Assembly of a vehicle seat having a linear adjustment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12420682-B2
Application number	US-202118019413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 9, 2021
Priority date	Jul 15, 2020
Publication date	Sep 23, 2025
Grant date	Sep 23, 2025

Abstract

An assembly of a vehicle seat comprises a seat part assembly, a floor assembly, a front swivel element that is pivotally coupled to the seat part assembly at a front, upper pivot point, and a rear swivel element that is pivotally coupled to the seat part assembly at a rear, upper pivot point. A drive device includes a linear element and a transmission element operatively connected to the linear element. In a first end position, the linear element takes a first angle to an imaginary line extending through the front, upper pivot point and the rear, upper pivot point, and in a second end position takes a second angle to the line, in an intermediate position the linear element is arranged at a right angle to the line and exceeds the right angle when adjusted between the first end position and the second end position.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
a seat part assembly;
a floor assembly;
a front swivel element pivotally coupled to a front upper pivot point of the seat part assembly;
a rear swivel element arranged behind the front swivel element with respect to a longitudinal direction, the rear swivel element pivotally coupled to a rear upper pivot point of the seat part assembly; and
a drive device provided with a linear element and a transmission element, the linear element extending between the floor assembly and the seat part assembly, the transmission element operatively connected to the linear element,
wherein the linear element and the transmission element are each linearly adjustable relative to each other to adjust the seat part assembly relative to the floor assembly between a first end position, in which the linear element forms a first angle with respect to an imaginary line extending through the front upper pivot point and the rear upper pivot point, and a second end position in which the linear element forms a second angle with respect to the imaginary line, wherein the seat part assembly is configured to be adjusted to an intermediate position, in which the linear element is disposed
at a right angle to the imaginary line and an angle of the linear element exceeds the right angle in response to the seat part assembly being adjusted between the intermediate position and the second end position.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first end position is closer to the floor assembly than the second end position.

3. The assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first angle is less than 90″ and the second angle is greater than 90°.

4. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seat part assembly includes a frame part, and the front upper pivot point and the rear upper pivot point are each fixed on and formed by the frame part.

5. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front swivel element pivotally coupled to the floor assembly at a front lower pivot point, and the rear swivel element pivotally coupled to the floor assembly at a rear lower pivot point.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the linear element is coupled to the floor assembly at a lower coupling point and to the seat part assembly at an upper coupling point.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the lower coupling point is disposed behind the rear lower pivot point with respect to the longitudinal direction.

8. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the lower coupling point is disposed below a second imaginary line extending through the front lower pivot point and the rear lower pivot point.

9. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the upper coupling point is fixed on the seat part assembly.

10. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the upper coupling point is disposed above the imaginary line extending through the front upper pivot point and the rear upper pivot point.

11. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein as the seat part assembly is adjusted between the first end position and the second end position, the linear element constantly intersects a second imaginary line extending between the rear lower pivot point and the rear upper pivot point with respect to a projection of a plane defined by the longitudinal direction and a vertical direction.

12. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a first angular difference between the first angle and the right angle is less than 45°.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the seat part assembly is configured to move along a vertical stroke from the first end position to the second end position, and the transmission element and the linear element collectively move along a linear adjustment path relative to the floor assembly, and wherein the linear adjustment path is greater than the vertical stroke of the seat part assembly.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the linear element is formed by a spindle and the transmission element is formed by a spindle nut, the spindle nut in threaded engagement with the spindle.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drive device includes an electric motor configured to generate a linear adjustment of the linear element relative to the transmission element.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a second angular difference between the second angle and the right angle is less than 45°.

17. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein a first angular difference between the first angle and the right angle is less than 30°.

18. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:
a seat part assembly including a front upper pivot point and a rear upper pivot point, the rear upper pivot point disposed rearward of the front upper pivot point;
a floor assembly including a coupling point;
a front swivel element pivotally coupled to the front upper pivot point;
a rear swivel element pivotally coupled to the rear upper pivot point;
a linear element extending from the coupling point of the floor assembly to the seat part assembly;
a transmission element operatively connected to the linear element and fixed to the seat part assembly, the transmission element configured to translate along the linear element and the linear element configured to articulate about the coupling point so that the seat part assembly is adjusted relative to the floor assembly between a first end position, in which the linear element forms a first angle with respect to an imaginary line extending through the front upper pivot point and the rear upper pivot point, and a second end position in which the linear element forms a second angle with respect to the imaginary line.

19. The vehicle seat of claim 18 , wherein the seat part assembly includes a frame and the front upper pivot point is fixed to the frame.

20. The vehicle seat of claim 18 , wherein the floor assembly includes a front lower pivot point and a rear lower pivot point, the front swivel element pivotally coupled to the front lower pivot point, the rear swivel element pivotally coupled to the rear lower pivot point, wherein the coupling point is disposed rearward of the rear lower pivot point.

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile Se & Co Kg Coburg

Inventors

• Hofmann Jochen
• Makram Mina
• Erbacher Bastian
• Wolfahrt Katharina

Classifications

• B60N2/164 Primary

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

• B60N2/02246

  Electric motors therefor · CPC title

• B60N2/02258

  characterised by the mounting of the electric motor for adjusting the seat · CPC title

• B60N2/1615 Primary

  Parallelogram-like structure · CPC title