Patent Publication Number: US-2022227276-A1

Title: Assembly for a vehicle seat

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of French Patent Application No. FR 21 00441 filed on Jan. 18, 2021, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     According to a first aspect, the present invention relates to an assembly for a vehicle seat comprising a seat padding element, a support element, a connector attached to the support element, the support element being assembled on the padding element. 
     According to a second aspect, the invention also relates to a vehicle seat comprising such a seat assembly and, according to a third aspect, to a method for assembling such a seat assembly. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The connector allows the electrical wiring harness of the seat to be connected to the electrical wiring harness of the vehicle. Fixing this connector to a metal plate, which is itself fixed to the seat structure by screwing, bolting or welding, is known. 
     This involves a number of disadvantages, as the connector assembly on the seat is time-consuming, involves the use of many components and tools, and makes the assembly more cumbersome. 
     SUMMARY 
     One objective of the invention is to overcome these disadvantages by providing a lighter, less expensive assembly for a vehicle seat that makes it possible to facilitate the connector assembly while limiting the number of parts and tools required and thus reduce the assembly time and limit carbon dioxide emissions. 
     To this end, the invention relates to an assembly for a vehicle seat of the aforesaid type comprising an assembly member, the assembly member protruding from a surface of the padding element or being formed by at least a portion of the padding element, the assembly member and the padding element each defining a respectively first and second contact surface, in contact with the first contact surface, the first and second contact surfaces being substantially complementary, the support element being assembled by means of the assembly member on the padding element along an assembly direction. 
     As such, the assembly makes a simplified assembly of the connector on the seat possible by assembling the support element on the padding element. The assembly of the connector on the seat requires few parts and does not require any specific tool. In particular, the assembly does not require any welding, screwing or bolting steps. The absence of an intermediate element for fixing the connector to the seat, such as a metal plate, also reduces the mass of the assembly. The connector can also be easily disassembled from the seat without the need for tools. 
     According to different embodiments, the assembly further comprises one or more of the following features, taken alone or in any technically possible combination:
         the padding element defines a abutment surface for the support element;   the padding element is a backrest padding element or a sitting padding element;   the assembly member is formed by a tenon protruding from the surface of the padding element, the tenon and the padding element being a single piece, the support element being assembled on the tenon in the assembly direction;   the support element defines a groove, with an inner surface of the groove defining the second contact surface;   the padding element and the tenon are made of expanded polypropylene or rigid polyurethane;   a section of the tenon in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the assembly direction is a substantially trapezoid or half-moon section;   the tenon section in the transverse direction is a substantially trapezoid section, the support element comprising two holding tabs arranged opposite each other, an inner surface of the holding tabs forming at least in part the second contact surface.       

     The invention also relates to a vehicle seat comprising an assembly as described above. 
     Finally, the invention relates to a method for assembling an assembly as described above, the method comprising insertion by translation along the assembly direction of the support element on the padding member by means of the assembly member. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, given by way of example and made with reference to the appended drawings, among which  FIGS. 1 to 3  are perspective views of an assembly for a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment of the invention from three angles of view. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       FIGS. 1 through 3  show an assembly for a vehicle seat  10  according to an embodiment of the invention. 
     The vehicle (not shown) is a passenger vehicle (or passenger car) or a commercial vehicle, for example, such as a van, pickup truck or the like. 
     In a variant, the vehicle is a vehicle of any type, such as an airplane, boat, railroad vehicle, etc. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the seat is a driver&#39;s seat or a passenger seat of a motor vehicle, for example. 
     The assembly  10  comprises a padding element  12 , an assembly member  13 , a support element  16  assembled on the padding element  12  in an assembly direction A, and a connector  18 . 
     The padding element  12  is, a seat or seat back padding element, for example. The padding element  12  is typically mounted on a seat frame (not shown). 
     Preferably, the padding element  12  is made of foam, such as expanded polypropylene or rigid polyurethane. 
     In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the assembly member  13  is formed by a tenon  14  protruding from a surface  22  of the padding element  12 . 
     The padding element  12  defines, an interior housing  20  receiving the tenon  14 , for example. 
     The tenon  14  extends primarily in a first main extension direction L 1 , substantially parallel to the assembly direction A. 
     Advantageously, the tenon  14  and the padding element  12  are integral. 
     In a variant, the tenon  14  is an attached element fixed to the padding element  12  by screwing or gluing, for example. 
     The tenon  14  protrudes from a surface  22  of the padding element  12 , and more particularly, in the example of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , from a lower surface  24  of the interior housing  20 . For example, the tenon  14  protrudes from a lower surface of the padding element  12 . The lower surface means the surface that faces the vehicle floor when the padding element  12  is mounted on the seat frame. 
     For example, a section of the tenon  14  in a transverse direction substantially perpendicular to the assembly direction A is substantially trapezoid. 
     More particularly, the tenon  14  includes a top wall  26  extending at least in part in a first plane substantially parallel to the lower surface  24  of the interior housing  20 , and two side walls  28 , each extending in a respective second and third plane. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the top wall  26  defines a groove  30  for receiving a lower portion of the connector  18  projecting toward the top wall  26  of the tenon  14 . 
     The side walls  28  are arranged on either side of the top wall  26  and are assembled to the top wall  26  and to the surface  22  of the padding element  12 , and more particularly to the lower surface  24  of the interior housing  20 . 
     The second and third plane form an angle with the first plane of between 30° and 60°, such as 45°. 
     The tenon  14  defines a first contact surface  32  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     The first contact surface  32  is formed by at least a portion of the sidewalls  28  and/or at least a portion of the top wall  26  of the tenon  14 , for example. 
     The connector  18  is preferably an electrical connector. 
     The connector  18  is attached to the support element  16 . For example, the connector  18  is attached to the support element  16  by gluing, snapping or screwing. 
     The support element  16  extends primarily along a second main extension direction L 2  substantially parallel to the assembly direction A when the support element  16  is assembled to the tenon  14  and substantially parallel with the first main extension direction L 1  of the tenon  14 . 
     The support element  16  defines a groove  34  including an inner surface  36 . The inner surface  36  of the groove  34  defines a second contact surface  38  ( FIG. 1 ). 
     More particularly, the support element  16  comprises a top wall  40  and two retaining tabs  42  assembled to the top wall  40 , arranged opposite each other, and arranged on opposite sides of the top wall  40  ( FIGS. 1 and 3 ). The top wall  40  of the support element  16  defines a receiving surface  44  of the connector  18 . 
     The second contact surface  38  is, for example, formed by at least a portion of the inner surface of the retaining tabs  42  and/or at least a portion of the top wall  40  of the support element  16 . 
     The first contact surface  32  of the tenon  14  and the second contact surface  38  of the support element  16  contact each other when the support element  16  is assembled on the tenon  14 . The first contact surface  32  and the second contact surface  38  are substantially complementary. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 1 through 3 , the tenon  14  and the support element  16  are attached by a mechanical dovetail connection. 
     Preferably, the retaining tabs  42  can warp flexibly in a direction substantially perpendicular to the second main extension direction L 2  of the support element  16 . “Warp flexibly” means that the retaining tabs  42  warp, i.e. move toward each other when pressure is exerted on said retaining tabs  42  or, conversely, move away from each other when traction is exerted on said retaining tabs  42 . The retaining tabs  42  return to their non-warped equilibrium position when pressure or traction is no longer applied to the retaining tabs  42 . 
     For example, the retaining tabs  42  are in a warped state when the support element  16  is assembled on the tenon  14  such that the retaining tabs  42  exert a bearing force on at least a portion of the first bearing surface  32  of the tenon  14 . Conversely, the retaining tabs  42  are not in a warped state when the support element  16  is away from the tenon  14 . 
     This ensures that the support element  16  is securely held on the tenon  14 . 
     Preferably, the padding element  12  defines an abutment surface  46  ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) that receives a side surface  48  of the support element  16  in abutment, at least in part, for example a side surface of the retaining tabs  42 . The abutment surface  46  extends in a plane substantially perpendicular to the first main extension direction L 1  of the tenon  14  and substantially perpendicular to the assembly direction A, for example. 
     In the example of  FIGS. 1 to 3 , the abutment surface  46  is formed by an inner surface of the interior housing  20 . 
     A method for assembling an assembly  10  as described above will now be described. 
     The method first comprises attaching the connector  18  to the support element  16 . 
     The support element  16  is then assembled to the tenon  14  by insertion along the assembly direction A such that the first contact surface  32  of the tenon  14  and the second surface  38  of the support element  18  abut each other. 
     Preferably, the support element  16  is inserted onto the tenon  14  until the side wall of the support element  16  abuts the abutment surface  46 . 
     The disassembly is accomplished by exerting traction on the support element  16  in a disassembly direction substantially opposite to the assembly direction A. 
     According to a second embodiment (not shown), the section of the tenon  14  in the transverse direction is a half-moon section. The first contact surface  32  then defines a convex curved surface. 
     The second contact surface  38  then defines a concave curved surface substantially complementary to the first contact surface  32 . 
     In a variant (not shown), the assembly member  13  is formed by at least a portion of the support element  16 . Preferably, the assembly member  13  is formed by a polyhedron, such as expanded foam or rigid polyurethane. 
     The padding element  12  then comprises a groove receiving the assembly member  13 . 
     The groove is preferably defined by the surface  22  of the padding element  12 . In a variant, the groove is formed by means of an element brought onto the surface  22  of the padding element  12 .