Abstract:
A device for adjusting a longitudinal position of a subassembly, in particular a seat of an automobile, is positionable on a horizontal floor of a passenger compartment of a vehicle which includes a movable expandable mechanism to lock and unlock the device in different positions.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The invention proposes to a device for adjusting the longitudinal position of a subassembly, especially a seat, on the horizontal floor of the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle and for locking the same in an adjusted position. 
     The invention relates more particularly to a system for outfitting the interior of a motor vehicle of the “one-compartment” type, which must embody flexible outfitting capabilities, and especially great modularity, with regard to both the number of removable seats or subassemblies provided in the passenger compartment, and the number of positions that these subassemblies can occupy. 
     2. Discussion of the Background 
     According to a first known design, it has already been suggested that a plurality of series of fastening points be provided on the vehicle floor, each of which series, preferably having four fastening points for the four feet of the seat or of the subassembly, determines a mounting and fixing position. 
     A device for increasing the modularity of the outfitting of the passenger compartment has already been suggested. Such a device is described and illustrated in, for example, European Patent Application A 0615879, wherein the horizontal floor of the passenger compartment is equipped with at least two parallel rails or slideways which accommodate, in longitudinal sliding manner, guide members in the form of slides, also called shuttles, which guide the longitudinal displacements of the seat and which make it possible to ensure locking of the seat in adjusted longitudinal position, the seat having substantially vertical orienting feet whose lower ends contain means of known design for fastening the seat to the slides or shuttles. 
     This embodiment permits the modularity to be increased and also permits the longitudinal position of a seat to be adjusted while conserving its orientation and fastening, by shifting the slides. 
     However, this design relies on using as many pairs of slides or shuttles as correspond to the number of seats to be mounted and, if it is not desired that the slides be visible in the passenger compartment, they must be fitted in the bottom of slideways embedded in the floor, thus making it difficult to fasten a seat to the upper faces of the slides, in that these are not visible and are masked by brush-like means which partly block the central longitudinal slot of the rail-shaped slideway. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The objective of the invention is to propose a new design of an adjustment device of the type mentioned hereinabove, which design permits these disadvantages to be remedied. 
     Toward this objective, the invention proposes a device characterized in that the lower end of at least one of the feet is equipped with a movable expandable mechanism controlled between: 
     a first position, defined as engagement or disengagement position, in which two mechanism-locking members with symmetric and opposed action relative to a central longitudinal plane are in inwardly retracted position, in which their transverse width permits vertical introduction or extraction of the mechanism in the slideway via a central longitudinal slot thereof, bounded by two longitudinal and parallel upper rims of the slideway; 
     and a second extreme position, defined as locking position, in which each of the two locking members is extended transversely outward to face an internal portion of one of the upper rims of the slot, with which they cooperate in fastening, thus vertically and longitudinally immobilizing the foot relative to the slideway; while passing through at least one intermediate position, defined as adjustment position, in which each of the two locking members is extended transversely outward to face the said internal portion of one of the upper rims of the slot, thus vertically retaining the foot relative to the slideway and permitting longitudinal displacements of the foot relative to the slideway. 
     According to other characteristics of the invention: 
     the two locking members are two locking levers, each of which is mounted to pivot, in the vicinity of its upper end, around a longitudinal hinge pin, which is supported by the foot and the active lower part of which has a profile complementary to the profile of the internal portion of a rim of the slot of the slideway which faces it; 
     the upper face of the lower end of each lever is formed into a hook, which cooperates with the lower fastening face of the said internal portion; 
     the lower fastening face of the said internal portion is provided with a series of longitudinally distributed notches, each of which constitutes a locking catch capable of accommodating the lower hook-shaped end of a locking lever; 
     the locking levers are biased resiliently toward their extreme locking position; 
     the lower face of the lower end of each lever is profiled in such a manner that it can cooperate with the upper guide face of the said internal portion to retract the lever transversely inward, against its resilient biasing means, during engagement of the mechanism in the slideway; 
     the mechanism has a lever-control fork, which is mounted to move by sliding vertically relative to the hinge pins of the levers, and each of the two branches of which cooperates via a cam profile with a control peg supported by each lever in the vicinity of its lower end, and the displacements of which, from a high position to a low unlocking position, bring about retraction of the levers transversely inward, against their resilient biasing means; 
     the levers and the control fork are mounted movably relative to a support, which is mounted to slide vertically over the lower part of the foot between a low position and a high active locking position, and the lower part of the foot is braced vertically on the bottom of the slideway via means for guiding the longitudinal displacements of the foot relative to the slideway; 
     the upper part of each lever is provided with an opening shaped as an arc of a circle centered on its hinge pin, in which opening there is accommodated a control finger supported by the lower end of a control rod, whose upper end is mounted pivotably, around a longitudinal pin, on a control slide which is vertically movable relative to the lower part of the foot; 
     the subassembly is a motor vehicle seat. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become clear upon reading the detailed description hereinafter, which can be understood by referring to the attached drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view illustrating a subassembly associated with two parallel slideways for adjustment of the longitudinal position and for blocking of the subassembly; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective detail view which partly illustrates a segment of a slideway according to the teachings of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is an end view, partly in transverse section, on which the lower part of a foot is illustrated in association with a slideway, the whole being represented during a phase of engagement of the foot in the slideway; 
     FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, in which the foot is illustrated in adjustment position; 
     FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4, in which the foot is illustrated in locked position; 
     FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3, in which the foot is illustrated during its phase of disengagement from the slideway; 
     FIG. 7 is a side view of the foot in the slideway; 
     FIG. 8 is a view similar to those of FIGS. 3 to  6 , which illustrates a second embodiment of a device according to the teachings of the invention, on which the foot is illustrated in a first part of its phase of engagement in the slideway; 
     FIG. 9 is a view similar to that of FIG. 8, in which the foot is illustrated in a second part of its phase of engagement in the slideway; 
     FIG. 10 is a view similar to that of FIG. 9, in which the foot is illustrated in adjustment position; 
     FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 10, in which the foot is illustrated in longitudinally blocked position relative to the slideway; 
     FIG. 12 is a view similar to that of FIG. 11, in which the foot is illustrated in a longitudinally blocked and locked position; and 
     FIG. 13 is a view similar to that of FIG. 12, in which the foot is illustrated during its phase of disengagement from the slideway; 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1 shows a subassembly such as a removable motor vehicle seat, provided with a rigid structure or chassis, a lower part  22  of which is equipped at its four opposite corners with four feet  24  having substantially vertical orientation. 
     Each of the two pairs of aligned feet is designed such that the lower vertical ends of feet  24  are accommodated inside two slideways, or longitudinal and parallel slides  26 , which are provided to be fixed on the horizontal floor of a motor vehicle (not shown), for example on the upper face thereof, or alternatively to be lodged in longitudinal grooves of the floor. 
     According to the teachings of the invention, as can be seen in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the two slideways  26  has longitudinal design symmetry relative to a central longitudinal vertical plane P, and each is made in this case in the form of a longitudinal section of cut and bent sheet metal. 
     Each slideway, in transverse section, is substantially U-shaped and open upwards. 
     Slideway  26  substantially comprises two opposite side flanges  28 , which are interconnected at their lower extremities by a flat horizontal bottom  30 . 
     Flanges  28  run parallel to each other, and have vertical orientation. 
     At its upper extremity, each side flange  28  is prolonged transversely inward by a sheet-metal part in the form of strip bent over inward and downward, this strip forming an upper rim  32  of slideway  26 , upper faces  33  of which are inclined in the form of a vee toward interior  34  of slideway  26  and the lower faces of which form internal portions  36  of upper rims  32  within the meaning of the invention. 
     Upper rims  32  define between them a longitudinal central slot  38  of transverse width L 1  in slideway  26 . 
     As can be seen in particular in FIG. 2, each of the upper rims  32  is provided with a series of notches  40  distributed longitudinally at regular intervals along rim  32 , each forming a blocking and locking catch, as will be explained hereinafter. 
     Referring to FIGS. 1 to  7 , there will now be described the first embodiment of expandable locking mechanism  42 , associated with lower end  44  of a foot  24 , which is designed to cooperate with the first embodiment of slideway  26  illustrated in FIGS. 2 to  7 . 
     Mechanism  42  substantially comprises two locking levers  46 , which extend substantially vertically and each of which is pivoted, via its upper end  48  and around a longitudinal pin A 1 , on a lower flange  50 , which extends transversely outward from body  52  of a support  54  for expandable mechanism  42 , which is mounted to slide vertically relative to lower part  44  of foot  24 . 
     Each locking lever  46  is provided with an active lower part  56 , upper face  58  of which is formed as a hook with shape complementary to the profile of lower face  37  of internal portion  36  of facing upper rim  32  of slideway  26 . 
     As will be explained hereinafter, the profile of hook-shaped upper face  58  is also configured such that free tip  60  of each hook is capable of penetrating at least partly into a notch  40 . 
     Lower surface  57  of lower end  56  of each lever  46  has a convex curved profile, which is designed to cooperate with inclined upper faces  33  of upper rims  32  of slideway  26 . 
     Each lever  46  supports, in the vicinity of its active lower end  56 , a control finger  62 , which extends longitudinally from a transverse face of lever  26  and which is capable of cooperating with a cam profile  64  formed facing it in one of the two branches  66  belonging to a control fork  68  of levers  46 . 
     At its upper part, fork  68  is provided with a vertical control bar  70 , which is mounted to slide vertically in support  54  of levers  46  between an extreme upper position, which is illustrated in particular in FIGS. 3 to  5 , and an extreme lower position, which is illustrated in FIG.  6 . 
     The extreme positions of fork  68  relative to support  54  of levers  46  are determined by the cooperation of a stop peg  72  with one or the other of the two opposite ends of an oblong hole  74  formed in control bar  70 . 
     Cam profile  64  of each of the branches  66  is formed on an internal side face of the branch and is provided, successively from bottom to top, with a lower vertical segment  76 , an intermediate inclined segment  78  and an upper vertical segment  80 , the transverse distance separating parallel lower vertical segments  76  being clearly larger than that separating parallel upper vertical segments  80 . 
     Each lever  46  is equipped with a spring  49  which at all times biases it resiliently toward a position offset transversely toward the outside. In other words, springs  49  urge active lower ends  56  of levers  46 , causing them to move apart from each other and from central longitudinal plane P. 
     As can be seen more particularly in FIG. 7, levers  46  have large longitudinal dimension, such that their hook-shaped active lower ends  56  present a series of tips  60  distributed longitudinally at the same interval as notches  40 , in order to improve cooperation of the levers with upper rims  32  of slideway  26 . 
     In order to ensure guidance of the longitudinal displacements of foot  24  relative to slideway  26 , especially in view of permitting adjustment of the longitudinal position of foot  24 , lower part  44  is equipped with a wheel  82  which rolls along upper horizontal face  84  of bottom  30  and which is mounted to rotate, around a transverse spindle, the lower end of an articulated arm  86  whose upper end  88  is mounted pivotably, around a transverse spindle, on a longitudinal bracket  90  of lower part  44  of foot  24 . 
     Arm  86  can pivot between two extreme angular positions, which are determined by the cooperation of a peg  92  with the opposite ends of an opening  94  formed in bracket  90 . 
     Arm  86  is urged resiliently toward one of its two extreme angular positions by a spiral spring  96  (see FIG.  7 ), coming closer to the general axis of the foot. 
     When articulated arm  86  is in its maximum angular position illustrated in FIG. 7, the cooperation of wheel  82  with upper face  84  of bottom  30  determines the height of foot  24  relative to slideway  26 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 3 to  6 , the operation of the adjustment and locking device will now be described. 
     During the phase of engagement of expandable mechanism  42  with interior  34  of slideway  26 , as illustrated in FIG. 3, convex curved lower surfaces  57  of levers  46  cooperate with inclined upper faces  33  of upper rims  32  to bring levers  46  mutually closer together in such a way that maximum transverse width L 2  of the mechanism is less than or equal to width L 1  of the slot, thus permitting vertical downward introduction of levers  46  into slideway  26 . 
     During this engagement phase, support  54  of levers  46  is fixed relative to lower part  44  of foot  24 , in low position relative thereto. 
     From the position illustrated in FIG. 3, engagement continues until tips  60  of the lower hooks of levers  46  pass below lower corners  61  of upper rims  32 . 
     Below this height, and under the action of springs  49 , levers  46  immediately spread apart transversely outward until control pegs  62  become stopped against lower vertical segments  76  of cam profiles  64  of control fork  68 . 
     In this position, which is illustrated in FIG. 4, lower ends  56  in the form of hooks  58 ,  60  of levers  46  are extended to face lower faces  37  of internal portions  36  of upper rims  32  of slideway  26 , and so it is impossible to extract mechanism  42  vertically from slideway  26 . In other words, foot  24  is retained vertically upward relative to slideway  26 . 
     The height of hooks  58 ,  60 , or in other words the vertical clearance that exists between their tips  60  and lower faces  37 , is determined by the action of arm  86  coming up against a stop, as illustrated in FIG.  7 . 
     In the position illustrated in FIG. 4, it is possible to adjust the longitudinal position of foot  24  relative to slideway  26 . 
     To immobilize foot  24  longitudinally relative to slideway  26 , by starting from the adjustment position illustrated in FIG. 4, the user acts on support  54  by means of a maneuvering member, not shown in the figures, to cause this support to shift from its low position, which is illustrated in FIG. 4, to its high position, which is illustrated in FIG.  5 . 
     The vertical upward travel of support  54  causes a simultaneous vertical upward displacement of levers  46  and of fork  68 , the relative vertical position of this fork relative to support  54  and to lever  46  being unchanged. 
     This vertical travel causes penetration of hooks  58 ,  60  into notches  40  of upper rims  32 , resulting in the longitudinal immobilization of foot  24  relative to slideway  26 . 
     To unlock the mechanism in view of permitting disengagement thereof from slideway  26 , by a vertical extraction movement, the user acts on control bar  70  of fork  68 , causing vertical downward displacement thereof from the position illustrated in FIG. 5, until fork  68  reaches its extreme low position, which is illustrated in FIG.  6 . 
     Through cooperation of control fingers  62  successively with segments  76 ,  78  and  80  of cam profiles  64  of branches  66 , the downward travel of fork  68  causes active lower ends  56  of locking levers  46  to move mutually inward transversely to become closer to each other, in the direction of central longitudinal plane P, and does so against the forces exerted by springs  49 . 
     The orientation of inclined intermediate segments  78  is such that they cause pivoting of levers  46 , thus allowing hook-shaped ends  58 ,  60  to escape from notches  40 . 
     The distance separating upper vertical segments  80  is such that maximum transverse width L 2  of mechanism  42 , which is again in contracted position, is less than width L 1  of slot  38 , thus allowing it to be extracted from slideway  26 . 
     There will now be described the second embodiment of the invention, which is illustrated in FIGS. 8 to  13 , in which components identical, similar or analogous to those described hereinabove are designated by the same reference numbers. 
     First of all, in the second embodiment, slideway  26  differs from the preceding embodiment in that its upper rims  32  are shaped by completely folding over the sheet, to provide them with greater rigidity, each having the form of an upper longitudinal box. 
     Lower part  44  of foot  24  is of one-piece construction, meaning that a vertically movable support no longer exists, and upper ends  48  of locking levers  46  of expandable mechanism  42  are thus mounted pivotably, around their longitudinal pins A 1 , directly on lower part  44 , which is provided with two flanges  50 , lower faces  100  of which support runners  102 , which are capable of vertically engaging against a stop and then sliding longitudinally on portions of upper horizontal plane surfaces  103  facing box-like upper rims  32  of slideway  26 . 
     A device  104  is provided for control of the pivoting movements of locking lever  46  around pins A 1  thereof. 
     Device  104  comprises two control rods or linkages  106  having symmetric and opposed action, each of which is mounted pivotably at its upper end  108 , around a longitudinal pin A 3  situated on central vertical plane P, on a longitudinally oriented pivot  110 , which constitutes a slide mounted to move vertically in a vertical oblong guide hole  112  formed in lower part  44  of the foot. 
     Oblong hole  112  is bounded vertically downward by an end  114  and upward by an end  116 . Each rod  106  is inclined downwardly and outwardly, and its lower end  118  supports a longitudinally oriented control finger  120 , which is accommodated slidingly in a corresponding opening  122 , which is shaped like an arc of a circle formed in the upper part of each lever  46 , and which is centered on hinge pin A 1  of the corresponding lever. 
     Each opening  122  is bounded by a lower end  124  and an upper end  126 . 
     There will now be described the mode of operation of the device illustrated in FIGS. 8 to  13 . 
     The phase of engagement of mechanism  42  in slideway  26  is illustrated in two consecutive parts in FIGS. 8 and 9. 
     Before any contact of lower surfaces  57  of active lower parts  56  of levers  46  with upper faces  33  of upper rims  32  of slideway  26 , levers  46  are urged resiliently outward by springs  49 , their extreme position being determined by the action of control fingers  120  coming up against a stop at upper ends  126  of openings  122 . 
     The movement of vertical downward introduction causes cooperation of curved lower surfaces  57  with upper faces  33  as far as the position illustrated in FIG. 9, permitting introduction of levers  46  into interior  34  of slideway  26 , the pivoting movements of levers  46 , while mutually moving closer to each other, being made possible by the free travel of control fingers  120  inside openings  122 . 
     In FIGS. 8 and 9, or in other words during introduction, pivot  110  always occupies its same vertical position P 1  relative to oblong hole  112  of upper part  44 . 
     The vertical introduction travel ends when runners  102  come up against a stop at the portions of plane surface  103 . 
     Levers  46  can then pivot, spreading apart from each other until control fingers  120  are stopped against upper ends  126  of openings  122 . 
     The maneuvering members (not shown in the figures) of expandable mechanism  42  then cause pivot  110  to move back upward to its position P 2  inside oblong hole  112 . 
     In the adjustment position illustrated in FIG. 10, upper faces  58 ,  60  forming hooks at active lower ends  56  of locking levers  46  are disposed facing lower surfaces  37  of box-like upper rims  32  of slideway  26 , and lower part  44  is this way retained vertically upward relative to slideway  26 , while lower part  44  and the associated foot can slide longitudinally in such a way as to permit adjustment of the longitudinal position of the foot relative to slideway  26 . 
     Once the adjusted position has been reached, the user blocks lower part  44  longitudinally relative to slideway  26  by making hooks  58 ,  60  penetrate into notches  40  of internal portions  36  of the box-like upper rims, as illustrated in FIG.  11 . 
     To achieve this, the user acts on the maneuvering members to return pivot  110  to its position P 1 , thus inducing additional outward pivoting travel of locking levers  46  permitting penetration of tips  60  of hooks  58  into notches  40 . 
     Part  44  is in this way blocked longitudinally relative to slideway  26 . 
     It is possible to lock it in blocked position, as illustrated in FIG.  12 . For this purpose, the user acts on the maneuvering members to bring pivot  110  into its maximum lower position P 3  illustrated in FIG. 12, in which position it comes up against a stop at lower end  114  of oblong hole  112 . 
     This vertical downward travel of pivot  110  causes displacement of rods  106  until control fingers  120  come up against a stop at lower ends  124  of openings  122 , thus preventing any pivoting of levers  46  in the sense of moving them mutually closer to each other, while then locking levers  46  in blocked and locked position with hooks  58 ,  60  in notches  40 . 
     To disengage mechanism  42  vertically upward, starting from the position illustrated in FIG. 12, it is necessary to bring locking levers transversely closer to each other. 
     To achieve this, the user causes a displacement of pivot  110  toward its fourth position P 4 , which is its maximum high position, in which it comes up against a stop at upper end  116  of oblong hole  112 . 
     This vertically upward maneuver of pivot  110  causes a rising and pivoting of rods  106  which, through the action of control fingers  120  which cooperate with upper ends  126  of openings  122 , bring locking levers  46  mutually closer together. 
     As a function of the application and, for example, depending on whether subassembly  20  comprises a seat that must be firmly secured or else an accessory such as a shelf, one or more feet  24 , such as two front feet or two rear feet, may be constructed according to the teachings of the invention.