Lear Corporation

Don H Bernhardt

Mark A Farquhar

Paul S Severinski

Eugene S Dudash

Kirk P Koenig

Mark E Rodgers

Ricardo O Quincoses, Jr

Raymond E Scott

Tony Centi

Patricia J Tasny

Alan M Wagner

Dean Rinke

Jeff Frelich

Grant Pryde

This invention relates to a vehicle seat track assembly. The assembly comprises a first track member having an upwardly facing bearing surface and a second track member for attachment to a vehicle seat, the second track member having a downwardly facing bearing surface. A cage is disposed between the first track member and the second track member. The cage carries a rolling element that is in rolling engagement with the upper and lower bearing surfaces to provide longitudinal movement of the first track member relative to the second track member. The cage is provided with at least one pad section for engaging at least one of the upwardly and downwardly facing bearing surfaces. In an unloaded state, the at least one pad section separates the upwardly and downwardly facing bearing surfaces from each other by a distance which is greater than the diameter of the rolling element.

Seat track assembly

A vehicle seat comprises a seat bottom with a frame with a slot or a pivotal connection. A seat back has a frame with the other of the slot and the pivotal connection to cooperate with the seat back for collapsing the seat back upon the seat bottom. A receiver is mounted to one of the seat bottom or the seat back with a first locking component and an insert is mounted to the other with a second locking component. The seat back is assembled to the seat bottom by pivoting the seat back to align the receiver and insert and translating the seat back along the slot until the insert is inserted into the receiver and the locking components are locked. The vehicle seat connection permits the seat bottom and seat back to be fabricated at separate facilities and then shipped to an assembly facility.

Vehicle seat connection

A vehicle seat includes a console pivotally mounted on a seat back and a booster seat movable between a stowed positioned and an upright position. The seat includes a seat bottom having first and second portions which define a generally horizontal seating surface. A console is selectively disposed in a recess formed in one of the first and second portions. A first side of the console defines a console seating surface. The console is pivotable between a first position, wherein the console seating surface is generally co-planar with the seating surface of the first and second portions, and a second position, wherein the console is pivoted outwardly from a front edge exposing the second side of the console. A second recess is formed in the seating surface of the seat bottom between the front and rear edges to define a second rear support area located between the rear edge and the second recess. The booster seat is movable between a first position, wherein the booster seat is disposed in the second recess such that a seating surface of the booster seat is generally co-planar with the seating surface of the seat bottom, and a second position, wherein the booster seat is positioned above the rear support area.

Vehicle seat

A vehicle seat assembly with integrated safety restraint belts includes a bottom frame and a backrest frame. The backrest frame is pivotally connected to the bottom frame by first and second pivot elements. The first and second pivot elements may include motor driven actuator screws for remotely controlling the pivoted position of the backrest frame under power. The bottom frame includes first and second side rails which are anchored to the outer sill panel and the floor panel, respectively, for providing a sturdy mounting arrangement to withstand high loading and stresses during sudden deceleration. The integrated safety restraint belt includes a shoulder strap segment connected to the upper end of the backrest frame, above the first pivot element, and a lap strap segment. A spool, mounted to the bottom frame, plays out and reels in strap material from a concealed segment interposed between the spool and the shoulder strap segment. The concealed segment of the safety restraint belt is hidden within a hollow stile of the backrest frame. A guide is mounted within the hollow stile, for controlling the concealed segment within the hollow passage during movement of the safety restraint belt to help prevent binding or misalignment when the backrest frame is articulated. An anti-rotation stop plate is formed as part of the bottom frame and positioned to abut a nose portion of the first pivot element in the event of severe loading and deformation resulting from sudden deceleration. In this manner, the anti-rotation stop plate restrains unwanted deformation of the first pivot element relative to the bottom frame.

Vehicle seat having combined horizontal and vertical frame mounting

An adjustable headrest assembly including a mounting post for mounting the headrest assembly to a vertically adjustable tower. The headrest including an elongated body portion extending horizontally between first and second ends and defining a tubular opening for receiving a mounting post for securing the headrest to the tower. A cavity is integrally formed in the first end of the body portion and a ratchet mechanism is disposed in the cavity for pivoting the headrest in both the forward and rearward direction. The ratchet mechanism including a ratchet pivotally support by the mounting post and a rack having a plurality of rack teeth mounted along an arcuate path in the cavity of the headrest body. The assembly further including a tower cover including an expandable window portion connected between the tower and the seat back for automatically expanding coverage of the tower upon movement of the tower between a lower position and a raised position.

Detachable cantilevered headrest having a ratchet mechanism

A seat cover assembly (10) includes a seat envelope (14) with a drawstring sheath (18) and a slidable drawstring (22) inside the sheath (18). The seat envelope (14) surrounds a seat (12), and front and rear attachment projections (38,40) on the seat (12) facilitate attachment of the seat envelope (14) to the seat (12). A webbing strip (48) joins the drawstring sheath (18) to the seat envelope (14) and a plurality of slits (24) are disposed in the webbing strip (48) and apart from the drawstring sheath (18) for attachment to the projections (38,40) on the seat (12).

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Walled Lake, MI, United States of America

Don H Bernhardt