US 6,106,067 AGranted

Seat adjustment and dumping mechanism with memory adjustment coordinated with seat positioning

AssigneeP.L. Porter Co.

InventorsJim Zhuang, James Eaton, Greg Lawhead, James V. Parrinello

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Abstract

The system (10) controls reclining and dumping of a seat and the return of the seat back to its upright position depending on the position of the seat. The system (10) has a master unit (6) and a slave unit (8). The master unit (6) has a base plate (12) that attaches to a seat and pivots with respect to the ground. A master lock (90), which attaches to the base plate (12), allows the base plate (12) to pivot only when the lock (90) is unlocked. A master seat plate (70) connected to the seat pivots on the master base plate (12). A memory latch (120) normally secures the base and seat plates together so that pivoting the master plate (12) pivots the seat plate (70) except when the memory latch is not latched. A slave-side mechanical lock (111) connects directly to the seat back, which allows the seat back and the master base plate (12) to pivot only when both the master and slave locks are unlocked. An input/output device (164) unlocks the slave lock when the memory latch unlocks, which allows dumping. The input/output device (164) also unlocks the slave lock (111) when the memory latch (120) on the master lock (90) is unlocked to allow the seat back to dump. The device also permits the entire seat to slide forward when the seat back dumps. A lockout latch (290) on the memory latch (120) senses the position of the seat and prevents the seat back from returning completely to the memory position until the seat slides completely to its pre-dumped, rearward position.

A mechanism for controlling reclining and dumping of a seat back of a seat wherein the seat is mounted for lateral movement along an adjusting track, the mechanism comprising:

a base plate attachable to a seat and pivotable with respect to ground, the base plate having an arcuate slot with first and second ends;
a lock attached to the base plate, the lock having a locked condition preventing the base plate from pivoting and an unlocked condition permitting the base plate to pivot;
a seat plate connectable to the a seat and pivotally mounted on the base plate, the seat plate having a swing pin sliding within the arcuate slot;
a memory latch mounted on the base plate for pivoting between a latched and unlatched position, the memory latch having a memory latch slot receiving the swing pin when the memory latch is in its latched position and the swing pin is in the first end of the arcuate slot;
a release attached to the memory latch for pivoting the memory latch between its latched and unlatched positions;
a lockout latch attached to the memory latch, the lockout latch comprising a lockout latch slot having first and second ends, the swing pin extending into the lockout latch slot, the lockout latch slot having two regions, wherein when the swing pin is in the first region, the swing pin is in the first end of the arcuate slot of the base plate and the memory latch is in its latched position, a blocking element in the lockout latch slot preventing the swing pin from moving to the first end of the arcuate slot and into the first region of the lockout latch slot, the lockout latch being biased to a position in which the blocking element prevents the swing pin from moving to the first end of the arcuate slot;
a lockout latch actuator extending between the adjusting track and the lockout latch, wherein when the seat moves to a predetermined position in the adjusting track, the lockout latch actuator moving the blocking element from its position preventing the swing pin from moving to the first end of the arcuate slot to a position permitting the swing pin to move to the first end of the arcuate slot and into the first region of the lockout latch slot.

4 more elements

Abstract

Claims11