Vehicle seat

A vehicle seat for accommodating a range of passenger seating sizes, each of the seating sizes indicating a seated shoulder height for a passenger, said vehicle seat being securable on a seat of a vehicle by one of a vehicle lap belt, vehicle lap and shoulder belt and universal restraint system, the seat of the vehicle having a seat pan and upper seat back, said vehicle seat comprising:

• a seat body including an upper seatback defining an upper seating area disposed between left and right forwardly extending side walls, the upper seating area supporting the upper torso of a seated passenger;
• a body support including left and right sides, said left and right sides defining, respectively, left and right side supports for the seated passenger;
• and
• a cam adjusting said left side support relative to said right side support when said body support is vertically repositioned relative to said seat body;
• wherein said cam comprises a side wall surface on each of said left and right side walls and a rearwardly extending protrusion on each of said left and right side supports,
• wherein the left and right side wall surfaces describe a downwardly converging pair of wall surfaces and each of the rearwardly extending protrusions having a surface positioned in sliding contact with the respective left and right side wall surfaces of said seat body.

A method for configuring a vehicle seat from a belt positioning booster seat mode appropriate for restraining an occupant of a first size in a vehicle seat, to an attached harness seat mode appropriate for restraining an occupant of a second size in a vehicle seat, wherein the second size is smaller than the first size, the vehicle seat including a seat body having an upper seating area disposed between left and right side walls, the left and right side walls providing lateral support appropriate for the first size occupant, an occupant harness securable to said seat body, and a body support including left and right lateral support surfaces for providing lateral support for the second size occupant, said method for configuring a vehicle seat from a belt positioning booster seat mode to an attached harness seat mode comprising the steps of:

• securing the occupant harness to the seat body;
• connecting the body support to the seat body;
• seating the occupant in the vehicle seat;
• and
• adjusting the left lateral support surface relative to the right lateral support surface to within a range appropriate for the second size occupant by vertically adjusting the body support relative to the seat body.

An adjustable vehicle seat for accommodating seated passengers of various seating sizes, said adjustable vehicle seat adapted for receiving a passenger harness, said vehicle seat comprising:

• a seat body including a lower seating portion describing a horizontally extending seating portion and an upstanding seatback describing a vertically extending seating portion, the seatback including a seating side extending laterally between left and right sides, and a rear face located rearwardly of the seating side;
• an upper seat portion having upper and lower ends and including a headrest;
• a coupling assembly configurable between a fixed coupling fixing said upper seat portion relative to said seat body and a movable coupling permitting vertical adjustment of said upper seat portion relative to said seat body, said coupling assembly including:
• a first connector disposed on said upper seat portion,
• a second connector disposed on the seatback for engaging said first connector, wherein when said second connector is engaged with said first connector said coupling assembly is configured as said fixed coupling,
• a cam for displacing one of said first connector and said second connector relative to the other of said first connector and said second connector so as to configure said coupling assembly from said fixed coupling to said movable coupling, and
• an actuator coupled to the upper seat portion to engage the cam by sliding the actuator along the upper seat portion, such that the cam displaces the one of the first and second connectors.

An adjustable vehicle seat for accommodating seated passengers of various seating sizes, said adjustable vehicle seat adapted for receiving a passenger harness, said vehicle seat comprising:

• a seat body including a lower seating portion describing a horizontally extending seating portion and an upstanding seatback describing a vertically extending seating portion, the seatback including a seating side extending laterally between left and right sides, and a rear face located rearwardly of the seating side;
• an upper seat portion having upper and lower ends and including a headrest;
• a coupling assembly configurable between a fixed coupling fixing said upper seat portion relative to said seat body and a movable coupling permitting vertical adjustment of said upper seat portion relative to said seat body, said coupling assembly including:
• a first connector disposed on said upper seat portion,
• a second connector disposed on the seatback for engaging said first connector, wherein when said second connector is engaged with said first connector said coupling assembly is configured as said fixed coupling,
• a cam for displacing one of said first connector and said second connector relative to the other of said first connector and said second connector so as to configure said coupling assembly from said fixed coupling to said movable coupling,
• said coupling assembly further including a cam actuator for actuating said cam,
• wherein said cam comprises an outwardly extending guide post formed on the first connector and an angularly extending groove formed in the cam actuator for receiving the first connector guide post.

An adjustable vehicle seat for accommodating seated passengers of various seating sizes, said adjustable vehicle seat adapted for receiving a passenger harness, said vehicle seat comprising:

• a seat body including a lower seating portion describing a horizontally extending seating portion and an upstanding seatback describing a vertically extending seating portion, the seatback including a seating side extending laterally between left and right sides, and a rear face located rearwardly of the seating side;
• an upper seat portion having upper and lower ends and including a headrest;
• a coupling assembly configurable between a fixed coupling fixing said upper seat portion relative to said seat body and a movable coupling permitting vertical adjustment of said upper seat portion relative to said seat body, said coupling assembly including:
• a first connector disposed on said upper seat portion,
• a second connector disposed on the seatback for engaging said first connector, wherein when said second connector is engaged with said first connector said coupling assembly is configured as said fixed coupling, and
• a cam for displacing one of said first connector and said second connector relative to the other of said first connector and said second connector so as to configure said coupling assembly from said fixed coupling to said movable coupling,
• said coupling assembly further including a cam actuator coupled to said upper seat portion to permit vertical sliding motion of said cam actuator relative to said upper seat portion,
• wherein vertical displacement of said cam actuator causes horizontal displacement of said first connector relative to said second connector.

A vehicle seat, comprising:

• a seat body including a lower seating portion and an upstanding seatback;
• an upper seat portion including a headrest;
• and
• means for securing said upper seat portion to said upstanding seatback permitting adjustment of the distance between the headrest and the lower seating portion, wherein said securing means comprises:
• a connector disposed on said upper seat portion, said connector including a guide post and being laterally re-positionable relative to said upper seat portion;
• a first and second pair of laterally extending teeth disposed on the seatback for engaging said connector, said first and second pair of teeth defining, respectively, a first and second headrest position wherein when said upper seat portion is positioned at one of said first and second headrest positions, said connector is engaged with the corresponding one of said first and second pair of teeth so as to provide a mechanical interlock between said upper seat portion and said upstanding seatback;
• a vertically extending cam actuator slidingly coupled to said headrest, said cam actuator having a lower end;
• a cam comprising an outwardly extending guide post formed on said connector and an angularly extending groove formed on said cam actuator lower end for receiving said first connector guide post, wherein said angularly extending groove is positioned in sliding contact with said connector guide post for laterally displacing said connector in response to vertical displacement of said cam actuator relative to said headrest;
• and
• a spring positioned between said cam actuator and said connector, said spring urging said connector into engagement with one of said first and second pair of teeth;
• wherein when said upper seat portion is to be positioned from said first headrest position to said second headrest position, said cam actuator is displaced upwardly, thereby releasing said connector from said first pair of teeth so as to permit adjustment of the distance between the headrest and the lower seating portion and wherein when said cam actuator is released, said spring pulls said cam actuator downwardly to cause said connector to engage with said second pair of teeth, thereby re-establishing the mechanical interlock between said upper seat portion and said upstanding seatback.

A seat for use in a vehicle having a shoulder belt, comprising:

• a seat back and a seat bottom connected to the seat back;
• an adjustable body support vertically movable along the seat back;
• and
• a harness guide movable with said adjustable body support between a plurality of vertical harness positions;
• wherein said seat is configurable between an attached harness seat configuration and booster seat configuration,
• said attached harness seat configuration including a harness removably secured to at least one of said seat back and said seat bottom, said harness including a webbing removably received by said harness guide, wherein said webbing is simultaneously adjustable with said adjustable body support between said plurality of vertical harness positions, and
• said booster seat configuration is devoid of said harness and includes a shoulder belt guide for removably receiving the shoulder belt of the vehicle, said shoulder belt guide being vertically movable with said adjustable body support between a plurality of vertical belt positions, wherein the shoulder belt is simultaneously adjustable with said adjustable body support to one of said vertical belt positions when received in said shoulder belt guide.