An inertial latch for a motor vehicle armrest is rotatably connected to a a bracket mounted to a support structure; an armrest interfacing component is disposed in an arcuate slot in the bracket, the slot extending from a first to a second end; a primary pawl rotatable from a first to a second position and limiting motion of the interfacing component in the slot; a secondary pawl rotatable from a third position to a fourth position and limiting motion of the primary pawl; a stop limits motion of the secondary pawl. The armrest articulates from a closed to an open position, the interfacing component moves through the entire slot when the primary pawl is in the first position, the interfacing component is held within a portion less than the entire slot when the primary pawl is in the second position, and the interfacing component is releasable from the portion.

A self-leveling armrest assembly for a vehicle is provided. The self-leveling armrest includes a back portion of a vehicle seat having a first bracket and a second bracket. The second bracket is rotatably connected to at least one floor bracket. An armrest assembly is rotatably connected to the first bracket of the back portion. At least one motion link is rotatably connected to the second bracket of the back portion. The at least one motion link is configured to receive a portion of the armrest assembly as the armrest rotates. The motion link is configured to maintain the armrest assembly in a substantially horizontal orientation.

An armrest assembly includes an armrest and a lid mounted on the armrest for relative rotational movement between a closed and open positions. The lid includes a handle cradle with handle guides on opposed sides and an intermediate inner guide. A handle is located in the handle cradle for relative movement between a latch position and a release position. The handle includes a latch. The latch retains the lid in the closed position when the handle is in the latch position. The handle includes a clip that engages a slot on the lid to retain the handle in the handle cradle. The handle also includes guide channels on opposed sides. The guide channels engage the handle guides. The handle includes an intermediate inner guide space. The inner guide space engages the inner guide. The armrest assembly also includes a spring that biases the handle into the latch position.

The invention relates to an armrest (10) with a base (11) and an arm support (12) pivotable relative to the base (11) between a first end position and a second end position, with a drive mechanism (14) for pivoting the arm support (12) between the first end position and the second end position.

The special feature consists in that the drive mechanism (14) comprises at least a first formation (31) of a first element that is connected to the arm support (12) and a second formation (32) of a second element that is fixed relative to the base (11), and that a coupling body (30) engages in the first formation (31) and in the second formation (32) and is movable along the first formation (31) and the second formation (32), wherein a longitudinal centerline of the first formation (31) and a longitudinal centerline of the second formation (32) form an angle () in at least one region of a movement path of the coupling body (30).

An armrest includes a gear assembly with a crown gear directly coupled to the armrest that imparts rotational motion to the armrest, a planetary gear engaged with the crown gear, and a pinion gear coupled to the crown gear that imparts vertical motion of the entire gear assembly, and the armrest, along a rack.

An inertial latch for a motor vehicle armrest is rotatably connected to a a bracket mounted to a support structure; an armrest interfacing component is disposed in an arcuate slot in the bracket, the slot extending from a first to a second end; a primary pawl rotatable from a first to a second position and limiting motion of the interfacing component in the slot; a secondary pawl rotatable from a third position to a fourth position and limiting motion of the primary pawl; a stop limits motion of the secondary pawl. The armrest articulates from a closed to an open position, the interfacing component moves through the entire slot when the primary pawl is in the first position, the interfacing component is held within a portion less than the entire slot when the primary pawl is in the second position, and the interfacing component is releasable from the portion.

A vehicle seat is thinned in a seat front to back direction. In the vehicle seat, a center seat has a seat back frame, a headrest which is provided above the seat back frame, a pillar which supports the headrest, and brackets which mount the pillar to the seat back frame. The pillar is arranged between the brackets and the seat back frame, the brackets have a weld bead which holds the pillar and a portion where a welding trace to be mounted to the seat back frame is formed, and the weld bead and the portion where the welding trace is formed are arranged at different positions in a direction which intersects a front to back direction of the center seat.

An embodiment rear seat for a vehicle includes a center seat and side seats located on a left side and a right side of the center seat, respectively, wherein the center seat is configured to be movable forward and rearward with respect to the side seats, and when the center seat is moved forward, the center seat protrudes forward from the side seats.

A lock for a pivoting member in a vehicle comprising: a button having a depressed position and an undepressed position; a cam abutting the button having a rotated position and an un-rotated position; and a rod operably connected to the cam having an extended position and a retracted position; wherein, when the button is in the depressed position, the cam is in the rotated position, and the rod is in the retracted position. The pivoting member can be an armrest or a seatback, among other things. The rod includes a first grooved section. The cam includes a first finger adjacent to the first grooved section. As the cam transitions from the un-rotated position to the rotated position, the first finger of the cam interacts with the first grooved section of the rod to cause the rod to transition from the extended position to the retracted position.

A vehicle seat wherein debris can be inhibited from entering support brackets to which an armrest is coupled is provided. One aspect of the present disclosure provides a vehicle seat including a back frame and an armrest. The armrest includes side frames and a stopper pin. The back frame includes support brackets to which the side frames are pivotably coupled. The support brackets include guide slots that guide the stopper pin. On imaginary surfaces perpendicular to the seat width direction, loci of the guide slots formed on the side frames when the armrest pivots, the side frames and a portion of the stopper pin inserted into the guide slots are projected, and a diameter of a largest perfect circle that can be fitted into areas of the loci that do not overlap with the side frames and the stopper pin is smaller than widths of the guide slots.