Reclining rear seat system for a motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016288669-A1
Application number	US-201514833842-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 24, 2015
Priority date	Mar 31, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A reclining rear seat system is provided for a motor vehicle. That reclining rear seat system includes a front seat, a first actuator for displacing the front seat between a first position and a second position, a reclining rear seat and a second actuator for displacing the reclining rear seat between an upright position and fully reclined position. Further the system includes a controller configured to control the reclining rear seat system and a front seat occupant sensor.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A reclining rear seat system for a motor vehicle, comprising:
a front seat; a first actuator for displacing said front seat between a first position and a second position; a reclining rear seat; a second actuator for deploying said reclining rear seat between an upright position and a fully reclined position; a controller configured to control the reclining rear seat system; and a front seat occupant sensor.

2 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 1 , further including a foot rest, said foot rest being displaceable between a home position adjacent a floor of said motor vehicle and a deployed position extending forward of said reclining rear seat toward said front seat.

3 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 2 , wherein said front seat includes a seat back and a seat bottom.

4 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 3 , wherein said second position is vehicle forward of said first position with said seat back angled so as to overlie said seat bottom.

5 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 4 , wherein said reclining rear seat includes a rear seat back and a rear seat bottom forming an included angle A, said included angle A in said upright position being smaller than said included angle A in said reclined position.

6 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 5 , further including a foot rest actuator for displacing said foot rest between said home position and said deployed position.

7 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 1 , wherein said front seat includes a front seat bottom and a front seat back and said first actuator includes a front seat bottom actuator and a front seat back actuator.

8 . The reclining rear seat system of claim 7 , wherein said reclining rear seat includes a rear seat bottom and a rear seat back and said second actuator includes a rear seat bottom actuator and a rear seat back actuator.

9 . A method for reclining a rear seat in a motor vehicle, comprising:
detecting, by a sensor, presence of an occupant in a front seat; displacing, by a first actuator, said front seat vehicle forward if no occupant is detected so as to increase space behind said front seat; and reclining, by a second actuator, a rear seat in said increased space behind said front seat.

10 . The method of claim 9 , further including deploying, by a third actuator, a foot rest for a rear seat occupant.

11 . The method of claim 10 , including folding, by said first actuator, a front seat back over a front seat bottom so that said front seat back at least partially overlies said front seat bottom.

12 . The method of claim 11 , including controlling operation of said first actuator, said second actuator and said third actuator by a controller configured to control a reclining rear seat system.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Woodhouse David
• Chung Bonghoon Lukas
• Callum Moray Stuart
• Kang-Morales Soo Young

Classifications

• B60N2/22 Primary

  the back-rest being adjustable {(B60N2/2878 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60N2/995

  Lower-leg-rests, e.g. calf-rests · CPC title

• B60N2/06 Primary

  slidable (B60N2/12 {, B60N2/2209} take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N3/063

  with adjustment systems · CPC title

• B60N2/002

  Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon (detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266) · CPC title