Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-06
2001-06-12
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C297S336000, C248S503100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244649
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a device for the detachable connection of a vehicle seat that guarantees a secure locking and when necessary a simple unlocking of the vehicle seat.
From German Patent DE A1 44 04 935 a device is known for connecting a vehicle seat to a vehicle floor which uses for locking the seat to a bolt of the front bearing block a double-armed locking lever, and for locking with the bolt of the rear bearing block a hook which is open in the travel direction. The double-armed locking lever is held in the unlocked position by a spring in a stop wherein the free end of the one arm is associated with a stop fixed on the vehicle floor. After inserting the fixing point of the vehicle seat into the floor-side bearing blocks, the seat is pushed forwards to produce the keyed locking connection whereby the rear fixing bolt enters between the flanks of the rear fixing hook. At the same time the seat slides inclined down and forwards on a guide slide of a support plate which also supports the double-armed locking lever. This produces an engagement of the floor-side support with the one arm of the locking lever and its swivelling in the direction of the locking position. After reaching a certain swivel angle, the active direction of the spring on the locking element changes round so that this locking element is automatically drawn into the locking position.
The described device does indeed allow a single locking and unlocking of a vehicle seat but it does have the drawback however that the rear locking point is designed in the form of an open hook and cannot absorb forces against the travel direction. In the event of a rear impact crash the front locking point would have to divert the entire energy connected therewith. Furthermore it cannot be completely ruled out that the seat is locked in the front bearing block while the rear fastening hook does not enclose the fixing bolt but stands up on same. Such an unsecured seat gives rise to a considerable risk of accident and injury.
German Patent DE 44 08 696 C1 describes a device for connecting a longitudinal support of a vehicle seat with the vehicle structure whereby a fixing claw which is open to the back engages round a fixing bolt fixed on the body so that even crash forces produced at the rear can be absorbed. After the rear fixing area has been brought into positive engagement the front fixing claw can be lowered onto the associated fastening bolt and can be secured by means of a locking element.
A disadvantage here however is that a locking of the front seat area can also then take place when the rear fixing area rests on the fixing bolt on the bodywork side, i.e. when no rear locking exists. Such a faulty mounting can, during operation of the vehicle, more particularly with severe negative accelerations, lead to the seat folding forwards and thus to severe injury to the user.
From U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,662 a device is known for detachably connecting a vehicle seat to the vehicle floor. The device has two front and two rear slide guides. Fixing bolts are located in engagement with each engagement of the front and rear slide guide. The vehicle seat is fixed or locked on the fixing bolts by fixing hooks. Furthermore the known device has a rod which connects a support foot with a leg of the vehicle seat. In order to remove the vehicle seat it is folded into a vertical position whereby the rear slide guides (or legs of the seat) fold together as a result of their connection with the foot through the rod.
Even with this known device a locking of the front seat area can take place even if the rear fixing area is not properly locked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is therefore to produce a device for detachably locking a vehicle seat to the floor of a motor vehicle which guarantees a simple and at the same time reliable locking and unlocking of the vehicle seat.
According to the invention the locking processes of the front and rear locking devices are connected together by a coupling element, for example a coupling rod wherein the force required for the swivel movements of the front locking element and the secondary locking element is applied by a common spring element. It can thereby be ensured that a locking of the seat with the front fixing bolt can only take place when the rear seat locking has been safely completed.
In order to achieve a still higher standard of safety the embodiment last described is completed by a blocking element which does not allow the release of the locking process at the front fixing bolt if the fixing bolt has still not reached the intended area of the slide guide of the front support plate. The likewise swivelling blocking element, biased by a spring prevents, through a support of the blocking element, its locking movement until the blocking element is forced by the fixing bolt against the spring force out of the covering area above the slide guide.
The additional use of a primary locking element whose position on reaching the locking state is locked by a secondary locking element secures the fixing bolt in the slide guide of the rear fixing hook which is open on one side. It is thereby prevented that the rear seat fastening can become inoperative, particularly following a rear impact crash wherein the floor group is temporarily deformed three-dimensionally or elastically. Through the enormous elastic tensions which thereby occur in the seat frame the seat would then be spun forwards whereby it swivels about the front fixing points. The risk of injury which occurs can thereby be considerable.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the claw-like swivel-mounted primary locking element is biased by a spring element against the locking direction and is at first held by a secondary element in a position which engages over the entrance to the slide guide of the fixing hook. Thus, during assembly of the seat on the vehicle floor, the fixing hook first passes into the claw of the primary locking element and only then in sequence into the slide guide of the fixing hook. On reaching the locking position provided the secondary locking element locks the position of the primary locking element and thus also the position of the fixing bolt in the slide guide of the fixing hook. The secondary locking element is also preferably spring-loaded so that the locking process develops practically automatically and reliably.
A device is thus provided for detachably locking a vehicle seat to the vehicle floor which apart from a substantially increased security in the event of a rear impact crash and simple handling also has a high security against a possible faulty locking. Both in the front and in the rear area the locking can only take place when both fixing bolts have occupied the prescribed ideal position. The locking state can easily be established by checking the position of the easily accessible handle at the front locking element.
By means of this handle it is likewise possible to readily release the front and rear locking. After the handle has been drawn upwards the blocking element again drops before the locking element into the slide guide area of the support plate.
By sliding the seat backwards the rear fixing hook also releases the relevant fixing bolt. The seat can now be lifted out of the bearing blocks of the vehicle floor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4495887 (1985-01-01), Mondrush
patent: 5238285 (1993-08-01), Holdampf et al.
patent: 5282662 (1994-02-01), Bolsworth et al.
patent: 5562322 (1996-10-01), Christoffel
patent: 5765894 (1998-06-01), Okazaki et al.
patent: 4408686 (1995-04-01), None
patent: 4404935 (1995-08-01), None
patent: 0537078 (1993-04-01), None
patent: 0609130 (1994-08-01), None
patent: 0618102 (1994-10-01), None
Alt Christian
Klippert Uwe
Okorie, nee Rampel Marion Christine
Rampel Johann Gerhardt Josef
Rampel, nee Schmidt Hannelore Lisselotte Ilse
Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG Coburg
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Okorie, nee Rampel Marion Christine
Pape Joseph D.
Rampel, nee Schmidt Hannelore Lisselotte Ilse
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