# US 10,479,233 B2 · Seat apparatus for vehicle

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- Number: US 10,479,233 B2
- Document ID: US10479233B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/881,978
- Filed: 2018-01-29
- Published: 2018-08-16
- Granted: 2019-11-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-02-10
- Assignees: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Muneatsu Minato; Hajime Ishihara; Manabu Matsumoto; Yosuke Nishimura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479233B2

## CPC

- B60N 2/203: {taking a position opposite to the original one}
- B60N 2/0244: {with logic circuits}
- B60N 2/0278: {using sensors external to the seat for measurements in relation to the seat adjustment, e.g. for identifying the presence of obstacles or the appropriateness of the occupants position}
- B60N 2/22: the back-rest being adjustable {(B60N2/2878 takes precedence)}
- B60N 2/2227: {and provided with braking systems}
- B60N 2/2245: {provided with a lock mechanism on the upper part of the back-rest}
- B60N 2210/24: Cameras
- B60N 2220/20: using a deterministic algorithm
- B60N: SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A seat apparatus for a vehicle includes a conversion mechanism that converts a disposition of a seatback between a normal position to a converted position, the normal position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a rear section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing forward, the converted position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a front section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing rearward, and a reclining mechanism that biases the seatback toward a neutral position at which the seatback stands upward and that reclines the seatback forward and rearward from the neutral position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A seat apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a seat cushion;
a seatback standing upward from the seat cushion and that supports a back of a person sitting on the seat cushion;
a conversion mechanism that converts a disposition of the seatback between a normal position to a converted position, the normal position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a rear section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing forward, the converted position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a front section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing rearward; and
a reclining mechanism that biases the seatback toward a neutral position at which the seatback stands upward and that reclines the seatback forward and rearward from the neutral position,
wherein the reclining mechanism comprises:
a reclining shaft that is provided at a lower end of the seatback and that is a shaft about which the seatback is reclined forward and rearward from the neutral position, and
a biasing member disposed in a radial direction of the reclining shaft when the seatback is disposed at the neutral position,
a first end of the biasing member is engaged with an eccentric section of the seatback separated from the reclining shaft and a second end of the biasing member is engaged with a non-reclining member that reclinably support the seatback, and
the biasing member elongates when the seatback is reclined forward or rearward from the neutral position to accumulate a biasing force.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The seat apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1,
wherein the reclining mechanism is able to adjust a reclining angle of the seatback and to lock the reclining of the seatback at the adjusted reclining angle, and
the reclining mechanism is further able to unlock the reclining when the seatback moves between the normal position and the converted position.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The seat apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a locking mechanism that fix the seatback at the normal position and the converted position, and an unlocking operator that performs an unlocking operation of the locking mechanism,
wherein the unlocking operator is installed on an upper end of the seatback.

### Claim 4

A seat apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
a seat cushion;
a seatback standing upward from the seat cushion and that supports a back of a person sitting on the seat cushion;
a conversion mechanism that converts a disposition of the seatback between a normal position to a converted position, the normal position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a rear section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing forward, the converted position being a position at which the seatback is disposed at a front section of the seat cushion and a sitting direction of an occupant is facing rearward; and
a reclining mechanism that biases the seatback toward a neutral position at which the seatback stands upward and that reclines the seatback forward and rearward from the neutral position,
wherein the reclining mechanism comprises:
a reclining shaft that is provided at a lower end of the seatback and that is a shaft about which the seatback is reclined forward and rearward from the neutral position, and
a biasing member that comprises a first spiral spring and a second spiral spring that apply biasing forces to the seatback in opposite directions with each other, and
the first spiral spring and second spiral spring bias the seatback toward the neutral position, and accumulate a biasing force in only one of the first spiral spring and second spiral spring when the seatback is reclined forward or rearward from the neutral position.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The seat apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 4,
wherein the reclining mechanism is able to adjust a reclining angle of the seatback and to lock the reclining of the seatback at the adjusted reclining angle, and
the reclining mechanism is further able to unlock the reclining when the seatback moves between the normal position and the converted position.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The seat apparatus for a vehicle according to claim 4, further comprising: a locking mechanism that fix the seatback at the normal position and the converted position, and an unlocking operator that performs an unlocking operation of the locking mechanism,
wherein the unlocking operator is installed on an upper end of the seatback.