Arm rest return
A seat having a seat bottom; a seat back pivotally connected to the seat bottom, the seat back having a frame; at least one bracket mounted to the frame; at least one actuator housing mounted to the at least one bracket, the at least one actuator having a slot; a drive member rotationally mounted in the at least one actuator housing; an arm rest operatively connected to the drive member; and at least one Bowden cable extending through the slot and connected to drive member such that the at least one Bowden cable rotates the drive member and the arm rest when a tractive force is applied to the Bowden cable.
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This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 60/682,168, filed May 18, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to seats and, more particularly, to automotive seats having moveable arm rests.
2. Related Art
A popular feature in vehicles having cargo space such as sport utility vehicles, station wagons, and the like is fold down rear seats. Folding these seats down increases the cargo space. For that purpose, it is advantageous that the seat backs for the fold down rear seats be as thin as possible in their stowed position.
Fold down seats often have arm rests. The arm rests are pivotable such that a user may manually place the arm rests in a stowed position prior to placing the seat back in the stowed position. If the user fails to place the arm rests in the stowed position, the arm rests may crash into the seat bottom, thereby causing the seat to bind and prevent the seat from folding over.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for automatically placing the arm rests from a deployed position to a stowed position to prevent seat binding. Further, there is a continuing need in the art to make fold down seats more convenient and user-friendly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention is an arm rest return feature for a fold down seat. The invention allows the arm rests to retract automatically from a deployed to a stowed position when a seat back of the fold down seat is moved toward a stowed position.
Each arm rest is driven by a drive member. A tractive force is applied to the drive member such that it rotates. As the drive member rotates, it moves the arm rests from a deployed to a stowed position.
In one embodiment, a Bowden cable is connected to a slider clip of an ergonomic device, such as a side bolster. When the seat back is folded down, a tractive force is applied to the slider clip, which in turn applies a tractive force to the Bowden cable such that it rotates the drive member. In this manner, the arm rests move automatically in correspondence with the ergonomic device.
Thus, in furtherance of the above goals and advantages, the present invention is, briefly, an arm rest return for use in a seat having a seat frame, the arm rest return having a cross bracket mounted to the seat frame; an actuator housing operatively connected to cross bracket, the actuator housing having a slot; a drive member rotationally mounted in the at least one actuator housing; an arm rest operatively connected to the drive member; and a Bowden cable extending through the slot and connected to drive member such that the Bowden cable rotates the drive member and the arm rest when a tractive force is applied to the Bowden cable.
Further, the present invention is, briefly, a seat having a seat bottom; a seat back pivotally connected to the seat bottom, the seat back having a frame; at least one bracket mounted to the frame; at least one actuator housing mounted to the at least one bracket, the at least one actuator having a slot; a drive member rotationally mounted in the at least one actuator housing; an arm rest operatively connected to the drive member; and at least one Bowden cable extending through the slot and connected to drive member such that the at least one Bowden cable rotates the drive member and the arm rest when a tractive force is applied to the Bowden cable.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
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As used herein, the term “Bowden cable” refers to a wire that slides through a sleeve to transmit motion from one end of the cable to the other, sometimes called a traction cable. The sleeve and wire are flexible such that the Bowden cable can transmit forces over a distance along a curved path. The wire is strong enough that it does not stretch appreciably when subjected to a pulling force. The sleeve is relatively non-compressible such that it does not appreciably shorten when subjected to a compression force. The ends of the sleeve are typically anchored in a stationary manner. One end of the wire is attached to an actuator that pulls on the wire and slides the wire through the sleeve, shortening the effective length of the wire at the opposite end. The other end of the wire is attached to a device that is driven by the movement of the wire. The actuator can be manual or motorized. In addition, the actuator can be driven by the movement of another component such as the folding of the seat back relative to the seat base as disclosed herein.
Referring now to
In the embodiment depicted in
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An advantage can be achieved by utilizing a helical gear for the driving portion 56. In some embodiments, it may be desirable to move the arm rests axially along the fastening portion 52 to allow the arm rests 12, 14 to move away from the seat cushion 140 as the arm rests 12, 14 are moved to the stowed position. A cam 90 may be attached to the actuator housing or the arm rest to effect the axial displacement. In the embodiment depicted in
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Referring once again to
In operation, a user decides to move a seat 100 from a deployed to a stowed position. The user either manually or automatically moves the seat back 210 towards the stowed position. As the seat back 210 moves toward the stowed position, a tractive force is applied to the third and fourth Bowden cables 80, 82. The third and fourth Bowden cables 80, 82 act upon the slider clips 130 such that the slider clips 130 slide toward the center of the cross bracket 22. As the slider clips 130 move, the slider clips 130 apply a tractive force to the first and second Bowden cables such that the first and second Bowden cables 38, 40 rotate the first and second drive members 30, 32. The rotation of the first and second drive members 30, 32 move the arm rests 12, 14 from the deployed position to the stowed position.
There is also provided a method of assembling a seat. The method includes the steps of: providing a seat frame; connecting a cross bracket to the seat frame; connecting at least one actuator housing to the cross bracket; rotatably mounting a drive member in the at least one actuator housing; connecting an arm rest to the drive member; and connecting a Bowden cable to the drive member. Optionally, the method may also include the step of connecting an end of the Bowden cable to a slider clip.
As various modifications could be made to the exemplary embodiments, as described above with reference to the corresponding illustrations, without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
Claims
1. An arm rest return for use in a seat having a seat frame, the arm rest return comprising:
- a. a cross bracket mounted to the seat frame;
- b. an actuator housing operatively connected to said cross bracket, said actuator housing having a slot;
- c. a drive member rotationally mounted in said at least one actuator housing;
- d. an arm rest operatively connected to said drive member; and
- e. a Bowden cable extending through said slot and connected to said drive member such that said Bowden cable rotates said drive member and said arm rest when a tractive force is applied to said Bowden cable.
2. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said drive member further comprises a fastening portion and a driving portion.
3. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said driving portion is a helical gear.
4. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said fastening portion is a shoulder bolt to connect said arm rest to said drive member.
5. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said drive member further comprises a driven portion and said Bowden cable is at least partially wrapped about said driven portion.
6. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said cross bracket includes a tab to receive said Bowden cable.
7. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said actuator housing further comprises a cam.
8. The arm rest return according to claim 1, wherein said cross bracket includes at least one slot.
9. The arm rest return according to claim 8, further comprising at least one slider clip in sliding engagement with said at least one slot.
10. A seat comprising:
- a. a seat bottom;
- b. a seat back pivotally connected to said seat bottom, said seat back having a frame;
- c. at least one bracket mounted to said frame;
- d. at least one actuator housing mounted to said at least one bracket, said at least one actuator having a slot;
- e. a drive member rotationally mounted in said at least one actuator housing;
- f. an arm rest operatively connected to said drive member; and
- g. at least one Bowden cable extending through said slot and connected to drive member such that said at least one Bowden cable rotates said drive member and said arm rest when a tractive force is applied to said Bowden cable.
11. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said drive member further comprises a fastening portion and a driving portion.
12. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said driving portion is a helical gear.
13. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said fastening portion is a shoulder bolt to connect said arm rest to said drive member.
14. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said drive member further comprises a driven portion and said Bowden cable is at least partially wrapped about said driven portion.
15. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said cross bracket includes a tab to receive said Bowden cable.
16. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said actuator housing further comprises a cam.
17. The seat according to claim 10, wherein said cross bracket includes at least one slot.
18. The seat according to claim 17, further comprising at least one slider clip in sliding engagement with said at least one slot.
19. A method of assembling a seat comprising the steps of:
- a. providing a seat frame;
- b. connecting a cross bracket to said seat frame;
- c. connecting at least one actuator housing to said cross bracket;
- d. rotatably mounting a drive member in said at least one actuator housing;
- e. connecting an arm rest to said drive member; and
- f. connecting a Bowden cable to said drive member.
20. The method of assembling a seat according to claim 19, further comprising the step of connecting an end of said Bowden cable to a slider clip.
Type: Application
Filed: May 18, 2006
Publication Date: Nov 30, 2006
Applicant: Schukra of North America (Tecumseh)
Inventors: Robert McMillen (Tecumseh), Brenda Heraldo (Windsor), Isa Rosli (Windsor)
Application Number: 11/436,461
International Classification: A47C 17/04 (20060101);