P. L. Porter Co.

Lear Siegler Seating Corporation

David E Landis

Aki Tanaka

Douglas G Del Grosso

A support mechanism for 6-way adjustable automotive seats has a base and a seat support mounted on the base by mechanical locks telescopable for adjusting the height and tilt of the seat support. The mechanism is improved in that spring biased levers compensate for variable spring force to apply an approximately constant seat lifting force throughout the adjustment range of the mechanism.

Seat position adjustment mechanism

An inertia responsive latch mechanism for vehicle seats including an inertia latch member (22) pivotally mounted on a back frame member (18). The back frame member (18) is pivotally supported by the support frame (12). The inertia latch member (22) coacts in a first position with the support frame (12) for limiting forward pivoting movement of the back frame from an upright position only when the initial forward movement of the back frame (18) exceeds a predetermined acceleration. The assembly is characterized by the support frame including a lip (34) to automatically coact with the inertia latch member (22) in a second position in the forwardly folded position for automatically locking the back frame in the forwardly folded position. A lever (36) is included to remove the inertia latch element from the second coacting position to allow the back frame member (18)to return to the upright seating position.

Inertia latch for vehicle seats

An infinitely positionable backrest lock for a recliner seat has an upper plate hinged to a lower frame, and a gear train mounted to the lower frame and drivingly engaging the upper plate. The gear train includes a drum surface on which is wound a brake spring normally gripping the drum against rotation for locking the upper plate against pivotal movement. Positive locking of the drum and gear train is assured by an auxiliary spring and associated lever mechanism acting on the brake spring for increasing the frictional engagement between the brake spring and drum surface by more tightly winding the brake spring about the drum. Fail safe operation is assured by a bolt element spring loaded towards interlocking engagement with a toothed periphery of the drum wheel in the event of slippage between the drum surface and brake spring.

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Oxnard, CA, United States of America

David E Landis