Seat adjustment device for a vehicle seat

Claim 2

A seat adjustment device for seats used in vehicles of the type including a pair of rail assemblies, each rail assembly formed by slidably combining a fixed-side rail fixed to the floor of the vehicle and a movable-side rail mounted to the seat, said seat adjustment device comprising: a stepped lock mechanism provided in one of said pair of rail assemblies, a fine-pitched lock mechanism provided in the other of said pair of rail assemblies, and connecting means for cooperatively connecting said stepped and fine-pitched lock mechanisms with each other, wherein said fine-pitched lock mechanism includes (a) a lock plate having a toothed portion rigidly associated with said other rail assembly, (b) a link including a toothed body adapted to be intermeshed with said toothed portion of said lock plate, wherein said toothed portion of said lock plate and said toothed body are intermeshed with one another by means for providing a toggle action.

Claim 3

The seat adjustment device as in claim 1, wherein said stepped lock mechanism comprises a plurality of equally spaced engagement bores defined in said one rail assembly and a lock plate including click pieces adapted to be received in respective ones of said plurality of engagement bores.

Claim 4

The seat adjustment device as in claim 1, further comprising lever means which projects towards a front side of a seat cushion, and wherein manual operation of said lever means responsively unlocks said said fine-pitched lock mechanism.

Claim 5

The seat adjustment device as in claim 1, further comprising cable means for interconnecting said lock plate of said fine-pitched lock mechanism with a seat back, said cable means for unlocking said fine-pitched lock mechanism in response to forward inclination of said seat back.

Claim 6

A vehicle seat of the type having a pair of spaced-apart rail assemblies each including a slidably coupled pair of slide rails having a fixed-position slide rail and a movable side rail, said pair of rail assemblies for permitting the vehicle seat to be slidably moved between forward and rearward positions, and locking means associated with at least one of said rail assemblies for locking said fixed-position and movable slide rails one to another to thereby prevent slidable movement of said seat, said locking means comprising: a toothed rack rigidly associated with said fixed-position slide rail; a lock plate including a toothed portion, said lock plate pivotally mounted to said movable slide rail so as to be pivotal between (a) a locked position wherein said toothed portion is intermeshed with said toothed rack to thus prevent said slidable seat movement, and (b) an unlocked position wherein said toothed portion is spaced from said toothed rack to thereby permit said slidable seat movement; said lock plate also including means defining an inverted L-shaped guide slot having upper and lower portions; a link member having one end pivotally connected to said movable slide rail and another end slidably received within said guide slot; and lever means operatively connected to said link member for exerting a pull force on said another end thereof when said lever means is manually operated, said lever means for causing said another end to be slidably moved within said guide slot from said lower portion to said upper portion thereof by virture of said pull force which, in turn, responsively pivots said lock plate from said locked position and into said unlocked position.

Claim 7

A vehicle seat of the type having a pair of spaced-apart rail assemblies each including a slidably coupled pair of slide rails having a fixed-position slide rail and a movable side rail, said pair of rail assemblies for permitting the vehicle seat to be slidably moved between forward and rearward positions, and locking means associated with at least one of said rail assemblies for locking said fixed-position and movable slide rails one to another to thereby prevent slidable movement of said seat, said locking means comprising: a toothed rack rigidly associated with said fixed-position slide rail; a lock plate including a toothed portion, said lock plate pivotally mounted to said movable slide rail so as to be pivotal between (a) a locked position wherein said toothed portion is intermeshed with said toothed rack to thus prevent said slidable seat movement, and (b) an unlocked position wherein said toothed portion is spaced from said toothed rack to thereby permit said slidable seat movement; said lock plate also including means defining an inverted L-shaped guide slot having upper and lower portions; a link member having one end pivotally connected to said movable slide rail and another end slidably received within said guide slot; and lever means operatively connected to said link member for exerting a pull force on said another end thereof when said lever means is manually operated, said lever means for causing said another end to be slidably moved within said guide slot from said lower portion to said upper portion thereof by virture of said pull force which, in turn, responsively pivots said lock plate from said locked position and into said unlocked position.

Claim 8

A vehicle seat as in claim 5 wherein said link member includes biasing means for biasing said another end into said lower portion of said guide slot.

Claim 9

A vehicle seat as in claim 5 of the type further including a seat back pivotally connected to a seat cushion, said locking means further including means for moving said lock plate into said unlocked position in response to said seat back being pivotally inclined relative to said seat cushion.