GM has filed a patent application describing a torsion assist system for a folding vehicle seat back. The application was assigned patent number US 12,172,555 B2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and was published on December 24th, 2024. The GM patent filing was originally submitted on January 3rd, 2022, and lists several engineers as the inventors, including Venkata Narasimha Rao Cherukuvada, Thomas Gillette, Xavier Jesus Del Rio, Srujan Nelakuditi, Alan Garcia, Mark West, and Blagoj Dungevski.
The patent application describes a torsion-assisted folding mechanism that is designed to make adjusting the position of a vehicle’s rear seat back easier, in particular when the seat back weighs more due to additional features like a cooling system or a massage unit. The folding mechanism includes a fixed seat support member attached to the vehicle, a pivoting seat back frame, and a torsion spring element. The torsion spring connects the fixed support to the seat back frame and is designed to store energy when the seat is folded forward. When returning the seat to an upright position, the spring releases this energy, thus reducing the physical effort required to return the seat back to an upward position.
The mechanism also includes a locking pin that prevents unintended movement of the seat back, ensuring the seat’s stability and safety. Additional components include couplers and guide members that are used for precise alignment of the locking system. For added convenience, an actuator can be integrated to automate the seat adjustment process, thus allowing the seat to transition smoothly between a folded and an upright position.
The system described in this GM patent could offer several advantages. Not only would it reduce the physical effort needed to adjust heavy seat backs, thus making it more user-friendly, but it also increases the practicality of the vehicle by facilitating easier access to cargo space or rear compartments, which could be particularly useful in SUV or other utility models.
Comments
Using a Mercedes Benz C-Class ?
I noticed that, too. Is that a way of saying “we no longer make sedans in the United States”?
think GM has none sedan drawing in illustration anymore.. but is painfull for them
it has 2 reason.. or this a patent copy of Daimler or Cadillac do not illustrate anymore.
What, pray tell is this vehicle drawn in Fig. 1? Will this new patented rear seat fit in one of gm’s 300 or so suv/cuv/crossovers?