Energy absorbing seat for a vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8936312-B2
Application number	US-201113822934-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2011
Priority date	Sep 14, 2010
Publication date	Jan 20, 2015
Grant date	Jan 20, 2015

Abstract

A seat supports an occupant of a vehicle. The seat comprises a seating frame member for providing a surface to support the occupant and a back frame member extending away from the seating frame member. The back frame member defines a U-shaped cavity. A boss is coupled to the back frame member within the U-shaped cavity. A fastening element extends through the boss and the back frame member. The fastening element deforms the boss and the back frame member when a force above a predetermined value is applied to the back frame member thereby causing the back frame member to rotate relative to the seating frame member. Allowing the back frame member to rotate relative to the seating frame member reduces an impact force transferred from the seat to the occupant caused by the force above the predetermined value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat for supporting an occupant of a vehicle, said seat comprising:
a seating frame member for providing a surface to support the occupant;
a back frame member extending away from said seating frame member with said back frame member defining a U-shaped cavity defined by a base portion and two or more leg portions extending from said base portion;
a bracket coupled to both said seating frame member and said back frame member;
a boss coupled to said base portion within said U-shaped cavity with a bore defined by and extending axially through said boss; and
a fastening element received by said bore with said fastening element extending through said boss, said base portion, and said bracket for coupling said bracket to said back frame member whereby said fastening element deforms said boss and said base portion when a force above a predetermined value is applied to said back frame member thereby causing said back frame member to rotate relative to said seating frame member to reduce an impact force transferred from said seat to the occupant caused by the force above the predetermined value.

2. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said fastening element has a cylindrical shaft in contact with said boss whereby said cylindrical shaft ruptures said boss and shears through said base portion as said back frame member rotates relative to said seating frame member.

3. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said boss has a designed weak point for controlling a direction of deformation of said boss caused by said fastening element when said back frame member rotates relative to said seating frame member.

4. A seat as set forth in claim 3 wherein said boss has a cross-sectional thickness defined between an inner diameter, which defines said bore, and an outer diameter with said cross-sectional thickness reduced in a selected location of said boss for providing said designed weak point of said boss.

5. A seat as set forth in claim 4 wherein said boss defines at least one boss notch for reducing said cross-sectional thickness at said selected location of said boss to provide said designed weak point of said boss.

6. A seat as set forth in claim 5 wherein said boss notch extends from an outer periphery of said boss towards said bore.

7. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said boss comprises a polymeric material.

8. A seat as set forth in claim 7 wherein said back frame member comprises said polymeric material and said boss is integrally formed with said back frame member.

9. A seat as set forth in claim 8 wherein said polymeric material is selected from the group of nylon 6, nylon 6/6, and combinations thereof.

10. A seat as set forth in claim 9 further comprising a reinforcing mat disposed about said base portion and said leg portions of said back frame member with said reinforcing mat comprising a glass-fiber filled polymeric material for imparting strength to said back frame member with said fastening element deforming said boss, said base portion, and said reinforcing mat when the force above the predetermined value is applied to said back frame member.

11. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said base portion defines a guide channel with said fastening element moveable along said guide channel as said fastening element shears through said base portion for guiding said fastening element as said back frame member rotates relative to said seating frame member.

12. A seat as set forth in claim 11 wherein said back frame member includes a stop element for limiting movement of said fastening element in said guide channel to limit rotation of said back frame member relative to said seating frame member.

13. A seat as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of ribs disposed within said U-shaped cavity of said back frame member with said ribs coupled to said base portion, said leg portions, and said boss for supporting said boss within said U-shaped cavity.

14. A seat as set forth in claim 13 wherein said ribs comprise a polymeric material and are integral with said boss and said back frame member.

15. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said boss is further defined as an upper boss and said seat further comprises a lower boss spaced from said upper boss and coupled to said base portion within said U-shaped cavity with said lower boss receiving another fastening element such that said fastening elements are disposed through a respective one of said upper boss and said lower boss for coupling said bracket to said back frame member.

16. A seat as set forth in claim 15 wherein said bracket maintains a position of said fastening elements relative to each other and relative to said seating frame member as said back frame member rotates relative to said seating frame member such that said back frame member rotates about said fastening element received by said lower boss and said fastening element received by said upper boss deforms said upper boss and said base portion of said back frame member.

17. A seat as set forth in claim 1 further comprising a sleeve disposed within said bore of said boss for preventing said boss from being compressed when said fastening element couples said bracket to said back frame member whereby said fastening element contacts said sleeve and said sleeve deforms said boss when the force above the predetermined value is applied to said back frame member.

18. A seat as set forth in claim 1 wherein said seat is free of a shear plate disposed about said fastening element.

Assignees

• Evans Jonathan
• Basf Se

Inventors

• Evans Jonathan

Classifications

• B60N2/682

  Joining means · CPC title

• B60N2/68

  Seat frames · CPC title

• B60N2/4228

  due to impact coming from the rear · CPC title

• B60N2/42709 Primary

  involving residual deformation or fracture of the structure · 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