Locking mechanism for a vehicle seat

A vehicle seat comprising:

• a backrest;
• and
• a locking mechanism for attaching said backrest to a vehicle structure, the locking mechanism comprising:
• a counter element;
• a latch for locking to the counter element, the latch being pivotably mounted about a bearing pin;
• at least one securing element which secures the latch in a locked state in which said latch is locked to said counter element;
• a lock housing, which bears the latch and the at least one securing element, the lock housing having at least one material recess and an integrated stop for the counter element, which acts in a damping manner when bearing against the counter element, said at least one material recess being adjacent to said integrated stop;
• and
• a lock cover, wherein the lock housing is configured to be half-open and is at least substantially closed by the lock cover, said lock cover having another stop against which the counter element comes to bear after deformation of the integrated stop, said at least one securing element comprising a clamping element and a capture element, wherein when the latch is in said locked state, said clamping element is pretensioned in a normal case exerting a closing moment on said latch and in the event of a crash, said capture element supports said latch, said clamping element and said capture element being pivotably mounted about another bearing pin, said capture element being arranged, relative to said another bearing pin, axially adjacent to said clamping element, with respect to a longitudinal axis of said another bearing pin, on a side of said clamping element remote from said lock housing, wherein said capture element and said clamping element are mechanically connected to one another with free travel via a slot-pin guide.

A locking mechanism for a motor vehicle seat, the locking mechanism comprising:

• a counter element;
• a latch for locking to the counter element, the latch being pivotably mounted about a bearing pin;
• a clamping element;
• a capture element, at least one of said clamping element and said capture element securing the latch in a locked state in which said latch is locked to said counter element, said clamping element and said capture element being pivotably mounted about another bearing pin such that said clamping element and said capture element are movable relative to each other when the latch is in said locked state, said capture element being arranged axially adjacent to said clamping element with respect to an axial direction of said another bearing pin, wherein when the latch is in said locked state, said clamping element is pretensioned in a normal case such that said clamping element applies a closing force on said latch, said capture element supporting said latch in the event of a crash, said capture element and said clamping element being mechanically connected to one another via a slot-pin guide;
• a lock housing connected to said latch, said clamping element and said capture element, said lock housing having an integrated stop for the counter element, which acts in a damping manner when bearing against the counter element, said lock housing having a lock housing surface adjacent to said integrated stop, said lock housing surface defining at least one recess adjacent to said integrated stop;
• and an unlocking handle having a least a portion integrally connected to said unlocking handle to form a one-piece unlocking handle structure, wherein said at least said portion of said unlocking handle directly engages said capture element.