阅读说明：本技术 车辆座椅和组装方法 (Vehicle seat and method of assembly ) 是由 德里克·S·琳赛 迈克尔·J·维尔姆斯 林聪� 索纳特库马尔·帕特尔 于 2019-07-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明公开了一种车辆座椅,该车辆座椅包括座椅底部、可相对于座椅底部旋转的座椅靠背、和阻尼器组件。组件包括联接在座椅底部和座椅靠背之间的托架、以及联接到托架并联接到座椅靠背的凸轮板。凸轮板可相对于托架旋转,并相对于座椅靠背以固定取向安装,使得凸轮板可与座椅靠背一起相对于座椅底部旋转。凸轮板包括弓形狭槽。组件还包括线性阻尼器,该线性阻尼器包括联接到托架的第一端部和联接在弓形狭槽内的第二端部。第二端部可在弓形狭槽内平移,使得线性阻尼器被构造成基于座椅靠背相对于座椅底部的取向为座椅靠背提供选择性阻尼。(A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom, a seat back rotatable relative to the seat bottom, and a damper assembly. The assembly includes a bracket coupled between the seat bottom and the seat back, and a cam plate coupled to the bracket and to the seat back. The cam plate is rotatable relative to the bracket and is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom. The cam plate includes an arcuate slot. The assembly also includes a linear damper including a first end coupled to the bracket and a second end coupled within the arcuate slot. The second end is translatable within the arcuate slot such that the linear damper is configured to provide selective damping to the seat back based on an orientation of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.)

1. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a seat bottom;

a seat back selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom; and

a damper assembly, said damper assembly comprising:

a bracket coupled between the seat bottom and the seat back;

a cam plate coupled to the bracket and the seat back, the cam plate rotatable relative to the bracket and mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom, the cam plate including an arcuate slot; and

a linear damper including a first end coupled to the bracket and a second end coupled within the arcuate slot, the second end translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

2. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the linear damper is configured to extend when the seat back is rotated within a first range of directional motion and is configured to retract when the seat back is rotated within a second range of directional motion opposite the first range of directional motion.

3. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the cam plate is oriented relative to the seat back such that the first range of directional motion is defined between a first partially folded position and a reclined position of the seat back, and such that the second range of directional motion is defined between a second partially folded position and a fully folded position of the seat back.

4. The vehicle seat of claim 2, wherein the arcuate slot defines a first stop at a first end of the cam plate and a second stop at a second end of the cam plate, the first stop configured to extend the linear damper and the second stop configured to retract the linear damper.

5. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the linear damper includes a cylinder and a piston translatable relative to the cylinder, the cylinder coupled to the cam plate, and the piston coupled to the carriage.

6. The vehicle seat of claim 5, wherein the cylinder contains a working fluid comprising a combination of oil and gas.

7. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the linear damper is oriented obliquely with respect to the seat bottom.

8. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the seat back includes a self-contained seat belt system integrated with the seat back.

9. The vehicle seat of claim 1, wherein the damper assembly is configured to achieve a target folding speed of the seat back of less than about 4 meters/second.

10. A vehicle seat, comprising:

a seat bottom;

a seat back selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom; and

a damper assembly, said damper assembly comprising:

a plate coupled to the seat back, the plate mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom, the plate including an arcuate slot; and

a damper including an end translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

11. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the damper is configured to extend when the seat back is rotated within a first range of directional motion and is configured to retract when the seat back is rotated within a second range of directional motion opposite the first range of directional motion.

12. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the panel is oriented relative to the seat back such that the first range of directional motion is defined between a first partially folded position and a reclined position of the seat back, and such that the second range of directional motion is defined between a second partially folded position and a fully folded position of the seat back.

13. The vehicle seat of claim 11, wherein the arcuate slot defines a first stop at a first end of the plate and a second stop at a second end of the plate, the first stop configured to extend the damper and the second stop configured to retract the damper.

14. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the damper includes a cylinder and a piston translatable relative to the cylinder.

15. The vehicle seat of claim 14, wherein the cylinder contains a working fluid comprising a combination of oil and gas.

16. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the damper is oriented obliquely with respect to the seat bottom.

17. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the seat back includes a self-contained seat belt system integrated with the seat back.

18. The vehicle seat of claim 10, wherein the damper assembly is configured to achieve a target folding speed of the seat back of less than about 4 meters/second.

19. A method of assembling a vehicle seat, comprising:

coupling a bracket between a seat bottom and a seat back such that the seat back is selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom;

coupling a cam plate to the bracket and to the seat back, the cam plate being rotatable relative to the bracket and mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom, the cam plate including an arcuate slot; and

coupling a linear damper between the carriage and the cam plate, the linear damper including a first end coupled to the carriage and a second end coupled within the arcuate slot, the second end translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising coupling a torsion spring to the bracket and to the cam plate, the cam plate positioned outside of the bracket, the linear damper positioned outside of the cam plate, and the torsion spring positioned outside of the cam plate.

Background

The field of the present disclosure relates generally to vehicle seats and, more particularly, to vehicle seats designed to fold within a vehicle.

Modern motor vehicles include a seatbelt apparatus that facilitates occupant restraint within a passenger compartment of the vehicle. At least some known reclinable vehicle seats have independent seat belt systems integrated with the reclinable vehicle seat. The independent seatbelt system is integrated within the seat back of the vehicle seat, rather than being attached to a separate structure in the passenger compartment. The integrated seat belt system enables the vehicle seat to move within the passenger compartment of the vehicle such that the shoulder straps will still be able to extend around the occupant after the seat is moved. However, integrating the seat belt system with the seat back adds weight to the seat back, which typically requires a heavier torsion spring to be installed in the seat recliner assembly of the vehicle seat to enable the seat back to rotate forward when the recliner lever on the vehicle seat is activated. The torsion spring facilitates actuation of the seat back to rotate forward from the reclined position to the upright position, and also facilitates rotation forward from the upright position to the folded flat position. However, if the forward rotation of the seat back is not hindered, an increase in the weight of the seat back and an increase in the rotational force caused by the heavier torsion spring may be dangerous.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect, a vehicle seat is provided. A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom, a seat back selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom, and a damper assembly. The assembly includes a bracket coupled between the seat bottom and the seat back, and a cam plate coupled to the bracket and to the seat back. The cam plate is rotatable relative to the bracket and is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom. The cam plate includes an arcuate slot. The assembly also includes a linear damper including a first end coupled to the bracket and a second end coupled within the arcuate slot. The second end is translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

In another aspect, a vehicle seat is provided. A vehicle seat includes a seat bottom, a seat back selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom, and a damper assembly including a plate coupled to the seat back. The plate is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom. The plate includes an arcuate slot. The damper assembly also includes a damper including an end translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

In yet another aspect, a method of assembling a vehicle seat is provided. The method comprises the following steps: coupling a bracket between the seat bottom and the seat back such that the seat back is selectively rotatable relative to the seat bottom; and coupling the cam plate to the bracket and to the seat back. The cam plate is rotatable relative to the bracket and is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back relative to the seat bottom. The cam plate includes an arcuate slot. The method further comprises the following steps: a linear damper is coupled between the bracket and the cam plate, the linear damper including a first end coupled to the bracket and a second end coupled within the arcuate slot, the second end translatable within the arcuate slot to facilitate selective rotational damping of the seat back relative to the seat bottom.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a side view illustration of an exemplary vehicle.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustration of an exemplary vehicle seat that may be used in the vehicle shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of an exemplary damper assembly that may be used with the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partially transparent schematic view of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting an exemplary first directional range of motion for the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a diagram depicting an exemplary second range of directional motion of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 2.

Detailed Description

Embodiments described herein relate generally to an assembly for controlling a folding speed of a vehicle seat. More specifically, the assemblies described herein include a carrier, a cam plate, and a linear damper coupled between the carrier and the cam plate. A bracket is coupled between a seat bottom and a seat back of the vehicle seat, and the bracket enables the seat back to be selectively rotated relative to the seat bottom. The cam plate is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back such that the cam plate is rotatable with the seat back and such that the cam plate facilitates actuation of the linear damper when the seat back is rotated through different ranges of motion. For example, the linear damper extends when the seat back is rotated toward the reclined position and retracts when the seat back is rotated toward the fully folded position. Retracting the linear damper is advantageous to offset the rotational force provided by the torsion spring in the vehicle seat, so that the folding speed of the seat back is reduced. In this manner, the assembly described herein provides selective rotational damping to the vehicle seat in a space-saving manner that facilitates maintaining occupant comfort while maintaining ease of packaging in the design footprint assigned to the vehicle seat.

FIG. 1 is a side view illustration of an exemplary vehicle 100. In the exemplary embodiment, vehicle 100 includes a body 102 that defines a passenger compartment 104. The body 102 includes a front door 106 and a rear sliding door 108 that provide access to the passenger compartment 104. Further, the vehicle 100 includes a plurality of vehicle seats 110 positioned within the passenger compartment 104. The vehicle seats 110 are arranged in rows, such as a front row 112, a second row 114, and a third row 116. As will be explained in greater detail below, the vehicle seats 110 in the second and third rows 114, 116 are collapsible to facilitate increasing cargo capacity within the passenger compartment 104. In fig. 1, the vehicle 100 is shown as a minivan. Alternatively, the vehicle 100 may be any vehicle having multiple rows of vehicle seats 110, including but not limited to a sport utility vehicle.

Fig. 2 is a side view illustration of a vehicle seat 110 that may be used in the vehicle 100 (shown in fig. 1), and fig. 3 is an exploded view of a damper assembly 118 that may be used with the vehicle seat 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the vehicle seat 110 includes a seat bottom 120 and a seat back 122 that is rotatable relative to the seat bottom 120. The vehicle seat 110 also includes a torsion spring 124 and a damper assembly 118. The torsion spring 124 enables selective rotation of the seat back 122 in the forward direction 126, and the damper assembly 118 facilitates control of a rotational folding speed of the seat back 122 relative to the seat bottom 120 in the forward direction 126. The seat back 122 includes a seat belt system 128 integrated with the seat back. The harness system 128 is self-contained in that the harness system 128 is fully functional without requiring it to be coupled to structural components within the passenger compartment 104 (shown in fig. 1).

The damper assembly 118 includes a bracket 130, a cam plate 132, and a linear damper 134. The bracket 130 is coupled between the seat bottom 120 and the seat back 122 in a manner that enables the seat back 122 to selectively rotate relative to the seat bottom 120. For example, the bracket 130 is coupled to the seat bottom 120 at a pair of mounting points 136 and to the seat back 122 at a single mounting point 138. The cam plate 132 includes an inner radial portion 140 having an arcuate profile and an outer radial portion 142. The outer radial portion 142 includes an arcuate slot 144 defined therein. The arcuate slot 144 defines a first stop 146 at a first end 148 of the outer radial portion 142 and a second stop 150 at a second end 152 of the outer radial portion 142. The outer radial portion 142 extends less than the entire circumference around the inner radial portion 140. In one embodiment, outer radial portion 142 extends less than 180 °, or less than about 120 °, around inner radial portion 140. The cam plate 132 is oriented relative to the seat back 122 such that the first and second stops 146, 150 are capable of actuating the linear damper 134 as the seat back 122 and cam plate 132 rotate relative to the seat bottom 120.

In the exemplary embodiment, linear damper 134 includes a cylinder 154 and a piston 156 that is translatable relative to cylinder 154. In one embodiment, the linear damper 134 is a gas-oil linear actuator, wherein the cylinder 154 contains a working fluid comprising a combination of oil and gas. The oil facilitates wetting of seals (not shown) defined between the cylinder 154 and the piston 156, and the gas facilitates impeding retraction of the piston 156 within the cylinder 154 such that a rotational speed of the seat back 122 is controlled.

The linear damper 134 is oriented obliquely with respect to the seat bottom 120. In one embodiment, the linear damper 134 is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to the seat bottom 120. For example, the linear damper 134 includes a first end 158 coupled to the carriage 130, and the first end 158 is coupled to the carriage 130 in a manner that resists rotation of the linear damper 134 relative to the carriage 130. Further, linear damper 134 includes a second end 160 coupled within arcuate slot 144. The second end 160 is selectively translatable within the arcuate slot 144 such that the linear damper 134 provides selective damping to the seat back 122 based on the orientation of the seat back 122 relative to the seat bottom 120, as described in greater detail below. In the exemplary embodiment, linear damper 134 is oriented such that cylinder 154 is coupled to bracket 130 and piston 156 is coupled within arcuate slot 144. Alternatively, linear damper 134 is inverted such that piston 156 is coupled to bracket 130 and cylinder 154 is coupled within arcuate slot 144, which facilitates wetting of a seal defined between cylinder 154 and piston 156 with oil contained within cylinder 154.

Referring to fig. 3, the damper assembly 118 is arranged such that the cam plate 132 is positioned outboard of the bracket 130 relative to the center of the vehicle seat 110 (shown in fig. 2), such that the linear damper 134 is positioned outboard of the cam plate 132 and the bracket 130, and such that the torsion spring 124 is positioned outboard of the cam plate 132. In an exemplary embodiment, the cam plate 132 is selectively rotatable relative to the bracket 130 and is in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back 122. Thus, the bracket 130 and the cam plate 132 are coupled to the seat back 122 by the pivot pin 162. For example, a bushing 164 is positioned between the seat back 122 and the bracket 130, and the pivot pin 162 may be inserted through the seat back 122, the bushing 164, the bracket 130, and the cam plate 132. The cam plate 132 is then coupled to the pivot pin 162 with a nut 166, the nut 166 facilitating securing the cam plate 132 in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back 122.

In an exemplary embodiment, the torsion spring 124 includes a free end 168 and a coiled portion 170. The pivot pin 162 is further inserted through the nut 166, through the coiled portion 170, and the torsion spring 124 is secured to the pivot pin 162 by the nut 172. The torsion spring 124 is also coupled to the bracket 130. For example, the mounting pin 174 is inserted through the bracket 130 and then coupled to the free end 168 of the torsion spring 124.

As described above, the first end 158 of the linear damper 134 is coupled to the bracket 130. In one embodiment, first end 158 is coupled to bracket 130 by a fastener 176 (such as a weld stud) such that linear damper 134 is mounted in a fixed orientation relative to bracket 130. As described above, the second end 160 of the linear damper 134 may translate within the arcuate slot 144. In one embodiment, the bushing 178 is positioned between the cam plate 132 and the second end 160 of the linear damper 134. Bolt 180 may be inserted through arcuate slot 144, bushing 178, and second end 160, and then bolt 180 is secured to second end 160 by nut 182.

FIG. 4 is a partially transparent schematic view of a vehicle seat 110 FIG. 4 illustrates a plurality of design parameters of the damper assembly 118 that are selected to achieve a target folding speed of the seat back 122 that is less than a predetermined threshold of about 4 meters/second.

For example, damper actuation delay θ is defined within a range between about 20 ° and about 70 °, between about 30 ° and about 60 °, between about 30 ° and about 50 °, or about 45 °. damper engagement α is defined within a range between about 20 ° and about 70 °, between about 30 ° and about 60 °, between about 30 ° and about 50 °, or about 53 °. arcuate slot radius R is defined within a range between about 30 millimeters (mm) and about 60mm, between about 30mm and about 50mm, between about 35mm and about 45mm, or about 41.5 mm.

Fig. 5 is a diagram depicting a first directional range of motion of the vehicle seat 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the seat back 122 can be selectively rotated from the fully folded position 184 toward the reclined position 186 and from the reclined position 186 toward the fully folded position 184. Thus, the seat back 122 may be positioned in the first partially folded position 188, which is an intermediate position between the fully folded position 184 and the reclined position 186. The linear damper 134 is configured to extend as the seat back 122 rotates in a first range of directional motion defined between the first partially folded position 188 and the reclined position 186 as the seat back 122 rotates in a first direction 190 from the first partially folded position 188 toward the reclined position 186. For example, as described above, the cam plate 132 is in a fixed orientation relative to the seat back 122, and the cam plate 132 facilitates actuation of the linear damper 134 based on the orientation of the seat back 122 relative to the seat bottom 120. As the seat back 122 rotates in the first direction 190 from the fully folded position 184 toward the first partially folded position 188, the arcuate slot 144 is oriented such that the second end 160 of the linear damper 134 can travel therein such that the linear damper 134 remains in the retracted state. The first end 158 and the first stop 146 are positioned to engage one another when the vehicle seat 110 is in the first partially folded position 188. Thus, the first stop 146 extends the linear damper 134 as the seat back 122 rotates in the first direction 190 from the first partially folded position 188 toward the reclined position 186.

Fig. 6 is a diagram depicting a second directional range of motion of the vehicle seat 110. In an exemplary embodiment, the seat back 122 may be positioned in the second partially folded position 192, which is an intermediate position between the reclined position 186 and the fully folded position 184. The linear damper 134 is configured to retract as the seat back 122 rotates in the second range of directional motion defined between the second partially folded position 192 and the fully folded position 184 as the seat back 122 rotates in the second direction 194 from the second partially folded position 192 toward the fully folded position 184. As the seat back 122 rotates in the second direction 194 from the reclined position 186 toward the second partially folded position 192, the arcuate slot 144 is oriented such that the first end 158 of the linear damper 134 can travel therein such that the linear damper 134 remains in the extended state. The first end 158 and the second stop 150 are positioned to engage one another when the vehicle seat 110 is in the second partially folded position 192. Thus, as the seat back 122 rotates in the second direction 194 from the second partially folded position 192 toward the fully folded position 184 (e.g., due to a rotational force provided by the torsion spring 124), the second stop 150 actuates the linear damper 134 toward the retracted state. In this manner, the linear damper 134 facilitates providing rotational damping to the seat back 122 as the seat back 122 rotates within the second range of directional motion.

This written description uses examples to disclose various embodiments, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various embodiments, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal languages of the claims.