Patent Publication Number: US-6698829-B1

Title: Vehicle seat assembly having movable panels mounted thereon

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to vehicle seats, and in particular to a seat assembly having movable panels for creating a horizontal load floor. 
     Larger passenger vehicles, such as sport utility vehicles and vans, typically include a relatively flat load floor at the rear of the vehicle which is accessible through a rear lift gate or door. The load floor is generally the upper surface of the floor of the vehicle. Typically, the floor of the vehicle is stepped downward in front of the load floor to create a secondary floor which is lower than the load floor. A second row of seats is commonly mounted on this secondary floor. 
     It is known to provide a second row seat which is movable to a forward position to expand the rear cargo area of the vehicle. The second row seat includes a seat back pivotally mounted on a seat bottom. The seat back is movable to a collapsed position wherein the seat back is rotated forward until the front surface of the seat back rests on the upper surface of the seat bottom. The seat bottom is pivotally mounted on the floor about a pivot generally located at the front lower portion of the seat bottom. After collapsing of the seat back, the seat bottom and the seat back are rotated as a single unit about the pivot about 90 degrees to a forward position. In the forward position, the seat back and the seat bottom are generally in a vertically oriented position. This orientation provides accessibility to the floor which was directly underneath the seat bottom when in its seating position. Although the movement of the second row seat is generally desirable to expand the rear cargo area, the stepped configuration of the secondary floor and the rear load floor is sometimes problematic when loading and unloading cargo thereon. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to a vehicle seat assembly having structures to form a generally flat horizontal load floor preferably co-planar with a rear cargo floor of the vehicle. The seat assembly includes a seat bottom and at least one panel movably attached to the seat bottom. The panel is movable between a storage position adjacent the seat bottom, and a deployed position extending outwardly from the seat bottom such that the panel is in a generally horizontal position to form a flat load floor above the vehicle floor. 
     Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a vehicle interior including a second row seat assembly, in accordance with the present invention, wherein the seat assembly is shown in its seating position. 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle interior of FIG. 1, wherein the seat of the seat assembly is shown in its forward position, and the panel assembly is shown in its deployed position. 
     FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the seat assembly of FIG. 1 shown in its forward position, and wherein the panel assembly is represented in its deployed position by broken lines. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, a portion of a vehicle interior, indicated generally at  10 . The interior  10  includes a stepped floor defining a rear load floor  12  and a forward floor  14  separated by a shoulder  16 . As is typical with many vehicle floors, the forward floor  14  is lower than the rear load floor  12 . The interior further includes a pair of front seats  18  mounted on the forward floor  14 . Although not shown, the forward floor  14  could also be stepped defining yet another forward floor upon which the front seats  18  are mounted. 
     The interior  10  further includes a second row of seats, generally indicated at  20 . Preferably, the second row of seats  20  are wide enough to accommodate three occupants. Although the second row of seats  20  could be a single bench type seat extending across the lateral width of the interior, preferably the second row of seats  20  is defined as two separate seats  22  and  24  which are independently movable relative to one another. The inboard sides of the seats  22  and  24  are preferably adjacent one another in their seating positions to simulate a single bench-type seat. The seats  22  and  24  could have the same dimensional width or may have different widths, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For example, the seat  22  could be dimensioned to have a width of about 60 percent the total width of the second row of seats  20 , and the seat  24  could have a width of about 40 percent of the total width of the second row of seats  20 . This is commonly referred to in the industry as a 60/40 slit seat arrangement and provides the ability to have the seat  24  remain in its seating position for a single occupant while the other seat  22  is moved to a forward position, as shown in FIG. 2 to substantially increase or extend the rear cargo area. Except for the width of the seats  22  and  24 , they are essentially similar in function and structure and, therefore, only the seat  22  will be described in detail. If desired any of the seats  18 ,  22 , and  24  may be provided with a conventional seat track mechanism for adjusting the fore and aft position of the seat relative to the vehicle floor. 
     The seat  22  generally includes a seat bottom  30 , a seat back  32 , and a panel assembly  34  mounted in the seat bottom  30 . The seat bottom  30  and the seat back  32  are shown in a seating position in FIG. 1, for supporting an occupant. The seat back  32  is pivotally mounted on the seat bottom  30  such that the seat back  32  is pivotable about an internal pivot  33  to a collapsed position on top of the seat bottom  30 . In the collapsed position, a front seating surface  36  of the seat back  32  is positioned adjacent an upper seating surface  38  of the seat bottom  30 . 
     The seat bottom  30  is preferably pivotally mounted on the floor  14 , such as by a hinge  40  defining a first pivot. More preferably, the first pivot is located at a lower front portion of the seat bottom  30 . Once the seat back  32  is moved to its collapsed position on top of the seat bottom  34 , the combination of the seat bottom  30  and seat back  32  are pivotable to a forward position, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In their forward positions, the seat bottom  30  and the seat back  32  are generally in a vertically oriented position such that seat back  32  is in front of the seat bottom  30 . The seat back  32  and the seat bottom  30  can be moved to their forward positions by manually moving them about the first pivot or by an actuation of an electrical mechanism (not shown). Alternatively, the seat bottom  30  could include a spring (not shown) for biasing the seat bottom  30  to its forward position. In this configuration, a latch (not shown) would releasably retain the seat bottom  30  in its seating position. Upon release of the latch, the spring would force the seat bottom  30  to move to its forward position. A spring and latch mechanism (not shown) may also by provided on the seat back  32  to automatically move the seat back  32  to its collapsed position upon actuation of the latch. 
     The seat  22 , as well as the seat  24 , further includes a panel assembly, indicated generally at  34 . The panel assembly  34  is preferably at least partially disposed within a recess  52  formed in a lower surface  54  of the seat bottom  30 . The recess  52  may be formed within the seat bottom  30  or a separate panel housing (not shown) defining the recess  52  which is attached to the bottom portion of the seat bottom  30 . 
     The panel assembly  34  generally includes a front panel  60 , an intermediate panel  62 , and an extension panel  64 . The panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are preferably relatively flat rectangular shaped panels and can be made of any suitable material, such as plastic. The front panel  60  includes a first end  70  which is pivotally connected to the seat bottom  30  at a second pivot  72 . The front panel  60  has a second end  74  which is pivotally connected to a first end  76  of the intermediate panel  62 . The intermediate panel  62  has a second end  78  which is pivotally connected to a first end  80  of the extension panel  64 . As shown in FIG. 3, the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are pivotable to a stacked generally parallel relationship within the recess  52 , defined as in a storage position, such that the extension panel  64  is positioned between the front panel  60  and the intermediate panel  62 . Because of the extension panel  64  being positioned between the front panel  60  and the intermediate panel  62 , the front panel  60  and the intermediate panel  62  can be pivotally connected by a relatively thin hinge panel  86  to accommodate the thickness of the extension panel  64 . Of course, the hinge panel  86  is not required and the front panel  60  and/or the intermediate panel  62  may be formed with indentations to accommodate the thickness of the extension panel. The hinge panel  86  may be a rigid panel or somewhat flexible, such as made out of a fabric. The pivotal connections between the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  can be formed by any suitable structure, such as for example, a mechanical hinge, an integrally formed living hinge, or a flexible material. 
     As shown by broken lines in FIG. 3, the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are pivotable to a deployed position such that the panels are in a generally horizontal position. Preferably, the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are co-planar with one another. More preferably, the configuration of the panel assembly  34  and the location of second pivot  72  are such that the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are also co-planar with the rear load floor  12 . The panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  and the rear load floor  12  form a continuous relatively flat load floor for the ease of loading and unloading cargo thereon. 
     Since the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are positioned at a spaced apart relationship above the forward floor  14 , one or more of the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  preferably includes supports or legs  90  and  92  for supporting the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64 . The legs  90  and  92  can be positioned at any suitable location on the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64 . Preferably, the legs  90  and  92  are pivotally mounted on the respective panel by brackets  94  and  96 , respectively, so that the legs  90  and  92  can be moved to a collapsed position against the panels for storage within the recess  52 , as shown in FIG.  3 . The legs  90  and  92  can have any suitable shape which structurally supports the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64 , as well as the cargo placed thereon. The legs  90  and  92  may also be spring biased so that they are automatically biased to their extending position, as indicated by the broken lines in FIG. 3, when the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are moved to their deployed position. A coil spring (not shown) housed in the brackets  94  and  96  could be incorporated to provide the spring biasing. Alternatively, other mechanisms, such as a cable and pulley system or a linkage assembly (not shown) may be used to move the legs  90  and  92  to their extended or retracted positions automatically when the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  are moved. 
     To help retain the panels  60 ,  62 , and  64  in their deployed positions and prevent them from sagging from a weight load placed thereon, it is desirable to releasably attach the extension panel  64  to a portion of the floor. For example, the extension panel  64  could include one or more apertures  100  for receiving upwardly extending ridges  102  formed or attached to the floor  12 . The floor  12  also preferably includes a depression  104  formed therein for receiving the end of the extension panel  64  to accommodate the thickness of the panel  63  to provide a flat upper load floor surface. 
     It should be understood that while the embodiment of the panel assembly  34  includes three panels  60 ,  62 , and  64 , the seat  22  can include a single panel movably attached thereto which is movable to a generally horizontal position. Also, the panel or panels may by movably mounted on the seat bottom  30  by means other than a pivot. For example, the panels could be mounted in a sliding configuration by a pin and track assembly. The panels may also be simply positioned underneath the seat bottom  30  instead of disposed within the recess  52 . In another embodiment, the panels could move between a storage and deployed position from a rear portion of the seat bottom  30  instead of from the lower surface, such that the seat bottom  30  need not move to a forward position. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing is from its spirit or scope.