Patent ID: 6974187
Filing Date: 2005-12-13
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A vehicle seat structure, which includes a seat cushion, a seat belt provided in said seat cushion and a forward buttocks slippage preventive element provided in a forward portion of said seat cushion, said forward buttocks slippage preventive element being displaceable, to an operative position in a forward buttocks slippage locus along which a buttocks portion of a passenger is to be slipped to a forward side of said seat cushion under influence of forward inertia caused by a collision, thereby preventing forward slippage of said buttocks portion on said seat cushion, comprising: a pair of arms rotatably provided in said seat cushion, said pair of arms each having one end to which said forward buttocks slippage preventive element is fixed, such that rotation of said pair of arms causes said forward buttocks slippage preventive element to displace between said operative position and an inoperative position where said forward buttocks slippage preventive element is located away from said operative position and thus away from said forward buttocks slippage locus; an actuator plate rotatably provided in said seat cushion, said actuator plate having a guide hole formed therein; said pair of arms having a connecting pin formed in another end thereof, said connecting pin being slidably engaged in said guide hole of said actuator plate; a biasing means so arranged as to biasingly cause said actuator plate to rotate to a selected one of a first limit point corresponding to said operative position and a second limit point corresponding to said inoperative position in relation to a dead point, thereby allowing said actuator plate to be biasingly toggled between said first limit point and said second limit point in relation to said dead point; a first pair of a first and a second stopper means; said first stopper means disposed at said first limit point; said second stopper means disposed at said second limit point; a seat belt control means for normally biasing said seat belt to a home position and allowing said seat belt to be movable toward the forward side of said seat cushion by a forward load applied from said passenger who is about to be moved to the forward side of said seat cushion under the influence of said forward inertia caused by collision; and a connecting means for operatively connecting said seat belt control means with said connecting pin; wherein, normally, said actuator plate is biased by said biasing means to said second stopper means, such that said biasing means is located above said dead point, thereby resiliently retaining said forward buttocks slippage preventive element in said inoperative position, and wherein, in said collision, said forward load draws said seat belt toward said forward side through said seat belt control means, while being imparted through said connecting means to said connecting pin, thereby in turn causing said actuator plate to rotate toward said first stopper means, overcoming a biasing force of said biasing means, so that said biasing means is displaced to a point below said dead point, while simultaneously causing rotation of both said pair of arms and said forward buttocks slippage preventive element in a direction to said operative position, as a result of which, said actuator plate is biased to contact with said first stopper means, whereby the actuator plate is positively retained at a point to prevent rotation of said pair of arms toward said inoperative position, thereby preventing further forward rotation of said forward buttocks slippage preventive element from said operative position.