Patent ID: 6752455
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
A vehicle seat for being mounted in a vehicle that has a front and a rear, and for operating advantageously in the event of a rear crash of the vehicle, the vehicle seat comprising:a seat part including a front and a rear, wherein the front of the seat part is for being oriented toward the front of the vehicle and the rear of the seat part is for being oriented toward the rear of the vehicle; and a backrest mounted for extending at least generally upward from proximate the rear of the seat part, wherein the seat part includes an articulated structure mounted so that the articulated structure experiences a change in geometry in response to the rear crash exceeding a predetermined magnitude, and said change in geometry at least partially compensates for any rearward displacement of the backrest resulting from the rear crash, wherein a rear coupling region of the articulated structure is mounted so that: the rear coupling region is in a first configuration prior to said change in geometry, the rear coupling region moves into a second configuration in response to the rear crash exceeding the predetermined magnitude, as part of said change in geometry, and the second configuration is more upright than the first configuration, and wherein: the articulated structure includes a front hinge in a lower region of the articulated structure, the rear coupling region of the articulated structure is mounted at a rear bearing point in the lower region of the articulated structure, and the rear bearing point comprises at least one deformable element which is operative so that the deformable element deforms in response to the rear crash exceeding the predetermined magnitude so that said change in geometry comprises the rear bearing point being displaced rearward relative to the front hinge so that a distance between the front hinge and the rear bearing point is enlarged in response to the rear crash exceeding the predetermined magnitude.