Embodiments disclosed are vehicle seat systems for restricting yielding or deflection of a seatback in a rear-impact collision, and related methods. In an embodiment, a vehicle seat system includes a vehicle seat and a seatback deformation limiting system. The vehicle seat includes a seat bottom frame and a seatback frame secured to the seat bottom. The seatback deformation limiting system includes a frame assembly and a computer system. The frame assembly is configured to selectively allow the seatback frame to yield and also selectively limit or inhibit the seatback frame from yielding. The computer system is configured to detect a rear-impact collision in a vehicle, wherein the frame assembly is operably coupled to the computer system and, responsive to the computer system detecting the rear-impact collision in the vehicle, configured to limit or inhibit the seatback frame from yielding towards a rearward seat in the vehicle directly behind the vehicle seat.

A seating assembly for a vehicle includes a seat having a seat cushion assembly. A seatback is pivotally coupled with the seat and includes a seatback cushion assembly. A polymeric hard back panel is operably coupled with the seatback and includes a recessed portion. A controlled deformation portion includes a rupture line configured to split during a rear impact collision of the vehicle, resulting in flaps of the controlled deformation portion extending rearward relative to the seatback. The controlled deformation portion is generally concealed from rearward view by a pocket wall.

A device for controlling the breakover rate of a seatback in response to a dynamic event (regulating the breakover velocity so as to achieve optimal velocity differential to the impact velocity of a passenger's head impacting with the seatback) is attachable to the seatback and to the seat frame; when a breakover event is triggered, the passage of a head injury criterion (HIC) pin through a controlled traveling slot is impeded by energy absorbing materials selected, e.g. for material composition and structure, to restrict the breakover velocity of the seatback to optimize velocity differential between the breakover velocity and the impact velocity by engaging the HIC pin and deforming at a predetermined deformation rate.

The object of the invention is to provide a vehicle seat which can improve degree of freedom in the design of the vehicle seat. A vehicle seat with a seat cushion and a seat back includes: right and left side frames 20 constituting right and left frames of the seat back; a pressure-receiving member 40 disposed between the right and left side frames 20 and configured to receive a load from an occupant; and a driving mechanism 50 disposed at each of right and left sides of the pressure-receiving member 40 and configured to cause a right end portion or a left end portion of the pressure-receiving member 40 to move from an initial position to an advanced position that is located frontward of the initial position or to move from the advanced position to the initial position, wherein the driving mechanism 50 includes a linkage (drive link member 100 and contact link member 200) configured to be connected to the pressure-receiving member 40 and a driving source 52 configured to actuate the linkage, and wherein the linkage is configured to operate when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined amount is input from the occupant to the pressure-receiving member 40 to cause the pressure-receiving member 40 to move to a backward position that is located rearward of the initial position.

A vehicle seat arrangement for a motor vehicle is provided. The vehicle seat arrangement comprises a vehicle seat, a pre-crash control unit which generates a control signal in the case of an impending collision of the motor vehicle, at least one pivoting element which is arranged in or on a backrest of the vehicle seat in order to move a vehicle occupant who is situated on the vehicle seat, and an actuator which, upon a control signal of the pre-crash control unit, which control signal indicates an impending collision, acts on a lever arm of the pivoting element in such a way that the latter performs a pivoting movement which leads to at least one region of the torso of the vehicle occupant being moved away from a possible collision region of the vehicle.

A seat backrest includes right and left side frame segments, a pressure receiving member disposed between the side frame segments movably in a front-back direction, and a cushion pad covering the front of the side frame segments and pressure receiving member. The pressure receiving member includes a main body part, and extending parts extending laterally from both sides of the main body part. The cushion pad includes a back receiving part covering the front of the main body part, and bank parts disposed on both sides of the back receiving part, protruding forward from both sides, and covering the front of the extending parts and side frame segments. A recess is formed at an area, facing a corresponding extending part of the extending parts, of a rear surface of each bank part.

A vehicle seat including a controller configured to, in a case where an excessive external load in a front and rear direction, by which a first back frame part is configured to be pressed and bent toward a second back frame part, is applied to the first back frame part, adjust an inclination angle of each back frame part by driving and controlling a reclining adjuster so that the first back frame part can be pressed against the second back frame part by being bent due to the excessive external load, the first back frame part being one of a front back frame part and a rear back frame part of a seat back, and the second back frame part being another of the front back frame part and the rear back frame part.

A seat back pad 70 has a groove 73 for tucking a skin material therein, formed at borders between a central portion 71 and side portions 72. A hole (slot hole 74) is formed in a bottom of the groove 73 along the groove 73. A tuck-in wire 76 for tucking the skin material in includes a plurality of tuck-in portions 76A provided along the groove 73, and a connecting portion (detour portion 76B) detouring around the hole and connecting the tuck-in portions 76A. With this configuration, when an upper body of an occupant P subsides into a seat back S2 in a rear-end collision of a vehicle, the central portion 71, defined by the groove 73 as a border, is easily and sufficiently moved rearward relative to the left and right side portions 72. Furthermore, the tuck-in wire 76 is not exposed through the hole, and thus adhesion between the seat back pad 70 and the tuck-in wire 76 can be improved.

A back frame attachment structure, wherein a hack frame includes a pair of side frames, wherein a lower end portion side of the side frame is attached to an upper portion of a lower arm member whose lower portion is fixed to a vehicle body side member, wherein the lower arm member includes two plate-like members superimposed with each other in a seat width direction, the upper portion and the lower portion being connected to each other by a front connection portion and a rear connection portion which are separated by a through hole, and wherein, when a large load is applied to the back frame, the two plate-like members are configured to absorb energy by being deformed to be separated from each other in the seat width direction by a compressive load in an upper and lower direction generated in the front connection portion or the rear connection portion.

A seat including a seat bottom, a seatback, and a device. The device supports the seatback on the seat bottom. The device includes a housing supported on the seat bottom and a rotor supported on the housing. The device includes a helical interface between the housing and the rotor. The rotor is moveable relative to the housing along the helical interface. The housing and the rotor define a cavity therebetween, and a resilient material is disposed in the cavity. During a vehicle impact, the rotor may move relative to the housing and compress the resilient material in the cavity. In this situation, the resilient material may absorb energy from the vehicle impact.