WO2001005624A1

WO2001005624A1 - Set of preassembly front seats for a motor vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2001005624A1
Application number: PCT/EP2000/005302
Authority: WO
Inventors: Silvio Brambilla
Original assignee: Lear Corporation
Priority date: 1999-07-20
Filing date: 2000-06-08
Publication date: 2001-01-25
Also published as: ITTO990137U1

Abstract

A set of front seats for a motor vehicle comprises a preassembly frame (2), which includes a crossmember (4) fitted with end brackets (5, 6) for fixing it to the bodywork of a motor vehicle. Mounted on the crossmember (4) are the frames (9) of the front seats, which each consist of a peripheral tubular structure to which are attached a backrest component and a cushion component (14, 15) that consist of, for example, preupholstered components connected by means of rapid attachments to the tubular structure (9), or of a rigid mesh structure attached to the said tubular frame. Also directly connected to the crossmember (4) are other accessories such as the anchor points and retractors for seat belts, the parking brake lever assembly, storage spaces, arm rests and the like.

Description

"Set of preassembly front seats for a motor vehicle"

The present innovation relates to front seats for motor vehicles. The object of the innovation is to provide a set of front seats for a motor vehicle that can be assembled simply and quickly, can be mounted on the bodywork of a motor vehicle equally simply and quickly and that also lends itself to producing different possible configurations of seats, by means of a modular approach, in a simple and rapid manner.

In order to achieve these objects, the subject- matter of the innovation is a set of seats for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises a single support frame for preassembly of two or more front seats of a motor vehicle, the said preassembly frame comprising a crossmember component fitted with end brackets for fixing it to the floor of the motor vehicle, and two or more front seat structures each comprising a frame consisting of a peripheral tubular structure to which are attached a cushion component and a backrest component. These components may be, for example, preupholstered modular components, i.e. each consisting of a supporting structure with padding and a cover, or they may be mesh structures which are attached to the peripheral tubular frame by a method already known per se.

Clearly, the preassembly frame can be used to support a series of accessory components, such as the handbrake lever, an arm rest, storage containers and the like, as well as the anchor point and retractor for the seat belt associated with each seat.

The set according to the innovation lends itself particularly to the production of sets of front seats for cars with small engines where the design philosophy is primarily aimed at a basic, simple and lightweight design, although of course the innovation is capable of general application to any type of car.

In the simplest versions the frames of the front seats may be connected rigidly to the preassembly frame with no facility for adjustment, whereas in more elaborate embodiments the frame of each seat is connected adjustably to the preassembly frame.

Other features and advantages of the innovation will be found in the description which follows, with reference to the accompanying drawings, provided purely by way of non-illustrative example, in which:

Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of a set of front seats according to the innovation, Figure 2 is a side view of the set shown in

Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the preassembly frame forming part of the set according to the innovation, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of a seat forming part of the set of the innovation, in accordance with a variant.

In the drawings, the number 1 indicates the whole of a set of preassembly front seats for a motor vehicle. The set comprises a preassembly frame 2 on which are mounted two seat structures 3. As can be seen clearly in Figure 3, the preassembly frame 2 comprises a rigid metal crossmember 4 of horizontally flattened shape connected rigidly at either end to two brackets 5, 6 for anchoring the seats to the bodywork of the motor vehicle. Figure 3 also shows a metal arm 7 connected rigidly to the crossmember 4, from which it projects cantilever-fashion, in order, with the bracket 6, to support the rail system of the driver's seat, and metal brackets 8 for the fixing of the passenger seat frame .

As can be seen in Figures 1 and 2, each seat structure 3 comprises a frame 9 in the form of a peripheral tubular structure. In Figure 1 one of the two frames is shown fitted with a cushion and a backrest, while the other frame, shown on the left in Figure 1 (i.e corresponding to the passenger seat) is shown without upholstery. It should be pointed out also that the frame illustrated on the left in Figure 1 is connected rigidly to the brackets 8, in accordance with one possible version forming the subject-matter of the present innovation. The other frame, by contrast, is connected to its brackets 6, 7 by means of longitudinal rails 10 of any known type, with an associated device for adjusting the longitudinal position of the seat, with a lever 11 to operate it.

The anchor points 12 and retractors 13 for the seat belts for both seats are also directly attached to the crossmember 2.

Figures 1 and 2 show the case in which the peripheral frame 9 is provided with a cushion component 14 and a backrest component 15, both consisting of preupholstered components, i.e. each having a supporting structure with padding and a cover, these being fastened to the tubular structure 9 by means of attachments 15a (Figure 2) . Alternatively, the body of the seat may be made in the form of an elastic mesh such as that illustrated in Figure 4. It will be obvious from the above description that the set according to the innovation is simple and easy to assemble and can also be mounted inside the car quickly and easily. Furthermore, all the various accessories, such as the handbrake lever, seat belt retractors and other accessories such as storage spaces, arm rests and so on can be preassembled off the production line onto the frame 4 for subsequent mounting in the car in a single operation.

The form of the frame of each seat and the modular design of the seat itself and of its associated supporting unit allow more efficient manufacture and lend themselves particularly to the production of sets of seats for cars with small engines designed to be simple, basic and lightweight. This innovation also applies, of course, to other models that achieve equal utility using the same innovative concept.

Claims

1. Set of front seats for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises: a single support frame (2) for preassembly of the front seats (3) of a motor vehicle, the said frame

(2) comprising a component (4) fitted with end brackets

(5, 6) for fixing it to the bodywork of a motor vehicle, and at least two seat frames (9) assembled on the said supporting frame (2) and each consisting of a peripheral tubular structure (9) to which are attached a cushion component (14) and a backrest component (15) .

2. Set of front seats for a motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said seat and backrest components (14, 15) are preupholstered components each comprising a bearing structure supporting padding with a cover.

3. Set of front seats for a motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that other accessory components are also connected to the said supporting frame (2), such as anchor points and retractors for seat belts, the parking brake lever assembly, storage spaces, arm rests and the like.

4. Set of front seats for a motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the said cushion component and the said backrest component (14, 15) are integral parts of an elastic mesh structure attached to the abovementioned peripheral frame (9) .

5. Set of front seats for a motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the peripheral tubular structure (9) is connected to the abovementioned crossmember (4) via means (10) that allow the position of the seat to be adjusted.