JP2008265365A - Height mechanism of vehicle seat - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that the cost is increased, and a sub gear is formed with high dimensional accuracy in a constitution in which the backlash of an engagement part of teeth of a pinion gear and a sector gear is filled with the sub gear formed of a material of low rigidity. <P>SOLUTION: In a height mechanism of a vehicle seat, a sub gear 29 is rockingly provided in a coaxial and superposing manner with a sector gear 28 in an engaging manner with a pinion gear 26. A torsion screw 30 is arranged around a rear connection shaft with both ends thereof being inserted in and locked to locking holes in the sub gear and the sector gear, and the circumferentially urging force is applied to the sub gear 29. A tooth 29-1 of the sub gear is pressed against a tooth 26-1 of the pinion gear by the torsion spring 30, and the tooth 26-1 is held between adjacent teeth 28-2 of the sector gear. Thus, a part corresponding to the backlash between the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 is filled and the pinion gear and the sector gear are engaged with each other in a state without any backlash. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat height mechanism that enables adjustment of the seat height, and more particularly to a vehicle seat height mechanism that prevents rattling of the seat.

  The height mechanism (also called the seat lifter mechanism) mounted inside the seat cushion of automobiles, etc., allows the seat height to be adjusted as desired. The front and rear height links are the seat riser on the vehicle floor and the seat frame at the bottom of the seat. A pair of rockers are arranged on the front, back, left, and right of each other. In the height mechanism, for example, a rear height link (rear link) is swung by a driving means having a drive lever or a brake unit that restricts swing of the height link downward, and the swing angle of the rear link is The height of the seat can be adjusted according to the setting. In other words, a pinion gear that is driven in conjunction with the drive lever is meshed with a sector gear whose pivot shaft is fixed at the upper end of the height link, and if the pinion gear is driven by operating the drive lever, the sector gear is moved to the rear. It is configured to swing up and down with a link to raise and lower the seat.

  Usually, backlash inevitably exists in the meshing portion of the pinion gear and sector gear. For this reason, when a large load or vibration is applied to the seat cushion by operating the drive lever to drive the pinion gear, or when the occupant is seated, backlash and noise are generated in the seat cushion.

In order to prevent the occurrence of rattling or abnormal noise, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-278509, a sub gear made of a material having a lower rigidity than the sector gear is provided integrally with the sector gear, and the teeth of the sub gear are provided in the sector gear. A configuration is described in which the gap between the teeth of the sub gear is set to be smaller than the gap between the teeth of the sector gear by an amount equivalent to the backlash.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-278509

In the configuration of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-278509, the sub gear fills the backlash equivalent between the pinion gear and the sector gear, so that the height mechanism is driven (when the drive lever is operated), when it is not driven (when a passenger is seated, etc.) ) The sub-gear elastically receives loads, vibrations, etc., which prevent rattling and abnormal noise. However, since the sub gear is molded from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber, and the sub gear needs to be molded with high dimensional accuracy, the cost increases.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a seat height mechanism that can prevent rattling and abnormal noise without forming a sub gear with high dimensional accuracy.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seat is supported by the height link of the seat frame, the front link interposed between the seat risers, and the rear link so that the seat can be raised and lowered, and interlocked with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means. Then, by rotating the pinion gear of the drive means and driving the sector gear of the rear link that meshes with the pinion gear, the seat can be adjusted to an arbitrary height and can be set to any height, and can be meshed with the pinion gear. The sub gear is provided so as to be swingable coaxially with the sector gear of the rear link, and a biasing member applies a biasing force in the circumferential direction to eliminate backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear to the sub gear.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the seat is supported by the height link of the seat frame, the front link interposed between the seat risers and the rear link so that the seat can be raised and lowered, and interlocked with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means. Then, by rotating the pinion gear of the drive means and driving the sector gear of the rear link that meshes with the pinion gear, the seat can be adjusted to an arbitrary height and can be set to any height, and can be meshed with the pinion gear. A sub-gear is provided on the rear link so as to swing coaxially with the sector gear of the rear link, and a torsion spring applies a circumferential urging force to the sub-gear to eliminate backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the seat is supported by the pair of height links of the seat frame, the front link interposed between the seat risers and the rear link so that the seat can be raised and lowered, and interlocked with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means. Then, by rotating the pinion gear of the driving means and driving the sector gear of the rear link that meshes with the pinion gear, the seat seat can be adjusted to an arbitrary height and can be engaged with the pinion gear in the vehicle seat height mechanism. The sub gear is provided integrally with the sector gear so that it can project linearly on the radial line with respect to the sector gear of the rear link, and the biasing member applies a biasing force in the radial direction to the sub gear so that the sub gear can be retracted in the radial direction. The teeth are projected beyond the overlapping teeth of the sector gear.

In the first aspect of the present invention, the sub-gear is urged in the circumferential direction and meshed with the pinion gear, so that the backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is filled and no backlash occurs. No state is maintained. Therefore, backlash does not exist between the pinion gear and the sector gear both when the height mechanism is not driven and when it is driven, thereby preventing backlash and noise.
Since the sub gear is provided so as to be able to swing coaxially with the sector gear, the teeth of the sub gear are evenly displaced in the circumferential direction, and the teeth of the sub gear can mesh with the pinion gear evenly at the center or at the left and right ends. .
Further, since the sub gear is urged in the circumferential direction by the urging member, it is not necessary to mold the sub gear from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber, and it can be molded from the same material as the pinion gear and the sector gear. In addition, even if there is a dimensional error in molding of the sub gear, the dimensional error is absorbed by being biased, so that it is not necessary to mold the sub gear with high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, the cost is not increased, and a seat height mechanism that does not generate rattling or abnormal noise can be obtained at low cost.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the sub gear is urged in the circumferential direction and meshed with the pinion gear, the backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is filled, and the backlash does not occur. No state is maintained. Therefore, backlash does not exist between the pinion gear and the sector gear both when the height mechanism is not driven and when it is driven, thereby preventing backlash and noise.
Since the sub gear is provided so as to be able to swing coaxially with the sector gear, the teeth of the sub gear are evenly displaced in the circumferential direction, and the teeth of the sub gear can mesh with the pinion gear evenly at the center or at the left and right ends. .
Further, since the sub gear is urged in the circumferential direction by the urging member, it is not necessary to mold the sub gear from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber, and it can be molded from the same material as the pinion gear and the sector gear. In addition, even if there is a dimensional error in molding of the sub gear, the dimensional error is absorbed by being biased, so that it is not necessary to mold the sub gear with high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, the cost is not increased, and a seat height mechanism that does not generate rattling or abnormal noise can be obtained at low cost.
Furthermore, since a torsion spring is used, a circumferential biasing force is applied to the sub gear with a simple configuration.

In the present invention of claim 4, when the sub gear is urged in the radial direction of the sector gear and meshed with the pinion gear, the backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is filled and no backlash occurs. A state without backlash is maintained. Therefore, backlash does not exist between the pinion gear and the sector gear both when the height mechanism is not driven and when it is driven, thereby preventing backlash and noise.
Since the sub gear is integrated with the sector gear so that it can project linearly on the radial line with respect to the sector gear, a configuration without backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear can be obtained without complicating the configuration. It is done.
Further, since the sub gear is urged in the radial direction by the urging member, it is not necessary to mold the sub gear from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber, and it can be molded from the same material as the pinion gear and sector gear. In addition, even if there is a dimensional error in molding of the sub gear, the dimensional error is absorbed by being biased, so that it is not necessary to mold the sub gear with high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, the cost is not increased, and a seat height mechanism that does not generate rattling or abnormal noise can be obtained at low cost.

A sub gear that meshes with the pinion gear is provided overlapping the sector gear of the rear link, and an urging force in a direction that eliminates backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is applied to the sub gear. For example, the sub gear is arranged so as to be swingable coaxially with the sector gear, and both ends thereof are attached in the circumferential direction by torsion springs respectively engaged with overlapping engagement holes of different sizes formed in the sub gear and the sector gear. Power is applied to the sub gear.
Instead of energizing in the circumferential direction, an energizing force that projects so as to be retractable in the radial direction may be applied to the sub gear.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle seat height mechanism according to an embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the vehicle seat height mechanism, and FIG. 3 is an arrow A- The schematic front view of the height mechanism of the vehicle seat seen from A is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, a vehicle seat height mechanism 10 includes a seat frame 12 and a pair of front and rear height links (front links and rear links) 16F and 16R interposed between a seat riser 14 and a seat. It is comprised so that the sheet | seat 13 on the flame | frame 12 may be raised / lowered. In addition, in the Example, although the seat slide apparatus which consists of a combination of an upper rail and a lower rail is used as the seat riser 14, it is not limited to this.

The front link 16F and the rear link 16R of the height mechanism 10 are respectively arranged on the left and right between the seat frame 12 and the seat riser 14, and the left and right front links 16F-1 and 16F-2 are connected to the front connecting shaft (link shaft) 18F. It is fixed to the end and connected to the left and right. The left and right rear links 16R-1 and 16R-2 are fixed and connected to a rear connecting shaft (link shaft) 18R to be integrated with the left and right. The front link 16F and the rear link 16R connect and pivotally support upper and lower ends of the seat frame 12 and the seat riser 14, respectively, thereby supporting the seat so that it can be raised and lowered with respect to the seat riser.
The rear link 16R is covered with a sector cover 19. However, to illustrate the internal structure, the sector cover 19 is removed in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the height mechanism 10 includes a driving means 20 on either the left or right side. In the embodiment, the driving means 20 is disposed on the right side of the seat, and the rear link 16R-1 is swung. The seat height is adjusted and set according to the swing angle of the rear link 16R-1. The drive means 20 includes a drive lever 22, a brake 24 that regulates swinging of the height link (front link 16F, rear link 16R) on either the left or right side (right side in the embodiment), and power applied to the drive lever. A pinion gear 26 for transmitting to the rear link 16R and a sector gear 28 meshing with the pinion gear are formed. The pinion gear 26 is provided coaxially with the drive lever 22 so as to be integrally rotatable, and the sector gear 28 is fixed to the rear connecting shaft 18R and integrated with the rear connecting shaft.

  When the drive lever 22 is operated, the pinion gear 26 whose output is coaxial with the drive lever is rotated, and the sector gear 28 meshing with the pinion gear is swung together with the rear connecting shaft 18R. Since the left and right rear links 16R-1 and 16R-2 are integrated via the rear connecting shaft 18R, the left and right rear links rotate around the swing shaft 17 as the rear connecting shaft rotates. And the left and right front links 16F-1 and 16F-2 are also swung following the swinging, so that the seat 13 is lifted and lowered together with the seat frame 12.

  The basic structure of the height mechanism 10 including the height links (front links, rear links) 16F and 16R and the driving means 20 as described above is known, for example, as described in JP-A-2001-088589. Since the basic configuration itself is not the gist of the present invention, a detailed description of the basic configuration of the height mechanism is omitted.

  In the present invention, the driving means 20 further has a sub gear 29, which is formed in a sector shape substantially the same as the sector gear 28, and is provided overlapping the sector gear.

4A and 4B show the meshed state of the pinion gear and the sector gear or the sub gear. FIG. 4A is a schematic plan view, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged plan view of a portion B in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4A, the sub-gear 29 is swingably attached to the rear connecting shaft 18R to which the sector gear 28 is fixed, and is inside the sector gear 28, that is, as viewed in the direction of the arrow in FIG. Overlaid on the sector gear when viewed from the A direction. The sub-gear 29 has the same tooth shape as that of the sector gear 28 and is formed so as to be able to mesh with the pinion gear 26 like the sector gear.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the teeth of the sub-gear 29 are positioned so as to be shifted in the circumferential direction from the teeth of the sector gear 28, and the teeth of the pinion gear 26 are sandwiched between the teeth of the sub-gear and the teeth of the sector gear. The sub gear and the sector gear mesh with the pinion gear, respectively. For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pinion gear teeth 26-1 are sandwiched between the sub gear teeth 29-1 and the sector gear teeth 28-2, and the sub gear teeth 29-2 and the sector gear teeth. The pinion gear teeth 26-2 are clamped by 28-3. As described above, the teeth of the sub gear 29 cooperate with the adjacent teeth of the sector gear 28 to pinch the teeth of the pinion gear 26, so that there is no backlash between the sector gear and the pinion gear.

FIG. 5 shows a sector gear, a sub gear, and an urging member, (A) is a plan view of the sub gear, (B) is a plan view of the sector gear, and (C) is a perspective view of the urging member.
As shown in FIGS. 4 (A), 5 (A) and 5 (B), the sector gear 28 and the sub gear 29 are both formed in substantially the same sector shape, and both have a pair of engagement holes, guide holes, shafts. Has a support hole. That is, the sector gear 28 has a pair of engagement holes 28a1, 28a2, a guide hole 28b, and a shaft support hole 28c, and the sub gear 29 has a pair of engagement holes 29a1, 29a2, a guide hole 29b, And a shaft support hole 29c.

  By inserting the rear connection link 18R through the shaft support hole 29c of the sub gear, the sub gear is swingably attached to the rear connection link. On the other hand, since the rear connection link 18R is fitted and fixed to the shaft support hole 28c of the sector gear, the sector gear is swung integrally with the rear connection link.

  The guide holes 28b and 29b are formed at positions overlapping the sector gear 28 and the sub gear 29 by extending in a circular arc shape in the circumferential direction with respect to the rear connection link 18R which is the swing center. As shown in FIG. 3, the guide pin 32 is fixed to the inner surface of the seat frame 12 and protrudes inward, and the guide pin is inserted into the guide holes 28b and 29b of the sector gear and the sub gear, respectively. The sub gear 29 is guided by the guide pins and is swung on the seat frame.

  An urging member, for example, a substantially U-shaped torsion spring 30 is engaged with the rear connecting link 18R as shown in FIG. The torsion spring 30 is provided so that an urging force that can swing the sub gear 29 with respect to the sector gear 28 in both the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction can be applied to the sub gear. The details will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 5C, both ends 30a1 and 30a2 of the torsion spring (biasing member) 30 are bent downward substantially at a right angle. Here, the locking holes of the sector gear 28 and the sub gear 29 are formed at overlapping positions, the locking holes 28a1 of the sector gear overlap with the locking holes 29a1 of the sub gear, and the locking holes 28a2 of the sector gear are It overlaps with the locking hole 29a2 of the sub gear. The bent end 30a1 of the torsion spring is inserted and locked in the locking hole 28a1 of the sector gear and the locking hole 29a1 of the sub gear, and the bending end 30a2 of the torsion spring is locked in the locking hole 28a2 of the sector gear and the locking hole of the sub gear. 29a2 is inserted and locked.
As the torsion spring 30, a substantially U-shaped torsion spring having no ring-shaped portion wound around the rear connection link 18 </ b> R is used, but a torsion spring having an annulus portion may be used.

  Of the pair of locking holes 28a1 and 28a2 of the sector gear and the pair of locking holes 29a1 and 29a2 of the sub gear, the locking hole 28a1 of the sector gear locks the sub gear more than the locking hole 29a1 of the overlapping sub gear. The hole 29a2 is a hole having a diameter larger than that of the overlapping sector gear locking hole 28a2.

6 (A) and 6 (B) are enlarged sectional views of a partially broken line along line 6-6 in FIG. 4. (A) shows a state in which an external force is applied to the torsion spring, and (B) shows an external force. The state excluding is shown.
For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the small-diameter locking holes 28a2 and 29a1 are formed in such a size that the bent ends 30a1 and 30a2 of the torsion spring can be locked with almost no gap. On the other hand, the large-diameter locking holes 28a1 and 29a2 have, for example, twice the diameter of the bent ends 30a1 and 30a2 so that the bent ends 30a1 and 30a2 of the torsion spring are locked with a sufficient gap. Is formed.

  The torsion spring 30 generates an urging force (torsional force) in a direction to separate the bent ends 30a1 and 30a2. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6A, an external force against the biasing force of the torsion spring 30 is applied to deform the torsion spring so that the bent ends 30a1 and 30a2 are adjacent to each other. The bent end 30a2 is inserted into the overlapping sub gear locking hole 29a2 and the sector gear locking hole 28a2 and locked into the overlapping sub gear locking hole 29a1 and sector gear locking hole 28a1, respectively. Then, if the external force is removed, the biasing force F (F1, F2) in the direction for separating the bent ends 30a1, 30a2 of the torsion spring acts on the sub gear 29 as shown in FIG.

Here, the sector gear 28 is fixed with respect to the rear connecting link 18 </ b> R that is the swing center, whereas the sub gear 29 is swingable, so that the sub gear 29 is relative to the sector gear 28. Can be moved.
As shown in FIG. 6 (A), one bent end 30a1 of the torsion spring is locked in the locking hole 29a1 of the sub gear with almost no gap, and locked with a sufficient gap in the locking hole 28a1 of the sector gear. Has been. The other bent end 30a2 is locked with a sufficient gap in the sub-gear locking hole 29a1, and is locked in the sector gear locking hole 28a2 with almost no gap. Since the sub gear 29 is movable with respect to the sector gear 28, when the external force to the torsion spring 30 is removed, the urging force F2 of the bent end 30a2 is suppressed by the sector gear 28, whereas the bent end 30a1 is attached. The force F1 acts on the sub gear 29 to urge the sub gear in the X direction.
Therefore, the sub gear 29 moves in the X direction until the bent end 30a1 contacts the peripheral surface L of the sector gear locking hole 28a1 or until the peripheral surface R of the sub gear locking hole 29a2 contacts the bent end 30a1. To the position shown in FIG.

  In the embodiment, since the large-diameter locking holes 28a1 and 29a2 have the same diameter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the bending end 30a1 abuts against the circumferential surface L of the locking hole 28a1 of the sector gear. In addition, the contact of the peripheral surface R of the locking hole 29a2 of the sub gear to the bent end 30a1 occurs simultaneously. However, if any of the abutments only needs to occur, and the large-diameter engaging holes 28a1 and 29a2 have different diameters, the sub gear 29 is maintained until the bent ends abut on the peripheral surfaces of the small-diameter engaging holes 28a1 and 29a2. Moves in the X direction.

As described above, when the bending force 30a1 and 30a2 of the torsion spring is inserted and locked in the corresponding locking holes of the sector gear and the sub gear, and the external force is removed, the sub gear 29 moves in the X direction. That is, in FIG. 4A, the sub gear 29 swings around the rear connecting link 18 in the X direction (counterclockwise).
Therefore, even if the teeth 29-1, 29-2 of the sub gear 29 on the sector gear 28 and the teeth 28-1, 28-2 of the sector gear overlap, the sub gear swings counterclockwise, The teeth 29-1 and 29-2 of the sub gear also move, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the teeth 26-1 and 26- of the pinion gear between the adjacent teeth 28-2 and 28-3 of the sector gear. 2 is pinched respectively.

That is, the sub-gear tooth 29-1 sandwiches the pinion gear tooth 26-1 with the adjacent sector gear tooth 28-2, and the sub-gear tooth 29-2 contacts the adjacent sector gear tooth 28-3. The pinion gear teeth 26-2 are held between them.
In this way, the sub gear 29 is moved and displaced in the circumferential direction by the circumferential urging force of the torsion spring 30, so that the teeth of the pinion gear 26 are sandwiched between the teeth of the adjacent sub gear 29 and sector gear 28. The portion corresponding to the backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is filled, and the pinion gear and the sector gear are meshed without backlash. In other words, when the height mechanism is not driven, the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are engaged with each other without backlash, and rattle and noise are generated even if a large load or vibration is applied to the seat cushion due to the seating of the occupant. do not do.

  Here, a biasing force F (F1, F2) in a direction for separating the bent ends 30a1, 30a2 of the torsion spring is applied to the sub gear 29 by the torsion spring 30. Therefore, when the height mechanism 10 is driven, that is, when the drive lever 22 is operated to drive the pinion gear 26, the sub gear 29 moves in either the clockwise or counterclockwise direction according to the rotation direction of the sector gear. It swings and fills the backlash equivalent and does not allow backlash. Therefore, even when the height mechanism 10 is driven, the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are meshed without backlash.

The engagement of the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 during driving of the height mechanism will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
Attention is paid to the teeth 26-1 of the pinion gear when the drive lever 22 is operated to drive the pinion gear 26 and rotate it clockwise from the non-driven state of the height mechanism 10. When the pinion gear 26 rotates clockwise as indicated by a solid line, the tooth 26-1 of the pinion gear presses the tooth 28-2 of the meshing sector gear so that the sector gear 28 swings (rotates) counterclockwise. ) The clockwise swing of the sector gear 28 corresponds to the movement of the sector gear in the X direction (left direction) in FIG. In FIG. 6B, if the sector gear 28 moves in the X direction, the left peripheral surface L of the sector gear locking hole 28a1 is separated from the bent end 30a1 of the torsion spring, and the bent end 30a2 is the sub gear locking hole. It separates from the right peripheral surface R of 29a2.

When the sector gear 28 moves in the X direction, the pinion gear teeth 26-1 are moved by the sector gear teeth 28-2 and the sub gear teeth 29-1 by the torsion spring biasing force F1 (see FIG. 6A). While being held, the sub gear 29 moves in the X direction following the sector gear. As for the tooth 26-0 next to the pinion gear tooth 26-1, the sector gear tooth 28-1 and the sub gear tooth 29-0 sandwich the pinion gear tooth 26-0, while the sector gear and the sub gear are counterclockwise. Rocks.
In this way, the sub gear 29 swings following the sector gear 28, so that the backlash is filled and the presence of backlash is not allowed, so even when the pinion gear is driven in the clockwise direction (when rotating). The pinion gear and the sector gear are meshed without backlash.
When the operation of the drive lever is completed and the height mechanism is not driven, the same state as that in FIG. 6B is set.

Even when the pinion gear is driven in the counterclockwise direction indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, the pinion gear and the sector gear are engaged with each other without backlash.
That is, when the pinion gear 26 is driven in the counterclockwise direction as indicated by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4B, for example, the pinion gear teeth 26-2 cause the sub-gear 29 to counteract the biasing force F1 of the torsion spring. The sector gear 28 is swung in the clockwise direction by pushing back in the direction and abutting and pressing the teeth 28-2 of the sector gear. The clockwise swing of the sector gear 28 corresponds to the movement of the sector gear in the −X direction (right direction) in FIG. In FIG. 6B, if the sector gear 28 moves to the right, the bent end 30a2 also moves to the right, and the bent end 30a2 pushes the right peripheral surface R of the locking hole 29a2 of the sub gear, so that the sub gear 29 also moves to the sector. Follow the gear and move to the right. Then, the sub gear teeth 29-3 are pressed against the pinion gear teeth 26-2 by the biasing force F2 of the torsion spring, and the pinion gear teeth 26-2 are clamped by the sector gear teeth 28-2 and the sub gear teeth 29-3. On the other hand, the sector gear 28 and the sub gear 29 are swung in the clockwise direction so as to fill the backlash and the backlash is not allowed. Therefore, even when the pinion gear is driven counterclockwise (turning), the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are engaged with each other without backlash.

  Since the torsion spring 30 applies a biasing force to the sub gear 29 movable with respect to the sector gear 28 meshing with the pinion gear 26 in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction, the drive lever is operated to drive the pinion gear 26. Even when the height mechanism is driven, the sub-gear fills the backlash and the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are meshed without backlash. Therefore, even when the drive lever is operated to drive the pinion gear, no rattling or abnormal noise is generated.

In this way, the sub gear 29 is urged in the direction (circumferential direction) to eliminate backlash and is pressed against the pinion gear 26, so that the pinion gear 26, the sector can be operated both when the height mechanism 10 is not driven and when it is driven. Backlash does not exist between the gears 28, and play and noise due to backlash are prevented.
Further, since the sub gear 29 is urged in a direction to eliminate backlash, the presence of backlash between the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 is not allowed even if the subgear is not formed with high dimensional accuracy, and the subgear has a high dimension. There is no need to mold with precision. Of course, it is not necessary to mold the sub gear 29 from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber. Therefore, even if the sub gear 29 is provided, an increase in cost is prevented, and a seat height mechanism that does not generate rattling or abnormal noise can be produced at low cost.

Since the sub gear 29 is provided so as to be able to swing coaxially with the sector gear 28, the teeth of the sub gear are evenly displaced in the circumferential direction, and the teeth of the sub gear are uniform with the pinion gear at the center and the left and right ends. Can mesh. That is, since the teeth at the center of the sub gear 29 and the teeth at the left and right ends mesh with the pinion gear uniformly, the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are meshed without backlash regardless of the meshing position of the sub gear.
For example, if the urging member 30 for applying a circumferential urging force to the sub gear 29 is a torsion spring, the urging force in the circumferential direction can be applied to the sub gear with a simple configuration. Further, if both ends of the torsion spring are engaged with the overlapping engagement holes of different sizes formed in the sub gear and the sector gear 28, respectively, the sub-gear can be obtained with a simple configuration with a circumferential biasing force. Surely added to.

A vehicle seat height mechanism according to another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a vehicle seat height mechanism according to another embodiment (second embodiment) of the present invention, FIG. 8 shows a meshed state of the pinion gear and the sector gear or the sub gear, and (A) is a schematic plan view. , (B) is a sectional view taken along line BB of (A), FIG. 9 shows a sector gear and a sub gear, (A) is a plan view of the sector gear, and (B) is a plane of the sub gear. The figure is shown.
Here, the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding structural members of the second embodiment having the same functions as the structural members of the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted, and the configuration different from the first embodiment will be mainly described.

  A feature of the second embodiment is that a biasing force in a direction to eliminate backlash is applied to the sub gear without using a separate member such as a torsion spring. As will be described later, the sub gear is a leaf spring material. And a part of the sub gear is bent to generate a radial urging force.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, only the sector gear 28 has the shaft support hole, and the rear connecting link 18R is inserted and fixed in the shaft support hole 28c of the sector-shaped sector gear 28, and the sub gear 29 is It is formed from a leaf spring material in a shape excluding the crimped portion from the sector shape, and is integrally attached to the sector gear. For example, if a pair of protruding engaging portions 128a1 and 128a2 are formed in the sector gear 28 and a corresponding pair of engaging holes 129a1 and 129a2 are formed in the sub gear 129 by caulking, the sub gear is engaged and fixed to the sector gear. The sub-gear is overlapped and disposed outside the sector gear, that is, below the sector gear as viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG.

  The sector gear 28 and the sub gear 129 have teeth of the same shape that mesh with the pinion gear 26. However, the sub gear 129 projects linearly on the radial line with respect to the sector gear 28 so that its teeth protrude in the radial direction from the teeth of the sector gear, and overlaps and is arranged in a shifted manner. The length L (deviation on the radial line) is, for example, about 0.2 mm.

  The sub-gear may be integrally attached to the sector gear by engaging the engagement pin and the engagement hole. However, according to the caulking, the projecting engagement portion and the engagement hole are easily formed so that the sub gear can be integrated with the sector gear, and can be reliably integrated with a simple configuration.

The sub gear 129 has a spring portion 129d, and this spring portion is formed as a bent portion in which a portion of the sub gear is bent in the radial direction and protruded in a direction away from the sector gear. Since the spring portion 129d bent in the radial direction is formed in a part thereof, a biasing force F that biases the teeth of the sub gear outward in the radial direction of the sector gear 28 is generated in the sub gear 129.
In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9B, the spring portion 129d is formed from the left and right end faces of the guide hole 29b to the left and right end faces of the sub gear. However, if the spring portion 129d is formed between the engagement holes 129a1 and 129a2 that are engaged with the sector gear 28 and become fixed portions and the teeth, the teeth are biased outwardly in the radial direction of the sector gear 28. Since the force F can be obtained, the spring portion (curved portion) 129d may be formed between the fixed portion and the teeth, and is not limited to the forming position of the embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an enlarged plan view of a portion A in FIG.
In the second embodiment, a radial biasing force of the sector gear 28 is generated in the sub gear 129 by the spring portion 129d, and the teeth of the sub gear protrude linearly on the radial line of the sector gear rather than the teeth of the sector gear. Therefore, the teeth of the sub gear are pressed against the teeth of the pinion gear under the urging force. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the teeth of the sub gear 129-1 are connected to the adjacent sector gear 28-2 under the urging force. Pinion gear teeth 26-1 are sandwiched between them. At this time, the sub gear 129-2 positioned overlapping with the sector gear teeth 28-1 is pressed against the pinion gear teeth 26-1 against the biasing force of the spring portion 129d and substantially overlaps with the sector gear 28-2. Retract radially to position. In other words, the pinion gear teeth 26-1 include the (projected) sub-gear teeth 129-1, the sector gear teeth 28-2, and the sub-gear teeth 129 (retracted and overlapped with the sector gear teeth 28-2). , The pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are engaged with each other without backlash.

  Since the sub gear 129 projects its teeth so as to be retractable under the radial biasing force, the teeth of the pinion gear 26 are sandwiched between the teeth of the adjacent sub gear 129 and the sector gear 28, and the pinion gear and the sector gear The portion corresponding to the backlash is filled, and the pinion gear and the sector gear are meshed without backlash when the height mechanism is not driven. Therefore, even if a large load or vibration is applied to the seat cushion due to the seating of the occupant when the height mechanism is not driven, no rattling or abnormal noise is generated.

Next, a description will be given of driving the height mechanism that operates the drive lever.
When the pinion gear 26 is driven, for example, clockwise in FIG. 10 by operating the drive lever, the pinion gear teeth 26-0 are pressed against the sub gear teeth 129-1 and resist the biasing force of the spring portion 129d. The teeth of the sub gear teeth 129-1 are retracted and meshed with the sector gear teeth 28-1. At this time, the tooth 129-0 of the sub gear is pressed against the tooth 26-0 of the pinion gear by the biasing force of the spring portion 129d, and the pinion gear tooth 26-0 is clamped between the sector gear tooth 28-1. There is no backlash between the sector gear 28 and the pinion gear 26.

  Similarly, in FIG. 10, if the pinion gear 26 is driven in the counterclockwise direction, the retracted sub-gear tooth 129-2 returns to the protruding position by the biasing force of the spring portion 129d. However, the pinion gear teeth 26-2 are engaged with the sector gear teeth 28-2 by pressing and retracting the sub gear teeth 129-2. Then, the sub-gear tooth 129-3 is pressed against the pinion gear tooth 26-2 under the biasing force of the spring portion 129d, so that the pinion gear tooth 26-2 becomes the sector gear tooth 28-2 and (retracted). The pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 mesh with each other without backlash. The pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are sandwiched between the sub-gear tooth 129-2 and the protruding sub-gear tooth 129-3. Is done.

  Thus, even when the height mechanism that drives the pinion gear 26 by operating the drive lever is driven, the sub gear 129 fills the backlash and the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 are meshed without backlash. . For this reason, even if the drive lever is operated to drive the pinion gear 26, no rattling or abnormal noise is generated.

  The sub gear 129 is provided integrally with the sector gear so as to be linearly projectable on the radial line with respect to the sector gear 28, and a radial biasing force is applied to the sub gear so that the teeth of the sub gear can be retracted in the radial direction. By projecting more than the overlapping teeth, a configuration without backlash between the pinion gear 26 and the sector gear 28 can be obtained without complicating the configuration. For example, if the sub-gear 129 is formed from a leaf spring material and a part of the sub-gear is bent so that the urging member is formed integrally with the sub-gear, the urging member as an independent member is not necessary, and assembly is easy. Become.

As described above, the biasing force in the direction of eliminating backlash (circumferential direction in the first embodiment, radial direction in the second embodiment) is applied to the sub gear, so that the height mechanism is not driven and is driven. Backlash does not exist between the pinion gear and the sector gear, and play and noise due to backlash are prevented.
Since the sub gear is urged in a direction to eliminate backlash by the urging member, it is not necessary to mold the sub gear from a low-rigidity material such as hard urethane or rubber, and it can be molded from the same material as the pinion gear and the sector gear. In addition, even if there is a dimensional error in molding of the sub gear, the dimensional error is absorbed by being biased, so that it is not necessary to mold the sub gear with high dimensional accuracy. Therefore, the cost is not increased, and a seat height mechanism that does not generate rattling or abnormal noise can be obtained at low cost.
In a configuration in which a circumferential biasing force is applied to a sub-gear that is coaxially and swingably overlapped with the sector gear, the teeth of the sub-gear are evenly displaced in the circumferential direction, and the teeth of the sub-gear are at the left and right ends even in the center. But it can mesh with the pinion gear uniformly.
The sub gear is integrated with the sector gear so that it can project linearly on the radial line with respect to the sector gear, the radial biasing force is applied to the sub gear, and the sub gear teeth are overlapped with the sector gear so that it can retract in the radial direction. In the configuration that protrudes more than the teeth to be formed, a configuration without backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear can be obtained without complicating the configuration.

  The above-described embodiments are for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. All modifications, alterations, etc. within the technical scope of the present invention are included in the present invention. Needless to say.

  The present invention can be widely applied to a vehicle seat having a height mechanism that operates a drive lever to drive a pinion gear and swings a sector gear that meshes with the pinion gear.

The schematic plan view of the height mechanism of the vehicle seat which concerns on one Example (Example 1) of this invention is shown. The schematic front view of the height mechanism of a vehicle seat is shown. The schematic front view of the height mechanism of the vehicle seat seen from arrow AA of FIG. 1 is shown. The meshing state of a pinion gear and a sector gear or a sub gear is shown, (A) is a schematic plan view, and (B) is an enlarged plan view of a portion B in (A). A sector gear, a sub gear, and an urging member are shown, (A) is a plan view of the sub gear, (B) is a plan view of the sector gear, and (C) is a perspective view of the urging member. FIG. 4 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of a partially broken line along line 6-6 in FIG. 4, where (A) shows a state where an external force is applied to the torsion spring, and (B) shows a state where the external force is removed. The schematic front view of the height mechanism of the vehicle seat which concerns on another Example (Example 2) of this invention is shown. The meshing state of a pinion gear and a sector gear or a sub gear is shown, (A) is a schematic plan view, and (B) is a sectional view taken along line BB in (A). A sector gear and a sub gear are shown, (A) is a plan view of the sector gear, and (B) is a plan view of the sub gear. The enlarged plan view of the A part of FIG. 8 (A) is shown.

Explanation of symbols

10 Height mechanism 12 Seat frame 13 Seat 14 Seat riser 16 (16F, 16R) Height link (front link, rear link)
18 (18F, 18R) connecting shaft (front connecting shaft, rear connecting shaft)
20 Drive means 22 Drive lever 26 Pinion gear 28 Sector gear 28a1, 28a2 Engagement hole 28b Guide hole 28c Shaft support hole 29, 129 Sub gear 29a1, 29a2 Engagement hole 29b Guide hole 29c Shaft support hole 129d Spring part (biasing member)
30 Torsion spring (biasing member)
32 guide pins

Claims (5)

The seat frame, a front link interposed between the seat risers, and a pair of height links of the rear link support the seat so that it can be raised and lowered, and rotate the pinion gear of the drive means in conjunction with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means, In the vehicle seat height mechanism, the rear link sector gear meshing with the pinion gear is driven to adjust and set the seat to an arbitrary height.
A sub gear that can mesh with the pinion gear is provided to overlap with the sector gear of the rear link so as to be able to swing, and the biasing member applies a circumferential biasing force to the sub gear that eliminates backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear. A vehicle seat height mechanism. The seat frame, a front link interposed between the seat risers, and a pair of height links of the rear link support the seat so that it can be raised and lowered, and rotate the pinion gear of the drive means in conjunction with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means, In the vehicle seat height mechanism, the rear link sector gear meshing with the pinion gear is driven to adjust and set the seat to an arbitrary height.
A sub-gear that can mesh with the pinion gear is provided so as to be swingable coaxially with the sector gear of the rear link, and a circumferential biasing force that eliminates backlash between the pinion gear and the sector gear is applied to the sub-gear by a torsion spring. A vehicle seat height mechanism.   3. The vehicle seat height mechanism according to claim 2, wherein both ends of the torsion spring are respectively engaged with overlapping engagement holes of different sizes formed in the sub gear and the sector gear. The seat frame, a front link interposed between the seat risers, and a pair of height links of the rear link support the seat so that it can be raised and lowered, and rotate the pinion gear of the drive means in conjunction with the operation of the drive lever of the drive means, In the vehicle seat height mechanism, the rear link sector gear meshing with the pinion gear is driven to adjust and set the seat to an arbitrary height.
A sub-gear that can mesh with the pinion gear is provided integrally with the sector gear so that it can project linearly along the radial line with respect to the sector gear of the rear link, and a radial biasing force is applied to the sub-gear by the biasing member, The height mechanism of the vehicle seat is characterized in that the teeth of the sub gear protrude beyond the overlapping teeth of the sector gear so as to be retractable.   5. The vehicle seat height mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the sub gear is formed from a leaf spring material, and a biasing member for bending a part of the sub gear to generate a biasing force in the radial direction is formed integrally with the sub gear.

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