Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-10
2001-07-31
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S065010, C296S063000, C296S065140, C297S250100, C297S344130, C297S477000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06267430
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to slide rails for removable seats of vehicles.
More particularly, the invention relates to a slide rail for a removable vehicle seat comprising:
a fixed section intended to be fixed with the vehicle floor and along which the seat can slide, this fixed section comprising first and second longitudinal ends and having at least one flange under which a free space is delimited, said flange extending from the first end to near the second end of the fixed section,
and at least one shuttle sliding mounted relative to the fixed section and adapted to be connected to the vehicle seat so as to follow the movement of the seat along said fixed section.
By removable seat, it is understood here a seat which can be entirely removed from the vehicle, or which can at least be moved so as to free a large part of the vehicle floor zone normally situated under the seat (it can relate to for example a tipping seat in the approximately vertical position or “pocket book” position).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Because the seats carried by these slide rails are removable, it is not conceivable to electrically supply these seats by means of a cable layer or of a bundle of cables left free on the vehicle floor under the seat part of the seat, as is the case for non-removable seats. Indeed, this layer or this bundle of cables would be in the way and would be able to be damaged by the passengers of the vehicle when the seat frees the floor zone normally situated under it.
Removable seats of this type do not therefore generally include any electrical equipment, so that they have less functionality than non-removable seats.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has the particular object of overcoming this drawback, by proposing means for simply and in a sure manner achieving the electrical connection of a removable seat which is mounted on at least one slide rail and which comprises at least one piece of electrical equipment.
To this end, according to the invention, in a slide rail of the type defined above, intended for such a removable vehicle seat, the shuttle carries an electrical connecting device intended to be connected to the seat, and in that the electrical connection device carried by said shuttle is itself connected to an electrical circuit integral with the vehicle floor at the first longitudinal end of the fixed section, by means of a flexible electrical cabling which is set under the flange of the fixed section and which is held taut by a resilient return drum.
As a result of these features, the flexible electrical cabling remains permanently hidden under the upper flange of the fixed section, so that this cabling does not hinder the users of the vehicle and does not risk being damaged by them when the seat is removed or moved in order to free the floor.
In preferred embodiments of the invention, one and/or other of the following features may be incorporated:
the flexible cabling is constituted by a layer of cables in the form of a ribbon;
the resilient return drum comprises:
an inner fixed drum, fixed with the fixed section so as not to be able to rotate,
a hollow movable drum which surrounds the fixed drum and which is mounted to rotate relative to the fixed drum,
resilient means acting on the movable drum in a first angular direction,
the flexible cabling having a first fixing point fixed with the movable drum, and said flexible cabling being subdivided into:
a first cabling section which extends around the fixed drum in a second angular direction opposite to the first angular direction from said first fixing point,
and a second cabling section which extends around the movable drum in the second angular direction from said first fixing point;
the first cabling section extends to a second fixing point which is fixed (directly or indirectly) with the fixed drum;
the movable drum is surrounded by a casing integral with the fixed drum;
the resilient return drum is fixed (directly or indirectly) with the vehicle floor;
the resilient return drum is fixed with the shuttle;
the slide rail fixed section has an approximately U-shaped section open upwards, with two approximately vertical lateral flanges each extended inwards by an approximately horizontal flap, one of these flaps constituting the flange under which the flexible cabling is housed.
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French Preliminary Search Report, Oct. 28, 1999, Appl. No. FR 9902348.
Bertrand Faure Equipments SA
Marshall O'Toole Gerstein Murray & Borun
Pape Joseph D.
Patel Kiran B.
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