Patent Grant
10065535
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus and method for providing a motor vehicle seating assembly adapted to assume a first configuration to provide conventional support and restraint in the operation of motor vehicle, and adapted to assume a second configuration to provide a relatively level supine platform upon which an occupant might lie when the motor vehicle is not in operation and, more particularly, to a manually actuated adjustable seatback upper back support.
Motor vehicle seating assemblies provided in modern motor vehicles are primarily designed to provide a support platform designed to accommodate a motor vehicle occupant in a sitting or reclined position, providing support for the motor vehicle occupant's back by which the motor vehicle occupant can safely operate the motor vehicle or travel within the motor vehicle in a comfortable and pleasant manner. Another function of motor vehicle seating assemblies is to assist in restraining the occupant in the event of an impact or rollover event. For example, in the case of a frontal impact event, the motor vehicle seating assembly is particularly adapted to restrain the occupant within a prescribed range of positions so that the motor vehicle's active and passive restraint systems can operate appropriately.
In the case of the lower seating structure of the motor vehicle seating assembly, the lower seating structure is typically downwardly inclined in a rearward direction toward the bite line of the motor vehicle seating assembly to provide an ergonomic seating platform. This configuration also serves to assist in positioning the H-point of the motor vehicle occupant of the motor vehicle seating assembly, whereby in the event of a frontal impact event, the forward momentum of the motor vehicle occupant generates a force against the lower seating assembly, which tends to retain the motor vehicle occupant in a position, where the active restraint system comprising the seatbelt assembly and the passive restraint system comprising one or more airbags can be most effectively employed.
However, modern motor vehicle seating assemblies typically do not address the needs of motor vehicle occupants when the vehicle is parked and the motor vehicle occupant wants to rest or sleep. Due to the mechanisms widely in use to provide a seatback recline feature, the seatback may cause significant discomfort when it moves from a driving/use design position to a resting/sleeping position. In particular, existing reclining features tend to create a substantial vertical gap between the lower seating structure and the seatback with the seatback in the fully reclined position. Likewise, the seatback often fails to provide sufficient upper back support when in the fully reclined position. Features are needed to make the motor vehicle occupant more comfortable and relaxed. Mechanisms that provide a relatively level supine platform and adequate upper back support are desired.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a seatback comprises a pair of frame members and an upper back support further comprising a tubular member pivotally attached to the pair of frame members, a support surface attached to the tubular member, and a latch operably coupling a first end of the tubular member to the one of the frame members to restrain the tubular member in one of a plurality of positions between a stowed position and a fully raised position.
Embodiments of the first aspect of the invention can include any one or a combination of the following features:
According to another aspect of the present invention, a seating assembly for a motor vehicle comprises a seatback pivotable between an upright position and a fully reclined position operably coupled with a lower seating structure, the seatback further comprising a frame having an upper transverse cross member, a lower transverse cross member, and a pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members extending between the upper and lower transverse members. Each of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members has a seatback pivot mount at a lower portion thereof that is operably coupled with the lower seat pivot mount. An upper back support comprising a tubular member is pivotally attached at a first end to one of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members and pivotally attached at a second end to the other of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members, a substantially rigid planar base is attached to a central portion of the tubular member, a latch operably couples the first end of the tubular member to the one of a pair of opposed lateral seatback members to restrain the tubular member in one of a plurality of positions between a stowed position and a fully raised position, and a cushion is disposed above the upper back support to form an exposed surface.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a seating assembly for a motor vehicle comprises an upper back support comprising a substantially U-shaped tubular member pivotally attached at a first end to one of a pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members and pivotally attached at a second end to the other of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members, a substantially rigid planar base attached to a central portion of the tubular member, a latch operably coupling the first end of the tubular member to the one of a pair of opposed lateral seatback members to restrain the tubular member in one of a plurality of positions between a stowed position and a fully raised position, and a cushion disposed above the upper back support to form a movable exposed surface.
These and other aspects, objects, and features of the present invention will be understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art upon studying the following specification, claims, and appended drawings.
In the drawings:
For purposes of description herein, the terms “upper,” “lower,” “right,” “left,” “rear,” “front,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “interior,” “exterior,” and derivatives thereof shall relate to the invention as oriented in
Referring to
As best shown in
A cushion suspension system 52 is attached to the forward seat pan 34 and adjustably supported between the pair of opposed lateral lower seat frame members 36, 38. The cushion suspension system 52 includes a pair of lateral opposed suspension frame members 54, 56 and a suspension cross member 58 extending between the pair of lateral opposed suspension frame members 54, 56. The pair of lateral opposed suspension frame members 54, 56 and the suspension cross member 58 of the cushion suspension system 52 form an upper surface 60 in contact with and supporting a cushion foam and trim assembly 62. At least one of the pair of opposed suspension frame members 54, 56 form a lower surface 100 of the cushion suspension system 52, as further discussed below. The cushion suspension system 52 further comprises a plurality of resilient members 64, such as bent spring wires, extending between the pair of lateral opposed suspension frame members 54, 56 that provide further support for the cushion foam and trim assembly 62. As shown in
As noted above, the seatback 14 is pivotable between an upright position and a fully reclined position and is operably coupled with the lower seating structure 12. The seatback 14 includes a frame 68 having an upper transverse cross member 70, a lower transverse cross member 72, and a pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76 vertically extending between the upper and lower transverse cross members 70, 72. Each of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76 has a seatback pivot mount 78 at a lower portion thereof that is operably coupled with the lower seat pivot mount 50. Preferably, the seatback pivot mounts 78 on each of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76 comprise a circular recess 80, and the lower seat pivot mount 50 mounted on each of the pair of opposed lateral lower seat frame members 36, 38 comprises a circular projection 82 received within the circular recess 80.
The motor vehicle seating assembly 10 further includes a hip lifter mechanism 90, which comprises a pair of hip lifter pivot brackets 92 operably coupled with and pivotally disposed relative the pivot bar 48. Each of the hip lifter pivot brackets 92 is preferably formed in a U-shape that fits over and is supported by the pivot bar 48 and is similarly fabricated from a lightweight yet strong metallic material. Each of the pair of hip lifter pivot brackets 92 is preferably disposed proximate one of the pair of opposed lateral lower seat frame members 36, 38. As shown in
A pair of frame attachment brackets 102 is operably coupled with preferably the lower portions 84 of the opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76, as shown in
In operation, each of the forward levers 94 acts against the lower surface 100 of the cushion suspension system 52. That is, when the seatback 14 is in the upright position, the lower end 120 of the slot 116 is proximate the pin 122 provided in the rearward lever 96, as shown in
As best shown in
Preferably, the hip lifter mechanism 90 raises the cushion suspension system 52 and cushion foam and trim assembly 62 a distance H between 45 to 70 mm between the upright position and the fully reclined position of the seatback 14 to eliminate pressure on the lumbar and lifting the occupant's tailbone and hips, as shown in
In addition, the slotted linkage for the hip lifter mechanism 90 provides a passive system that automatically raises the height of the lower seating structure cushion foam and trim assembly 62 once the seatback 14 reaches a desired sleeper initiation angle, here preferably 55.5° from vertical, and achieves maximum lift of the cushion foam and trim assembly 62 once the seatback 14 reaches the maximum sleeper angle, here preferably 85° from vertical. Additional benefits of the hip lifter mechanism 90 disclosed herein is that the forward levers 94 are disposed between the cushion suspension system 52 and the lower seat frame side members 36, 38 so as not to affect the seating assembly H-point or comfort when the seatback 14 of the seating assembly 10 is not in the fully reclined position or sleeper mode. Further, the maximum lift height of the rear edge 128 of the cushion foam and trim assembly 62 of the lower seating structure 12 can be readily modified and tuned to specific applications by relatively simple changes to the system geometry, such as the shape and length of the slot 116.
Further, the hip lifter mechanism 90 represents a relatively simple mechanical system which can be manually actuated and does not require a motor, although a power actuated vehicle seating assembly can likewise beneficially employ the disclosed hip lifter mechanism 90. In addition, existing seatback 14 recline latch controls 134 and associated mechanism can be readily employed to maintain the seatback 14 in the desired reclined position between the upright position and the fully reclined position, while simultaneously providing the lift function for the rear edge 128 of the lower seating structure cushion foam and trim assembly 62 beyond a predetermined reclined position. Finally, the disclosed hip lifter mechanism 90 is readily adaptable as a retrofit device to existing motor vehicle seating assemblies 10.
Thus, to the extent that a motor vehicle occupant desires a supine position to rest when the motor vehicle 6 is not in operation, the aforementioned disclosure provides just such a platform upon which the motor vehicle occupant may rest. In accordance with the aforementioned disclosure, it is now possible to provide a more comfortable sleeping seat surface by raising the height of the rear edge 128 of the cushion foam and trim assembly 62 of the lower seating structure 12 to make the overall surface more level and the transition from the cushion foam and trim assembly 62 to the seatback 14 less noticeable.
Also, additional features can be added to the motor vehicle seating assembly 10 to provide an overall surface that is more level. In particular, the motor vehicle seating assembly 10 described above can further include an upper back support 140 that can be raised above a main body 142 of the seatback 14 within a range of a plurality of positions, between a stowed position and a fully raised position, where a moveable cushion 144 is attached to and disposed above the upper back support 140 to form an exposed surface 162.
The upper back support 140 preferably includes a tubular member 146 pivotally attached at a first end 148 to one of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76 and pivotally attached at a second end 150 to the other of the pair of opposed lateral seatback frame members 74, 76. A substantially rigid planar base 152 is attached to a central portion 154 of the tubular member 146, as shown in
The movable cushion 144 disposed above the upper back support 140 forms a movable exposed surface 162, which may be similarly fabricated as a trim 164 and foam pad 166 assembly to provide a finished look, where the trim 164 is fabricated locally with a resilient, stretchable, or flexible fabric material that allows the upper back support 140 to readily move relative the seatback 14. The use of a resilient trim material 164 disposed about the foam pad 166 further maintains a flat surface and eliminates wrinkling between the stowed position and the fully raised position.
Preferably, a ratchet latch 170 pivotally couples the first end 148 of the tubular member 146 to the inboard lateral frame member 74. The ratchet latch 170 comprises a ratchet gear 172 and ratchet pawl 174 operably coupled with the ratchet gear 172, as is known in the art. The second end 150 of the tubular member 146 is pivotally attached to the other lateral seatback frame member 76 by a simple pivot 176. The ratchet latch 170 operably couples the first end 148 of the tubular member 146 to the lateral seatback frame member 74 to restrain the tubular member 146 in one of a plurality of positions between the stowed position and the fully raised position. Preferably, displacement of the upper back support 140 beyond the fully raised position actuates the ratchet pawl 174 to an over-travel condition to return the ratchet latch 170 and the upper back support 140 to the stowed position, as is known in the art. That is, when the upper back support 140 is rotated beyond the last latch position corresponding to the fully raised position, the upper back support 140 is returned to its design position by articulating full-forward and employing a spring 190 to pull the upper back support 140 back to its design and fully stowed position.
Preferably, as shown in
The upper back support 140 is preferably controlled manually by pulling the upper back support 140 forward relative the seatback 14. In one embodiment, the upper back support 140 is moved from the stowed position to one of the plurality of positions by simply grasping the movable cushion 144 of the upper back support 140 and manually pulling the upper back support 140 forward to its desired raised position. Alternatively, the upper back support 140 may also include a pull strap 184 by which the upper back support 140 is pulled forward relative the seatback 14.
In its stowed position, the upper back support 140 is preferably about 0° relative the plane of the seatback 14. Conversely, in the fully raised position, the upper back support 140 is preferably about 15° relative the plane of the seatback 14 the distance D between 7 and 10 cm, as shown in
Thus, as noted above and as further described herein, the exposed surface 178 of the head restraint 26 and the movable exposed surface 162 of the upper back support 140 is capable of forming a substantially continuous plane when the upper back support surface is in the raised position. The upper back support 140 accordingly provides many of the desirable features noted above relative the hip lifter mechanism 90.
In addition, a lower back support 186 may be disposed below the upper back support 140, and the lower back support 186 may be operatively coupled with the upper back support 140. Thus, when the upper back support 140 is raised from its stowed position, the lower back support 186 may be also raised relative a plane of the seatback 14 to provide a smooth and level transition between an exposed surface 188 of the lower back support 186 and the exposed surface 162 of the upper back support 140, as shown in
It will be understood by one having ordinary skill in the art that construction of the present disclosure and other components is not limited to any specific material. Other exemplary embodiments of the disclosure disclosed herein may be formed from a wide variety of materials, unless described otherwise herein.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “coupled” (in all of its forms, couple, coupling, coupled, etc.) generally means the joining of two components (electrical or mechanical) directly or indirectly to one another. Such joining may be stationary in nature or movable in nature. Such joining may be achieved with the two components (electrical or mechanical) and any additional intermediate members being integrally formed as a single unitary body with one another or with the two components. Such joining may be permanent in nature or may be removable or releasable in nature unless otherwise stated.
For purposes of this disclosure, the term “operably connected” generally means that one component functions with respect to another component, even if there are other components located between the first and second component, and the term “operable” defines a functional relationship between components.
It is also important to note that the construction and arrangement of the elements of the present disclosure as shown in the exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments of the present innovations have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that, unless otherwise described, many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements shown as multiple parts may be integrally formed, the operation of the interfaces may be reversed or otherwise varied, the length or width of the structures and/or members or connector or other elements of the system may be varied, the nature or number of adjustment positions provided between the elements may be varied. It should be noted that the elements and/or assemblies of the system may be constructed from any of a wide variety of materials that provide sufficient strength or durability, in any of a wide variety of colors, textures, and combinations. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present innovations. Other substitutions, modifications, changes, and omissions may be made in the design, operating positions, and arrangement of the desired and other exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present innovations.
It will be understood that any described processes or steps within described processes may be combined with other disclosed processes or steps to form structures within the scope of the present disclosure. The exemplary structures and processes disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as limiting.
It is also to be understood that variations and modifications can be made on the aforementioned structures and methods without departing from the concepts of the present invention, and further it is to be understood that such concepts are intended to be covered by the following claims unless these claims by their language expressly state otherwise.
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