Flexible seat system

[0002] This application claims the benefit of provisional application 60/060,739, filed Oct. 2, 1997.

[0003] The present invention relates generally to vehicle seating and in particular to a seat system that provides flexibility in the use of the vehicle between transporting passengers and carrying cargo.

[0004] Vehicle manufacturers are constantly striving to increase the usefulness of motor vehicles. Doing so enables consumers to perform a greater variety of functions with their vehicles. In many vehicles, the rear seating area is used more often for carrying cargo than it is for carrying passengers. This is particularly true in multipurpose passenger vehicles (MPV's) and sport utility vehicles (SUV's) having three rows of seats. The third row seat may be used for passengers in the few instances when a large number of passengers are being transported at a given time. Much of the time, the area occupied by the third row seat is used for carrying cargo. Thus, it is desirable to provide a seat system for vehicles, particularly the third row seat, which can quickly and easily be changed from carrying passengers to carrying cargo in the vehicle.

[0005] One way to achieve flexibility between passengers and cargo is to provide seats that can be removed from the vehicle to enable cargo to be carried. A difficulty with removable seats is that the seats are often heavy and thus difficult to lift and maneuver out of the vehicle. Accordingly, a need exists for a seat that can be conveniently stored within the vehicle and occupy a minimal amount of space to maximize the cargo carrying capability of the vehicle.

[0006] The present invention provides a flexible seating system in which a track is mounted to the vehicle side wall and extends fore and aft, i.e. longitudinally, of the vehicle. A cross vehicle track extends laterally across the vehicle from the rear end of the side wall track. The seat system includes a seat back which has a first use position in the vehicle in which the seat back is upright and laterally extending across the vehicle, forming a front facing seating surface. An outboard edge of the seat back is adjacent the vehicle side wall and the side wall track. The seat back is coupled to the side wall track by a first bearing device for sliding motion along the length of the side wall track. The seat back has a second bearing device at an inboard edge of the seat back which is coupled to the cross vehicle track for sliding movement laterally of the vehicle, along the cross vehicle track. The seat back is movable from its first use position in which it faces forward in the vehicle to a stowed position along the vehicle side wall in which the seat back faces laterally, or sideways, in the vehicle.

[0007] A seat bottom is provided which has a rear end pivotally attached to the lower end of the seat back. The seat bottom has a generally horizontal use position extending from the seat back in which the seat bottom forms a generally horizontal seating surface. The seat bottom can rotate from the use position to an upright stowed position overlying the seating surface of the seat back. When the seat back is in its stowed position along the vehicle side wall and the seat bottom is rotated to its upright stowed position, the third row seating area of the vehicle is substantially open for carrying cargo. When the seat back is in the stowed position, the seat bottom can be rotated down to its extending use position to form a side facing seat within the vehicle. Thus, the stowed position of the seat back may also be referred to as a side facing use position.

[0008] An underseat stanchion is pivotally coupled to the seat bottom near its front end. The stanchion extends downward to the floor of the vehicle and is coupled to a mount on the vehicle floor. When the seat bottom is rotated to its upright stowed position, the stanchion pivots at the upper end of the stanchion to lie flat against the lower surface of the upright seat bottom.

[0009] In a typical embodiment, a pair of identical seats will be provided in the vehicle to form the third seating row. Each of the seats is movable to opposite side walls of the vehicle.

[0010] Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the seat system of the present invention within a motor vehicle in a forward facing use position and a stowed position along the vehicle side wall;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a side view as seen from substantially the line 2—2 in FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a plan view showing movement of the seat within the vehicle between its forward facing use position and side stowed position;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seat system within a vehicle like FIG. 1 with the seat shown in a side facing use position;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a side view of the seat showing the seat in a forward facing use position and with the seat bottom folded upright; and

[0016] FIG. 6 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 showing two seats, each coupled to opposite side walls of the vehicle for forming a row of seats across the vehicle.

[0017] The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention or its application or uses.

[0018] The present invention is a flexible seat system which may be incorporated in a vehicle where flexibility between providing passenger seating positions and open space for cargo or other purposes is important. While the description of the invention uses an automotive vehicle, such as a sport utility vehicle or minivan, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that this invention can also be used in boats, campers, recreational vehicles, airplanes, or any other vehicle where this flexibility is desirable.

[0019] As shown in the Figures, the seating system 10 of the present invention is installed in a vehicle 20. The vehicle 20 has a side wall 22 to which a side wall track 24 is attached. The side wall track 24 extends in a generally horizontal direction. The track 24 may be extruded, stamped or formed of a metal, plastic, resin or composite material. The track 24 is provided with a cross section which will capture a first slidable bearing device 26. In the embodiment shown, the track 24 has a generally C shaped section and the slidable bearing device 26 includes a wheel 27 inserted within the C section of the track. Other track cross sections and complementary slidable bearing devices can be readily interchanged for that described.

[0020] A cross vehicle beam 28 extends from the side wall 22 to a structural attachment at a distal end 32 of the beam 28. The structural attachment in the preferred embodiment is the oppositely positioned vehicle side wall (not shown) but could be a wide variety of the structural elements depending upon what type of vehicle and where in the vehicle the present invention is utilized. The cross vehicle beam 28 includes a cross vehicle track 30 constructed similar to the track 24 in material and section. The beam 28 can be removable or fixed in position and is generally coordinated with one end of the side wall track 24, preferably the rear end 34 of the side wall track.

[0021] The seat system 10 includes a seat 18 having a seat back 40 and a seat bottom 42. The seat bottom 42 is pivotally connected at the rear end of the seat bottom 42 to the lower end of the seat back 40 by a pivot 44. The seat back 40 has a forward facing use position shown in FIG. 1 in which the seat back extends laterally of the vehicle and the seat back forms a front facing seating surface 46. The seat bottom 42 extends forwardly from the seat back in a generally horizontal use position in which the top of the seat bottom forms a generally horizontal seating surface 48. The seat bottom 42 can be rotated about the pivot 44 to an upright stowed position in which the seat bottom 42 overlies the seat back 40 with the seating surfaces 46, 48 facing one another. A locking device is preferably provided to lock the seat bottom 42 in its upright stowed position. The lock 45 can be included at the pivot 44 to prevent unintended downward rotation of the seat bottom to its use position. The lock 45 can be part of the hinge mechanism which forms the pivot 44. The lock 45 may be similar to a power recliner to move the seat bottom between its use and stowed positions. Such a power drive device would hold the seat bottom in place in both the use and stowed positions. Alternatively, the seat bottom 42 can be latched at its forward or upper end to the seat back by a latch or a connecting strap to hold the seat bottom in the upright stowed position.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, the seat bottom and seat back have a combined thickness of 6 to 8 inches. The thickness can vary above or below this dimension depending upon requirements for seat comfort and cargo carrying capacity. Further the lower surface 50 of the seat bottom 42 may have a decorative cover 52 attached thereto. Decorative cover 52 may have a sew style to match the remainder of the interior or may be a hard protective shell to prevent cargo from damaging the seat bottom.

[0023] The first slidable bearing device 26 is attached to the outboard edge 41 of the seat back 40 which is adjacent to the vehicle side wall 22. A second slidable bearing device 58 is attached to seat back 40 near an inboard edge 64 of seat back 40. The second slidable bearing device 58 is captured in and moves along the cross track 30.

[0024] As shown in the drawings, the seat back and seat bottom can move from a laterally extending position in the vehicle 20 to a position parallel to side wall 22. The path of the arc which the seat 18 travels in is defined by the first slidable bearing device 26 moving along the side wall track 24 while at the same time the second slidable bearing device 58 moves along the cross track 30. The seat 18 is stowed in the vehicle along the vehicle side wall 22 with the seat bottom 42 rotated to the upright stowed position overlying the seat back 40. The slidable bearing devices 26, 58 are pinned to the seat back so that the slidable bearing devices can travel along their respective tracks while the seat 18 rotates approximately 90° about a vertical axis relative to the vehicle body. The side wall track 24 can include a latch mechanism 59 at the rear end 34 to hold the slidable bearing device 26 in place in the seat back forward facing use position. A latch can also be provided in the cross track and at the front end of the side wall track.

[0025] The seat 18 can be used when it is along the vehicle side wall 22 by rotating the seat bottom 42 downward to its generally horizontal use position extending from the seat back 40. With the seat back 40 along the vehicle side wall, seat 18 is a side facing seat within the vehicle.

[0026] A leg or stanchion 54 is pivotally coupled to the seat bottom 42 and lowers to engage a receptacle 56 located in the floor 57 of the vehicle 20. Stanchion 54 provides support for the seat bottom 42. Receptacle 56 is L-shaped whereby the stanchion 54 can engage one leg of the receptacle 56 when the seat 18 is in the front facing position and engage the other leg of the receptacle when the seat back is in the side facing position along the side wall 22. A latch device 80 can be included in the floor to hold the stanchion 54 in place. The latch 80 can be manually operated or it can be a power device, remotely actuated. A latch 80 can be provided in each leg of the L-shaped receptacle 56.

[0027] The movement of seat 18 between the front facing and side facing positions can be achieved by attaching power drives 59, 61 to the slidable bearing devices 26, 58 which force the bearing devices along the tracks 24, 30, respectively. In the preferred embodiment, a cable drive system would be attached to the bearing device 26 and extend toward the front end 36 of the side wall track 24. When power is applied to a motor of the drive 59, the cable would draw the slidable bearing device 26 toward the front end 36 of the track 24, thereby moving seat 18 into the side facing position. Other drive systems such as spur gears, rack and pinions, stepper motors and similar devices could be utilized with equal results for moving the bearing device 26 along sidewall track 24. The power drive 61 is similarly constructed and mounted to the cross track 30. With a power drive in the tracks, a power drive at the seat bottom pivot and power release of the stanchion, the seat can be moved to its stowed position remotely by power actuation.

[0028] In the preferred embodiment, the seat 18 only extends laterally across the vehicle approximately half of the vehicle width. A second identical seat 18 can be provided adjacent the first seat 18 forming a seat row across the entire width of the vehicle. The second seat will use the same cross track 30 within the beam 28. Another side wall rail is provided in the opposite side wall of the motor vehicle. The two seats may be of equal or unequal widths.

[0029] If the cross track 30 is integrated to the rear end of the side wall track 24, the second bearing device 58 can be movable from the cross track 30 to the side wall track 24. This will enable the cross beam 28 to be made removable from the vehicle while the seat 18 remains mounted to the side wall track 24. In addition, the side wall track can extend forward along the side wall at greater length then the width of the seat 18 so that the seat 18 can be moved forward along the side wall to a forward stowed position immediately behind the next forward seat row. This can provide a greater width in the rear of the vehicle for carrying large items.

[0030] The cross beam 28 also incorporates a channel 60 that allows for the attachment of modular convenience features to the vehicle 20, such as a tie-down ring 63. Various items can be attached to the tie-down ring, such as a cargo netting 62 or pouch. Other modular features can include, but are not limited to, a rear package shelf, a vertically positioned security screen, a cross-vehicle storage bag made of a woven fabric or mesh-type net or a wide variety of other convenience items. The channel 60 can also be used to secure items such as bicycles in the rear of the vehicle.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 1, an occupant positioned in seat 18 in the forward facing use position can utilize a restraint system 70. As shown, restraint system 70 has a belt webbing 72 mounted to the D-pillar or the roof the vehicle 20 with a tongue 73 on the webbing 72. In the forward facing use position of the seat 18, an occupant draws the webbing 72 over his or her right shoulder and attaches it to a buckle end 74 located toward the center of the vehicle on the inboard edge of the seat 18. Further, the restraint system 70 can be utilized when the seat 18 is in the side facing position with the seat back 40 parallel to the side wall 22 as shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the occupant draws the webbing 72 over his or her left shoulder and attaches it to a buckle end 76 located in a position forward of the occupant on the outboard edge 41 of the seat 18. It is further contemplated by the Applicant that the buckle ends maybe integrated directly into the vehicle and not attached directly to the seat 18. By providing the seat 18 with webbing buckle ends 74, 76 on each side of the seat 18, identical seat components can be used for either the left or right side of a vehicle body.

[0032] The foregoing discussion discloses and describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention. One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention.