JP2003180478A - Seat back angle adjusting system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seat back angle adjusting system which prevents generating sound and improved in an operating feeling. <P>SOLUTION: This seat back angle adjusting system is composed of inserting an elastic body 43 into a gap between a connection shaft 4 and a cam 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat back angle adjusting system having left and right seat reclining devices for supporting a seat back with respect to a seat cushion so that the inclination angle can be adjusted.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of seat back angle adjusting device system, a system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-342369 is known. This is a seat back angle adjusting device system in which seat reclining devices are attached to the left and right of the seat, and a lock mechanism of the left and right seat reclining devices is interlocked to release the seat reclining devices by a shaft.

In this conventional device, the shaft connecting the left and right seat reclining devices is inserted into the locking holes of the cams forming the lock mechanism of the left and right seat reclining devices, and the cams can be rotated. It is composed. Further, an operating lever is fixed to the shaft, and each lock mechanism is released by operating the operating lever. With this configuration of the conventional device, the torsional rigidity of the shaft is sufficiently large, and the rotation of the operating lever is evenly transmitted to the lock mechanisms on both sides.

Further, in this seat back angle adjusting system according to the prior art, the shafts can be easily inserted and assembled in the locking holes of the respective cams, and the locking mechanisms of the left and right seat reclining devices interfere with each other and are incomplete. In order to prevent such a locked state, a predetermined gap is provided between the cam and the shaft that form the lock mechanism.

[0005]

However, due to the clearance provided between the operation lever and the cam, the operation lever can freely rotate by the clearance. Then, there arises a problem that noise is generated due to the vibration and the operation feeling is impaired.

Therefore, according to the present invention, in the seat back angle adjusting system configured so that the left and right seat reclining devices described above are interlocked with each other, the generation of noise is prevented,
The technical problem is to improve the operation feeling.

[0007]

A first technical means taken in the present invention to solve the above technical problems is a shaft for mutually connecting seat reclining devices arranged on the left and right sides of a seat, A cam that constitutes a lock mechanism of each seat reclining device and engages at least one side of the shaft with a predetermined gap, and the shaft that rotates the cam to release the lock mechanism. In a seat back angle adjusting system having a fixed operation lever, an elastic body is inserted in the gap between the shaft and the cam.

According to this technical means, since the shaft and the operating lever are engaged with each other via the elastic body, the shaft and the operating lever connected thereto are prevented from freely rotating.

In addition to the first means, the second technical means taken in the present invention fixes the operation lever to one side of the shaft, and the shaft and the cam on the operation lever side. That is, the gap is provided only between the two.

According to this technical means, the rotation of the shaft is restrained by the cam on the other side having no gap, and the free rotation of the operating lever is suppressed.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown in FIG. 1, a seat back angle adjusting system 20 is mounted on the left and right of a seat (not shown) in the width direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) and can be locked and unlocked. Pair of seat reclining device 10
Equipped with R and 10L. The seat reclining device 1 is provided between the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L.
A shaft 4 for locking and unlocking 0R and 10L in an interlocking manner is attached.

Seat reclining device 10R, 10L
Includes a lower arm 1 and an upper arm 2, respectively. The lower arm 1 is fixed to the seat cushion frame A by the engagement of the embossment 15. The upper arm 2 is fixed to the seat back frame B by engagement with the embossment 24. By the holder 6, the lower arm 1 and the upper arm 2 are assembled so as to be rotatable relative to each other in the seat width direction.

As shown in FIG. 2, a recess 11 is formed in the lower arm 1 by half blanking. This recess 11
Has an inner peripheral surface 11a which opens in the direction of the upper arm 2 and has a rotation axis C (shown in FIG. 2) of the upper arm 2 with respect to the lower arm 1 as the center. The upper arm 2 is housed in the recess 11 of the lower arm 1 such that the outer peripheral surface 21 thereof is in sliding contact with the inner peripheral surface 11 a of the recess 11. The sliding contact portion between the inner peripheral surface 11a of the lower arm 1 and the outer peripheral surface 21 of the upper arm 2 functions as a bearing for the rotation of the lower arm 1 and the upper arm 2.

As shown in FIG. 5, the upper arm 2 is formed with a half recessed portion 25. This recess 25
Has an inner tooth 25a which is open in the direction of the lower arm 1 and whose inner circumference is centered on the rotation axis C.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the lower arm 1
A lock mechanism 3 is arranged between the upper arm 2 and the upper arm 2. The lock mechanism 3 includes a pole plate 31, a cam 32, and three poles 33. The three poles 33 are the recesses 25 of the upper arm 2.
Inside (FIG. 5), the lower arm 1 and the upper arm 2 are slidably guided in the radial direction by three guide portions 12 formed to project into the recess 11 of the lower arm 1. The pawl 33 is formed with external teeth 33a capable of meshing with the internal teeth 25a of the upper arm 2. Further, a projection 33b is formed on the surface of the pole 33 opposite to the lower arm 1 side.
The rotation shaft of the cam 32 is arranged on the rotation axis C in the recess 25 of the upper arm 2. The cam 32 has three cam surfaces 32d. This cam surface 32d is
The pawl 33 can come into contact with the back surface 33c on the opposite side of the outer teeth 33a. The pole plate 31 is fixed to the cam 32 by fitting three holes 31a and three protrusions 32b so as to rotate integrally with the cam 32. or,
Three cam holes 31c are formed in the pole plate 31, and the projections 33b of the poles 33 are inserted into the cam holes 31c. It is fixed to the cam 32 by fitting the three holes 31a and the three protrusions 32b so as to rotate integrally with the cam 32. The pole plate 31 and the cam may be integrally formed by a method such as forging.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the shaft 4 is disposed so as to extend in the seat width direction longer than the distance between the seat reclining devices 10L and 10R. As shown in FIG. 3, two parallel surfaces 46 are formed in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

The cam 32 is formed with a through hole 32a located on the rotation axis C. The through hole 32a is formed with two surfaces 32f (FIG. 4) which engage with the two surfaces 46 of the shaft 4 with a predetermined gap 45. Further through hole 32
A groove 42 (FIG. 3) is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the shaft 4 located in a. The elastic ring 43 is fitted in the groove 42 and is arranged on the two faces 32f so as to go around the shaft 4 once.
Is installed. The elastic ring 43 is slightly compressed in the gap 45, and holds the shaft 4 in the through hole 32a with elastic force in the rotational direction. With this configuration, the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L are assembled to the seat with an angular error in a range in which the bending load of the elastic body 43 does not exceed the acting force of the spiral spring 5 acting on the cam 32 described later. However, this angular error is absorbed by the bending of the elastic body 43. For this reason, each lock mechanism 3 can maintain a reliable lock without being affected. As shown in a second embodiment to be described later, the through hole 32a and the shaft 4 are not limited to the shape of two parallel surfaces, and an elastic body is interposed between the through hole 32a and the shaft 4 to provide a predetermined elastic force in the rotation direction. Any shape may be used as long as they can be held together.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, the shaft 4
Snap ring grooves 41 are provided at both ends of the. The shaft 4 has a seat back frame B on one end side.
Seat reclining device 10R through (FIG. 6)
Of the lower arm 1, the cam 32, the pole plate 31, and the through holes 13, 32a, 31b, and 23 of the upper arm 2 and are rotatably supported by the through holes 13 of the lower arm 1. The end of the shaft 4 further extends and is prevented from coming off by a snap ring 8 which penetrates the seat cushion frame A and is fitted in a snap ring groove 41. Also,
The other end of the shaft 4 on the seat reclining device 10L side is retained by the snap ring 8 mounted in the snap ring groove 41, like the seat reclining device 10R side.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, at the other end of the shaft 4, an operating lever 7 having a mounting hole 71 for fitting with the two surfaces 46 of the shaft 4 is locked by a screw component 9. . In FIG. 1, the seat reclining device 10R
Although the configuration is shown in which the operation lever 7 is attached only to the side,
It may be mounted on the seat reclining device 10L side or both sides as required. In the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L, the respective lock mechanisms 3 are configured symmetrically, and the gaps 45 between the two surfaces 32f of the cams 32 and the two surfaces 46 of the shaft 4 are formed in the same manner. Even when operated from the side, the seat reclining devices 10R and 10L on both sides can be operated uniformly with respect to each other.

As further shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, one end of the cam 32 around the boss portion 32e is locked in the groove 14 formed in the lower arm 1 and the other end is formed in the boss portion 32e. The spiral spring 5 locked in the groove 32c is arranged. The spiral spring 5 is configured to exert an acting force on the cam 32 so that the lock mechanism 3 is on the lock side.

Next, the operation of the seat back angle adjusting system 20 having the above structure will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a seat reclining device 10.
The cam 32 receives the biasing force of the spiral spring 5 and pushes the pole 33 with its cam surface 32d to mesh the outer teeth 33a of the pole 33 and the inner teeth 25a of the upper arm 2 with each other. The rotation of the second lower arm 1 is restricted.

In this state, when the operating lever 7 is rotated against the acting force of the spiral spring 5,
Seat reclining device 10 via shaft 4
The cams 32 of R and 10L and the pole plate 31 rotate in conjunction with each other, and the contact between the back surface 33c of the pole 33 and the cam surface 32d is released. When the rotation operation of the operation lever 7 proceeds, the cam action of the cam elongated hole 31c of the pole plate 31 with respect to the protrusion 33b of the pole 33 causes the pole 33 to move to its outer teeth 3
3a slides along the direction guide 12 that releases the meshing between the inner teeth 22 of the upper arm 2. As a result, the seat reclining devices 10R and 10L are released, and the upper arm 2 can rotate with respect to the lower arm 1.

When the rotating operation of the operating lever 7 is released, the cam 32 rotates in the opposite direction to the above via the shaft 4, and the seat reclining devices 10R and 10L are locked.

As an embodiment relating to the present invention, the shape of the shaft, the through hole of the cam and the elastic ring is, in addition to the above-mentioned shapes, a spline shape shown as a second embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, for example. May be That is, the shaft 104 is formed with a plurality of grooves 146 extending in the longitudinal direction on the outer periphery thereof and is engaged with the through hole 132f side of the cam 132 so as to have a predetermined gap 145 in the rotation direction, and an elastic body is provided between the gaps 145. The ring 143 is inserted and configured. Also in such a second embodiment, the same operation and effect as the above-mentioned first embodiment can be achieved.

As a third embodiment relating to the present invention, a shaft 204 and cams 232R and 232L are shown in FIG.
Shows the configuration of. In this third embodiment, the shaft 204
The left and right shafts 204R and 204L are connected by a connecting shaft 204C. According to this configuration, the shafts 204R, 2
04L is already the left and right seat reclining device 10R, 1
Seat cushion frame A when assembled to 0L
And the seat back frame B, and then the connecting shaft 2
The assembling method of welding 04C to the shafts 204R and 204L is adopted. Since the shafts 204R and 204L are pre-assembled to the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L, at least one of the shafts 204R and 204L and the cams 232R and 232L is press-fitted firmly without forming a gap. Shaft 20 by assembling
4 can be configured to suppress the free rotation. FIG. 9 shows an assembly structure in which a gap 245 is provided between the shaft 204R and the cam 232R, and the shaft 204R and the cam 232L are firmly press-fitted. However, in the case of this configuration, the cam 232R having the clearance 245 is delayed in rotation with respect to the cam 232L that is press-fitted and assembled, and a difference in release timing occurs between the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L, resulting in an operation feeling. Bring about the deterioration of. In order to correct this rotation difference, the torsional rigidity of the connecting shaft 204C is reduced in this configuration. When the operation lever 207 is rotated, the rotation of the shaft 204L is delayed due to the twist of the connecting shaft 204C, which is offset by the rotation delay of the shaft 204R caused by the gap 245. As a result, the difference between the release timings of the left and right seat reclining devices 10R and 10L is eliminated, and the operation feeling is not deteriorated.

[0027]

According to the present invention, the operation lever 7 can be operated by providing a predetermined gap between the shafts 4,104 and the cams 32,132 on at least one side and interposing the elastic bodies 43,143 in the gaps. It is prevented from freely rotating due to vibrations, the generation of abnormal noise is avoided, and the operation feeling is improved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a seat back angle adjusting system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat back angle adjusting system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the interlocking shaft in the seat back angle adjusting system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line I-I in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an upper arm of the seat back angle adjusting system according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the seat back angle adjusting system according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the shaft in the seat back angle adjusting system according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the shaft in the seat back angle adjusting system according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 lower arm 2 upper arm 3 lock mechanism 4, 104, 204 shaft 7,207 Operation lever 10R, 10L seat reclining device 20 Seat back angle adjustment system 43, 143, 243 Elastic ring (elastic body) 45, 145, 245 gap

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A shaft for interconnecting seat reclining devices arranged on the left and right sides of a seat, and a lock mechanism of each of the seat reclining devices, which has a predetermined gap at least on one side of the shaft. A seat back angle adjusting system having a cam engaged with the cam and an operation lever fixed to the shaft so as to rotate the cam to release the lock mechanism. A seat back angle adjusting system, which is configured by inserting an elastic body. 2. The operation lever is fixed to one side of the shaft, and the gap is provided only between the shaft on the operation lever side and the cam. Seat back angle adjustment system.