Inertia lock for a center armrest

Abstract

An inertial locking assembly (30) for a vehicle armrest (14), comprising: a stop element (32) arranged on an armrest mounting bracket (26); and a locking pin (38) for engagement with the stop member (32), the locking pin (38) being arranged on an armrest connecting member (28) which is rotatably mounted at one end on the armrest mounting bracket (26) and at an opposite end on a portion of an armrest body (24); wherein the stop member (32) pivots freely to engage the locking pin (38) during a braking operation of the vehicle, wherein the stop member (32) has an arcuate guide slot (46), further comprising a guide pin (48) arranged on the armrest mounting bracket (26) and adapted to slide in the arcuate guide slot (46) to limit a pivotal movement range of the stop member (32).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELDThis disclosure relates generally to seats for motor vehicles and, more particularly, to a locking mechanism for a center armrest of a seat.BACKGROUNDCenter arm rests of seats are well known in the art and are used particularly with bench seats in motor vehicles. As the name already suggests, the center seat armrest provides a convenient space in a center portion of a seat upon which a passenger can place his arm. Moreover, center seat armrests may be provided with a variety of useful and convenient features, such as storage compartments, cup holders, and the like. Typically, a center seat armrest is pivotable such that the armrest can be slid between a stowed position (typically at least partially or fully seated in a recess in the backrest of the vehicle such that a backrest is provided to a passenger) and a deployed substantially horizontal configuration for use by adjacent passengers.For inserting the armrest, it is usually only necessary to grasp the armrest or a handle attached to the armrest and pull it forward. Expediently, the user thus generally does not have to actuate a specially provided locking / unlocking mechanism in order to use the armrest. Instead, a frictional fit is most commonly made between the armrest and a receptacle defined in the backrest to retain the armrest in a stowed configuration. Although this is expedient, it permits unintentional and undesirable use of the armrest. For example, this could be caused by deceleration of the vehicle due to a frontal collision of the vehicle, as a result of which an otherwise non-arrested center armrest is triggered.To solve these and other problems, the present disclosure relates to an inertial lock for a center armrest of a vehicle seat configured to substantially maintain the center armrest in a stowed configuration in the event of a frontal impact with the vehicle. Advantageously, the inertial lock allows the central armrest to be normally deployed by a user without the user having to actuate a locking / unlocking mechanism. However, in the event of a frontal impact on the vehicle, the inertial lock prevents the accidental and undesirable deployment of the armrest by the forward inertial energy of the impact.From U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,384 A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,633 A, in each case such an inertial locking mechanism is known.SUMMARYIn accordance with the purposes and advantages described herein, in one aspect, an inertial locking assembly for a vehicle armrest is provided, the inertial locking assembly including a stop member disposed on a mounting bracket of the armrest. A locking pin for engaging the stop member is provided, the locking pin being arranged on an armrest link pivotally mounted at one end to the armrest mounting bracket and at an opposite end to an armrest frame. In the event of sudden braking of the vehicle, for example in the event of an acute braking process or a frontal impact on the vehicle, the stop element can pivot freely. The stop member has an arcuate guide slot. A guide pin disposed on the armrest mounting bracket engages the arcuate guide slot and thus limits a pivotal range of the stop member.The inertial locking assembly may also include a stop disposed on the armrest link. The stop is configured to bias an end of the arcuate guide slot against the guide pin when the armrest mounting bracket and armrest link are in a stowed configuration or a fully deployed configuration. In one embodiment, the stop is a rod attached to the armrest link and includes a pair of biasing members disposed at one end thereof. In an alternative embodiment, the stop is provided by a pair of biasing members disposed at an end of the armrest link.In another aspect, an armrest assembly for a vehicle is provided that includes the inertia lock assembly described above. In another aspect, a seat assembly for a vehicle is provided that includes the armrest assembly and the inertial lock assembly.In the following description, embodiments of the disclosed inertial lock for a vehicle seat center armrest are shown and described. It is to be understood that the inertial lock may include other different embodiments and its several details may be modified in various obvious aspects without departing from the apparatus recited and described in the following claims. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSThe accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the disclosed inertial lock for a vehicle seat center armrest and together with the description serve to explain certain principles thereof. In the drawings, there are shown: FIG. 1 shows a section of a vehicle seat bench with a central armrest; FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a center stored armrest with an inertial lock in accordance with the present disclosure; FIG. 3A is an isolated side view of the inertial lock of FIG. 2 ; FIG. 3B is the isolated side view of the inertial lock of FIG. 3A with the lock pin head removed for clarity; FIG. 4A is an isolated view of an inertial latch according to the present disclosure, the latch maintaining a center armrest (not shown) in a stowed configuration; FIG. 4B illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 4A beginning to be deployed during normal operation; FIG. 4C illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 4A being deployed further with the hook bypassing the locking pin; FIG. 4D illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 4A fully deployed during normal operation; FIG. 5 illustrates an inertial lock according to the present disclosure showing the locking of the center armrest during rapid acceleration, for example, after a frontal impact on the vehicle; FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the inertial lock of the disclosure; FIG. 7A illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 6 beginning to be deployed during normal operation; FIG. 7B illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 6 fully deployed during normal operation; FIG. 8A illustrates the inertial lock of FIG. 6 showing the locking of the center armrest during rapid acceleration, such as after a frontal impact on the vehicle; and FIG. 8B is the view of FIG. 8A with the lock pin head removed for clarity.Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed inertia lock for a motor vehicle center armrest, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONFIG. 1 shows an exemplary seat assembly 10 for a vehicle, the illustrated embodiment being a partial view of a second row bench type vehicle seat 12 having a pivotable 60% seat center armrest 14. The seat 12, as is well known in the art, is defined by a frame (not seen in this view) that includes a seat bottom 16 having seating areas for a plurality of passengers, a seat back 18, passenger comfort pads, a cover, and fixed or releasable head restraints 20. As seen, in an upright stowed configuration, the armrest 14 is located within a cavity 22 defined in the seatback 18. For convenience, only left and center seating surfaces of the seat 12 are shown, but as is known, a right seating surface will also be included in the conventional bench-type vehicle seat 10. It is also to be understood that this embodiment is shown for illustrative purposes only and that the various constructions and embodiments described below may equally be adapted to alternative vehicle seating types.FIG. 2 shows an isolated view of a pivotable center armrest 14 in accordance with the present disclosure, including an armrest body 24 configured to pivot relative to the seatback 18 (not shown in this view) to be slid between an upright stowed configuration to a fully deployed configuration for use as an armrest. A fixing bracket 26 fixes the armrest body 24 to the seat frame or a frame member of the vehicle body (not shown in this view). At least one connecting member 28 is received and rotatably mounted at a first end on the mounting bracket 26 and at a second end on a portion of the armrest body 24. In the embodiment shown, a lower link 28 and an upper link 28' are provided. The links 28, 28' may be rotatably supported on a frame member defining the armrest 14, brackets attached to the sides of the armrest body 24, or otherwise, in embodiments. There is at least one inertia lock assembly 30, the construction and purpose of which will be described in more detail below. It should be appreciated that in embodiments, a single inertial locking assembly 30 may be provided. In alternative embodiments, a pair of inertial locking assemblies 30 may be provided disposed at opposing corners of the armrest body 24.An inertial locking assembly 30 according to the present disclosure is shown isolated in FIG. 3A, and in the embodiment shown is attached to an armrest body 24 that is maintained in an upright stowed configuration. The inertial locking assembly 30 includes a pivotable stop member 32 disposed on the mounting bracket 26 for free pivoting about an axis 34. In the embodiment shown, the stop member 32 defines a pivotable hook structure configured at one end 36 for engagement with a locking pin 38. There is a stop 40 fixed to the lower link 28 in the embodiment shown and having a pair of biasing members 42, 42' configured to contact an end 44 of the stop member 32. The stop member 32 also has an arcuate guide slot 46 defined in a portion thereof. A guide pin 48 extending from or attached to the mounting bracket 26 is configured to be guided by the guide slot 46. In combination, the guide slot 46 and the guide pin 48 define a pivotal range of the stop member 32.FIG. 3B shows the inertial locking assembly 30 of FIG. 3A with the head of the locking pin 38 removed for clarity. In the embodiment shown, the stop 40 is secured to the lower link 28, with the stop 40 pivoting simultaneously as the link 28 pivots. As can be seen, the biasing member 42' contacts the end 44 of the stop member 32 and biases the stop member 32 forward, pressing one end of the guide slot 46 against the guide pin 48. Similarly, when the armrest body 24 is pivoted to the fully deployed configuration, the link 28 and thus the stop 40 also pivot, causing the biasing member 42 to contact the end 44 of the stop member 32 and bias the stop member 32, causing an opposing guide slot 46 to be pressed against the guide pin 48. It will be appreciated that this construction prevents rattle of the stop member 32 despite its configuration for free pivoting about the axis 34.Referring now to FIGS. 4A-4D, operation of the inertial locking assembly 30 during normal use of an armrest (not shown), i.e., when a passenger pivots the armrest from an upright and stowed configuration (FIG. 4A ) to a fully deployed configuration (FIG. 4D ), will now be shown and described. As described above, in the upright and stowed configuration of FIG. 4A, the biasing member 42' of the stop 40 contacts the end 44 of the stop member 32, biasing the stop member 32 forward and urging the guide pin 48 against an end of the guide slot 46. The inertial locking assembly 30 is configured such that during normal use of the armrest, for example by a passenger, as the mounting bracket 26 and the lower link 28 pivot relative to each other, the stop member 32 does not contact the locking pin 38 (see FIGS. 4B and 4C ) such that translation of the armrest to the fully deployed configuration (FIG. 4D ) is permitted without the need for any particular unlocking mechanism. That is, gravity (see arrows) maintains the orientation of the stop member 32 so that the locking pin 38 can disengage from the stop member 32.As the bracket 26 and the lower link 28 pivot, the guide pin 48 moves through the guide slot 46. Simultaneously with the pivoting movement of the lower link 28, the stop 40 pivots, whereby the biasing member 42 contacts the end 44 of the stop member 32 and presses an opposite end of the guide slot 46 against the guide pin 48. As described above, this prevents free movement of the stop member 32 when the armrest is in the fully upright stowed configuration or the fully deployed configuration, thereby eliminating annoying rattle of the stop member 32 and other noise.On the other hand, as seen in FIG. 5, in the case of sudden deceleration of the vehicle, for example, emergency braking, front collision of the vehicle, or the like, due to the configuration of the stopper member 32 that can freely swing about the axis 34, the effect of gravity on the stopper member 32 is temporarily counteracted, and the stopper member 32 is pushed forward by the braking force (see arrow) to obtain the engagement of the lock pin 38. This mechanism prevents deployment of the armrest during sudden vehicle braking (in one non-limiting example, deceleration above 1 G (9.81 m / s 2)).An alternative embodiment of the inertial locking assembly 30 is shown in Figure 6. As can be seen, the upper link 28' and the lower link 28 are rotatably supported at a first end on a mounting bracket 26 and at a second end on an armrest frame 50. Instead of a separate stop 40 as described above, the biasing members 52, 52' are disposed on one end of the lower link 28. The operation of this alternative embodiment is substantially as described above. In normal use of the armrest (FIGS. 7A, 7B ), gravity (see arrow) allows the stop member 32 to pivot away from the locking pin 38, thereby preventing engagement of the stop member 32 with the locking pin 38. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, in the event of sudden deceleration of the vehicle, the freely pivoting stopper 32 is forced to pivot in a clockwise rotation, thereby maintaining the engagement of the stopper 32 and the lock pin 38.The advantages of the inertial locking assembly 30 disclosed herein are apparent. A relatively uncomplicated and robust locking mechanism is prevented to prevent inadvertent deployment of a center seat armrest during a braking operation of the vehicle. The inertial locking assembly 30 allows the armrest to be normally used by a passenger without the need for any particular unlocking mechanism. In view of the above teachings, obvious modifications and variations are possible. These modifications and variations are all within the scope of the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are legally, legally and equitably entitled.

Claims

An inertial locking assembly (30) for a vehicle armrest (14) comprising: a stop member (32) disposed on an armrest mounting bracket (26); and a locking pin (38) for engaging the stop member (32), the locking pin (38) disposed on an armrest link (28) rotatably supported at one end on the armrest mounting bracket (26) and at an opposite end on a portion of an armrest body (24); wherein the stop member (32) freely pivots to engage the locking pin (38) during a braking operation of the vehicle, wherein the stop member (32) has an arcuate guide slot (46), further comprising a guide pin (48) disposed on the armrest mounting bracket (26) and configured to slide in the arcuate guide slot (46) to limit a range of pivotal movement of the stop member (32).The inertial locking assembly (30) of claim 1, further comprising a stop (40) disposed on the armrest link (28) and configured to bias an end of the arcuate guide slot (46) against the guide pin (48) when the armrest mounting bracket (26) and the armrest link (28) are in a stowed configuration or a fully deployed configuration.The inertial locking assembly (30) of claim 2, wherein the stop (40) comprises a rod attached to the armrest link (28) and having a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at an end thereof.The inertial locking assembly (30) of claim 2, wherein the stop (40) comprises a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at an end of the armrest link (28).An armrest assembly for a vehicle comprising: an armrest (14) having at least one body (24), a mounting bracket (26) for pivotally mounting the body (24) to the seat assembly (10), and at least one link (28) pivotally mounted at one end to the mounting bracket (26) and at an opposite end to the body (24); and at least one inertial locking assembly (30) having a stop member (32) disposed on the mounting bracket (26) and a locking pin (38) for engaging the stop member (32), the locking pin (38) disposed on the at least one link (28); wherein the stop member (32) pivots freely to engage the locking pin (38) during a braking operation of the vehicle, the stop member (32) having an arcuate guide slot (46), further comprising a guide pin (48) disposed on the mounting bracket (26) and configured to slide in the arcuate guide slot (46) to limit a range of pivotal movement of the stop member (32).The armrest assembly of claim 5, further comprising a stop (40) disposed on the at least one link (28) and configured to bias an end of the arcuate guide slot (46) against the guide pin (48) when the mounting bracket (26) and the at least one link (28) are in a stowed configuration or a fully deployed configuration.The armrest assembly of claim 6, wherein the stop (40) comprises a rod attached to the link (28) and having a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at one end thereof.The armrest assembly of claim 6, wherein the stop (40) comprises a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at an end of the link (28).A vehicle comprising the armrest assembly of claim 5.A seat assembly (10) for a vehicle, comprising: a seat (12) having a seat frame, a seat bottom (16), and a backrest (18) defining a recess for receiving a pivotable armrest (14) in a stowed configuration; an armrest (14) having at least one body (24), a mounting bracket (26) for pivotally mounting the body (24) to the seat frame, and at least one link (28) pivotally mounted at one end to the mounting bracket (26) and at an opposite end to the body (24); and at least one inertial locking arrangement (30) for preventing vehicle-initiated deployment of the armrest (14), the inertial locking arrangement (30) having a stop element (32) disposed on the mounting bracket (26) and having a locking pin (38) for engaging the stop element (32) disposed on the at least one link (28); wherein the stop element (32) pivots freely to engage the locking pin (38) during a braking operation of the vehicle, the stop element (32) having an arcuate guide slot (46), further comprising a guide pin (48) disposed on the mounting bracket (26) and configured to slide in the arcuate guide slot (46) to limit a range of pivoting movement of the stop element (32).The seat assembly (10) of claim 10, further comprising a stop (40) disposed on the at least one link (28) and configured to bias an end of the arcuate guide slot (46) against the guide pin (48) when the mounting bracket (26) and the at least one link (28) are in a stowed configuration or a fully deployed configuration.The seat assembly (10) of claim 11, wherein the stop (40) comprises a rod attached to the at least one link (28) and having a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at an end thereof.The seat assembly (10) of claim 11, wherein the stop (40) comprises a pair of biasing members (42, 42') disposed at an end of the at least one link (28).A vehicle comprising the seat assembly (10) of claim 10.

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