Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device enabliny to
adjust the trim of a seat frame of a seat used in ground, sea
and air vehicles, in order to improve comfort and therefrom
to reinforce safety above all with respec~ to the driver's
seat.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF KNOWN_PRIOR ART
Various devices are already known for enabliny to adjust
the trim of a vehicle seat, i.e. the height of the seat frame
of a seat, by adjusting the height either of the rear part of
the seat, or of the front part of the seat, and even
simultaneously of the front part and the rear part of the
seat. However, the known devices are relatively complicated,
cumbersome and heavy. Besides, the known devices necessitate
an adjustment which is difficult, particularly for an
inexperienced person; they are therefore used in an
irrational manner.
Moreover, and because of the small inner volume of a
vehicle and because of the heavy technical characteristics
imposed by legal regulations, it has been necessary to think
entirely over this problem to give thereto a solution which
will be as simple as possible by designing a device which is
not cumbersome, which is very easy to adjust by the user and
which has a very great resistance. Actually, these devices
in connection with the longitudinal adjusting slide members
must support, in case of shocks, very great efforts enabling
an absorption of power and limiting therefrom injuries to the
passengers or to the driver who is maintained on its seat by
a safety belt rigidly connected to these means.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The present invention remedies these drawbacks by
providing an adjusting device of the trim of a seat frame,
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this adjusting device beiny simple, having a small bulk,
being easy to adjust and having a very great resistance for
absorbing a lot of energy in case of shocks, but providiny
also a stable suspension without play which thus increases
the passenger's comfort.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, in a device enabling a trim
adjustment of a vehicl~ seat, an upper si~e of each upper
section of a slide member carries two square members having
vertical wings, these vertical wings maintaining at their
upper ends, either frontwardly or rearwardly of the seat, a
spindle on which is articulated a shoe-square. The rear or
front square member carries an articulation iron fitting
enabling, by means of a reducing lever rotating with the
mobile flange of each articulation, to raise a rear or front
shoe-square in order that a seat frame fixed on the shoP-
squares is displaceable by a clearance angle delimited
according to needs either for a rear part of the seat or for
a front part of the seat between a lower dead point and an
upper dead point.
According to another feature of the invention, the
articulations are of the epicyclic gear type or of the
wedging type by means of bearing plates.
Various other features of the invention will moreover be
revealed from the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the invention are shown by way of non-
limiting examples in the accompany drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 i~ a side-elevation view o~ the device enabling
to adjust the trim of a seat frame of a seat by its rear
part;
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Fig. 2 is a plane view correspondiny to Fig. l;
Fig~ 3 shows an elevation view of a device similar to
that of Fig. 1 but provided to adjustment o~ the front part
of the seat;
Fig. 4 is a partial front elevation view of the right
part of the device of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a plane view corresponding to Fiy. 3;
Fig. 6 is a side elevation view of a device enabling a
manual elevation of a trim of the seat by raising the front
and rear parts of the seat;
Fig. 6a is an enlarged view of a part of Fig. 6;
Fig. 7 is a plane view corresponding to Fig. 6;
Fig. 8 shows another embodiment of the front and rear
adjusting device of the seat frame of the seat, the
adjustment being made manually either for the rear part or
fxont part or simultaneously for the rear and front parts
with a motor telecontrol possibility;
Fig. 9 is a plane view corresponding to Fig. 8.
DESCRIPTTON OF PREFERRED EMBODIMBNTS
In Fig. 1, there is partly shown the lower section 1 and
the upper section 2 of a slide member enabling a longitudinal
front and rear adjustment of the position of a seat.
There obviously exists, as shown in Fig. 2, two parallel
slide members placed under the right and left parts of each
seat.
The upper side of the upper section 2 is provided with
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square members 3, 4 mounted at particular places accordiny to
the type of seat, the square members 3, 4 having vertical
wings 3a, 4a used as supports. The winys 3a carry spindles
5, 6, and the wings 4a carry articulation iron fittings 7, 8
which can be bearing plate articulations, discontinuous
articulations or continuous articulations based upon either
locking devices by wedging or epicyclic gears (the parts of
which are indicated with dotted lines in Fig. 1, namely a
central gear a rotating with shaft 18, an intermediate gear b
fixed on the reduction lever 10, the teeth of which enyage
teeth on an opposing part of articulation 8), or by any other
corresponding device which can be placed innerly of a ring
having a very small thickness.
In one embodiment, micrometric irreversible epicyclic
articulations are used, these articulations enabling
therefore an important choice in positions between an upper
dead point and a lower dead point, the lower dead point being
shown in phantom in Fig. 1 ~PMB) and the upper dead point
being in full line (PMH).
The mobile flange of each articulation 7, 8 is rigidly
connected to a reduction lever 10 having a substantially
triangular shape and the end lOa of which carries a spindle
11 on which is mounted a shoe-square 12, the upper side 12a
of which carries the rear part 13a of the frame 13 of a seat.
The front shoe-squares 15 mounted on the spindles 5, 6
have also an upper side 15a which is substantially horizontal
and which carries the front part 13b of the seat frame 13 of
the seat.
Generally, and in the case of Figs. 1 and 2, the
articulations 7 and 8 are connected together by connecting
members 18 such as a shaft normally driven by a handling knob
19 at its end 18a placed at the rear outer end of the seat.
Thus, by rotating the knob 19 in the direction of the
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arrow F1 (Fig. 2), the articulations 7, 8 are rotatively
driven, which makes the reduction levers 10 to upwardly pivot
(i.e. in direction of the arrow F2, Fig. 1), which raises the
rear shoe-sguare 12 upwardly. Going from the position PMB
(Fig. 1) to the position PMH (Fig. 1) causes khe rear part of
the seat to be raised by a clearance angle ~ which, accordiny
to needs, may vary according to the type of seat and to the
type of vehicle to be fitted with the device.
Obviously, the rotation of the reduction levers 10
causes a rotation of the front shoe-square 15 on the spindles
5, 6.
It is also possible, as shown in Fig. 2, to drive the
articulation of the connection shaft 18 by means of a motor
unit 20 which is more often an electric motor, the working of
which is controlled by an electronic circuit from the dash-
board of the vehicle sither by a fraction of angle a at each
time or in a continuous manner between the lower point and
the upper point, at will of the user.
Thus, the device of Figs. 1 and 2 enable a continuous
adjustment from a lower dead point up to an upper deadpoint,
and, respectively, from an upper dead point to a lower dead
point. The rear part of the seat frame of the seat is
therefore in the position chosen by the user.
In Fig. 3-5, the device is similar to that of Fig. 1,
but it is the front part of the seat which is raised by the
reduction levers 10 which carry the front shoe-squares 15,
while the rear shoe-squares 12 are merely mounted on spindles
22 rigidly connected to square-members 4.
As in the preceding case, it is also possible to have a
manual control with the control knob 19 or a motor unit 20
which is mounted on the shaft 1~, and which is generally made
by an electric motor controlled as above explained.
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In Fig. 6, there is shown, on the one hand partially,
the lower section 25 and, on the other hand entirely, the
upper section 26 of a slide member enabliny the longitudinal
adjustment of the seat.
The upper side 26a of the section 26 carries two square
members 27, 28 having vertical wings 27a, ~8a each
maintaining as above described an articulation 30 the mobile
flange of which is rigidly connected to reduction levers 31
which are each provided at their ends with a spindle 32, 32a.
The spindles 32 are housed in button-holes 34 of the
front shoe-squares 35, while the spindles 32a are housed in
holes 36 o~ the rear shoe-squares 37. The shoe-squares 35,
37 carry the lower part 40 of the seat frame.
In Fig. 6, the reduction levers 31 (shown with solid
lines) are at the position of the upper dead point PMH, and
the position of the reduction levers 31 have been shown in
phantom at the lower dead point PMB.
The clearance angle delimited according to needs is
therefore easily shown.
In the present case, the articulations 30 are generally
of the bearing plate type in order that the rotation of their
centre shaft 3la causes a rotation of a control means
enabling to lock and unlock, according to the rotation
direction, one or a plurality of bearing plates in order to
rigidly connect the fixed and mobile ~langes of the
articulation. The articulations are provided so that the
fixed flange is maintained on the wing 28a by means of square
member 28 while the mobile flange is rigidly connected to the
reduction lever 31.
The rotation angle for each shaft 31a is obtained by
means of toothed recesses 41 made in the arms 42 engaged with
toothed parts made on the periphery of each shaft 3la in
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order to obtain a compulsory drive (Fiy. 6a). ~ach shaft 31a
is, as shown in the drawings, housed in a toothed recess 41
The ends 42a of the arms 42 are mounked on spindles 43
rigidly connected to a triangular part 44 itself rigidly
connected to a control shaft ~6 having a vertical handliny
lever 47. The shaft 46 is supported in smooth bearings made
in the vertical wings 50 of the square members 51 rigidly
connected to the center part of the top of the upper section
26 of the slide member 25.
If the control lever 47 is pivoted in the direction of
the arrow F5 (Fig. 6), the rear articulations 30 are unlocked
and then the two arms 42 are moved causing a rota-tion of each
center shaft 31a so that the mobile flange of each
articulation 30 is freed, and therefore each rear reduction
lever can move in the direction chosen by the seat user who
can thus, by a rear push on the seat, make the seat go down
when he finds that the rear of the seat frame of this seat is
too high or conversely to raise the rear of the seat frame
with help of a spring (not shown) having a fixed point on the
fixed part of each articulation 30 and a free mobile point on
each reduction lever 31.
When the control lever 47 is pivoted in direction of t~e
arrow F6 (Fig. 6~, working is identical since pivoting of the
control lever 47 has permitted:
a) bringing the arm 42 from rear to front and,
therefore, locking the articulations 30 in khe chosen
position for the rear of the seat frame of the seat, and
b) unlocking the front articulations 30 by thus
freeing the reduction levers 31 enabling to raise or to lower
the front part of the seat frame of the seat between the
positions PMH and PMB, or PMB and PMH.
Owing to the disposition of the adjusting means and
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pivotment of the reduction levers 31, the front spindles 32
are correctly moved in the button holes 34 while providiny,
on the one hand, a possibili~y of a~justment o~ the trim of
the seat frame of the seat and, on the other hand, a taking-
up of a play able to occur.
By bringing the control lever 47 back in its vertical
position, locking of the front articula-tions 30 is ensured,
as well as a complete locking of the device enabling a
vertical adjustment of the trim of the seat frame of the
seat.
For safety measure and to obviate an untimely move of
the lever 47 causing a front or rear unadjustment of the
seat, the control lever 47 is maintained in its v~rtical
median position by means of a complementary locking device
65.
In Figs. 8-9, there is shown a device enabling an
adjustment of the trim of a vehicle seat which comprises the
same members as the device according to the embodiment of
Fig. 6. However, in Fig. 8, the articulations 30 are
controlled two by two (front articulations and rear
articulations) either by means of a handling member 70
mounted in the extension of the shafts 71, 72 connecting, two
by two, the front and rear articulations 30 or by means of
motor units 73, 74 submitted to a working telecontrol placed
on the dashboard of the vehicle, or yet by fixing, on the
shafts 71, 72, pulleys 75, 76 connected by an endless belt 77
for obtaining, by means of a single motor unit or by means of
a member 70, a simultaneous drive of the articulations 30. In
one embodiment, the articulations are of an epicyclic type in
order that the front and rear rotations of the above
articulations will enable an adjustment in height of the trim
of the seat frame of the seat, as this has been explained
hereinabove in detail. In case the motor units 73, 74 acting
on the adjustment in height o~ the seat frame of the seat are
controlled by an electronic telecontrol, this control can
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comprise a memory for rapidly obtaining the position of the
seat frame according to the user.
As a subsequent remark, and in case of the front and
rear adjustments shown in Figs. ~ - g, the button holes 34
can be placed either on the front or on the rear of the
raising devices according to the type of vehicle and of seat
which is used.
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