Vehicle seat assembly
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsJennifer P. Lawall, Diane K. McQueen, Steven E. Morris
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes a seat assembly and a floor. The seat assembly includes a lower seat member operatively connected to the floor, a seatback member operatively connected to the lower seat member, and a head restraint operatively connected to the seatback member. The seat assembly is characterized by an occupiable configuration and a stowed configuration. The seat assembly is configured such that movement of the seat assembly from its occupiable configuration to its stowed configuration causes the head restraint to rotate in a first direction and then a second direction.
Claims10
A vehicle comprising:
- a floor;
- a seat assembly including a lower seat member being operatively connected to the floor and being selectively movable between an elevated position and a lowered position with respect to the floor, a seatback member being operatively connected to the lower seat member and being selectively rotatable with respect to the lower seat member between a generally upright position and a generally horizontal position, and a head restraint being operatively connected to the seatback member and being selectively rotatable with respect to the seatback member between an extended position and a folded position;
- and
- wherein the seat assembly is configured such that the head restraint is automatically rotated to its folded position when the seatback member is between its generally upright and generally horizontal positions, and the head restraint is automatically rotated from its folded position toward its extended position when the lower seat member is moved to its lowered position with the seatback member in its generally horizontal position.
A method of moving a vehicle seat from an occupiable configuration to a stowed configuration, the method comprising:
- rotating a head restraint in a first direction from an extended position to a folded position;
- rotating the seatback member toward a generally horizontal position with the head restraint in the folded position;
- and
- subsequent to said rotating the seatback member, rotating the head restraint in a second direction opposite the first direction with the seatback member in the generally horizontal position.
A vehicle comprising:
- a floor;
- a contact member;
- a seat assembly including a lower seat member, a seatback member, a head restraint, and a spring;
- said lower seat member being operatively connected to the floor and selectively movable between an elevated position and a lowered position;
- said seatback member being operatively connected to the lower seat member and selectively rotatable with respect to the lower seat member between a generally upright position and a generally horizontal position;
- said head restraint being operatively connected to the seatback member and being selectively rotatable with respect to the seatback member between an extended position and a folded position;
- said spring biasing the head restraint into its folded position;
- wherein the seat assembly is selectively movable between
- an occupiable configuration in which the lower seat member is in its elevated position, the seatback member is in its generally upright position, and the head restraint is in its extended position,
- an intermediate configuration in which the lower seat member is in its elevated position, the seatback member is in its generally horizontal position, and the head restraint is in its folded position, and
- a stowed configuration in which the lower seat member is in its lowered position, the seatback member is in its generally horizontal position, and the head restraint contacts the contact member, said contact member being sufficiently positioned to rotate the head restraint away from its folded position as the seat assembly is moved to its stowed configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.