Hoover Universal, Inc.

David W Husted

Wee Tzee Gam

Ronald R Siegrist

Marc D Hewko

Yannis Poulos

Chester S Fudala

James A Kargol

Bruce A Hiemstra

Robert W Jones

Timothy R Butt

Cynthia L Hernandez

Louis W Berklich, Jr

Richard A Furst

Jayesh B Patel

A power seat adjuster for bucket type vehicle seats includes inboard and outboard track assemblies each including a fixed lower section, a movable upper or movable section and a precision sliding interface including roller bearings between the moving upper track and the fixed lower track, the surfaces of the tracks that are engaged by the roller bearings being crowned to provide a bearing surface that is slightly convex when the seat is unoccupied but which becomes nearly flat when the seat is occupied, and the bearing surfaces of the track being coated with a multi-layer dry film lubricant including a base coating of an anti-friction material and a top coating of an anti-stick material. The power seat adjuster includes screw drive mechanisms for providing horizontal fore-and-aft adjustment, vertical up-and-down adjustment and adjustment in the inclination of the seat back, with the length of travel being limited by travel limit stops, that include anti-jam mechanisms which are adapted to reduce the breakaway torque required to move the drive screws of the screw drive mechanisms away from either end position.

Vehicle seat adjuster

An inertia locking device for use in a mechanical seat adjuster such as a fore and aft adjustment mechanism or a recliner mechanism in which a latch member is moved to a release position to enable the seat adjustment. The inertia locking device automatically re-locks the adjustment mechanism in the event of a vehicle collision even while the adjustment mechanism operating handle has been moved to a release position.

Inertia locking device for a vehicle seat adjustment mechanism

A power seat adjuster for bucket type vehicle seats includes inboard and outboard track assemblies each including a fixed lower section, a movable upper or movable section and a precision sliding interface including roller bearings between the moving upper track and the fixed lower track, the surfaces of the tracks that are engaged by the roller bearings being crowned to provide a bearing surface that is slightly convex when the seat is unoccupied but which becomes nearly flat when the seat is occupied, and the bearing surfaces of the track being coated with a multi-layer dry film lubricant including a base coating of an anti-friction material and a top coating of an anti-stick material. The power seat adjuster includes screw drive mechanisms for providing horizontal fore-and-aft adjustment, vertical up-and-down adjustment and adjustment in the inclination of the seat back, with the length of travel being limited by travel limit stops that include anti-jam mechanisms which are adapted to reduce the breakaway torque required to move the drive screws of the screw drive mechanisms away from either end position.

A vehicle seat which carries a passenger restraint system, namely a lap belt and a shoulder belt, with a tension load carrying member being provided to resist forward rotation and bending of the backrest frame during a frontal vehicle collision when the shoulder belt is loaded in tension. The tension load carrying member forms a truss structure with the frame back portion and the frame base portion. However, during normal vehicle operation, the tension load carrying member is detached from the frame back portion eliminating the truss structure and the need for a more complex recliner mechanism for adjusting the position of the backrest. A grip mechanism is provided to attach the load carrying member in response to a high shoulder belt load to complete the truss. In an alternative embodiment, the load carrying member is released from the backrest only during adjustment of the backrest.

Vehicle seat

A seat assembly with an integrated seat belt system is provided with a power recliner mechanism and a seat back dump feature. The dump feature includes a toggle latch mechanism for latching the seat back in place and for unlatching the seat back to enable forward rotation to a dump position without affecting the adjusted angular position of the seat back when it is returned from the dump position. An overcenter spring operates to hold the toggle latch mechanism in either its latched or released positions.

Vehicle seat assembly with integral belt restraint and seat back dump

A hinge mechanism for a vehicle seat assembly is disclosed which includes a leaf spring on the seat back arm of the hinge with one end extending from the seat back arm and engaging the edge of a plate member across which the spring and slides as the seat back is rotated from its upright operative position to a forward dump position. In the upright position, the spring end is seated into a radially recessed detent portion in the plate member to hold the seat back in its upright position. The leaf spring prevents a slight forward rotation of the seat back when the seat back is unoccupied during normal vehicle operation.

Hinge mechanism for vehicle seat assembly with a leaf retaining spring

A floor latching mechanism particularly adapted for attaching a bench seat to a motor vehicle floor which permits the seat to be conveniently removed from the vehicle. The floor latching mechanism includes a retractable actuation handle which drives a pair of hooks that are engageable with shafts attached to the motor vehicle floor. When the actuation handle is rotated, a cam partially lifts the bench seat and maintains the hooks out of engagement with the floor shafts. The floor latching mechanisms may be actuated to a parked position wherein the mechanism will not inadvertently reengage the floor shafts.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

David W Husted