Controllable comfort shell for vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9096147-B2
Application number	US-201213612683-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2012
Priority date	Sep 12, 2011
Publication date	Aug 4, 2015
Grant date	Aug 4, 2015

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat back having a support frame coupled to a seat foundation. The seat back also further includes a deformable seat shell adapted to assume various shapes between initial position and final positions in response to variable rearward loads applied by a seated passenger. The seat shell is coupled to the support frame by a compliant shell-motion controller via upper and lower motion-control links. The motion-control links allow pivotal motion, and at least one of the links includes a spheroidal joint. A link foundation extends between and interconnects the upper and lower motion-control links and is coupled to the support frame so that the link foundation does not move during seat shell deformation. The shell-motion controller may be pre-assembled as part of a backrest or the motion-control links may be formed after the link foundation is attached to the support frame.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a foundation adapted for attachment to a vehicle floor;
an upwardly extending support frame coupled to the foundation;
a deformable seat shell adapted to assume various shapes between an initial position and a final position in response to variable rearward loads applied by the torso of a seated passenger; and
a compliant shell-motion controller that couples the deformable seat shell with the support frame via upper and lower motion-control links, wherein the upper motion-control link includes a spheroidal joint and the lower motion-control link includes a pivotable strut, the pivotable strut having a first end pivotally coupled with the deformable seat shell for movement about a first pivot axis, and a second end pivotally coupled with the support frame for movement about a second pivot axis such that lateral movement of the second end of the pivotable strut is constrained by a strut-receiving chamber coupled to the support frame at a fixed location.

2. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the compliant shell-motion controller comprises a link foundation attached to the support frame at a fixed location so that the link foundation does not move relative to the support frame during movement of the deformable seat shell, the link foundation being interconnected with the deformable seat shell by the upper and lower motion-control links.

3. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the compliant shell-motion controller comprises first and second shell mounts laterally spaced-apart from each other so that the deformable seat shell extends between and interconnects the shell mounts, each of the shell mounts including an upper motion-control link with a spheroidal joint and a lower motion-control link with a pivotable strut.

4. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , further comprising a return spring that biases the deformable seat shell toward the initial position.

5. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 4 , wherein the return spring biases one portion of the deformable seat shell against another portion of the deformable seat shell.

6. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 4 , wherein the return spring biases one portion of the shell-motion controller against another portion of the shell motion-controller.

7. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 1 , wherein the shape of the deformable seat shell at the initial position is not user-selectable.

8. A vehicle seat, comprising:
a foundation adapted for attachment to a vehicle floor;
an upwardly extending support frame coupled to the foundation;
a deformable seat shell adapted to assume various shapes between an initial position and a final position in response to variable rearward loads applied by the torso of a seated passenger;
a stationary link foundation, including a holster coupled to the support frame at a fixed location, wherein the holster is formed separately from the support frame, the holster further comprising side walls and a strut-receiving chamber opening toward the deformable seat shell; and
upper and lower motion-control links that each pivotally couple the holster with the deformable seat shell, wherein the holster extends between and interconnects the upper and lower motion-control links, and
wherein at least one of the motion-control links comprises a pivotable strut having a first end pivotally coupled with the deformable seat shell and a second end pivotally coupled with the link foundation and received in the strut-receiving chamber of the holster such that the side walls of the holster constrain lateral movement of the pivotable strut.

9. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 8 , wherein at least one of the motion-control links comprises a joint that is capable of motion around an indefinite number of axes which have one common center.

10. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 8 , wherein said first end is coupled with the deformable seat shell for movement about a first pivot axis, and said second end is coupled with the link foundation for movement about a second pivot axis that is parallel to the first pivot axis.

11. A vehicle seat as defined in claim 8 , further comprising a return spring that biases the deformable seat shell toward the initial lordosis position.

Assignees

• Kulkarni Amit
• Goligorsky David
• Proulx Timothy R
• Cao Yang
• Faurecia Automotive Seating Llc

Inventors

• Kulkarni Amit
• Goligorsky David
• Proulx Timothy R
• Cao Yang

Classifications

• B60N2/66

  Lumbar supports · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• B60N2/028 Primary

  Elastically mounted back-rests · CPC title

• B60N2/667 Primary

  having flexible support member bowed by applied forces · CPC title

• B60N2/68

  Seat frames · CPC title