Chairs and seats – Headrest – Angularly movable about horizontal axis
Reexamination Certificate
2002-11-11
2003-12-16
Cranmer, Laurie K. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Headrest
Angularly movable about horizontal axis
C297S061000, C297S391000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06663181
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle seat portion comprising, a first and a second seat part, a first device for accomplishing a first motion of the second seat part in relation to the first seat part.
2. Technical Background
Folding seats of different types are present in many modern motor vehicles. The folding seat arrangement is used to accommodate a large amount of baggage and long baggage by utilizing the interior of the vehicle more effectively. Quite often, the safety arrangements and the design of the prior art seats make them complicated to rearrange from a use-position to a stow-position. Such prior art seats generally require additional adjustment of neighboring equipment, such as for example a headrest and/or other seats, in order to rearrange the folding seat from a use-position to a stow-position. Many times the folding operation of such a prior art seat leads to limited comfort for passengers in neighboring seats due to the required additional adjustments.
Furthermore, it is often difficult to perform a folding operation of seats provided with a headrest or a certain shape of the backrest since particularly the headrests are occupying space in relation to neighboring installations within the vehicle compartment. This leads to an even more complicated folding operation.
There are, however, existing prior art solutions where the headrest is removed, before any folding operation, in order to facilitate the folding of the seat. This is sometimes not desirable and there is for example a risk for the headrest to be mounted in an inappropriate manner when the seat is rearranged to its use-position.
At the same time, it is desirable to provide a folding seat arrangement which allows for utilization of the greatest amount of storing space in the motor vehicle when the seat is folded in a stow-position.
It is also important, particularly for safety reasons, to provide a robust and reliable construction of a folding seat arrangement, especially when the seat is in a use-position and a passenger is occupying the seat.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat portion that overcomes the above issues, and present a vehicle seat portion being easy and comfortable to handle especially during folding of said seat portion or folding of an entire vehicle seat comprising such vehicle seat portion.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat portion which occupies a minimum of space and thereby making available maximum storage space.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat portion being foldable in a highly self-piloting manner between a use-position and a stow-position.
These and other objects are achieved by a vehicle seat portion according to the independent claim
1
. Preferred embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims. According to the invention there is provided a vehicle seat portion comprising, a first and a second seat part, a first device for accomplishing a first motion of the second seat part in relation to the first seat part, a second device for accomplishing a second motion of the second seat part in relation to the first seat part, wherein at least one of the motions is a pivotal motion and, wherein the first and second devices are arranged for activating the second motion upon actuation of the first motion, so as to fold one of said seat parts from a use-position to a stow-position.
This arrangement makes it possible to accomplish an easy folding of a vehicle seat portion in a comfortable and highly self-piloting manner. Furthermore, the arrangement makes it possible to utilize a maximum of space in a vehicle compartment when the seat or seats have been folded. The vehicle seat portion may, according to the invention, be positioned in the most suitable position without any need for further adjustments of said vehicle seat portion when in a folded position.
Preferably, the second seat part is a headrest. According to a preferred embodiment the first motion is the pivotal motion. In more detail, the first pivotal motion is a motion around a first axis being located in said first seat part.
In accordance with a variant of the preferred embodiment said second motion is a second pivotal motion. In further detail, said second pivotal motion is a motion around a second axis being located in said second seat part. It is considered beneficial to achieve a stow-position of said second seat part by pivotal motions around both the first and the second axis of the vehicle seat portion. In more detail said second seat part, when in a stow-position, is pivoted at least ±45°, preferably at least ±90°and most preferred between ±130°-±230° from a use-position.
Preferably, said second seat part is pivoted towards a front part of said vehicle seat portion. This direction is indicated in the above as the positive direction (+) with respect to the pivotal motion. The use-position is here and in the following to be understood as the position of the vehicle seat portion when it is in position for a person to sit in. Directions related to the function of the vehicle seat portion is to be understood here and in the following as being described in relation to a vehicle seat portion in use-position and not necessarily depending on for example how the vehicle seat portion is mounted in the vehicle in relation to the traveling direction. It is anticipated that suitable positions of the second seat part may be accomplished by slightly modified arrangements. Such arrangements may be provided so that for example an initial transverse motion of said second seat part in relation to the extension of the first seat part in a use-position is followed by a pivotal motion. The second seat part will then assume another folded position.
Furthermore, the first and second devices are mechanically interconnected for activating said second motion upon actuation of the first motion. This arrangement will provide an efficient and controlled folding of the second seat part in a highly self-piloting manner.
According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention the first seat part is a backrest and more preferably a backrest of a folding seat. When the first motion in such an arrangement is actuated by a second seat part trigger, which is activated by the folding of the first seat part from said use-position towards a stow-position, the entire folding of a folding seat, once initiated, is hence accomplished in a self-piloting manner. This is further described in the following section.
Preferably, the first device comprises a first latch keeping said second seat part in the use-position, the latch being releasable upon activation, initiating the first motion. Furthermore, the second device preferably comprises a second latch keeping said second seat part in said use-position, the second latch being releasable upon actuation of the first motion, initiating the second motion. The first and second latch are mechanically interconnected through a connector movably arranged in relation to a support structure of the second seat part and thus the relative motion between the support structure and the connector is used for extracting a necessary force to unlatch the second latch. The connector preferably comprises a hinged mechanism connected to the second latch, which second latch is mounted fixed in relation to the support structure. During the relative motion of the connector, in relation to the support structure of the second seat part, the second latch will be unlatched and the folding motion of the second seat part will be continued. It is preferred that the first and the second device are spring loaded in order for the folding of the vehicle seat portion to be fully accomplished.
Since the floor in the vehicle sometimes can be dirty said second seat part preferably has a dirt-repelling material on a rear side surface, which is the side of the second seat part being closest to the floor when th
Kullman Leo
Larsson Morgan
Nygren Harry
Cranmer Laurie K.
Ford Global Technologies LLC
LandOfFree
Vehicle seat portion does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Vehicle seat portion, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Vehicle seat portion will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3175759