Vehicle seat assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345264-B2
Application number	US-202017064694-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2020
Priority date	Oct 7, 2020
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

An assembly includes a seat bottom having a rear and a pair of sides extending in a seat-forward direction from the rear. The assembly includes a seatback rotatably supported by the seat bottom. The assembly includes an active actuator operatively connected to the seatback to rotate the seatback about a vertical axis toward one of the sides of the seat bottom.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly, comprising:
a seat bottom having a rear and a pair of sides extending in a seat-forward direction from the rear;
a seatback rotatably supported by the seat bottom;
a swivel connected between the seat bottom and the seatback, the swivel permitting rotation of the seatback toward one of the sides of the seat bottom to a rotated position and inhibiting rotation of the seatback from the rotated position toward the other of the sides of the seat bottom; and
an active actuator operatively connected to the seatback to rotate the seatback about a vertical axis toward one of the sides of the seat bottom.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the active actuator includes pyrotechnic material.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a bracket rotatably supported by the seat bottom, the seatback rotatably supported by the bracket.

4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the seat bottom includes a pair of longitudinal frame members, the bracket rotatably supported by the longitudinal frame members.

5. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the seat bottom includes a base plate fixed to the longitudinal frame members, the bracket rotatably supported by the base plate.

6. The assembly of claim 4 , wherein the bracket is between the pair of longitudinal frame members.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the bracket includes legs extending away from the seat bottom, and wherein the seatback includes a pair of upright frame members connected to the legs of the bracket.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the upright frame members of the seatback are between the legs of the bracket.

9. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the swivel includes a ratchet gear and a pawl configured to permit rotation of the seatback to the rotated position and inhibit rotation of the seatback from the rotated position.

10. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the active actuator is operatively connected to the swivel.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , further comprising a cable connecting the active actuator to the swivel.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the swivel includes a hub, and wherein the cable is wound around the hub.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a frangible pin inhibiting rotation of the swivel in an unfractured state and permitting rotation in a fractured state, and wherein actuation of the active actuator changes the frangible pin from the unfractured state to the fractured state.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a computer in communication with the active actuator, the computer having a processor and a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to command the active actuator to rotate the seatback.

15. The assembly of claim 14 , wherein the instructions include instructions to command the active actuator to rotate the seatback in response to detecting an impact to a vehicle.

16. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the instructions include instructions to identify a side of the vehicle receiving the impact, and to actuate the active actuator to rotate the seatback away from the side of the vehicle receiving the impact.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Lozano Omaña Fernando
• Rodriguez Camacho Dante Arturo
• Castillo Jaime Luis Enrique
• Herrera Gutienez Michelle Carolina
• Deng Zhibing

Classifications

• B60N2/224

  Stepwise movement mechanisms, e.g. ratchets · CPC title

• B60N2/42709 Primary

  involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure · CPC title

• B60N2/4279

  electric or electronic triggering · CPC title

• B60N2/4235 Primary

  transversal · CPC title

• B60N2/42745

  of the back-rest (B60N2/433 takes precedence; higher part of the back-rest moving together with the headrest B60N2/888) · CPC title