Patent ID: 7878569
Filing Date: 2011-02-01
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. An automobile comprising a seat that is disposed within a vehicle interior and has a seat back supporting the back of a seated person and a seat cushion supporting the hip of the seated person, comprising: the seat cushion is coupled to the seat back so as to be rotatable between a use position where the seated person is seated and a non-use position where the seat cushion is superposed on the seat back, while the seat back is supported on a vehicle body so as to be rotatable between a use position where the seat back can support the back of the seated person and a non-use position where the seat back and the seat cushion are lifted up to an upper part of the vehicle interior in a state in which the seat cushion is superposed on the seat back, the seat cushion is positioned on the seat back in a superposed manner when the seat back is in the non-use position, a handle arm is provided on a seat back rear surface that is the opposite side of a seat back supporting surface supporting the back of the seated person, a base end portion of the handle arm, which becomes the bottom of the handle arm when the seat back is in the use position, is rotatably coupled to the seat back in such a way that the handle arm rotates between a storage position where the handle arm is positioned along the seat back rear surface and a use position where a free end of the handle arm is separated from the seat back rear surface, a first locking member that is engaged with a first striker fixed to the vehicle body and thereby locks the seat cushion to the vehicle body when the seat cushion is in the use position; a second locking member that is engaged with a second striker fixed to the vehicle body and thereby locks the seat back to the vehicle body when the seat back is in the use position; the first locking member is supported on the seat cushion so as to be rotatable between a locking position where an engaging concave portion of the first locking member is engaged with the first striker to lock the seat cushion to the vehicle body and a lock releasing position where the engaging concave portion of the first locking member is removed from the first striker to release the lock of the seat cushion to the vehicle body, the second locking member is supported on the seat back so as to be rotatable between a locking position where an engaging concave portion of the second locking member is engaged with the second striker to lock the seat back to the vehicle body and a lock releasing position where the engaging concave portion of the second locking member is removed from the second striker to release the lock of the seat back to the vehicle body, the lock releasing means comprises: a first pawl, which is supported on the seat cushion so as to be rotatable between an engaging position where the first pawl is engaged with an engaging portion of the first locking member to hold the first locking member at the locking position thereof and an engagement releasing position where the first pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the first locking member to allow the first locking member to rotate to the lock releasing position; a second pawl, which is supported on the seat back so as to be rotatable between an engaging position where the second pawl is engaged with an engaging portion of the second locking member to hold the second locking member at the locking position thereof and an engagement releasing position where the second pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the second locking member to allow the second locking member to rotate to the lock releasing position; first spring means for biasing the first locking member toward the lock releasing position thereof, and biasing the first locking member and the first pawl in a direction in which the first locking member and the first pawl are engaged with each other; second spring means for biasing the second locking member toward the lock releasing position thereof, and biasing the second locking member and the second pawl in a direction in which the second locking member and the second pawl are engaged with each other; a slider, which is supported on the seat back so as to be movable between a initial position and an actuated position; first coupling means for coupling the slider to the handle arm in such a way that the slider occupies the initial position thereof when the handle arm is in the storage position and that the slider occupies the actuated position thereof when the handle arm is rotated to the use position thereof; second coupling means for coupling the slider to the first pawl in such a way that, in a state in which the seat back is locked to the use position thereof by the second locking member and in which the seat cushion is locked to the use position thereof by the first locking member, the handle arm starts rotating from the storage position thereof and when the handle arm reaches a position between the storage position and the use position and accordingly the slider moves to a position between the initial position and the actuated position thereof, the first pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the first locking member to rotate to the engagement releasing position and thereby the first locking member is allowed to rotate to the lock releasing position by the action of the first spring means, but the first pawl is caused to remain in the engagement releasing position thereof even when the handle arm rotates from the use position to the storage position thereof and accordingly the slider returns to the initial position thereof in a state in which the first locking member occupies the lock releasing position; a first rotating arm, which is supported on the seat back so as to be rotatable between an initial position and a terminal position; third coupling means for coupling the slider to the first rotating arm in such a way that the first rotating arm rotates from the initial position to the terminal position thereof when the slider moves from the initial position to the actuated position thereof; third spring means for biasing the first rotating arm in a direction in which the first rotating arm rotates to the initial position thereof; a second rotating arm supported rotatable on the seat back; fourth spring means for biasing the second rotating arm in a direction in which the second rotating arm rotates to an initial position thereof; and fourth coupling means for coupling the second rotating arm to the second pawl in such a way that, the handle arm starts rotating from the storage position thereof in a state in which the seat back is locked to the use position thereof by the second locking member, and when the first rotating arm, which starts rotating from the initial position to the terminal position, presses the second rotating arm occupying the initial position thereof to rotate the second rotating arm, the second pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the second locking member to rotate to the engagement releasing position and thereby the second locking member is allowed to rotate to the lock releasing position by the action of the second spring means, but the second pawl is caused to remain in the engagement releasing position thereof even when the second rotating arm is rotated to the initial position thereof by the action of the fourth spring means in a state in which the second locking member occupies the lock releasing position, and wherein the positions of the first and second rotating arms are set in such a way that, when the first rotating arm rotates from the initial position to the terminal position thereof, the first rotating arm presses and thereby rotates the second rotating arm, and thereafter the first rotating arm passes the second rotating arm to release pressing on the second rotating arm, and accordingly the second rotating arm is rotated to the initial position thereof by the action of the fourth spring means, and in such a way that, when the first rotating arm rotates from the terminal position to the initial position thereof , the first rotating arm presses and thereby rotates the second rotating arm, and thereafter the first rotating arm passes the second rotating arm to return to the initial position of the first rotating arm, the second coupling means, the third coupling means, and the slider regulate a timing at which the first pawl starts rotating and a timing at which the first rotating arm starts rotating, in such a way that the first pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the first locking member first and thereafter the second pawl is removed from the engaging portion of the second locking member, when the handle arm starts rotating from the storage position toward the use position thereof in a state in which the seat back is locked to the use position thereof by the second locking member and in which the seat cushion is locked to the use position thereof by the first locking member, and the slider moves from the initial position to the actuated position thereof, when the seat back rotates from the non-use position to the use position thereof, the second locking member collides with the second striker and thereby rotates, whereby the engaging concave portion of the second locking member is brought into engagement with the second striker and the second pawl is brought into engagement with the engaging portion of the second locking member by the action of the second spring means, so that the seat back is locked to the vehicle body, and when the seat cushion rotates from the non-use position to the use position thereof, the first locking member collides with the first striker and thereby rotates, whereby the engaging concave portion of the first locking member is brought into engagement with the first striker and the first pawl is brought into engagement with the engaging portion of the first locking member by the action of the first spring means, so that the seat cushion is locked to the vehicle body lock releasing means for releasing locks applied by the first and second locking members to the seat cushion and the seat back by interlocking with rotation of the handle arm, so as to release the lock applied by the first locking member to the seat cushion first and thereafter release the lock applied by the second locking member to the seat back in accordance with the rotation of the handle arm when the handle arm is rotated from the storage position toward the use position.