Slow-acting seat

Abstract

A seat for a vehicle comprises a damping device (20) mounted on a backrest (4) of the seat and configured to slow down movement of the backrest (4) from a raised position towards a folded position. The damping device (20) comprises an elongated housing (21) fixed to the frame (6) of the backrest, a slider (23) mounted within the housing (21) for reciprocating sliding movement, a connecting rod (24) connecting the slider (23) to the hinge mechanism (8) of the seat, and a linear damper (26) mounted within the housing (21). The slider (23) is separate from the piston (26b) of the linear damper and is driven against the piston (26b) during movement of the backrest (4) from the raised position towards the folded position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat provided with a tilting mechanism, in particular a remotely controlled tilting mechanism. Background Art

[0002] The rear seat of a vehicle can have a backrest that tilts to increase the loading area in addition to the loading area already provided by the vehicle's trunk. The backrest is hinged to the seat base, and a spring applies a force that biases the backrest towards its folded position. Alternatively, the backrest can have a mass distribution such that it is biased towards the folded position by gravity. A locking mechanism is included to lock the backrest in the upright position. When the locking mechanism is released, the backrest tilts forward towards its folded position due to the elastic force of the spring or the action of gravity.

[0003] In those vehicles provided with a remote control for releasing the locking mechanism, there is a problem that the backrest tilting movement may occur at an excessive speed, generating noise and potentially causing premature wear of the system, and there is a potential risk of damaging the cargo or personnel. Such a problem also relates to those seats not provided with a remote control, although to a lesser extent. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the present invention is to provide a solution that can avoid the above problems without unduly increasing the weight, complexity or cost of the seat.

[0005] In view of this object, according to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle seat comprising a seat base,

[0006] a backrest connected to the seat base by a hinge mechanism, the backrest being tiltable between an upright position and a folded position about a rotation axis and being biased towards the folded position, and

[0007] a damping device mounted on the backrest and configured to slow down the movement of the backrest from the upright position towards the folded position,

[0008] wherein the damping device comprises:

[0009] an elongate housing fixed to the frame of the backrest, the housing having a proximal end closer to the hinge mechanism and a distal end farther from the hinge mechanism,

[0010] at least one slider mounted to slide reciprocally within the housing, the slider being arranged near the distal end of the housing,

[0011] a connecting rod having a distal end connected to the slider and a proximal end eccentrically connected to the hinge mechanism, and

[0012] At least one linear shock absorber, which is installed inside the housing, and the linear shock absorber includes: a base, which is arranged close to the proximal end of the housing and filled with viscous fluid; a piston, which can move through reciprocating sliding motion relative to the base and is damped by the viscous fluid along the direction of the reciprocating sliding motion towards the proximal end of the housing; and an elastic device, which is configured to bias the piston towards the distal end of the housing.

[0013] Wherein, the slider is separated from the piston and is driven against the piston during the movement of the backrest from the raised position towards the folded position.

[0014] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are defined in the dependent claims, which should be understood as an integral part of this specification. Description of the Drawings

[0015] Through the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, the features and advantages of the seat according to the present invention will become obvious. The accompanying drawings are provided only for illustrative purposes and not for restrictive purposes. In the drawings:

[0016] - Figure 1 is a perspective view of the seat according to the present invention;

[0017] - Figure 2 is Figure 1 an enlarged view of the details of;

[0018] - Figure 3 is Figure 2 a further enlarged view of the details of;

[0019] - Figure 4 is Figures 1 - 3 an exploded view of the damping device of the seat; and

[0020] - Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the seat in the folded position. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0021] Referring to Figure 1 , a seat assembly of a vehicle is shown. The seat assembly includes a seat base 2 and a backrest 4, and the backrest can tilt between the Figure 1 shown raised position and the Figure 5 shown folded position. In the shown example, a plurality of different backrests 4 are included, and they can tilt independently of each other. This arrangement is not crucial for the purpose of the present invention. For the purpose of the present invention, the term "seat base" does not necessarily refer to the bottom of the seat; instead, it more generally refers to the support structure to which the backrest is connected. In other words, the backrest can be directly connected to the bottom of the seat (in this case, the bottom coincides with the seat base) or connected to a support structure arranged beside the bottom of the seat (in this case, the bottom and the seat base are different entities).

[0022] When assembled in a vehicle, the backrest 4 in the raised position separates the passenger compartment of the vehicle from the trunk (not shown). In the folded position, the backrest 4 tilts forward to form a loading area in addition to the loading area already provided by the trunk.

[0023] In Figure 1 the figure, the backrest 4 shown as being more to the right is shown in dashed lines to display its relative frame, which is designated by the numeral 6.

[0024] The frame 6 of the backrest is connected to the seat base 2 by a hinge mechanism 8 which, in the example shown, comprises a pair of pivots 8a, 8b respectively mounted between the first lateral side 6a of the frame 6 and the seat base 2 and between the second lateral side 6b of the frame 6 and the seat base 2. The pivots define, together with the respective seat portions, a rotation axis x about which the backrest 4 can tilt between the raised position and the folded position.

[0025] In the figure, only the pivot 8a associated with the first lateral side 6a of the frame 6 is shown, while the pivot 8b associated with the second lateral side 6b of the backrest frame 6 is outlined in Figure 1 the figure. In the example shown, the pivot 8a associated with the first lateral side 6a of the frame 6 is supported by a bracket 9 fixed to the seat base 2. The pivot 8a is received within a tubular seat portion 11 fixed to the seat frame 6 so as to define the rotation axis x of the backrest. A similar arrangement is provided at the pivot 8b associated with the second lateral side 6b of the frame 6. However, the specific configuration of the pivots 8a, 8b is not crucial for the purposes of the present invention and may differ from the above configuration.

[0026] An elastic member 12 (such as a torsion spring) exerts a force biasing the frame 6 of the backrest to move the backrest itself from the raised position to the folded position. In Figure 1 the figure, for purposes of illustration, the elastic member 12 is shown detached from the seat; however, it should be understood that the elastic member is mounted to the hinge of the backrest frame in a known manner. According to an alternative embodiment, the seat may be without an elastic member for biasing the backrest. In this case, the backrest has such a mass distribution that gravity biases the backrest to move the backrest from the raised position towards the folded position.

[0027] A releasable locking mechanism (not shown) is included for holding the backrest 4 in the raised position. Such a locking mechanism is operable to disengage the backrest 4 and thus allow the backrest to tilt under the action of the force exerted by the elastic member 12 (or under the action of gravity). The locking mechanism is of a type known per se, for example a locking mechanism with release effected by a direct actuation member arranged on the seat or a remotely actuated release locking mechanism.

[0028] Also refer to Figures 2 - 4 , a damping device 20 is mounted on the backrest 4 and configured to slow down the movement of the backrest 4 from the raised position towards the folded position.

[0029] The damping device 20 includes an elongated housing 21, which is fixed to the frame 6 of the backrest. In Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the housing 21 is shown transparently to display the components of the damping device 20 located within the housing. The housing 21 has a proximal end 21a closer to the hinge mechanism 8 and a distal end 21b farther from the hinge mechanism 8. An anchoring structure 21c is formed on the outside of the housing 21, whereby the housing 21 is fixed to the frame 6 of the backrest. The distal end 21b of the housing 21 is closed by means of a lid 22.

[0030] A cavity is formed within the housing 21, which is formed by two cylindrical side seats 21d arranged adjacent to each other and an intermediate slot between the side seats 21d. At the end of the distal end 21b of the housing 21, the ends of the side seats 21d and the end of the intermediate slot 21e are closed by the lid 22. At the proximal end 21a of the housing 21, the ends of the side seats 21d are closed by a part of the bottom of the housing 21, while the end of the intermediate slot 21e is open.

[0031] Two sliders 23 are mounted within the housing 21. More precisely, one slider 23 corresponds to each side seat 21d for reciprocating sliding movement within the housing 21. The sliders 23 are arranged close to the distal end 21b of the housing 21.

[0032] In addition, the damping device 20 includes a connecting rod 24, whereby the backrest 4 rotating relative to the seat base 2 can drive the slider 23 moving in a linear motion within the housing 21. For this purpose, a distal end 24a is connected to the slider 23 by means of a pin 24b. Therefore, the connecting rod 24 can rotate relative to the slider 24 arranged on the opposite side of the connecting rod 24. The connecting rod 24 is also mounted within the housing 21. More precisely, it is mounted within the intermediate slot 21e. The connecting rod 24 protrudes outwards from the open end of the intermediate slot 21e at the proximal end 21a of the housing 21. A proximal end 24c is eccentrically connected to the hinge mechanism 8 by means of a crank element integral with the pivot 8a.

[0033] Furthermore, the damping device 20 comprises two linear shock absorbers 26 mounted in the housing 21, more precisely each linear shock absorber 26 being located in a respective side seat 21 d. The two lateral shock absorbers are thus arranged on opposite sides of the connecting rod 24. The linear shock absorbers 26 are of a type known per se, for example as described in publications WO 2011 / 045754 A1, EP 3404285 A1 or WO 2012 / 052934 A1.

[0034] Each of the linear shock absorbers 26 includes a base 26a arranged near the proximal end 21a of the housing 21 (specifically, fixed to the housing 21) and filled with a viscous fluid (e.g., oil) and a piston 26b movable by reciprocating sliding motion relative to the base 26a. The reciprocating sliding motion of the piston 26b is damped by the viscous fluid along the direction of the reciprocating sliding motion toward the proximal end 21a of the housing 21. The end of the piston 26b located outside the housing 21 is provided with a head 26c. An elastic device 26d, such as a compression spring, is inserted between such a head 26c and the housing 21, and the elastic device is configured to bias the piston 26b toward the distal end 21b of the housing 21. The piston 26b (particularly its head 26c) is separated from the slider 23 because the slider 23 is not fixed to the piston 26b or the head 26c of the piston, and therefore, in some cases, the slider 23 and the piston 26b themselves can move therebetween in an independent manner relative to the housing 21.

[0035] When the backrest 4 from Figures 1 - 3 The raised position is towards Figure 5 When the folded position is rotated, the frame 6 rotates relative to the pin 8a, driving the housing 21 of the damping device 20 with it. The connecting rod 24, which is eccentrically connected to the hinge 8 by means of a crank element 25 integral with the pin 8a, is driven so as to move the connecting rod itself relative to the housing 10, driving the slide 23 with it. As a result, the slide 23 moves away from the starting position close to the distal end 21b of the housing 21, so that the slide itself moves towards the proximal end 21a of the housing 21 until it engages with the head 26c of the piston 26. From that point on, the slide 23 is pushed forward, driving with it the corresponding piston 26b, the movement of which is slowed down by the viscous fluid contained in the base 26a of the linear shock absorber 26, until it reaches Figure 5 Position shown.

[0036] Therefore, the damping effect exerted by the linear shock absorber 26 does not intervene immediately, but only when the backrest 4 is Figure 1 The lifting position will be rotated a certain angle before intervention.

[0037] The above damping device has a compact structure with a length of several centimeters and is also capable of operating in the presence of relatively high external loads, such as the load exerted by the backrest of a seat during tilting. The configuration with two linear dampers arranged on opposite sides of the connecting rod is advantageous because, on the one hand, this configuration allows doubling the resistance exerted by a single linear damper, and on the other hand, this configuration has a symmetrical construction, which allows avoiding load distributions where the damping device could get stuck. The present invention is in no way limited to the above configuration, and embodiments with different numbers of linear dampers and associated sliders are also contemplated, such as a configuration with only one linear damper and only one slider.

Claims

1. A seat for a vehicle, the seat comprising a seat base (2), a backrest (4) which is connected to the seat base (2) by a hinge mechanism (8), the backrest being tiltable about a rotational axis (x) between a raised position and a folded position and being biased towards the folded position, and a damping device (20) which is mounted on the backrest (4) and is configured to slow down the movement of the backrest (4) from the raised position towards the folded position, characterized in that the damping device (20) comprises: an elongate housing (21) which is fixed to the frame (6) of the backrest, the housing having a proximal end (21a) closer to the hinge mechanism (8) and a distal end (21b) further away from the hinge mechanism (8), at least one slider (23) which is mounted within the housing (21) for reciprocating sliding movement, the slider being arranged close to the distal end (21b) of the housing (21), a connecting rod (24) having a distal end (24a) connected to the slider (23) and a proximal end (24c) eccentrically connected to the hinge mechanism (8), and at least one linear shock absorber (26) which is mounted within the housing (21), the linear shock absorber comprising: a base (26a) which is arranged close to the proximal end (21a) of the housing (21) and is filled with a viscous fluid; a piston (26b) which is movable by means of a reciprocating sliding movement relative to the base (26a) and is damped by the viscous fluid in the direction of the reciprocating sliding movement towards the proximal end (21a) of the housing (21); and an elastic device (26d) which is configured to bias the piston (26b) towards the distal end (21b) of the housing (21), wherein the slider (23) is separate from the piston (26b) and is driven against the piston (26b) during the movement of the backrest (4) from the raised position towards the folded position.

2. The seat according to claim 1, wherein the damping device (20) comprises two sliders (23) and two respective linear shock absorbers (26) arranged on opposite sides of the connecting rod (24).

3. The seat according to claim 2, wherein the housing (21) comprises two side seats (21d) adapted to receive the two respective linear shock absorbers (26) and an intermediate slot (21e) between the two side seats (21d) and adapted to receive the connecting rod (24), the connecting rod protruding outwards from the open end of the intermediate slot (21e) at the proximal end (21a) of the housing (21).

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