Foldable vehicle seat

Details Foldable vehicle seat Foldable vehicle seat

2001-08-09

2003-05-27

Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3636)

Chairs and seats

Movable bottom

Tiltable

C297S378130, C297S334000, C296S065010, C296S065050

Reexamination Certificate

active

06568756

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a foldable vehicle seat, and more particularly, to a foldable vehicle seat including a seat cushion which can be inclined forward to increase a luggage area or space.
Some types of automotive vehicles such as station wagon and one-box car are provided with a second or third seat, wherein a seat cushion can be tipped up through a front hinge system and be inclined forward by roughly 180° reverse rotation from a seating position, whereas a seat back can be inclined forward up to the position where the seat cushion has occupied, achieving the full-flat state of the seat in its entirety to use part of a passenger area or space as a luggage area or space.
Such foldable vehicle seat generally includes a return spring or the like to previously provide a force for tipping up a seat cushion in view of the utility. It is undesirable that the seat cushion is inclined forward in one stroke by a tipping-up force concurrently with lock release. Thus, new systems are proposed wherein the seat cushion is stopped once at the upright position or the middle position of a forward-inclination stroke, or it is gradually slowed down toward a forward-inclination limit position, for example.
However, the former system wherein the seat cushion is stopped once at the upright position during forward inclination needs to add an independent lock mechanism, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost due to increased number of parts. Moreover, the former system requires additional operation for releasing lock at that upright position, leading to degradation of the operability.
On the other hand, the latter system wherein the seat cushion is gradually slowed down during forward inclination needs tuning of the slowdown degree by means of a return spring or a damper. However, the slowdown degree is difficult to tune optimally due to influence of dispersion of a spring force of the return spring and a slide resistance of a movable part, resulting in rather unstable slowdown degree. And the use of the damper produces a remarkable increase in manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a foldable vehicle seat which contributes to a reduction in number of parts, and thus in weight and manufacturing cost.
The present invention generally provides a seat for an automotive vehicle with passenger and luggage areas, comprising:
a cushion;
a seat slide device with an upper rail on which the cushion is disposed;
a cushion hinge arranged at a front end of the cushion and comprising a cushion plate, the cushion plate being coupled with the upper rail and rotatable between a first position corresponding to a seating position and a second position opposite to the first position in a forward direction, the cushion plate being biased in a direction of the second position, wherein the cushion can be inclined to the second position by its tipping-up from the seating position with center of the cushion hinge as center of rotation;
a lock plate mounted to the upper rail, the lock plate having a position selectively switched in accordance with a seat slide position;
a first stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the passenger area and that the cushion is tipped up from the first position, the first stopper stops once the cushion at a middle position a first predetermined amount before the second position by abutting on the lock plate; and
a second stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the luggage area and that the cushion is inclined backward from the second position to the first position, the second stopper stops once the cushion at an interlock position a second predetermined amount before the first position by abutting on the lock plate.
One aspect of the present invention is to provide a seat for an automotive vehicle with passenger and luggage areas, comprising:
a cushion;
a seat slide device with an upper rail on which the cushion is disposed;
a cushion hinge arranged at a front end of the cushion and comprising a cushion plate, the cushion plate being coupled with the upper rail and rotatable between a first position corresponding to a seating position and a second position opposite to the first position in a forward direction, the cushion plate being biased in a direction of the second position, wherein the cushion can be inclined to the second position by its tipping-up from the seating position with center of the cushion hinge as center of rotation;
a lock plate mounted to the upper rail, the lock plate having a position selectively switched in accordance with a seat slide position;
a first stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the passenger area and that the cushion is tipped up from the first position, the first stopper stops once the cushion at a middle position a first predetermined amount before the second position by abutting on the lock plate, wherein when the seat is moved from the passenger area to the luggage area, the first stopper allows inclination of the cushion to the second position in accordance with the position of the lock plate; and
a second stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the luggage area and that the cushion is inclined backward from the second position to the first position, the second stopper stops once the cushion at an interlock position a second predetermined amount before the first position by abutting on the lock plate, wherein when the seat is moved from the luggage area to the passenger area, the second stopper allows returning of the cushion to the first position in accordance with the position of the lock plate.
Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a seat for an automotive vehicle with passenger and luggage areas, comprising:
a cushion;
a seat slide device with an upper rail on which the cushion is disposed;
a cushion hinge arranged at a front end of the cushion and comprising a cushion plate, the cushion plate being coupled with the upper rail and rotatable between a first position corresponding to a seating position and a second position opposite to the first position in a forward direction, the cushion plate being biased in a direction of the second position, wherein the cushion can be inclined to the second position by its tipping-up from the seating position with center of the cushion hinge as center of rotation;
a lock plate mounted to the upper rail, the lock plate having a position selectively switched in accordance with a seat slide position;
a first stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the passenger area and that the cushion is tipped up from the first position, the first stopper stops once the cushion at a middle position a first predetermined amount before the second position by abutting on the lock plate;
a second stopper mounted to the cushion plate, wherein when the seat is placed in the luggage area and that the cushion is inclined backward from the second position to the first position, the second stopper stops once the cushion at an interlock position a second predetermined amount before the first position by abutting on the lock plate; and
a detection lever mounted to the upper rail, the detection lever being switched between a first position when the seat is placed at the end of the slide stroke on the side of the passenger area and a second position when the seat is placed in other positions.
Still another aspect of the present invention is to provide a seat for an automotive vehicle with passenger and luggage areas, comprising:
a cushion;
a seat slide device with an upper rail on which the cushion is disposed;
a cushion hinge arranged at a front end of the cushion and comprising a cushion plate, the cushion plate being coupled with the upper rail and rotatable between a first position corresponding to a seating position and a second position opposite to the first position in a forward direction, the cushion plate being biased in a directio

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