Patent ID: 9573494
Date: 2017-02-21
CPC Classifications: B60N

Claim:
1. A seatback-motion controller for mounting on a vehicle seat including a seat base and a seat back mounted for pivotable movement relative to the seat base between an upright use position and a forward-leaning easy-entry position, the seatback-motion controller comprising: a seat-back lock adapted for locking the seat back to the seat base in the upright use position, the seat-back lock including a latch comprising a pivotable swing arm, a motion-blocking latch pin mounted on the swing arm to pivot therewith, and a latch-return spring configured to apply a force to the swing arm to urge the motion-blocking latch pin into a pin-receiving slot formed in a sector plate included in the seat base to lock the seat back in the upright use position; and a seat-back release manager comprising a friction cam designed to cooperate with neighboring components to manage ergonomic characteristics associated with operation of the seatback-motion controller, the friction cam being arranged to engage directly with the sector plate included in the seat base to block pivotable movement of the seat back from the upright use position to the forward-leaning easy-entry position and being separated from and independent of the seat-back lock, wherein the motion-blocking latch pin has a withdrawn position located outside of the pin-receiving slot to disable the seat-back lock and free the seat back for pivotable movement from the upright use position to the forward-leaning easy-entry position.