GB2371778A - Rear seat vehicle support system - Google Patents

Rear seat vehicle support system Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2371778A
GB2371778A GB0102906A GB0102906A GB2371778A GB 2371778 A GB2371778 A GB 2371778A GB 0102906 A GB0102906 A GB 0102906A GB 0102906 A GB0102906 A GB 0102906A GB 2371778 A GB2371778 A GB 2371778A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
structural member
vehicle body
seat back
vehicle
support system
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB0102906A
Other versions
GB0102906D0 (en
GB2371778B (en
Inventor
Gerald Maurice Gothier
Patrick John Biergans
Ian Leonard Allan
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Johnson Controls GmbH
Original Assignee
Johnson Controls GmbH
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Johnson Controls GmbH filed Critical Johnson Controls GmbH
Priority to GB0102906A priority Critical patent/GB2371778B/en
Publication of GB0102906D0 publication Critical patent/GB0102906D0/en
Publication of GB2371778A publication Critical patent/GB2371778A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2371778B publication Critical patent/GB2371778B/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D25/00—Superstructure or monocoque structure sub-units; Parts or details thereof not otherwise provided for
    • B62D25/20—Floors or bottom sub-units
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/005—Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles, e.g. dismountable auxiliary seats
    • B60N2/015—Attaching seats directly to vehicle chassis
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/30—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats
    • B60N2/3002—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements
    • B60N2/3004—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only
    • B60N2/3009—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only about transversal axis
    • B60N2/3013—Non-dismountable or dismountable seats storable in a non-use position, e.g. foldable spare seats back-rest movements by rotation only about transversal axis the back-rest being hinged on the vehicle frame
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2/00—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles
    • B60N2/24—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles
    • B60N2/32—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles convertible for other use
    • B60N2/36—Seats specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement or mounting of seats in vehicles for particular purposes or particular vehicles convertible for other use into a loading platform
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60N—SEATS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLES; VEHICLE PASSENGER ACCOMMODATION NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • B60N2205/00—General mechanical or structural details
    • B60N2205/30—Seat or seat parts characterised by comprising plural parts or pieces
    • B60N2205/35—Seat, bench or back-rests being split laterally in two or more parts

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Aviation & Aerospace Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Body Structure For Vehicles (AREA)

Abstract

A rear seat vehicle support system comprising an elongate structural member 1 which in use extends widthwise across the vehicle body, the structural member having vehicle body attachment means 4,6 to enable the structural member to be attached to the vehicle body, the structural member being relatively stiff to provide torsional strength to the vehicle body and having seat back mounting means 7 to enable a seat back to be movably attached to the structural member. The seat back mounting means 7 may comprise hinges, and anchors 12 may be mounted on the support system to enable ancillary equipment such as child seats to be attached.

Description

REAR SEAT VEHICLE SUPPORT SYSTEM
This invention relates to support systems for the rear seat of vehicles such as an automobile.
In saloon type automobiles having rear seats, it is common for the backs of the rear seats to be fixed in position providing a partition between the passenger interior of the automobile and the trunk.
Typically the body reinforcement panels/struts extend across the width of the automobile body immediately behind the backs of the rear seats in order to provide the automobile body with torsional strength.
It has now become desirable to movably mount the backs of the rear seats in order to enable an operation to move the rear seat backs to provide through access between the trunk and the passenger interior and thereby enable loads of a large size to be carried.
Preferably, the size of the access opening between the trunk and the passenger interior is of a maximum size in order to enable a maximum size of load to be carried.
Accordingly it is desirable to dispense with the body reinforcement panels/struts referred to above. However to do so weakens the torsional strength of the automobile body and also gives rise to annoying NVH drumming. NVH is an acronym for Noise, Vibration and Harshness characteristics which result from the dynamic performance of a vehicle under operating conditions.
Accordingly to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a vehicle rear seat support system comprising an elongate structural member which in use extends widthwise across the vehicle body, the structural member having vehicle body attachment means to enable the structural member to be attached to the vehicle body, the structural member being relatively stiff to provide torsional strength to the vehicle body and having seat back mounting means to enable a seat back to be movably attached to the structural member.
If the vehicle rear seat back is foldable either as a single unit or a split (typically 60%: 40%) unit, then seat back mounting means are in the form of hinges which are also mounted on the structural member.
A vehicle rear seat support system in accordance with the present invention integrates the vehicle body with the rear seating package, resulting in a stiffened body structure which reduces, if not eliminates, NVH drumming without significantly reducing the access opening between the trunk and the passenger interior. Furthermore, the support system in accordance with the present invention is an integral unit which allows easy shipping and installation, the latter requiring a significantly reduced number of fasteners compared to conventional seat support systems. The use of a reduced number of fasteners shortens assembly time and reduces manual effort which represent significant advances in the art.
The support system according to the invention concentrates stresses from the hinges on which the seat back is mounted, body panels, vehicle floor and passenger restraint anchors onto a common structural member, whereby seat and overall vehicle mass may be reduced.
A rear seat vehicle support system in accordance with the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a front view of a support system according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a side view of the support system of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a perspective view from above of the support system of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a schematic side view of a vehicle including the support system of Figure 1; and Figure 5 is a schematic rear view of the vehicle shown in Figure 4.
Referring initially to Figures 4 and 5 there is diagrammatically shown a rear view of a saloon type automobile 50 having a load carrying trunk 51 and a passenger interior 52. A load access opening 56 is provided between the trunk 51 and passenger interior 52. A rear vehicle seat 53 is shown having a seat back 54.
The seat back 54 is preferably hingedly mounted on a support system 30 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Preferably the seat back 54 is split into two seat back portions 54a, 54b each of which is pivotally mounted by the support system 30.
In normal use, the seat back 54 is located in an upright position (illustrated in Figures 4 and 5) whereat it closes the access opening 56 and acts as a partition between the trunk 51 and passenger interior 52.
The seat back 54 is hingedly movable to a folded position (indicated by broken lines in Figure 4) whereat it opens the access opening 56.
The rear seat back support system comprises an elongate structural member 1 extending the full width of the rear seat back 54.
Mounted on the structural member 1 are three attachment means 5 preferably in the form of angled mounting plates by which the elongate member is attached at spaced intervals along its length to the floor (not shown) of the vehicle body. Each attachment means 5 is preferably provided with a single aperture 6 which receives an appropriate fastener, for example a bolt, to secure the attachment means, and the structural member 1, to the floor of the vehicle body. The numbers of attachment means 5 may be more or less than three and they may be differently positioned along the elongate member 1. The number and position of attachment means 5 is preferably chosen bearing in mind the desired lateral stiffening of member 1 and the desired transferal of loads to the vehicle body.
At each end of the structural support 1, rigid arms 3 are preferably provided which extend in a general lateral direction away from the support 1. One end of each arm 3 is fixedly secured to the elongate member 1, for example by welding, and the opposite end is provided with attachment means 4 preferably in the form of a plate having one or more apertures 6 for receiving a fastener such as a bolt. In use attachment means 4 are secured to the floor of the vehicle body and provides additional securance of the elongate structural member 1. In addition, since arms 3 extend laterally from the support member 1 they act to provide torsional strength to the elongate member 1. In addition to providing lateral and torsional strength to the structural member 1, the arms 3 provide an effective load path for transfer and dissipation of seating system loads, particularly during crash conditions, to the vehicle floor and/or body side. The longer length of arms 3, i. e. the extent of their lateral extension from structural member 1 tends to
promote load distribution over a large floor area of the vehicle body. It is to be appreciated that the length of arms 3 and their orientation relation to elongate member 1 may be varied as desired to achieve the desired stiffening of member 1 and the desired load distribution for accommodation into different vehicle bodies.
Preferably both the structural member 1 and arms 3 are formed from a tubular metal to provide a desired amount of stiffness. Typically the elongate structural member 1 comprises a low carbon steel tube of rectangular cross-section of a size 25mm x 50mm and of a wall thickness of 2. 0mm.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the vehicle rear seat is foldable forwardly onto the seat cushion of the rear seat either as a single unit or as a split unit, the split being 60%: 40%. Folding is achieved by providing seat mounting means in the form of hinge assemblies mounted on the structural member 1.
Each hinge assembly 7 includes a fixed bracket 8 fixedly attached to support member 1, bracket 8 pivotally supporting a mounting bracket 9 via a pivot 11. The mounting bracket 9 is provided with one or more apertures 14 to enable a seat back frame (not shown) of the seat back 54 to be secured then to, by for example bolts.
Preferably four anchors 12 are mounted on the support member 1 to enable hooks (not shown) of ancillary equipment, such as child seats, to be attached. It will be appreciated that the structural member 1, when installed in a vehicle body is located close to the floor of the vehicle and so does not impede to any great degree the available space for access opening 56.
In addition, due to the stiffness provided by the structural member 1 across the width of the vehicle body, the torsional strength of the vehicle body is enhanced thereby reducing NVH drumming.

Claims (6)

1. A rear seat vehicle support system comprising an elongate structural member which in use extends widthwise across the vehicle body, the structural member having vehicle body attachment means to enable the structural member to be attached to the vehicle body, the structural member being relatively stiff to provide torsional strength to the vehicle body and having seat back mounting means to enable a seat back to be movably attached to the structural member.
2. A system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle body attachment means includes attachment brackets fixedly mounted to the structural member at spaced intervals along its length.
3. A system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the vehicle body attachment means includes an attachment arm located adjacent each end of the structural member, each attachment arm being fixedly secured at one end to the structural member and having vehicle body attachment means at its opposite end for attachment to the vehicle body, each arm extending in a lateral direction away from the structural member.
4. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the structural member comprises a tube formed from a suitable metal.
5. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the seat back mounting means comprise hinges.
6. A system according to any preceding claim wherein the vehicle body attachment means locate the structural member in close proximity to the floor of the vehicle.
GB0102906A 2001-02-06 2001-02-06 Rear seat vehicle support system Expired - Fee Related GB2371778B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0102906A GB2371778B (en) 2001-02-06 2001-02-06 Rear seat vehicle support system

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0102906A GB2371778B (en) 2001-02-06 2001-02-06 Rear seat vehicle support system

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB0102906D0 GB0102906D0 (en) 2001-03-21
GB2371778A true GB2371778A (en) 2002-08-07
GB2371778B GB2371778B (en) 2005-01-12

Family

ID=9908190

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB0102906A Expired - Fee Related GB2371778B (en) 2001-02-06 2001-02-06 Rear seat vehicle support system

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2371778B (en)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS57164820A (en) * 1981-03-31 1982-10-09 Tachikawa Spring Co Ltd Rear seat back of seat for automobile
GB2293313A (en) * 1994-09-21 1996-03-27 Autoliv Dev Improvements in or relating to a safety arrangement for vehicle seating
GB2293318A (en) * 1994-09-22 1996-03-27 Nissan Europ Tech Centre vehicle seat assembly with safety beam
DE19922637C1 (en) * 1999-05-18 2000-03-16 Faure Bertrand Sitztech Gmbh Sectional motor vehicle seat backrest has reinforcing tubes along lower edges of backrest sections mounted in tube fixed to vehicle bodywork

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS57164820A (en) * 1981-03-31 1982-10-09 Tachikawa Spring Co Ltd Rear seat back of seat for automobile
GB2293313A (en) * 1994-09-21 1996-03-27 Autoliv Dev Improvements in or relating to a safety arrangement for vehicle seating
GB2293318A (en) * 1994-09-22 1996-03-27 Nissan Europ Tech Centre vehicle seat assembly with safety beam
DE19922637C1 (en) * 1999-05-18 2000-03-16 Faure Bertrand Sitztech Gmbh Sectional motor vehicle seat backrest has reinforcing tubes along lower edges of backrest sections mounted in tube fixed to vehicle bodywork

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB0102906D0 (en) 2001-03-21
GB2371778B (en) 2005-01-12

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 20090206