FR2791014A1 - Fixing of removable automobile seat on vehicle floor uses automatic locking of feet on floor mounted mushrooms - Google Patents

Abstract

The seat feet (23) are shaped to each engage the vehicle under the head (51) of a mushroom (5) connected to the floor. One of the feet has an automatic lock (4) which clips onto the mushroom head and prevents displacement of the seat in a direction opposite to its mounting direction. A support washer (53) is supported on the floor and an insert (52) is located between the flange and the washer. A fixing screw (55) provides a rigid connection of these parts with the floor. A covering plate (54) covers the support washer. The seat is positioned with its feet in correspondence with the mushrooms and pushed transversely to the vehicle. By continuing to slide the seat on the floor the seat runners engage the mushrooms. The lock is automatically lifted by sliding the tab (46) on the mushroom head. The mushroom body then abuts the bottom of the indentation (25) and simultaneously the lock cut-out (44) fits the flange and under the force of the spring (47) the lock pivots downwards and clamps the mushroom head and is locked.

Description

System of fixation of a geamovible ingu ie- oil-

  automobile on the floor of the vehicle.

  The present invention relates to a system for fixing a removable seat of a motor vehicle on the floor of said vehicle. It is more particularly intended for fixing rear seats, in particular three seats, in utility vehicles. There are already known seat fastening systems known as quick fastening systems, which include hooks implemented by levers for anchoring on fixed elements of the floor. These systems, which use several parts hinged together, are complex and generally noisy due to the play

  inevitable that appear between moving parts.

  Also known are systems using mushroom-shaped parts, fixed on the vehicle floor, and the seat legs being shaped to engage each under the head of a mushroom, by a translation of the seat parallel to the floor. The head of the mushroom then prevents the foot of the seat from moving away from the floor, and locking means provided elsewhere prevent a translation which would lead to a release of the feet out of the grip with the mushroom. The known locking means require a tool for their implementation and therefore the manipulations for fitting or removing the seat are not

neither simple nor fast.

  The object of the present invention is to remedy these problems and aims in particular to provide a system for fixing a removable seat which is simple to use, rapid both in fitting and in removing the seat, and which is not not a source of noise nor can it be accidentally unlocked. With these objectives in view, the invention relates to a system for fixing a removable seat of a motor vehicle on the floor of said vehicle, the seat comprising feet shaped to engage each, by a translational movement parallel to the vehicle floor, in a direction transverse to the vehicle and in a mounting direction, around the rod and under the head of a respective mushroom linked to said floor, characterized in that one of the feet has automatic locking means coming from in engagement by automatically snapping into the locking position on the head of the corresponding mushroom to prevent the seat from moving in the opposite direction

mounting direction.

  As will be better understood below, the system according to the invention makes it possible to ensure easy installation and removal of the seat, since it suffices to slide the seat transversely to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle to engage or disengage the feet with the mushrooms, the seat in the service position being automatically ensured by the latching of the lock on the head of one of the mushrooms at the end of the seat translation. It will be noted that conventionally in vehicles equipped with this type of seats, their installation is carried out by an open door. This system is more economical because the realization of the feet, generally four in number or possibly more, is particularly simple, without the need for articulated hooks or the like. The only moving part is the bolt, which is moreover preferably placed on only one foot, which further reduces the cost of

all.

  Note that a single lock is sufficient to ensure reliable maintenance of the seat on the floor, since the forces exerted on the seat in normal use are

  basically efforts in the forward direction

  backward, or pullout efforts. The lock only serves to avoid the release of the feet out of the mushrooms by a transverse sliding of the seat, that is to say in a direction where the efforts are minimal. All of the above-mentioned greater efforts are effectively supported by the direct connection between the mushroom and the seat leg. Preferably, the foot which includes the automatic locking means is located in an easily accessible location, and comprises unlocking control means operable by foot or by hand, so as to facilitate the operations of removing the seat,

without the need for any tools.

  According to a preferred embodiment, the mushrooms comprise: an upper flange constituting the head of the mushroom, - a support washer intended to come to bear on the floor, - a spacer located between the flange and the support washer, - and a fixing member, such as a screw, ensuring a rigid connection of these elements, in particular of the flange, on the floor, these elements being axially aligned and superimposed so that the seat leg is inserted between the flange upper and the washer, surrounding the spacer. This arrangement allows mushrooms to be made with pieces that are very simple to make and

therefore inexpensive.

  Preferably, the fungus also has

  a trim plate covering the support washer.

  This trim plate, made for example of plastic material, has a sufficient dimension to cover the support washer and moreover its periphery is bevelled to facilitate the sliding of the foot and its insertion on the mushroom when mounting the seat on

the vehicle.

  According to an optional arrangement, the mushroom may further comprise an elastic conical washer, placed under the flange, and held for example by a second tubular spacer placed around the first spacer, the conical washer serving to make up for the play between the seat leg and the

  fungus, in its axial direction.

  According to a preferred embodiment of the seat, each foot has at its lower end a shoe in the form of a square having a support wall and sliding on the floor, said wall being substantially parallel to the floor and having a notch intended to come into engagement with the mushroom, the edges of the notch sliding under the head of the mushroom, and a leaf spring being adapted on said wall so as to come into elastic support under the head of the mushroom. It is then the leaf spring which serves to make up for the axial clearances between the bearing wall of the

skate and mushroom.

  According to a particular arrangement, the locking means comprise a plate articulated on a shoe of the foot, extending substantially horizontally and comprising a cutout of shape adapted to come to surround the head of the mushroom, while being held there by an elastic return means which allows the pivoting of the plate upwards during the installation of the seat, and ensures the pivoting downwards and the maintenance of the locking as soon as the plate can come back down

surrounding the head of the mushroom ..

  Preferably, the plate comprises, on the side of the notch of the foot, opposite the articulation axis, a tongue which extends obliquely upwards, so as to form a sort of oblique ramp which slides on the mushroom and raises the bolt during the translation of the seat placement. When the seat is in place, the mushroom corresponding to the foot carrying the lock being in abutment at the bottom of the notch, the lock can swivel downwards under the effect of the return spring, then surrounding the head of the mushroom and ensuring the locking. For unlocking, it suffices to manually lift or with the foot the said tab, intended to remain easily accessible once the seat is mounted, to release the head of the mushroom and allow the seat to be slid in the opposite direction of assembly until that all the feet are released from the grip of the mushrooms. The invention also relates to a removable seat of a motor vehicle characterized in that it comprises feet as defined above, one of the feet comprising locking means as defined above. Other characteristics and advantages will appear

  in the description which will be made of a vehicle

  with removable seats attached to the floor

according to the invention.

  Reference will be made to the appended drawings in which: - Figure 1 is an overall view from above of the vehicle, with a cutaway to show the arrangement of the seats and the mushrooms linked to the floor, as well as the method of fitting the seats, - FIG. 2 is a simplified front view of one of the seats, FIG. 3 is a perspective and exploded view of a shoe with a single foot, that is to say without a lock, and of a mushroom, - Figure 4 is a similar view for the foot with latch, - Figure 5 is a sectional view of the pad of a single foot facing a mushroom, before engagement of one with the other, - the Figure 6 is a corresponding view for the foot with lock, - Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the cooperation of the pad and the lock with the mushroom during the successive phases of the automatic locking operation, during the translation of the seat, - Figures 9 and 10 show two variants

of the mushroom.

  The drawing of FIG. 1 schematically represents a utility vehicle 1 comprising two removable benches 2 each having four feet. One of these benches is shown in front view in Figure 2, where we see that the feet 21 have at their lower ends pads 22, 23 in shape

  which rest on the floor 11 of the vehicle.

  As can be seen in the other figures, and as will be explained in more detail below, each of these pads has a horizontal lower wall 24, serving as a support on the floor, and in which is cut a notch 25 which s engages with a mushroom 5 fixed on the floor 11. In the drawing of FIG. 2, the mushrooms are represented only by their axes A. Three of the pads are simple pads 22, that is to say without lock, which are also shown in Figures 3 and 5. The fourth pad is the pad with lock 23, shown in Figures 4 and

6 to 8.

  All the pads, whether simple or bolted, have a similar general shape, at right angles, one wing of which is formed by a vertical wall 26 secured to the foot 21, for example by welding. The pads could also be formed in one piece with the feet, by stamping. The other wing of the square is formed by the lower horizontal wall 24. The notch 25 produced in the horizontal wall 24 is extended in the vertical wall 26 by a cut 27 of dimensions sufficient to allow the head 51 of the

  mushroom 5 and head 56 with a fixing screw.

  The notch 25 has a smaller width, less than the diameter of the head 51 of the mushroom, so that the parts of the horizontal wall 24 forming the edges 28 of the notch 25 can pass on either side of the body 52 of the fungus but are below the head 51 when the seat is in the normal position

of use.

  All skates also have

side reinforcement gussets 29.

  The simple pads additionally comprise a reinforcement piece 30 which is inserted between the two gussets 29, and stiffens the pad by increasing the thickness of its horizontal wall, as can be seen in FIG. 5. The reinforcement piece 30 is welded to the shoe 22. A spring 31, formed of a flat steel blade and folded back on itself and comprising a cutout corresponding to the notch 25, is mounted on the shoe 22, as shown in FIG. 5. A central part the leaf spring, forming a sole 32, is placed in contact with the underside of the horizontal wall 24; the folded portion 33 being curved and passing over said horizontal wall, and the assembly of the spring 31 being held in place by a clip 34 which hooks onto the rear edge of the horizontal wall. The function of this spring is to place the seat on the floor to avoid games, sources of noise, between the pad and the mushroom, as will be seen below. The bolt pad 23 has a general structure similar to pad 22, as seen in Figure 4. The reinforcement piece 30 is replaced by a simple plate 36, to leave room for mounting the lock 4. The lock 4 is constituted by a reinforced plate 41 pivotally mounted on the pad 23, by the intermediate an articulation shaft 42 inserted into bores of two ears 43 formed in one piece with the reinforcement gussets 29 of the shoe 23. The shaft 42 is immobilized axially by a retaining washer 48. A cutout 44 is produced in the wafer, the cut having a shape adapted to come and surround the head 51 of the mushroom in the locked position as will be seen later. A noise barrier 45 is placed on

  the edge of the cutout, on the side opposite the shaft 42.

  Being preferably made of plastic, this lining serves to dampen the contact between the head of the mushroom and the lock, and thus avoid parasitic noise. The plate 41 is extended forward, that is to say opposite the shaft 42, by a tongue 46 which extends obliquely and upward relative to the general plane of the plate 41. A spring with flange 47 working in torsion is mounted on the shaft 42, one end being in abutment on one of the ears 43, and the other end in abutment on the latch 4, so as to exert on said latch an effort of elastic reminder

pivoting down.

  The four mushrooms 5 intended to grip the seat there are preferably identical. They comprise a head 51, of diameter greater than the width of the notches 25, and a body 52 which is located between the edges 28 of said notch. The lateral clearance between the body 52 and the pads can be more or less important depending on the foot concerned, this is easily obtained by slightly modifying the width of the notch of the pad, or possibly, conversely, by modifying the diameter

from the body of the fungus.

  Thus, it is easy to provide adequate play to avoid excessive stresses, in the plane of the floor, at the level of certain feet. We can for example define an almost zero clearance in all directions of the said plane between the mushroom and the foot carrying a lock, for example a rear foot 21a (see FIG. 1) carrying a lock pad 23 which will precisely define the position of the seat relative to the floor; zero clearance only in the front rear direction at the second rear foot 21b, but sufficient in the perpendicular direction, so as to accept the inevitable dimensional dispersions of the center distance between the two rear mushrooms and the distance between the two rear feet ; and sufficient clearance in all directions of the plane for the two front legs 21c and 21d, to similarly accept the inevitable dispersions on the centers between mushrooms and the distances between feet in the front-rear direction. The feet 21b, 21c and 21d are

  in such a case provided with pads without latches 22.

  The mushroom further comprises a support washer 53, made of metal, intended to come to bear on the floor and support the weight of the seat, and a trim plate 54 covering the support washer, for example made of plastic, for facilitate the sliding of the foot and its insertion on the mushroom during assembly

seat on the vehicle.

  The mushroom is fixed to the floor by a fixing member which is for example a screw 55 with a hexagonal head or the like, passing coaxially through the constituent elements of the mushroom. The screw is screwed into the floor, the head 56 of the screw pressing on the head 51 of the mushroom. The different parts can be kept pre-assembled before mounting on the vehicle by a cardboard washer 57 or the like placed under the support washer and enclosing

elastically the thread of the screw.

  The body 52 of the mushroom can be constituted by an independent spacer placed between the head 51 and

  the support washer 53 or the trim plate 54.

  The spacer can itself be surrounded by a ring

  plastic material to avoid squeaking noises.

  Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 9, the head of the mushroom can be formed by a flange formed in one piece with the spacer of the body 52. The trim plate 54 can also be formed in one piece with the ring 58 surrounding the spacer and a thin washer 59 placed under the head of the mushroom. In the case given as an example in FIGS. 3 to 8, this thin washer can be omitted so that the

  spring 31 carries directly under the mushroom head.

  The trim plate is made for example of plastic material and has a sufficient dimension to cover the support washer and moreover its periphery is bevelled to facilitate the sliding of the foot and its insertion on the mushroom when mounting the seat on

the vehicle.

  In the variant of FIG. 10, the mushroom comprises an elastic conical washer 60, placed under the collar of the head 51, and held by a ring 58 placed around the spacer, this ring being for example integral with the plate 54. The conical washer is then used to make up the play between the seat base and the mushroom, in its axial direction, replacing

  of the spring 31 of the embodiment described above.

  The installation of the seat in the vehicle will be easily understood. It is enough to position the seat with its feet in correspondence with the mushrooms, and push it in the transverse direction of the vehicle, as indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1. The feet of the feet are then positioned relative to the mushrooms as shown by Figure 5 for

  simple feet, and by figure 6 for the bolt foot.

  By continuing to slide the seat on the floor,

  the skates begin to engage with the mushrooms.

  As can be seen in FIG. 7, the latch 4 is raised automatically by sliding the tab 46 II on the head 51 of the mushroom. Continuing the movement, the body of the mushroom comes into abutment at the bottom of the notch 25 and simultaneously the cutout 44 of the lock arrives in accordance with the head 51, and under the effect of the spring 47, the lock pivots downward. enclosing the head of the mushroom which is then blocked, in the direction of arrow F, between the bottom

  of the notch and the anti-noise lining 45 of the lock.

  The edges 28 of the notch are then positioned under the said head, ensuring the joining of the feet on the floor. The leaf spring 31 is supported by its domed upper part 33 under the head, eliminating the axial clearances necessary to be able to slide the horizontal wall 24 and its reinforcement 30 or 36 under the head of the mushroom. The game shown in Figure 8 has been deliberately exaggerated to better show the area

  spring support under the head of the mushroom.

  The seat is removed by moving it in the opposite direction, after having unlocked the foot.

  lock by lifting the tab 46.

  The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above only by way of example. In particular, the

  fungus in forms other than those described above

  above, or modify its fixing means while retaining the system for holding and locking

seat legs.

Claims (11)

  1. System for fixing a removable seat (2) of a motor vehicle to the floor (11) of said vehicle, the seat comprising feet (21; 22, 23) shaped to engage each, by a translational movement parallel to the vehicle floor, in a direction transverse to the vehicle and in a mounting direction, under the head (51) of a respective mushroom (5) linked to said floor, characterized in that one of the feet (23) has automatic locking means (4) snapping into the locking position on the head (51) of the corresponding mushroom to prevent   movement of the seat in the opposite direction to the mounting direction.   2. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the seat has at least four feet (21) and a single foot (21a) is equipped with said automatic locking means.   3. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the foot (21a) which comprises the automatic locking means is located in an easily accessible location, and comprises means (46) for unlocking control operable at the foot or by hand.   4. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the mushrooms (5) comprise: - an upper flange (51) constituting the head of the mushroom, - a support washer (53) intended to come to bear on the floor (11), - a spacer (52) located between the flange and the support washer, - and a fixing member (55) ensuring a rigid connection of these elements on the floor, these elements being axially aligned and superimposed so that the seat leg fits between the upper flange and the washer, surrounding the spacer. 5. Fastening system according to claim 4, characterized in that the mushroom (5) further comprises a trim plate (54) covering the washer support (53).   6. Fastening system according to claim 4, characterized in that the mushroom (5) further comprises   a spring washer (60) placed under the flange.   7. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that each foot (21) has at its lower end a shoe (22, 23) in the form of a square having a wall (24) for support and sliding on the floor, the said wall comprising a notch (25) intended to come into engagement with the mushroom (5), the edges (28) of the notch sliding under the head (51) of the mushroom, and a leaf spring (31) being adapted on said wall so as to come into elastic support under the head (51) of the mushroom.   8. Fastening system according to claim 1, characterized in that the locking means comprise a plate (41) articulated on a shoe of the foot, extending substantially horizontally and comprising a cutout (44) of a shape adapted to come and surround the head (51) of the fungus, being held there by an elastic return means (47) which allows the pivoting of the plate upwards during the setting in place of the seat.   9. Fastening system according to claim 8, characterized in that the plate (41) comprises, on the side of the notch of the foot, opposite the articulation axis, a tongue (46) extending obliquely to the top.   10. Fastening system according to claim 8, characterized in that the plate (41) comprises on the edge of the cutout located farthest from the joint, an anti-noise pad (45).   11. removable seat (2) for an automobile, characterized in that it includes feet as defined in claim 7, one of the feet comprising locking means as defined in any one of claims 8 to 10.