U.S. patent application number 13/349891 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-10 for multi-load floor smartfold hybrid.
This patent application is currently assigned to LEAR CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Mark Keyser, H. Winston Maue, John F. Nathan.
Application Number | 20120112509 13/349891 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40384688 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120112509 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nathan; John F. ; et
al. |
May 10, 2012 |
MULTI-LOAD FLOOR SMARTFOLD HYBRID
Abstract
A seat support system for supporting a seat in a manner that
ameliorates or eliminates load applied to a driving mechanism. The
system may be configured to support a seat back when the seat back
in pivoted upwardly and downwardly relative to a seat bottom. The
support system may create a load-bearing link between a non-driven
component on the seat back and an anchor.
Inventors: |
Nathan; John F.; (Highland
Township, MI) ; Maue; H. Winston; (Farmington Hills,
MI) ; Keyser; Mark; (Lake Orion, MI) |
Assignee: |
LEAR CORPORATION
Southfield
MI
|
Family ID: |
40384688 |
Appl. No.: |
13/349891 |
Filed: |
January 13, 2012 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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12202818 |
Sep 2, 2008 |
8118367 |
|
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13349891 |
|
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60995286 |
Sep 26, 2007 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
297/362.11 ;
701/49 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N 2/2352 20130101;
B60N 2/206 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
297/362.11 ;
701/49 |
International
Class: |
B60N 2/22 20060101
B60N002/22; B60N 2/20 20060101 B60N002/20 |
Claims
1. A seating system comprising: an electrically driven motor that
controllably folds a seat back about a rearward portion of a seat
bottom; a pawl configured to engage and disengage a recess in the
seat back, wherein the pawl engages the recess when the seat back
is in a first position to create a load-bearing linkage between the
seat back and a pawl pivot; a shutter covering an entrance to the
recess to prevent the pawl from pivoting into the recess until the
seat back, when started from a design position, is folded to a
second position; and a controller configured to control folding of
the seat back performed by the motor, wherein the controller
controls the motor to engage the pawl within the recess in a manner
that eliminates torque on the motor when the seat back is in the
first position.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the controller controls the motor
to fold the seat back upwardly and downwardly, such that when
started from the design position, the seatback must be folded
downwardly pass the first position in order to be folded to the
second position.
3. The system of claim 1 wherein the recess, shutter, and pawl are
configured such that the controller must sequentially control
folding of the seat back in the following order in order for a
leading edge of the pawl to engage the recess in the first position
when folding from a design position: (i) downward pivot of the seat
back until the pin overtakes a forward end of the shutter; (ii)
upward pivot of the pawl until a top side of the leading edge of
the pawl contacts an outer surface of the seat back forward of the
recess; (iii) rearward pivot of the shutter until a pin on the pawl
is positioned in front of the forward end of the shutter; (iv)
upward pivot of the seat back until the pin pulls the shutter
rearwardly and the leading edge of the pawl is rearward of a
forward end of the recess; and (v) upward pivot of the pawl until
the top side of the pawl contacts a bottom of the recess; and (vi)
downward pivot of the back until the forward end of the recess
engages the leading edge of the pawl.
4. The system of claim 3 wherein the pawl cannot be returned to the
position of step (ii) until the pawl pivots downwardly a distance
that allows the forward end of the shutter to move forwardly of the
pin.
5. The system of claim 4 wherein upward pivot of the back causes a
portion of the outer surface rearward of the recess to downward
pivot the pawl the distance that allows the forward end of the
shutter to move forwardly of the pin.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the seat back has a first radius
at the outer surface forward of the recess and a second radius at
the outer surface rearward of the recess and the shutter has a
third radius, wherein the second radius is greater than the third
radius and the third radius is greater than the first radius.
7. A controller configured to control an electrically driven motor
to position a seat back between a plurality of seat back angles,
the motor having at least one set of gears operable to lock the
seat back in position at each of the plurality of seat back angles,
the seat back including a support bracket having an engagement
surface covered with a movable shutter, the movable shutter being
moveable between a covered and an uncovered position to
respectively cover the engagement surface to prevent a pawl from
engaging the engagement surface and to uncover the engagement
surface to permit the pawl to engage the engagement surface, the
pawl having a pin that contacts an bottom side of the shutter when
the shutter is in the covered positioned to prevent the pawl from
engaging the engagement surface and that is positioned forwardly of
the shutter when the shutter is in the uncovered position to allow
the pawl to engage the engagement surface, the pawl creating a
load-bearing linkage between the seat back and a pawl pivot when
engaging the engagement surface, the controller operable to control
the motor to: pivot the seat back from a first one of the plurality
of seat back angles to a second one of the plurality of seat back
angles, the first one of the plurality of seat back angles being
greater than the second one of the plurality of angels, the first
one of the plurality of seat back angles corresponding with the
shutter being in the covered position, the second one of the
plurality of seat back angles corresponding with the shutter being
in the uncovered position and the pawl contacting a surface of the
seat back forward of the engagement surface such that the pawl is
blocked from engaging the engagement surface; and pivot the seat
back from the second one of the plurality of seat back angles to a
third one of the plurality of seat back angles, the third one of
the plurality of seat back angles being greater than the second one
of the plurality of seat back angles, the third one of the
plurality of seat back angles corresponding with the pin rising
above the bottom side of the shutter to block the shutter from
returning to the covered position and the pawl engaging the
engagement surface to create the load-bearing linkage.
8. The controller of claim 7 operable to control the motor to pivot
the seat back from the third one of the plurality of seat back
angles to a fourth one of the plurality of angles prior to pivoting
the seat back back to the first one of the plurality of seat back
angles, the fourth one of the plurality of seat back angles being
less than the second one of the plurality of seat back angles.
9. The controller of claim 8 operable to control the motor to lock
the first set of gears while the seat back is positioned at each of
the first, second, third, and fourth one of the plurality of seat
back angles.
10. The controller of claim 7 operable to control the motor to
position the seatback to create the load-bearing linkage in order
to eliminate torque on the motor.
11. A seat back support system operable with a support bracket
configured to be fixed to a seat back support, the seat back
support being rotatable about an axis to a desired seat back angle,
the support bracket including a recess, the system comprising: a
pawl configured to pivotably engage and disengage the recess in the
support bracket, wherein the pawl engages the recess when the
support bracket is in a first seat back angle to create a linkage
between the support bracket and a pawl pivot; and a shutter
positioned between the pawl and recess to pivotally cover and
uncover at least a portion of the recess, the shutter covering the
recess to prevent the pawl from pivoting into engagement with the
recess until the seat back, when started from a design seat back
angle, is folded past the first seat back angle.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein the first seat back angle is
corresponds with a folded-forward position.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein the support bracket cannot again
be folded past the folded-forward position, after the pawl engages
the recess, until the support bracket is folded upwardly past an
unlocking position.
14. The system of claim 13 wherein the unlocking position
corresponds with a partially folded position of the support bracket
that is downward relative to the design position.
15. The system of claim 11 wherein the pawl includes a head and a
pin, the head being a portion of the pawl positioned forwardly and
inwardly of the pin, the head engaging the forward end of the
recess when the pawl pivots into the recess.
16. The system of claim 15 wherein the pin engages an underside of
the shutter when the shutter prevents the pawl from pivoting
upwardly into the recess and wherein the pin engages a side of the
shutter above the underside of the shutter after the pawl pivots
upwardly into the recess.
17. The system of claim 16 wherein a pin on the support bracket
moves the shutter rearwardly once the seat back is folded past the
folded-forward position.
18. The system of claim 17 wherein the pin on the support bracket
engages the side of the shutter and the head engages a portion of
the seat back in front of the recess only after the tab moves the
shutter rearwardly.
19. The system of claim 11 wherein the support bracket and shutter
pivot about a first axis and the pawl pivots about a second
axis.
20. The system of claim 11 further comprising at least one
tooth-shaped gear that operates independently of the recess to lock
the seat back in position, the load-bearing linkage ameliorating
loading on the at least one tooth-shaped gear when the pawl engages
the recess.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. application Ser. No.
12/202,818 filed Sep. 2, 2008, which, in turn, claims the benefit
of U.S. provisional Application No. 60/995,286 filed Sep. 26, 2007,
the disclosures of which are incorporated in their entirety by
reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to seat support systems, such
as the type that ameliorate loading on certain seating components
when a seat back is in a folded position.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In vehicle seating systems and other seating system, a seat
back may be configured to fold relative to a seat bottom. The seat
may include any number of components to facilitate folding the seat
back. Some of the components may be mechanically powered
components, such as but not limited to springs and levers, or
electrically powered components, such as but not limited to
electrical motors and actuators. These and other components, which
may also be referred to as drive components, may be used to rotate
the seat back upwardly and downwardly about a rear portion of the
seat bottom.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] The present invention is pointed out with particularity in
the appended claims. However, other features of the present
invention will become more apparent and the present invention will
be best understood by referring to the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompany drawings in
which:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a seat support system in accordance with
one non-limiting aspect of the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates an assembly view of the support system in
accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the present
invention;
[0007] FIGS. 3-18 illustrate actuation of a load-bearing portion of
the seat support system in accordance with one non-limiting aspect
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention
are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the
disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that
may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are
not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or
minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore,
specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not
to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis
for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present
invention.
[0009] FIG. 1 illustrates a seat support system 10 in accordance
with one non-limiting aspect of the present invention. The system
10 may be configured for use with any seat and is shown for
exemplary purposes, and without intending to limit the scope and
contemplation of the present invention, as adapted for use with a
vehicle seat. The system 10 may be configured to support loads upon
a seat back, such as when the seat back is in a folded position.
The system 10 can be helpful in ameliorating and/or eliminating
loads that would otherwise be born by drive components.
[0010] The system 10 may include a seat back bracket 12, a seat
bottom bracket 14, and a drive mechanism. Seat cushions (not shown)
may be attached to the brackets 12, 14 to provide a seat bottom and
seat back for a seat occupant (not shown). The drive mechanism 16
may be used to automatically actuate the seat back relative to the
seat bottom, such as to facilitate moving the seat back from an
upright to a folded position. The seat support system 10 may be
mounted or otherwise adapted to the drive mechanism 16, seat back
bracket 12, and/or seat bottom bracket 14.
[0011] FIG. 2 illustrates an assembly view of the seat support
system 10 as attached to the drive mechanism 16 in accordance with
one non-limiting aspect of the present invention. A motor 20 may be
included to actuate the drive mechanism 16 and the other components
to facilitate moving the seat back between the upright and folded
positions, such as in response to commands of a controller. While
described with respect to a motor-driven vehicle seat, the present
invention is not intended to be so limited and fully contemplates
the seat support system 10 being adapted for use with a manual or
other non-motor driven vehicle seat. A torque bar 22 may be used to
transfer torque to an optional mirrored locking mechanism and seat
support system included on the other side of the seat.
[0012] The seat support system 10 may include a support bracket 26,
shutter 28, and pawl 30. The support bracket 26 and shutter 28 may
be secured to each other and/or the seat back bracket 12 about a
pivot such that both features are capable of rotating with rotation
of the seat back. The shutter 28 and pawl 30 may be biased with
springs or other features (not shown) such that both elements
rotate in a counter-clockwise direction in the absence of force in
the clockwise direction.
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates the seat support system 10 in a design
position. The design position may correspond with any desired
positioning of the seat back relative to the seat bottom, which
typically corresponds with a position selected by the occupant. As
shown, the design position corresponds with the seat back in a
slightly reclined position. The illustrated angle of the seat back
(seat angle) may be defined relative to a reference plane P and
horizontal plane H, which for exemplary purposes is selected to be
113.46. FIG. 3 further illustrates the shutter 28 being spring
loaded against a pin 32 included on the bracket 26 and the pawl 30
being spring loaded against a bottom side of the bracket 26.
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates rotation of the seat back forwardly from
the design position to a seat angle of 90.degree.. Relative to the
design position, the seat back bracket 12 is pivoted about the
pivot to cause the shutter 28 to rotate in a counter-clockwise
direction. The rotation of the seat back bracket 12 further causes
the bottom portion of the bracket 26 to rotate against the pawl 30.
FIG. 5 illustrates the continued forward rotation of the seat back
to a seat angle of 45.degree. where the shutter 28 continues to
rotate with the seat back bracket 12 and the pawl 30 continues to
bear against the bottom side of the bracket 26. FIG. 6 illustrates
the continued forward rotation of the seat back to a seat angle of
4.degree..
[0015] At this folded-forward position, gap between the reference
plane P and the horizontal plane H, which for exemplary purposes
corresponds with a 4.degree. gap, is provided to show a planar load
floor. Optionally, some clearance for a seat located in front of
the vehicle seat is provided with the gap, i.e., the illustrated
vehicle seat may correspond with a third row seat such that it is
folded or tumbled forwardly toward a second row seat and aligns
with a top side of that seat.
[0016] This allows the present invention to fold the seat back to a
point above the horizontal plane H that is sufficient for aligning
with an elevation of the forward seat and/or for another reason,
such as to provide clearance for seat belts or other features
included within the vehicle. Of course, the present invention is
not intended to be so limited and fully contemplates any gap
between the reference plane P and horizontal plane H and/or the
absence of a gap such that the reference plane P and horizontal
plane H form the same plane.
[0017] As, the gap decreases between reference planes P and H, the
pawl 30 moves towards alignment with a recess 34 included on the
support bracket 26. The shutter 28, however, is positioned relative
to the pin 32 such that it prevents the spring loaded pawl 30 from
rotating into the opening 34. The forward end portion of the pawl
30 is within the boundaries of the recess 34 such that the pawl 30
would be free to rotate into the recess 34 if not blocked by the
shutter 28. FIGS. 7-9 illustrate further rotation of the seat back
and show the shutter 28 still blocking the pawl 30 until the
forward end of the pawl 30 overtakes the forward end of the recess
34.
[0018] FIG. 10 illustrates rotation of the seat back to a seat
angle of 0.degree., i.e., rotation to the reference plane P where
the shutter 28 is now clear of the pawl 30 and the pawl is blocked
from entering the recess 34 by the forward end of the recess 34.
FIG. 11 illustrates the seat back rotating backwardly from the
reference plane (FIG. 10) to a seat angle of 1.degree. where the
shutter 28 drops below the top surface of a pin 35 (or tab)
included on the pawl 30. The shutter 28 may include a slightly
larger radius R.sub.2 than the portion R.sub.1 of the bracket 26
forward of the recess 34 such that the pawl 30 rests against the
bracket 26 and the pin of the pawl 30 obstructs the shutter 28 when
the seat back is rotated backwardly from 0.degree..
[0019] FIGS. 12-14 illustrate further backward rotation of the seat
back to a seat angle of 4.degree.. As the seat back rotates, the
pawl 30 continues to block the shutter 28 such that a gap forms
between the pin 32 and the shutter 28. The continued rotation of
the bracket 26 further causes the forward end of the recess 34 to
travel along the front end of the pawl 30 until the front end of
the pawl 30 is almost unobstructed by the bracket 26.
[0020] FIG. 15 illustrates rotation of the seat back to a seat
angle of 5.degree. where the pawl 30 is no longer obstructed by the
bracket 26 or the shutter 28 such that it is free to rotate into
the recess 34. A slight gap may be formed between the front end of
recess and the front end of the pawl 30 that is sufficient to allow
the pawl 30 to nest within the recess 34. In this position, weight
pressing down against the seat back bracket 12 is born with the
pawl 30 and not the drive mechanism 16. This provides a load
bearing function that protects the drive mechanism 16.
[0021] FIG. 16 illustrates continued backward rotation of the seat
back to a seat angle of 18.degree. where the rear side of the
recess 34 contacts the pawl 30 to push the pawl 30 out of the
recess 34. At the illustrated angle, the outside edge of the pawl
30 is almost aligned with the shutter 28 such that any further
backward rotation will allow the shutter 28 to rotate back and
cover the pawl 30, preventing the pawl 30 from re-entering the
recess 34, at least until the seat back is returned to the position
shown in FIG. 10.
[0022] FIG. 17 illustrates forward rotation of the seat back to the
seat angle of 4.degree. prior to the seat back being rotated past
the point illustrated in FIG. 16. At this angle, the gap between
the front end of the nested pawl 30 and the front portion of the
recess 34 (FIG. 15) is removed such that the pawl 30 abuts the
bracket 26. The contact of the pawl 30 to the bracket 26 forms a
load-bearing linkage between the bracket 26 and pawl 30. In this
`locked` position, the support system performs a load-bearing
function where it can be used to support the seat back, such as
with use of the gears shown in FIG. 2a, instead of relying on the
drive mechanism 16 and/or motor to support the seat back, i.e., the
motor 20 may be required to provide torque in order to hold the
seat back at the reference plane P, and above the horizontal plane
H, in the absence of the described linkage support system.
[0023] FIG. 18 illustrates backward rotation of the seat back from
one of the positions where the pawl 30 is nested at least partially
within the recess 34 to a seat angle of 19.degree. where the
portion (R.sub.3) of bracket 26 rearward of the recess 34 having a
larger radius than the forward portion (R.sub.1) forces the pawl 30
out of the way of the shutter 28 (e.g., R.sub.1=34 mm, R.sub.2=35
mm, and R.sub.3=35.5 mm). Once the shutter 28 is clear of the pin
on the pawl 30, the spring loaded shutter 28 rotates back to cover
the pawl 30 and prevent the pawl 30 from entering the recess 34.
From this position, the seat back may be returned to the design
position for receipt of an occupant. The drive mechanism 16 or
other seat element may then provide a structure for supporting the
seat back.
[0024] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not
intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the
invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of
description rather than limitation, and it is understood that
various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various
implementing embodiments may be combined to form further
embodiments of the invention.
* * * * *