Seat frame for a height-adjustable and tiltable seat pan

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10596928-B2
Application number	US-201715638023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2017
Priority date	Jun 29, 2016
Publication date	Mar 24, 2020
Grant date	Mar 24, 2020

Abstract

A seat frame is disclosed for a height-adjustable and tiltable seat pan of a motor vehicle seat. The seat frame has two side rails, a first cross bar, a second cross bar, and a drive unit. The first cross bar is supported in the two side rails and the second cross bar serves to support the seat pan. The second cross bar is mounted so as to be rotatable about fixed first axis in the two side rails. The second cross bar is rotated by the drive unit. The drive unit has an actuating motor and an actuator that is displaceable via the actuating motor and connected to the second cross bar outside the first axis. The drive unit is mounted on the first cross bar and rotatable about a second axis of the first cross bar which is fixed in the two side rails.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat frame for a height-adjustable and tiltable seat of a motor vehicle seat comprising:
a seat rail system that is configured to attach to a floor of a vehicle;
two side rails that are attached to the seat rail system and that are supported for movement relative to the seat rail system;
a first cross bar that extends along a first axis and that is attached to the two side rails;
a second cross bar supported by the two side rails and supported for rotation relative to the two side rails about a second axis, the second axis being fixed relative to the two side rails;
a seat pan that is supported by the second cross bar and that is pivotally attached to the two side rails for changing an inclination angle of the seat pan relative to the two side rails; and
a drive unit connected to the first cross bar and the second cross bar, the drive unit supported for rotation about the first axis of the first cross bar, the first axis being fixed relative to the two side rails, the drive unit having an actuating motor and an actuator connected to the second cross bar, wherein the actuator is displaceable by the actuating motor to rotate the second cross bar about the second axis and thereby change the inclination angle of the seat pan relative to the two side rails.

2. The seat frame according to claim 1 , wherein the first cross bar is supported for rotation relative to the seat rail system about a third axis.

3. The seat frame according to claim 2 , wherein the first cross bar is fixed to the two side rails and is supported for rotation about the third axis to change a vertical height of the seat pan relative to the seat rail system.

4. The seat frame according to claim 3 , further comprising a pivot leg that is attached to the seat rail system and the first cross bar, the pivot leg rotatable about the third axis to change a vertical height of the seat pan relative to the seat rail system.

5. The seat frame according to claim 2 , further comprising a bracket that surrounds the first cross bar and that is connected to the drive unit, the bracket being rotatable about the first cross bar.

6. The seat frame according to claim 5 , further comprising a threaded fastener that passes through at least one of the drive unit or the bracket and that engages an internal thread of the at least one of the drive unit or the bracket.

7. The seat frame according to claim 5 , further comprising an anti-friction element between the bracket and the first cross bar, the anti-friction element selected from a group consisting of a lubricant, a bearing, a roller bearing and a combination thereof.

8. The seat frame according to claim 1 , wherein the first cross bar comprises at least one end stop for the drive unit arranged in a longitudinal direction of the first cross bar.

9. The seat frame according to claim 8 , wherein the end stop comprises a circumferential bead formed on the first cross bar.

10. The seat frame according to claim 8 , wherein the first cross bar comprises two end stops for the drive unit arranged at a distance from each other in the longitudinal direction of the first cross bar.

11. The seat frame according to claim 10 , wherein the end stops each comprise a circumferential bead formed on the first cross bar.

12. The seat frame according to claim 1 , wherein the actuating motor is selected from a group consisting of an electric motor, a linear motor, and a spindle motor.

13. The seat frame according to claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises a spindle rod, wherein the actuator is arranged on the spindle rod.

14. The seat frame according to claim 13 , wherein the drive unit further comprises at least one travel limiter for the actuator.

15. The seat frame according to claim 14 , wherein a travel limiter closest to the actuating motor comprises a sleeve surrounding the spindle rod.

16. The seat frame according to claim 13 , wherein the displacement movement of the actuator takes place along a longitudinal axis of the spindle rod, the longitudinal axis of the spindle rod intersecting the first axis at right angles.

17. The seat frame according to claim 1 , further comprising a bearing section that is connected to the second cross bar and the actuator, wherein the actuator is displaceably mounted to the bearing section.

18. The seat frame according to claim 17 , further comprising a connection between the actuator and the bearing section that is disposed on a side of the bearing section facing away from the actuator.

19. The seat frame according to claim 1 , further comprising a pivot leg that is attached to the second cross bar and that is attached to one of the two side rails at the second axis.

20. A seat frame for a height-adjustable and tiltable seat of a motor vehicle seat comprising:
a first seat rail and a second seat rail configured to fixedly attach to a support structure of a vehicle;
a first side rail and a second side rail;
a first cross bar that extends along a first axis and that is fixed to the first side rail and the second side rail, the first axis being fixed relative to the first side rail;
a first pivot leg that is attached to at least one of the first side rail and the first cross bar, the first pivot leg being pivotally attached to the first seat rail at a height-adjustment axis, the first pivot leg being configured for rotation about the height-adjustment axis to vary a height of the first side rail relative to the first seat rail;
a second cross bar that extends between the first side rail and the second side rail;
a second pivot leg that is attached to the second cross bar and to the first side rail, the second pivot leg being attached to the first side rail at a second axis, the second axis being fixed relative to the first side rail;
a seat pan that is supported by the second cross bar and that is pivotally attached to the first and second side rails for changing an inclination angle of the seat pan relative to the first and second side rails; and
a linear drive unit connected to the first cross bar and the second cross bar, the linear drive unit supported for rotation about the first axis of the first cross bar, the linear drive unit having an actuating motor and an actuator connected to the second cross bar, wherein the actuator is displaceable by the actuating motor along a straight third axis to rotate the second cross bar about the second axis and thereby change the inclination angle of the seat pan, the third axis intersecting the first axis and extending normal to the first axis.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Pleskot Andrzej

Classifications

• B60N2/16

  height-adjustable · CPC title

• B60N2/1835

  pivoting about an axis located in the front · CPC title

• B60N2/164

  Linear actuator, e.g. screw mechanism · CPC title

• B60N2/161 Primary

  Rods · CPC title

• B60N2/10

  tiltable (B60N2/12 {, B60N2/2875} take precedence) · CPC title