Land vehicles – Body elevation or tilt – Establishing riding or trim height
Patent
1983-08-12
1985-05-14
Bertsch, Richard A.
Land vehicles
Body elevation or tilt
Establishing riding or trim height
180 41, 280711, 297284, A47C 746, B60N 106, B60G 1700
Patent
active
045167885
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a seat, specifically, a seating position adjusting device for an automotive vehicle seat. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for adjusting a lumbar support, a thigh support, a side support or the like installed in an automotive vehicle seat by adjusting the pressure of a working gas.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, it has been attempted or proposed that an adjustable lumbar support, thigh support, side support or the like be installed in a automotive vehicle seat, particularly driver's seat, to adjust seating position of the seat. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,598 issued on July 11, 1967, to George Harold Whiteside, there is shown a seat whose seat cushion and seat back are composed of a plurality of pneumatic chambers and each pneumatic chamber is connected to a pressurized gas supply source through a pressure control means. Further, Japanese Patent Application for Utility Model Publication No. Sho. 47-11021, published on Oct. 9, 1971 shows a seat for automotive vehicle equipped with a pneumatic lumbar support for which the tension of the portion thereof in contact with the lumbar region of the seated passenger is adjusted by adjusting the pressure of working gas in the pneumatic chamber.
In the above seat, a pneumatic pump is used as a pressure gas supply source, and this pump is installed in the vehicle compartment. Accordingly, such conventional devices may cause problems in that the vehicle body weight will be increased owing to this pneumatic pump and in addition, the manufacturing cost will also be increased. Additionally, since the pneumatic pump is ordinarily arranged in the vehicle compartment, space for mounting the pump is required. Furthermore, working noise is generated in the compartment since the pump is arranged in the compartment, thereby disturbing the quietness of the compartment.
Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide an adjusting device for a seat which has improved operational capabilities without a dedicated pneumatic pump, and can work without degrading the quietness of the vehicle compartment.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To accomplish the above or the other objects of the present invention, a seating position adjusting device for an automotive vehicle seat according to the present invention is so designed that the pressure in a pneumatic chamber of the adjusting device is adjusted by means of a compressor or a pressure pump used in a vehicle height adjusting system which adjusts the vehicle height automatically by means of a working gas. A pneumatic chamber formed in a seat equipped with the seating position adjusting device is therefore connected to a working gas passsage of the vehicle height adjusting system through a control valve. The control valve is electrically connected to a driving switch which is disposed in the seat or the vicinity thereof. Thus, the valve is opened in accordance with a driving signal from the driving switch so that the pressurized gas from the compressor or pressure pump is introduced into the pneumatic chamber. The pneumatic chamber itself is provided with a relief valve for preventing excessive increase of the pressure in the pneumatic chamber by releasing some pressure through the relief valve when the pressure in the pneumatic chamber coincides with a predetermined value. This relief valve prevents the pressure in the pneumatic chamber from increasing beyond a predetermined value, thereby preventing the pneumatic chamber from breaking. Furthermore, the pneumatic chamber is provided with an exhaust valve to exhaust the pressurized gas in the pneumatic chamber to the ambient air so that the pressure in the pneumatic chamber can be adjustably decreased.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given herebelow and from the accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, which however, should not be taken as limitative to the
REFERENCES:
patent: 3330598 (1967-07-01), Whiteside
patent: 3510143 (1970-05-01), Carpenter
patent: 4139235 (1979-02-01), Elbert
patent: 4293139 (1981-10-01), Brown
patent: 4327936 (1982-05-01), Sekiguchi
patent: 4349077 (1982-09-01), Sekiguchi et al.
patent: 4444430 (1984-04-01), Yoshida et al.
Ito Osamu
Kakeba Masakatsu
Muraishi Masakazu
Umetsu Yoshihiro
Bertsch Richard A.
Nissan Motor Company Limited
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