Compact seating arrangement

(54) Title: COMPACT SEAT ARRANGEMENT. (57) Abstract: (30) Unionist priority: 03/15/2007 gb 0704966.1 (73) Holder (s): Gordon Murray Design Limited (72) Inventor (s): lan Gordon Murray (74) Attorney (s): Dannemann .Siemsen, Bigler & Ipanema Moreira (86) International Order: pct GB2008000892 of 14/03/2008 (87) International Publication: wo 2oos / no8i4de 18/09/2008

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Invention Patent Descriptive Report for DISPOSITION

COMPACT SEATS.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a compact seating arrangement for a vehicle, in particular comprising a central driver's seat and two rear passenger seats substantially transversely aligned.

BACKGROUND OF THE TECHNIQUE

A variety of seating arrangements comprising a central driver's seat and two rear passenger seats have previously been proposed, but this tends to suffer from a number of practical limitations or inconveniences that are not widely adopted. Recently, such a seating arrangement for a sports car was described in WO9218347 by the inventor of the present case and the seating arrangement used in the McLaren F1 sports car (trademark) was based on this.

The present invention seeks to develop that concept to provide a more compact seating arrangement suitable for use in a compact vehicle.

Compact vehicles tend to suffer from compromised driver ergonomics due to the fact that the front wheel arch invades the passenger cabin. This is the case for both left- and right-hand driving vehicles. The present invention also seeks to provide a compact seating arrangement for a vehicle, which provides the driver with better ergonomics.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, a compact seating arrangement is provided for a vehicle, the seating arrangement comprising at least three seats; a front driver's seat arranged substantially centrally and, at least somewhat, in front of two rear passenger seats substantially transversely aligned, where the driver's seat extends transversely to be positioned in front of the part of each seat rear passenger, the extent of the overlap in the transverse position of the driver's seat and the passenger seats being such that each side of the driver's seat is required to be able to accommodate at least part of one of the legs of a seated passenger in a forward-facing position in one of the respective passenger seats.

Typically, the driver's seat comprises a seat base on which the driver sits and a backrest to support the driver's back; a space or cut being provided on each side of the seat base and / or the backrest of the driver's seat to allow the innermost leg of each passenger to overlap (both transversely and longitudinally) with the position the driver's seat.

It could be possible for a common rear seat to be provided in which two rear passenger seats are formed. Alternatively, two rear passenger seats can be provided.

In each case, the seating arrangements are such that one can take advantage of the fact that the passenger generally has a larger torso or body larger than the legs, and specifically has shoulders that are wider than the width of the legs. This allows passengers to sit comfortably in their rear seats with the driver's front seat overlapping the legs of the passengers. This overlapping arrangement allows the cabin of a vehicle to be kept relatively narrow while still providing accommodation for the driver and for at least two passengers seated side by side.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a seating arrangement is provided for a vehicle, said seating arrangement having at least three seats and comprising two rear passenger seats substantially transversely aligned, and the driver's seat substantially centrally arranged and in front of said two rear passenger seats, where said driver's seat extends transversely to overlap part of each said leg of the rear passengers. The amount of overlap will depend on the relative sizes of said passengers.

The present invention also extends to a vehicle that incorporates a seating arrangement as defined above.

In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle has an engine which is substantially disposed behind the passenger compartment.

Other preferred and optional features of the invention will become obvious from the auxiliary claims and the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be further described now, simply by way of example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Figure 1 schematically shows a plan view of a first embodiment of a compact seating arrangement according to the present invention with the occupants (one driver and two passengers) shown here;

figure 2 shows a schematic plan view from above of a vehicle incorporating the seating arrangement of figure 1 (without the occupants);

figure 3 is a schematic plan view similar to figure 1 with several dimensions marked on it;

figure 4 is a schematic side view of a vehicle as shown in figure 2 with the occupants shown;

figures 5, 6 and 7 are schematic plan views showing three possible configurations of the seating arrangement shown in the previous figures;

figure 8 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle that incorporates a second embodiment of a seating arrangement according to the present invention;

figure 9 is a schematic plan view showing the occupants in the seating arrangement shown in figure 8;

figure 10 is a schematic side view of the vehicle of figure 8 with the occupants shown;

figure 11 is a schematic front view of the second embodiment that illustrates the lateral overlap between the driver's seat and the passenger's leg;

figure 12 is a schematic front view corresponding to figure 11, but with all three occupants shown; and figures 13 to 15 are schematic plan views of three possible configurations of the seating arrangement shown in figure 8. DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figures 1 to 3 show schematic plan views of a vehicle cabin 1, which show the first embodiment of a compact seating arrangement here. As will be noted, there is a single centrally arranged driver's seat 2 and two rear passenger seats 3 and 4 that are substantially aligned in a transverse manner. Although the driver's seat 2 is generally arranged in front of the two rear passenger seats, the driver's seat 2 extends transversely to overlap part of each leg of the rear passenger L1, L2. The driver's seat is conformed to 2A to provide accommodation for at least part of each passenger's inner leg (as shown in figures 1 and 3). The three seating arrangements shown in figures 1 to 3 are comfortable and provide easy access to seats 2, 3 and 4 for all occupants. The seating arrangement is such as to keep the total width and length occupied by seats 2, 3 and 4 as small as possible. This compact layout is achieved, while also providing the space and comfort needed by the occupants, using the fact that the shoulders and hips of a human, or the torso in general, are larger than the legs. Therefore, it is possible to seat a person comfortably behind the driver and provide space for the rear passengers to stretch their legs to either side of the driver. The total width W of the vehicle can thus be limited to about 1250mm to 1400mm (see figure 3).

figure 2 shows a plan view of a vehicle incorporating the seating arrangement of figure 1. As described, two rear seats 3 and 4 are provided at the rear with respect to the driver's seat 2. Figure 2 also shows body 5 of the car, along with its wheels 6. It will be noted that the central position of the driver's seat 2 allows that seat 2 to be aligned with the control pedals 7 and the steering wheel 8. Thus, as shown in figure 2, even when the car is built to have a central engine, with its engine (not shown) immediately behind the passenger compartment, and the driver relatively forward, the driver's seat 2 is aligned with the controls 7, 8 and is not shifted (since this could be in a conventional compact car). It will also be assessed that in the central forward position the driver's seat ergonomics is increased compared to two-seater or four-seater cars, and the driver's field of view is greatly increased. In this respect, it is also possible to ensure that there is minimal intrusion into the driver's field of vision.

As will be seen from figure 2, the driver's central position indicates that there is no need to restrict or otherwise compromise the position and size of the front wheel arches 9. This also indicates that the wheel lock is available and the circle consequent turning speed can be selected as required.

The position of the central driver thus avoids problems normally associated with two- and four-seat cars, for example, caused by the front wheel arches 9 that invade the passenger cabin. The central driving position also makes it unnecessary to provide left-hand and right-hand versions. Furthermore, the seating arrangement shown in figures 1 to 3 allows these advantages of a central driving position to be obtained without having to substantially increase the width of the passenger cabin 1.

As indicated above, passenger cabin 1 preferably has a maximum width W of about 1250mm to 1400mm. This compares favorably with the width of compact two / four-seat cars currently available, for example, a Smart fortwo (trademark) (two seats) is 1559 mm wide, while the Citroen C1 (trademark) (four seats) it is 1630mm wide. The central driver's seat 2 is preferably moved in front of the two rear passenger seats 3 and 4 at a distance F, for example, from about 350mm to 450mm (see figure 3). In this way, the trunk of each passenger is kept behind the driver for the purpose of comfort and to avoid interference by passengers with the driver's visibility, while passengers can stretch their legs to the driver's sides.

The centrally positioned front driver's seat and the passenger seat design described above keep the overall cabin width limited. The amount of side overlap of the seats will depend on the relative seat sizes, their shapes and the like. The distance D1 between the center line CL1 of the central driver's seat 2 and the center lines CL2, CL3 of each passenger seat 3 and 4 is preferably in the range of 250mm to 400mm, but more preferably in the range of 280mm to 380mm (see figure 3).

It will be assessed that although the driver's seat 2 is in front of the two passenger seats 3, 4, the upper parts of the three seats, which support the occupants' heads, are in a similar part of the passenger cabin 1 so that it is a simple material to provide sufficient headroom in that position (see figure 4).

As shown in figures 5, 6 and 7, this seating arrangement also allows easy access to passenger seats, which, in turn, provides flexible cargo carrying capacity. The passenger seats 3, 4 can be folded down together or individually to provide increased storage capacity, figure 5 shows a three-seat configuration with a luggage space 10A behind the passenger seats 3, 4. Figure 6 shows a two-seat configuration with a folded-down passenger seat with storage space 10A, 10B in the trunk and in the cabin. Figure 7 shows only driver's seat configurations, with two passenger seats folded down, with storage spaces 10A, 10B, 10C in the trunk and in the cabin. The areas available for storage are shown shaded in figures 5 to 7.

Figures 8 to 15 illustrate a second embodiment of a seating arrangement according to the invention. This is similar to the layout shown in figures 1 to 7, but with some minor changes in the various dimensions of the drawing. Figures 8 to 15 also show the characteristics of the seats and the positions of the occupants there in a little more detail. Figure 8 shows a plan view of a vehicle that incorporates this seating arrangement and shows a cabin 11, a driver's seat 12, two rear passenger seats 13, 14, the vehicle body 15, its wheels 16, control pedals 17, a steering wheel 18 and front wheel arches 19.

As shown in figure 8, the driver's seat comprises a seat base 12A, a seat backrest 12B and a headrest 12C. The rear parts of the seat base 12A, on each side thereof, are shaped, for example, by obtaining a cut 12D to provide a space to accommodate at least part of the leg of a passenger seated in a rear passenger seat. In this way, the seat base 12A allows the rear seats 13, 14 (and the inner leg of a passenger sitting there) to overlap in the lateral direction, for example, so that a passenger's inner knee is at least situated partially under one of the driver's shoulders. The shoulder inside each passenger's car, therefore, is located on the inside of one of the driver's shoulders, as shown in figure 9.

In the arrangement shown in figure 9, the spacing D1 between the center line CL1 of the driver's seat 12 and the center lines CL2, CL3 of the passenger seats 13, 14 is about 280 to 380 mm (which is slightly greater than that shown in first modality). The total external width W of the vehicle can, however, still be maintained at around 1250mm to 1400mm or less.

The internal width of the cabin will be less than 1400mm, and preferably less than 1200mm. The internal width should, however, preferably be at least 1040mm to accommodate the shoulders of typical adult passengers side by side (in the extreme case where their shoulders just touch). The width S of the shoulders of an adult occupant is in the range of 450mm to 520mm, this is preferably greater than the lateral spacing D1 of the central lines of the seats so that the passenger's shoulder is behind one of the driver's shoulders, ie , the internal shoulders of the passengers are spaced apart from each other by a distance less than S. The lateral spacing D1 should preferably be greater than or equal to the width S so that the internal shoulders of the passengers are spaced from one another (or in the worst case, they are adjacent to each other). A preferred relationship between D1 and S can be described as:

S / 2 &lt;D1 &lt;S.

Figure 10 shows a side view of the vehicle shown in Figure 9. As shown in this figure (and in Figure 4 described above), the driver's seat and passenger seats are arranged so that the occupants are seated in a relatively upright position. . The seat backrests are angled so that they (and the occupants' backs) are tilted vertically at an A1 angle, for example, of about 20 degrees. This angle can be varied to some extent, however, it is preferably less than 30 degrees and, more preferably, less than 25 degrees.

The seat base of each seat is also spaced from the 11A floor of the cabin so that occupants are seated in a relatively high position. The distance D3 between the upper surface of the seat base 12A that supports the occupant and the floor 11A is preferably in the range of 400 to 50Gmm. Occupants' legs typically form an angle to the vertical of 30 degrees or less, and preferably 25 degrees or less. Figure 11 shows a front view of the driver's seat 12 (without occupant) and a passenger sitting in one of the rear seats. As shown, the seat backrest 12B has two main parts: a relatively wide upper part 12C to support the occupant's upper back and shoulders and a relatively lower narrow part 12D to support the occupant's lower back. As shown in the figure, the passenger knee K1 overlaps laterally with the driver's seat and is accommodated in a space next to the backrest of the lower seat 12D. Thus, the driver's seat is shaped to allow the passenger knee K1 to overlap with the driver's seat in the longitudinal direction (as shown in figures 8 to 10) and in the lateral direction (as shown in figure 11).

The wide part 12C of the seat backrest typically has a width in the range of 400 to 500mm (which is preferably similar to, or slightly smaller than, the width of the occupant's shoulders) and the narrow part 12D typically has a width in the range from 150 to 300mm. The space for accommodating the knee of the passenger K1 extends, preferably, laterally on each side of the backrest of the seat 12B by at least 50mm and, preferably, by at least 100mm. As shown, the seat base 12A (except between the rear cuts 12D) has a width similar to that of the wide part 12C of the seat back.

Figure 12 is a front view of the driver and two passengers seated in the seating arrangement illustrated in figures 8 to 11. This shows how the passenger trunks (upper body) overlap in a lateral direction with the driver's trunk.

Figures 13 to 15 illustrate three possible configurations of the seating arrangement described above. Figure 13 shows a storage space 20A behind the passenger seats. The backrests of the passenger seats 13, 14 can be folded down to a substantially horizontal position. In figure 14, one is folded down to create additional storage space 20B and in figure 15, both are folded down to create additional storage space 20B and 20C. The areas available for storage are again shown shaded in figures 13 to 15. In additional arrangements (not shown) a child seat can be attached to one or both of the passenger seats.

As shown in figures 4 and 10, passengers' knees overlap with the driver's body and the driver's seat to a certain extent as indicated by distance D2 (see figure 4). The size of this distance will depend on the longitudinal position of the driver's seat and the size of the passenger, but will typically be in the range of 50mm to 300mm. The longitudinal position of the driver's seat 12 is adjustable so that the driver can adjust his position in relation to the control pedals 7 and the steering wheel 8, as required. As shown in figures 2 and 8, the driver's seat 2, 12 is located in front of the passenger seats 3, 4, 13, 14. In a preferred arrangement, the rear of the driver's seat base 12A and / or the backrest of the driver's seat 12B is located close to the front of the passenger seats 13, 14 (when viewed from above as in figures 2 and 8) . If the driver's seat 12 is adjusted forward, the space between the driver's seat 12 and the passenger seats 13, 14 increases, for example, up to 200mm, and if this is adjusted backwards, it can be moved to a position that overlaps longitudinally with the front part of the seat base of the passenger seats 13, 14, for example, up to 250mm. This may simply involve the overlap between the backrest of the driver's seat 12B and the passenger seat base (this is possible since these parts are at different heights). In some cases, this may involve overlap between the driver's seat base 12A and the passenger seat base (this may be possible if the width of the back of the driver's seat base 12B is narrower than a gap between the front parts of the two passenger seat bases). As shown in figures 4 and 10, occupants sit in relatively upright positions and passengers' feet are typically on floor 1A, 11A of the cabin immediately adjacent to the position of the driver's seat base 12A. Passengers can, however, stretch their legs even to the extent that their feet remain against the rear side of the wheel arches 9, 19. In a preferred arrangement, the legs of an adult passenger can be substantially fully extended in that position.

An additional important aspect of the vehicle and seating arrangement described here is the ease of access to the driver's seat 2, 12 and passenger seats 3, 4, 13, 14. One of the reasons for a three-seat arrangement with a passenger seat centrally positioned driver, not being widely adopted is the difficulty in sitting and getting up from that seat as it is spaced some distance from the side of the vehicle. One way to alleviate this problem is to extend the entry door into the cabin floor so that when the door is opened, at least part of the floor adjacent to the driver's seat is also moved. When the door is opened, the driver can then position his feet on the floor a little closer to the driver's seat. This is the solution used in the McLaren F1 sports car (registered trademark).

In the vehicle and seating arrangement described here, a different solution is used. Since the vehicle has a particular application as a compact urban car, it is important that access to all seats is very easy. For this purpose, instead of a conventional entry door, the vehicle cabin is designed so that it can be opened so that at least part of the roof and at least one side of the cabin are moved to a position that a person can enter from the side of the vehicle moving from the ground adjacent to the vehicle over a horizontal floor space 15A or 15B to one side of the driver's seat 12 (and in front of the passenger seats 13, 14) and is able to remain upright or in a substantially upright position on that floor space. This means that at least part of the cabin roof is moved to a position to provide a free space extending at a height of at least 1.75m and, preferably, 1.8m or more, above the 15A floor space and / or 15B. There is a variety of ways to achieve this. One way is to have at least a part of the cab roof and at least a part of one side of the cab open upwards. A form of overhead door could, for example, be used to achieve this. Another option could be to have at least a part of the cabin roof and at least a part of one side of the cabin to slide longitudinally.

The driver can thus remain in that 15A or 15B floor space, then bend down to sit in the driver's seat 12 and then turn the body to move forward or the driver can remain in that 15A or 15B floor space, then move your feet to the space 15C below the steering wheel and behind the control pedals while (or at the same time) lowering yourself to a seated position in the driver's seat 12.

Also, a passenger can move from the ground adjacent to the vehicle over the floor space 15A or 15B, turn around to move forward and then sit on the respective passenger seat 13, 14. Thus, despite being a small and compact vehicle, the layout provides easy access to and from all three seats, the key to which is the ability to remain upright (or substantially upright) on the 15A floor space , 15B immediately adjacent to the driver's seat and the passenger seats. Each floor space 15A, 15B preferably has at least 400mm x 300mm and more preferably at least 500mm x 400mm.

An additional important consideration of the described three-seat arrangement is obtaining seat belt assemblies for each seat. Seat belt mounts for passenger seats can be attached to the vehicle body in a conventional manner. However, since the driver's seat is spaced from the sides of the cab, this is not possible for the driver's seat belt. In the McLaren F1 sports car (registered trademark), this problem was overcome by providing a monohull body structure with structural elements on the sides of the driver's seat (since there is no lateral overlap between the driver's seat and the passenger seats). In the seating arrangement described here, the driver's seat is preferably provided with a structure that has sufficient strength to transfer loads applied to an upper seat belt assembly attached to the seat back, along the structure, based on seat and then to the floor of the vehicle.

The seating arrangements described above provide several advantages:

- the driver's seat is centrally positioned to provide increased vision and driver line controls.

- the design of the driver's seat with the passenger seats allows a compact, yet comfortable and accessible passenger cabin to be provided.

- the seating arrangement is compact so that the dimensions of the car and its weight can be kept to a minimum.

The invention also extends to a seating arrangement for a vehicle, said seating arrangement having at least three seats and comprising two rear passenger seats substantially transversely aligned, and a driver seat arranged substantially centrally and in front of said two rear passenger seats, where said driver's seat extends backwards beyond the front part of each said rear passenger leg. As described above, the amount of overlap D2 (see figure 4) will depend on the relative sizes of said passengers. The above modes have been described with particular reference to a three-seat vehicle with a central engine. Typically, the vehicle's engine is mounted in a 20D space (see figure 10) below the floor of the 20A luggage space (which is typically on a level similar to the seat bases for passenger seats 13, 14) and / or below passenger seat seating bases 13, 14. If the vehicle has an internal combustion engine, the fuel tank is preferably mounted below the driver's seat and the radiator can be positioned below the fuel tank. If the vehicle has an electric motor, the batteries or other power source can also be mounted below the driver's seat. The fuel tank or other energy source is thus located on the vehicle's midline, substantially between the front and rear wheels and in a low position in a location substantially ideal for the vehicle's dynamics. However, the seating arrangement described with its central driving position is advantageous in any type of vehicle, whether it is a central engine or not.

If vehicle length is not an issue, additional rear seats can be provided behind the rear passenger seats shown. In addition, it might be possible to provide the two rear seats on a suitably shaped seat, for example, connected by upholstery.

As mentioned above, the seating arrangement is suitable for a compact, urban vehicle. In particular, it allows a vehicle to be built with a total (external) length of 2.3m or less and a total (external) width of 1.25m to 4m. This is important since a vehicle of this size is able to enter sideways into a standard UK parking lot (which ranges from 4.5m to 6.6m by 1.8m to 2.7) and it is possible to arrange three such vehicles in a parking lot 4.5m side by side and four such vehicles in a 6.6m side-by-side parking lot (while still allowing enough space between occupants to get in and out of vehicles).

It will also be appreciated that this is further improved if the entry door is of the type described above that opens upwards or longitudinally and thus does not extend laterally beyond the dimensions of the vehicle when opened (or does so only in a small proportion).

In the closed configuration, the vehicle height (from the floor to the ceiling) is preferably in the range of 1.15 - 1.50 m and more typically around 1.4 m.

It will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the invention as described above can be made within the scope of the present invention.