Controllable comfort shell for vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9358911-B2
Application number	US-201414511998-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 10, 2014
Priority date	Nov 23, 2009
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle seat includes a seat back having a backrest, a backrest support, and a linkage arranged to interconnect the backrest and the backrest support. The linkage is configured to support the backrest for movement relative to the backrest support.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat comprising
a seat back including a backrest support and a backrest, the backrest including a deformable back-support panel configured to bend and flex to move relative to the backrest support to assume many different shapes to provide custom spinal column support to a seated passenger seated in the vehicle seat adjacent to the deformable back-support panel,
a back-support panel-motion controller coupled to the deformable back-support panel and configured to provide means operable by the seated passenger for moving the deformable back-support panel relative to the backrest support in an initial stage of active operation to assume a selected shape in response to activation of an actuator included in the back-support panel-motion controller and for independently allowing the selected shape of the deformable back-support panel to vary passively after assumption of the selected shape in a subsequent stage of passive operation without activating the actuator in response to forces applied by a torso of the seated passenger leaning against the deformable back-support panel as the seated passenger shifts position relative to the seat back to assume a new posture in the vehicle seat,
a seat bottom adapted to lie under and support the seated passenger, wherein the seat back is arranged to extend upwardly from the seat bottom, the deformable back-support panel includes an upper portion arranged to lie in spaced-apart relation to the seat bottom and a lower portion arranged to lie between the seat bottom and the upper portion, and the back-support panel-motion controller includes a lower control unit coupled to the lower portion of the deformable back-support panel and configured to provide active-motion means for actively moving the deformable back-support panel relative to the backrest support to cause the shape of the deformable back-support panel to change to assume the selected shape so that lumbar support for the seated passenger leaning against the seat back is varied to suit the passenger and to provide lower passive-motion means for passively allowing shape-changing movement of the deformable back-support panel temporarily away from the selected shape and relative to the backrest support in response to rearwardly directed forces applied by the seated passenger during a shift in position of the seated passenger on the seat bottom and relative to the seat back,
wherein the lower control unit includes a lower panel mount coupled to the lower portion of the deformable back-support panel, a link mover separated from the deformable back-support panel, and a shape-control link arranged to interconnect the lower panel mount and the link mover, and wherein the link mover is configured to provide means for actively moving the shape-control link relative to the backrest support to cause movement of the lower portion of the deformable back-support panel relative to the backrest support so that the shape of the deformable back-support panel is varied to assume the selected shape to suit the seated passenger,
wherein the shape-control link comprises an input block coupled to the link mover, an output block coupled to the lower panel mount using an axle rod, and a yieldable spring made of an elastic material and arranged to interconnect the input and output blocks,
wherein the input block comprises a driven gear and a pivot rod coupled to the driven gear to support the driven gear for rotation about a pivot axis, the output block is coupled to another end of the yieldable spring, and the link mover is arranged to engage the driven gear and rotate about an axis to rotate the driven gear about the pivot axis to cause the shape-control link to move relative to the backrest support; and
wherein the yieldable spring is a spiral clock spring, an inner end of the spiral clock spring is coupled to the output block, an outer end of the spiral clock spring is coupled to the input block, and the spiral clock spring is arranged to spiral around a central axis established by the pivot rod.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the yieldable spring of the shape-control link is configured to yield elastically when the deformable back-support panel has assumed the selected shape during exposure of the deformable back-support panel to rearwardly directed forces applied by the seated passenger during a change in posture of the seated passenger to allow the deformable back-support panel to assume temporarily a changed shape only as long as the rearwardly directed forces are applied to the deformable back-support panel by the seated passenger.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the output block is a bar that includes a first member coupled to the pivot rod and a second member coupled to the axle rod and arranged to define an obtuse included angle between the first member and the second member.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the link mover includes a worm configured to mate with the driven gear to establish a worm drive and to rotate the driven gear about the pivot axis to load or unload the yieldable spring to cause the deformable back-support panel to change shape, a motor configured to provide means for rotating the worm about an axis of rotation, and a motor actuator coupled to the motor and configured to actuate the motor at the command of the seated passenger.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the link mover includes a ratchet mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation and the ratchet includes teeth mating with the driven gear and a handle configured to provide means for moving the teeth about the axis of rotation to turn the driven gear about the pivot axis to load or unload the yieldable spring to cause the deformable back-support panel to change shape.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the back-support panel-motion controller further includes an upper control unit coupled to the upper portion of the deformable back-support panel and configured to provide passive-motion means for passively allowing shape-changing movement of the deformable back-support panel relative to the backrest support temporarily in response to rearwardly directed forces applied by a lumbar region of a back of the seated passenger when the seated passenger slouches to move in a rearward direction toward the deformable back-support panel.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein the upper control unit includes an upper panel mount coupled to the upper portion of the deformable back-support panel and a shape-control link coupled to the upper panel mount and configured to include a yieldable spring made of an elastic material and configured to yield elastically in response to application of movement-inducing forces applied to the deformable back-support panel by the seated passenger during a change in posture of the seated passenger.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the seat back further includes a panel carrier interposed between the deformable back-support panel and the backrest support and formed to include an opening, a lower portion of the back-support panel-motion controller is arranged to interconnect the backrest support and the deformable back-support panel and extend through the opening formed in the panel carrier, and an upper control unit of the back-support panel-motion controller is arranged to interconnect the deformable back-support panel and the panel carrier.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 8 , wherein the upper control unit of the back-support panel-motion controller is coupled to the upper portion of the deformable back-support panel.

Assignees

• Faurecia Automotive Seating Llc

Inventors

• Brncick Gregory
• Lowell Dana J
• Mack Adam
• Proulx Timothy R

Classifications

• B60N2/0232

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/2231

  Worm and worm gear articulations · CPC title

• B60N2/643 Primary

  shape of the back-rests (B60N2/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/68

  Seat frames · CPC title

• B60N2/66

  Lumbar supports · CPC title