Adjustable hinge mountings for a motor vehicle seat

This application claims priority to German Patent Application No. 10 2007 051 130.4, filed Oct. 24, 2007, and which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

This application relates to an improved adjustable hinge mounting for a motor vehicle seat.

Such a hinge mountings is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,182 or from U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,640 for example. Usually, the angular range over which the toothed quadrant extends is adapted to the angular range about which the second hinge arm can maximally be pivoted relative to the first hinge arm. There is however a need for a quite large pivoting angle of the two hinge arms with respect to each other, for example a pivoting angle greater than 90°. This may for example be the case if the hinge mounting is utilized as a hinge mounting for a seat back, which is anyway its preferred application. If there is provided that the seat back can be almost completely folded onto the seat part, so-called table function, and/or can be folded backward to such an extent that it lengthens the seat part toward the back, so-called reclining seat function, the pivoting angle is significantly greater than 90°. The toothed quadrant must extend over at least this angular range. With such wide angular ranges, the toothed quadrant is quite large, needs much space and has moreover a considerable weight.

Actually however it is not necessary to configure the hinge mountings to be adjustable over the entire adjustment path. Instead, it is sufficient to limit the adjustability to the usable range.

What is needed the art is an adjustable hinge mounting of the type mentioned herein above in such a manner that it is of a simple construction while being adapted for large angles of adjustment, that the toothed quadrant in particular can be of reduced dimensions whilst allowing for a cooperation of toothed quadrant and detent part without mutual hindrance.

Disclosed herein are adjustable hinge mountings for a motor vehicle seat. In one embodiment, the adjustable hinge mountings for a motor vehicle seat can comprise: a first hinge arm, a second hinge arm that is pivotal and adjustable about a hinge axis relative to said first hinge arm, a toothed quadrant that is centered on said hinge axis and is connected to said first hinge arm, a detent part which has a toothed surface feature cooperating with said toothed quadrant and which can be moved from a normally existing detent position into a release position, and a control part that is associated with said detent part. The hinge arms can be pivoted between an active angular range in which the detent part is allowed to engage the toothed quadrant and a passive angular range in which the detent part is not located opposite the toothed quadrant so that the detent part is not allowed to engage the toothed quadrant, in the passive angular range, the detent part is retained by the control part in a passive position in which it is not in the range of movement of the toothed quadrant, in the active angular range, the control part allows the detent part to adopt an active position in which the detent part can be brought into engagement with the toothed quadrant and when passing from the passive angular range to the active angular range, the toothed quadrant actuates the control part.

Other features and advantages will become more apparent upon reviewing the appended claims and the following non restrictive description, given by way of example only with reference to the drawings.