Hoover Universal, Inc.

Lear Corporation

Johnson Controls Technology Company

Johnson Controls Technology LLC

Timothy S Myers

Kurt A Seibold

Michael Leighton

Gregory Steinke

Keith R Ziegler

Syed Haider

Rui-Ning Wu

Dave Matejka

Carlos F Lopez

Michael J Brewer

Eric G Exner

Michael J Leighton

Gregory V Steinke

Attachment mechanisms are provided that may be riveted on one end and welded on another flanged end. The flanges may allow the rivets to be welded to a frame or other part without additional support plates. In certain embodiments, the rivets may simplify manufacturing and packaging as well as reduce the weight of the attachment mechanism. The attachment mechanisms may promote load distribution, allow for the use of thinner materials, facilitate attachment to heat treated materials, allow for attachment of parts that are difficult to access, reduce fixturing, and improve manufacturing efficiency, among other things.

Weldable attachment mechanisms

A vehicle seat system including a seat-bottom () and a.seatback () wherein the seatback () is prevented from rotating by both a recliner mechanism () and a latch mechanism () connected to the seatback (). The latch mechanism () is configured to be disengaged to permit rotation of the seatback (), to a forward position to aid ingress into a rearward positioned seat, which in turn releases a pair of tracks to shuttle the seat forward, to provide for easier ingress into a rearward positioned seat. When the latch mechanism () is released or unlocked, the recliner mechanism () release handle is free to rotate, but the lockout mechanism is prevented from, releasing the recliner mechanism. The seat is configured so that the seatback () unfolds and returns to the specific comfort position prior to activation of the latch mechanism release handle ().

Vehicle seat

A seat latching assembly for a vehicle includes a seatback having first and second sides. A first latch is provided for latching the first side of the seatback to a portion of a vehicle, the first latch being operable between a latched position and an unlatched position. A second latch is provided for latching the second side of the seatback to another portion of the vehicle, the second latch being operable between a latched position and an unlatched position. A mechanism is operatively connected to the first and second latches, and is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. When one of the first and second latches is in the unlatched position, the mechanism is prevented from moving into the unlocked position, and when the first and second seat portions are both in their latched positions, the mechanism is permitted to be moved into the unlocked position.

Seat latching assembly

A seat assembly with an irreversible pawl adjusting latch mechanism in which a pawl with a plurality of teeth for insertion into apertures in a latch plate is provided with a portion of the teeth having edge surfaces inclined relative to the latch plate apertures so that upon insertion a wedge fit of the teeth into the apertures is provided to eliminate backlash in the latch mechanism. The pawl also includes a locking tooth having edge surfaces parallel to the latch plate apertures which, upon contact with the edges of the latch plate apertures prevent disengagement of the pawl from the latch plate due to fore and art loading on the seat assembly.

Seat assembly with irreversible pawl adjusting latch mechanism

An improved recliner for a seat assembly is shown of the type having a pawl engagable with a sector gear having a cam engagable with the pawl to hold the pawl in a locked position. The recliner provides a curved camming surface on the pawl having a substantially constant locking angle relative to the pawl to ensure that the friction force available between the cam and pawl is sufficient to prevent back driving of the recliner by forces applied to the seat back. In addition, the cam contacting surface is profiled to ensure a quick release of the recliner and the cam, once released from the pawl camming surface, contacts a release surface of the pawl to positively rotate the pawl from engagement with the sector gear. The cam is rotated by an operating lever coupled to the cam by a lost rotational motion coupling enabling the operating lever to have a fixed rest position relative to the seat cushion regardless of the rest locked position of the cam.

Locking seat recliner

Growing community of inventors

Northville, MI, United States of America

Timothy S Myers