Slide/flip-up type seat for automobile
A slide/flip-up type automobile-seat is disclosed. The seat is provided with lock-release restricting mechanisms provided at lower rail members of a slide rail mechanism for keeping slide lock levers in unlockable states with respect to the lower rail members during flipping-up movement of an entire seat or in a state where the entire seat has been flipped up, and for keeping striker locks in states of being unallowable to be unlocked when the lock levers are in states of incompletely locked with respect to the lower rail members. Each of the lock-release mechanisms includes a restricting arm which includes an arm body, a rising-up piece rising up from one end portion of the arm body and having a height reaching a position under a rear end portion of corresponding one of the lock levers, and a retaining piece which is provided at a side edge of the arm body and to which a corresponding one of extension rods extending from the striker locks is connected. The restricting arm is pivotally supported to a corresponding lower rail member with the rising-up piece being inserted through an elongated hole formed in the lower rail member, in such a manner that the rising-up piece is moved between the position just under the rear end portion of the lock lever and a position just behind the rear end portion of the lock lever according to forward and rearward strokes of the extension rod when the striker lock is unlocked and locked.
1. A slide/flip-up type seat for an automobile, comprising:
a seat cushion;
a seat back pivotally supported to said seat cushion so as to be allowed to be folded down onto said seat cushion;
a pair of spaced apart lower rail members pivotally supported, via support shafts, at forward end portions thereof to a pair of spaced apart brackets mounted on an automobile body floor;
each of said lower rail members having an elongated hole formed in a bottom portion of a lower rail member so as to longitudinally extend;
said lower rail members being provided at rearward end portions thereof with striker locks which are adapted to be releasably locked with strikers mounted on said automobile body floor;
extension rods extending from said striker locks;
a pair of spaced apart upper rail members attached to lower portions of said seat cushion and slidably supported to said lower rail members;
a lock lever pivotally supported to each of said upper rail members and adapted to be locked with respect to said lower rail member to cause an upper rail member to be locked with respect to said lower rail member;
an operation lever connected to said lock levers for actuating said lock levers in such a manner that said lock levers cause said upper rail member to be unlocked with respect to said lower rail members, so that an entire seat including said seat cushion and said seat back is allowed to be slid along said lower rail members;
springs mounted around said support shafts for causing the entire seat including said seat cushion and said seat back in a state of being folded on said seat cushion, and said lower and upper rail members to be automatically flipped up about said support shafts from a rearward direction, together with said upper and lower rail members; and
lock-release restricting means provided at each of said lower rail members for keeping said lock levers in unlockable states with respect to said lower rail members during flipping-up movement of said entire seat or in a state where said entire seat has been flipped up, and for keeping said striker locks in states of being unallowable to be unlocked when said lock levers are in states of incompletely locked with respect to said lower rail members;
said lock-release restricting means comprising:
a support plate attached to an outer surface of said bottom portion of said lower rail member so as to cover said elongated hole is formed, with a predetermined space being provided between said support plate and said outer surface of said bottom portion of said lower rail member and with a region of said support plate being projected laterally from said lower rail member; and
a restricting arm including an arm body having first and second end portions, a rising-up piece rising up from said second end portion of said arm body and having a height reaching a position just under a rear end portion of said lock lever when brought to a locked state, and a retaining piece to which corresponding one of said extension rods is connected;
said restricting arm being arranged with said arm body being received in said space and pivotally supported at said first end portion thereof to said region of said support plate and with said rising-up piece being inserted through said elongated hole of said lower rail member and projected up to said position just under said rear end portion of said lock lever when brought to the locked state.