Magna Seating Inc

Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha

Louis Vetere, Ii

Kai Zhao

Detjon Marini

Cheikh Dioum

Michael D Nacy

Omar D Tame

Avery Folk

Kristof M Kurzeja

Creston A Zang

Mikihito Muramatsu

James Rudberg

Trevor Delanoy

Brian Thiel

Atsushi Ida

Donald W Gray, Jr

A long rail assembly for repositioning a vehicle seat in a vehicle includes a fixed long rail and a rail drive assembly configured to be repositionable along the fixed long rail. The rail drive assembly includes an upper channel and a flexible stability roller assembly. The flexible stability roller assembly has first and second stability rollers rotationally coupled to respective first and second wing portions of a flexible wing bracket. The flexible wing bracket has a generally W-shaped cross-section in profile with the first and second wing portions extending at a first angle from adjacent first and second side portions, respectively, and the first and second side portions extending at a second angle from a center portion. The center portion of the flexible wing bracket is fixedly coupled to the upper channel.

Stability rollers for a long rail assembly

A long rail assembly for use in an automotive vehicle has a long rail, a power rail drive assembly, and a latch assembly. The latch assembly removably couples the vehicle seat to the power rail drive assembly. When the latch assembly is latched, the seat is capable of power sliding adjustment and can be moved along a channel axis to a desired position within the interior of the vehicle. When the latch assembly is unlatched, the entire seat can be removed from the vehicle to provide for added space and variability in the vehicle interior configuration.

Removable seat used with a long rail assembly

A long rail assembly for use in a vehicle includes a lower channel, an inverted U-shaped upper channel, a gearbox, a rack, a pinion, a drive shaft, and a motor. The lower channel is adapted to extend longitudinally along a floor of the vehicle. The upper channel is slidably coupled to the lower channel. The gearbox is fixedly secured to and housed within the upper channel. The rack is fixedly coupled to the lower channel and includes gear teeth extending along the rack in a longitudinal direction. The pinion is meshingly engaged with the gear teeth. The drive shaft operatively couples the gearbox to the pinion. The motor is operatively coupled to the gearbox to power drive the upper channel along the lower channel.

Long rail assembly with internal power driving system

A long rail assembly attached to a vehicle floor for repositioning vehicle seats in a vehicle between a plurality of seating positions. The long rail assembly includes a fixed long rail having an internal channel, and a power rail drive assembly configured to travel along the internal channel of the fixed long rail. The power rail drive assembly has a rail main body having a lateral driving wheel configured to frictionally and/or meshingly engage with the fixed long rail, an electric motor operatively coupled to the lateral driving wheel, and spring-loaded stability rolling elements attached to the rail main body configured to absorb channel variation as the power rail drive assembly travels along the internal channel of the fixed long rail.

Long rail assembly for vehicle seat adjustment

A coupler for coupling a cross-talk tube of a vehicle seat with a shaft of a dual recliner assembly. The coupler comprises a generally cylindrical body extending axially between an inboard end and an outboard end. The inboard end includes an inboard aperture having an inboard planar surface. The outboard end includes an outboard aperture having an outboard planar surface. The inboard planar surface and the outboard planar surface transition from an axially offset position to an axially aligned position when the coupler is installed with the cross-talk tube and the shaft of the dual recliner assembly.

Self-biasing recliner cross-talk tube coupler

A reversible seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle has an inboard seat riser, an outboard seat riser, a seat cushion, a seat back, a plurality of inboard reversing links, a plurality of outboard reversing links, a plurality of inboard strikers coupled to the inboard seat riser and a plurality of outboard strikers coupled to the outboard seat riser. The seat cushion is coupled to the inboard and outboard seat risers, and extends between a front end and a rear end. The seat back comprises an inboard latch bracket and an outboard latch bracket. The plurality of inboard reversing links extend between an upper end pivotally coupled to the inboard latch bracket and a lower end pivotally coupled to the inboard seat riser, and the plurality of outboard reversing links extend between an upper end pivotally coupled to the outboard latch bracket and a lower end pivotally coupled to the outboard seat riser. When the seat back is adjacent the rear end of the seat cushion, the inboard latch bracket engages the plurality of inboard strikers and the outboard latch bracket engages the plurality of outboard strikers.

Secondary stabilization striker for reversible seats

A disc recliner mechanism for use in an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of pawls and a cam mounted between a guide plate and a tooth plate. Rotation of the cam moves the pawls between an extended position in which the pawls engage the tooth plate to lock the disc recliner mechanism and a retracted position in which the pawls disengage the tooth plate to unlock the disc recliner mechanism and allow rotation between the guide plate and the tooth plate. A notch is disposed on an engagement surface of a cam lobe disposed on the cam for reducing friction when the cam lobe engages a cam follower disposed on the pawls. The tooth plate includes a circumferential outer lip with a concentric channel for retaining lubricant and reducing rotational friction between the tooth plate and the guide plate.

Disc recliner mechanism for use in an automotive vehicle

A power long rail assembly is attached to a vehicle floor for repositioning vehicle seats in a vehicle between a plurality of seating positions. The power long rail assembly includes a fixed long rail and a power rail drive assembly configured to travel along the fixed long rail. The power rail drive assembly has an upper channel having a driving wheel configured to frictionally and/or meshingly engage with the fixed long rail, a fore/aft motor operatively coupled to the driving wheel, a latch assembly for locking the upper channel to the fixed long rail, and a latch release mechanism having a latch motor operatively coupled to a release plunger for automatically unlocking the latch assembly from the fixed long rail, and a fore/aft button operatively coupled to the fore/aft motor and to the latch motor to selectively activate the fore/aft motor and the latch motor.

Loop latch release for power long rail assembly

A seat assembly includes a swivel mechanism for providing rotation of the seat assembly in an automotive vehicle. The swivel mechanism includes a first plate assembly coupled to a second plate assembly at a rolling-element bearing to facilitate axial rotation of one of the first and second plate assemblies relative to the other of the first and second plate assemblies. A lock plate slidably disposed on the second plate assembly selectively engages a lock pin extending from the first plate assembly for movement between a locked position in which the swivel mechanism cannot rotate and an unlocked position in which the swivel mechanism can freely rotate. Actuation of the lock plate between the locked position and the unlocked position actuates movement of a wedge between a cinched position to stabilize the swivel mechanism and an uncinched position to allow unimpeded rotation of the swivel mechanism.

Swivel mechanism for rotation of a seat in an automotive vehicle

A long rail assembly for use in a vehicle includes a fixed rail, a movable rail, a power strip, a latch power connector, and a channel power connector. The fixed rail extends longitudinally along a floor of the vehicle. The movable rail is slidably coupled to the fixed rail. The power strip is coupled to the fixed rail. The latch power connector is removably coupled to the movable rail. The channel power connector is fixedly coupled to the movable rail and is in constant sliding contact with the power strip. When the latch power connector is coupled to the movable rail, the latch power connector frictionally engages the channel power connector thereby generating an electrical bridge between the power strip and the latch power connector to provide power to the long rail assembly.

Power supply connection for power long rail assembly

A reversible seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle has a seat cushion, a seat back and a bolster. The seat cushion extends between a front end and a rear end. The bolster is operatively coupled to the seat cushion for movement between a deployed position when the seat back is adjacent the rear or front end of the seat cushion and a retracted position when the seat back is between the rear and front ends of the seat cushion to allow the seat back to rotate between a forward-facing seating position and a rearward-facing seating position.

Retractable bolsters for a reversible seat

An improved head restraint is provided for a reversible seat that is movable between two use positions, namely a forward-facing position and a rearward-facing position. The improved head restraint automatically pivots to a fold flat position upon unlocking of the seat, wherein the head restraint is positioned in this fold flat position during reversing seat movement, so as to reduce the seat height and clear the vehicle headliner. The head restraint is cable driven and operably connected to the seat linkages that control movement of the seat cushion and seat back during reversing movement. As such, the seat movement articulates the head restraint so that the head restraint angles forwardly toward the occupant in the forward-facing position and rearwardly toward the occupant in the rearward-facing position, while permitting the head restraint to automatically articulate to the fold flat position during travel of the seat between these two use positions.

Cable driven head restraint for a reversible seat

An improved armrest is provided for a reversible seat that is movable between a forward-facing position and a rearward-facing position. The armrest is rotatably mounted to the seat assembly so as to be rotatable downwardly to a fully deployed position or upwardly to a neutral, stowed position. The armrest may project forwardly in a first deployed position or rearwardly in a second deployed position depending upon whether the seat is in the forward-facing or rearward-facing positions. The seat is reversible from the forward-facing position to the rearward-facing position, or vice versa, wherein the armrest automatically returns to the neutral, stowed position as the seat is moved between these positions.

Automatic stowing armrest for a reversible seat

A reversible seat for an automotive vehicle having a head restraint which rotates between a forward-facing position and a rearward-facing position as the seat is moved between the forward-facing position and the rearward-facing position. The head restraint folds towards the seat back as the reversible seat passes through the peak of its locus to increase clearance with a headliner of the automotive vehicle. The head restraint returns to an upright rotated position as the seat reaches the opposing position.

Head restraint mechanism for reversible seat

A seat assembly having a seat cushion and a seat back pivotally coupled to the seat cushion for pivotal movement between a generally upright seating position and a folded position overlying the seat cushion. A power return mechanism is operatively coupled to the seat back for automatically returning the seat back from the folded position to the seating position. The power return mechanism includes a support bracket for mounting the power return mechanism to the seat assembly, a slider bracket slidably coupled to the support bracket, a cable connected between the seat back and the slider bracket, and a motor and gear assembly for power driving the slider bracket between a home position when the seat back is in the seating position and a full stroke position pulling the cable to pivot the seat back from the folded position to the seating position.

Growing community of inventors

Commerce Township, MI, United States of America

Louis Vetere, Ii