JP2017030527A - Power slide device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power slide device which is light-weight and achieves high rationality in component setting.SOLUTION: A power slide device 10 includes: a pair of left and right slide rails 20 having a pair of left and right lower rails 22 fixed to a vehicle body floor part and a pair of left and right upper rails 24 which are respectively attached to the pair of lower rails 22 so as to slide in a fore and aft direction of a seat and connected to a seat cushion 90; slide mechanisms 30 which are provided at the slide rails 20 and slide the upper rails 24; motors 40 which operate the slide mechanisms 30; lock mechanisms 50, each of which is provided at the slide rail 20 separately from the slide mechanism 30 and restricts sliding of the upper rail 24; and driving devices 60 which operate the lock mechanisms 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a power slide device.

  In the vehicle seat slide device (power slide device) disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the seat is supported on the vehicle body floor via a pair of left and right slide rails (lower rail and upper rail). A fixed support member extending in the seat width direction is spanned between the pair of left and right lower rails, and a drive motor is attached to a central portion of the fixed support member. The rotation of the drive motor is transmitted to the drive worm gear via the flexible wire. The drive worm gear is provided on the upper rail and meshes with a tooth surface of a rack located in the lower rail. Thereby, each upper rail slides with respect to each lower rail together with the seat.

JP-A-4-166429

  By the way, in the above-described vehicle seat slide device, the drive worm gear supported on the upper rail side has a slide function of the upper rail and a lock function for regulating the slide. For this reason, it is necessary to give strength to the driving worm gear, which increases the weight.

  In view of the above facts, the present invention aims to provide a power slide device that is lightweight and does not require high strength.

  The power slide device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a pair of left and right lower rails fixed to a vehicle body floor, and a pair of left and right lower rails that are slidably attached to the pair of lower rails in the longitudinal direction of the seat and connected to a seat cushion. A pair of left and right slide rails having an upper rail, a slide mechanism provided on the slide rail, for sliding the upper rail, a motor for operating the slide mechanism, and provided on the slide rail separately from the slide mechanism, and the upper rail A locking mechanism for restricting the sliding of the sliding mechanism and a driving device for operating the locking mechanism.

  According to the power slide device of the first aspect of the present invention, the slide mechanism and the lock mechanism are provided separately. For this reason, it is not necessary to give the slide mechanism a lock function, and it is not necessary to give the slide mechanism strength to exert the lock function. Therefore, the weight of the slide mechanism can be reduced as compared with the conventional technique in which the drive worm gear has a lock function for restricting the slide of the upper rail.

  In addition, the slide mechanism and the lock mechanism can each have specialized functions. For this reason, it is lighter and does not require high strength compared to the prior art in which the drive worm gear has a lock function for restricting the slide of the upper rail.

  A power slide device according to a second aspect of the present invention is the power slide device according to the first aspect, wherein the pinion is attached to the upper rail and is rotated in the seat front-rear direction by the motor, and the upper rail. And a locking member as a part of the locking mechanism that is driven in the vertical direction of the seat by the driving device, and is provided at a distance from the lower rail, the teeth of the pinion mesh with each other, and the locking member A locking hole with which the claw portion engages.

  According to the power slide device of the second aspect of the present invention, the lock holes in which the teeth of the pinion mesh with the lower rail are provided at intervals. For this reason, it is not necessary to separately provide a rack for engaging the pinion teeth in the lower rail. Therefore, the weight of the slide mechanism can be reduced. Further, since no rack is provided on the lower rail, there is no need to provide a configuration for fixing the rack, and the structure of the lower rail is simplified compared to a configuration in which a rack is provided. For this reason, for example, a general-purpose product such as a lower rail used in a manual slide device can be used.

  Further, a claw portion of a lock member that drives in the vertical direction of the seat engages with the lock hole of the lower rail. At this time, the slide of the upper rail in the front-rear direction can be reliably stopped by optimizing the shape of the claw portion of the lock member and the driving amount in the vertical direction according to the shape of the lock hole. For example, the claw portion of the lock member has a shape in which the width narrows from the upper side to the lower side in the seat vertical direction, and the lock member is driven to a position where the hole width of the lock hole matches the width of the claw portion in the seat front-rear direction. Thus, movement of the claw portion in the front-rear direction of the sheet and rattling of the claw portion are suppressed.

  The power slide device according to a third aspect of the present invention is the power slide device according to the second aspect, wherein the pinion is press-molded.

  According to the power slide device of the third aspect of the present invention, since the pinion is press-molded, for example, the thickness of the pinion can be reduced as compared with the case of injection molding. Therefore, the weight of the pinion that is a part of the slide mechanism can be reduced. Further, by reducing the thickness of the pinion, the hole diameter in the seat width direction of the lock hole of the lower rail with which the tooth portion of the pinion meshes can be reduced. For this reason, the size of the lower rail in the seat width direction can be reduced.

  The power slide device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the power slide device according to the second aspect or the third aspect, wherein the pinion is directly connected to the motor via a shaft on a rotation shaft of the motor.

  According to the power slide device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the pinion is directly connected to the rotation shaft of the motor via the shaft without using a reduction gear or the like. For this reason, a structure is simple compared with the case where a worm gear and a reduction gear are used, for example.

  The power slide device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the power slide device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects, wherein the drive device slides the slide amount set in advance by the upper rail. The lock mechanism is operated in the lock direction.

  According to the power slide device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the upper rail slides a preset slide amount, the lock function is automatically activated.

  The power slide device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the power slide device according to any one of the second to fifth aspects, wherein the drive device is configured such that the upper rail is located at a position where the claw portion can engage with the lock hole. Stop the slide.

  According to the power slide device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, when the vehicle occupant operates the drive device, the drive device slides the upper rail to a position where the claw portion can engage with the lock hole, and then slides the upper rail. Stop.

  As described above, the power slide device according to the first aspect has an excellent effect of being lightweight and reducing the component strength.

  The power slide device according to the second aspect has an excellent effect that the production efficiency is high and the sliding of the upper rail in the front-rear direction of the seat can be surely stopped.

  The power slide device according to the third aspect has an excellent effect that the power slide mechanism can be further reduced in weight.

  The power slide device according to the fourth aspect has an excellent effect that the energy loss of the rotational force of the motor is small.

  The power slide device according to the fifth aspect has an excellent effect that excessive sliding of the upper rail can be suppressed.

  The power slide device according to the sixth aspect has an excellent effect that the lock mechanism can function reliably.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view which shows the sliding state of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the slide mechanism of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, (A) shows the bearing attached to an upper upper rail, (B) shows the bearing attached to a lower upper rail. It is sectional drawing which shows the locking mechanism in the locked state of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the lock mechanism in the lock release state of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the operating method of the power slide apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1-5, the power slide apparatus 10 which concerns on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. In addition, arrow FR, arrow UP, arrow LH, and arrow RH, which are appropriately shown in the drawings, indicate the forward direction, the upward direction, the left direction, and the right direction of the power slide device 10. In addition, the front / rear / left / right / up / down direction of the power slide device 10 is the same as the front / rear / left / right / up / down direction of the vehicle on which the power slide device 10 is mounted, I'm doing it. Furthermore, “sheet width direction” described in the following description is synonymous with “sheet left-right direction”.

[Configuration of this embodiment]
As shown in FIG. 1, the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right slide rails 20, a slide mechanism 30 provided on the slide rail 20, a motor 40 that transmits rotational force to the slide mechanism 30, A lock mechanism 50 provided on the slide rail 20 and a drive device 60 for operating the lock mechanism 50 are provided.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view for explaining the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment. Although details will be described later, only the configuration on the left side in the sheet width direction is shown for a portion that is a symmetrical configuration, The configuration on the right side is omitted. Further, the end of the lower rail 22 constituting the slide rail 20 on the rear side in the seat front-rear direction is also omitted.

  A seat cushion 90 is provided in the vehicle upward direction of the power slide device 10, and a cushion frame 92 constituting the seat cushion 90 is attached to an upper upper rail 24A constituting the slide rail 20 via leg brackets 94 and 96. ing.

(Slide rail)
First, with reference to FIG. 1, the structure of the slide rail 20 which concerns on this embodiment is demonstrated.

  The slide rail 20 is a pair of left and right, and is disposed below the seat cushion 90 in the seat front-rear direction. Each slide rail 20 includes a lower rail 22 and an upper rail 24 that are formed in a long shape along the longitudinal direction of the seat.

  Each of the lower rails 22 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the lower rail 22) is a roll-formed metal C-shaped steel material (channel shape with a lip), and is arranged with the opening 22A facing upward. At least the front and rear end portions of the lower rail 22 are fixed to the upper surface side of the vehicle body floor portion 100 via the lip bracket 26. In the lower rail 22, a lock hole 22 </ b> C having a length L along the seat front-rear direction and a width W along the seat width direction is arranged at a constant interval P in the seat front-rear direction on the web 22 </ b> B facing the opening 22 </ b> A. ing. The lock hole 22C is formed by punching after roll forming the lower rail 22.

  Each of the upper rails 24 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the upper rail 24) includes an upper upper rail 24A to which a bearing 34 described later is attached, a pair of middle upper rails 24B that sandwich and hold a pinion 32 described later in the seat width direction, and a later described The lower upper rail 24C to which the bearing 36 is attached is configured. The upper upper rail 24A, the middle upper rail 24B, and the lower upper rail 24C are each made of metal and fixed to each other by welding or a rivet, screw, or locking claw (not shown), and the bearing 34 provided on the upper upper rail 24A, and the lower The bearings 36 provided on the upper rail 24 </ b> C are in sliding contact with the lower rail 22, respectively, so that the upper rail 24 can slide with respect to the lower rail 22.

(Slide mechanism)
Next, the configuration of the slide mechanism 30 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the slide mechanism 30 includes a pinion 32 attached to the middle upper rail 24B, a bearing 34 attached to the upper upper rail 24A, and a bearing 36 attached to the lower upper rail 24C. In FIG. 1, the slide mechanism 30 is illustrated only on the left side of the seat cushion 90, but a similar configuration is provided on the right side of the seat cushion 90 symmetrically with respect to the seat center.

  The pinion 32 is a press-formed disk-shaped metal gear and is connected to a motor 40 described later via a motor shaft 42. The pinion 32 is rotated in the longitudinal direction of the seat around the center O by the rotational power of the motor 40. It is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tooth portions 32 </ b> A of the pinion 32 are formed at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the pinion 32, and have a width toward the outside in the pinion radial direction symmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the center O of the pinion 32. The taper is narrowed. In a state where the slide rail 20 including the lower rail 22 and the upper rail 24 and the slide mechanism 30 including the pinion 32 are assembled, the pinion 32 penetrates the pinion through hole 24D formed in the lower upper rail 24C, and the pinion The 32 tooth portions 32 </ b> A are engaged with the lock holes 22 </ b> C of the lower rail 22.

  The length T along the circumferential direction of each tooth portion 32A on the pitch circle R having the radius from the center O of the pinion 32 to the lower rail 22 is the length along the seat front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C. L is substantially the same as L, and the spacing S of the tooth portions 32A on the pitch circle R is substantially the same as the spacing P along the front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C. The circumferential length of the pitch circle R is an integral multiple of the interval S. Further, the thickness of the tooth portion 32A along the sheet width direction is smaller than the width W of the lock hole 22C along the sheet width direction.

  In the present embodiment, the length T along the circumferential direction of the tooth portion 32A is substantially the same as the length L along the front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. Not limited to. For example, in order for the pinion 32 to rotate smoothly, the length T of the tooth portion 32A is preferably slightly smaller than the length L along the front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C. As described above, the length T of the tooth portion 32A and the length L of the lock hole 22C along the front-rear direction of the seat are not necessarily the same.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a total of four bearings 34 are attached so as to sandwich both front and rear end portions of the upper upper rail 24A from the left and right. As shown in FIG. 3A, the diameter of the bearing 34 is smaller than the inner diameter of the lower rail 22 in the seat vertical direction. Thus, the distance between the upper rail 24 and the upper rail 24 is suppressed.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a total of four bearings 36 are attached to the left and right ends of the front and rear of the lower upper rail 24C. As shown in FIG. 3B, the distance between the outer sides of the bearings 36 adjacent to each other on the left and right is smaller than the inner diameter of the lower rail 22 in the seat width direction, and the bearing 36 is in sliding contact with the lower rail 22 to constitute the upper rail 24. The lower upper rail 24 </ b> C and the lower rail 22 are kept at a distance so as not to be in direct contact with each other in the seat width direction, and play in the seat width direction when the upper rail 24 slides is suppressed.

(motor)
Next, the configuration of the motor 40 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The motor 40 is disposed at a position sandwiched between the left and right upper upper rails 24A in a state in which the axial direction of the rotation shaft of the output shaft (not shown) housed in the main body is along the seat width direction, and via the motor bracket 44, It is fixed to the upper upper rail 24A on the right side of the sheet width direction (not shown).

  From the main body 48 of the motor 40, a motor shaft 42 integral with the rotation shaft of the output shaft protrudes in the left-right direction of the main body 48, and the pinion 32 described above is connected coaxially and in a relatively non-rotatable manner. The motor shaft 42 passes through a notch provided in the upper upper rail 24A and a through-hole provided in the middle upper rail 24B, and is fixed so as to be rotatable relative to the middle upper rail 24B via a bearing or the like.

  As described above, the motor 40 is fixed to the upper upper rail 24A via the motor bracket 44, the upper upper rail 24A and the middle upper rail 24B are fixed to each other by welding or the like, and the motor shaft 42 and the pinion 32 integrated with the rotation shaft of the output shaft are provided. Coaxially and non-rotatably connected. For this reason, the upper rail 24 and the pinion 32 can be rotated relative to each other.

(Lock mechanism)
Next, the configuration of the lock mechanism 50 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 4.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the lock mechanism 50 includes a lock member 52 attached to the outer side in the seat width direction of the upper upper rail 24A, a spring bracket 54 attached to the outer side in the seat width direction of the lock member 52, and the seat width direction of the spring bracket 54. The spring 56, the lock member 52, and the spring bracket 54 that are attached to the outside are configured to include a lock shaft 58 that penetrates through holes provided in each of the spring 56, the lock member 52, and the spring bracket 54. In FIG. 1, the lock member 52, the spring bracket 54, and the spring 56 are illustrated only on the left side of the seat cushion 90, but a similar configuration is provided on the right side of the seat cushion 90.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the lock member 52 is a metal member formed in a flat plate shape, and a main body portion 52 </ b> A that is movable in the vertical direction along the seat width direction outer side surface of the upper upper rail 24 </ b> A, 52A, a claw portion 52B that protrudes downward in the seat vertical direction from both lower ends of the seat front and rear direction and a corner portion 52C that protrudes upward in the seat vertical direction from the center portion of the main body 52A in the seat longitudinal direction. Consists of including. The thickness of the lock member 52 along the sheet width direction is smaller than the width W of the lock hole 22C along the sheet width direction.

  A through hole is provided in the corner 52C of the lock member 52 (see FIG. 1), and the lock shaft 58 passes therethrough. The upper upper rail 24A is provided with a long through hole 24F that is long in the seat vertical direction (see FIG. 1), and the lock shaft 58 passes therethrough. By moving the lock shaft 58 in the vertical direction of the seat, the lock member 52 moves in the vertical direction along the through hole 24F of the upper upper rail 24A.

  A groove having substantially the same width as the width of the lock member 52 in the front-rear direction of the seat is provided on the outer surface of the upper upper rail 24A in the seat width direction, and the lock member 52 is fitted into the groove so that the lock member 52 is fitted. Serves as a guide for moving the sheet up and down. Further, the lock member 52 is fixed to the upper upper rail 24A by a not-shown locking claw provided on the upper upper rail 24A, and is restricted from moving in a direction other than the seat vertical direction. Further, the lock member 52 passes through the lock member through hole 24E formed in the lower upper rail 24C, and is movable in the seat vertical direction.

  The claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 has a shape with a slope that decreases in width from the base end portion on the upper side in the seat vertical direction toward the lower end portion, and the length L1 of the tip portion of the claw portion 52B in the seat front-rear direction. Is smaller than the length L in the seat front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22, and the length L2 in the seat front-rear direction of the base end portion of the claw portion 52B is smaller than the length L in the seat front-rear direction of the lock hole 22C. large. Thus, when the lock member 52 moves downward in the seat vertical direction, the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is brought into close contact with the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22, and the relative movement of the upper rail 24 with respect to the lower rail 22 is prevented. Be regulated.

  The spring bracket 54 is installed on the outer side in the seat width direction of the lock member 52 along the extending direction of the upper upper rail 24A, that is, the seat front-rear direction. The spring bracket 54 is rotatably fixed to the upper upper rail 24A at the rear side in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the lock member 52 by a fixing portion 54A provided at the end of the spring bracket 54 on the rear side in the seat front-rear direction. . Further, the lock shaft 58 passes through a through hole 54 </ b> B which is provided at the end of the spring bracket 54 on the front side in the front-rear direction of the seat and which is a long hole in the material axis direction.

  A spring bracket 55 is fixed to the front side in the front-rear direction of the seat with respect to the locking member 52 of the upper upper rail 24A, and a hook portion 55C formed on the upper side in the seat vertical direction of the spring bracket 55 and the upper side in the seat vertical direction of the spring bracket 54 The end portions of the springs 56 are hooked on the hook portions 54 </ b> C formed in the above.

  The spring 56 is normally urged in the contracting direction, and therefore, the urging force is applied to the spring bracket 54 in a direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) that rotates forward in the front-rear direction of the seat around the fixed portion 54A. is working. Thus, a biasing force that moves downward in the seat vertical direction and rearward in the seat front-rear direction acts on the through hole 54B of the spring bracket 54, and a force directed downward in the seat vertical direction acts on the lock shaft 58. For this reason, the lock member 52 is normally urged downward in the seat vertical direction. Therefore, the claw portion 52 </ b> B of the lock member 52 is in close contact with and engaged with the lock hole 22 </ b> C of the lower rail 22.

(Driver)
Next, the configuration of the drive device 60 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving device 60 includes an operation switch (not shown) and an actuator 62 electrically connected to each of the motors 40, a cable 64 extending from the actuator 62, and the upper and lower seats of the lock shaft 58. And a lock bracket 66 disposed on the upper side in the direction. The operation switch is disposed, for example, in the vicinity of the driver's seat of the vehicle.

  The actuator 62 is fixed to the cushion frame 92 via an actuator bracket 62A.

  The lock bracket 66 is a member having a Z-shaped cross section obtained by bending a metal flat plate, and a lower flange 66A is erected from the lower side end surface of the vertical portion along the seat vertical direction and the front-rear direction to the right side in the seat width direction. Further, an upper flange 66B is erected from the upper side end face toward the left side in the sheet width direction. The lower flange 66A is fixed to the upper surface of the upper upper rail 24A on the right side in the seat width direction (not shown), and the upper flange 66B has a through-hole 66C formed in the upper flange 66B located above the lock shaft 58 in the seat vertical direction. Has been placed.

  A cable 64 extends from the actuator 62, and the cable 64 passes through a through hole 66 </ b> C formed in the upper flange 66 </ b> B of the lock bracket 66, and an end portion is fixed to the center portion of the lock shaft 58 via a fixing member. ing. The cable 64 is covered with a flexible tube 68 in the range from the actuator 62 to the lock bracket 66. The distal end of the flexible tube 68 is fixed perpendicularly to the through hole 66C of the lock bracket 66 by a cylindrical fixing member 68A, and the direction is regulated so that the cable 64 penetrates perpendicularly to the upper flange 66B of the lock bracket 66. Has been.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the actuator 62 is operated, the cable 64 extended from the actuator 62 is wound up, and the lock shaft 58 is pulled up in the seat vertical direction. As a result, the lock member 52 is pulled upward in the seat vertical direction, and the lock is released. At this time, the spring bracket 54 rotates rearward in the front-rear direction of the seat (clockwise in FIG. 5) about the fixed portion 54A, and the spring 56 is extended more than the locked state.

  The actuator 62 can detect the electric signal from the operation switch, stop the motor 40 at an arbitrary position, and operate the lock mechanism 50. Further, when the slide amount of the upper rail 24 is detected using a detection means (not shown) or the rotation amount of the pinion 32 is detected and the preset slide amount or rotation amount is reached, the motor 40 is automatically selected. And the lock mechanism 50 can be operated.

  Further, the actuator 62 slides the upper rail 24 even after an electric signal for stopping the slide is sent from the operation switch to the actuator 62. Then, the detection means described above or a detection means provided separately detects the position of the lock hole 22C, and informs that the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is located immediately above the sheet in the vertical direction of the lock hole 22C. When the signal is sent, the actuator 62 stops sliding of the upper rail.

(Operating method)
Next, the operation method of the power slide apparatus 10 of this embodiment is demonstrated using the flowchart of FIG.4, FIG.5 and FIG.6.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the operation switch connected to the actuator 62 is not operated, the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 engages with the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22, and the locked state is brought about by the urging force of the spring 56. Is retained.

  First, in step 200 of FIG. 6, an electric signal for starting a slide operation is sent from the operation switch to the actuator 62.

  Next, in step 202, the actuator 62 winds up the cable 64, and the lock member 52 is pulled upward in the seat vertical direction against the urging force of the spring 56. For this reason, the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is separated from the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22, and the lock is released (see FIG. 5).

  Next, in step 204, an electrical signal is sent from the actuator 62 to the motor 40 to drive the motor 40, and the pinion 32 is rotated via the motor shaft 42.

  Next, at step 206, the pair of upper rails 24 is slid in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the pair of lower rails 22 fixed to the vehicle body floor 100. As a result, the seat cushion 90 connected to the upper rail 24 is slid in the seat front-rear direction with respect to the pair of lower rails 22, that is, the vehicle body floor 100.

  Next, in step 208, it is determined whether or not an electric signal for stopping the slide operation is sent from the operation switch to the actuator 62. If an electrical signal for stopping the slide operation is sent, the process proceeds to step 210. If the electric signal for stopping the slide operation is not sent, the process proceeds to step 212.

  In step 210, the detection means detects that the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is positioned immediately above the seat in the vertical direction of the lock hole 22C, as an example, and sends an electric signal to the actuator 62, Control goes to step 214. The motor 40 continues to be driven until the detecting means detects that the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is positioned immediately above the lock hole 22C in the seat vertical direction.

  In step 212, the detection means detects the slide amount of the upper rail 24 or the rotation amount of the pinion 32, and determines whether or not a preset slide amount or rotation amount has been reached. When the slide amount of the upper rail 24 or the rotation amount of the pinion 32 has reached a preset slide amount or rotation amount, an electric signal is sent to the actuator 62 and the process proceeds to step 214. If the slide amount of the upper rail 24 or the rotation amount of the pinion 32 has not reached the preset slide amount or rotation amount, the process returns to step 208.

  In step 214, an electric signal is sent from the actuator 62 to the motor 40, the motor 40 is stopped, and the rotation of the pinion 32 is stopped.

  Next, in step 216, sliding of the upper rail 24 stops. As a result, the seat cushion 90 connected to the upper rail 24 stops sliding with respect to the pair of lower rails 22, that is, the vehicle body floor 100.

  Next, in step 218, the winding of the cable 64 of the actuator 62 is released, and the lock member 52 is pulled downward in the seat vertical direction by the urging force of the spring 56. For this reason, the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is engaged with the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22 to be locked. As a result, the movement of the seat cushion 90 connected to the upper rail 24 is locked with respect to the pair of lower rails 22, that is, the vehicle body floor 100.

[Action and effect]
Next, the operation and effect of this embodiment will be described.

  According to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, the slide mechanism 30 and the lock mechanism 50 are separated. For this reason, it is not necessary to give the slide mechanism 30 a lock function, and it is not necessary to give the slide mechanism 30 the strength for exerting the lock function. For this reason, the pinion 32 can be press-molded, and the thickness can be reduced as compared with, for example, injection molding. Therefore, the weight of the slide mechanism 30 can be reduced.

  Further, by reducing the thickness of the pinion 32, the width W along the seat width direction of the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22 with which the tooth portion 32A of the pinion 32 meshes can be reduced. For this reason, the size of the lower rail 22 in the seat width direction can be reduced. Therefore, the power slide mechanism 10 can be further reduced in weight. Further, since the cross-sectional defect of the lower rail 22 is reduced, the lower rail 22 is hardly deformed. Therefore, compared with the case where the pinion 32 is injection-molded, the durability of the slide mechanism 30 can be increased.

  Further, according to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, components optimized for the slide function and the lock function can be set for the slide mechanism 30 and the lock mechanism 50, respectively. For example, as described above, in order to rotate the pinion 32 smoothly, the length T of the tooth portion 32A of the pinion 32 can be made slightly smaller than the length L of the lock hole 22C along the seat front-rear direction. On the other hand, since the lock member 52 is urged downward in the seat vertical direction by the urging force of the spring 56, the claw portion 52B of the lock member 52 is engaged with the lock hole 22C of the lower rail 22 without any gap. 52 can securely lock the slide of the upper rail 24. Thus, according to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, the shape of the pinion 32 that can optimize the slide function, the shape of the lock hole 22C, and the like can be set without impairing the lock function.

  Further, according to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, the lower rail 22 is provided with the lock hole 22C in which the tooth portion 32A of the pinion 32 is engaged, so that the tooth portion 32A of the pinion 32 is engaged in the lower rail 22. There is no need to provide a rack or the like. Therefore, the weight of the slide mechanism 30 can be reduced. Further, since no rack is provided on the lower rail 22, it is not necessary to provide a configuration for fixing the rack, and the structure of the lower rail 22 is simplified as compared with a configuration in which a rack is provided. For this reason, for example, a general-purpose product such as a lower rail used in a manual slide device can be used. Therefore, the production efficiency of the power slide device 10 is increased.

  Further, according to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the rotation shaft of the motor 40 and the rotation direction of the pinion 32 coincide with each other, and the motor 40 and the pinion 32 do not pass through a reduction gear or the like, but only by the motor shaft 42. Connected. In other words, the motor 40 and the pinion 32 are directly connected. For this reason, a structure is simple compared with the case where a worm gear and a reduction gear are used, for example. Therefore, the weight of the power slide device 10 can be reduced, and the energy loss of the rotational force of the motor 40 is small.

  Further, according to the power slide device 10 of the present embodiment, when the upper rail 24 slides a preset slide amount, the lock function is automatically activated. Therefore, excessive sliding of the upper rail 24 can be suppressed.

[Modification]
Next, a modification of the above embodiment will be described.

  In the above embodiment, the upper rail 24 is configured by joining the upper upper rail 24A, the middle upper rail 24B, and the lower upper rail 24C, which are separate members, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the configuration of the upper rail can be changed as appropriate, such as integrally forming the upper upper rail 24A, the middle upper rail 24B, and the lower upper rail 24C.

  In the above embodiment, the actuator 62 is electrically connected to the motor 40, and an electric signal is sent from the actuator 62 to the motor 40 to drive the motor 40. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Absent. For example, the motor 40 may be electrically connected to the operation switch, and the lock member 52 and the motor 40 may be operated by an electric signal sent from the operation switch.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the lower rail 22 shall be roll-formed, embodiment of this invention is not restricted to this. For example, extrusion molding or bending molding may be performed.

  In the above embodiment, the motor 40 is fixed to the upper upper rail 24A on the right side in the seat width direction via the motor bracket 44. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be fixed to the cushion frame 92 via a bracket. Similarly, the actuator 62 is fixed to the cushion frame 92 via the actuator bracket 62A. However, the actuator 62 may be fixed to the upper upper rail 24A, for example. Thus, the mounting structure (mounting position) of the motor 40 and the actuator 62 can be changed as appropriate.

  In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say, the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

10 Power Slide Device 20 Slide Rail 22 Lower Rail 22A Open 22B Web 22C Lock Hole 24 Upper Rail 24A Upper Upper Rail 24B Middle Upper Rail 24C Lower Upper Rail 24D Pinion Hole 24E Lock Member Hole 26 Lip Bracket 30 Slide Mechanism 32 Pinion 34 Bearing 36 Motor 40 Bearing 40 Motor 42 Motor shaft 44 Motor bracket 48 Main body 50 Lock mechanism 52 Lock member 52A Main body 52B Claw 52C Corner 54 Spring bracket 54A Fixing 54B Through hole 54C Hook 55 Spring bracket 55C Hook 56 Spring 58 Lock shaft 60 Drive device 62 Actuator 62A Actuator bracket 64 Cable 66 Lock block Socket 66A under the flange 66B on the flange 66C through hole 68 flexible tube 68A fixing member 90 seat cushion 92 cushions the frame 94 the leg bracket 96 the leg bracket 100 vehicle floor

Claims (6)

A pair of left and right lower rails fixed to the vehicle body floor, and a pair of left and right slide rails attached to the pair of lower rails so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the seat and having a pair of left and right upper rails coupled to the seat cushion;
A slide mechanism provided on the slide rail and configured to slide the upper rail;
A motor for operating the slide mechanism;
A lock mechanism that is provided on the slide rail separately from the slide mechanism and restricts the sliding of the upper rail;
A driving device for operating the locking mechanism;
Power slide device with A pinion as a part of the slide mechanism attached to the upper rail and rotated in the longitudinal direction of the seat by the motor;
A lock member as a part of the lock mechanism attached to the upper rail and driven in the vertical direction of the seat by the driving device;
A lock hole which is provided at an interval in the lower rail, engages with a tooth portion of the pinion, and engages a claw portion of the lock member;
The power slide device according to claim 1, comprising:   The power slide device according to claim 2, wherein the pinion is press-molded.   4. The power slide device according to claim 2, wherein the pinion rotates in a rotation direction of a rotation shaft of the motor and is directly connected to the motor via a shaft.   The power slide device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the drive device operates the lock mechanism in a lock direction when the upper rail slides a preset slide amount.   The power slide device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the drive device stops the slide of the upper rail at a position where the claw portion can engage with the lock hole.