Suspension system for a vehicle seat

Abstract

The invention relates to a suspension system (10) for a vehicle seat cushion (100), the suspension system (10) comprising: - a plastic film (20) having a front end (24) and a rear end (25); and - an attachment structure (30) comprising a front attachment element (40) and a rear attachment element (50), in which the front attachment element (40) is overmolded into the front end (24) of the plastic film (20) and the rear attachment element (50) is overmolded into the rear end (25) of the plastic film (20), in which the attachment structure (30) is monobloc, such that the front attachment element (40) and the rear attachment element (50) are made of material with at least one intermediate structural element (60) spaced apart from the plastic film (20). Figure for the abbreviation: Figure 2

Description

Title of the invention: Suspension system for a vehicle seat technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a suspension mat for a vehicle seat cushion. Technological background

[0002] A vehicle seat generally includes a seat and a backrest, as well as a suspension mat placed in the seat and used to soften the seat when a person is sitting on said seat.

[0003] Document WO 2021 / 130459 A1 relates to a suspension system for a vehicle seat cushion comprising a front attachment element and a rear attachment element. The front attachment element is attached to an anti-submarining bar located at the front of the seat cushion by means of hooks inserted into holes in the anti-submarining bar. The rear attachment element is attached to a cylindrical bar that has a rear crossmember. Summary of the invention

[0004] A suspension mat according to the invention is easy to mount in a vehicle seat base.

[0005] The invention relates to a suspension system for a vehicle seat cushion.

[0006] According to the invention, the suspension system comprises: - a plastic film having a front end and a rear end; and - a hanging structure comprising a front hanging element and a rear hanging element. The front attachment element is overmolded into the front end of the plastic film, and the rear attachment element is overmolded into the rear end of the plastic film. The attachment structure is a single piece, meaning that both the front and rear attachment elements are made from a single material with at least one intermediate structural element spaced apart from the plastic film. The fact that the attachment structure is a single piece facilitates the installation of the suspension system in the vehicle seat, as the front and rear attachment elements are part of a single unit that can be handled as a whole and do not need to be attached sequentially. The attachment structure is advantageously produced by molding, particularly from a polymer.Furthermore, the plastic film is permanently fixed within the suspension system since the front and rear attachment elements are overmolded into the front and rear ends of the plastic film. Thus, adjusting the comfort of the vehicle seat is easy, simply by changing the thickness and / or width of the plastic film, without altering the attachment structure. Furthermore, the plastic film is not attached to the seat frame, as this attachment is achieved by the front and rear attachment elements, which are molded into the front and rear edges of the plastic film. This tends to eliminate, or at least significantly reduce, noise caused by the plastic film sliding against the seat frame.

[0007] According to one possible feature of the invention, the front attachment element comprises a plate and at least one hook, said at least one hook having a first end extending along the plate and by which it is secured to said plate, and a second free end parallel to the first end, and said at least one hook partially defining an oblong internal channel, a larger dimension of the oblong internal channel, in cross-section orthogonal to the first end and the second free end, being along an axis forming a non-zero angle with a plane in which the plate extends. The at least one hook is engaged on a cylindrical bar of a front crossmember by inserting this cylindrical bar into the oblong internal channel. The non-zero angle with the plane of the plate allows the attachment structure to pivot around this cylindrical bar as a support point.This further facilitates the assembly of the suspension system. The angle is advantageously less than or equal to 20°, preferably less than or equal to 10°. Advantageously, at least one hook is curved over more than 180° from the first end to the second free end, enabling the hook to grip the cylindrical bar so as to allow the hanging structure to tilt. Advantageously, the front hanging element comprises a plurality of hooks, for example, two hooks, distributed along the plate. These hooks are designed to be snapped onto a cylindrical bar of a front cross member, further facilitating the assembly of the suspension system.

[0008] According to one possible feature of the invention, the front attachment element includes an anti-submarine bump between the front end of the plastic film and the plate, the anti-submarine bump projecting opposite the second free end of the hook relative to the plate. The anti-submarine bump is intended to be covered by padding that is applied after the suspension system has been installed in the vehicle seat cushion. By providing that the anti-submarine bump is part of the attachment structure, it is not necessary to position the suspension system relative to an anti-submarine bar that forms part of the vehicle seat cushion frame.

[0009] According to one possible feature of the invention, the rear attachment element comprises a rib and at least one clip projecting from the rib. The at least A clip is designed to be clipped onto a cylindrical bar of a rear crossmember, further simplifying the assembly of the suspension system. Advantageously, the rear attachment element includes a plurality of clips, for example, two clips, distributed along the rib.

[0010] According to one possible feature of the invention, the attachment structure comprises two intermediate structural elements arranged on either side of the plastic film, and each of the two intermediate structural elements comprises a profile partially defining an internal channel facing a plane in which the plastic film extends. These profiles are threaded onto seat flanges, which further facilitates the assembly of the suspension system.

[0011] The invention also relates to a vehicle seat comprising a frame and a suspension web according to the invention, in which said attachment structure is attached to the frame so that the suspension web is fixed to the frame.

[0012] According to a possible feature of the invention, the frame comprises a front cross member, the front cross member having a first cylindrical bar, the suspension web has at least one hook mentioned above, and said at least one hook is snapped onto the first cylindrical bar.

[0013] According to a possible feature of the invention, the frame further comprises a rear cross member, the rear cross member having a second cylindrical bar parallel to the first cylindrical bar, the suspension web has the at least one clip mentioned above, and said at least one clip is clipped onto the second cylindrical bar.

[0014] According to a possible feature of the invention, the frame further comprises two parallel seat flanges fixed to the front cross member and the rear cross member, the suspension web comprises the two profiles mentioned above, and each of said profiles is threaded onto said seat flange.

[0015] The invention also relates to a method of mounting a suspension mat comprising at least one hook and at least one clip mentioned above, in a vehicle seat base comprising the front cross member and the rear cross member mentioned above.

[0016] According to the invention, the assembly method comprises the following steps: - a step of snapping said at least one hook onto the first cylindrical bar, - a tilting step of the attachment structure around the first cylindrical bar serving as a support point, this tilting step leading to clipping said at least one clip onto the second cylindrical bar.

[0017] According to another possible feature of the invention, the suspension system comprises the two profiles mentioned above, the vehicle seat base comprises the two seat flanges mentioned above, and the snap-on step comprises threading each of said profiles onto said seat flange. Brief description of the figures

[0018] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting examples, will clearly explain what the invention consists of and how it can be implemented. In the accompanying figures:

[0019] [Fig-1] represents a partial perspective view of a seat frame vehicle,

[0020] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of a suspension mat according to the invention,

[0021] [Fig.3] shows a perspective view of a suspension mat according to the invention being attached to a frame of a vehicle seat,

[0022] [Fig.4] shows a side view of a front attachment element of a suspension mat according to the invention,

[0023] [Fig.5] shows a perspective view of a suspension system according to the invention being attached to the frame of a vehicle seat,

[0024] [Fig.6] shows a cross-sectional view of a suspension system according to the invention attached to the frame of a vehicle seat,

[0025] [Fig. 7] shows a perspective view of a suspension mat according to the invention attached to a frame of a vehicle seat. Description of embodiment(s)

[0026] In the figures, and unless otherwise specified, identical elements shall bear the same reference symbols.

[0027] With reference to [Fig.1], a frame 200 of a vehicle seat comprises a seat frame 180 and a backrest frame 190, here mounted pivotally relative to the seat frame 180.

[0028] The seat frame 180 is intended to be fixed to the vehicle, for example via rails as shown in [Fig. 1] and [Fig. 7]. The seat frame 180 comprises a front cross member having a first cylindrical bar 184, and a rear cross member having a second cylindrical bar 185. The cylindrical bars 184 and 185 are parallel to each other, and may in particular be parallel to a transverse axis of the vehicle. The seat frame 180 further comprises two seat flanges 186 fixed to the front and rear cross members. The seat flanges 186 are parallel to each other and orthogonal to the cylindrical bars 184 and 185. The seat flanges 186 can in particular be parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

[0029] With reference to [Fig.2], a suspension mat 10 according to the invention comprises a rectangular-shaped suspension plastic film 20 and a hanging structure 30. The plastic film 20 can, for example, be made of polyester, such as PBT (Polybutylene terephthalate).

[0030] The attachment structure 30 comprises a front attachment element 40 and a rear attachment element 50. The front attachment element 40 is overmolded into a front end 24 of the plastic film 20. The rear attachment element 50 is overmolded into a rear end 25 of the plastic film 20.

[0031] The attachment structure 30 is monobloc, that is to say, the front attachment element 40, the rear attachment element 50, and the other parts of the attachment structure 30 described below constitute a single piece. Thus, the front attachment element 40 and the rear attachment element 50 are made from, or formed as a single piece with, at least one intermediate structural element 60. This at least one intermediate structural element 60 is spaced from the plastic film 20; that is to say, a space 26 is provided between the intermediate structural element 60 and an edge of the plastic film 20. Preferably, as shown in [Fig. 2], two intermediate structural elements 60 are arranged on either side of the plastic film 20.

[0032] The attachment structure 30 is preferably obtained by molding. Thus, the front attachment element 40, the rear attachment element 50, at least one intermediate structural element 60 and the other parts described below of the attachment structure 30 are preferably made of the same material, which may for example be a polymer.

[0033] With reference to Figures 2 and 6, the rear attachment element 50 comprises a rib 51 and at least one clip 52 projecting from the rib 51. The rib 51 is overmolded into the rear end 25 of the plastic film 20, as shown in [Fig. 6]. Preferably, several clips 52 are distributed along the rib 51. In the example shown, the rear attachment element 50 comprises two clips 52.

[0034] With reference to figures 2, 4 and 6, the front attachment element 40 comprises a plate 41 carrying at least one hook 42, and an anti-submarine bump 49 between the front end 24 of the plastic film 20 and the plate 4L. Preferably, several hooks 42 are distributed along the plate 4L. In the example shown, the front attachment element 40 comprises two hooks 42.

[0035] The hooks 42 are now described with reference to [Fig. 4] and [Fig. 6], [Fig. 4] being a side view of the front attachment element 40 and [Fig. 6] being a cross-sectional view of the suspension web 10. As shown, a hook 42 is delimited by two parallel edges 43, 44. A first edge 43 extends along the plate 41 (see [Fig. 2]) and forms one end of the hook 42, by which the hook 42 is secured to the plate 41. A second edge 44 corresponds to a free end of the hook 42. The hook 42 thus comprises a wall 45 extending between the first edge 43 and the second edge 44, and which is curved. The wall 45 is advantageously curved over more than 180°. The hook 42 is thus curved over more than 180° from the first edge 43 to the second edge 44. The second edge 44 and the top of the anti-submarine bulge 49 are on either side of the plane of the plate 41, in other words the anti-submarine bulge 49 protrudes opposite the second edge 44 with respect to the plate 4L. The curved wall 45 partially delimits an oblong internal channel. The largest dimension of the oblong internal channel, in cross-section orthogonal to the edges 43, 44, is along an axis A (cf.[Fig.4]) forming a non-zero angle with the plane of plate 4L. The angle is advantageously less than or equal to 20°, preferably less than or equal to 10°.

[0036] A method for mounting a suspension mat 10 according to the invention is now described.

[0037] With reference to [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 4], the assembly method includes a step of snapping at least one hook 42 onto the first cylindrical bar 184. In [Fig. 3], the reinforcement 180 and the suspension web 10 have been cut along a plane orthogonal to the cylindrical bars 184, 185 and located between the two intermediate structural elements 60, in order to better show the interaction of a hook 42 with the first cylindrical bar 184. To snap the hook 42 onto the first cylindrical bar 184, the snapping structure 30 is translated. The arrow M1 in [Fig. 3] indicates the direction of this translation of the snapping structure 30. As can be seen in [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 4], the translation of the snapping structure 30 leads to the insertion of the first cylindrical bar 184. in the oblong internal channel of the hook 42, leading to the hook 42 being clicked onto the first cylindrical bar 184.

[0038] As can be seen in [Fig. 6], the hook 42 preferably has an internal rib 46. The internal rib 46 has a third edge 47 parallel to the edges 43, 44, which corresponds to a free end of the internal rib 46. The presence of the internal rib 46 tends to decrease the opening of the oblong internal channel because the internal rib 46 projects from the curved wall 45 inside the oblong internal channel towards the edges 43, 44. Advantageously, the internal rib 46 reduces the opening of the oblong internal channel so that this opening is slightly smaller than the external diameter of the first cylindrical bar 184. Thus, the first cylindrical bar 184 is inserted into the oblong internal channel of the hook 42 at the cost with a certain effort, after which the front attachment element 40 is securely fixed to the first cylindrical bar 184.

[0039] Referring to [Fig. 5], the assembly method includes a subsequent step of tilting the hooking structure 30. More specifically, the hooking structure 30 is tilted around the first cylindrical bar 184, which serves as a pivot point since the first cylindrical bar 184 is in the oblong internal channel of the hook 42. The arrows M2 on [Fig. 5] indicate the direction of this tilting of the hooking structure 30. The dashed line PA on [Fig. 5] indicates the axis of the first cylindrical bar 184 around which the hooking structure 30 tilts. As indicated by the arrow M2 on the right of [Fig. 5], the tilting of the hooking structure 30 results in at least one clip 52 being clipped onto the second cylindrical bar 185.

[0040] Advantageously, the two intermediate structural elements 60 each comprise a profile 65. Each profile 65 partially delimits an internal channel facing the plane of the plastic film 20. In this case, the snap-on step includes threading the profiles 65 onto the seat flanges 186, which guides the translation of the suspension web 10. For this purpose, the internal channel has a cross-section corresponding to the outer contour of the seat flanges 186. With reference to [Fig. 3] and [Fig. 5], the rear end 66 of the profiles 65 is advantageously flared so that the seat flanges 186 do not interfere with the tilting of the attachment structure 30 during the tilting step.

[0041] At the end of the tilting step, the attachment structure 30 is attached to the frame 180 so that the suspension web 10 is fixed to the frame 180. The hooks 42 are snapped onto the first cylindrical bar 184 and the clips 52 are snapped onto the second cylindrical bar 185. This results in a vehicle seat base 100, shown in [Fig.6] and [Fig.7], comprising the frame 180 and the suspension web 10 fixed to the frame 180.

[0042] Next, a padding (not shown in the figures) is placed on the suspension mat 10. The attachment structure 30 of the suspension mat 10 may include elements for securing the padding. For example, the rear attachment element 50 may include one or more attachment profiles 59 for the padding, as can be seen more clearly in Figures 2 and 6. It should be noted that the anti-submarine bulge 49, which extends continuously between the two profiles 65 as shown in the figures, will be covered by the padding. Finally, a cover is attached to the padding by means of tabs or by folding over the edges of the attachment structure 30.

[0043] With reference to Figures 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the front crossmember may include a cylindrical bar 284, in addition to the cylindrical bar 184 or replacing the Cylindrical bar 184. Cylindrical bars 184 and 284 can provide various functionalities to the vehicle seat 100, such as a riser, adjustable tilt, etc. The attachment structure 30 can be attached as described previously by snapping the hooks 42 onto the cylindrical bar 284, rather than onto the cylindrical bar 184, simply by modifying the geometry and / or position of the hooks 42 to allow them to snap onto the cylindrical bar 284. It is possible to modify the geometry and / or position of the hooks 42 without altering the rest of the attachment structure 30.

Claims

Demands

1. Suspension webbing (10) of a vehicle seat cushion (100), the suspension webbing (10) comprising: - a plastic film (20) having a front end (24) and a rear end (25); and - an attachment structure (30) comprising a front attachment element (40) and a rear attachment element (50), in which the front attachment element (40) is overmolded into the front end (24) of the plastic film (20) and the rear attachment element (50) is overmolded into the rear end (25) of the plastic film (20), characterized in that the attachment structure (30) is monobloc, such that the front attachment element (40) and the rear attachment element (50) are made of material with at least one intermediate structural element (60) spaced apart from the plastic film (20).

2. Suspension sheet (10) according to claim 1, wherein the front attachment element (40) comprises a plate (41) and at least one hook (42), said at least one hook (42) comprising a first end (43) extending along the plate (41) and by which it is secured to said plate (41) and a second free end (44) which is parallel to the first end (43), and said at least one hook (42) partially delimiting an oblong internal channel, a larger dimension of the oblong internal channel, in cross-section orthogonal to the first end (43) and to the second free end (44), being along an axis (A) forming a non-zero angle with a plane in which the plate (41) extends.

3. Suspension sheet (10) according to claim 2, wherein the front hooking element (40) has an anti-submarine bump (49) between the front end (24) of the plastic film (20) and the plate (41), the anti-submarine bump (49) being projecting opposite the second free end (44) of the hook (42) relative to the plate (41).

4. Suspension mat (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rear attachment element (50) comprises a rib (51) and at least one clip (52) projecting from the rib (51).

5. Suspension mat (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hook structure (30) comprises two said intermediate structural elements (60) arranged on either side of the plastic film (20), and each of the two intermediate structural elements (60) comprises a profile (65) partially delimiting an internal channel facing a plane in which the plastic film (20) extends.

6. Vehicle seat assembly (100) comprising a frame (180) and a suspension web (10) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said attachment structure (30) is attached to the frame (180) so that the suspension web (10) is fixed to the frame (180).

7. Vehicle seat base (100) according to claim 6, wherein the frame (180) comprises a front cross member, the front cross member comprising a first cylindrical bar (184), the suspension web (10) is according to claim 2 or claim 3, and said at least one hook (42) is snapped onto the first cylindrical bar (184).

8. Vehicle seat assembly (100) according to claim 7, wherein the frame (180) further comprises a rear cross member, the rear cross member comprising a second cylindrical bar (185) parallel to the first cylindrical bar (184), the suspension web (10) is according to claim 4, and said at least one clip (52) is clipped onto the second cylindrical bar (185).

9. Vehicle seat base (100) according to claim 8, wherein the frame (180) further comprises two parallel seat flanges (186) fixed to the front cross member and the rear cross member, the suspension web (10) is according to claim 5, and each of said profiles (65) is threaded onto said seat flange (186).

10. A method for mounting a suspension mat (10) according to claim 4 in combination with claim 2 or claim 3, in a vehicle seat base (100) according to claim 8, the mounting method being characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - a step of snapping said at least one hook (42) onto the first cylindrical bar (184), - a step of tilting the hooking structure (30) around the first cylindrical bar (184) serving as a support point, this tilting step leading to clipping said at least one clip (52) onto the second cylindrical bar (185).

Images