Patent ID: 6883869
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A vehicle seat back recliner comprising: a stationary member for mounting on a vehicle seat cushion of a vehicle seat with which the recliner is to be used; a pivotal member that is mounted for pivotal movement about a pivotal axis on the stationary member and that is adapted to mount a seat back of the vehicle seat; a locking mechanism for selectively permitting pivotal adjustment and locking of the pivotal position of the pivotal member on the stationary member to pivotally position the seat back with respect to the seat cushion, the locking mechanism including a toothed locking ring on the pivotal member, a pair of toothed pawls mounted on the stationary member for radial movement with respect to the pivotal axis at diametrically opposite locations between locking positions where the pawls are engaged with the toothed locking ring to prevent pivotal movement of the seat back with respect to the seat cushion and unlocked positions where the pawls are unlocked from the locking ring to permit pivotal movement of the seat back with respect to the seat cushion, a pair of separate cams respectively associated with the pair of pawls and moveable with respect to each other and with respect to the pawls on opposite sides of the pivotal axis to respectively slidingly engage the pair of pawls, and a control that biases the pair of cams to move the pair of pawls to the locking positions and that is releasable so the cams permit movement of the pawls to the unlocked positions; and the control including a control lever that pivots about the pivotal axis and has a pair of connections to the pair of cams, a spring that pivotally biases the control lever to bias the pair of cams to move the pair of pawls toward the locking positions, the control lever being movable against the spring bias thereof to move the pair of cams to permit the movement of the pair of pawls to the unlocked positions, and the pair of connections including a pair of pins that extend between the pair of cams and the control lever through a pair of slots in the stationary member on opposite sides of the pivotal axis.