WO2009116847A1

WO2009116847A1 - Swivel mechanism for vehicle seat

Info

Publication number: WO2009116847A1
Application number: PCT/MY2008/000018
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chin Hian Tan
Original assignee: Automotive Design Services Sdn. Bhd.
Priority date: 2008-03-18
Filing date: 2008-03-18
Publication date: 2009-09-24

Abstract

A swivel mechanism (16) for a vehicle seat having a seat frame assembly 5 (12), pedestal (14) and locking member (24) characterized in that the swivel mechanism (16) includes a base structure (18) having cam slots (20) defining curvilinear path of predetermined rotational movement for vehicle seat; at least one pair of pedestals (14) having cam rollers (22a, 22b) in communication with the cam slots (20), said pedestal (14) is secured to the vehicle seat to enable vehicle seat to 0 rotate along the curvilinear path; and a predefined locking recess (28) configured on base structure (18) to lock the vehicle seat in position adjacent to the curvilinear path of the cam slots (20); wherein the at least one pair of pedestals (14) further include at least one locking member (24) having locking pawl (30) in communication with the locking reces (28).

Description

SWIVEL MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE SEAT

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a swivel mechanism and more particularly to an eccentric swivel mechanism for vehicle seat.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Motor vehicles such as vans or minibuses are usually equipped with swivel seat which enables rotational movement within interior space of the vehicle for a purpose of convenient entrance to or egression from the vehicle. The seat may be rotated to desirable position to allow access to rear vehicle seat in a vehicle having limited door opening.

Mechanisms of the swivel seat typically allow user to rotate about its central axis. Oftentimes, however, the conventional vehicle seat rotating about a fixed central axis requires excessive clearance between vehicle seat and the vehicle wall in order to permit free rotating movement, necessitating the mounting of the swivel mechanism further away from vehicle sidewall obstacle than if the seat did not rotate. The movement of the seat mount away from the vehicle sidewall may result in improper alignment with those non rotatable seat rows layout in the vehicle. Moreover, it may also result in waste in space especially for those vehicles with limited dimension. Further, central axis type mechanisms require centrally located base support to allow adequate rotation clearance, thus resulting in significantly less operating space for vehicle occupants.

Some prior art disclosed the use of eccentric swivel mechanisms that employed a bench type vehicle seat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3, 933, 331 and U.S. Pat. No. 3, 973, 799 disclose a seat adjuster mechanism of bench type vehicle seat. However, the seat requires excessive clearance to permit rotation and relatively complex in construction. It is a principle object of the present invention, therefore to provide an eccentric swivel mechanism for vehicle seat which is simple in construction and operation, reliable and safe, and it allows selective positioning of the seat for optimum and convenient use in the vehicle. Accordingly, the eccentric swivel mechanism does not require excessive clearance for rotational movement, and yet no interior space of vehicle is wasted.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a swivel mechanism for use in vehicle seat. The swivel mechanism for a vehicle seat having a seat frame assembly, pedestal and locking member characterized in that the swivel mechanism includes a base structure, at least one pair of pedestals, a suitably predefined locking recess and locking members.

The base structure of the swivel mechanism includes cam slots defining curvilinear path of predetermined rotational movement for vehicle seat. Preferably, said base structure is secured to vehicle floor or optionally mounted to a seat adjustment mechanism for movement along horizontal axes.

The at least one pair of pedestals is having cam rollers in communication with the cam slots, said pedestal is secured to the vehicle seat to enable vehicle seat to rotate along the curvilinear path of the cam slots. The at least one pair of pedestals is rigidly connected by connecting members to form a firm structure for supporting the vehicle seat. The cam rollers disposed at bottom ends of the pedestals are optionally formed by a mechanical means to provide slidable movement in communication with the clam slots. Said pedestals further include at least one locking member having locking pawl in communication with the locking recess.

The predefined locking recess is configured on the base structure to lock the vehicle seat in position adjacent to the curvilinear path of the cam slots. The at least one locking member of the swivel mechanism further include a lever pivotably mounted with the locking pawl. Preferably, said locking pawl is springably biased toward the locking recess and releasably rested into locking engagement with the locking recess.

It will be appreciated that the cam slots of the preferred embodiment provide desirable turning motion of, but not limited to the motion from front facing position to side facing position. Any other desirable rotational motions such as two sides turning, rear side turning may also be formed depending on demand or application used.

The swivel mechanism of the present invention can be used in a single or bench-type vehicle seat for vans or minibuses. It may also be used in various types of seat for moving vehicles such as trains, cars, buses, trucks, trailers, tractors, etc

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The drawings constitute part of this specification and include an exemplary or preferred embodiment of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. It should be understood, however, the disclosed preferred embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention. Therefore, the figures (not to scale) disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as the basis for the claim and for teaching one skilled in the art of the invention.

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat structure having seat frame assembly, pedestal and swivel mechanism constructed in accordance with one mode of the present invention, the vehicle seat structure being shown in a front facing position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle seat structure of FIG. 1, illustrating the seat frame assembly and pedestal being rotated to a side facing position;

FIG. 3a is a perspective view of the swivel mechanism without seat frame assembly, illustrating the pedestal in a front facing position; FIG. 3b is a perspective view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 3a, illustrating first rotational step of the pedestal at 45° from front facing position; FIG. 3c is a perspective view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 3a, illustrating second rotational step of the pedestal into side facing position; FIG. 4a is an enlarged front view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 3a; FIG. 4b illustrating a top view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 4a; FIG. 5a is an enlarged front view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 3b; FIG. 5b illustrating a top view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 5a; FIG. 6a is an enlarged front view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 3c; FIG. 6b illustrating a top view of the swivel mechanism of FIG. 6a; and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the swivel mechanism taken along line A - A of FIG. 6b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A detailed description of preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed herein. It should be understood, however, the disclosed preferred embodiment is merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, the details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as the basis for the claim and for teaching one skilled in the art of the invention.

The present invention relates to a swivel mechanism for use in vehicle seat.

The vehicle seat with swivel mechanism described below can be of a single or bench- type vehicle seat for use in, but not limited to vans or minibuses. The vehicle seat with swivel mechanism may also be used in various types of moving vehicles such as trains, cars, buses, trucks, trailers, tractors, etc. The preferred embodiment of the present invention illustrated herein is a bench-type vehicle seat with the swivel mechanism for use in vans.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a bench-type vehicle seat structure (10) generally includes a seat frame assembly (12), pedestal (14) and swivel mechanism (16) constructed in accordance with one mode of the present invention. The bench-type vehicle seat structure (10) being shown is in a front facing position. In FIG. 1, the seat frame assembly (12), pedestal (14) and the swivel mechanism (16) are generally supported on a base structure (18). The base structure (18) is suitably secured to vehicle floor or may be securely mounted on conventional seat adjuster mechanism (not shown) which provides horizontal axes movement to the seat. The pedestal (14) is slidably mounted to the base structure (18) of the swivel mechanism (16) and adapted to support the seat firmly. The swivel mechanism (16) allows the seat to be rotated from front facing position to a side facing position. FIG. 2 shows the seat frame assembly (12) and pedestal (14) are being rotated to a side facing position.

It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the seat can be configured with various forms and sizes of possible turning positions. The base structure (18) of the swivel mechanism (16) is mounted to vehicle floor such that the seat is supported to proximate a vehicle sidewall and within its turning dimension.

The swivel mechanism (16) of the present invention provides rotational movement of the seat without requiring excessive clearance, thus triming down unnecessary waste in interior space of the vehicle.

Referring now to FIGS. 3a to 3c, the swivel mechanism (16) includes a base structure (18) to which pedestal (14) is slidably mounted thereon. The seat frame assembly (12) has been omitted for the purposes of clarity. The base structure (18) is generally formed of rigid metal plate having predetermined cam slots (20). The cam slots (20) are generally curvilinear in shape. The cam slots (20) define a specific predetermined rotational movement of the seat. Preferably, the cam slots (20) are configured symmetrically, at predetermined angle of 45°, about a center axis of the base structure (18). It will be appreciated that the cam slots (20) of the preferred embodiment provide desirable turning motion of, but not limited to the motion from front facing position to side facing position. Any other desirable rotational motions such as two sides turning, rear side turning may also be formed depending on demand or application used.

The cam slots (20) provide a track way or curvilinear path to cam rollers disposed at each suitably bottom ends of the pedestal (14). Particularly, front cam roller (22a) is in communication with first cam slot (20a), and rear cam roller (22b) is in communication with second cam slot (20b) as shown in FIGS. 4b, 5b, 6b and

7. It will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that the front and rear cam rollers (22a, 22b) may be formed by any suitable mechanical means, including for instance, a slot pin, a bolt, a screw, a rivet, or any other suitable fastener that provides slidable movement in communication with the cam slots (20).

The pedestal (14) is provided with at least one locking member (24) disposed thereto. Preferably, a pair of pedestals (14) is rigidly connected by connecting members (26) to form a firm structure for supporting seat frame assembly (12). The connecting member (26) may include plurality of connecting bars to form a rigid structure so that the pair of pedestals (14) is securely mounted. Said pair of the pedestals (14) is adapted to be slidably mounted to the cam slots (20) through the front and rear cam rollers (22a, 22b).

The at least one locking member (24) is preferably disposed at the pair of pedestals (14) to lock and unlock the seat in various positions. For instance, in the illustrated embodiment, the base structure (18) is provided with locking recesses (28) corresponding to a locking pawl (30) of the at least one locking member (24). Accordingly, the locking recesses (28) are adapted to receive the locking pawl (30) that pivotably mounted to a lever bracket (32) and releasably would rest into locking engagement with the locking recesses (28). Said locking recesses (28) are pivotably mounted about a lever (34) and springably biased with a spring (36). The locking recesses (28) and the locking pawl (30) of the preferred embodiment are arranged in such that way the seat can be locked at the front facing position and side facing position. It will be appreciated that, however, location of the locking recesses (28) may be configured in any suitable location to lock the seat in any variety of desired positions adjacent to the curvilinear path of the cam slots (20).

In operation, when the lever (34) is activated, the lever (34) rotates the locking pawl (30) about the said lever (34) axis. A connecting wire (38) is provided between the locking members (24) to activate another locking pawl (30) simultaneously. Thus the locking pawls (30) are unlocked from engagement with the locking recesses (28) to allow the front and rear cam rollers (22a, 22b) to move relative to the track way of the first and second cam slots (20a, 20b) respectively. When lever (34) is released, the locking pawls (30) are biased toward the locking position and engaged with the locking recesses (28) when the locking pawls (30) rotated to the predetermined locking position.

Accordingly, when the lever (34) is activated, the locking pawls (30) are unlocked from engagement with the locking recesses (28). The user may rotate the seat from front facing position to side facing position with two simple rotational steps. In particular, when the seat begins to turn by weight of the user, one side of the front and rear cam rollers (22a, 22b) follows the curvilinear path of the first and second cam slots (20a, 20b) to a first turning point X and X' respectively as shown in FIG. 4b. The user may further rotate the seat so that the front cam roller (22a) further moves along the curvilinear path of first cam slot (20a) to a second turning point Y (FIG. 5b). The rear cam roller (22b) remains at point X' when the front cam roller (22a) further moves to second turning point Y (FIG. 6b). Other symmetrical side of the front and rear cam rollers (22a, 22b) will not be described herein as its path movement is of reverse motion of the above described.

The swivel mechanism (16) of the present invention provides eccentric swivel moments for vehicle seat which is simple in construction and operation, reliable and safe, and it allows selective positioning of the seat for optimum and convenient use in the vehicle. Accordingly, the swivel mechanism does not require excessive clearance for rotational movement, and yet no interior space of vehicle is wasted.

From the invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the principle and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of following claims.

Claims

1. A swivel mechanism (16) for a vehicle seat having a seat frame assembly (12), pedestal (14) and locking member (24) characterized in that the swivel mechanism (16) includes: a) a base structure (18) having cam slots (20) defining curvilinear path of predetermined rotational movement for vehicle seat;

b) at least one pair of pedestals (14) having cam rollers (22a, 22b) in communication with the cam slots (20), said pedestal (14) is secured to the vehicle seat to enable vehicle seat to rotate along the curvilinear path;

c) a predefined locking recess (28) configured on base structure (18) to lock the vehicle seat in position adjacent to the curvilinear path of the cam slots (20).

2. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the base structure (18) is secured to vehicle floor or optionally mounted to a seat adjustment mechanism for movement along horizontal axes.

3. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of pedestals (14) is rigidly connected by connecting members (26) to form a firm structure for supporting the vehicle seat.

4. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one pair of pedestals (14) further includes at least one locking member (24) having locking pawl

(30) in communication with the locking recess (28).

5. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the cam rollers (22a, 22b) are optionally formed by a mechanical means to provide slidable movement in communication with the clam slots (20).

6. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one locking member (24) further include a lever (34) pivotably mounted with the locking pawl (30).

7. A swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 4, wherein the locking pawl (30) is springably biased toward the locking recess (28).

8. A vehicle seat having swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claims 1 to 7, wherein the vehicle seat is a single or bench-type seat.

9. A vehicle seat having swivel mechanism (16) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the vehicle seat is used in various types of moving vehicles.