Recliner for a vehicle seat

An occupant support comprising

• a seat bottom,
• a seat back coupled to the seat bottom for movement about a seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom between an upright position and a folded-forward position, and
• a seat-motion controller configured to provide means for controlling movement of the occupant support in one of a fine-adjustment mode in which the seat back rotates about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom between the upright position and the folded-forward position in response to power being supplied to a motor connected to the seat-motion controller and is blocked from rotating relative to the seat bottom while power is not supplied to the motor to lock the seat back in a selected memory position relative to the seat bottom and a gross-movement mode in which the seat back rotates about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom between the upright position and the folded-forward position in response to a folding force applied to the seat back without supplying power to the motor,
• wherein the seat-motion controller includes a fixed flange coupled to the seat bottom, a mobile flange coupled to the seat back for rotation with the seat back about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the fixed flange, and a recliner control unit that includes a mode controller including a cam-shaft unit arranged to extend axially along the seat-back pivot axis and a plurality of pawls arranged circumferentially around the cam-shaft unit, the mobile flange is arranged circumferentially around the plurality of pawls, and the cam-shaft unit is configured to move axially relative to the seat-back pivot axis between an extended position in which the cam-shaft unit pushes at least one and less than all of the plurality of pawls radially outward away from the seat-back pivot axis toward the mobile flange to cause the occupant support to be movable in the fine-adjustment mode and a retracted position in which the plurality of pawls are free to move radially inward toward the cam-shaft unit and away from the mobile flange to cause the occupant support to be movable in the gross-movement mode.

An occupant support comprising

• a seat bottom,
• a seat back coupled to the seat bottom for movement about a seat-back pivot axis relative to the seat bottom between an upright position and a folded-forward position, and
• a seat-motion controller configured to control movement of the occupant support in one of a fine-adjustment mode and a gross-movement mode, the seat-motion controller including a fixed flange coupled to the seat bottom, a mobile flange coupled to the seat back for rotation with the seat back about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the fixed flange, and a recliner control unit configured to rotate the mobile flange about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the fixed flange in response to a rotational force applied to the recliner control unit and to block rotation of the mobile flange about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the fixed flange in response to the rotational force being removed from the recliner control unit to lock the seat back in a selected memory position relative to the seat bottom when the occupant support is in the fine-adjustment mode and to allow the mobile flange to rotate freely about the seat-back pivot axis relative to the fixed flange when the occupant support is in the gross-movement mode,
• wherein the recliner control unit includes a mode controller that includes a cam-shaft unit that extends axially into the fixed flange and the mobile flange and a plurality of pawls that are arranged circumferentially around the cam-shaft unit and that are aligned axially with the mobile flange, the cam-shaft unit is configured to move axially relative to the seat-back pivot axis between an extended position in which the cam-shaft unit pushes at least one of the plurality of pawls radially outward away from the cam-shaft unit toward the mobile flange and a retracted position in which the plurality of pawls are free to move radially inward toward the cam-shaft unit away from the mobile flange.