Retractable pivot pin assembly to connect seatback to riser

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10351035-B2
Application number	US-201715671285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2017
Priority date	Aug 8, 2017
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A vehicle comprises: a floor pan; a riser attached to the floor pan, the riser comprising a pin-guide surface at least partially surrounding a pin-receiving aperture, the pin-guide surface having an angled portion; and a seatback comprising a retractable pivot pin assembly, which includes a pin; inserted into the pin-receiving aperture of the riser; wherein, the pin is inserted into the pin-receiving aperture; and wherein, during the insertion of the pin into the pin-receiving aperture, the pin first contacts the angled portion of the pin-guide surface while the pin is in an extended state. During the insertion of the pin into the pin-receiving aperture, as the pin moves toward the pin-receiving aperture, the angled portion of the pin-guide surface forces the pin toward a retracted state within the retractable pivot pin assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A riser for a seating assembly of a vehicle comprising:
a pin-receiving aperture;
a pin-guide surface at least partially surrounding the pin-receiving aperture, the pin-guide surface having an angled portion; and
a lip partially surrounding the pin-receiving aperture defining a boundary of the pin-guide surface;
wherein, the angled portion of the pin-guide surface and the lip form a mouth leading toward the pin-receiving aperture.

2. The riser of claim 1 wherein the lip surrounds at least 180 degrees of the pin-receiving aperture.

3. The riser of claim 1 further comprising:
a vertical support structure with a planar vertical surface,
wherein the pin-receiving aperture is parallel to the planar vertical surface and on a plane indented relative to the planar vertical surface.

4. The riser of claim 3 , the pin-guide surface including a planar portion surrounding the pin-receiving aperture that is parallel to the planar vertical surface of the vertical support structure.

5. The riser of claim 1 furthering comprising: a seat-receiving aperture located below the pin-receiving aperture.

6. The riser of claim 4 , wherein a transition from the planar vertical surface of the vertical support structure to the planar portion of the pin-guide surface forms at least a portion of the lip.

7. The riser of claim 1 , wherein the mouth is disposed above the pin-receiving aperture.

8. A retractable pivot pin assembly for a vehicle comprising:
a housing forming a chamber;
a compression spring disposed within the chamber of the housing, the compression spring defining a pin channel and including a first end and a second end;
a backing cap disposed within the chamber of the housing, the backing cap abutting the second end of the compression spring and including an aperture;
a pin partially housed within the chamber of the housing, with a portion of the pin disposed within the pin channel of the compression spring, the pin comprising:
a cylindrical shaft;
a collar extending out from the cylindrical shaft, and disposed such that the first end of the compression spring abuts the collar;
a bit extending out from the cylindrical shaft along a length of the cylindrical shaft;

wherein the pin has an extended state and can retract within the housing to a retracted state, with the compression spring biasing the pin to the extended state, and the pin extending through the aperture of the backing cap in the retracted state.

9. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 8 ,
the housing further comprising:
an end portion; and
an elongated portion laterally extending from the end portion, the elongated portion having snap-fit receivers;
the end portion and the elongated portion forming the chamber that houses at least a portion of the backing cap, the compression spring, and the pin;

wherein the backing cap further comprises snap-fit fasteners arranged around a perimeter of the backing cap; and
wherein the snap-fit receivers of the elongated portion of the housing have received the snap-fit fasteners of the backing cap.

10. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 9 further comprising:
an outer plate comprising:
a first planar portion;
indented planar portions parallel to the first planar portion and indented from the first planar portion;
a centrally located aperture with a slotted portion disposed through the first planar portion;
a plurality of fastening apertures disposed through the first planar portion; and
a plurality of fastening apertures disposed through the indented planar portions;

wherein, the elongated portion of the housing further comprises a plurality of legs terminating in orthogonally extending flanges, each of the flanges including an aperture;
wherein, the outer plate is fastened to the housing via fasteners extending through the plurality of fastening apertures disposed through the first planar portion of the outer plate and a portion of the apertures of the flanges of the plurality of legs of the housing.

11. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 10 ,
wherein a portion of the plurality of legs of the housing each include a finger;
wherein the outer plate further includes slots disposed through the first planar portion adjacent the plurality of fastening apertures;
wherein the finger of each of the portion of the plurality of legs is slotted within the slots.

12. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 10 ,
wherein, the flanges of a portion of the plurality of legs abut the indented planar portion of the outer plate; and
wherein, the flanges that abut the indented planar portion of the plate each include an aperture disposed through the flange and the aperture of the flange lines up with one of the plurality of fastening apertures disposed through the indented planar portion of the outer plate.

13. A vehicle comprising:
a floor pan;
a riser attached to the floor pan, the riser comprising a pin-guide surface at least partially surrounding a pin-receiving aperture, the pin-guide surface having an angled portion; and
a seatback comprising a retractable pivot pin assembly, which includes
a housing with a chamber,
a backing cap disposed within the chamber,
a pin with cylindrical shaft and a collar extending out from the cylindrical shaft, and
a compression spring having a pin channel within which the a portion of the cylindrical shaft of the pin is disposed, a first end abutting the collar of the pin, and a second end abutting the backing cap

wherein, the seatback is pivotably attachable to the riser, with the pin of retractable pivot pin assembly having a retracted state where the pin-guide surface of the riser forces the pin to retract into the housing until the pin is positioned adjacent the pin-receiving aperture of the riser, at which the point the compression spring forces the pin into an extended state through pin-receiving aperture thus pivotably attaching the seatback to the riser.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 ,
wherein, during insertion of the pin into the pin-receiving aperture, as the pin moves toward the pin-receiving aperture, the angled portion of the pin-guide surface forces the pin toward the retracted state within the retractable pivot pin assembly.

15. The vehicle of claim 13 ,
wherein, during insertion of the pin into the pin-receiving aperture, as the pin moves adjacent to the pin-receiving aperture, the pin-guide surface forces the pin to the retracted state within the retractable pivot pin assembly.

16. The vehicle of claim 13 ,
the seatback further comprising:
a frame assembly providing structural support for the seatback; and
a bracket connected to the frame assembly, the bracket comprising a first side, a second side opposite the first side, and an aperture that extends from the first side through the second side;

wherein the retractable pivot pin assembly is attached to the first side of the bracket, such that the pin of the retractable pivot pin assembly protrudes through the aperture of the bracket; and
wherein the bracket is between the compression spring of the retractable pivot pin assembly and the riser.

17. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 8 ,
the aperture of the backing cap including a slotted portion to match and receive the bit of the pin when the pin is in the retracted state.

18. The retractable pivot pin assembly of claim 8 ,
the pin including a chamfered end disposed outside of the chamber of the housing.

19. The vehicle of claim 13 ,
the aperture of the backing cap including a

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Setlur Raghavan Narayan
• Jacob George

Classifications

• B60N2002/684

  the back rest being mounted or joined with an easy attachment system to the seat · CPC title

• B60N2/2236

  with a transversal pin displaced by a slot or a cam along a predetermined path · CPC title

• B60N2/3011

  the back-rest being hinged on the cushion, e.g. "portefeuille movement" · CPC title

• B60N2/36 Primary

  into a loading platform {(B60N2/065 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N2/933 Primary

  rotatable · CPC title