JP2008136552A - Reclining device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent a cap member for centering for retaining the relative rotating positions of a hinge pin and a connection rod of a reclining device neutral from being affected by welding heat, etc. <P>SOLUTION: In the reclining device, the hinge pin 16 is inserted into a tubular connection rod 26, and the hinge pin and the connecting rod are connected to each other in the centered state with the relative rotating positions retained neutral. Both hinge pin 16 and the connection rod 26 are polygonal so that the rotation can be transmitted. The tubular cap member 30 for centering is press-fitted into the outer circumference of an end of the connection rod. The cap member 30 has an insertion hole 32 into which the hinge pin 16 is inserted. The rotating position of the cap member 30 relative to the connection rod is determined with a polygonal face of the outer circumference of the connection rod 26 as the reference, and the rotating position of the hinge pin 15 relative to the connection rod 26 is determined by the insertion hole 32. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a reclining device for a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a reclining device having a configuration in which a hinge pin and a connecting rod are connected in a centering state in which their relative rotational positions are kept neutral.

  In general, a reclining device arranged on both sides of a vehicle seat synchronizes operations by connecting individual hinge pins with a cylindrical connecting rod. In this case, the hinge pin and the connecting rod of one reclining device are fixed by welding or the like, and the hinge pin and the connecting rod of the other reclining device are connected by fitting.

For example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a connection structure by fitting a hinge pin and a connection rod. As is clear from Patent Document 1, the hinge pin is inserted into the rectangular tube-shaped connecting rod from the end thereof so as to be able to transmit rotation between them. A centering rubber is fixed to the outer periphery of the end portion of the hinge pin. That is, the relative rotational position of the hinge pin and the connecting rod is kept neutral by the elasticity of the centering rubber inserted in the connecting rod.
JP 2002-360368 A

  Since the centering rubber fixed to the hinge pin has a small outer diameter and is rubber, it easily turns when assembled to the hinge pin, and it is difficult to achieve assembly accuracy. For this reason, the centering rubber is fixed to the hinge pin by vulcanization adhesion in advance. Therefore, in the assembling process of the reclining device, when there is a welded portion near the centering rubber, there arises a problem that the centering rubber is deformed by welding heat.

  The present invention is intended to solve such a problem, and its purpose is that the cap member for centering that maintains the relative rotational position of the hinge pin and the connecting rod to be neutral is affected by welding heat or the like. It is to solve the problem.

The present invention is for achieving the above object, and is configured as follows.
A first aspect of the invention is a reclining device in which a hinge pin is inserted into an inside of an end portion of a connecting rod having a cylindrical shape, and is connected in a centering state in which a relative rotational position between the hinge pin and the connecting rod is kept neutral. In this case, the hinge pin and the connecting rod are set in a polygonal shape that enables rotation transmission between them by inserting the hinge pin into the inside of the connecting rod. Further, a cylindrical centering cap member is press-fitted around the outer periphery of the end of the connecting rod. The cap member is provided with an insertion port through which a hinge pin inserted into the connecting rod passes. The rotational position of the cap member relative to the connecting rod is determined on the basis of the polygonal plane on the outer periphery of the connecting rod, and the rotational position of the hinge pin relative to the connecting rod is determined by the insertion opening of the cap member.

  As described above, the centering cap member has a rotational position determined on the basis of the plane on the outer periphery of the connecting rod, so that the cap member can be accurately assembled to the outer periphery of the connecting rod by manual press-fitting. Therefore, the degree of freedom of the timing of assembling the cap member in the sheet assembling process is increased. For example, when there is a welded portion near the cap member, the cap member is assembled after welding and the cap member is not affected by the welding heat. It becomes possible to do so.

  According to a second invention, in the first invention, the centering cap member is made of resin, and protrudes outward at an end portion on the preceding side when the cap member is press-fitted into the outer periphery of the connecting rod. A flange is provided, and an insertion port through which the hinge pin passes is provided at the other end.

  Thus, since the cap member is made of resin and has a stable shape as compared with rubber or the like, and there is a flange projecting outward at one end of the cap member, the outer circumference of the connecting rod The press-fitting work of the cap member is easy, and the rigidity of the end portion having the flange can be ensured.

According to a third invention, in the first or second invention, the insertion port of the cap member is set to a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer shape of the hinge pin passing therethrough.
Thereby, the hinge pin and the connecting rod in the connected state are maintained not only in the centering in the radial direction but also in a good centering state in which the mutual rotational positions are kept neutral.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a frame structure of a vehicle seat. In this drawing, a cushion frame 10 that forms a skeleton of a seat cushion and a back frame 12 that forms a skeleton of a seat back are coupled by reclining devices 14 and 20 disposed on both sides of the seat. In order to synchronize the operation for locking and unlocking in the reclining devices 14 and 20, the individual hinge pins 16 and 22 are connected to each other by a connecting rod 26. By operating both the reclining devices 14 and 20 in the unlocked state, the back frame 12 can be rotated in the front-rear direction with the individual hinge pins 16 and 22 as fulcrums. Thereby, the inclination angle of the seat back can be adjusted, or the seat back can be tilted forward.

  The hinge pin 22 and the connecting rod 26 of the reclining device 20 located on the inner side (right side in FIG. 1) of the seat are fixed to each other by welding, for example. On the other hand, the hinge pin 16 and the connecting rod 26 of the reclining device 14 located on the outer side (left side in FIG. 1) of the seat are connected to each other by a fitting that can transmit rotation. Therefore, a connection structure between the hinge pin 16 and the connecting rod 26 of the reclining device 14 located on the outer side will be described.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection structure between the hinge pin 16 and the connection rod 26 of the reclining device 14. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the connection structure of FIG. FIG. 4 is a front view showing the connection structure of FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in the direction of arrows BB in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in the direction of arrows CC in FIG.

  As is apparent from these drawings, the hinge pin 16 of the reclining device 14 has an insertion portion 18 formed at one end portion and an operation portion 19 formed at the other end portion. Further, in the connecting rod 26, the end portion on the side corresponding to the hinge pin 16 is a rectangular tube-shaped receiving portion 28. That is, the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26 has a rectangular shape on both the inner and outer circumferences. The insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16 is set to have a rectangular cross-sectional shape corresponding to the inner peripheral shape of the receiving portion 28 in the connecting rod 26, and is inserted into the receiving portion 28 from the end opening. Note that the distal end of the insertion portion 18 has a tapered shape in order to facilitate insertion into the receiving portion 28.

  A bracket 24 is fixed to the hinge pin 16 by welding on an axis near the insertion portion 18. The bracket 24 is used to transmit the operating force of the motor to the individual hinge pins 16 and 22 in a vehicle having a specification in which both the reclining devices 14 and 20 can be operated in an unlocked state by an electric force by a switch operation from the rear of the seat, for example. It is a member. Further, an operating lever or knob for manually operating both the reclining devices 14 and 20 to the unlocked state is attached to the operating portion 19 of the hinge pin 16.

  In a state where the insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16 is inserted into the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26 and is connected so as to be able to transmit rotation, there is a rotation direction between the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the receiving portion 28. A very small gap is set. The gap absorbs the positional deviation in the rotational direction of the hinge pins 16 and 22 in both the reclining devices 14 and 20 with the seat assembled. In this case, if the gap between the insertion portion 18 and the receiving portion 28 is biased to either one, it is not possible to absorb the positional shift to the other. For this reason, until the seat is assembled, the hinge pin 16 and the connecting rod 26 of the reclining device 14 need not be centered in the radial direction, but must be managed in a centering state in which the relative rotational positions are kept neutral. is there.

  Therefore, a cap member 30 for keeping the hinge pin 16 and the connecting rod 26 in the centering state is used. The cap member 30 has a rectangular rectangular tube shape corresponding to the shape of the receiving portion 28 in the connecting rod 26, and is an integrally molded product made of a resin material, and has appropriate rigidity and elasticity. And the inner peripheral dimension of the cap member 30 is set slightly smaller than the outer peripheral dimension of the receiving part 28, and it press-fits into the outer periphery of the receiving part 28 (FIG. 6). Thereby, centering of the cap member 30 with respect to the connecting rod 26 and positioning in the rotation direction are performed.

  The cap member 30 includes a rectangular insertion port 32 on the end face side of the receiving portion 28 in a state of being press-fitted into the outer periphery of the receiving portion 28. The insertion portion 18 is inserted into the insertion port 32 when the insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16 is inserted into the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26. Further, the dimension of the insertion port 32 is set slightly smaller than the inner peripheral dimension of the receiving portion 28. Therefore, the insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16 passes through the insertion port 32 of the cap member 30 in a press-fitted state (FIG. 7), and the radial centering of the hinge pin 16 with respect to the connecting rod 26 through the cap member 30 and the rotational direction Positioning is performed. In order to give this function to the cap member 30, it is necessary to match the axial center and the rotational position of the inner periphery with the insertion port 32. However, the cap member 30 made of resin easily ensures accuracy. be able to.

  In the cap member 30, the cap member 30 protrudes outwardly at the outer end of the leading end when the cap member 30 is press-fitted into the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26, that is, the outer end opposite to the insertion port 32. A flange 34 is provided. The presence of the flange 34 facilitates the work of press-fitting the cap member 30 into the outer periphery of the receiving portion 28, and ensures the rigidity of the end portion opposite to the insertion port 32.

  In this way, after the cap member 30 is press-fitted into the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26, the insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16 is inserted into the receiving portion 28 from the insertion port 32 of the cap member 30, thereby being connected to the hinge pin 16. The rod 26 is centered and connected in a centering state in which the mutual rotational positions are kept neutral. And since the cap member 30 should just press-fit with respect to the receiving part 28 of the connection rod 26, determining a rotation position on the basis of a rectangular-shaped plane, the cap member 30 can be assembled | attached correctly also by manual labor.

  Therefore, unlike the case of fixing by vulcanization adhesion in advance like the conventional centering rubber, the degree of freedom of the timing of assembling the cap member 30 in the sheet assembling process is increased. Thereby, even in the specification in which the bracket 24 is welded on the shaft of the hinge pin 16, it is possible to eliminate the cap member 30 from being affected by the heat caused by the welding. Moreover, the cap member 30 by resin molding does not require operations such as degreasing the hinge pin and applying an adhesive when the centering rubber is vulcanized and bonded to the hinge pin, and the molding time is shorter than that of the rubber. Furthermore, since the cap member 30 is formed as a single unit as compared with the vulcanization adhesion of centering rubber in which a hinge pin is inserted into the mold and the rubber is integrally molded, the molding die can be small.

  In the present embodiment, the shapes of the insertion portion 18 of the hinge pin 16, the receiving portion 28 of the connecting rod 26, the cap member 30 and the insertion port 32 thereof are not limited to a rectangle (square). However, in addition to the radial centering of the hinge pin 16 and the connecting rod 26 in the connected state, it is necessary to set a polygonal shape such as a hexagon or an octagon in order to keep the mutual rotational position neutral.

A perspective view showing a frame structure of a vehicle seat The perspective view showing the connection structure of the hinge pin and connecting rod of a reclining device The perspective view which decomposed | disassembled and represented the connection structure of FIG. Front view showing the connection structure of FIG. Enlarged sectional view in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. Enlarged sectional view in the direction of arrow BB in FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view in the direction of arrow C-C in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

14 Reclining device 16 Hinge pin 26 Connecting rod 30 Cap member 32 Insertion port

Claims (3)

A reclining device in which a hinge pin is inserted from the end of a cylindrical connecting rod and connected in a centering state in which the relative rotational position of the hinge pin and the connecting rod is kept neutral,
The hinge pin and the connecting rod are set in a polygonal shape that enables rotation transmission between them by inserting the hinge pin into the inside of the connecting rod, and for the centering that has a cylindrical shape on the outer periphery of the end of the connecting rod The cap member is press-fitted, and this cap member is provided with an insertion port through which a hinge pin inserted into the connecting rod passes. The cap member has a rotational position with respect to the connecting rod on the basis of a polygonal plane on the outer periphery of the connecting rod. A reclining device in which the hinge pin is positioned at a rotational position relative to the connecting rod by the insertion opening of the cap member. A reclining device according to claim 1,
The centering cap member is made of resin, and includes a flange projecting outward at the leading end when the cap member is press-fitted into the outer periphery of the connecting rod, and the hinge pin passes through the other end. A reclining device with an insertion port. A reclining device according to claim 1 or 2,
A reclining device in which the insertion opening of the cap member is set in a polygonal shape corresponding to the outer shape of the hinge pin passing therethrough.

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