This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 102008017707.5, filed Apr. 8, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a motor vehicle seat with a seat back which can be tilted from a substantially upright use position into a substantially horizontal non-use position, and the seat back has at least one wing-rest which, in the non-use position of the seat back, can be tilted about a tilting axis extending in seat direction from a lower armrest non-use position into an upper armrest use position for forming an armrest. The present invention relates further to a seat arrangement with such a motor vehicle seat.
From the prior art, motor vehicles with a seat back are known, and the seat back can be tilted forwards from a use position into a non-use position. The seat back or parts of it, respectively, which are tilted into the non-use position, can subsequently be used as armrest for an adjacent motor vehicle seat.
EP 0 943 482 B1 describes a motor vehicle seat within a seat arrangement which has a seat back which can be folded forwards. The seat back, in turn, has wing-rests laterally arranged on a middle seat back member. The wing-rests can be tilted about a tilting axis extending in seat direction from a lower armrest non-use position into an upper armrest use position when the seat back is in the non-use position. In the upper armrest use position, the wing-rests serve as armrest for the adjacent motor vehicle seats within the same seat row.
The known motor vehicle seat is established; however, it is of disadvantage in this respect that the handling of the wing-rests when displacing them from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position is made difficult.
It is hence at least one object of the present invention to provide a motor vehicle seat of the generic type which ensures a particularly simple handling of the wing-rests when displacing them from the lower armrest non-use position into the upper armrest use position. The present invention is further based on an object to provide a seat arrangement with the above mentioned advantages. In addition, other objects, desirable features, and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.
The motor vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the invention has a seat back which can be tilted from a substantially upright use position into a substantially horizontal non-use position. The seat back has further at least one wing-rest which, in the non-use position of the of the seat back, can be tilted about a tilting axis extending in seat direction from a lower armrest non-use position into an upper armrest use position for forming an armrest for an adjacent motor vehicle seat. The wing-rest is preloaded into the armrest use position.
For the motor vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the invention, adjusting or tilting, respectively, of the wing-rest from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position is proven to be particularly simple because the wing-rest is preloaded into the armrest use position so that the wing-rest moves automatically into the armrest use position when the interlock of the wing-rest in the armrest non-use position is released. Thus, the vehicle passenger or the user, respectively, only has to release the interlock so that the wing-rest reaches automatically the armrest use position due to the preload.
In a preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the invention, thus the wing-rest can be locked in the armrest non-use position against the preload to prevent an unintended tilting of the wing-rest into the armrest use position. As already explained above, the user only has to release the interlock so that the wing-rest tilts automatically into the armrest use position, if necessary.
In a further preferred embodiment of the vehicle seat according to the invention, the seat back has a middle seat back member at which the wing-rest is arranged, and a hinge mechanism is provided between the middle seat back member and the wing-rest so that the wing-rest can be tilted about the tilting axis from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position and vice versa.
According to a further embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the hinge mechanism is formed by a strap hinge. Such a strap hinge needs particularly little space so that in this manner, a particularly compact motor vehicle seat can be provided which, in addition, is particularly easy to produce.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the hinge mechanism has a rod forming the tilting axis, which the rod, on the one hand, is guided in at least one guide member on the wing-rest and, on the other hand, in at least a second guide member on the middle seat back member. Hereby also, a particularly space-saving hinge mechanism is provided which, in addition, allows a particularly simple handling of the same, as can be seen from the preferred embodiments described below.
To achieve a safe guidance of the rod within the guide members, in a preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the guide members are formed substantially tubular. For this, the tubular formed guide members, for example, can be integrally formed with the wing-rest, or the middle seat back member, or a section of the mentioned components, respectively.
In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the rod is rotationally fixed to the first or the second guide member. Further, the rod can be moved from a locking position, in which the rod is rotationally fixed to the second or the first guide member, thus to the other guide member, in direction of the tilting axis into a release position in which the second or the first guide member, thus again the other guide member, can be tilted relative to the rod and the wing-rest can hence be tilted about the tilting axis. Thus, the rod, for example, can be permanently rotationally fixed to the first guide member on the wing-rest, while by means of the second guide member on the middle seat back member, a rotationally fixed connection exists in the locking position, and in the release position, a rotationally fixed connection does not exist any more. In this manner, the wing-rest can not be tilted about the tilting axis as long as the rod is in the locking position. Only when the rod is moved in longitudinal direction into the release position, the wing-rest can be tilted about the tilting axis from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position, and the latter takes place automatically or self-actuated, respectively, due to the preload of the wing-rest.
To allow a simple operation or handling, respectively, of the rod, in a further advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the rod has an actuation end for its manual longitudinal displacement.
To ensure a particularly good accessibility of the actuation end of the rod, in a further preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the actuation end is provided at the upper end of the seat back. Thus, the actuation end can project, for example, in the area of a head rest of the motor vehicle seat from the upper end of the seat back.
To implement the interlock of the wing-rest in the armrest non-use position in a particularly simple manner, in a further particularly preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the rod has a radially projecting nose which is fixed in the locking position of the rod in a recess of the second or the first guide member and is retracted from the recess in the release position of the rod. Thus, for example, the recess could be a notch on the end side of the guide member, and the notch extends in direction of the tilting axis.
To ensure a secure interlocking of the wing-rest in the armrest non-use position, in a further preferred embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the rod is preloaded into the locking position, and this is preferably carried out by means of a compression spring such as, for example, a coil spring. Owing to the preload, it is further ensured, that the rod, when the wing-rest tilts back from the armrest use position into the armrest non-use position, is automatically pushed back again into the locking position. Accordingly, the interlocking of the wing-rest in the armrest non-use position also takes place self-actuated or automatically, respectively, when the user or the vehicle passenger, respectively, manually tilts the wing-rest from the armrest use position back into the armrest non-use position. Thereby, the handling of the motor vehicle seat is considerably simplified.
To achieve a particularly simple construction of the motor vehicle seat, in a further advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the wing-rest is preloaded by means of at least one leg spring into the armrest use position.
To further simplify the construction of the motor vehicle seat, the leg spring and/or the compression spring are wound around the rod. Hereby, a particularly compact construction of the motor vehicle seat is achieved.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the wing-rest can be tilted by about 180° from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position. Thus, for example, after tilting by about 180°, the wing-rest can abut in the armrest use position with its rear side against the rear side of the middle seat back member.
According to a further advantageous embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, the width of the seat back in the armrest use position of the wing-rest is reduced compared to the armrest non-use position of the wing-rest. In this manner, a lateral free space is provided into which possibly adjacent motor vehicle seats can be moved to reduce the overall width of a seat row or to get the motor vehicle seats into a so-called lounge position, respectively.
For the purpose that the motor vehicle seat can be used for the formation of wing-rests for two adjacent motor vehicle seats, in a further advantageous embodiment, the motor vehicle seat according to the invention has two wing-rests of the mentioned type, each of them arranged in a transverse direction at the middle seat back member.
The seat arrangement according to the invention has a motor vehicle seat according to the invention of the aforementioned type and at least a second motor vehicle seat which are arranged adjacent within a seat row, wherein one wing-rest is arranged on the first motor vehicle seat's side facing the second motor vehicle seat. Hence, the wing-rest can be used for the formation of an armrest for the second motor vehicle seat. Further, after tilting the wing-rest into the armrest use position, the second motor vehicle seat can be moved further inwards to reduce the overall width of the seat row.
In a preferred embodiment of the seat arrangement according to the invention, further, a third motor vehicle seat is provided within the seat row, wherein the first motor vehicle seat is arranged between the second and the third motor vehicle seat. Thus, the one wing-rest can be used for the formation of an armrest for the second motor vehicle seat and the other wing-rest can be used for the formation of an armrest for the third motor vehicle seat.
To provide a particularly flexibly adjustable seat arrangement, in a particularly preferred embodiment of the seat arrangement according to the invention, the second and/or the third motor vehicle seat are moveable inwards in transverse direction in such a manner that they are extending at least partially into the free space which is obtained by tilting the wing-rest from the armrest non-use position into the armrest use position. As already mentioned above, hereby, the overall width of the seat row can be reduced so that the seats can be moved backwards into a so-called lounge position even when the width of the motor vehicle interior is reduced towards the back.
In a particularly preferred embodiment of the seat arrangement according to the invention, the first, the second, and the third motor vehicle seat can be moved independently from each other in seat direction.
The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit application and uses. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background and summary or the following detailed description.
The first motor vehicle seat 4 represents an embodiment of the motor vehicle seat according to the invention, while the motor vehicle seats 6, 8 can be conventional motor vehicle seats. However, alternatively, the second and the third motor vehicle seat 6, 8 can also be formed in the manner of the first motor vehicle seat 4. All motor vehicle seats 4, 6, 8 comprise one seat member 20, 22, 24, respectively, as well as a seat back 28, 30, 32, which is arranged tiltable about a first tilting axis 26 at the respective seat member 20, 22, 24. The seat backs 28, 30, 32 can be tilted independently from one another about the first tilting axis 26.
The seat back 28 of the first motor vehicle seat 4 has a substantially of a middle seat back member 34 and two wing-rests 36, 38, laterally attached thereto. While the wing-rest 36 is arranged laterally in transverse direction 12 at the middle seat back member 34 and hence faces the second motor vehicle seat 6, the wing-rest 38 is arranged laterally in transverse direction 14 at the middle seat back member 34 and hence faces the third motor vehicle seat 8.
The seat back 28 of the first motor vehicle seat 4 can be tilted forward in seat direction 16 about the first tilting axis 26 from a substantially upright use position, shown in
It is further shown in
In
Starting from the lower armrest non-use position (
By means of the tilting movement, the initial width B1 of the seat back 28, which is indicated in
According to an embodiment of the invention, the wing-rests 36, 38 are preloaded into the upper armrest use position shown in
Hereinafter, the structure of the seat back 28 is described in more detail with reference to
To allow a tilting of the wing-rests 36, 38 relative to the middle seat back member 34 about the tilting axes 48, between the middle seat back member 34 and each of the wing-rests 36, 38, one hinge mechanism 58, respectively, is provided. The hinge mechanism 58 has two first guide members 60 arranged at the support member 40 of the wing-rest 36 or 38, respectively, and two second guide members 62 which are mounted to the support member 44 of the middle seat back member 34. The guide members 60, 62 are formed substantially tubular and are arranged aligned in a row. Through the tubular guide members 60, 62, a rod 64 extends which is guided moveable in longitudinal direction within the guide members 60, 62. At the same time, the rod 64 extends along the second tilting axis 48. To be able to move the rod 64 manually in longitudinal direction or in direction of the second tilting axis 48, respectively, the rod has an actuation end 66. For the actuation end 66 to be easily accessible, it is provided at the upper end 68 of the seat back 28 or projects above this upper end 68.
The rod 64 can be moved in longitudinal direction from the locking position, indicated in
Independent from the fact that the rod 64 is moveable in longitudinal direction within the first guide members 60 and the second guide members 62, the rod 64 is rotationally fixed to the first guide members 60, and a detailed description of the rotationally fixed connection in
If the user or the vehicle passenger, respectively, wants to tilt the wing-rest 36, 38 into the armrest use position, which is indicated in
To bring the wing-rest 36, 38 from the armrest use position, shown in
In an alternative not-shown embodiment, the hinge mechanism 58 can also be formed by a strap hinge.
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing summary and detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration in any way. Rather, the foregoing summary and detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
10 2008 017 707 | Apr 2008 | DE | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
90613 | Vogel | May 1869 | A |
557063 | Faneuf | Mar 1896 | A |
1500524 | Phillips | Jul 1924 | A |
1886595 | Sandquist | Nov 1932 | A |
2584481 | Mast et al. | Feb 1952 | A |
2621708 | Luce, Jr. | Dec 1952 | A |
2688524 | Hodgman | Sep 1954 | A |
2720658 | Lea | Oct 1955 | A |
2980170 | Bechtold | Apr 1961 | A |
3094354 | Bernier | Jun 1963 | A |
3328077 | Krasinski | Jun 1967 | A |
3565482 | Blodee | Feb 1971 | A |
3913973 | Mintz et al. | Oct 1975 | A |
3926473 | Hogan | Dec 1975 | A |
4519646 | Leitermann et al. | May 1985 | A |
4796955 | Williams | Jan 1989 | A |
5052068 | Graebe | Oct 1991 | A |
5161854 | Yokoto et al. | Nov 1992 | A |
5193765 | Simpson et al. | Mar 1993 | A |
5344213 | Koyanagi | Sep 1994 | A |
5384946 | Sundstedt et al. | Jan 1995 | A |
5409297 | De Filippo | Apr 1995 | A |
5558398 | Santos | Sep 1996 | A |
5722703 | Iwamoto et al. | Mar 1998 | A |
5771539 | Wahlstedt et al. | Jun 1998 | A |
5788324 | Shea et al. | Aug 1998 | A |
5896604 | McLean | Apr 1999 | A |
5947554 | Mashkevich | Sep 1999 | A |
5951084 | Okazaki et al. | Sep 1999 | A |
5979985 | Bauer et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6000742 | Schaefer et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6003927 | Korber et al. | Dec 1999 | A |
6033015 | Husted | Mar 2000 | A |
6039141 | Denny | Mar 2000 | A |
6132128 | Burrows | Oct 2000 | A |
6176547 | Francois et al. | Jan 2001 | B1 |
6189458 | Rivera | Feb 2001 | B1 |
6286793 | Hirose et al. | Sep 2001 | B1 |
6513876 | Agler et al. | Feb 2003 | B1 |
6547323 | Aitken et al. | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6578915 | Jonas et al. | Jun 2003 | B2 |
6793282 | Plant et al. | Sep 2004 | B2 |
6840577 | Watkins | Jan 2005 | B2 |
6896331 | Kassai et al. | May 2005 | B2 |
6918159 | Choi | Jul 2005 | B2 |
7104609 | Kim | Sep 2006 | B2 |
7380859 | Gardiner | Jun 2008 | B2 |
7419216 | Hunziker | Sep 2008 | B2 |
7543891 | Chung | Jun 2009 | B2 |
7677656 | Saberan et al. | Mar 2010 | B2 |
7850244 | Salewski | Dec 2010 | B2 |
7967386 | Na | Jun 2011 | B2 |
20020089220 | Achleitner et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
20020109388 | Magnuson | Aug 2002 | A1 |
20040036339 | Christoffel et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20040084948 | Glynn et al. | May 2004 | A1 |
20060001304 | Walker et al. | Jan 2006 | A1 |
20060076795 | Slade | Apr 2006 | A1 |
20070052264 | Lee | Mar 2007 | A1 |
20080036258 | Holdampf et al. | Feb 2008 | A1 |
20090230712 | Maier et al. | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20090236885 | Maier et al. | Sep 2009 | A1 |
20090250983 | Maier et al. | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20090250984 | Maier | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20090250987 | Maier | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20090267398 | Na | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20100244478 | DePUE | Sep 2010 | A1 |
20110133536 | Junige et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
20110156452 | Schumm et al. | Jun 2011 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
265453 | Dec 1949 | CH |
916754 | Aug 1954 | DE |
1938500 | May 1966 | DE |
2509642 | Sep 1970 | DE |
2507848 | Sep 1979 | DE |
2935946 | Mar 1981 | DE |
8107888 | Mar 1981 | DE |
3147656 | Jun 1983 | DE |
3300993 | Jul 1984 | DE |
3619944 | Dec 1987 | DE |
4343242 | Jun 1995 | DE |
29517861 | Jan 1996 | DE |
29518897 | Jan 1996 | DE |
4441011 | Mar 1996 | DE |
19646470 | May 1998 | DE |
19746736 | Apr 1999 | DE |
19812137 | Sep 1999 | DE |
29915349 | Jan 2000 | DE |
20000479 | Jun 2001 | DE |
10012831 | Sep 2001 | DE |
20110317 | Sep 2001 | DE |
10052838 | May 2002 | DE |
10312041 | Sep 2004 | DE |
20320522 | Oct 2004 | DE |
10357630 | Jul 2005 | DE |
102004062942 | Feb 2006 | DE |
102004055569 | May 2006 | DE |
102005037785 | Feb 2007 | DE |
102005055138 | May 2007 | DE |
102006015180 | Oct 2007 | DE |
102006028453 | Dec 2007 | DE |
102008004232 | Apr 2009 | DE |
102008036227 | Feb 2010 | DE |
0104040 | Mar 1984 | EP |
0296939 | Dec 1988 | EP |
0566213 | Oct 1993 | EP |
0607758 | Jul 1994 | EP |
0943482 | Sep 1999 | EP |
0943483 | Sep 1999 | EP |
1728677 | Dec 2006 | EP |
1731351 | Dec 2006 | EP |
1772131 | Apr 2007 | EP |
1401166 | Jun 1965 | FR |
2816555 | May 2002 | FR |
59137832 | Sep 1984 | JP |
2004065762 | Mar 2004 | JP |
2004106108 | Dec 2004 | WO |
2006084393 | Aug 2006 | WO |
Entry |
---|
USPTO, US Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,571, dated Apr. 1, 2011. |
USPTO, US Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/420,528 dated Apr. 1, 2011. |
USPTO, US Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,848, dated Apr. 8, 2011. |
Response to U.S. Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,571, dated Jun. 28, 2011. |
Response to U.S. Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 12/420,528, dated Jul. 1, 2011. |
Response to U.S. Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,848, dated Jul. 6, 2011. |
German Patent Office, German Search Report for Application No. 102008017708.3, dated Dec. 9, 2008. |
German Patent Office, German Search Report for Application No. 102008017707.5, dated Apr. 22, 2009. |
German Patent Office, German Search Report for Application No. 102008017712.1, dated Apr. 22, 2008. |
German Patent Office, German Search Report for Application No. 102008017709.1, dated Apr. 22, 2009 |
UK IPO, British Search Report for Application No. 0905934.6, dated May 13, 2009. |
UK IPO, British Search Report for Application No. 0905929.6, dated Jul. 10, 2009. |
UK IPO, British Search Report for Application No. 0905935.3, dated Jul. 30, 2009. |
UK IPO, British Search Report for Application No. 0905928.8, dated Jul. 30, 2009. |
USPOTO Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,528, mailed Sep. 26, 2011. |
UK IPO, British Examination Report for Application No. 0905928.8, dated Feb. 1, 2012. |
UK IPO, British Examination Report for Application No. 0905929.6, dated Feb. 7, 2012. |
UK IPO, British Examination Report for Application No. 0905934.6, dated Feb. 17, 2012. |
UK IPO, British Examination Report for Application No. 0905935.3, dated Mar. 7, 2012. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in Application No. 12/419,571, mailed Mar. 20, 2012. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in Application No. 12/420,528, mailed Mar. 20, 2012. |
Response to US Office Action for U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,848, dated Mar. 20, 2012. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/420,528, mailed Oct. 17, 2011. |
USPTO, Final Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,848 mailed Oct. 20, 2011. |
British Patent Office, British Examination Report for Application No. 0905928.8, dated Nov. 18, 2011. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,571, mailed Nov. 4, 2011. . |
Chinese Patent Office, Chinese Office Action for Application No. 200910133083.0, date Mar. 31, 2012. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,571, dated Apr. 16, 2012. |
USPTO, Notice of Allowance issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/420,528, dated Apr. 16, 2012. |
USPTO, Office Action issued in U.S. Appl. No. 12/419,848, dated Apr. 27, 2012. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20090250985 A1 | Oct 2009 | US |