Vehicle seat with cable force reducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9809135-B2
Application number	US-201514838654-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2015
Priority date	Aug 28, 2015
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A vehicle seat has a seat base and movable backrest coupled to the seat base. Each side of the seat has a backrest locking mechanism. A case having a first slot is fixedly mounted to the seat. A pulley having a pulley wheel and a first pin is received in the case and translatable longitudinally in the case. The pin is received in the first slot and coupled to the pulley wheel for common translation therewith. A case attachment end of an input cable is fixedly coupled to the case and a user input end of the input cable receives an input force from a user. The input cable extends around a portion of the pulley wheel. Ends of at least two output cables are coupled to the pulley for common translation therewith and opposite ends of the output cables are coupled to respective ones of the backrest locking mechanisms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle seat comprising:
a seat base;
a movable backrest coupled to the seat base;
the vehicle seat having at least first and second backrest locking mechanisms, each backrest locking mechanism having a locked state and an unlocked state, the backrest locking mechanisms when both are in the unlocked state allowing the backrest to rotate relative to the seat base and when either backrest locking mechanism is in the locked state locking the backrest in a fixed position relative to the seat base;
a case having a first slot, the case fixedly mounted to one of the backrest and the seat base;
a pulley including a pulley wheel and a first pin, the pulley wheel disposed within the case and translatable longitudinally in the case, the first pin slidably received in the first slot and coupled to the pulley wheel for common translation with the pulley wheel with the first pin translating in the slot when the pulley wheel translates in the case;
an input cable having opposed ends, with one end a case attachment end that is fixedly coupled to the case and the other end a user input end that is configured to receive an input force from a user which pulls the input cable when the input force is received, the input cable extending around a portion of the pulley wheel; and
at least first and second output cables, each output cable having opposed ends with one end a pulley attachment end and the other end a backrest locking end, the pulley attachment end of each output cable is coupled to the pulley for common translation with the pulley, the backrest locking end of one of the output cables is coupled to one of the backrest locking mechanisms and the backrest locking end of the other output cable is coupled to the other backrest locking mechanism;
wherein the pulley and pulley attachment ends of the output cables translate longitudinally in the case in response to being pulled by the input cable when the input cable is pulled with the output cables pulling upon the backrest locking mechanisms to release the backrest locking mechanisms from their locked state to their unlocked state.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the case includes opposed shells that are mated together, one of the shells having the first slot and the other shell having a second slot, wherein the pulley includes a second pin that is slidably received in the second slot and coupled to the pulley wheel for common translation with the pulley wheel.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 2 , wherein the pulley attachment end of one of the output cables is coupled to the first pin and the pulley attachment end of the other output cable is coupled to the second pin.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener, wherein the case has a first aperture, wherein the case attachment end of the input cable is fixedly coupled to the case and includes a bracket that has a second aperture, the fastener being received through the first and second apertures to fixedly couple the case attachment end of the input cable to the case.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 4 , wherein the fastener fixedly couples the case to the one of the backrest or the seat base.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 4 , wherein the case has a third aperture and a fourth aperture, wherein the bracket includes a bracket body that has the second aperture and a pair of fingers, each finger extending through a corresponding one of the third and fourth apertures.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein each finger includes a first portion that extends through the corresponding one of the third and fourth apertures, and a second portion that extends generally perpendicular to the first portion and opposes an external side of the case.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the case attachment end of the input cable is fixedly coupled to the case proximate to a first side of the case and the input cable extends away from the first side, around the portion of the pulley wheel, and through the first side of the case, wherein the output cables extend through a second side of the case that is opposite the first side.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein the case attachment end of the input cable includes a bracket that has a first aperture, wherein the case has a protrusion received through the first aperture to fixedly couple the case attachment end of the input cable to the case.

10. The vehicle seat of claim 9 , further comprising a fastener, wherein the case has a second aperture through the protrusion, wherein the fastener is received through the first and second apertures.

11. The vehicle seat of claim 10 , wherein the fastener fixedly couples the case to the one of the backrest and the seat base.

12. The vehicle seat of claim 1 wherein the backrest locking mechanisms are disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle seat assembly.

13. The vehicle seat of claim 1 , further comprising a fastener, wherein the case has a first aperture, the fastener being received through the first aperture and being fixedly coupled to the one of the backrest and the seat base, wherein the case attachment end of the input cable is fixedly coupled to the fastener.

14. The vehicle seat of claim 13 , wherein the case attachment end of the input cable includes a bracket that has a second aperture, the fastener being received through the first and second apertures to fixedly couple the case attachment end of the input cable to the one of the backrest and the seat base.

Assignees

• Elton Robert
• Fca Us Llc

Inventors

• Elton Robert

Classifications

• B60N2/4435 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/2356

  with internal pawls · CPC title

• B60N2/933 Primary

  rotatable · CPC title