EP-4739540-A1 - HIGH LATCH ASSEMBLY WITH TRANSLATING CARRIAGE

Abstract

A seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle comprises a seat cushion adapted to be coupled to a floor of the automotive vehicle, a seat back pivotably coupled to the seat cushion and a high latch (12) fixedly coupled to the seat back. The high latch (12) comprises a mounting plate assembly (40) fixedly coupled to the seat back and a carriage assembly (42) slidably coupled to the mounting plate assembly (40) and configured to be selectively coupled to a striker fixedly secured to a support wall in the automotive vehicle. The mounting plate assembly (40) selectively translates relative to the carriage assembly (42) while the carriage assembly (42) is coupled to the striker causing the seat back to pivot relative to the seat cushion between a design position, a full recline position, and an unlatched position.

Inventors

• ZANG, Creston, A.

Assignees

• Magna Seating Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240923

Claims (19)

1. 1. A seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle, the seat assembly comprising: a seat cushion adapted to be coupled to a floor of the automotive vehicle; a seat back pivotably coupled to the seat cushion; a striker adapted to be fixedly secured to a support wall in the automotive vehicle; and a high latch fixedly coupled to the seat back, the high latch comprising: a mounting plate assembly fixedly coupled to the seat back; and a carriage assembly slidably coupled to the mounting plate assembly and configured to be selectively coupled to the striker, wherein the mounting plate assembly can selectively translate relative to the carriage assembly; wherein translating the mounting plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly while the carriage assembly is coupled to the striker causes the seat back to pivot relative to the seat cushion between a design position, a full recline position, and an unlatched position.
2. 2. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: the mounting plate assembly further comprises a mounting bracket fixedly coupled to the seat back and an upper guide rod fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; and the carriage assembly further comprises a trolley bracket slidably coupled to the upper guide rod, a carnage bracket fixedly coupled to the trolley bracket, a lower pivot fixedly coupled to the trolley bracket, a lower strength hook pivotably coupled to the lower pivot and spring-biased towards the striker.
3. 3. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein: the mounting bracket further comprises a hook release; and the carriage assembly further comprises a hook pin fixedly coupled to the lower strength hook which releasably engages with the hook release as the mounting plate assembly is translated relative to the carriage assembly toward the unlatched position which causes the lower strength hook to pivot about the lower pivot away from the striker.
4. 4. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 3. further comprising a lower cinch hook pivotably coupled to the lower pivot and spring-biased towards the striker.
5. 5. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a fore-aft spring operatively coupled between the carriage assembly and the mounting plate assembly.
6. 6. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 5, further comprising: an upper pivot fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; an upper strength hook pivotably coupled to the upper pivot and pivotable between an engaged condition with the carriage assembly and a disengaged condition spaced apart from the carriage assembly; and a handle operatively coupled to the upper strength hook and configured to rotate the upper strength hook between the engaged condition and the disengaged condition; wherein translating the mounting plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly is prevented while the upper strength hook is engaged with the carriage assembly; and wherein the mounting plate assembly can selectively translate relative to the carriage assembly between the design position and the full recline position while the upper strength hook is disengaged from the carriage assembly.
7. 7. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein: the carriage bracket further comprises a forward aperture, a middle aperture, and a rear aperture; and the high latch is retained in the design position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the forw ard aperture, the high latch is retained in a mid-position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the middle aperture, the high latch is retained in the full recline position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the rear aperture, and the high latch is repositionable between the design position, the mid-position, , and the full recline position while the upper strength hook is spaced apart from the carriage bracket.
8. 8. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 5, further comprising: a threaded nut fixedly coupled to the carriage assembly; an end block fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; a lead screw- meshingly engaged with the threaded nut and rotationally supported by the end block; and an electric motor operatively coupled to the lead screw' and configured to selectively rotate the lead screw in a forward rotational direction and a rearward rotational direction causing translation of the mounting plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly in a forward direction and a rearward direction, respectively.
9. 9. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 8, wherein the high latch is selectively repositionable between the design position, the full recline position, and the unlatched position in response to the electric motor rotating the lead screw.
10. 10. The seat assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein the high latch is selectively repositionable to a plurality of intermediate positions between the design position and the full recline position while the high latch is coupled to the striker.
11. 11. A high latch for use in a seat assembly in an automotive vehicle, the high latch comprising: a mounting plate assembly comprising a mounting bracket and an upper guide rod fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; and a carriage assembly comprising a trolley bracket slidably coupled to the upper guide rod, a lower pivot fixedly coupled to the trolley bracket, a lower strength hook pivotably coupled to the lower pivot and adapted to be coupled to a striker in the automotive vehicle: wherein the mounting plate assembly can selectively translate relative to the carriage assembly between a design position, a full recline position, and an unlatched position.
12. 12. The high latch as set forth in claim 11, further comprising a fore-aft spring operatively coupled between the trolley bracket and the mounting bracket.
13. 13. The high latch as set forth in claim 12, further comprising a lower hook spring operatively coupled between the trolley bracket and the lower strength hook.
14. 14. The high latch as set forth in claim 13, further comprising: a hook release fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; and a hook pin fixedly coupled to the lower strength hook and configured to frictionally engage with the hook release when the high latch is in the unlatched position; wherein when the mounting plate assembly is translated relative to the carriage assembly towards the unlatched position, the hook release frictionally engages with the hook pin and causes the low er strength hook to rotate about the lower pivot.
15. 15. The high latch as set forth in claim 14. further comprising: an upper pivot fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; an upper strength hook pivotably coupled to the upper pivot and pivotable between a home position engaged with the carriage assembly and a retracted position disengaged from the carriage assembly; and a handle operatively coupled to the upper strength hook and configured to rotate the upper strength hook between an engaged condition with the carriage assembly and a disengaged condition from the carriage assembly; wherein translating the mounting plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly is prevented while the upper strength hook is in the engaged condition with the carriage assembly; and wherein the mounting plate assembly can selectively translate relative to the carriage assembly between the design position and the full recline position while the upper strength hook is in the disengaged condition spaced apart from the carriage assembly.
16. 16. The high latch as set forth in claim 15. the camage assembly further comprising a carriage bracket fixedly coupled to the trolley bracket and including a forward aperture, a middle aperture, and a rear aperture; wherein the high latch is retained in the design position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the forward aperture, the high latch is retained in a mid-position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the middle aperture, the high latch is retained in the full recline position when the upper strength hook is engaged with the rear aperture, and the high latch is repositionable between the design position, the mid-position, and the full recline position while the upper strength hook is spaced apart from the carriage bracket.
17. 17. The high latch as set forth in claim 14, further comprising: a threaded nut fixedly coupled to the carriage assembly; an end block fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket; a lead screw meshingly engaged with the threaded nut and rotationally supported by the end block; and an electric motor operatively coupled to the lead screw and configured to selectively rotate the lead screw in a forward rotational direction and a rearward rotational direction causing translation of the mounting plate assembly relative to the carriage assembly in a forward direction and a rearward direction, respectively.
18. 18. The high latch as set forth in claim 17. wherein the high latch is selectively repositionable between the design position, the full recline position, and the unlatched position in response to the electric motor rotating the lead screw.
19. 19. The high latch as set forth in claim 18. wherein the high latch is selectively repositionable to a plurality of intermediate positions between the design position and the full recline position while the high latch is coupled to the striker.

Description

HIGH LATCH ASSEMBLY WITH TRANSLATING CARRIAGE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 63/539,952, filed on September 22, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a high latch assembly for use on a seat assembly having a seat back pivotably coupled to a seat cushion wherein the seat back is selectively movable between an upright design position, a reclined position, and a fold flat position overlying the seat cushion. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART [0003] Automotive vehicles typically include one or more seat assemblies having a seat cushion and a seat back for supporting a passenger above a vehicle floor. In sedan type or other vehicles, rear seating assemblies are often fixedly secured to the vehicle floor and have limited adjustability due to the limited space within the rear compartment of the vehicle. It is common for these rear seat assemblies to include a seat back coupled to a seat cushion by a pivot assembly for providing selective pivotal folding of the seat back relative to the seat cushion between a use position and a fold flat position overlying the seat cushion to provide additional storage space within the vehicle rear compartment. It is also common to include a recliner assembly operatively coupled between the seat back and the seat cushion to provide selective pivotal adjustment of the seat back between the use position and a rearward reclined position to provide seat occupant comfort. Alternatively, rear seat assemblies are also known to have a seat back secured to a fixed striker on the vehicle by a high latch. The high latch is selectively decoupled from the fixed striker allowing the seat back to be rotated from an upright position towards a folded position. Certain known seat assemblies are selectively moveable between a use position and a reclined position while the high latch is engaged with the fixed striker. [0004] However, in a sedan ty pe vehicle, the range of motion of the seat back is limited by the high latch coupled to the fixed striker. It is desirable, therefore, to improve the range of motion of the seat back while the high latch is coupled to the striker. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0005] According to one embodiment, there is provided a seat assembly for use in an automotive vehicle. The seat assembly comprises a seat cushion adapted to be coupled to a floor of the vehicle, a seat back pivotably coupled to the seat cushion, a striker adapted to be fixedly secured to a support wall in the vehicle, and a high latch fixedly coupled to the seat back. The high latch comprises a mounting plate assembly fixedly coupled to the seat back and a carriage assembly slidably coupled to the mounting plate assembly and configured to be selectively coupled to the striker. The mounting plate assembly selectively translates relative to the carriage assembly while the carriage assembly is coupled to the striker which causes the seat back to pivot relative to the seat cushion between a design position, a full recline position, and an unlatched position. [0006] According to another embodiment, there is provided a high latch for use in a seat assembly in an automotive vehicle. The high latch includes a mounting plate assembly comprising a mounting bracket and an upper guide rod fixedly coupled to the mounting bracket. The high latch also includes a carriage assembly comprising a trolley bracket slidably coupled to the upper guide rod, a lower pivot fixedly coupled to the trolley bracket, and a lower strength hook pivotably coupled to the lower pivot and adapted to be coupled to a striker in the automotive vehicle. The mounting plate assembly selectively translates relative to the carriage assembly between a design position, a full recline position, and an unlatched position. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0007] Advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein: [0008] Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an automotive seat assembly having a high latch, according to one embodiment of the present invention; [0009] Figure 2 is semi-transparent left side view of the high latch from the seat assembly of Figure 1; [0010] Figure 3 is a semi-transparent right side view of the high latch of Figure 2; [0011] Figure 4 is a perspective view of the high latch of Figure 3; [0012] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the high latch of Figure 3 taken along line 5-5 in Figure 3; [0013] Figure 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion 6 of the high latch in Figure 5; [0014] Figure 7 is an exploded view of the high latch of Figure 4, showing a mounting plate assembl