JP2010154977A - Method of manufacturing reclining device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a reclining device by which the compact reclining device with a small number of components is manufactured. <P>SOLUTION: An internally toothed plate 5 and an externally toothed plate 6 are fitted together so that the part of the externally toothed gear 61 of the externally toothed plate 6 is positioned inside a recessed part 51 such that the externally toothed gear 61a is engaged with an internally toothed gear 51a; and the bearing part 51b of the internally toothed plate 5 is positioned inside the recessed part 61. That is, the externally toothed plate 6 is fitted inside the internally toothed plate 5. At the time, a seat cushion bracket 21 to which the internally toothed plate 5 is attached by laser welding is made to abut on the outer peripheral edge 63 on the back surface side of the recessed part 61 of the externally toothed plate 6. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a reclining device that tiltably holds a seat back with respect to a seat cushion of a seat on which a person is seated, and particularly relates to a vehicle seat.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a wide variety of devices have been proposed as reclining devices equipped in vehicle seats and the like. Here, as the vehicle seat reclining device for inclining the seat back with respect to the seat cushion, an electric type is adopted.

  Specifically, a lower frame having an internal gear attached to the seat cushion side, and an upper frame having an external gear attached to the seat back side and meshed with the slightly smaller number of teeth than the internal gear of the lower frame. And a rotational angle of the upper frame with respect to the lower frame is continuously adjusted by rotating the meshing position of both gears. As a mechanism for rotating the meshing position of these two gears, a combination of a pair of wedge members and a cam member interposed between the lower frame and the upper frame is adopted, and the cam member is rotated by an electric operation. The meshing position is rotated by rotating the wedge member while pressing the gears of the lower frame and the upper frame in the meshing direction with the wedge member.

  Such a reclining device is described in Patent Document 1, for example. The reclining device described in Patent Document 1 is as described in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1, and a protrusion is provided in a fitting hole provided in an upper arm (23) attached to the seat back side. The upper plate (41) to be fixed by fitting is formed by half punching (half blanking) of a metal plate, and is formed with a recess (42) that is circularly recessed from the outside. An internal gear (42a) is formed in the recess (42). Further, an annular bearing portion (41a) having an opening at the center portion is formed on the center portion of the recess portion (42) so as to protrude outwardly concentrically with the recess portion (42). The upper plate (41) constitutes a first frame together with the upper arm (23), and is substantially integrated with the seat back frame (13).

  A lower plate (43) fixed by fitting a convex portion into a fitting hole provided in a lower arm (21) attached to the seat cushion side is formed by half-cutting a metal plate, An annular portion (44) having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of 42) and projecting in an annular shape on the inner side (upper plate (41) side) is formed. An external gear (44a) is formed in the annular portion (44). Further, an annular bearing ring (45) having an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter is fixed to the annular portion (44) by press fitting. The inner diameter of the bearing ring (45) is set larger than the outer diameter of the bearing portion (41a). The lower plate (43) constitutes the second frame together with the lower arm (21), and is substantially integrated with the seat cushion frame (11).

  Here, the internal gear (42a) has a predetermined number of teeth (one tooth) more than the external gear (44a). The tooth profile of the internal gear (42a) is formed to mesh with the external gear (44a). As shown in FIG. 6 of Patent Document 1, since the central axis (O1) of the internal gear (42a) and the central axis (O2) of the external gear (44a) are eccentric, the internal gear (42a). And the external gear (44a) rotate relative to each other while maintaining the meshing state, that is, when the meshing position moves, the upper plate (41) moves the above teeth against the lower plate (43) every time it rotates. It rotates by an angle corresponding to the difference in number.

  In the state where the lower plate (43) is mounted on the upper plate (41), a ring-shaped holder (40) made of a metal plate is mounted on the outer peripheral portion thereof, and the upper plate (41) and The lower plate (43) is retained in the axial direction in a state where the movement of the meshing position described above is allowed by the holder (40).

  An annular space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing ring (45) and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion (41a) is formed by the eccentric meshing of the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a). A pair of wedge pieces (46, 47) divided into two in the circumferential direction on the basis of the angular position where the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a) mesh is mounted.

  These wedge pieces (46, 47) are in a sub-arc shape that is symmetrical with each other in accordance with the shape of the space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing ring (45) and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion (41a). It is formed so that the radial width becomes wider toward the tip end in the circumferential direction, which is the angular position side where the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a) mesh. These wedge pieces (46, 47) are spread together by engaging both ends of Ω-shaped springs (48) arranged on the outer peripheral side thereof, that is, the internal gear (42a) and The external gear (44a) is biased toward the side that increases the amount of eccentricity. Thereby, these wedge pieces (46, 47) hold the meshing positions of the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a).

  The cam (49) inserted from the outside into the bearing portion (41a) of the upper plate (41) has an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter of the bearing portion (41a) and is formed in a cylindrical shape (49a). And is rotatably supported by the upper plate (41) at the shaft portion (49a). The cam (49) is radially outward at an angular position opposite to the meshing position of the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a) on one axial side of the shaft portion (49a). Is provided with a cam portion (49b) extending in an arc shape. The cam portion (49b) is disposed between the pair of wedge pieces (46, 47) with a gap in the circumferential direction.

In such a structure, when the cam (49) is rotated by the motor, one of the wedge pieces (46, 47) is pressed by the cam portion (49b) according to the rotation direction, and the spring (48) is elastically deformed. On the other hand, both wedge pieces (46, 47) are rotated (integrated rotation). As a result, the meshing positions of the internal gear (42a) and the external gear (44a) move, and the upper plate (41) rotates relative to the lower plate (43).
JP 2008-245824 A

  However, according to Patent Document 1, the upper plate and the lower plate are each provided with a convex portion, and the convex portion is fitted into the fitting hole of the upper arm and the lower arm and welded. There was a disadvantage that the thickness of the device itself in the width direction was increased.

  Further, since the upper plate and the lower plate are held by the holder so as to be relatively rotatable without being separated in the axial direction, a portion where the holder is attached is arranged in the radial direction on the upper plate and the lower plate. There is also a disadvantage that the outer diameter of the reclining device becomes large.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a reclining device that has a small number of components and can be manufactured in a small size.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, in the manufacturing method of the reclining device according to claim 1, either the seat cushion bracket of the seat on which the occupant sits or the seat back bracket tiltable with respect to the seat cushion is provided. A substantially disk-shaped internal tooth plate fixed and having internal gears; a substantially disk-shaped external tooth plate meshing with the internal gears and having external gears having fewer teeth than the internal gear; and the internal teeth A bearing ring and a wedge piece disposed between the bearing portion of the plate and the bearing portion of the external tooth plate and controlling the rotation of the internal tooth plate and the external tooth plate; and the internal tooth plate and the external tooth A reclining device comprising a camshaft inserted through a substantially central portion of the plate and capable of pressing the wedge piece, wherein the external gear is disposed outside the external tooth plate. Either the seat cushion or the seat back on which the external tooth plate is fitted and the internal tooth plate is attached so that the internal gear and the external gear mesh with each other. One of the brackets is provided with a mounting hole, and the inner tooth plate is fitted with the outer tooth plate so as to be concentric with the mounting hole, and the outer peripheral edge of the outer tooth plate is attached to the inner tooth plate. It is a technical feature that it is attached by laser welding so as to abut against a bracket to be mounted.

  According to the manufacturing method of the reclining device according to claim 1, the outer tooth plate is fitted into the inner tooth plate, and the seat cushion or the seat back bracket to which the inner tooth plate is attached abuts the outer peripheral edge of the outer tooth plate. As a result, the external tooth plate does not come off from the internal tooth plate, and there is no need for a holder for fitting the internal tooth plate and the external tooth plate as in the prior art. As a result, the cost can be reduced.

  In addition, an external gear is arranged on the outer peripheral edge of the external tooth plate, and reclining is performed to fit the external tooth plate in the internal tooth plate so that the external gear meshes with the internal gear provided on the internal tooth plate. The thickness in the width direction of the device itself can be suppressed.

  Furthermore, since the inner tooth plate and the outer tooth plate are attached to the seat cushion and the seat back bracket by laser welding, respectively, the outer peripheral edge of the inner tooth plate to be welded can be attached without having to be thick, It becomes possible to make it smaller than before.

  A reclining device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a seat to which a reclining device 1 according to the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

  The reclining device 1 is a device capable of tiltingly fixing a seat back 3 that is a backrest with respect to a seat cushion 2 on which an occupant sits, and is attached to a seat cushion bracket 21 and a seat back 3 that are attached to the seat cushion 2. It is arrange | positioned between the seat back brackets 31 to which it is attached.

  The seat cushion bracket 21 is provided with an attachment hole 22 in a portion where the reclining device 1 is attached, and the seat back bracket 31 is provided with an insertion hole 32 through which the camshaft 4 serving as a rotation shaft is inserted. Yes.

Next, the reclining device 1 will be described. The reclining device 1 includes an internal tooth plate 5 attached to a seat cushion bracket 21 and an external tooth plate 6 attached to a seat back bracket 31, a bearing ring 7, at least a pair of wedge pieces 8 and 8, a spring 9, and a camshaft 4. Has been.

  The internal tooth plate 5 is formed by half punching (half blanking) of a metal plate, and has a concave portion 51 formed in a circular shape. An internal gear 51 a is formed in the recess 51. In addition, a cylindrical bearing portion 51 b having an opening at the center is formed at the center of the recess 51 so as to protrude outwardly concentrically with the recess 51. The aforementioned inner tooth plate 5 has its outer peripheral edge 53 attached to the seat cushion bracket 21 by laser welding, and is substantially integrated with the seat cushion frame.

  The external tooth plate 6 is formed by half-cutting a metal plate, and has a concave portion 61 having an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the concave portion 51 and projecting in a cylindrical shape on the inner side (inner tooth plate 5 side). The outer peripheral edge 63 is formed with an external gear 61a. In addition, a cylindrical bearing portion 61 b having an opening at the center is formed at the center of the recess 61 so as to protrude outwards concentrically with the recess 61. The aforementioned external tooth plate 6 is attached to the seat back bracket 31 by laser welding on the back side of the recess 61 and is substantially integrated with the seat back frame.

  Here, the internal gear 51a has a predetermined number of teeth (one tooth) greater than the external gear 61a. The tooth shape of the internal gear 51a is formed to mesh with the external gear 61a. Since the central shaft 52 of the internal gear 51a and the central shaft 62 of the external gear 61a are eccentric, the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a rotate relatively while maintaining the meshed state. That is, when the meshing position moves, the inner tooth plate 5 rotates with respect to the outer tooth plate 6 by an angle corresponding to the difference in the number of teeth each time it rotates.

  The internal tooth plate 5 and the external tooth plate 6 are positioned so that the external gear 61 portion of the external tooth plate 6 is engaged with the internal gear 51 a and the external gear 61 a is engaged with the internal gear 51 a. It fits so that the bearing part 51b of the tooth plate 5 may be located. That is, the external tooth plate 6 is fitted in the internal tooth plate 5. By doing so, the thickness of the reclining device 1 in the width direction can be reduced.

  Further, at this time, the seat cushion bracket 21 to which the inner tooth plate 5 is attached by laser welding is in contact with the outer peripheral edge 63 on the back side of the recess 61 of the outer tooth plate 6. As a result, the external tooth plate 6 is not detached from the internal tooth plate 5, and a holder for fitting the internal tooth plate 5 and the external tooth plate 6 is not required as in the prior art. It becomes possible to fulfill the function.

  The bearing ring 7 is formed in an annular shape having an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter of the recess 51, and is fixed by being press-fitted into the recess 51. The inner diameter of the bearing ring 7 is set larger than the outer diameter of the bearing portion 61b.

  The wedge piece 8 is divided into two pairs in the circumferential direction based on the meshing angle of the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a. The wedge piece 8 is a bearing by the eccentric meshing of the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a. The ring 7 is disposed in an annular space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the ring 7 and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 61 b provided on the external tooth plate 6.

  The pair of wedge pieces 8, 8 are circles that are symmetrical to each other in accordance with the shape of the space formed between the inner peripheral surface of the bearing ring 7 and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing portion 61 b provided on the outer tooth plate 6. It is formed in an arc shape, and is formed so that the radial width becomes wider toward the tip end in the circumferential direction, which is the angular position side where the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a mesh.

  The spring 9 is formed in an Ω shape, and both ends thereof are respectively engaged with the outer peripheral sides of the wedge pieces 8 and 8 so that the wedge pieces 8 and 8 can be spread apart from each other, that is, the internal gear 51a and The external gear 61a is biased toward the side that increases the amount of eccentricity. Thereby, these wedge pieces 8 and 8 can hold | maintain the meshing position of the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a.

  The camshaft 4 is inserted into the bearing portion 61b of the external tooth plate 6 from the outside, and includes a shaft portion 41 having an outer diameter equivalent to the inner diameter of the bearing portion 61b and formed in a cylindrical shape. The external tooth plate 6 is rotatably supported. The camshaft 4 is a cam that extends radially outward at an angular position opposite to the meshing position of the internal gear 51a and the external gear 61a on one axial direction side of the shaft portion 41. A portion 42 is provided. The cam portion 42 is disposed between the pair of wedge pieces 8 and 8 with a gap in the circumferential direction.

  In the reclining device 1 having the above-described structure, when the camshaft 4 is rotated by a motor (not shown), one of the wedge pieces 8 and 8 is pressed by the cam portion 42 according to the rotation direction, and the spring 9 is moved. While being elastically deformed, the wedge pieces 8 and 8 are rotated together (rotate integrally). As a result, the meshing positions of the internal gear 51 a and the external gear 61 a move, and the external tooth plate 6 rotates relative to the internal tooth plate 5.

  In the present invention, the external tooth plate 6 rotates with respect to the internal tooth plate 5 by attaching the internal tooth plate 5 to the seat cushion bracket 21 and attaching the external tooth plate 6 to the seat back bracket 31. It goes without saying that the same effect can be obtained even if this relationship is reversed.

  As described above, in the manufacturing method of the reclining device according to the present invention, the internal tooth plate 5 and the external tooth plate 6 have the external gear 61 portion of the external tooth plate 6 in the recess 51 and the external gear 61a in the internal gear 51a. Are fitted so that the bearing portion 51 b of the internal tooth plate 5 is positioned in the recess 61. That is, the external tooth plate 6 is fitted in the internal tooth plate 5. Further, at this time, the seat cushion bracket 21 to which the inner tooth plate 5 is attached by laser welding is in contact with the outer peripheral edge 63 on the back side of the recess 61 of the outer tooth plate 6. As a result, since the external tooth plate 6 does not come off from the internal tooth plate 5, there is no need for a holder for fitting the internal tooth plate 5 and the external tooth plate 6 as in the prior art, and the number of parts is reduced and the size is reduced. This can also reduce costs.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a seat to which a reclining device 1 according to the present invention is attached. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Reclining apparatus 2 Seat cushion 21 Seat cushion bracket 22 Mounting hole 3 Seat back 31 Seat back bracket 32 Insertion hole 4 Cam shaft 41 Shaft part 42 Cam part 5 Internal tooth plate 51 Recessed part 51a Internal gear 51b Bearing part 52 Center axis 53 Outside Perimeter 6 External tooth plate 61 Recess 61a External gear 61b Bearing 62 Central shaft 63 Outer peripheral edge 7 Bearing ring 8 Wedge piece 9 Spring

Claims (1)

A substantially disc-shaped internal tooth plate having an internal gear fixed to either the seat cushion bracket of the seat on which the occupant is seated or the seat back bracket tiltable with respect to the seat cushion;
A substantially disk-shaped external tooth plate having external gears that mesh with the internal gears and have fewer teeth than the internal gears;
A bearing ring and a wedge piece that are disposed between the bearing portion of the internal tooth plate and the bearing portion of the external tooth plate and control the rotation of the internal tooth plate and the external tooth plate;
In a reclining device comprising: a camshaft inserted through substantially the center of the inner tooth plate and the outer tooth plate and capable of pressing the wedge piece,
The external gear is disposed on an outer peripheral edge of the external tooth plate;
The external tooth plate is fitted in the internal tooth plate so that the internal gear and the external gear mesh with each other,
The inner tooth plate in which either one of the bracket of the seat cushion or the seat back to which the inner tooth plate is attached is provided with a mounting hole and the outer tooth plate is fitted so as to be concentric with the mounting hole. Is attached by laser welding so that the outer peripheral edge of the external tooth plate abuts on a bracket to which the internal tooth plate is attached.

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