Land vehicles: bodies and tops – Bodies – Seats with body modifications
Reexamination Certificate
2002-08-26
2003-11-18
Cuomo, Peter M. (Department: 3612)
Land vehicles: bodies and tops
Bodies
Seats with body modifications
C296S063000, C248S429000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06648394
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to vehicle seat underframes, to seats comprising such underframes and to seat assemblies comprising such seats.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
More specifically, the invention relates to a vehicle seat underframe comprising:
a rigid framework intended to be fixed to a seat part of a seat and to be mounted to slide in a longitudinal direction on a horizontal rail fixed to the floor of a vehicle, this framework comprising at least one lower guide shoe which projects downwards and which is intended to engage with a longitudinal guide belonging to the said rail,
at least one moving catch which comprises a rigid body stretching between an upper end and a lower end, the lower end of the body of the catch being extended laterally by a projecting claw which extends at the level of the guide shoe in a transverse horizontal direction perpendicular to the said longitudinal direction, the catch being movable with respect to the rigid framework between at least two positions:
a locked position in which the claw of the said catch projects laterally with respect to the guide shoe in the said transverse direction, the claw of the catch then being intended to engage under a rim exhibited by the said rail in such a way as thus to prevent the seat from being removed from this rail, the catch being urged elastically towards its locked position,
and a retracted position in which the claw is moved towards the guide shoe with respect to the locked position, the claw then being intended no longer to interfere with the said rim of the rail and thus to allow the underframe to be removed from this rail,
and an operating device designed to move the catch at least between its locked position and its retracted position, the operating device comprising at least one actuating member which is movable between first and second positions corresponding respectively to the locked position and to the retracted position of the catch.
Document EP-A-0 925 996 describes an example of such a seat, which is entirely satisfactory.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a particular object of the present invention to improve seats of the kind in question still further.
To this end, according to the invention, a seat of the kind in question is characterized in that the operating device further comprises a release finger constituting a separate part from the catch, this release finger being mounted to pivot with respect to the framework of the underframe about a release finger pivot, the said release finger comprising a first branch which extends from the said release finger pivot as far as a free end and a second branch which extends from the said release finger pivot as far as a free end, the release finger being movable between:
an effaced position in which the second branch of the said release finger is designed to be raised enough for the said second branch not to interfere appreciably with the rail on which the underframe is intended to be mounted,
and an active position in which the free end of the second branch projects downwards from the framework of the underframe so that when the guide shoe of the underframe is engaged with the longitudinal guide of the rail, the rail lifts the free end of the second branch of the release finger and returns the said release finger to the effaced position, the release finger being urged elastically towards its active position,
in that when the release finger is in the effaced position, the first branch of the said release finger is designed to bear against a cam surface belonging to a release cam connected to the actuating member, as long as the actuating member is not in its second position, then holding the release finger in its effaced position,
and in that the release finger is designed so that when the said release finger is in its active position, the free end of the first branch of the release finger comes into abutment against an abutment face integral with the release cam, thus holding the actuating member of the operating device in its second position.
By virtue of these arrangements, when the seat to which the underframe belongs has been removed from the vehicle, it is particularly simple to fit this seat back in the vehicle. What happens is that all that is required in order to achieve this is for the guide shoes of the underframes of the seat to be inserted vertically in the rails fixed to the floor of the vehicle: the release fingers of each of the underframes then move up into their effaced position, allowing the catch of each of the underframes to return to the locked position.
In some preferred embodiments of the invention, recourse may also possibly be had to one and/or other of the following arrangements, which may possibly be used independently of the arrangements described hereinabove:
the abutment face of the release cam is connected by a rounded portion to the cam surface of the said release cam, and the actuating member is urged elastically towards its first position by at least one spring which is powerful enough that when the free end of the first branch of the release finger comes into contact with the said rounded portion in the absence of external actuation of the actuating member, the spring urging the actuating member drives the said actuating member with the said release cam into the first position and brings the cam surface of the release cam into contact with the first branch of the release finger;
the second branch of the release finger extends at an angle in the longitudinal direction and downwards at least when the release finger is in its active position;
the framework of the underframe comprises two horizontal sliding shoes oriented downwards and intended to bear on a sliding surface belonging to the rail, the free end of the second branch of the release finger projecting downwards beyond the said sliding shoes when the release finger is in the active position, between these sliding shoes;
the release cam is integral with an abutment zone against which the first branch of the release finger angularly abuts when the said release finger is in its active position;
the release cam is integral with the actuating member, which is mounted to pivot about a first axis of rotation parallel to the transverse direction;
the release cam is integral with a pivot cam which collaborates with a first cam follower integral with the catch, the said pivot cam being designed to press against the said first cam follower by causing the catch to pivot about a pivot axle parallel to the longitudinal direction, from its locked position to its retracted position when the actuating member passes from its first position to its second position, the said catch being urged in the opposite direction by a catch spring;
the first cam follower of the catch has an upper bearing surface against which the pivot cam (
85
) bears to cause the catch to pivot, this upper bearing surface being laterally offset with respect to the rotation axle of the catch;
the actuating member of the operating device is secured to a locking cam and the catch is mounted to pivot on the framework of the underframe with a certain vertical play, between the locked position and a sliding position situated below the locked position, the locking cam coming to bear under a second cam follower situated towards the upper end of the body of the catch so as to hold the catch in its locked position as long as the actuating member is in an angular position lying between its first position and a third position intermediate between the first and second positions, and the said locking cam being designed to allow the catch to drop into its sliding position when the actuating member is in its third position;
the locking cam is in the form of a rigid platelet stretching in a vertical plane roughly parallel to the body of the catch, the said locking cam comprising a slot in which there is engaged a peg integral with the catch, the said slot being shaped to press against the said peg and cause the catch to drop into its sliding position when the actuating member is in a
Guinard Pascal
Lejeune Jean-Michel
Cuomo Peter M.
Edell Joe
Faurecia Sieges d′Automobile S.A.
McCracken & Frank
LandOfFree
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