Back to results
US 11,833,937 B2Granted
Occupant support
AssigneeFaurecia Automotive Seating, LLC
InventorsMichael P. Miller, Grzegorz Wojtowicz
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An occupant support includes a seat bottom and a seat back coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration. The seat back is pivotable relative to the seat bottom between a plurality of positions. The seat back may be changed from an upright position to a folded-forward position.
Claims18
An occupant support comprising
- a seat bottom,
- a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, and
- a seat-back mode-changing unit including a seat back recliner arranged between the seat bottom and the backrest-frame support to provide a seat-back recliner pivot axis about which the seat back pivots relative to the seat bottom between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
- wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and a fixed stop coupled to at least one of the seat bottom and the seat-back recliner, and wherein the slip-blocker lever is configured to engage the fixed stop to change the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from an engaged position to a freed position in which the backrest frame is free to pivot about the backrest-frame pivot axis,
- wherein the fixed stop is stationary and remains fixed relative to the slip-blocker lever in response to the seat back pivoting between the forward-reclined position.
3 more elements
An occupant support comprising
- a seat bottom,
- a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, and
- a seat-back mode-changing unit including a seat back recliner arranged between the seat bottom and the backrest-frame support to provide a seat-back recliner pivot axis about which the seat back pivots relative to the seat bottom between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
- wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and biasing means for biasing the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever normally to a locked position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever cooperate to block movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position while the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a pivot-blocker lever axis between the engaged position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever blocks movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position, and the freed position, in which the backrest frame is free to move from the upright position to the folded-forward position,
- wherein the slip-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a slip-blocker lever axis between a locked position, in which the slip-blocker lever blocks the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position, and an unlocked position, in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever moves to the freed position,
- wherein the slip-blocker lever includes a lever body having a first end configured to engage the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to block the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position and a second end that contacts the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to move the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to the freed position.
5 more elements
An occupant support comprising
- a seat bottom,
- a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, the seat back configured to pivot relative to the seat bottom about a seat-back recliner pivot axis between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and
- a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
- wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and a tension spring extending between and interconnecting a rearward end of the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and a forward end of the slip-blocker lever.
2 more elements
An occupant support comprising
- a seat bottom,
- a seat back including a backrest-frame support coupled to the seat bottom and arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and a backrest frame coupled to the backrest-frame support and arranged to extend upward away from the backrest-frame support and the seat bottom in the normal-seating configuration, the seat back configured to pivot relative to the seat bottom about a seat-back recliner pivot axis between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration, and
- a backrest-frame brace unit coupled to the backrest-frame support and configured to block movement of the backrest frame relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest frame is coupled to the backrest-frame support for pivotable movement relative to the backrest-frame support about a backrest-frame pivot axis that is spaced apart from the seat-back recliner pivot axis between an upright position when the backrest frame is in the normal-seating configuration and a folded-forward position in which the backrest frame folds forward toward the seat bottom relative to the backrest-frame support when the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position,
- wherein the backrest-frame brace unit includes a backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, a slip-blocker lever coupled to the backrest-frame support, and biasing means for biasing the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever normally to a locked position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever and the slip-blocker lever cooperate to block movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position while the seat back is in the normal-seating configuration,
- wherein the backrest-frame pivot blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a pivot-blocker lever axis between an engaged position in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever blocks movement of the backrest frame from the upright position to the folded-forward position, and a freed position, in which the backrest frame is free to move from the upright position to the folded-forward position,
- wherein the slip-blocker lever is pivotable relative to the backrest frame and the backrest-frame support about a slip-blocker lever axis between a locked position, in which the slip-blocker lever blocks the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position, and an unlocked position, in which the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever moves to the freed position,
- wherein the slip-blocker lever includes a lever body having a first end configured to engage the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to block the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever from moving to the freed position and a second end that contacts the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to move the backrest-frame pivot-blocker lever to the freed position.
5 more elements
An occupant support comprising
- a seat bottom,
- a seat back arranged to extend upwardly away from the seat bottom in a normal-seating configuration, and
- seat-back mode changer means for reclining the seat back relative to the seat bottom about a seat-back recliner pivot axis between a rearward-reclined position and a forward-reclined position and pivoting a portion of the seat back forward toward the seat bottom about an upper pivot axis as the seat back pivots forward past the forward-reclined position to change the seat back from the normal-seating configuration to a folded-forward position in which the portion of the seat back extends generally horizontally relative to the seat bottom so that the seat back provides a console for an occupant seated next to the occupant support.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.