Mazda Motor Corporation

Hirokazu Yamasaki

Osamu Kameda

Tomonori Ohtsubo

Tomoo Taguchi

Nobuyuki Ikemoto

Masaaki Koto

Yukihito Itami

A seat slides in a vehicle longitudinal direction between a pair of wheel houses projecting inside a vehicle compartment, and slides in s vehicle width direction at a portion which is in front of the wheel houses. The seat takes a first position in which its outside portion overlaps with the wheel houses in the vehicle width direction, and a second position in which its rear portion overlaps with the wheel houses in the vehicle longitudinal direction. There is provided a rearward-slide restriction device operative to restrict rearward slide of the rear seat in the first position. Accordingly, there is provided a seat device of a vehicle which can prevent any improper interference of the seat with the wheel houses, ensuring a proper long slide function of the seat.

Seat device of vehicle

When ingress intention of a passenger who is supposed to sit on a second seat is predicted, a distance between a first seat and the second seat is expanded automatically. Accordingly, taking time for access to the second seat can be avoided, thereby decreasing necessary time for having access and improving accessibility to the second seat. When a full-open mode is selected (Yes in S); the passenger does not sit on the third-row seat (Yes in S); the passenger does not sit on the second-row seat (Yes in S); and a child seat is not installed on the second-row seat (Yes in S), a second-row seat sliding motor is driven and a first-row seat driving mechanism operates. Accordingly, forward sliding of the second-row seat starts (S), and a sliding door is driven backward to open fully.

Seat control device for vehicle

A transfer case operation mode shifting apparatus used on a vehicle equipped with part-time four-wheel drive which having a center-differential shiftable between a differential-locked and differental-free drive mode of operation and between a two-wheel and a four-wheel drive mode of operation and a transfer shiftable between a high-speed range and a low-speed range drive mode of operation. The transfer case is shifted in its drive mode of operation by an operation mode selecting member for selecting a desired drive mode of operation. A power drive operation mode shifting device is provided in cooperation with the drive mode selecting member and a controller to actually shift the transfer case from one drive mode of operation to another. The controller is adapted to detect that the center-differential gear assembly of the transfer case is in a differential-locked four-wheel drive mode of operation so as to inhibit a transition of the center-differential to a two-wheel drive mode of operation.

Operating apparatus for four-wheel drive vehicle

An operating system used in a vehicle equipped with a part-time four-wheel drive comprises; a center-differential shiftable between at least a two-wheel drive mode and a four-wheel differential-locked drive mode; a free-wheeling device with a clutch mechanism incorporated in an output shaft of an axle differential associated with wheels which are rendered non-driven when the vehicle is traveling in the two-wheel drive mode and adapted to connect and disconnect the transmission of driving power between the axle differential and the non-driven wheel; a drive mode selecting member operated by a driver in the driver's compartment to select a desired driving mode of operation of the center-differential; and a shift control device which sequentially shifts the center-differential responding to an operation of the drive mode selecting member. The shift control device controls the center-differential to be intermediately shifted into a four-wheel differential-locked drive mode upon being shifted from one to the other between the two-wheel and four-wheel differential-locked drive modes. The shift control device shifts finally the center-differential into the other drive mode after locking the clutch mechanism to connect the transmission of driving power between the axle differential and the wheel which is rendered non-driven when the center-differential is traveling in two-wheel drive mode.

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Hiroshima, Japan

Hirokazu Yamasaki