Power seat assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9827885-B2
Application number	US-201514738511-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 12, 2015
Priority date	Jun 26, 2014
Publication date	Nov 28, 2017
Grant date	Nov 28, 2017

Abstract

A seat assembly is provided and may include a base assembly, a first arm, a seat bottom assembly, a second arm, and an adjustment arm. The base assembly may be mounted to a vehicle. The first arm may be rotatably coupled to the base assembly and may be operable to rotate relative to the base assembly about a first axis of rotation. The seat bottom assembly may be rotatably coupled to the first arm and may be operable to rotate relative to the first arm about a second axis of rotation. The second arm may be rotatably coupled to the seat bottom assembly and may be operable to rotate relative to the seat bottom assembly about a third axis of rotation. The adjustment arm may include an adjustment mechanism, and may be rotatably coupled to the second arm and rotatably coupled to the base assembly. The adjustment mechanism may be operable to rotate the adjustment arm relative to the base assembly about a fourth axis of rotation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. In a seat assembly for a vehicle having a seat bottom having a forward end and a rearward end, a first adjustment mechanism connected to said seat bottom, a track assembly mounted to a floor of the vehicle in a fore/aft direction and including a second adjustment mechanism, and a seatback connected at a lower end thereof to said track assembly, a method of changing the configuration of the seat assembly from a first configuration wherein the seat bottom is oriented substantially parallel to said track assembly and the seatback is oriented substantially perpendicular to said track assembly, to a second configuration comprising the steps of:
(i) operating said first adjustment mechanism to pivot said seat bottom about an axis adjacent the forward end of the seat bottom so that the seat bottom is oriented substantially perpendicular to said track assembly, and
(ii) thereafter operating said second adjustment mechanism to slide said seatback in a forward direction along said track assembly toward said substantially perpendicularly oriented seat bottom;
wherein the operation of the second adjustment mechanism in step (ii) occurs independently of the operation of the first adjustment mechanism in step (i).

2. In a seat assembly for a vehicle having a seat bottom having a forward end and a rearward end, a seatback, and a track assembly mounted to a floor of the vehicle in a fore/aft direction, a method of changing the configuration of the seat assembly from a first configuration wherein the seat bottom is spaced above the floor of the vehicle and oriented substantially parallel to said track assembly and the seatback is oriented substantially perpendicular to said track assembly, to a second configuration comprising the steps in sequence of:
rotating the seatback about a first axis adjacent to a lower end of said seatback in a forward rotational direction by a first predetermined angular amount less than 90°;
lowering said seat bottom to a position adjacent to the floor of the vehicle; and
continuing the forward rotation of said seatback about said first axis until the seatback is substantially parallel with said track assembly
wherein the lowering of said seat bottom occurs independently of any movement of said seatback.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the step of lowering said seat bottom is performed by rotating seat bottom in a rearward direction about a second axis adjacent to a forward end of the seat bottom.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein said seatback is prevented from rotating about said first axis in a rearward rotational direction opposite to said forward rotational direction when said seat bottom is in said position adjacent to the floor of the vehicle.

5. A seat assembly for a vehicle including a seat comprising a seat bottom having a forward end and a rearward end and a seatback having a substantially vertical orientation defining an upper end and a lower end adjacent the rearward end of the seat bottom in a first configuration of said seat assembly, the seat assembly comprising:
a track assembly mounted to a floor of a vehicle in a fore/aft direction;
a base assembly mounting the forward end of the seat bottom to the floor of the vehicle or to a forward end of said track assembly; and
a support assembly mounting the lower end of the seatback to a rearward end of said track assembly;
wherein said base assembly includes a first adjustment mechanism operable to rotate said seat bottom about a first axis adjacent to the forward end of the seat bottom in a first rotational direction from a first position wherein said seat bottom is substantially parallel to the floor of the vehicle to a second position wherein said seat bottom is oriented substantially perpendicular to said floor, and further
wherein said track assembly includes a second adjustment mechanism coupled to said support assembly and operable to cause forward sliding movement of said seatback along said track assembly independently of the operation of said first adjustment mechanism or the rotation of said seat bottom from said first position to said second position.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein said second adjustment mechanism is operable to cause said forward sliding movement of said seatback along said track assembly only after said seat bottom is in said second position.

7. The seat assembly of claim 5 , wherein said seatback is moveable forwardly along said track assembly until the seatback is juxtaposed to said seat bottom when in said second position, thereby putting said seat assembly in a second configuration.

8. The seat assembly of claim 7 , wherein said support assembly further comprises a third adjustment mechanism for permitting rotation of said seatback about a second axis adjacent to the lower end of said seatback.

9. The seat assembly of claim 8 , further including a first motor assembly for operating said first adjustment mechanism, and a second motor assembly for operating said second adjustment mechanism.

10. The seat assembly of claim 8 , wherein the rearward end of said seat bottom is supported by a connecting rod oriented transversely to said fore/aft direction and located in the lower end of the seatback when said seat assembly is in said first configuration.

11. The seat assembly of claim 10 , wherein the rearward end of the seat bottom is unsupported by said connecting rod after said third adjustment mechanism has rotated said seatback in the first rotational direction by a first predetermined angular amount less than 90°.

12. The seat assembly of claim 11 , wherein said seat bottom is spaced above and substantially parallel to the floor of the vehicle in the first configuration of said seat assembly.

13. The seat assembly of claim 12 , wherein said first adjustment mechanism is operable to lower said seat bottom adjacent to the floor of the vehicle when the rearward end of said seat bottom is unsupported by said connecting rod.

14. The seat assembly of claim 13 , wherein said first adjustment mechanism is operable to lower said seat bottom by rotating said seat bottom about said first axis in a second rotational direction opposite said first rotational direction.

15. The seat assembly of claim 13 , wherein said third adjustment mechanism is operable to rotate said seatback in said first rotational direction after said seat bottom has been lowered adjacent to the floor of the vehicle, until said seatback is substantially parallel with said track assembly, thereby putting said seat assembly in a third configuration.

16. The seat assembly of claim 15 , further including an interlock mechanism that is operable to prevent said third adjustment mechanism from rotating said seatback in a second rotational direction opposite said first rotational direction when said seat bottom is adjacent to the floor of the vehicle in said third configuration of said seat assembly.

17. The seat assembly of claim 16 , wherein said interlock mechanism is operable to permit rotation of said seatback by said third adjustment mechanism in said second rotational direction after said first adjustment mechanism has raised said seat bottom above the floor of the vehicle by a second predetermined amount.

Assignees

• Fisher & Co Inc

Inventors

• Fisher Michael R
• Maksymiuk James S
• Robinson David L
• Ryan Christopher J
• Simms Andrew J

Classifications

• B60N2/22

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

• B60N2/309 Primary

  rods · CPC title

• B60N2/3022

  along longitudinal axis · CPC title

• A47C7/02

  Seat parts · CPC title

• B60N2/015

  Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis · CPC title