JP2012158301A - Seat lifter system for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To retain a lifting position even when exterior force is applied to a seat for vehicle by facilitating adjustment of the lifting position for the seat for vehicle.SOLUTION: A locking/unlocking system 40 includes an engaging/disengaging mechanism 48 obtaining a locked state or an unlocked state between a first rotary member 41 and a second rotary member 42 by engaging or disengaging a pole to the second rotary member 42. A rotary system 30 and the locking/unlocking system 40 are composed to be capable of being operated by an operation lever 17 through a rotary system driving mechanism 90 and a locking/unlocking system action mechanism. Furthermore, a braking spring 95 is included which: is wound around a large-diameter section 32C of a rotary shaft 32 integrally rotated with a pinion gear 32A of the rotary system 30; has one end locked to the operation lever 17 as well as having the another end 95B locked to a base frame 23; and reduces the diameter according to the downward turning of the operation lever 17.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle seat lifter device for adjusting the height of a seat cushion in a vehicle seat.

  Generally, a vehicle seat lifter device for adjusting the height of the seat cushion is provided in the vehicle seat, and the vehicle seat lifter is operated by operating an operation lever in a state where an occupant is seated on the vehicle seat. The device is activated so that the height of the seat cushion can be adjusted. As this type of vehicle seat lifter device, for example, the one described in Patent Document 1 is known.

  The vehicle seat lifter device described in Patent Document 1 uses a roller clutch mechanism by friction for switching the movement of an operation lever and maintaining the lift position of a seat. This vehicle seat lifter device uses a parallel link mechanism, rotationally connects two link members by a sector gear and a pinion gear, and rotationally drives the pinion gear by a roller clutch mechanism. The occupant can sequentially raise or lower the vehicle seat by reciprocating the operation lever upward or downward from the neutral position while sitting on the vehicle seat.

JP 2003-93187 A

  The vehicle seat lifter device needs to have a structure capable of holding the lift position of the vehicle seat at the time of a vehicle collision. However, in the vehicle seat lifter device described in Patent Document 1, a frictional roller clutch mechanism is used to maintain the lift position of the vehicle seat. Therefore, if an external force applied to the vehicle seat during a vehicle collision is applied to the roller clutch mechanism via the link member, the lift position of the vehicle seat may not be maintained.

  Moreover, in the vehicle seat lifter device described in Patent Document 1, the vehicle seat is raised or lowered stepwise by the reciprocation of the operation lever. However, because there is a restriction on the space to arrange the control lever, the control lever has to be a small stroke, and the number of reciprocations of the control lever will increase depending on the ascent or descent position of the vehicle seat. There is a problem that it takes time to adjust the lift position of the vehicle seat.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to simplify the adjustment of the lift position of the vehicle seat, and to maintain the lift position even when an external force is applied to the vehicle seat. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat lifter device.

  To achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a base frame that supports a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, and supports the base frame so as to be movable up and down with respect to a vehicle floor side member. Rotation that relatively rotates the base frame and the link member by rotating a link member that connects the base frame to the vehicle floor side member and a gear that is supported by the base frame while meshing with the link member. And an engagement / disengagement mechanism for engaging / disengaging a locking member movably supported by a first rotation member fixed to the base frame side with a second rotation member fixed to the link member side, A pivot member that is pivotally supported on the base frame side and that engages and disengages the engagement mechanism; and the locking member engages with the second rotation member. Locking / unlocking in a locked state that restricts relative rotation between the first rotating member and the second rotating member, or in an unlocked state in which the locking member is detached from the second rotating member and allows the relative rotation. An apparatus, an operation member rotatably supported by the base frame, and when the operation member is in a neutral position, the lock / unlock device is set in the locked state, and the operation member is moved in one direction from the neutral position. Alternatively, the rotating member is rotated in conjunction with the rotation in the other direction, and the lock / unlock device is moved according to the amount of rotation of the operation member in the one direction from the neutral position. It is possible to return to the locked state after switching to the unlocked state, and to enable the operating member to return to the neutral position, and from the neutral position of the operating member to the other direction. A lock / unlock device that switches the lock / unlock device to the unlocked state in response to movement, and allows the lock / unlock device to return to the locked state by returning the operating member to the neutral position. The locking / unlocking device is operated in conjunction with an actuation mechanism and the operation member rotating in one direction or the other direction from the neutral position, and the operation member is rotated in the one direction from the neutral position. Is in the unlocked state, the rotating device is driven to rotate the link member in a standing direction, and the operation member is rotated in the other direction so that the lock / unlock device is A rotating device drive mechanism that, when in the unlocked state, allows the rotating device to rotate freely and allows the link member to rotate relative to the direction in which the link member is tilted; The rotating device is wound around a shaft member that rotates integrally with the gear, and one end is locked to the operating member, and the other end is locked to the base frame, and the operating member is moved in the other direction. The gist of the present invention is to provide a braking spring that reduces the diameter in accordance with the rotation.

  According to the above configuration, when the operation member is in the neutral position, the lock / unlock device is locked. In this locked state, the locking member engages with the second rotating member by the engaging / disengaging operation of the rotating member with respect to the engaging / disengaging mechanism, and the relative rotation between the first rotating member and the second rotating member is restricted. The relative rotation between the base frame and the link member is restricted, and the raising and lowering of the seat cushion by the link mechanism including the link member is restricted.

  When the operating member is rotated in one direction from the neutral position, the lock / unlock device is switched to the unlocked state. In this unlocked state, the locking member is detached from the second rotating member, and relative rotation between the base frame and the link member is allowed. At this time, in the rotating device, the gear supported by the base frame is rotated, so that the link member is rotated in the direction in which the link member stands with respect to the base frame. By this rotation, the posture of the link mechanism including the link member changes, and the seat cushion is raised.

  When the operation member is further rotated in the one direction, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state, and the operation member can be returned to the neutral position. When the operation member is returned to the neutral position and the lock / unlock device is returned to the locked state, the relative rotation between the base frame and the link member is restricted, and the base frame and the seat cushion are held at the lift position at that time. Is done.

  In this way, the base frame and the seat cushion are raised by a certain height and held at the height position during a period from when the operation member starts to rotate in one direction from the neutral position to when it returns to the neutral position. . Therefore, the base frame and the seat cushion can be raised to a desired height by performing the operation of returning the operation member to the neutral position after rotating in one direction as many times as necessary.

  On the other hand, when the operating member is rotated in the other direction from the neutral position, the lock / unlock device is switched to the unlocked state. Further, the rotating device is brought into a freely rotating state, and the link member is rotatable in a direction in which the link member is tilted with respect to the base frame. For this reason, the vehicle seat is lowered by the weight of the occupant seated on the seat cushion and quickly moved to an arbitrary lift position without repeating the operation of returning the operation member to the neutral position after rotating the operation member in the other direction. It becomes possible to adjust.

  As the operating member rotates in the other direction, the portion of the braking spring wound around the shaft member has a smaller diameter than that at the neutral position and is in close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member. For this reason, the friction between the brake spring and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member is greater than when the operating member is in the neutral position. Due to this increasing friction, the rotation of the shaft member is braked and decelerated. Accordingly, the operation of the rotating device through the rotation of the gear, the rotation of the link member in the direction in which the link member is tilted, and the descending of the base frame are decelerated.

Therefore, under the situation where a heavy occupant is seated on the vehicle seat, the seat cushion is prevented from descending at once as soon as the operating member is rotated in the other direction from the neutral position.
The friction generated between the brake spring and the shaft member increases as the amount of rotation from the neutral position of the operation member in the other direction increases. This is because as the amount of rotation in the other direction increases, the brake spring diameter decreases. The braking force against the rotation of the shaft member can be adjusted by the amount of rotation in the other direction from the neutral position of the operation member. Therefore, the lowering speed of the seat cushion is adjusted by changing the rotation amount from the neutral position of the operation member to the other direction according to the weight difference of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat, and the difference in the lowering speed due to the weight difference is adjusted. Can be absorbed.

When the operation member rotated in the other direction is returned to the neutral position, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state.
By the way, the lock / unlock device is an engagement / disengagement mechanism that engages / disengages a locking member movably supported by a first rotation member fixed on the base frame side with a second rotation member fixed on the link member side. Is provided. This engagement / disengagement mechanism is such that the locking / unlocking device operating mechanism interlocked with the rotation of the operating member causes the locking member to engage or disengage with the second rotating member in a manner such as meshing, thereby Then, a locked state in which the relative rotation between the first rotating member and the second rotating member is restrained or an unlocked state in which the relative rotation is allowed is set. Therefore, even if an external force applied to the vehicle seat during a vehicle collision or the like is transmitted to the engagement / disengagement mechanism via the link member, the lift position of the vehicle seat is firmly held.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the lock / unlock device actuating mechanism is configured such that the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to a first position separated in the one direction. The lock / unlock device is set to the unlocked state during a period, and the lock / unlock device is maintained in the unlocked state during a period in which the lock / unlock device is rotated from the first position to the second position separated in the one direction. When the second position is rotated in the one direction, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state and the operation member can be returned to the neutral position. The lock / unlock device is set to the unlocked state during a period of rotation from the neutral position to the third position separated in the other direction, and the return to the neutral position from the third position is performed by The queuing / unlocking device can be returned to the locked state, and the rotating device driving mechanism is idled during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the first position. The rotation device is driven during the period of rotation from the position to the second position, the link member is rotated in the standing direction, and the link member is idled during the period until it returns to the neutral position. The gist of the invention is that the rotating device is in a freely rotating state during a period of rotation from a neutral position to the third position so that the link member can be rotated in a tilting direction.

  According to the above configuration, the lock / unlock device is switched to the unlocked state during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the first position separated in one direction. In this unlocked state, the locking member is detached from the second rotating member, and relative rotation between the base frame and the link member is allowed. Further, during the above period, the rotating device driving mechanism is idled and does not drive the rotating device. Therefore, the link member does not rotate (the posture of the link mechanism does not change), and the seat cushion is held at the lift position at that time.

  During the period in which the operating member is rotated from the first position to the second position separated in one direction, the lock / unlock device is maintained in the unlocked state. Further, during the period, the rotating device driving mechanism drives the rotating device to rotate the link member in the direction in which the link member rises to change the posture of the link mechanism. This change in posture raises the seat cushion.

  When the operating member is rotated in the one direction from the second position, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state and the operating member can be returned to the neutral position. . When the operation member is returned to the neutral position and the lock / unlock device is returned to the locked state, the relative rotation between the base frame and the link member is restrained, and the seat cushion is held at the lift position at that time.

  On the other hand, the lock / unlock device is switched to the unlocked state during the period in which the operating member is rotated from the neutral position to the third position separated in the other direction. Further, during the period, the rotating device driving mechanism is idled and does not drive the rotating device. Therefore, the rotating device is brought into a free rotating state, so that the link member can rotate in a direction in which the link member is tilted relative to the base frame. Therefore, even if the operation member is rotated in the other direction and the operation for returning to the neutral position is not repeated, the vehicle seat is lowered by the weight of the occupant sitting on the seat cushion, and can be quickly moved to an arbitrary lift position. Adjusted.

When the operating member is returned from the third position to the neutral position, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the rotating device includes a sector gear integrally provided on the link member and a base frame that is rotatably supported on the base frame while meshing with the sector gear. A pinion gear as the gear, and the rotation device drive mechanism is supported by the operation wheel and the claw wheel provided integrally with the pinion gear so as to be rotatable, and the operation member is The pinion gear is driven to rotate by engaging with the claw wheel at least under the condition that the operation member is rotated in the other direction. The feed claw, and the feed claw that is fixed to the base frame and is in contact with the feed claw during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the third position. And summarized in that and a separable member for withdrawal.

  According to the above configuration, the feed claw is displaced at least on the condition that the operation member is rotated in one direction, and is engaged with the claw wheel to rotate the claw wheel. This rotation is transmitted to the link member via a pinion gear coaxial with the claw wheel and a sector gear meshed with the pinion gear. As a result, the link member rotates in the standing direction, the link mechanism changes its posture, and the seat cushion is raised.

  Further, when the operation member is rotated in the other direction, the feed claw is displaced in the opposite direction to the rotation in the one direction, and is not engaged with the claw wheel. During the rotation period of the operation member in the other direction, the feed claw comes into contact with the separation member fixed to the base frame during the period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the third position. Due to the contact with the separation member, the feed claw is detached from the claw wheel, and the claw wheel and the pinion gear become rotatable. Along with this, the link member meshed with the pinion gear through the sector gear becomes rotatable. Therefore, it is possible to freely rotate the link member relative to the base frame to lower the vehicle seat to a desired lift position.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, when the operation member is in a neutral position, the brake spring is wound in a state of being separated from the shaft member. The summary is attached.

According to the above configuration, when the operating member is in the neutral position, the portion of the braking spring wound around the shaft member is separated from the coaxial member.
The brake spring has a diameter larger than that at the neutral position as the operating member rotates in one direction. Further, when the operation member is returned to the neutral position after the rotation in the one direction, the diameter-enlarged brake spring is reduced to the original diameter. For this reason, the friction between the brake spring and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft member does not increase more than when the operation member is in the neutral position. Therefore, the brake spring does not prevent (resist) the operation of the rotating device through the rotation of the gear, the rotation of the link member in the direction in which the link member rises, and the lift of the seat cushion.

  According to the vehicle seat lifter device of the present invention, the lift position of the vehicle seat can be easily adjusted, and the lift position can be maintained even when an external force is applied to the vehicle seat.

The perspective view of the vehicle seat provided with the vehicle seat lifter device in one embodiment which materialized the present invention. The perspective view which shows the state which removed each cushion part of the seat cushion and the seat back from the vehicle seat of FIG. The disassembled perspective view of the seat lifter device for vehicles. The partial side view which looked at the seat lifter device for vehicles from the inside of the base frame. AA line sectional view of Drawing 4. BB sectional drawing of FIG. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter apparatus when the operation lever is hold | maintained in the neutral position from the outer side of the base frame. CC sectional view taken on the line of FIG. (A) is the front view which looked at the lock / unlock device of the locked state from the inside of the base frame, (B) is the front view which looked at the lock / unlock device of the unlocked state from the inside of the base frame. The disassembled perspective view of a lock / unlock device. It is a figure which shows a 1st pole, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view. It is a figure which shows a 2nd pole and a 3rd pole, (A) is a front view, (B) is a side view. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter device from the outside of the base frame when the operation lever is turned upward from the neutral position to the first position. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter apparatus in the middle of the operation lever turning from the 1st position toward the 2nd position from the outer side of the base frame. The partial side view which looked at the seat lifter device for vehicles when the operation lever reached the 2nd position from the outside of the base frame. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter apparatus in the middle of the operation lever turning from the 2nd position toward the neutral position from the outer side of the base frame. Similarly, the partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter device in the middle of the operation lever being turned from the second position toward the neutral position from the outside of the base frame. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter apparatus when the operation lever returned to the neutral position from the outside of the base frame. The partial side view which looked at the vehicle seat lifter device from the outside of the base frame when the operation lever is turned downward from the neutral position to reach the third position. It is a figure which shows the state of a rotating device drive mechanism when an operation lever is hold | maintained in the neutral position, (A) is a partial side view, (B) is EE sectional view taken on the line of (A), (C) is. The enlarged view of the X section of (B). It is a figure which shows the state of a rotating device drive mechanism when an operation lever is rotated upward from a neutral position, (A) is a partial side view, (B) is the FF sectional view taken on the line of (A). , (C) is an enlarged view of the Y part of (B). It is a figure which shows the state of a rotating device drive mechanism when an operation lever is rotated downward from a neutral position, (A) is a partial side view, (B) is the GG sectional view taken on the line of (A). , (C) is an enlarged view of the Z portion of (B).

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In the following description, the forward direction of the vehicle will be described as the front (front of the vehicle), and the reverse direction of the vehicle will be described as the rear (rear of the vehicle). Further, in the following description, the vertical direction means the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the horizontal direction is the vehicle width direction of the vehicle and coincides with the horizontal direction when the vehicle moves forward.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 11 that forms a seating surface and a seatback 12 that forms a backrest surface. The vehicle seat 10 includes a vehicle seat lifter device 13 that adjusts the height of the seat cushion 11, a seat reclining device 14 that adjusts the inclination angle of the seat back 12, and a seat slide that adjusts the longitudinal position of the seat cushion 11. And an adjuster device 15.

  The height of the seat cushion 11 can be adjusted by operating an operation lever 17 as an operation member arranged on the side of the seat cushion 11. In addition, the inclination angle of the seat back 12 can be adjusted by operating the operation lever 18 disposed at a position away from the operation lever 17 on the side of the seat cushion 11. The position of the seat cushion 11 in the front-rear direction can be adjusted by operating the operation lever 19 disposed below the seat cushion 11.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle seat lifter device 13 is provided on a seat slide adjuster device 15. The seat slide adjuster device 15 includes a pair of left and right lower rails 21 fixed to the vehicle floor, and a pair of left and right upper rails 22 slidably engaged with the lower rail 21 in the vehicle front-rear direction. Each upper rail 22 constitutes a vehicle floor side member, and is locked and held with respect to the lower rail 21 by a lock mechanism (not shown) at a predetermined position in the front-rear direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the vehicle seat lifter device 13 includes a pair of left and right base frames 23 that constitute a part of the seat cushion 11, and a pair of left and right front link members 24 and a pair of left and right rear links. A member 25 is provided. Both front link members 24 and both rear link members 25 support the base frame 23 so as to be movable up and down with respect to the upper rail 22, and connect the base frame 23 to the upper rail 22. Furthermore, the vehicle seat lifter device 13 includes a rotation device 30 that relatively rotates the base frame 23 and the rear link member 25, and a lock / unlock device that locks and unlocks the relative rotation of the base frame 23 and the rear link member 25. 40. In addition, the vehicle seat lifter device 13 includes the above-described operation lever 17, a lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 that operates the lock / unlock device 40, and a rotating device drive mechanism 90 that drives the rotating device 30. ing.

  The lower end sides of the pair of left and right front link members 24 are pivotally attached to the front portions of the pair of left and right upper rails 22 via hinge pins 26A (see FIGS. 2 and 3), respectively. The upper end sides of the front link members 24 are pivotally attached to the front portions of the pair of base frames 23 via hinge pins 26B (see FIG. 3), respectively. Moreover, each center part of a pair of front link member 24 is mutually connected by the connection rod 27 (refer FIG. 2, FIG. 3).

  The lower ends of the pair of left and right rear link members 25 are pivotally attached to the rear portions of the pair of upper rails 22 via hinge pins 26C (see FIGS. 2 and 4), respectively. Both end portions of a torque rod 28 made of a cylindrical pipe material are penetrated and fixed on the rear end side of the pair of left and right rear link members 25. One end (the left end in FIG. 2) of the torque rod 28 is rotatably supported by a lock / unlock device 40 disposed inside one (left in FIG. 3) base frame 23. The other end (the right end in FIG. 2) of the torque rod 28 is rotatably supported by a bearing hole 23D formed in the base frame 23 on the other side (the right side in FIG. 2).

  One (left side in FIG. 3) rear link member 25 fixed to one end (left end in FIG. 2) of the torque rod 28 is a drive side link member (hereinafter referred to as “drive side rear link member” operated by the operation lever 17. 25 ”). The other rear link member (not shown) constitutes a driven side link member (hereinafter referred to as “driven side rear link member”) to which torque is transmitted via the torque rod 28. When the drive-side rear link member 25 and the driven-side rear link member are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as “rear link member 25”. The above-described front link member 24 and rear link member 25, the base frame 23, and the upper rail 22 constitute a pair of left and right parallel link mechanisms 20 (see FIG. 2). By changing the posture of these parallel link mechanisms 20, the pair of left and right base frames 23 are substantially translated in the vertical direction with the seat cushion 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the rotating device 30 includes a gear mechanism that includes a sector gear 31, a pinion gear 32 </ b> A, and a lift spring 33 (see FIGS. 2 and 5) as a base frame raising and urging means. The sector gear 31 is integrally provided on the outer peripheral front side on the rotating end (rear end) side of the driving side rear link member 25. The pinion gear 32A is provided so as to be integrally rotatable with respect to the rotary shaft 32 as a shaft member.

  Specifically, the rotating shaft 32 has a large-diameter portion 32C at an intermediate portion in the length direction. The large diameter portion 32 </ b> C has a larger diameter than other portions of the rotating shaft 32. On the other hand, a shaft hole 23A (see FIGS. 3 and 5) is formed in the base frame 23, and a bearing 35 is attached thereto. The rotating shaft 32 is rotatably supported by the base frame 23 by a bearing 35 in the large diameter portion 32C. The pinion gear 32 </ b> A is provided at a location adjacent to the inside of the large diameter portion 32 </ b> C on the rotary shaft 32 and meshes with the sector gear 31. With such a configuration, the pinion gear 32 </ b> A is rotatably supported on the base frame 23.

  In the base frame 23, an engagement pin 34 that extends inward is fixed at a position in front of the rotation shaft 32. A plate 36 is disposed at a location spaced inward from the base frame 23. The rotating shaft 32 and the engaging pin 34 are inserted into the plate 36 and locked to the plate 36 by snap rings 37 and 38 so as not to fall off.

  The lift spring 33 is configured by a spiral spring that is wound clockwise from the inner peripheral side toward the outer peripheral side when viewed from the inside of the base frame 23. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the lift spring 33 is for urging the seat cushion 11 by moving the base frame 23 upward, and its outer peripheral end 33 </ b> A The engagement pin 34 is engaged. In other words, the outer peripheral end portion 33 </ b> A of the lift spring 33 is engaged with the base frame 23 via the engagement pin 34. An inner peripheral end portion 33B of the lift spring 33 is engaged with a slit 32B provided on the inner end side of the rotating shaft 32 so as to extend in the axial direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the lock / unlock device 40 includes a first rotating member 41 and a second rotating member 42 each having a disk shape, and first, second, and second locking members as a plurality of locking members. Third poles 43 </ b> A, 43 </ b> B, 43 </ b> C, a cam member 44, a release plate 45, a lock spring 46, and a rotation member 47 are provided.

  The second rotating member 42 has internal teeth 42 </ b> A on its inner peripheral surface, and is fitted to the first rotating member 41 so as to be relatively rotatable. The poles 43A, 43B, and 43C are guided and supported by the first rotating member 41 so as to be movable in the radial direction, and have outer teeth 63 and 66 that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the inner teeth 42A on the outer peripheral side end surface. The cam member 44 and the release plate 45 are provided so as to be rotatable between a predetermined lock position and a release position, and the pawls 43A, 43B, 43C are engaged with the internal teeth 42A of the second rotation member 42. Operate between position and disengaged position. The lock spring 46 (see FIG. 10) urges the cam member 44 to rotate toward the lock position. The rotation member 47 rotates the cam member 44 between the lock position and the release position. The cam member 44 and the release plate 45 engage and disengage the poles 43A, 43B, 43C supported by the first rotating member 41 so as to be movable with respect to the second rotating member 42. An engagement / disengagement mechanism 48 (see FIG. 8) that restricts / allows relative rotation with the two-rotation member 42 is configured.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the first rotating member 41 includes a circular recess 41 </ b> B that is half-cut to open to the second rotating member 42 side (inner side), and has a through hole 41 </ b> C in the center. ing. The circular recess 41 </ b> B has an inner peripheral surface 41 </ b> D centered on the rotation axis O <b> 1 of the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42. The second rotating member 42 includes a circular recess 42B that is formed by half-cutting so as to open to the first rotating member 41 side (outside), and has a through hole 42C in the center. The circular recess 42B has an inner peripheral surface centered on the rotation axis O1, and the inner teeth 42A are formed on the inner peripheral surface over the entire periphery.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first rotating member 41 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 42 </ b> E of the second rotating member 42 so as to be slidable in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface 41 </ b> D. By this fitting, the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 are relatively rotatable around the axis of the torque rod 28. A bearing portion 49 is constituted by the inner peripheral surface 41D and the outer peripheral surface 42E. As will be described later, the bearing portion 49 also serves as a bearing portion for bearing one end of the torque rod 28. As shown in FIG. 10, a plurality (three) of guide walls 41 </ b> A are arranged at equiangular intervals in the circumferential direction in the circular recess 41 </ b> B of the first rotating member 41. Between two adjacent guide walls 41A, guide surfaces 41E that guide the respective poles 43A, 43B, 43C so as to be slidable are formed opposite to each other in parallel. A circular arc surface 41F centering on the rotation axis O1 is formed on the inner periphery of the guide wall 41A.

  A ring holder 50 made of a metal plate is fixed to the outer periphery of the first rotating member 41 by welding or the like. The ring holder 50 has a bent portion 50A that is bent at a substantially right angle toward the end surface of the second rotating member 42. By this bent portion 50A, the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 are relatively rotated. It is retained in the axial direction in an allowed state.

  The poles 43A, 43B, and 43C are composed of two types of poles that are arranged at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction within a plane orthogonal to the rotation axis O1. The first pole 43A is produced by forging a steel material. As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the first pole 43A includes a first block 61 and a second block 62 that are formed so as to be stepped from each other in a side view. As shown in FIG. 10, in the first pole 43A, the second block 62 is positioned on the inner peripheral surface 41D side of the first rotating member 41, and the first block 61 is the axis of the first rotating member 41 (through hole 41C). ) Is located on the side.

  As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, outer teeth 63 that can mesh with the inner teeth 42 </ b> A of the second rotating member 42 are formed at the outer end of the first block 61. Further, an inner surface cam portion 64 that engages with the outer periphery of the cam member 44 is formed at the inner end of the first block 61. Further, the second block 62 is provided with a pole-side groove cam portion 65 penetrating in the plate thickness direction at a substantially central portion in the width direction of the second block 62.

  On the other hand, the second pole 43B and the third pole 43C are produced by pressing a plate-shaped steel plate. As shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, the second and third poles 43 </ b> B and 43 </ b> C have shapes formed by only the first block 61, with the second block 62 being cut off from the first pole 43 </ b> A. It has an approximate flat shape with no steps. That is, the second and third poles 43 </ b> B and 43 </ b> C are formed to be shorter in the radial direction than the first pole 43 </ b> A by the amount of the second block 62, and the plate thickness is also thinned by the plate thickness of the second block 62. .

  External teeth 66 that can mesh with the internal teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42 are formed at the outer ends of the second and third poles 43B and 43C, and the inner ends engage with the outer periphery of the cam member 44. An inner surface cam portion 67 is formed. Further, an engaging projection 68 is provided at the center in the width direction of the second and third poles 43B and 43C.

  The above-mentioned inner surface cam portions 64 and 67 are formed in the same shape. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A, the inner surface cam portions 64 and 67 are cam members which will be described later at the center portion and both side portions in the circumferential direction of the poles 43A, 43B and 43C. There are provided three pressing portions 76A, 76B and 76C on which 44 cam surfaces 75 act.

  The pressing portion 76A provided at the center of each of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C and the pressing portion 76B provided on the front side in the lock rotation direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 9) of the cam member 44 are the same in the lock rotation direction. And a cam surface having an inclined surface that approaches the cam surface 75 of the cam member 44 as it rotates. Further, the pressing portion 76 </ b> C provided on the rear side in the lock rotation direction of the cam member 44 is configured by an arc surface centering on the rotation center of the cam member 44.

  The poles 43A, 43B, and 43C are guided by the guide surface 41E of the first rotating member 41 and slid in the radial direction of the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42, and the outer teeth 63 and 66 are moved to the inner teeth 42A. And can be engaged with each other detachably.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the cam member 44 is rotatably disposed on the rotation axis O <b> 1 within the circular recess 42 </ b> B of the second rotation member 42, and has a through hole 44 </ b> A at the center. Further, the cam member 44 has three sets of cam surfaces 75 at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge thereof. The cam surfaces 75 of each set are disposed so as to be engageable with the pressing portions 76A, 76B, and 76C of the inner surface cam portions 64 and 67, respectively. The cam surface 75 can press the portion close to the meshing portion between the external teeth 63 and 66 of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C and the internal teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42, and the cam surface 75 is pressed against the first rotating member 41. The rotation of the two-rotating member 42 can be reliably locked with a strong force.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, each cam surface 75 includes three pressing cam portions 77A, 77B, and 77C that can come into contact with the pressing portions 76A, 76B, and 76C of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C. It has become. The three pressing cam portions 77A, 77B, and 77C abut against the pressing portions 76A, 76B, and 76C of the inner surface cam portions 64 and 67 of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C, respectively, when the cam member 44 is rotated to the locked position. Held in an angular position.

  When the cam member 44 is rotated in the direction toward the release position (lock release direction (clockwise direction in FIG. 9)), the press cam portions 77A, 77B, and 77C are separated from the press portions 76A, 76B, and 76C. Is done. A plurality of engagement protrusions 78 project from the side surface of the cam member 44 at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction, and one of the engagement protrusions 78 is engaged with the pole-side groove cam portion 65 of the first pole 43A. Yes. The pole-side groove cam portion 65 and the engagement protrusion 78 act so as to move the first pole 43A radially inward by the rotation of the cam member 44 in the unlocking direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B, and 10, the release plate 45 has a thin plate shape and has a through hole 45A at the center, and is engaged with the side surface of the cam member 44. 78 and is integrally attached. The release plate 45 is attached to the cam member 44 so as to coincide with the second block 62 of the first pole 43A in the axial direction (so as to be in the same position), and the end faces of the second pole 43B and the third pole 43C. Are slidably contacted. With such a configuration, the second and third poles 43B and 43C and the release plate 45 are accommodated within the thickness range of the first pole 43A.

  The release plate 45 is a substantially ring-shaped plate. A fan-shaped notch 45B is formed in a part of the release plate 45, and a first pole 43A is disposed in the notch 45B. That is, the annular plate is cut out in a fan shape by an angle range corresponding to the first pole 43A, so that the release plate 45 does not interfere with the first pole 43A when the release plate 45 rotates together with the cam member 44. .

  Two release plate side groove cam portions 79 penetrating in the thickness direction are formed on the circumference centering on the rotation center of the release plate 45. Engaging protrusions 68 of the second and third poles 43B and 43C are engaged with the release plate side groove cam portions 79, respectively. When the release plate 45 is rotated in the unlocking direction together with the cam member 44 by the engagement of each release plate side groove cam portion 79 and the engagement protrusion 68, the second and third poles 43B and 43C are moved radially inward. Moved to.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the lock spring 46 is constituted by a spiral spring wound counterclockwise from the inner peripheral side toward the outer peripheral side when viewed from the second rotating member 42 side (inner side). The outer end 46 </ b> A of the lock spring 46 is locked in the cut groove 41 </ b> G of the first rotating member 41, and the inner end 46 </ b> B is locked in the cut groove (not shown) of the cam member 44. The lock spring 46 urges the cam member 44 in a direction in which the cam member 44 is rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the second rotation member 42 side (inner side). That is, the lock spring 46 urges the cam member 44 to rotate toward the lock position. In other words, each of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C is urged by the lock spring 46 in a direction that maintains the engagement position of the second rotating member 42 with respect to the inner teeth 42A.

  The rotating member 47 includes a hinge shaft 47A, an arm 47B extending in a radial direction from one end (the left end in FIG. 10) of the hinge shaft 47A, and a contact portion extending in parallel with the hinge shaft 47A from the extending end of the arm 47B. 47C. The hinge shaft 47A passes through the through holes 41C, 44A, and 42C formed at the rotation center portions of the first rotating member 41, the cam member 44, and the second rotating member 42 so as to be rotatable. A chamfered portion having two chamfers is formed at a substantially central portion in the axial direction of the hinge shaft 47A, and the through hole 44A of the cam member 44 through which the hinge shaft 47A passes is fitted into the two chamfered portions of the hinge shaft 47A. In this way, the hinge shaft 47A and the cam member 44 can rotate integrally.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lock / unlock device 40 having the above-described configuration has a torque rod 28 between one base frame (left side in FIG. 3) and one end of the torque rod 28 (left end in FIG. 3). And are arranged on the same axis. The lock / unlock device 40 is arranged such that the first rotating member 41 is located on the base frame 23 side and the second rotating member 42 is located on the torque rod 28 side. The first rotating member 41 is locked in a locking hole 23B formed on the side surface of one (left side in FIG. 3) of the base frame 23, and is fixed by welding or the like. The second rotating member 42 has a plurality of (for example, four) engaging projections 42G on the surface opposite to the first rotating member 41 side (the right side in FIG. 10) with a constant interval in the circumferential direction. Is formed. The drive-side rear link member 25 has an insertion hole 25A at its rear end. Around the insertion hole 25A of the drive side rear link member 25, a plurality of (for example, four) engagement holes 25B that engage with the engagement protrusions 42G are formed. On the other hand, the rear link member on the driven side has an insertion hole (not shown) into which the other end of the torque rod 28 can be inserted. The drive-side rear link member 25 is fixed to the second rotating member 42 by welding or the like with the engagement hole 25B engaged with the engagement protrusion 42G. One end (the left end in FIG. 3) of the torque rod 28 is inserted into the insertion hole 25A of the drive side rear link member 25 and fixed by welding or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 6, the operation lever 17 has a shaft hole 17 </ b> A at the rear end portion, and is supported rotatably on the rotating shaft 32 in the shaft hole 17 </ b> A. . The rotating shaft 32 has a screw portion 32D that protrudes outward from the operation lever 17. On the outside of the operation lever 17, a bottomed tubular member 58 having an outer end opened and an inner end closed is disposed. The threaded portion 32D passes through the bottom of the cylindrical member 58, and a nut 59 is screwed into the penetrating portion. Around the cylindrical member 58, a torsion coil spring 60 that urges the operation lever 17 to be held at a substantially horizontal neutral position (lever operation angle 0 degree) with the operation end (front end) side facing forward. Is arranged.

  The torsion coil spring 60 has both end portions 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B erected on both side surfaces of an engaging portion (not shown) erected on the outer surface of the operation lever 17 and on the outer surface of the base frame 23. The operation lever 17 is held in the neutral position by sandwiching both side surfaces of the engaging portion (not shown). The torsion coil spring 60 can be omitted. In this case, a holding means for holding the operation lever 17 in the neutral position is provided so that the occupant manually returns the lever from the upper position or the lower position to the neutral position.

  A bearing shaft 17C (see FIG. 3) for rotatably supporting a feed claw 92, which will be described later, stands on two inner surfaces of the operation lever 17 that are opposed to each other up and down across the shaft hole 17A. It is installed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 rotates the operation lever 17 as a cam that can contact the contact portion 47 </ b> C of the rotation member 47 of the lock / unlock device 40. It protrudes in the radial direction on the rear outer periphery on the end side. That is, the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 rotates the rotation member 47 of the lock / unlock device 40 according to the rotation of the operation lever 17 to lock and unlock the lock / unlock device 40. It is configured to operate. The lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 includes a first unlock cam 81, a holding cam 82, and a second unlock cam 83. The first unlock cam 81 and a fixed unlock cam 84 provided integrally with the operation lever 17 are supported by the operation lever 17 so as to be swingable, and in a direction (upward) approaching the fixed unlock cam 84. The oscillating unlocking cam 85 is energized. In the present embodiment, the fixed unlock cam 84 and the holding cam 82 are constituted by one member.

  The fixed unlock cam 84 moves from the neutral position (lever operation angle 0 degree) in FIG. 7 to the first position (for example, lever operation angle +10 degrees) in FIG. This is a cam that pushes the contact portion 47C of the rotation member 47 and rotates it to the unlock position so that the lock / unlock device 40 is unlocked during the rotation period. The swing unlock cam 85 is supported at one end by the pin 85A so as to be swingable on the operation lever 17, and is biased in a direction (upward) toward the fixed unlock cam 84 by a torsion coil spring 85B attached to the pin 85A. Has been.

  The swing unlock cam 85 is rotated during a period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the position shown in FIG. 16 to the neutral position shown in FIG. 18 through the position shown in FIG. The contact member 47C of the moving member 47 is pressed downward and swings. Then, the swing unlock cam 85 is separated downward from the fixed unlock cam 84 by the swing described above, passes through the contact portion 47C, and the swing unlock cam of the first unlock cam 81 at the initial position. The cam is opposed to the 85 side portion.

  The swing unlock cam 85 swings upward by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 85B after the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 passes between the fixed unlock cam 84 and the swing unlock cam 85. Then, it comes into contact with the fixed unlock cam 84 again and faces the contact part 47C that has passed. Accordingly, since the facing position is the initial position of the contact portion 47C, the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 is pushed to rotate to the unlock position so that the lock / unlock device 40 is unlocked. When moving, the swing unlock cam 85 and the fixed unlock cam 84 function.

  The holding cam 82 is unlocked by the lock / unlock device 40 during a period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the first position to the second position shown in FIG. 15 in the upward direction (for example, lever operation angle +30 degrees). This cam is in contact with the contact portion 47C so as to be maintained in the state and holds the rotating member 47 in the unlock position.

  The second unlock cam 83 is configured to lock and unlock the device 40 during a period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the neutral position to the third position shown in FIG. 19 in the downward direction (for example, lever operation angle −10 degrees). Is a cam that pushes the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 and rotates it to the unlocked position so as to be in the unlocked state.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the rotation device drive mechanism 90 includes a ratchet mechanism including a claw wheel 91 and a plurality of (two) feed claws 92, and a separation member 93 for each feed claw 92. . The claw wheel 91 is integrally provided on the rotation shaft 32 on the opposite side (outside) of the pinion gear 32A with the large diameter portion 32C interposed therebetween. The claw wheel 91 has teeth 91A having a predetermined pitch angle. Here, the pitch angle of the internal teeth 42A formed on the second rotating member 42 of the lock / unlock device 40 is C, the ratio of the rotational speed of the sector gear 31 to the rotational speed of the pinion gear 32A of the rotating device 30 is A, and the claw wheel. When the pitch angle of 91 teeth 91A is B, C = A × B.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, and 7, arc-shaped long holes 23 </ b> E that surround the coaxial hole 23 </ b> A are formed at two locations that are vertically opposed to each other across the shaft hole 23 </ b> A of the base frame 23. In the operation lever 17, a pair of upper and lower support shafts 17 </ b> C projecting at positions facing each other with the shaft hole 17 </ b> A is inserted through the long hole 23 </ b> E so as to be rotatable on the rotation end side of the feed claw 92. Has been.

  Each bearing shaft 17C is provided with a torsion coil spring 94 that urges the feed claw 92 in a direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7) in which the tip of each feed claw 92 engages with the teeth 91A of the claw wheel 91. Has been. One end of the torsion coil spring 94 is locked to the feed claw 92, and the other end is locked to the support shaft 17C. Each feed claw 92 engages with the claw wheel 91 and rotates the pinion gear 32A at least on the condition that the operation lever 17 is rotated upward. Further, the feed claw 92 is disengaged from the claw wheel 91 on condition that the operation lever 17 is rotated downward.

  The separation member 93 for each feed claw 92 is fixed in the base frame 23 between the shaft hole 23A and the long hole 23E. Each separating member 93 abuts against the inner peripheral surface of the feed claw 92 during a period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the neutral position to the third position, and causes the feed claw 92 to be detached from the claw wheel 91.

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a braking spring 95 made up of a torsion coil spring is used as a means for controlling the speed when the vehicle seat 10 descends. As described above, the pinion gear 32A and the large diameter portion 32C of the rotating device 30 are provided on the rotating shaft 32 so as to be integrally rotatable. A brake spring 95 is wound around the large diameter portion 32C. ing. One end 95 </ b> A of the brake spring 95 is locked to the operation lever 17. In the present embodiment, one end 95 </ b> A of the brake spring 95 is latched to the bearing shaft 17 </ b> C on which one (upper) feed claw 92 is supported. The other end 95 </ b> B of the brake spring 95 is locked to the base frame 23. In the present embodiment, an engagement pin 34 erected on the base frame 23 is used to engage the lift spring 33 (see FIGS. 2 and 5), and the other end 95B of the brake spring 95 is latched there. It has been.

  As described above, in the brake spring 95, the other end 95B is engaged with the base frame 23 and does not move, whereas the one end 95A is engaged with the operation lever 17 and the operation lever 17 is rotated. Move with it. Due to the movement of the one end 95A, the diameter of the portion wound around the large diameter portion 32C (the winding portion 95C) in the braking spring 95 changes. In the present embodiment, when the operating lever 17 is in the neutral position, an annular gap G1 is set between the large diameter portion 32C and the winding portion 95C as shown in FIG. Yes. Further, when the operating lever 17 is rotated downward from the neutral position, the winding portion 95C is reduced in diameter so as to be in close contact with the large diameter portion 32C and tighten as shown in FIG. Has been.

  Next, regarding the operation of the present embodiment configured as described above, refer to FIGS. 7 and 13 to 18 showing the raising operation of the seat cushion 11, and FIGS. 7 and 19 showing the lowering operation of the seat cushion 11. To explain.

  Note that the amount of lift or lowering of the seat cushion 11, that is, the amount of rotation of the drive-side rear link member 25, is determined by the notch 25C provided on the rotation end side (rear end side) of the drive-side rear link member 25. The first locking surface 25 </ b> C <b> 1 or the second locking surface 25 </ b> C <b> 2 is regulated by being locked to the engaging protrusion 23 </ b> F standing on the inner side surface of the base frame 23.

  In the initial state shown in FIG. 7, the operation lever 17 is located at the neutral position (lever operation angle 0 degree), and the leading end of each feed claw 92 of the rotation device drive mechanism 90 is, for example, FIG. It is in contact with a portion spaced from the tooth 91A labeled “1” (the back portion of the tooth 91A labeled “2” in FIG. 7). That is, the rotating device drive mechanism 90 does not act on the rotating device 30 at all.

  In the lock / unlock device 40, the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 faces the starting point (the swing unlock cam 85) of the first unlock cam 81 of the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 at the initial position. is doing. In the lock / unlock device 40, the external teeth 63 and 66 of the respective poles 43 </ b> A, 43 </ b> B, and 43 </ b> C mesh with the internal teeth 42 </ b> A of the second rotating member 42. 7 indicates a combination of one of the inner teeth 42A and the outer teeth 66 that mesh with each other at the neutral position. By these engagements, the lock / unlock device 40 is brought into a state where the relative rotation of the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 is restricted (locked state). The relative rotation between the base frame 23 and the drive side rear link member 25 is restricted. The raising and lowering of the base frame 23 and the seat cushion 11 by the pair of left and right parallel link mechanisms 20 including the driving side rear link member 25 and the driven side rear link member connected via the torque rod 28 are restrained. The seat cushion 11 is held at a predetermined lift position.

  As described above, when the operation lever 17 is in the neutral position, the one end 95A of the braking spring 95 is located at a position spaced apart from the other end 95B by the predetermined distance D1, as shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 20B and 20C, an annular gap G <b> 1 is formed between the winding portion 95 </ b> C of the braking spring 95 and the large diameter portion 32 </ b> C of the rotating shaft 32.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the operation lever 17 is rotated to a first position (for example, lever operation angle +10 degrees) away from the neutral position in one direction against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 60. During this period, the contact portion 47C is pushed by the first unlock cam 81, and the rotation member 47 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 13 from the lock position.

  By the rotation of the rotation member 47, the cam member 44 and the release plate 45 of the lock / unlock device 40 are integrally rotated counterclockwise from the lock position toward the release position, and the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C. The pressing cam portions 77A, 77B, and 77C of the cam surface 75 are disengaged from the pressing portions 76A, 76B, and 76C. Due to the engaging action of the pole-side groove cam portion 65 of the first pole 43A and the engaging protrusion 78 of the cam member 44, the first pole 43A is along the guide surface 41E of the guide wall 41A on the rotational axis O1 side (in the radial direction). And the engagement between the external teeth 63 of the first pole 43A and the internal teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42 is released.

  At the same time, the second and third poles 43B and 43C are guided to the guide surface of the guide wall 41A by the engagement action between the engagement protrusions 68 of the second and third poles 43B and 43C and the release plate side groove cam portion 79 of the release plate 45. It is drawn along the rotational axis O1 side (radially inner side) along 41E. The meshing between the external teeth 66 of the second and third poles 43B and 43C and the internal teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42 is released. Thus, the poles 43A, 43B, 43C are detached from the second rotating member 42. The lock of the second rotating member 42 with respect to the first rotating member 41 is released, the lock / unlock device 40 is switched to the unlocked state, and the relative rotation between the base frame 23 and the driving side rear link member 25 is allowed. .

  Further, during the above period, the feed claw 92 of the rotating device driving mechanism 90 is displaced together with the operation lever 17 around the shaft hole 17A in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. Accompanying this displacement, the leading end of each feed claw 92 is idled until it comes into contact with the "1" tooth 91A at the back surface portion of the "2" tooth 91A of the claw wheel 91. The claw wheel 91 is not rotationally driven by each feed claw 92. Therefore, the pair of left and right rear link members 25 do not rotate (the posture of the pair of left and right parallel link mechanisms 20 does not change), and the base frame 23 and the seat cushion 11 are held at the lift position at that time.

  As shown in FIG. 14, during the period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated upward from the first position to the second position in FIG. 15 against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 60, The contact portion 47 </ b> C of the rotating member 47 contacts the holding cam 82 of the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80. By this contact, the rotation member 47 changes the rotation direction in the clockwise direction after rotating in the counterclockwise direction. During the rotation period of the rotation member 47 (when it is in the unlock position), the lock / unlock device 40 has the poles 43A, 43B, 43C detached from the second rotation member 42 and the first rotation member. The second rotating member 42 is kept unlocked with respect to 41 (unlocked state). In this unlocked state, relative rotation between the base frame 23 and the drive side rear link member 25 is allowed.

  Further, in the rotation device driving mechanism 90, each feed claw 92 is displaced together with the operation lever 17 in the counterclockwise direction around the shaft hole 17A. Accompanying this displacement, the tip of each feed claw 92 pushes (engages) the “1” tooth 91A of the claw wheel 91 in the counterclockwise direction to rotate the claw wheel 91. This rotation is transmitted to the drive-side rear link member 25 via the pinion gear 32A coaxial with the claw wheel 91 and the sector gear 31 meshed therewith. The drive side rear link member 25 is rotated in the clockwise direction, which is the direction in which the drive side rear link member 25 stands. By this rotation, the posture of the pair of left and right parallel link mechanisms 20 including the pair of left and right rear link members 25 is changed, and the base frame 23 and the seat cushion 11 are raised while maintaining a horizontal state.

  When the operation lever 17 is rotated to the second position in FIG. 15 against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 60, the contact portion 47C of the rotation member 47 in the lock / unlock device 40 is locked / unlocked. It is released from the holding cam 82 of the locking device operating mechanism 80. The rotating member 47 is rotated clockwise by the biasing force of the lock spring 46 (see FIG. 10). In the lock / unlock device 40, the external teeth 63 and 66 of the poles 43 </ b> A, 43 </ b> B and 43 </ b> C are positioned at positions where they can mesh with the internal teeth 42 </ b> A of the second rotating member 42.

  In the lock / unlock device 40, the cam member 44 is rotated by the rotation of the rotation member 47, and the first, second, and third poles 43A, 43B, and 43C are rotated by the pressing cam portions 77A, 77B, and 77C. Is moved radially outward along the guide surface 41E. By this movement, the outer teeth 63, 66 of the first, second and third poles 43A, 43B, 43C are in the neutral position among the inner teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42 as indicated by ▲ ▼ in FIG. Is engaged (engaged) with a different one. By this engagement (meshing), the lock / unlock device 40 is brought into a state where the relative rotation of the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 is restricted (locked state). The relative rotation between the base frame 23 and the drive side rear link member 25 is restricted, and the seat cushion 11 is held at a higher lift position than in the initial state.

  When the operation lever 17 is rotated to the second position as described above, the lock / unlock device 40 can be returned to the locked state, and the operation lever 17 can be returned to the neutral position.

  When the operation lever 17 is released after the contact portion 47C is released from the holding cam 82 and the rotation member 47 is returned to the lock position, each feed claw 92 of the rotation device drive mechanism 90 is moved together with the operation lever 17. While being displaced clockwise around the shaft hole 17A, it is rotated clockwise around the support shaft 17C against the torsion coil spring 94. The front end portion of each feed claw 92 rides on the back surface of the tooth 91A of the claw wheel 91 and is disengaged from the tooth 91A.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the operating lever 17 is rotated and returned to a position in the middle of returning from the second position to the neutral position by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 60, the lock / unlock device 40 receives the rotating member 47. The contact portion 47C starts to come into contact with the swing unlock cam 85 of the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80, and the rotating member 47 is held in the lock position. At this time, the external teeth 63 and 66 of the respective poles 43A, 43B, and 43C are meshed with the internal teeth 42A of the second rotating member 42, and the locked state of rotation of the second rotating member 42 with respect to the first rotating member 41 is Maintained.

  When the operation lever 17 is rotated and returned from the position shown in FIG. 16 to the position shown in FIG. 17 in the downward direction by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 60, each feed claw 92 of the rotating device drive mechanism 90 is moved together with the operation lever 17. Displace around the shaft hole 17A in the clockwise direction. The leading end of each feed claw 92 gets over the back portion of the “2” tooth 91A of the claw wheel 91 and engages with the “2” tooth 91A. At this time, the abutting portion 47C rotates the swing unlock cam 85 of the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 in the counterclockwise direction, and between the swing unlock cam 85 and the fixed unlock cam 84. By passing, the rotating member 47 is held in the locked position.

  When the operation lever 17 is rotated and returned from the position shown in FIG. 17 to the neutral position shown in FIG. Displace around the hole 17A in the clockwise direction. The tip of each feed claw 92 is displaced to the back surface portion of the “3” tooth 91 </ b> A of the claw wheel 91. At this time, the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 passes between the swing unlock cam 85 and the fixed unlock cam 84, and the initial point of the first unlock cam 81 (the swing unlock cam 85) and the initial position. Opposite in position. Thus, the raising operation of the seat cushion 11 is completed.

  In this way, during the period from when the operation lever 17 starts to rotate upward from the neutral position to when the operation lever 17 is returned to the neutral position, the base frame 23 and the seat cushion 11 are raised by a certain height, and the height position is increased. Retained. An occupant seated on the seat cushion 11 performs the operation of returning the operation lever 17 to the neutral position after rotating the operation lever 17 as many times as necessary, thereby changing the position of the pair of left and right parallel link mechanisms 20 to change the base frame 23 and It is possible to raise the seat cushion 11 to a desired height while maintaining the horizontal state (adjusting the lift position in the upward direction).

  The rotating device 30 has a function of rotating the base frame 23 and the rear link member 25 relative to each other as described above. The rotating device 30 and the lock / unlock device 40 include the rotating device driving mechanism 90 and The operation lever 17 can be operated via a lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80. Therefore, the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 can be adjusted with a small operation of the operation lever 17.

  Here, as the operating lever 17 rotates in the upward direction, as shown in FIG. 21A, the distance D1 between the one end 95A and the other end 95B of the brake spring 95 increases. As the distance D1 increases, as shown in FIGS. 21B and 21C, the winding portion 95C of the braking spring 95 increases in diameter compared to the neutral position. The winding portion 95C is separated from the large diameter portion 32C of the rotating shaft 32 in the radial direction, and the annular gap G1 between the winding portion 95C and the large diameter portion 32C is larger than that in the neutral position.

  When the operation lever 17 is returned to the neutral position after the upward rotation, the diameter of the brake spring 95 whose diameter has been increased is reduced to the original diameter. For this reason, the friction between the braking spring 95 and the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 32C does not increase more than when the operation lever 17 is in the neutral position.

  On the other hand, when the seat cushion 11 is lowered, as shown in FIG. 19 from the initial state shown in FIG. 7, the operation lever 17 resists the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 60 from the neutral position in the other direction. A rotation operation is performed to a third position (for example, a lever operation angle of −10 degrees) separated downward. With this rotation operation, in the lock / unlock device 40, the contact portion 47C of the rotation member 47 is pushed by the second unlock cam 83 of the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80, and the rotation member 47 is rotated counterclockwise. Due to the rotation of the rotation member 47, the lock state of the second rotation member 42 with respect to the first rotation member 41 is released by the same operation as the operation described with reference to FIG. Is switched to the unlocked state.

  Further, in the rotation device drive mechanism 90, each feed claw 92 is displaced clockwise around the shaft hole 17A together with the operation lever 17 without engaging with the teeth 91A of the claw wheel 91. During the period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the neutral position to the third position, the feed claw 92 that is displaced as described above contacts the separating member 93 that is fixed to the base frame 23. Each feed claw 92 abutting against the separating member 93 is rotated clockwise around the support shaft 17 </ b> C against the urging force of the torsion coil spring 94. By this rotation, the tip of each feed claw 92 is radially separated from the back surface portion of the tooth 91A of the claw wheel 91 (disengaged from the claw wheel 91), and the claw wheel 91 is not rotationally driven. Thus, the rotating device driving mechanism 90 is idled and does not drive the rotating device 30. Therefore, the rotating device 30 is brought into a free rotating state (the pinion wheel 91 and the pinion gear 32A are rotatable), and the driving side rear link member 25 is allowed to rotate. The drive-side rear link member 25 is rotatable in a direction in which it is tilted with respect to the base frame 23. If the occupant puts weight on the seat cushion 11 in this state, the seat cushion 11 is moved downward (lowered) against the urging force of the lift spring 33 (see FIG. 2).

  In this way, the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 11 operates the operation lever 17 downward while sitting without repeating the operation of returning the operation lever 17 to the neutral position after rotating the operation lever 17 upward. Thus, it is possible to quickly lower the seat cushion 11 to a desired lift position while maintaining the seat cushion 11 in a horizontal state by changing the postures of the two parallel link mechanisms 20.

  As the operation lever 17 is rotated downward, the distance D1 between the one end 95A and the other end 95B of the brake spring 95 is narrowed as shown in FIG. As the distance D1 is reduced, as shown in FIGS. 22B and 22C, the winding portion 95C of the braking spring 95 is reduced in diameter compared to the neutral position, and the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 32C is reduced. After approaching, it comes into close contact, and the annular gap G1 between the winding portion 95C and the large diameter portion 32C becomes zero. When the operation lever 17 is further rotated downward, the winding portion 95C is fastened to the large diameter portion 32C. For this reason, the friction between the winding portion 95C and the outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion 32C is greater than when the operation lever 17 is in the neutral position. Due to this increasing friction, the rotation of the rotary shaft 32 is braked and decelerated. Accordingly, the operation of the rotating device 30 through the rotation of the pinion gear 32A, the rotation of the driving-side rear link member 25 in the tilting direction, and the lowering of the base frame 23 and the seat cushion 11 are decelerated.

  The friction generated between the winding portion 95C of the brake spring 95 and the rotary shaft 32 (large diameter portion 32C) increases as the amount of rotation operation from the neutral position of the operation lever 17 downward increases. This is because the winding portion 95C is reduced in diameter as the amount of rotation operation in the downward direction increases. The braking force for the rotation of the rotation shaft 32 can be adjusted by the amount of rotation operation from the neutral position of the operation lever 17 downward.

  When the operation lever 17 is released when the seat cushion 11 is lowered to the desired lift position, the operation lever 17 is returned to the upward neutral position from the position shown in FIG. 19 by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 60. To do. Then, each feed claw 92 urged counterclockwise by the torsion coil spring 94 is displaced counterclockwise while sliding around the shaft hole 17 </ b> A together with the operating member 17 and the opening member 93. Due to this displacement, as shown in FIG. 7, the tip of each feed claw 92 is brought into contact with the back surface portion of the tooth 91 </ b> A of the claw wheel 91. At the same time, in the lock / unlock device 40, the rotating member 47 is locked so that the contact portion 47C contacts the start point of the second unlock cam 83 (start point of the first unlock cam 81) by the urging force of the lock spring 46. Rotate clockwise to position.

  By the above rotation of the rotation member 47 to the lock position, the lock / unlock device 40 is brought into a state where the relative rotation of the first rotation member 41 and the second rotation member 42 is restricted (lock state). The rotation of the drive-side rear link member 25 is restrained, and the seat cushion 11 is held at a lift position lower by a desired height than the initial state. Thus, the lowering operation of the seat cushion 11 is completed.

According to the embodiment described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) As the lock / unlock device 40, the poles 43A, 43B, 43C supported movably on the first rotating member 41 fixed on the base frame 23 side are fixed to the rear link member 25 side. A mechanism provided with an engagement / disengagement mechanism 48 that engages / disengages with the rotating member 42 is used (FIGS. 7 and 8). This engagement / disengagement mechanism 48 engages or disengages the pawls 43A, 43B, 43C with respect to the second rotating member 42 by the lock / unlock device actuating mechanism 80 interlocked with the rotation of the operation lever 17, The unlocking device 40 is brought into a locked state in which the relative rotation between the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 is restricted or an unlocked state in which the relative rotation is allowed.

  Therefore, even if an external force applied to the vehicle seat 10 during a vehicle collision or the like is transmitted to the engagement / disengagement mechanism 48 via the rear link member 25, the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 can be firmly held.

  (2) The rotation device 30 and the lock / unlock device 40 that relatively rotate the base frame 23 and the drive-side rear link member 25 are moved by the operation lever 17 to the rotation device drive mechanism 90 and the lock / unlock device operation mechanism 80. It is comprised so that it can operate via (FIG. 5).

  Therefore, when the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 is made higher than the initial state, it is not necessary to reciprocate the operation lever many times as in the conventional case, and the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 is easily adjusted. be able to.

(3) During the period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the neutral position to the third position that is spaced downward, the rotation device drive mechanism 90 causes the rotation device 30 to be in a freely rotating state (FIG. 19).
Therefore, when the occupant seated on the seat cushion 11 lowers the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 from the initial state, the occupant only needs to rotate the operation lever 17 downward from the neutral position. The rear link member 25 can be freely rotated relative to the base frame 23 in the direction of falling. The seat cushion 11 can be quickly lowered to a desired lift position against the lift spring 33 by the weight of the occupant.

  (4) As the locking / unlocking device operating mechanism, a mechanism that returns the locking / unlocking device 40 to the locked state by returning the operation lever 17 rotated downward to the neutral position is used. (FIG. 7).

  Therefore, when the seat cushion 11 is moved downward from the neutral position and the seat cushion 11 is lowered to the desired lift position, the operation lever 17 is returned to the neutral position, thereby holding the seat cushion 11 in the lift position. Can do.

  (5) The winding portion 95C of the braking spring 95 is wound around the large-diameter portion 32C of the rotating shaft 32 that rotates integrally with the pinion gear 32A of the rotating device 30. One end 95A of the brake spring 95 is locked to the operation lever 17, and the other end 95B is locked to the base frame 23 (FIGS. 5 and 6).

  Therefore, as the operating lever 17 is rotated downward, the winding portion 95C is reduced in diameter as compared with the neutral position, and is tightly brought into close contact with the outer peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 32C to increase friction and rotate. The rotation of the shaft 32 can be braked and decelerated. Accordingly, the operation of the rotating device 30 through the rotation of the pinion gear 32A, the rotation of the rear link member 25 in the direction of falling, and the lowering of the base frame 23 can be decelerated.

  Therefore, under the situation where a heavy occupant is seated on the vehicle seat 10, it is possible to suppress the phenomenon that the seat cushion 11 descends at once as soon as the operation lever 17 is rotated downward from the neutral position.

  In addition, the braking force against the rotation of the rotary shaft 32 can be adjusted by the amount of rotation operation from the neutral position of the operation lever 17 downward. Therefore, the lowering speed of the seat cushion 11 is adjusted by changing the amount of rotation operation from the neutral position of the operation lever 17 downward according to the weight difference of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat 10, and the weight difference It is possible to absorb the difference in descent speed due to.

(6) The braking spring 95 is wound around the rotary shaft 32 so that the winding portion 95C is separated from the large diameter portion 32C when the operation lever 17 is in the neutral position (FIGS. 20A to 20C). ).
Therefore, when the operation lever 17 is rotated upward from the neutral position or is subsequently returned to the neutral position, the brake spring 95 operates the rotation device 30 through the rotation of the pinion gear 32A, the rear link member. It is possible to suppress the rotation (in the direction in which the 25 stands), and thus the hindrance (resistance) to the rise of the base frame 23.

  (7) As the locking / unlocking device 40, one having the first rotating member 41 and the second rotating member 42 is used. The first rotating member 41 supports the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C so as to be movable only in the radial direction, and rotatably supports the cam member 44 that advances and retracts the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C in the radial direction. The second rotating member 42 is formed with inner teeth 42A that engage with and disengage from the outer teeth 63 and 66 of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C (FIG. 10).

  Therefore, by rotating the cam member 44 with the rotation member 47, the external teeth 63 and 66 of the poles 43A, 43B, and 43C can be engaged with and disengaged from the internal teeth 42A of the second rotation member 42. Thus, adjustment of the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 can be realized with a simple configuration.

  (8) As the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80, one having a first unlock cam 81 and a holding cam 82 is used. The lock / unlock device 40 is unlocked by the first unlock cam 81 during a period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the neutral position to the first position. During the period in which the operation lever 17 is rotated from the first position to the second position by the holding cam 82, the lock / unlock device 40 is maintained in the unlocked state. When the second position is exceeded, the contact portion 47C is released from the holding cam 82, and the rotating member 47 is returned to the lock position.

  The first unlock cam 81 includes a fixed unlock cam 84 and a swing unlock cam 85. When the operation lever 17 is returned to the neutral position by the first unlock cam 81, the swing unlock cam 85 is swung by the contact portion 47C of the rotating member 47 returned to the lock position. After passing between the fixed unlock cam 84 and the swing unlock cam 85 through the contact portion 47C, it is made to face the swing unlock cam 85 at the initial position (FIG. 7).

  Therefore, in particular, the abutting portion 47C of the rotating member 47 can be opposed to the first unlocking cam 81 at the initial position only by the swinging of the swinging unlock cam 85. Thus, the lock / unlock device operating mechanism 80 can be established with a simple configuration.

  (9) The rotating device 30 is configured by a gear mechanism such as a sector gear 31 and a pinion gear 32A. The rotation device drive mechanism 90 is constituted by a ratchet mechanism such as a claw wheel 91 and a feed claw 92 (FIG. 7).

  Therefore, by adjusting the pitch angle of the gear or ratchet, the relative rotation angle between the base frame 23 and the drive side rear link member 25, that is, the adjustment amount of the lift position of the vehicle seat 10 can be arbitrarily set.

  (10) The pitch angle C of the internal teeth 42A of the lock / unlock device 40 is configured to be the product of the ratio A of the rotational speed of the sector gear 31 to the rotational speed of the pinion gear 32A and the pitch angle B of the claw wheel 91. is doing.

Therefore, the lock / unlock device 40 can be surely brought into the locked state every time the operation lever 17 is rotated by one pitch angle.
Note that the present invention can be embodied in another embodiment described below.

The other end 95 </ b> B of the brake spring 95 may be locked to the base frame 23 at a location different from the engagement pin 34.
In the above-described embodiment, when the seat cushion 11 is raised, the operation lever 17 is turned upward in one direction, and when the seat cushion 11 is lowered, the operation lever 17 is turned downward in the other direction. It was. However, the turning operation direction of the operation lever 17 may be different from the raising / lowering direction of the seat cushion 11.

The brake spring 95 may be wound in a state where the brake lever 95 is in contact with the rotary shaft 32 (large diameter portion 32C) when the operation lever 17 is in the neutral position.
The base frame 23 may be supported to be movable up and down with respect to the upper rail 22 by a type of link mechanism different from the parallel link mechanism 20.

  The link member that is rotated relative to the base frame 23 by the rotating device 30 may be a link member that is different from the rear link member 25. In the above embodiment, the front link member 24 corresponds to this.

  The present invention is also applicable to the vehicle seat 10 in which the seat cushion 11 is supported by a single base frame.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Vehicle seat, 11 ... Seat cushion, 13 ... Vehicle seat lifter device, 17 ... Operation lever (operation member), 22 ... Upper rail (vehicle floor side member), 23 ... Base frame, 25 ... Back link member (link) Member), 30 ... rotating device, 31 ... sector gear, 32 ... rotating shaft (shaft member), 32A ... pinion gear (gear), 40 ... lock / unlock device, 41 ... first rotating member, 42 ... second rotating member, 43A ... 1st pole (locking member), 43B ... 2nd pole (locking member), 43C ... 3rd pole (locking member), 47 ... Rotating member, 48 ... Engaging / disengaging mechanism, 80 ... Lock-un Locking device operating mechanism, 90: rotating device driving mechanism, 91: claw wheel, 92 ... feeding claw, 93 ... breaking member, 95 ... braking spring, 95A ... one end, 95B ... other end.

Claims (4)

A base frame that supports a seat cushion of a vehicle seat;
The base frame is supported to be movable up and down with respect to the vehicle floor side member, and a link member that connects the base frame to the vehicle floor side member;
A rotating device that relatively rotates the base frame and the link member by rotating a gear supported by the base frame in a state of meshing with the link member;
An engaging / disengaging mechanism for engaging and disengaging a locking member supported movably by a first rotating member fixed to the base frame side with a second rotating member fixed to the link member side; A rotation member that is rotatably supported by the rotation mechanism and that engages and disengages the engagement / disengagement mechanism, and the locking member engages with the second rotation member so that the first rotation member and the second rotation member are engaged. A locking / unlocking device that is in a locked state that restricts relative rotation with the locking member or an unlocking state in which the locking member is detached from the second rotating member and allows the relative rotation;
An operation member rotatably supported on the base frame;
When the operation member is in the neutral position, the locking / unlocking device is set to the locked state, and the rotation member is rotated in conjunction with rotation of the operation member in one direction or the other direction from the neutral position. According to the amount of rotation of the operating member from the neutral position to the one direction, the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state after switching to the unlocked state, and The operation member can be returned to the neutral position, and the lock / unlock device is switched to the unlocked state according to the rotation of the operation member from the neutral position to the other direction, and the neutral position of the operation member is set. A lock / unlock device actuating mechanism that enables the lock / unlock device to return to the locked state by returning to
The operation member is operated in conjunction with rotation from the neutral position in one direction or the other direction, and the operation member is rotated in the one direction from the neutral position, so that the lock / unlock device is unlocked. When the state is set, the rotating device is driven to rotate the link member in a standing direction, and the operation member is rotated in the other direction so that the lock / unlock device is brought into the unlocked state. A rotating device drive mechanism that allows the rotating device to be in a freely rotating state when the link member is rotated, and allows the relative rotation in the direction in which the link member is tilted;
It is wound around a shaft member that rotates integrally with the gear of the rotating device, one end is locked to the operating member, and the other end is locked to the base frame, so that the operating member rotates in the other direction. A vehicular seat lifter device comprising: a brake spring that contracts in response to movement. The locking / unlocking device operating mechanism sets the locking / unlocking device to the unlocked state during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to a first position separated in the one direction. The lock / unlock device is maintained in the unlocked state during a period in which the lock / unlock device is rotated from the position to the second position away from the one direction. A period in which the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state and the operation member can be returned to the neutral position, and the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to a third position away from the other direction. The lock / unlock device is set to the unlocked state, and the lock / unlock device can be returned to the locked state when the lock is released from the third position to the neutral position. It is in,
The rotation device driving mechanism is idled during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the first position, and drives the rotation device during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the first position to the second position. Then, the link member is rotated in the standing direction, and is idled during a period until the link member returns to the neutral position, and the rotation device is rotated during the period when the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the third position. The vehicle seat lifter device according to claim 1, wherein the link member is allowed to rotate in a freely rotating state so that the link member is allowed to fall. The rotating device is
A sector gear provided integrally with the link member;
A pinion gear as the gear rotatably supported by the base frame in a state of meshing with the sector gear;
The rotating device drive mechanism is
A claw wheel integrally provided coaxially with the pinion gear;
The pinion gear is rotationally driven by engaging with the claw wheel at least on the condition that the operation member is rotatably supported and the operation member is rotated in the one direction. A feed claw that is disengaged from the claw wheel on the condition that it is rotated in the direction;
A separation member fixed to the base frame and in contact with the feed claw during a period in which the operation member is rotated from the neutral position to the third position; The vehicle seat lifter device according to claim 2. 4. The vehicle seat lifter device according to claim 1, wherein when the operating member is in the neutral position, the brake spring is wound in a state of being separated from the shaft member. 5.

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