Vehicle seat armrest mounted tray table
AssigneeJohnson Controls Technology Company
InventorRick A. Anderson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tray table mounted to the armrest of a vehicle seat assembly via a four-bar linkage. The linkage operates to raise the armrest during movement of the tray table between its stowed and use positions. Raising the armrest provides increased clearance between the tray table and the vehicle floor and between the tray table and the seat back of the next forward seat assembly. A second four-bar linkage is provided to maintain the armrest in a fixed attitude relative to the vehicle body regardless of the seat back recline angle. This enables the tray table to remain in a given attitude relative to the vehicle body, such as a horizontal attitude, regardless of the seat back recline position.
Claims20
A seat assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
- a seat cushion connected to the vehicle;
- a seat back coupled to said vehicle cushion;
- an armrest connected to said seat back for rotational movement about an armrest pivot between a generally horizontal use position and a raised position;
- and
- a tray table coupled to said armrest by a tray table bracket for rotational movement about a tray table pivot between a stowed position and a use position;
- the tray table bracket coupled to the vehicle by a first link having a first pivot and a second pivot and configured for one or more of translational and rotational movement such that rotation of said tray table from the stowed position to the use position causes rotation of said armrest from the generally horizontal use position to the raised position with movement of said tray table pivot in an upward and rearward direction, which provides greater clearance for the rotation of said tray table.
A method of manufacturing a seat assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
- providing a seat cushion and connecting the seat cushion to the vehicle;
- providing a seat back and coupling the seat back to the seat cushion;
- providing an armrest and connecting the armrest to the seat back for rotational movement about an armrest pivot between a generally horizontal use position and a raised position;
- and
- providing a tray table and coupling the tray table to the armrest by a tray table bracket for rotational movement about a tray table pivot between a stowed position and a use position, where the tray table bracket is coupled to the vehicle by a first link having a first pivot and a second pivot and configured for one or more of translational and rotational movement;
- such that rotation of the tray table from the stowed position to the use position causes rotation of the armrest from the generally horizontal use position to the raised position with movement of the tray table pivot in an upward and rearward direction, which provides a greater clearance for rotation of the tray table.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.