Patents by Inventor Rolf Mitschelen

Rolf Mitschelen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6406084
    Abstract: A particular seat arrangement for vehicles having three rows of seats is provided. The rows are arranged one behind another, and each row is composed of at least two seats which are situated next to one another and which have seat cushions and a backrest. In order to enlarge the loading compartment, the seats of the two rear rows of seats can be folded. For this purpose, the backrests, which are coupled to the seat cushions, of the seats in the second row of seats can be folded onto the associated seat cushions and the seat cushions can be displaced forwards. In order to obtain a flat loading area, irrespective of the design of the rear side of the backrest of the seats in the second row of seats, the seats in the third row of seats have seat cushions which can be pivoted forwards through 180° about a front pivot axis and backrests which can be pivoted forward through 90° about a pivot axis fixed on the backrest lower edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2002
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Armin Carneiro de Campos, Rolf Mitschelen
  • Publication number: 20020043815
    Abstract: A particular seat arrangement for vehicles having three rows of seats is provided. The rows are arranged one behind another, and each row is composed of at least two seats which are situated next to one another and which have seat cushions and a backrest. In order to enlarge the loading compartment, the seats of the two rear rows of seats can be folded. For this purpose, the backrests, which are coupled to the seat cushions, of the seats in the second row of seats can be folded onto the associated seat cushions and the seat cushions can be displaced forwards. In order to obtain a flat loading area, irrespective of the design of the rear side of the backrest of the seats in the second row of seats, the seats in the third row of seats have seat cushions which can be pivoted forwards through 180° about a front pivot axis and backrests which can be pivoted forward through 90° about a pivot axis fixed on the backrest lower edge.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 3, 2001
    Publication date: April 18, 2002
    Inventors: Armin Carneiro de Campos, Rolf Mitschelen
  • Patent number: 6196580
    Abstract: Method of controlling at least one active headrest in a vehicle. The invention relates to a method of controlling an active headrest in a vehicle, in which the active headrest is triggered when predeterminable triggering conditions indicative of a vehicle collision exist, comprising the exceeding of a predeterminable collision threshold value by a characteristic variable indicative of a collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Walter Eberle, Rolf Mitschelen
  • Patent number: 6193317
    Abstract: A back seat arrangement for passenger compartments, especially of motor vehicles, has a back seat bench which can be folded up into an upright position about a pivot axis arranged in its front region, a backrest, which can be tilted forwards into a flat position about a pivot axis arranged in its lower region, at least one rear belt buckle, which can be fixedly connected to the bodywork of the motor vehicle, and a back seat section arranged in the abutment region between the back seat bench and the backrest which serves for the positioning of the at least one rear belt buckle. The back seat section arranged in the abutment region between the back seat bench and the backrest is an intermediate padded part, extending at least in sections into the width of the seat, secured on the bodywork and separate from the back seat bench and the backrest, which holds the at least one rear belt buckle in the operating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Vasilios Orizaris
  • Patent number: 6042145
    Abstract: An arrangement for adjusting the sitting position of a vehicle occupant has a sensor which determines the sitting height of the vehicle occupant sitting in the vehicle seat and measures in a no-contact manner, a control unit connected with the sensor, and an adjusting motor for the headrest which is connected with the control unit. For reducing the adjusting efforts required of the vehicle occupant when the seat is used and simultaneously ensuring a precise support of the cervical spine by the headrest which is individually adapted to the vehicle occupant, another adjusting motor for a vertical adjustment of the seat cushion relative to the backrest is provided which is also controlled by the control unit. The sensor scans the contour of the vehicle occupant's cervical spine and a computer integrated in the control unit computes from the scanning signals of the sensor the required height position of the headrest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Martin Steiner
  • Patent number: 6042190
    Abstract: A vehicle seat with a seat cushion, adjustably fixed to the floor of the vehicle, and a backrest, which can be adjusted with respect to the seat cushion, is provided with a restraining device for the seat user. The restraint comprises a three-point safety belt and an additional belt. For optimum protection of the seat user in the resting position and also to prevent so-called submarining, a fixed adjustment of seat cushion and backrest is provided in the resting position in such a manner that the backrest is swiveled about an obtuse angle with respect to the seat cushion, and the seat cushion is shifted into a predetermined front position in the driving direction and inclined towards the rear. The additional belt extends as a transverse shoulder belt from the upper edge of the backrest to a belt buckle disposed near the floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2000
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Willi Mathe, Rolf Mitschelen, Martin Steiner
  • Patent number: 5918943
    Abstract: A vehicle seat is provided having a seat frame and a backrest frame made of a light metal diecast material which are swivellably connected with one another by means of seat fittings. For providing a vehicle seat which, in the manner of a building block system, can be upgraded by means of standardized supplementary parts from a simple seat for the lower price class to an integral seat of the upper price class with clear cost advantages with respect to its manufacturing, the backrest side members are constructed to be open toward the outside and have a surrounding edge profile on which fastening elements for the common fastening of the backrest-frame-side fitting parts of the seat fittings and of modules are arranged which carry operating parts, such as backrest adjusting devices, an armrest, a seat belt, a side bag, etc. In this case, the backrest-side fitting parts and the modules are accommodated in a form-locking manner in the edge profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 1997
    Date of Patent: July 6, 1999
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Werner Hauser, Ralf-Henning Schrom
  • Patent number: 5842738
    Abstract: A headrest for a vehicle seat is provided with a supporting loop and a head cushion mounted thereon and pivotable in a direction of a seat bottom. An adjusting device activated in the event of a collision is provided for displacing the head cushion relative to the supporting loop in such fashion that the head cushion directly abuts the nape of the neck and the back of the seat occupant's head. To improve head support comfort by provision for individual adjustment of the head support contour to the needs of the seat occupant when asleep, the adjusting device is additionally equipped with a manual operating member that permits changing the setting of the head cushion without adversely affecting the protective function of the head cushion in the event of a collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Heinz Knoll, Rolf Mitschelen, Martin Steiner
  • Patent number: 5833314
    Abstract: An integrated child seat for use with a motor vehicle seat has a forward seat area of the movable seat surface part with at least the width of a commercially available impact body. A rearward seat area has a significantly smaller width.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 1997
    Date of Patent: November 10, 1998
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Werner Hauser, Dietmar Zwolfer
  • Patent number: 5752719
    Abstract: An arrangement for the temporary fixing of an object on a vehicle seat which is equipped with a safety belt is provided. For implementing such an arrangement via the simplest devices, a hanging hook is disposed in front of the seat surface of the seat cushion and, on the front side of the seat cushion facing away from the backrest, is arranged below the seat surface. In the area of its lap belt section, the locked safety belt is pulled over the object situated on the seat surface and is hung into the hanging hook via its belt strap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 19, 1998
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Werner Hauser
  • Patent number: 5662367
    Abstract: A removable rear seat for motor vehicles, in particular for Estate cars with a variable-volume loading space, having a rigid seat bench and a seat-bench substructure for fixing the seat height. The substructure is fixed on the floor of the vehicle body via releasable anchorage locations. In order to provide a rear seat which is manageable, easy to remove, and makes optimum use of the resulting free space after the rear seat has been removed, the seat-bench substructure is connected releasably, at its end remote from the anchorage locations, to the seat bench and is retained in its anchorage location. Thus, it can be pivoted out of a use position into a stowage position on or in the floor of the vehicle body and vice versa. At least one manually actuatable locking device locks the seat-bench substructure in its use position and determines the seat height.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 2, 1997
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Ina Rastetter, Walter Schmid, Werner Hauser, Rolf Mitschelen
  • Patent number: 5593208
    Abstract: A vehicle seat has a seat frame and a backrest retained pivotally thereon. Pairs of front and rear legs are articulated on the seat frame and are intended for fastening the seat frame on the vehicle floor. The rear legs are locked releasably on the vehicle floor for the purpose of pivoting the seat cushion upwards and are coupled so as to be forced to move with the pivoting movement of the seat cushion, such that they fold onto the seat frame during the pivoting operation. For the purpose of achieving a cost-effective, rattle-free pivoting mechanism for the rear legs, the front legs are assigned a first belt pulley and the rear legs are assigned a second belt pulley, and the two belt pulleys are connected to one another via a drive belt. Each belt pulley is arranged, on the associated legs, coaxially with respect to the articulation point of the legs on the seat frame and is connected in a rotationally mixed manner to at least one leg.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: January 14, 1997
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Werner Hauser, Thomas Geisel
  • Patent number: 5366196
    Abstract: A device for adjusting vehicle seats, in particular, motor vehicle seats having, link mechanisms which, for the adjustable securement of the seat to the vehicle floor on a cushion-receiving frame of the seat, act near to the front and rear end of the seat frame upon its longitudinal sides. A locking unit engages into at least one link mechanism for locking the seat in a desired seat position. For the purpose of adjusting the seat in the longitudinal direction in a straight line or with superimposed adjustment for height and inclination, and for extreme displacement of the seat for the purpose of facilitating passage to the rear seating positions in the case of two-door vehicles, each of the two front and rear link mechanisms exhibits a link pivotably mounted on the seat frame and two mutually intersecting cross-links. The cross-links are attached by their one end to the link at a distance from its bearing point and are pivotably secured by their other end, at a distance apart, on the vehicle floor side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 1992
    Date of Patent: November 22, 1994
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Rolf Mitschelen, Gunter Siegel