Occupant support

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11833937-B2
Application number	US-202117469296-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2021
Priority date	Sep 8, 2021
Publication date	Dec 5, 2023
Grant date	Dec 5, 2023

Abstract

An occupant support includes a seat bottom and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration. The seat back is pivotable relative to the seat bottom between a plurality of positions. The seat back may be changed from an upright position to a folded-forward position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An occupant support comprising
a seat bottom,
a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, and
a seat-back mode-changing unit including a seat back recliner arranged between the seat bottom and the backrest-frame support to provide a seat-back recliner pivot axis about which the seat back pivots relative to the seat bottom between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and a fixed stop coupled to at least one of the seat bottom and the seat-back recliner, and wherein the slip-blocker lever is configured to engage the fixed stop to change the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from an engaged position to a freed position in which the backrest frame is free to pivot about the backrest-frame pivot axis,
wherein the fixed stop is stationary and remains fixed relative to the slip-blocker lever in response to the seat back pivoting between the forward-reclined position.

2. The occupant support of claim 1 , wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes biasing means for biasing the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever normally to a locked position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever cooperate to block movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position while the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration.

3. The occupant support of claim 2 , wherein the biasing means includes a tension spring.

4. The occupant support of claim 2 , wherein the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a pivot-blocker lever axis between the engaged position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever blocks movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position, and the freed position, in which the backrest frame is free to move from the upright position to the folded-forward position.

5. The occupant support of claim 4 , wherein the slip-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a slip-blocker lever axis between a locked position, in which the slip-blocker lever blocks the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position, and an unlocked position, in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever moves to the freed position.

6. The occupant support of claim 1 , wherein, after the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever is moved to the freed position, the backrest frame pivots about the backrest-frame pivot axis independently of the seat back pivoting about the recliner pivot axis.

7. An occupant support comprising
a seat bottom,
a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, and
a seat-back mode-changing unit including a seat back recliner arranged between the seat bottom and the backrest-frame support to provide a seat-back recliner pivot axis about which the seat back pivots relative to the seat bottom between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and biasing means for biasing the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever normally to a locked position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever cooperate to block movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position while the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
wherein the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a pivot-blocker lever axis between the engaged position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever blocks movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position, and the freed position, in which the backrest frame is free to move from the upright position to the folded-forward position,
wherein the slip-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a slip-blocker lever axis between a locked position, in which the slip-blocker lever blocks the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position, and an unlocked position, in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever moves to the freed position,
wherein the slip-blocker lever includes a lever body having a first end configured to engage the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to block the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position and a second end that contacts the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to move the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to the freed position.

8. An occupant support comprising
a seat bottom,
a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, the seat back configured to pivot relative to the seat bottom about a seat-back recliner pivot axis between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and
a backrest-f

Assignees

• Faurecia Automotive Seating Llc

Inventors

• Miller Michael P
• Wojtowicz Grzegorz

Classifications

• B60N2/206 Primary

  to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray · CPC title

• B60N2/2222

  the back-rest having two or more parts · CPC title

• B60N2/2352

  with external pawls · CPC title

• B60N2/2356

  with internal pawls · CPC title

• B60N2/236

  linearly movable · CPC title