is visible in the accompanying figures. The hook 44 is pivotally mounted on the first frame 34 to pivot between a blocking position in which it is adapted to receive the top portion of the rear link 40 a in its initial position to prevent it from tilting forwards, and a released position in which it allows the rear link 40 to move forwards towards its retracted position.
The hook 44 is pivotally mounted relative to the first frame 34 about an axis parallel to the axis of rotation of the links. Thus, when the hook 44 is pivoted, the top portion of the rear link 40 a is released, and is then free to pivot forwards.
The pivoting of the hook 44, and as a result, the release of rear link 40 can be achieved via a linking mechanism, such as a cable 46 that extends between the back 18 and said hook 44, the mechanism being controlled by tipping the back 18 down towards the seat proper 12.
A spring 48 urges the rear link 40 towards its retracted position.
Thus, when the back 18 is tipped forwards, the hook 44 is automatically pivoted and releases the rear link, which is driven forwards by the spring 48. Thus the seat proper is driven forwards and lowered automatically while the back 18 of the seat 10 is being tipped forwards and comes close to the stool position. This gives a seat in the folded-down position that takes up less space than prior-art seats.
A stop secured to the first frame 34 limits how far the top portion 38 a of the front link 38 can move and ensures the seat proper 12 remains stable when the seat is in the stool position. This stop takes the form of a through-stud projecting from the first frame.
The second frame 36 is pivotally mounted on the front leg 28, to pivot about a transverse axis Y2 in a manner that brings the seat into the folded-up shown in FIG. 3. To do this, the user releases the rear leg 30, which has its bottom end secured to the second limb 28 b of the front leg 28 via a releasable hook of the type known to the person skilled in the art.
To put the seat back into its normal, deployed position, the user tilts the back 18 backwards, its hinge automatically re-locking when it reaches a position inclined at a determined angle, close to a substantially horizontal position such as the stool position. A user sitting on the seat 10 pushes the seat proper backwards, by using their own legs, so that the first frame 34 moves backwards to its first position. During this movement the rear links 40 slide on a cam surface 50 of the hook 44, which pivots to its release position, leaving the rear link 40 to move to its initial high position. Then the hook 44 locks the pivoting movement of rear link 40 in its initial position to hold the first frame 34 in the first position, and as a result, holding the seat proper 12 in its normal-use position.

Claims

1. A Vehicle seat comprising:

a back and a seat proper comprising a cushion secured to a first rigid frame, the first frame being itself supported on both sides of the seat proper by a second rigid frame, the first frame being movable between a first position and a second position relative to the second frame; and

the first frame incorporating a front portion and a rear portion, each connected to the second frame by means of at least one link, the link presenting firstly a bottom portion pivotally mounted on the second frame and secondly a top portion pivotally mounted on the first frame and movable relative to the second frame from an initial position, corresponding to the first position of the first frame, to a retracted position corresponding to the second position of the first frame, the link being designed so that the second position of the first frame is lower than the first position;

the seat being characterized:

in that the back is pivotally mounted directly on the second frame;

in that a locking device is adapted to block the first frame in the first position; and

in that a linking mechanism is adapted to release the locking device while the back is being tilted down towards the seat proper.

2. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the first frame is a sheet metal bucket.

3. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the second frame comprises two cheekplates that surround the bucket.

4. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the locking device comprises at least one blocking member pivotally mounted on the first frame to pivot between a blocking position in which it holds one of the links in its initial position and a release position in which it enables the link to move, the blocking member presenting a cam surface on which the link slides, moving the member towards its release position while the first frame is being moved towards the first position.

5. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, including a spring that urges the link towards its retracted position.

6. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the seat proper is supported by two front legs and two rear legs and in which each second frame is mounted on a front leg in such a way that it pivots.

7. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the second position is further forwards than the first position.

8. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the seat back can be folded down onto the seat proper in a substantially horizontal stool position and in which the release of the locking device is achieved when the back is close to this stool position.

9. A vehicle seat according to claim 1, in which the linking mechanism is a cable that extends between the back and the locking device.