Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-04
2001-08-28
Pape, Joseph D. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S065140, C297S015000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06279982
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat storing device, and in particular, to a vehicle seat storing device for, in a vehicle whose floor surface is stepped, storing a rear seat, which is disposed at the higher vehicle-rear-side floor surface, at the lower vehicle-front-side floor surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
A structure as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 3-200444 is known as one conventional example of a vehicle seat storing device for, in a vehicle whose floor surface is stepped, storing, at the lower vehicle-front-side floor surface, a rear seat which is disposed at the higher vehicle-rear-side floor surface.
As shown in
FIG. 24
, in this vehicle seat storing device, when a seat back
300
is inclined fully forward and a rear seat
302
is then rotated forward (in the direction of an arrow V in FIG.
24
), a lock means
304
locks a coupling of a seat cushion
306
and a front leg
308
so that the rear seat
302
is integrally rotated with the front leg
308
around a lower end pin
310
of the front leg
308
as a fulcrum.
Thereafter, as shown in
FIG. 25
, when a headrest
312
reaches a position below the seat cushion
322
of the front seat
320
, a lock releasing means
314
releases the locked state of the lock means
304
. As a result, if the front leg
308
is lowered as the rear seat
302
is rotated upward (in the direction of an arrow W in FIG.
25
), the rear seat
302
can be stored on a front low floor surface
322
.
However, in this vehicle seat storing device, since the rear seat
302
is integrally rotated with the front leg
308
around the lower end pin
310
of the front leg
308
as a fulcrum, the radius of rotation of the rear seat
302
at the time of storing is determined by the length of the front leg
308
. Accordingly, this structure cannot be applied to a vehicle in which the radius of rotation of the rear seat at the location of storing is large and the space in the seat storing direction, e.g., the distance between the front seat
320
and the rear seat
302
is short.
Another conventional example of a floor structure for a vehicle in which a storage space is formed on a stepped floor surface is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application (JP-A) No. 10-297542.
As shown in
FIG. 41
, in the vehicle floor structure disclosed in the aforementioned JP-A No. 10-297542, a spacer
602
is provided at an outer surface of a bottom wall
600
A of a tray
600
, and abuts a spare tire
606
which is stored on a spare tire pan
604
. A peripheral edge flange
600
B, which is formed at an opening peripheral edge portion of the tray
600
, is disposed so as to be spaced apart from the top of a rear floor
608
which is located around the spare tire pan
604
. Accordingly, deflecting deformation of the peripheral edge flange
600
B and the bottom wall
600
A can be prevented, and vibration of the bottom wall
600
A is suppressed. As a result, drumming can be prevented. Further, a floor board
610
for closing a top portion of the tray
600
is supported by a rack portion
612
A formed at a floor frame
612
. The floor board
610
and a top surface
614
A of a floor trim
614
, which are aligned so as to be flush with each other, and a rear surface
616
A of a rear seat
616
, which is turned over so as to be flat, form a so-called full flat floor surface.
However, in this vehicle floor structure, when the rear seat
616
, whose vertical height is made larger by the seat back of the rear seat being turned over onto a seat cushion, is stored in a storing portion in which the tray
600
B stored, the vertical height between the bottom wall
600
A and the floor board
610
, which is a storage space, must be at least a height equal to the sum of the thickness of the seat back and the thickness of the seat cushion. However, if the height between the bottom wall
600
A and the floor board
610
is ensured on the basis of the total of the thickness of the seat cushion and the thickness of the seat back, the space above the floor board
610
becomes narrow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle seat storing device in which the radius of rotation of a seat when storing the seat can be made smaller.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a vehicle floor structure in which the height of a floor board for covering a storing portion can be adjusted.
A first aspect of the present invention comprises a vehicle seat storing device for moving a seat from position for use in a vehicle body to a position for storage in a vehicle body, wherein the seat is moved between the position for use and the position for storage by a composite movement using a plurality of guide means.
Accordingly, when the seat is moved from the position for use to the position for storage, the seat is moved from the position for use to the position for storage along a predetermined moving path by a composite movement using the plurality of guide means, e.g., a composite movement of swinging and sliding movements. As a result, the radius of rotation of the seat at the time of storing can be reduced in comparison with a case in which the seat is guided from the position for use to the position for storage by one guide means, e.g., only the swinging movement of a link.
A second aspect of the present invention comprises a vehicle seat storing device for moving a seat from a position for use in a vehicle body to a position for storage in a vehicle body, wherein the seat is moved between the position for use and the position for storage by a continuous movement using a plurality of guide means.
Accordingly, when the seat is moved from the position for use to the position for storage, the seat is moved from the position for use to the position for storage along a predetermined moving path by a continuous movement using the plurality of guide means, e.g., a continuous movement consisting of swinging and sliding movements. As a result, the radius of rotation of the seat at the time of storing can be reduced in comparison with a case in which the seat is guided from the position for use to the position for storage by one guide means, e.g., only the swinging movement of a link.
A third aspect of the present invention comprises the vehicle seat storing device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein said guide means comprises a guide rail having one end detachably engaged with the seat and the other end swingably attached to the vehicle body; and moving means fixed to the seat which engages with said guide rail when the one end of said guide rail detaches from the seat, and moves the seat to the position for storage along said guide rail.
Accordingly, when the seat is stored, the seat is swung by the guide rail toward a position for storage direction with respect to the vehicle body. When one end of the guide rail is detached from the seat, the moving means fixed to the seat is engaged with the guide rail and moves the seat to the position for storage along the guide rail. As a result, the radius of rotation of'the seat at its moving time can be reduced in comparison with a case in which the seat is guided from the position for use to the position for storage by only one link. Further, since the guide rail itself is swung, the guide rail is not exposed in a position where it becomes a hindrance in a state in which the seat is held in the position for use.
A fourth aspect of the present invention comprises a vehicle seat storing device wherein the seat storing device has a plurality of guide means connected to each other, and one end portion of the guide means among said plurality of guide means is connected to the seat, and the other end portion of the guide means among said plurality of guide means is connected to the vehicle body.
Accordingly, when the seat is moved from the position for use to the position for storage, the seat is guided to the position for storage by the plurality of
Abe Naruaki
Hashimoto Kazunori
Iwamura Toru
Nishimura Yoshiaki
Burns Doane , Swecker, Mathis LLP
Pape Joseph D.
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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