Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Christopher M Vargo

John J Salvia, Iii

Vasudeva Sankarshana Murthy

Nicholas J Schutzman

Todd Muck

Charles S Hansen

Lacey A Reedy

Paul M Rutkowski

A vehicle including a floor surface and a seat. The floor surface has a floor striker. The seat is movable between a seated state and a stowed state. The seat includes a seat cushion frame, a sear back, and a seat latch. The seat cushion frame has a seat striker. The seat back is rotatably coupled to the seat cushion frame. In the seated positon, the seat latch engaged with the floor striker. In the stowed state, the seat latch engages with the seat striker.

Stowable seat assemblies and vehicles including same

A seat assembly for a vehicle includes a foldable seat actuatable at least to a stowed configuration and to a deployed configuration, The seat assembly also includes a seat actuation assist mechanism being structured to generate a seat actuation assist force facilitating a movement of the seat from any one of the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration to the other one of the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration. The assist force is generated responsive to movement of the seat from the other one of the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration to the one of the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.

Vehicle seat assembly with seat actuation assist mechanism

A vehicle seat includes a seat base and a retractable electrical connectivity device mounted to the seat base. The electrical connectivity device may be mounted in a receptacle incorporated into the seat base.

Vehicle seat with retractable electrical connectivity device

A vehicle seat includes a seat base and a seatbelt buckle coupled to the seat base. An armrest is coupled to the seat base. The armrest includes a retractable arm support portion movable to positions between, and including, a retracted position and a fully extended position. The armrest is structured and coupled to the seat base such that, when the buckle is at a maximum forward position of the buckle and the retractable arm support portion is in the retracted position, a first plane extending perpendicular to a fore-aft axis of the seat and through a forward-most portion of the buckle is rearwardly spaced apart from a second plane extending parallel to the first plane and through a rear-most portion of the retractable arm support portion.

Vehicle seat armrest with retractable arm support portion

A seat for a vehicle is provided. The seat includes a seat base and a seat back coupled to the seat base so as to be rotatable with respect to the seat base about a seat back rotation axis. The seat also includes a first linkage having a first link rotatably coupled to the seat back at a first connection and a second link rotatably coupled to the seat base at a second connection. The first link is also rotatably coupled to the second link at a third connection. The third connection is structured to be movable with respect to the seat base responsive to rotation of the seat back about the rotation axis.

Rear seat having two independent modes

A stowable seat for a vehicle is provided including a seat portion pivotably connected to a back portion, the back portion having a first base portion and a first extendable portion, the first extendable portion movable from a stowed position to an extended position, the extended position defined when the first extendable portion is spaced apart from the first base portion the seat portion having a second base portion and a second extendable portion, the second extendable portion movable from a stowed position to an extended position, the extended position defined when the second extendable portion is spaced apart from the second base portion. The seat assembly may be configured to move to a stowed position only after the first extendable portion of the back portion and the second extendable portion of the seat portion are moved to the stowed position.

Stowable seats

A sound blocking rear seat assembly for an automotive vehicle. The rear seat assembly includes a seat back adjacent to a seat bottom. The seat bottom also defines at least two passenger seating locations. A seat base of the seat bottom extends the width of the seat assembly and has a non-planar three dimensional contoured upper surface. A nonporous resilient sound blocking layer has a shape substantially conforming to the upper surface of the seat base and is located over the seat base such that it extends substantially continuously and uninterruptedly over the width of the seat assembly. Positioned over the sound blocking layer is a resilient seat cushion, and a trim layer is located over the seat cushion layer.

Growing community of inventors

Plymouth, MI, United States of America

Christopher M Vargo