Patent Publication Number: US-2021188137-A1

Title: Vehicle seat support structure

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to vehicle seat support structure. More specifically, the present invention relates to seat support structure that includes attachment locations on a rigid support bracket attached to the floor within a passenger compartment. 
     Background Information 
     A rear seat assembly of passenger vehicle usually includes a cushion portion and a seatback or upright portion. The cushion portion is often installed to a passenger compartment floor via projections that are inserted into openings in the floor of the passenger compartment. A rear edge of the cushion portion is further tucked under a lower end of the seatback portion. 
     SUMMARY 
     One object of the present disclosure is to provide a cushion portion of a rear seat assembly of a vehicle with attachment structures that secure the rear seat assembly to the vehicle regardless of whether or not the cushion portion contacts an upright portion of the rear seat assembly. 
     Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a cushion portion of a rear seat assembly with attachment structures that attached to brackets attached to the floor of the vehicle, the brackets further including child seat attachment portions. 
     In view of the state of the known technology, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a vehicle seat support structure with a vehicle body structure, a support frame and a support bracket. The vehicle body structure has a floor that at least partially defines a passenger compartment. The support frame of a seat assembly is installed to the vehicle body structure such that at least a portion of the support frame overlays the floor. The support bracket has a pair of child seat attachment portions and a frame attachment portion. The support bracket is fixedly attached to the vehicle body structure with a portion of the support frame connected to the frame attachment portion. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Referring now to the attached drawings which form a part of this original disclosure: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a vehicle that includes a vehicle seat support structure in accordance with one embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a portion of a passenger compartment of the vehicle depicted in  FIG. 1 , showing floor, a cushion portion of a rear seat assembly attached to the floor and support brackets attached to the floor in accordance with the one embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is another perspective view of the portion of a passenger compartment depicted in  FIG. 2 , of the floor, a frame of the cushion portion with cushioning material and cover removed, showing the frame attached to the floor and the support brackets in accordance with the one embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the frame removed from the cushion portion and the vehicle in accordance with the one embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a top view of the cushion portion and support brackets depicted in  FIG. 2  shown removed from the vehicle in accordance with the one embodiment; 
         FIG. 6  is a perspective view of one of the support brackets and a hook shaped bracket thereof depicted in  FIG. 5  shown removed from the vehicle in accordance with the one embodiment; and 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a hook shaped bracket shown removed from the support bracket in accordance with the one embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Selected embodiments will now be explained with reference to the drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the following descriptions of the embodiments are provided for illustration only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     Referring initially to  FIG. 1 , a vehicle  10  is illustrated in accordance with a first embodiment. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the vehicle  10  includes a vehicle body structure  12  that defines a passenger compartment  14  with a rear seat assembly  16  retained therein by, among other structures, a support bracket  18 . 
     The vehicle body structure  12  includes a floor  20  that at least partially defines the passenger compartment  14 . The floor  20  includes a seat supporting portion  22 . The seat supporting portion  22  includes a pair of recesses  24  ( FIG. 3 ) and an inclined surface  26  rearward of the seat supporting portion  22 . Since vehicle body structures and passenger compartments are conventional vehicle structures, further description is omitted for the sake of brevity. 
     The rear seat assembly  16  includes a cushion portion  30  and an upright portion (not shown). The upright portion is configured and dimensioned to support a torso portion of a passenger (not shown). The cushion portion  30  includes a support frame  32  ( FIGS. 3 and 4 ), cushion material (not shown) and a cover  34  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     A description of the support frame  32  of the seat assembly  16  is now described with specific reference to  FIGS. 3 and 4 . The support frame  32  is basically a wire frame assembly (also designated with reference number  32 ) constructed using, for example heavy gauge wire material that is bent, shaped and welded together to define a basic frame such as that shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 . It should be understood from the drawings and the description herein that the shape of the wire frame assembly  32  depicted in  FIGS. 3 and 4  can be modified or formed with a completely different overall shape, so long as the wire frame assembly  32  includes attachment areas that are described hereinbelow. Further, the wire frame assembly  32  is configured and shaped to support, for example, textile or textile-like strapping, springs and cushion material (not shown) that is used to provide the overall shape of the seat assembly  16 . Once the textile or textile-like strapping, springs and cushion material are attached to the wire frame assembly  32 , the cover  34  is installed concealing the wire frame assembly  32 , the textile or textile-like strapping, springs and cushion material. 
     The wire frame assembly  32  is installed to the vehicle body structure  12  such that at least a portion of the support frame  32  (the wire frame assembly  32 ) overlays the seat supporting portion  22  of the floor  20 , the seat supporting portion  22  being located at a rear area of the floor  20  within the passenger compartment  14 . 
     The wire frame assembly  32  includes a pair of front attachment projections  40  that are spaced apart from one another, a pair of rear attachment loops  42  that are also spaced apart from one another and a central loop or central attachment section  44 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2-5 , there are two support brackets  18  that are basically identical to one another. Therefore, description of one of the support brackets  18  applies equally to both support brackets. The support bracket  18  is fixedly attached to the floor  20  along the inclined surface  26 , as shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . As shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , the support bracket  18  includes an elongated metallic plate  50 , a pair of child seat attachment portions  52  and a frame attachment portion  54 . 
     The support bracket  18  includes an elongated metallic plate  50  is shown in the depicted embodiment as a flat metallic plate that includes contoured portions and openings for weight reduction. The pair of child seat attachment portions  52  are attached to the support bracket  18 , with one of child seat attachment portions  52  installed at an inboard end of the elongated metallic plate  50  and the other of the child seat attachment portions  52  being installed to an outboard end of the elongated metallic plate  50 . The child seat attachment portion  52  are basically metallic U-shaped members made of heavy gauge wire bent into a U-shape and then welded to the corresponding end of the elongated metallic plate  50 . The child seat attachment portions  52  designed, shaped and positioned such that they are easily accessed by a passenger or vehicle operator such that a child seat can be attached or tethered thereto in a conventional manner. Since child seat attachment structures are conventional vehicle structures, further description is omitted for the sake of brevity. 
     The frame attachment portion  54  is basically a metal plate that is bent in order to define a hook  54   a , as shown in  FIG. 7 . The frame attachment portion  54  and the hook  54   a  is also referred to herein as a hook shaped projection of the support bracket  18 . In the depicted embodiment, the frame attachment portion  54  is fastened to a central area of the support bracket  18  via a mechanical fastener. Alternatively, the frame attachment portion  54  can be welded to the elongated metallic plate  50  or formed therewith. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the support brackets  18  are fixedly attached to the floor  20  via mechanical fasteners F 1 . 
     When the cushion portion  30  of the rear seat assembly  16  is installed to the floor  20 , the front attachment projections  40  are installed to respective ones of the recesses  24 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . The recesses  24  are also referred to as recessed areas of the floor  20 . The rear attachment loops  42  are attached to the hooks  54   a  of respective ones of the support brackets  18  between corresponding ones of the child seat attachment portions  52 . Further, the central attachment section  44  of the wire frame assembly  32  is directly fixed to inclined surface  26  of the floor  20  via a clamp  60  and fastener F 2 , as shown in  FIG. 3 . Alternatively, the clamp  60  can be replaced with a hook similar to the hook  54   a , that is welded to the floor  20 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , the support frame  32  (the wire frame assembly  32 ) of the cushion portion  30  of the rear seat assembly  16  is attached to the floor  20  at five different locations. Specifically, the support frame  32  (and hence the seat cushion portion  30 ) is attached to the floor  20  via: the two front attachment projections  40  being inserted into the two recesses  24 ; the rear attachment loops  42  being hooked onto the hooks  54   a  of the two support bracket  18 ; and the central attachment section being hooked and/or clamped to the clamp  60 . 
     Hence, the cushion portion  30  of the rear seat assembly  16  is securely and more reliably attached to the floor  20 , as compared to other cushion assembly installation configurations. 
     The various vehicle structures, features and components, other than the rear seat assembly  16  and the support brackets  18 , are conventional components that are well known in the art. Since such structures, features and components are well known in the art, these structures will not be discussed or illustrated in detail herein. Rather, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the components can be any type of structure and/or programming that can be used to carry out the present invention. 
     General Interpretation of Terms 
     In understanding the scope of the present invention, the term “comprising” and its derivatives, as used herein, are intended to be open ended terms that specify the presence of the stated features, elements, components, groups, integers, and/or steps, but do not exclude the presence of other unstated features, elements, components, groups, integers and/or steps. The foregoing also applies to words having similar meanings such as the terms, “including”, “having” and their derivatives. Also, the terms “part,” “section,” “portion,” “member” or “element” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a single part or a plurality of parts. Also as used herein to describe the above embodiment(s), the following directional terms “forward”, “rearward”, “above”, “downward”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “below” and “transverse” as well as any other similar directional terms refer to those directions of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat support structure. Accordingly, these terms, as utilized to describe the present invention should be interpreted relative to a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat support structure. 
     The terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about” and “approximately” as used herein mean a reasonable amount of deviation of the modified term such that the end result is not significantly changed. 
     While only selected embodiments have been chosen to illustrate the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that various changes and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. For example, the size, shape, location or orientation of the various components can be changed as needed and/or desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other can have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element can be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment can be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature which is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such features. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the embodiments according to the present invention are provided for illustration only, and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.