IE46660B1

IE46660B1 - Improvements in or relating to a slide for a vehicle seat,particularly for the seat of an automobile vehicle

Info

Publication number: IE46660B1
Application number: IE958/78A
Authority: IE
Original assignee: Cousin Cie Ets A & M Freres
Priority date: 1977-05-12
Filing date: 1978-05-10
Publication date: 1983-08-10
Also published as: NL187302C; GB1573896A; FR2390625A1; IE780958L; IT1095150B; DK201278A; DE2820151C2; IT7823279A0; DE2820151A1; ES244224U; FR2390625B1; NL7805109A; ES244224Y; LU79614A1; BE866761A; NL187302B

Abstract

Slide for seats. The slideway is constituted by a U-shaped bottom profile, intended to be fixed on the floor of the vehicle and whose edges of the wings are bent outwards so as to ensure, by means of balls, the guiding of a profile superior, the locking and unlocking of the upper profile being obtained by means of a rod bearing the locking member itself and being controlled against the action of an elastic return member by a lever ensuring the connection between the two rails of a seat. Motor vehicles.

Description

The present invention relates to a slide provided to move back or forth seats of vehicles, particularly seats of automobile vehicles.

There is already known a plurality of slides permitting to move back or forth seats of automobile vehicles in order to adapt the position of the seats to the size of the driver or the passenger. These known slides are often difficult to use since the means for the control of the unlocking and locking are of a difficult access and their design does not always provide a connection between the seat and the floor of the vehicle which suitably corresponds to the safety regulations provided in case of a shock.

The prosent invention -has for its object to cope with tho above mentioned disadvantages by providing a slide of a design permitting a strong and safe connection between the seat and the floor of the vehicle, which has control means within an easy aeess, and which slides without necessitating important efforts from the user.

According to the invention there is provided a slide member for moving back or forth seats of vehicles, typically seats of automobile vehicles, comprising a lower U-shaped profiled member secured onto the floor of the vehicle and an upper profiled member which is fixed to the seating surface of the seat and has in cross-section substantially the shape of an inverted U-letter, characterized in that the lower profiled member comprises slides of which the ends are outwardly bent in order to provide by means of balls or rollers a guiding of the Upper profiled member having in cross-section substantially the shape of an inverted U-lettor of which the bottom comprises two longitudinal undulations and of which the ends of the sides are inwardly bent in order to be engaged behind the ends of the outwardly bent sides of the lower profiled member, one of the sides of the lower profiled member having equi-distant notches enabling a locking and unlocking of the upper profiled member with respect to the lower profiled member by means of a rod centered by a semi-cut on the upper profiled member -o. 6 6 6 0 and of which one of the ends which constitute the locking means is maintained into the equidistant notches by a resilient means while the other end of the rod comprises a fork which is actuated by the control device,which is preferably a bent tube, of which the end is fitted on a lug protruding on the rod.

Various other features of the invention are moreover revealed from the following detailed description.

An embodiment of the object of the invention is shown as a non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein : Figure 1 is a side view of the slide of the invention; Figure 2 is an elevation view of the slide shown in Figure I; Figure 3 is a cross-section taken along line III-III of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of the locking rod; Figure 5 is an elevation view of the rod of Figure 4; Figure 6 is a cross section taken along line III-III of Figure 1 showing another embodiment; Figure 7 is a front view of another embodiment of the locking rod. Figure 8 is an elevation view of the rod of Figure 7 Referring now to the drawings, the slide according to the invention comprises a lower profiled member 1 provided to be secured onto the floor of a vehicle, and an upper profiled member 2 fixed to the seating surface of the seat. The lower profiled member 1 comprises at least two holes for securing it onto the floor of the vehicle and has a U-shaped cross ‘section. The ends la and lb of the sides of the profiled member 1 are outwardly bent and are used for guiding the upper profiled member 2. One of the ends lb comprises equidistant notches 5, 5a,. 5b ... 5n.

The upper profiled member 2, which is provided to be fixed to the seating surface of the seat by means of bolts inserted through the holes 6 and 7, has an inverted U-shaped cross-section of which the bottom comprises two longitudinal Undulations 8, 9. The ends 2a and 2b of the sides of the profiled member 2 are Inwardly bent in order to be engaged behind the outwardly bent sides la, lb of the lower profiled member 1. In order to reduce the friction between the two profiled members as well as the effort of the user of the slide, at least four balls 10, 11, 12, 13 are provided between the two profiled members 1, 2. The balls 10, 11, 12, are maintained in place and guided by grooves 14, 15 formed, on the one end, by the longitudinal undulations 8, 9 15 of the upper profiled member and, on the other end, by the outwardly bent ends la, lb of the lower profiled member 1.

At least two balls 16, 17 of a smaller diameter or two rollers 35 and 36 (Figure 6) are also placed within the space formed by the ends la' and 2a' of the oppositely bent sides 20 la and 2a of the profiled members ί, 2. The stroke of the slide is limited by stops 18, 19 provided on the lower profiled member 1. and by stops 20, 21 fixed to the upper profiled member 2. A lug 33 placed at the rear of the profiled member 1 prevents this member to lie inwardly upon unlocking efforts.

The locking or unlocking of the slide, for bringing the seat into the desired position and maintaining the seat locked in this position, is obtained by means of a rod 22 which is t shown in more detail in Figures 4 and 5.

The rod 22 has a very simple design since it is 3° ’ obtained through stamping Of a flat iron, and this rod 22 is centered by a semi-cut 23 on the side 2b of the upper profiled member 2. One of the ends of the rod terminates by the locking means 24, which is bent over by 90° and passes through an opening 25 in the side 2b of the upper profiled member 2, and is engaged under the action of a resilient means 28 with the aid of two apertures 26, 27 in two notches 5 of the outwardly bent side lb of the lower profiled member 1. The end opposite to the locking means 24 of the rod 22 is provided with a fork 29 for passing the control lever 30 of the locking rod 22. This control lever 30 which provides the connection between the two slides of a seat comprises a bent tube of which the two ends 30a are set 0 on a lug 31 from the rod 22. The resiliency of the bent control lever 30 tends to push the rod 22 on the profiled members 2. In order to maintain laterally the rod 22 there has been provided a lug 32 bearing on the end 2b and a lug 34 bearing on the end 2b ’. In an other variant of embodiment, 15 the rod 22 is maintained by a lug 37 housed in a puncture in the end 2b and by the stamping 38 of the opening 25. The spring 28 pushes also the rod 22 on the end 2b (see Figures 6, 7, 8).

Working of the slide according to the invention is as follows : The unlocking of the upper profiled member 2, fixed to the seating of the seat, is obtained in drawing the control lever 30 in the direction of the arrow F^ (Figure 1), which has for its effects to pivot the end of the rod 22 bearing the ' locking means 24 in the direction of the arrow F2 (Figure 3) and against action of the resilient return means 28 so that the locking means 24 frees the notches 5 of the lower ’ profiled member 1. As soon as the desired position is reached for the seat, it suffices to release the control lever 30 so 3° 'that the locking means 24 will, under the action of the resilient means 28, engage into the notches 5 of the lower profiled member 1 and lock the seat.

Claims

1. CLAIMS;

1. Slide member for moving back or forth seats of vehicles, typically seats of automobile vehicles, pomprising a lower U-shaped profiled member secured onto the floor of the vehicle and an upper profiled member'which is fixed to the seating surface of the seat and has in cross-section substantially the shape of an inverted U-letter, characterized in that the lower profiled member comprises sides of which the ends are outwardly bent in order to provide by means of balls or rollers a guiding of the upper profiled member having in cross-seotion substantially the shape of an inverted U>-letter of which the bottom comprises two longitudinal undulations and of which the ends of the sides are inwardly bent in order to be engaged behind the ends of the outwardly bent sides of the lower one of the sides of the lower profiled member profiled member/having equidistant notches enabling a locking and unlocking of the upper profiled member with respect to the lower profiled member by means of a rod centered by a semi-cut on the upper profiled member and of which one of the ends, which constitute the locking means is maintained into the equidistant notches by a resilient means while the other end of the rod comprises a fork which is actuated by the control device which is preferably a bent tube, of which the end is fitted on a lug protruding on the rod.

2. A slide member as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described.

3. A slide member for vehicle seats, substantially as described with reference to and as illustrated in any one of the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

4. A vehicle seat having a slide member as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3·