Vehicle seat

Details Vehicle seat Vehicle seat

2001-05-15

2003-06-17

White, Rodney B. (Department: 3636)

Chairs and seats

Movable bottom

Tiltable

C297S334000, C297S335000, C297S340000, C297S341000, C297S378100, C297S378120, C296S065090, C296S065050

Reexamination Certificate

active

06578919

ABSTRACT:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present specification relates to vehicle seats. More specifically, the present specification relates to a four-bar vehicle seat having both a stow and an ingress/egress function.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vehicle seats, particularly vehicle seats used in the second row of vehicles having a third row of seats, such as sport utility vehicles and vans, are typically designed to fold, slide, or pivot forward to permit easier entry into the third row of seats. Further, it is also desirable for vehicle seats to have a stow position, in which the seatback folds forward creating a larger space in the vehicle for storage of bulky cargo.
Conventional vehicle seats are typically designed to permit easier ingress and egress to the next row in one of two ways. First, the seat can be mounted on tracks and the seatback pivotally mounted to the seat cushion such that to permit ingress and egress, the seatback is folded forward and the seat moved to a forward position on the tracks to create more room. This type of seat is typically called a dump style seat. Second, conventional seats can have rear legs that are releasably mounted to the floor of the vehicle such that more room for ingress and egress is created by releasing the rear legs and pivoting the entire seat forward about pivotally mounted front legs. Seats having this type of mechanism are conventionally called fold and tumble seats.
The conventional designs used for the ingress and egress function described above have the following disadvantages. If the seat is mounted on tracks and slides forward on those tracks, the rear portion of the tracks remain on the vehicle floor, creating a tripping hazard for occupants moving into and out of the vehicle, as well as being aesthetically unpleasing. The same disadvantages result from fold and tumble style seats with releasable rear legs because the floor mount remains in place, interfering with occupants and generally being unsightly. Further, both the tracks and the rear leg and associated floor mount interfere with the leg room of passengers seated in the next row when the seat is in the driving position. Further still, seats having a releasable rear leg typically require a mechanism to automatically retract the leg as the seat is tumbled forward such that passengers are not harmed or interfered with when entering or exiting the vehicle. The equipment necessary to automatically retract the rear leg into the frame of the seat adds manufacturing costs to the vehicle seat. Further still, moving the conventional seat out of the way to permit ingress and egress can require two steps, the first involving folding the seatback forward and the second involving sliding the seat forward or tumbling the seat after releasing the rear leg. Yet further still, the track mounted dump style seat may not create a sufficiently large opening for ingress and egress because the rear portion of the seat cushion remains level with the floor of the vehicle after sliding forward rather than lifting up and out of the way.
Conventional seats can also be designed to permit a stowed or utility position. The conventional mechanisms used to place a vehicle seat into a stowed position include a pivot between the seatback and cushion allowing the seatback to be folded down to an essentially flat position on the cushion to create more cargo space. Another conventional method involves a releasable rear leg as described above permitting the entire seat to be tumbled forward into a recess or cavity in the floor of the vehicle. A third conventional style includes the use of a four-bar seat mechanism to pivot the entire seat forward into a cavity in the vehicle after first folding the seatback down onto the seat cushion.
The conventional mechanisms used to create a stowed position have the following disadvantages. If the seatback is designed to fold onto the cushion for storage but the cushion itself does not shift in some manner, it is difficult to design a seatback that will fold to an essentially horizontal position because of the upholstery and padding on the seatback and cushion. In order to avoid this problem, the seatback can be designed with substantially less upholstery and padding, sacrificing occupant comfort. Further, as described above, seats that have a releasable rear leg are more costly and result in the floor mount left behind after releasing the rear leg thus interfering with occupants and cargo storage in the vehicle. Further, four-bar type seats that kneel into a stowed position serve the utilitarian function of having a stowed position but may not include the second function of moving into a position to permit occupant ingress and egress from the vehicle.
Accordingly, there is a need for a vehicle seat that has both a stowed position and a position to permit occupant ingress and egress that is cost effective, does not leave unsightly and hazardous hardware on the floor of the vehicle when in the stowed or ingress/egress positions, that does not have tracks or a rear leg that interfere with the leg room of occupants in the next row, that creates enough room to permit easy ingress and egress from the vehicle, and that does not require multiple steps to place the seat into the ingress/egress position or the stowed position.
The teachings hereinbelow extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-identified needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An exemplary embodiment relates to a vehicle seat for a vehicle having a floor. The seat includes a riser pivotally connected to the vehicle floor, a seatback pivotally connected to the riser, an upper member pivotally connected to the seatback, and a front leg pivotally connected to the upper member and the vehicle floor. The upper member is not directly connected to the riser.
Another exemplary embodiment relates to a vehicle seat coupled to a vehicle floor and having a front leg, a riser, an upper member, and a seatback. The vehicle seat includes a first pivot connecting the upper member and the front leg, a second pivot connecting the front leg and the vehicle floor, a third pivot connecting the vehicle floor and the riser, a fourth pivot connecting the riser and the seatback, and a fifth pivot connecting the seatback and the upper member.
Further, an exemplary embodiment relates to a vehicle seat coupled to a vehicle floor and having an occupant use position, a stowed position, and an ingress/egress position. The vehicle seat includes a riser pivotally coupled to the vehicle floor, a seatback pivotally coupled to the riser, and a cushion pivotally coupled to the seatback. The seatback remains fixed with respect to the riser when the seat is moved from the occupant use position to the ingress/egress position. Further, the riser remains fixed with respect to the vehicle floor when the seat is moved from the occupant use position to the stowed position.


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