The present invention relates to the field of
seats for vehicles, namely seats for armoured vehicles, and
relates particularly to a device for 5 rapid
removal/reinstallation of a seat back, and optionally also
a harness, and to a seat assembly comprising this device.
The support and regulatory requirements in case
of IED (Improvised Explosive Devices) threats (lateral and
10 under the floor) required to add harness-type belts to the
seats of armoured vehicles. Furthermore, the armoured
vehicles must be provided with seats ensuring a safe
sitting position but, at the same time, occupying a reduced
volume in the passenger compartment.
15 It is known to provide armoured vehicles with
seats the back of which is foldable.
However, such seats have an excessive size and do
not allow an easy access to passenger compartment areas
located behind the seat back.
20 In order to facilitate the access to equipment
located behind the seat back, European patent EP 2 208 635
suggests a seat with a flexible back removable from the
vehicle ceiling.
This seat has a flexible back attached between a
25 seating part integral with the structure of the vehicle and
a profile which has been made permanently integral with the
structure, at the vicinity of a vehicle ceiling, the back
being removably attached at the profile by hooks connected
to the back by first straps for adjusting the tension of
30 the back.
A harness comprising a lap strap and two shoulder
straps is further provided. Each shoulder strap passes,
with passing through a hole of the back, through a fixed
3
loop positioned to the rear of the back, the end of each
shoulder strap being made integral with the structure of
the vehicle. In addition, both fixed loops are integral
with length-adjustable second flexible straps attached, at
the bottom, to the structure of the vehicle and, at 5 the
top, in a removable manner, to said profile by snaps.
Thus, in order to remove the seat back, it is
required beforehand to loosen said first and second straps,
and then to unhook the same from the profile. One
10 understands that the reinstallation requires to retighten
each strap.
Therefore, although such a seat allows to remove
the back easily, the removal and reinstallation of the back
require to act on the tension of each strap.
15 European patent application EP 2 127 940 A2 is
another example of a seat the flexible back of which is
hung to the ceiling by straps, the tension of which is
adjustable, and held tightened by tightening said straps,
but the reinstallation of which requires to release and re20
tighten the straps. Indeed, said straps are hooked to the
back via tab-type hooking buckles. Avoiding the action on
the tension of the straps would suppose that the user can
himself/herself tighten directly the back to a tension
corresponding to that of the back when tightened.
25 Obviously, even supposing that the user can sufficiently
tighten the back, which will not be the case in practice,
that he has to apply such an effort is contrary to the aim
of an easy and rapid removal/reinstallation of the back.
It is mentioned here that hanging a seat to a
30 ceiling by straps is known here, if applicable with means
dedicated to shock absorption, for example by patent
applications EP 2 103 478 A2, US 2013/152775 A1 and
US 2013/169020 A1.
4
The present invention is intended to solve the
problems mentioned above and thus to provide a solution
with which the back and the associated harness are removed
and reinstalled rapidly and easily, without acting on the
tension of the 5 plurality of straps.
According to the present invention, such a
solution consists in arranging, between, on one hand, the
ceiling and, on the other hand, the back and the harness, a
device comprising a hanging intermediary structure to which
10 the plurality of straps can be connected, which hanging
intermediary structure can be hung to a fixed structure
while the back and the harness do not apply any tension
thereon, and which can then be moved by an upward movement
to a position in which the seat can be used and locked in
15 this position.
This solution can be applied to the
removal/reinstallation of only the back of a seat, in case
where no harness is provided.
The present invention thus relates to a device
20 for rapid removal/reinstallation of a back of a vehicle
seat, the seat comprising a seating part, integral with a
structure of the vehicle, and a back which is attached, in
the use position of the seat, and via at least one first
strap, between the seating part and one or more first high
25 attachment points to a ceiling of the vehicle, said first
strap(s) being adjustable in tension and being, in the use
position of the seat, tightened so as to maintain in
position the back, the device being characterized in that
it comprises a hanging intermediary structure, provided
30 with means for connecting to said first strap(s), and a
fixed structure which is integral with the ceiling of the
vehicle and forms said first high attachment point(s), the
fixed structure comprising for this purpose:
5
- retaining means for removably connecting the hanging
intermediary structure to the fixed structure and for
supporting the hanging intermediary structure in the use
position of the seat, position in which the hanging
intermediary structure has been brought with a 5 movement
towards the ceiling so as to put under tension the
hanging intermediary structure thanks to the tension of
the first strap(s); and
- locking means for, in a first position, locking the
10 hanging intermediary structure in the use position of
the seat and for, in a second position, unlocking the
hanging intermediary structure such that the latter is
moved away from the ceiling so as to release the tension
applied by the first strap(s) on the hanging
15 intermediary structure and thus allow the hanging
intermediary structure to be disengaged from the
retaining means, the latter being configured to support
the hanging intermediary structure during said movement
away from the ceiling,
20 whereby the back can thus be removed or reinstalled without
any action on the tension setting of said first strap(s).
In the case where several first straps are
provided, the above configuration of the hanging
intermediary structure and of the fixed structure allows to
25 tighten the first straps, and thus the back, in an easier
manner as only the hanging intermediary structure needs to
be moved upwards, and not each strap in an isolated manner
as in patent EP 2 127 940 A2. The operation can thus be
done with only one hand.
30 Preferably, the device is intended to a rapid
removal/reinstallation of a back of a vehicle seat and a
harness provided to the seat, the harness comprising at
least two shoulder straps, each cooperating with a second
6
strap extending between a low attachment point integral
with the structure of the vehicle or the seating part of
the seat and, in the use position of the seat, a second
high attachment point to the ceiling of the vehicle, said
second strap(s) being adjustable in tension and 5 being, in
the use position of the seat, tightened so as to allow to
maintain the occupant of the seat against the back by both
shoulder straps, the device being characterized in that the
hanging intermediary structure is also provided with means
10 for connecting to said second straps.
According to a first embodiment, the retaining
means are formed by fixed hooks having openings which have
bottoms which follow a same imaginary cylinder, and the
hanging intermediary structure has at least one cylindrical
15 bar able to be received within the hooks so as to be
rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the at least one
bar, the hanging intermediary structure thus being able to
pivot upwards or downwards around the rotation axis of the
at least one bar.
20 The hanging intermediary structure is thus able
to be hung to the fixed structure by engaging the at least
one bar within the hooks, and then to be brought to the use
position of the seat by pivoting the hanging intermediary
structure upwards to the use position of the seat, the
25 upward pivoting movement arranging under tension the
hanging intermediary structure while the downward pivoting
movement of the hanging intermediary structure, allowed by
the locking means when they are in their second position,
allows to release the tension exerted by the first and, if
30 applicable, second straps.
Preferably, the center of inertia of the hanging
intermediary structure is offset, with respect to the
rotation axis of the at least one bar, on the seating part
7
side with respect to the plane of the back in the use
position of the seat.
The hanging intermediary structure can comprise
two handles connected by a connecting central bar and each
handle carrying means for attaching a first strap and, 5 if
applicable, a second strap, and a cylindrical bar able to
be received within one of the fixed hooks.
According to a second embodiment, the fixed
structure has a fixed support integral with the ceiling of
10 the vehicle, the retaining means are formed by movable
hooks connected to the fixed support so as to be able to
pivot around a horizontal pivot axis, the openings of the
hooks having bottoms which follow a same imaginary
cylinder, and the hanging intermediary structure has at
15 least one cylindrical bar able to be received within the
hooks, the hanging intermediary structure thus being able,
after engaging the at least one bar within the hooks, to be
moved to the use position of the seat by pivoting upwards
or downwards the movable hooks.
20 Preferably, the center of inertia of the assembly
formed by the movable hooks and the hanging intermediary
structure, when the at least one bar is engaged within the
hooks, is, with respect to the pivot axis of the hooks,
offset on the seating part side with respect to the plane
25 of the back in the use position of the seat.
Preferably, the locking means comprise a locking
member movable between said first and second positions of
the locking means and means for elastically biasing the
locking member towards the first position, and the hanging
30 intermediary structure carries a cooperating member
arranged to move the locking member from said first
position to said second position when the hanging
8
intermediary structure is in the use position of the seat
by a movement towards the ceiling.
The locking means can advantageously comprise an
unlocking control handle manually operable to move the
locking member from the first position to the 5 e second
position.
In the first embodiment, the cooperating member
can consist in a locking finger extending from the
connecting central bar, and the fixed structure has a notch
10 able to receive the locking finger when the hanging
intermediary structure is in the use position of the seat,
the locking member being a pivoting latch having an oblique
outer surface oriented such that the locking finger pivots
the latch to the second position when it presses the
15 oblique surface when the hanging intermediary structure
reaches the use position of the seat.
In the second embodiment, the locking member can
be formed by a locking finger carried, by the fixed
support, so as to be able to translate in a direction
20 parallel to the pivot axis of the movable hooks, and the
movable hooks are integrally connected to each other by a
connecting central part carrying a leg which is sloped
while being oriented upwards and towards the locking
finger, a through hole being provided in the leg for
25 letting the locking finger pass, said leg forming the
cooperating member and its slope being such that the leg
moves the locking finger in translation towards the second
position when it presses the sloped leg when the hanging
intermediary structure reaches the use position of the
30 seat.
The present invention also relates to a seat
assembly for a vehicle, the seat assembly comprising a seat
and attachment points for attaching the seat to a ceiling
9
of the vehicle, the seat comprising a seating part,
integral with a structure of the vehicle, and a back,
preferably flexible, which is attached, in the use position
of the seat, and via at least one first strap, between the
seating part and a first high attachment point to a 5 ceiling
of the vehicle, the seat being, preferably, provided with a
harness comprising at least two shoulder straps, each
cooperating with a second strap extending between a low
attachment point integral with the structure of the vehicle
10 and, in the use position of the seat, a second high
attachment point to the ceiling of the vehicle, said first
strap(s) and, if applicable, said second strap(s), being
adjustable in tension and being, in the use position of the
seat, tightened so as to respectively maintain in position
15 the back and allow to maintain the occupant of the seat
against the back by both shoulder straps, the seat assembly
being characterized in that it comprises a device for rapid
removal/reinstallation as defined above.
To better illustrate the subject-matter of the
20 present invention, two particular embodiments will be
described below, with reference to the appended drawings.
In these drawings:
25 - FIG.1 is a global perspective view of a seat of an
armoured vehicle provided with the device for
removal/reinstallation of the back according to a first
embodiment of the invention, the back being in the use
position;
30
- FIGS.2 and 3 are top perspective views, respectively on
the front side and rear side, of the device according to
10
the first embodiment of the invention, in locked
position;
- FIG.4 is a bottom front-side perspective view of the
device according to the first embodiment 5 of the
invention, in locked position, the upper part of the
different straps having been shown;
- FIG.5 is a front-side top perspective view of the device
10 according to the first embodiment of the invention, in
unlocked position, before the hanging intermediary
structure is unhooked;
- FIG.6 is a bottom front-side perspective view of the
15 fixed structure of the device according to the first
embodiment of the invention;
- FIG.7 is a global perspective view of a seat of an
armoured vehicle provided with the device for
20 removal/reinstallation of the back according to a second
embodiment of the invention, the back being in use
position;
- FIGS.8 and 9 are front-side perspective views of the
25 device according to the second embodiment of the
invention, in locked and unlocked positions,
respectively; and
- FIG.10 is a front-side perspective view of the fixed
30 structure of the device according to the second
embodiment of the invention.
If referring to FIGS.1 to 10, a rapid
removal/reinstallation device is shown according to first
35 and second embodiments of the present invention, equipping
11
a seat 1 which comprises a flexible back 2, for example
made of cloth or synthetic material, and a seating part 3
integral with a profile 4 which is integral with the
structure of the vehicle. The seating part 3 could be
5 mounted in a swinging manner with respect to the profile 4.
The back 2 is, in a low part, integral with the
seating part 3 and carries, in an upper part, two first
straps 5, preferably with an adjustable length. The back 2
has two holes 2a, each for passing a shoulder strap 6a of a
10 harness 6, the shoulder straps 6a cooperating, via two
fixed loops 7a, with two second length-adjustable straps 7
which extend from the profile 4, to which they are
attached, here in a removable manner by hooks 7b, to the
vicinity of a ceiling 8 of the vehicle, only part of the
15 ceiling 8 being shown. It would also be possible to mount
the straps 7 in a fixed manner at the profile 4. The
harness 6 also has a lap strap 6b which closes by a clip 6c
to which the shoulder straps 6a are also attached.
The connection of the harness 6 and the second
20 straps 7 is based on the principle disclosed in European
patent EP 2 208 635, to which reference can be made for a
more detailed description of the harness 6, the fixed loops
7a and the second straps 7.
Generally, the embodiments shown here differ from
25 European patent EP 2 208 635 by the rapid
removal/reinstallation device arranged between, on one
hand, the first and second straps 5,7 and, on the other
hand, the ceiling 8.
If referring first to FIGS.1 to 5, it can be
30 noted that the rapid removal/reinstallation device 9
according to the first embodiment of the present invention
comprises a fixed structure 10 and a hanging intermediary
structure 11.
12
The fixed structure 10 has a support 12 formed by
a generally U-shaped metal sheet the opening of which is
oriented downwards and the bottom of which is applied by
its outer face 12a against the ceiling 8 and attached to
the latter by any suitable means, for example by 5 screwing
through the holes 12b provided for this purpose. Both wings
12c of the U-shaped metal sheet 10 are perpendicular to the
plane of the back 2 in the position of use of the latter.
The lower part of each wing 12c forms a cylindrical10
bottomed hook 12d the opening of which is oriented towards
the ceiling 8, here on the seating part 3 side with respect
to the plane of the back 2 in use position. The hooks 12d
form the retaining means for retaining the hanging
intermediary structure 11.
15 On the inner face of the bottom of the support
12, substantially centered in the longitudinal direction of
the support 12, is attached a locking support piece 12e,
also generally U-shaped, so as to form a free space between
said inner face of the support 12 and the bottom of the
20 piece 12e. A notch 12f, the function of which will be
explained below, is provided in the center of the edge of
the piece 12e, on the hook 12d side.
The hanging intermediary structure 11 has a
connecting central bar 13 each end of which is integral
25 with a handle 14.
The bar 13, having a square cross-section,
carries, in the center in the longitudinal direction
thereof, a locking finger 13a in the form of a cylindrical
block extending perpendicularly to a face of the bar 13.
30 Each handle 14 is in the form of a semi-open
shell consisting in two wings 14a, perpendicular to the
longitudinal direction of the bar 13 and to one of which
the bar 13 is attached, and a handling part-forming metal
13
sheet 14b extending between both wings 14a, for each wing
14a from a point of an edge of a wing 14a to a point on the
opposed edge of said wing 14a so as to form an inner space
to which an individual’s hand can access by an opening 14c.
In each wing 14a, to which the bar 13 5 is
attached, is provided a hole 14d for hanging a hook 7c to
the upper end of each second strap 7. The upper end of each
first strap 5 is also attached in the inner space of a
handle 14 by connection to a leg, as will be described in
10 the second embodiment.
Thus, the hanging intermediary structure 11 is
integral with the back 2, via the first straps 5, and the
harness 6, via the second straps 7. The hanging
intermediary structure 11, back 2 and harness 6 assembly
15 can be handled using at least one of the handles 14.
If referring particularly to FIG.3, it can be
noted that a hooking cylindrical bar 15 extends between
both wings 14a of a same handle 14, on the opposite side to
the handle part 14b, a part 15a of each bar 15 protruding
20 on the wing 14a which faces the other handle 14.
The bars 15, on one hand, are coaxial to each
other and parallel to the central bar 13 and, on the other
hand, have a diameter allowing their protruding part 15a to
be received within the hooks 12d so as to be rotatable
25 around a rotation axis coaxial to the longitudinal
directions of the bars 15, the spacing between both inner
wings 14a of both handles 14 being slightly greater than
the spacing between both wings 12c of the support 12.
In other words, when the hanging intermediary
30 structure 11 is hung to the structure 10 by engaging the
bars 15 within the hooks 12d, the hanging intermediary
structure 11 can pivot upwards or downwards around a pivot
axis formed by the axis of the bars 15.
14
Furthermore, the hanging intermediary structure
11 is configured and sized such that it can be pivoted
upwards around said pivot axis to a locking position in
which the locking finger 13a is received within the notch
12f. This locking position corresponds to the use 5 position
of the seat 1, the straps 5 and 7 having been set to apply
a tension on the hanging intermediary structure 11.
The hanging intermediary structure 11 is locked
in this position by pivoting latch-type locking means 16,
10 comprising a latch 17, a fork 18, a control rod 19 and an
unlocking control handle 20.
The latch 17 extends along a side of the piece
12e and is hinged, in a median part thereof, on the bottom
of the piece 12e so as to be able to pivot around a pivot
15 axis perpendicular to said bottom, a first end of the latch
17 ending as a hook 17a the inner contour of which is
concave and the outer contour of which forms an oblique
surface 17b oriented towards the opposite side of the piece
12e, the second end of the latch 17 being hinged to the
20 fork 18 with a pivot axis parallel to the pivot axis
mentioned above. The latch 17 is pivotably mounted against
the action of a return spring (not shown, for example a
torsion spring mounted around the axis of the latch). The
return spring has the effect of bringing the latch 17 back
25 in its locking position, engaged within the notch 12f.
The control rod 19 passes through a wing 12c by
passing through a sheath 21 integral with the support 12
and is connected at an end to the fork 18 and at the other
end to the handle 20. The handle 20 is elastically biased,
30 for example by the return spring of the latch, to a
position in which a stop piece 22 integral with the control
rod 19 is at a distance from a stop piece 23 integral with
the sheath 21. In this position, the hook 17a extends
15
through the notch 12f, at the entry thereof, so as to
prevent the locking finger 13a from exiting.
When pulling on the handle 20, against the
elastic solicitation, the latch 17 is caused, under the
action of the fork 18 and the rod 19, to pivot 5 outwardly
such that the hook 17a is disengaged from the notch 12f.
The exit movement of the handle 20 is limited by the stop
piece 22 coming to abut against the stop piece 23.
Obviously, the latch 17 can also be arranged on
10 the other side of the locking finger 13a, such that it is
disengaged from the notch 12f by pushing on the handle 20.
In this case, in the locking position, the stop piece 22
abuts against the stop piece 23, the latter thus allowing
to stop the pivoting movement of the latch 27 under the
15 action of the associated return spring.
It can be noted that the hanging intermediary
structure 11 is configured such that its center of gravity
is forwardly of the axis of the bars 15, in other words on
the seating part 3 side with respect to the plane of the
20 back 2 in the position of use. This is mainly obtained by
the fact that the central bar 13 is arranged forwardly of
the bars 15.
Thus, when one wishes to remove the back 2 and
the harness 6, it is just necessary to pull on the handle
25 20 to unlock the latch 17 which releases the locking finger
13a, the hanging intermediary structure 11 automatically
pivoting downwards under the action of its own weight and
that of the back 2 and the harness 6 (as well as the
initial tension), thereby lowering the back 2 and releasing
30 the tension of the straps 5 and 7 without acting on their
tension setting. The latch 17 is brought back in position
by elastic solicitation and the hanging intermediary
structure 11 is then in an unlocked position (FIG.5) in
16
which the bars 15 can be disengaged from the hooks 12d
using the handles 14 and the back 2 and the harness 6 can
thus be removed.
When one wishes to reinstall the back 2 and the
harness 6 in the use position of the seat 1, it is 5 just
necessary to hang the hanging intermediary structure 11 by
engaging the bars 15 within the hooks 12d, and then pivot
it upwards until the locking finger 13a enters into contact
with the oblique surface 17b the orientation of which
10 allows the locking finger 13a to pivot the latch 17 out of
the notch 12f.
Once the locking finger 13a is within the notch
12f, the latch 17 is automatically brought back across the
notch 12f by the associated return spring and the hanging
15 intermediary structure 11 is locked in the use position of
the seat 1, with the straps 5 and 7 being tightened.
A removal/reinstallation device 24 according to a
second embodiment of the present invention will now be
described with reference to FIGS.7 to 10. The device 24 is
20 arranged between the seat 1 such as described above and the
ceiling 8 of the vehicle and also comprises a fixed
structure 25 and a hanging intermediary structure 26.
The hanging intermediary structure 26 consists in
a cylindrical bar 27 carrying, at each end, a first leg 28
25 to which a first strap 5 is connected and a second leg 29
to which the hook 7c of a second strap 7 is hung, the
hanging intermediary structure 26 thus forming, together
with the back 2 and the harness 6, an assembly that can be
handle as a one-piece assembly.
30 The fixed structure 25 has a fixed support 30 and
a hanging movable support 31.
The fixed support 30 is formed by a generally Ushaped
metal sheet the opening of which is oriented
17
downwards and the bottom of which is applied by its outer
face 30a against the ceiling 8 and attached to the latter
by screws through the holes 30b, both wings 30c being
perpendicular to the plane of the back 2.
The movable support 31 is formed by a steel-5 strip
central part 31a at each end of which a wing 31b extends
downwards, the lower part of which forms a cylindricalbottomed
hook 31c the opening of which is oriented towards
the ceiling 8, on the seating part 3 side with respect to
10 the plane of the back 2 in the position of use.
The movable support 31 is pivotably carried by
the support 30 via a pivot link 32 between each wing 30c
and the corresponding wing 31b.
The movable support 31 can thus be arranged in a
15 locking position (FIGS.7 and 8), in which the hanging
intermediary structure 26 is hung to the movable support 31
by engaging the bar 27 within the hooks 31c, with stopping
in translation by washers 27a integral with the bar 27. In
this locking position, the movable support 31 has been
20 pivoted upwards until the back 2 and the harness 6 are in
the position of use, with the straps 5 and 7 being
tightened. In the locking position, the hanging
intermediary structure 26 is locked by locking in position
the movable support 31 to the fixed support by locking
25 means 33.
The locking means 33 are formed by a leg 34
integral with the central part 31a, on the front side, and
by a locking finger 35 carried by the fixed support 30. The
leg 34 is sloped while being oriented upwards and towards
30 the locking finger 35. A through hole 34a is provided in
the leg 34 for letting the finger 35 pass. The finger 35 is
in the form of a rod one end of which is bent at 90° so as
to form an operating handle 35a, the rod being guided in
18
translation by passing through the wing 30c and a leg 30d.
The translation direction is parallel to the pivot axis of
the movable support 31. A spring 36 is mounted between the
wing 30c and the leg 30d and permanently biases the finger
35 to the extended position, in which the other end 35b 5 of
the finger 35 extends through the through hole 34a of the
leg 34, thereby preventing the movable support 31 from
pivoting downwards.
It is noted here that the movable support 31 is
10 configured such that its center of gravity is forwardly of
the axis of the pivot links 32.
Thus, when one wishes to remove the back 2 and
the harness 6, it is just necessary to pull on the locking
finger 35 towards the outside using the operating handle
15 35a, against the action of the spring 36, until disengaging
the locking finger 35 from the leg 34. The movable support
31 then automatically pivots downwards under the action of
its own weight and that of the hanging intermediary
structure 26, the back 2 and the harness 6. As a result,
20 this lowers the hooks 31c, thus the back 2, and releases
the tension of the straps 5 and 7 without acting on their
tension setting. Although the locking finger 35 is shown in
FIGS.9 and 10 in retracted position, so as to illustrate
this position, the locking finger 35 is brought back in
25 extended position by the spring 36.
Once the leg 34 is unlocked, the hanging
intermediary structure 26 then is in an unlocked position
(FIG.9) in which the bar 27 can be disengaged from the
hooks 31c and the back 2 and the harness 6 can thus be
30 removed.
When one wishes to reinstall the back 2 and the
harness 6 in the use position of the seat 1, it is just
necessary to hang the hanging intermediary structure 26 by
19
engaging the bar 27 within the hooks 31c, and then to pivot
the movable support 31 upwards, using a handle 37 integral
with the central part 31a, until the leg 34 comes into
contact with the end 35b of the locking finger 35. Due to
the slope of the leg 34, the latter pushes the 5 finger 35
against the spring 36, until the locking finger 35 can pass
through the hole 34a under the action of the spring 36.
Once it is in this position, the movable support 31 is
locked again in position and the hanging intermediary
10 structure 26 is locked in the use position of the seat 1,
with the straps 5 and 7 being tightened.
The removal/reinstallation devices 9 and 24 thus
allow to remove and reinstall the back 2 and the harness 6
in an easy and rapid manner, without any action on the
15 setting of the straps 5 and 7, with a single-hand locking
control and an automatic locking in the use position.
It is of course understood that the preceding
embodiments of the present invention are for information
and non-limiting purpose, and that modifications could be
20 made without departing from the scope of the present
invention.
20
We claim:
1 – A device (9; 24) for rapid
removal/reinstallation of a back (2) of a vehicle 5 seat (1),
the seat (1) comprising a seating part (3), integral with a
structure (4) of the vehicle, and a back (2) which is
attached, in the use position of the seat (1), and via at
least one first strap (5), between the seating part (3) and
10 one or more first high attachment points to a ceiling (8)
of the vehicle, said first strap(s) (5) being adjustable in
tension and being, in the use position of the seat (1),
tightened so as to maintain in position the back (2), the
device (9; 24) being characterized in that it comprises a
15 hanging intermediary structure (11; 26), provided with
means for connecting to said first strap(s) (5), and a
fixed structure (10; 25) which is integral with the ceiling
(8) of the vehicle and forms said first high attachment
point(s), the fixed structure (10; 25) comprising for this
20 purpose:
- retaining means (12d; 31c) for removably connecting the
hanging intermediary structure (11; 26) to the fixed
structure (10; 25) and for supporting the hanging
intermediary structure (11; 26) in the use position of
25 the seat (1), position in which the hanging intermediary
structure (11; 26) has been brought with a movement
towards the ceiling (8) so as to put under tension the
hanging intermediary structure (11; 26) thanks to the
tension of the first strap(s) (5); and
30 - locking means (16; 33) for, in a first position, locking
the hanging intermediary structure (11; 26) in the use
position of the seat (1) and for, in a second position,
unlocking the hanging intermediary structure (11; 26)
21
such that the latter is moved away from the ceiling (8)
so as to release the tension applied by the first
strap(s) on the hanging intermediary structure (11; 26)
and thus allow the hanging intermediary structure (11;
26) to be disengaged from the retaining means 5 (12d;
31c), the latter being configured to support the hanging
intermediary structure (11; 26) during said movement
away from the ceiling (8),
whereby the back (2) can thus be removed or reinstalled
10 without any action on the tension setting of said first
strap(s) (5).
2 – The device (9; 24) according to claim 1,
intended to a rapid removal/reinstallation of a back (2) of
a vehicle seat (1) and a harness (6) provided to the seat
15 (1), the harness (6) comprising at least two shoulder
straps (6a), each cooperating with a second strap (7)
extending between a low attachment point integral with the
structure (4) of the vehicle and, in the use position of
the seat (1), a second high attachment point to the ceiling
20 (8) of the vehicle, said second strap(s) (7) being
adjustable in tension and being, in the use position of the
seat (1), tightened so as to allow to maintain the occupant
of the seat (1) against the back (2) by both shoulder
straps (6a), the device (9; 24) being characterized in that
25 the hanging intermediary structure (11; 26) is also
provided with means for connecting to said second straps
(5).
3 – The device according to one of claims 1 or 2,
characterized in that the retaining means are formed by
30 fixed hooks (12d) having openings which have bottoms which
follow a same imaginary cylinder, and in that the hanging
intermediary structure (11) has at least one cylindrical
bar (15) able to be received within the hooks (12d) so as
22
to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the at
least one bar (15), the hanging intermediary structure (11)
thus being able to pivot upwards or downwards around the
rotation axis of the at least one bar (15).
4 – The device (9) according to 5 claim 3,
characterized in that the hanging intermediary structure
(11) comprises two handles (14) connected by a connecting
central bar (13) and each handle carrying means for
attaching a first strap and, if applicable, a second strap,
10 and a cylindrical bar (15) able to be received within one
of the fixed hooks (12d).
5 – The device (26) according to one of claims 1
or 2, characterized in that the fixed structure (25) has a
fixed support (30) integral with the ceiling (8) of the
15 vehicle, in that the retaining means (31c) are formed by
movable hooks (31c) connected to the fixed support (30) so
as to be able to pivot around a horizontal pivot axis, the
openings of the hooks (31c) having bottoms which follow a
same imaginary cylinder, and in that the hanging
20 intermediary structure (26) has at least one cylindrical
bar (27) able to be received within the hooks (31c), the
hanging intermediary structure (26) thus being able, after
engaging the at least one bar (27) within the hooks (31c),
to be moved to the use position of the seat (1) by pivoting
25 upwards or downwards the movable hooks (31c).
6 – The device (9; 24) according to one of claims
3 to 5, characterized in that the center of inertia of the
hanging intermediary structure (11), if applicable the
assembly formed by the movable hooks (31c) and the hanging
30 intermediary structure (26), when the at least one bar (15;
27) is engaged within the hooks (12d; 31c), is, with
respect to the pivot axis of the hanging intermediary
structure (11), if applicable of the assembly formed by the
23
movable hooks (31c) and the hanging intermediary structure
(26), offset on the seating part (3) side with respect to
the plane of the back (2) in the use position of the seat
(1).
7 – The device (9; 24) according to one of claim5 s
1 to 6, characterized in that the locking means (16; 33)
comprise a locking member (17; 35) movable between said
first and second positions of the locking means (16; 33)
and means (36) for elastically biasing the locking member
10 (17; 35) towards the first position, and in that the
hanging intermediary structure (11; 26) carries a
cooperating member (13a; 34) arranged to move the locking
member (17; 35) from said first position to said second
position when the hanging intermediary structure (11; 26)
15 reaches the use position of the seat (1) by a movement
towards the ceiling (8).
8 – The device according to claim 7,
characterized in that the locking means (16; 33) comprise
an unlocking control handle (20; 35a) manually operable to
20 move the locking member (17; 35) from the first position to
the second position.
9 – The device (9) according to one of claims 7
or 8, when dependent on claim 4, characterized in that the
cooperating member (13a) consists in a locking finger (13a)
25 extending from the connecting central bar (13), and in that
the fixed structure (10) has a notch (12f) able to receive
the locking finger (13a) when the hanging intermediary
structure (11) is in the use position of the seat (1), the
locking member (17) being a pivoting latch (17) having an
30 oblique outer surface (17b) oriented such that the locking
finger (13a) pivots the latch (17) to the second position
when it presses the oblique surface (17b) when the hanging
24
intermediary structure (11) reaches the use position of the
seat (1).
10 – The device according to one of claims 7 or
8, when dependent on one of claims 5 or 6, characterized in
that the locking member (35) is formed by a locking 5 ing finger
(35) carried, by the fixed support (30), so as to be able
to translate in a direction parallel to the pivot axis of
the movable hooks (31c), and in that the movable hooks
(31c) are integrally connected to each other by a
10 connecting central part (31a) carrying a leg (34) which is
sloped while being oriented upwards and towards the locking
finger (35), a through hole (34a) being provided in the leg
(34) for letting the locking finger (35) pass, said leg
(34) forming the cooperating member and its slope being
15 such that the leg (34) moves the locking finger (35) in
translation towards the second position when it presses the
sloped leg (34) when the hanging intermediary structure
(11) reaches the use position of the seat (1).
11 – A seat assembly for a vehicle, the seat
20 assembly comprising a seat (1) and attachment points for
attaching the seat (1) to a ceiling (8) of the vehicle, the
seat (1) comprising a seating part (3), integral with a
structure (4) of the vehicle, and a back (2), preferably
flexible, which is attached, in the use position of the
25 seat (1), and via at least one first strap (5), between the
seating part (3) and a first high attachment point to a
ceiling (8) of the vehicle, the seat being, preferably,
provided with a harness (6) comprising at least two
shoulder straps (6a), each cooperating with a second strap
30 (7) extending between a low attachment point integral with
the structure (4) of the vehicle and, in the use position
of the seat (1), a second high attachment point to the
ceiling (8) of the vehicle, said first strap(s) (5) and, if
25
applicable, said second strap(s) (7), being adjustable in
tension and being, in the use position of the seat (1),
tightened so as to respectively maintain in position the
back (2) and allow to maintain the occupant of the seat (1)
against the back (2) by both shoulder straps (6a), the 5 seat
assembly being characterized in that it comprises a device
for rapid removal/reinstallation (9; 24) as defined in one
of claims 1 to 10.