Adjustable lumbar area support for vehicle seatbacks

Claim 2

In an adjustable lumbar area support for vehicle seatbacks including a frame carrying a rock shaft and arm means connecting the shaft to a horizontally elongated lumbar support member in position at the lumbar area of a vehicle seatback in thrusting relation to and behind a flexible backrest of the seatback, the improvement comprising: a lever arm corotatably fixed on said rock shaft; an actuating rod pivotally but non-rotatably connected to said lever arm and projecting generally away from said backrest; and means for selectively effecting push-pull reciprocal movement of said actuating rod, including a worm gear nut mounted in a fixed operating position on said frame and engaging threadedly with a portion of said actuating rod, there being a worm gear meshing with said nut and drivingly coupled with an electrical drive motor mounted on said frame.

Claim 3

A lumbar area support according to claim 1, wherein said support member comprises a plate having rearwardly extending attachment ears pivotally connected to said arm means, and biasing spring means acting between the arm means and the plate for normally maintaining the plate in one attitude relative to the arms but permitting pivotal adjustment of the plate responsive to pressure applied through said backrest, said plate having ventilation openings therethrough communicating with the backrest pressing thereagainst.

Claim 4

A lumbar area support according to claim 1, wherein said lever arm has a stop shoulder engageable with said frame to limit rotation of said rock shaft for moving said support member rearwardly relative to said backrest.

Claim 5

A lumbar area support according to claim 1, wherein said lever arm has a stop shoulder engageable with said frame to limit rotation of said rock shaft for moving said support member forwadly relative to said backrest.

Claim 6

A lumber area support according to claim 1, wherein said lever arm has respective shoulders for limiting rocking movements of said rock shaft both for moving said support member forwardly and rearwardly.

Claim 7

A lumber area support according to claim 1, wherein said worm gear nut is of generally ball shape and said housing has a complementary generally spherical chamber within which the nut is supported, said actuating rod extending through said nut and through opposite openings in said housing which are flared at said openings to provide clearance for oscillation of the rod in following movements of the lever arm during reciprocations of the rod by action of said nut.

Claim 8

An adjustable lumber area support device for vehicle seatbacks, the support being constructed as a self-contained unit to be mounted in and on a vehicle seatbacK frame, and comprising a unit frame having means for mounting it on the seatback frame, a rock shaft rockably supported by said unit frame and carrying in fixed relation thereon a horizontally elongated lumbar support member adapted to be positioned at the lumbar area of a vehicle seatback in thrusting relation to and behind a flexible backrest of the seatback, and comprising: a generally radially extending lever arm fixed on said rock shaft; a reciprocable non-rotary actuator rod linked to said lever arm for adjustably rocking said shaft to move said support member toward and away from the backrest; and actuating mechanism carried by said unit frame and engaged with said rod and operable to shift the rod adjustably selectively reciprocably for effecting rocking of said shaft through said lever arm and thereby movement of said support member, said actuating mechanism being drivingly coupled with an electrical drive motor mounted on said unit frame.

Claim 9

An adjustable lumber area support device for vehicle seatbacks, the support being constructed as a self-contained unit to be mounted in and on a vehicle seatbacK frame, and comprising a unit frame having means for mounting it on the seatback frame, a rock shaft rockably supported by said unit frame and carrying in fixed relation thereon a horizontally elongated lumbar support member adapted to be positioned at the lumbar area of a vehicle seatback in thrusting relation to and behind a flexible backrest of the seatback, and comprising: a generally radially extending lever arm fixed on said rock shaft; a reciprocable non-rotary actuator rod linked to said lever arm for adjustably rocking said shaft to move said support member toward and away from the backrest; and actuating mechanism carried by said unit frame and engaged with said rod and operable to shift the rod adjustably selectively reciprocably for effecting rocking of said shaft through said lever arm and thereby movement of said support member, said actuating mechanism being drivingly coupled with an electrical drive motor mounted on said unit frame.

Claim 10

A lumbar area support according to claim 7, wherein said support member comprises a plate having rearwardly extending attachment ears pivotally connected to said arm means, and biasing spring means acting between the arm means and the plate for normally maintaining the plate in one attitude relative to the arms but permitting pivotal adjustment of the plate responsive to pressure applied through said backrest, said plate having ventilation openings therethrough communicating with the backrest pressing thereagainst.

Claim 11

A lumbar area support according to claim 7, wherein said lever arm has a stop shoulder engageable with said unit frame to limit rotation of said rock shaft for moving said support member rearwardly relative to said backrest.

Claim 12

A lumbar area support according to claim 7, wherein said lever arm has a stop shoulder engageable with said unit frame to limit rotation of said rock shaft for moving said support member forwardly relative to said backrest.

Claim 13

A lumbar area support according to claim 7, wherein said lever arm has respective shoulders for limiting rocking movements of said rock shaft both for moving said support member forwardly and rearwardly.

Claim 14

A lumbar area support according to claim 7, said actuating mechanism comprising a housing fixed on said unit frame and having therein a generally spherical chamber within which a generally ball-shaped nut is supported, said housing having opposite outwardly flared openings aligned with a threaded opening through said nut, said rod extending through said openings and said nut and having a threaded portion engaged with the threads of the nut, and means for driving said nut selectively in respectively opposite rotary directions for effecting reciprocating movements of the rod.