Patent ID: 6817645
Filing Date: 2004-11-16
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
A seat arrangement for a vehicle, comprising:a first row of seats with a driver seat and a front passenger seat; a second row of seats mounted behind the first row of seats in a cabin of the vehicle; and a third row of seats mounted behind the second row of seats in the cabin, said second row of seats comprising: a second row seat comprising a substantially horizontally disposed seat cushion and a substantially vertically disposed seat back proximate to a rear edge of said seat cushion; and a sliding mechanism slidably supporting said second row seat in vehicular longitudinal direction between a forward position and a rearward position, said third row of seats comprising: a third row seat comprising a seat cushion and a seat back; and a supporting mechanism supporting said third row seat so as to selectively permit said third row seat to be arranged into a first state where said seat cushion is substantially horizontal with its padded surface facing up and said seat back is substantially vertical with its padded surface facing forwardly, or a second state where said seat cushion is forwardly pivoted about a pivotal axis in the vicinity of a front edge of said seat cushion into a substantially upright position, the vehicle including: a front floor on which said second row seat is mounted via said sliding mechanism; a rear floor on which the third row seat is mounted via said supporting mechanism; and a step connecting the front floor and the rear floor so that the rear floor is situated higher than the front floor, and said sliding mechanism comprising: a rail extending on the front floor up to the vicinity of the step; and a slider guided by the rail and supporting said second row seat so that a lower surface of said second row seat is situated higher than the rear floor, at least the rear edge of said second row seat being located above the rear floor when said second row seat is in the rearward position, wherein, a rear surface of said second row seat contacts substantially entirely with the padded surface of said seat cushion of the third row seat, when said third row seat is in the second state and said second row seat is slid to the rearward position; and wherein said second row of seats comprises a right side seat and left side seat substantially laterally disposed, and a laterally displacing mechanism is provided on at least one of the right side seat and the left side seat for permitting at least one of the right side seat and the left side seat to be displaced between a state where the right side seat and the left side seats are laterally separated, and a state where the right side seat and the left side seat are disposed next to each other, the lateral length over the right side seat and the left side seat in the state where they are disposed next to each other being smaller than a clearance between rear wheel housings bulging out into the cabin of the vehicle from opposite sides, and said sliding mechanism and said laterally displacing mechanism are adapted to permit said second row seats to be positioned between the rear wheel housings with said second row seats laterally abutting on each other in the rearward position.