JP2018086976A - Brake gear of vehicle seat adjuster - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure of a brake gear which achieves downsizing of the entire device and is devised so as to prevent exposure of operation sections other than an operation member to the outside.SOLUTION: A brake gear of a vehicle seat adjuster includes a driving mechanism part 10 and a brake mechanism part 9, and the driving mechanism part 10 and the brake mechanism part 9 have a common output shaft 12. The driving mechanism part 10 comprises: a driving wheel 18 having internal teeth 18b; a tooth plate 20 having external teeth 20d which mesh with the internal teeth 18b; a holding plate 19 which holds the tooth plate 20; an input lever 21; a torsional coil spring 22; a cover 23; a guide projection part 27 which is formed bending from the cover 23; and a lever bracket 24 serving as an operation member. Each of these elements of the driving mechanism part 10 is housed and disposed in the cover 23 butted with the brake mechanism part 9.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a brake device for a vehicle seat adjuster, and in particular, a seat lifter mechanism (also referred to as a height adjuster or a vertical adjuster) for adjusting the height position of a seat cushion serving as a seat seat, a seat backrest portion, The present invention relates to a brake device incorporated in a manual seat adjuster represented by a reclining mechanism for adjusting the angular position of a seat back.

  A brake device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed as a brake device used in this type of vehicle seat adjuster. The brake device described in Patent Document 1 is a type that can be rotated in either the forward direction or the reverse direction, and can be roughly divided as shown in FIG. A brake mechanism that holds the braking state of the output shaft when the lever is in the neutral position, and an output together with the drive lever while releasing the braking state of the output shaft when the drive lever is rotated in the forward or reverse direction. And a drive mechanism that rotates the shaft. These brake mechanism and drive mechanism are arranged coaxially with each other.

  In the brake device described in Patent Document 1, a drive side gear (pinion) is provided on the output shaft portion, and the drive side gear meshes with the driven side gear of the seat adjuster. Accordingly, the drive side gear gradually rotates in the same direction by repeatedly rotating the drive lever having a relatively small stroke in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction. A predetermined rotational displacement is applied to the driven gear of the seat adjuster engaged with the driving gear, and this rotational displacement is converted into, for example, a displacement in the height direction of the seat cushion in the seat lifter mechanism.

Japanese translation of PCT publication No. 2002-511035

  However, in the brake device described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to engage the drive lever, which is the main element of the drive mechanism, and the rocker arm, both of them are arranged inside the cover plate. In addition, a return spring for the drive lever is arranged on the outer periphery of the brake housing.

  For this reason, both the drive mechanism and the brake mechanism have a large diameter, which is disadvantageous in terms of space. In addition, since the operating part such as the return spring is exposed, when it is arranged on the side bracket of the vehicle seat, for example, a cushion cover There was a concern that the performance of the brake system could be adversely affected.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to such a problem, and provides a structure in which a brake device is miniaturized and an operating portion other than an operation member is not exposed to the outside.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the brake is incorporated in the seat adjuster of the vehicle seat and maintains the braking state so that the output shaft does not rotate due to the reverse input from the drive gear side provided at one end. When the mechanism part and the operation member are rotated from the neutral position to either the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction, the braking state of the output shaft is released, and either of the output shafts accompanying the rotation operation of the operation member And a brake mechanism in which the brake mechanism and the drive mechanism are arranged coaxially with each other.

  In addition, the drive mechanism section includes an internal gear-shaped drive wheel having an inner tooth concentric with the output shaft, and is disposed in proximity to the drive wheel, and the inner teeth of the drive wheel are disposed at both ends. A holding plate having a tooth member having a meshable tooth portion and a support shaft rotatably supported on the output shaft in a form having sliding resistance in the rotation direction and supporting the tooth member so as to be swingable. And an input lever that is rotatably supported by the output shaft and that engages the tooth member at a radial position different from the support shaft, and a spring member that biases and holds the input lever in a neutral position, A bottomed cylindrical cover that is coupled to the brake housing of the brake mechanism unit, accommodates each component of the drive mechanism unit therein, and rotatably supports one end portion of the output shaft at the side wall portion The material is disposed outside the side wall portion of the cover member and is connected to the input lever through at least two long holes formed in the side wall portion, and the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction by the two long holes. A pair of operation members whose rotation operation ranges are restricted, and a pair of the operation members that are bent from the peripheral portions of the two long holes toward the inside of the cover member and face the back side of each tooth portion of the tooth member. The guide projection part is provided.

  In this case, in order to reduce the size of the brake device while reducing the number of parts as much as possible, as shown in claim 2, the input lever includes three bent locking pieces toward the side wall portion of the cover member. Of the three folding locking pieces, the two folding locking pieces are connected to the operating member through the two long holes, while the remaining one folding locking piece is The input lever is moved together with the operation member by being sandwiched by hook portions at both ends of the spring member together with spring locking pieces formed by bending from the peripheral edge of another elongated hole formed on the side wall portion of the cover member. It is desirable to be biased and held in a neutral position.

  More specifically, as described in claim 3, the spring member is a torsion arranged in a ring-shaped space formed by a cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cover member and three bent locking pieces. A coil spring is desirable.

  Therefore, in at least the invention described in claim 1, by disposing each element of the drive mechanism portion including the spring member inside the bottomed cylindrical cover member, elements other than the operation member are exposed to the outside of the cover member. There is no longer to do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since each element of the drive mechanism portion including the spring member is disposed inside the bottomed cylindrical cover member, the brake device including the brake mechanism portion and the drive mechanism portion is provided. It is possible to reduce the size, and since elements other than the operation member are not exposed to the outside of the cover member, it is not necessary to consider interference with a cushion cover of a vehicle seat, for example, and the original performance of the brake device can be improved. It becomes possible to maintain stably.

  In addition, since the engagement restriction at the time of returning to the initial position of the tooth member, which is the main element of the drive mechanism, is performed by the guide protrusion formed on the cover member, there is no need to separately provide a protrusion or the like on the tooth member. The cost can be reduced along with the reduction of the number of points.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the three bending locking pieces necessary for the operation of the drive mechanism are formed on the input lever, and the spring locking piece for the spring member is the cover member. Since it is bent from the side, this can also reduce the number of parts and contribute to the compact structure.

  In addition, according to the third aspect of the present invention, the torsion coil spring as the spring member is disposed in the ring-shaped space formed between the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the cover member and the three folding locking pieces. Therefore, it can arrange | position compactly, without interfering with the element of a drive mechanism part.

The perspective view which shows an example of the vehicle seat provided with the seat lifter mechanism and the seat reclining mechanism as a vehicle seat adjuster. The front view which shows the brake device used for the seat lifter mechanism of the vehicle seat shown in FIG. 1 as an example of the brake device which concerns on this invention. The left view of the brake device shown in FIG. Explanatory drawing which shows the state which removed the lever bracket of the brake device shown in FIG. Sectional drawing along the AA line of FIG. Sectional drawing along the BB line of FIG. The disassembled perspective view of each component of the brake mechanism part and drive mechanism part of the brake device shown in FIG. Front explanatory drawing in the neutral state of the brake mechanism part shown in FIG. The expansion explanatory view of the Q section of FIG. Front explanatory drawing in the neutral state of the drive-mechanism part shown in FIG. Front explanatory drawing which simplified the brake mechanism part shown in FIG. Front explanatory drawing which shows the behavior at the time of the excessive input in the brake mechanism part shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is an explanatory front view showing a state when the operation lever is rotated in the drive mechanism shown in FIG. 10.

  FIGS. 1 to 13 show a more specific form for carrying out the vehicle seat adjuster braking device according to the present invention. In particular, FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle seat provided with a seat adjuster.

  In the vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG. 1, as a seat adjuster, a seat slide mechanism 2 for adjusting the front and rear position of the vehicle seat 1 and a seat lifter mechanism for adjusting the height position of the seat cushion 3 serving as a seating surface are provided. And a reclining mechanism for adjusting the angle of the seat back 4 serving as a backrest portion. Therefore, an operation lever 5 of the seat lifter mechanism and an operation lever 6 of the reclining mechanism are provided side by side on the side portion of the seat cushion 3.

  In the vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG. 1, when paying attention to the seat lifter mechanism, the position of the sea cushion 3 gradually increases each time the operation lever 5 of the seat lifter mechanism is lifted upward from the neutral position, for example. On the contrary, every time the operating lever 5 is pushed downward from the neutral position, the position of the sea cushion 3 is gradually lowered. Thereby, the height position adjustment function of the seat surface of the vehicle seat 1 is exhibited.

  2 is a front view of the brake device 7 applied to the seat lifter mechanism of the vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a left side view of FIG. 4 shows a state in which the lever bracket 24 in FIG. 3 is removed, and FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view along the line AA in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the brake device 7 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 7, a brake mechanism portion 9, which will be described later, is formed in a substantially cylindrical casing of the brake device 7 formed by abutting a half-shaped housing member 11 and a cover 23 as a cover member. The drive mechanism unit 10 is built in. An output shaft 12 shared by the brake mechanism portion 9 and the drive mechanism portion 10 is disposed through the central portion of the brake device 7 having the housing member 11 and the cover 23 in the axial direction. A lever bracket 24 that functions as an operation member together with the operation lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 is connected to one end of the output shaft 12, and a pinion gear that functions as a drive-side gear exposed to the outside at the other end of the output shaft 12. 12d is integrally formed. The lever bracket 24 can be rotated from the neutral position in either the forward direction or the reverse direction. 1 is screwed and fixed to the lever bracket 24 using a screw hole 24b on the lever bracket 24 side.

  The brake device 7 is fixed to the side bracket of the vehicle seat 1 of FIG. 1 (not shown) using an attachment hole 29a formed in the flange portion 29 on the cover 23 side, and the pinion gear 12d is driven on the seat lifter mechanism side. It will mesh with the side gear.

  In the brake device 7, when the lever bracket 24 is in the neutral position, the braking state is maintained so that the output shaft 12 does not rotate by reverse input to the output shaft 12, while the lever bracket 24 is rotated forward from the neutral position. When the rotation operation is performed in one of the direction and the reverse rotation direction, the braking state of the output shaft 12 is released, and the rotation of the output shaft 12 accompanying the rotation operation of the lever bracket 24 is allowed. The rotation of the output shaft 12 is converted into a rotational displacement of a driven gear of a seat lifter mechanism (not shown) via a pinion gear 12d, and further to a vertical displacement of the seat cushion 3 of the vehicle seat 1 via a link mechanism. Will be converted.

  In this type of brake device 7, since the stroke of the lever bracket 24 is relatively small, in many cases, the intended purpose is achieved by repeating the rotation operation of the lever bracket 24 in a specific direction a plurality of times. can do.

  As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 7 in addition to FIG. 2, the brake mechanism section 9 is provided in the casing of the brake device 7 formed by the housing member 11 on the brake mechanism section 9 side and the cover 23 on the drive mechanism section 9 side. And the drive mechanism unit 10 are arranged adjacent to each other so as to be coaxial with each other. In the following description, the structure will be described with a focus on FIG. 7 in which the three-dimensional shape and arrangement of each component are easy to understand, and drawings other than FIG. 7 will be referred to as needed. .

  As shown in FIG. 7, the brake mechanism unit 9 includes a housing member 11 that functions as a part of the casing, an output shaft 12 that is shared with the drive mechanism unit 10, and a drum member that is press-fitted into the housing member 11. An annular (ring-shaped) brake drum 13 as a pair, a pair of clamp members 14 each having a substantially arc shape and a plate shape, which are arranged opposite to each other in the brake drum 13, and a set of these A composite spring 15 shared by the clamp members 14, another set of clamp members 16 of the same shape disposed on the set of clamp members 14 in the brake drum 13, and a set of these And the composite spring 17 shared by the clamp members 16. The brake drum 13 is press-fitted into the housing member 11 so that both form a brake housing 8.

  In addition, the drive mechanism unit 10 shown in FIG. 7 is superposed on the drive wheel 18 and a shallow dish-like drive wheel 18 that is arranged on a set of clamp members 16 on the brake mechanism unit 9 side. The holding plate 19 disposed, the tooth plate 20 as the tooth member, the input lever 21, the torsion coil spring 22 as the spring member, and the cover as the cover member that abuts the housing member 11 on the brake mechanism 9 side 23, and a lever bracket 24 as an operation member disposed outside the cover 23. As will be described later, the drive wheel 18 functions as a drive member for releasing the braking state of the brake mechanism unit 9.

  The housing member 11 of the brake mechanism section 9 shown in FIG. 7 is formed by pressing a substantially deep dish using, for example, a thin sheet metal member, and the peripheral wall portion of the housing member 11 and the outer peripheral surface of the brake drum 13 are Both are formed in a polygonal shape, and the brake drum 13 is press-fitted and fixed to the inner periphery of the housing member 11 so as not to be relatively rotatable. The inner peripheral surface of the brake drum 13 is a cylindrical braking surface 13a. Further, the thickness of the brake drum 13 is larger than that of the housing member 11.

  The output shaft 12 shown in FIG. 7 is in contact with the small-diameter shaft portion 12a, the medium-diameter shaft portion 12b, the deformed shaft portion 12c having a substantially rectangular shaft shape having the two-surface width portion 12e, and the inner bottom surface of the housing member 11. A flange portion 12f that restricts the movement of the output shaft 12 in the axial direction, a large-diameter shaft portion 12g that is rotatably supported by a shaft hole 11a formed in the inner bottom surface of the housing member 11, and a drive-side gear. The pinion gear 12d is a so-called multi-stage stepped shaft that is integrally formed, and is shared by the brake mechanism unit 9 and the drive mechanism unit 10 as described later. Further, the two-surface width portion 12e of the deformed shaft portion 12c in the output shaft 12 functions as an action portion that exerts an external force on the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 on the brake mechanism portion 9 side.

  The pair of clamp members 14 shown in FIG. 7 are symmetric so that the outer peripheral surfaces of both ends are in contact with the braking surface 13a of the brake drum 13 while sitting on the inner bottom surface of the housing member 11 into which the brake drum 13 is press-fitted. Opposed. Further, another set of clamp members 16 are arranged on the set of clamp members 14 so as to be symmetrical with respect to each other. An arc-shaped clamp that can come into contact with the braking surface 13a of the brake drum 13 is provided at both ends of the outer peripheral surfaces of the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 spaced apart in the vertical direction as shown in FIG. Each surface 26 is formed.

  A composite spring 15 is interposed between the lower ends shown in FIG. 7 in the set of clamp members 14, and the lower ends thereof are separated from each other by the composite spring 15. It is energized. Similarly, a composite spring 17 is interposed between the upper ends shown in FIG. 7 in another set of clamp members 16, and the upper ends thereof are separated from each other by the composite spring 17. Is biased in the direction. The composite springs 15 and 17 shown in FIG. 7 are obtained by sandwiching a leaf spring 17a bent in a substantially M shape and a coil spring 17b between the ends of both leg portions of the leaf spring 17a. The leaf spring 17a is urged in the direction in which both leg portions expand.

  The drive wheel 18 of the drive mechanism portion 10 shown in FIG. 7 is a so-called internal gear-like one in which internal teeth 18b are formed on the inner peripheral surface of an annular ring portion 18a over the entire periphery. A square hole 18c is formed in the central portion of the drive wheel 18 so as to be loosely and integrally fitted with the deformed shaft portion 12c of the output shaft 12, and a brake is provided on the back side of the drive wheel 18. A pair of left and right arc-shaped release claw portions 18d projecting toward the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 on the mechanism portion 9 side are integrally formed. A predetermined play is provided between the square hole 18 c of the drive wheel 18 and the deformed shaft portion 12 c of the output shaft 12. Further, the drive wheel 18 is half-cut by a press to form a ring portion 18a having internal teeth 18b (see FIGS. 5 and 6), and the inner bottom surface of the ring portion 18a and the release claw portion 18d are formed by a so-called insert molding method. These are integrally formed of a resin material by the above method.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the output shaft 12 shown in FIG. 7 has a large-diameter shaft portion 12 g formed at the root portion of the pinion gear 12 d inserted and supported rotatably in the shaft hole 11 a of the housing member 11. On the other hand, the two-surface width portion 12e of the deformed shaft portion 12c is inserted so as to be positioned in the opposing gaps between the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16, respectively, and the deformed shaft portion 12c is further inserted into the square hole 18c of the drive wheel 18. Are fitted loosely and relatively unrotatably. At that time, the pair of release claw portions 18d on the drive wheel 18 side have a gap in the rotational direction of the output shaft 12 in the concave portion 25 of each clamp member 14, 16 on the outer peripheral side of the two sets of clamp members 14, 16. The arcuate outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of release claws 18d are pressed against the braking surface 13a of the brake drum 13 by its own elastic force. The deformed shaft portion 12c of the output shaft 12 in the brake mechanism portion 9 and a set of clamp members 16 located on the drive wheel 18 side of the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 in the brake drum 13, and FIG. 8 shows the detailed relative positional relationship with the release claw portion 18d on the drive wheel 18 side.

  As shown in FIG. 8, of the opposing end surfaces P of the pair of clamp members 16 located on both sides of the deformed shaft portion 12 c of the output shaft 12, the portion facing the two-surface width portion 12 e of the deformed shaft portion 12 c includes: Arc-shaped convex portions 16a and 16b are formed at positions corresponding to two positions above and below the rotation center of the deformed shaft portion 12c. Similarly, the other pair of clamp members 14 shown in FIG. 7 are formed with arc-shaped convex portions 14a and 14b. Since the composite spring 17 is interposed between the upper ends of the set of clamp members 16, and the upper ends are biased in a direction away from each other, the set of clamp members 16 are braked. It moves along the braking surface 13a of the drum 3, and the distance formed between the lower ends is smaller than the distance formed between the upper ends. Thereby, the lower convex portion 16b of the pair of convex portions 16a and 16b formed on the opposing end surface P of the pair of clamp members 16 contacts the lower side of the two-surface width portion 12e of the deformed shaft portion 12c, The upper convex portion 16a is separated from the two-surface width portion 12e of the deformed shaft portion 12c.

  These relationships are the same for the other set of clamp members 14 shown in FIG. 7, and a composite spring 15 is interposed between the lower ends of the set of clamp members 14. Are biased in a direction away from each other, the distance between the upper ends of the pair of clamp members 14 is smaller than the distance between the lower ends of the pair of clamp members 14. As a result, of the pair of convex portions 14a and 14b formed on the end surfaces of the pair of clamp members 14, the upper convex portion 14a contacts the upper side of the two-surface width portion 12e of the large-diameter shaft portion 12c, and the lower side The convex portion 14b is separated from the two-surface width portion 12e of the large-diameter shaft portion 12c. Therefore, as will be described later, the two-surface width portion 12e of the deformed shaft portion 12c abuts against the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 without any gap in the rotational direction.

  FIG. 9 shows an enlarged view of the Q portion of FIG. 8, and as shown in FIG. 9, the clamp surface 26 on the outer peripheral surface of the pair of clamp members 16 is located closest to the opposed end surface P and has the largest diameter. A large-diameter clamp surface 26a having a large contact length in the circumferential direction with respect to the braking surface 13a of the brake drum 13, a minimal arc-shaped braking projection 26b formed at a position close to the recess 25, and a large-diameter clamp. An escape recess 26c formed between the surface 26a and the braking protrusion 26b is included to separate the surface 26a and the brake protrusion 26b from each other. As shown in FIG. 8, in a normal state, when the upper and lower large-diameter clamp surfaces 26 a of the clamp members 16 are in contact with the brake surface 13 a of the brake drum 13, the brake protrusions 26 b are connected to the brake drum 13. So that the clearance a between the braking surface 13a and the braking projection 26a and the depth b of the relief recess 26c from the braking surface 13a satisfy the relationship of a <b. Is set.

  The holding plate 19 of the drive mechanism unit 10 shown in FIG. 7 is a leaf spring shape that exhibits spring characteristics in the axial direction of the output shaft 12, and a shaft hole that is inserted into the medium-diameter shaft portion 12 b of the output shaft 12. A boss portion 19a formed with 19b, a pair of spring leg pieces 19c extending in the radial direction from the boss portion 19a, bent together and seated on the inner bottom surface of the drive wheel 18, and the boss portion 19a The arm portion 19d extends in the radial direction and is integrally bent. The arm portion 19d is formed with a shaft portion 19e as a support shaft that protrudes toward the tooth plate.

  The tooth plate 20 has a substantially arc shape that is disposed in the drive wheel 18 so as to overlap the holding plate 19. The tooth plate 20 has a deformed shaft hole 20 a having a substantially D shape at the center and the output shaft 12 as a center. A circular shaft hole 20b is formed at a position offset outward from the shaft hole 20 in the radial direction. Furthermore, a rim portion 20c is formed at both end portions of the tooth plate 20 so as to face the inner teeth 18b. The outer peripheral surface of the rim portion 20c is an outer portion as a tooth portion that meshes with the inner teeth 18b on the drive wheel 18 side. Teeth 20d are formed.

  The input lever 21 functions as an input member in the drive mechanism unit 10, and a shaft hole 21 a that is rotatably supported by the medium-diameter shaft portion 12 b of the output shaft 12 is formed. A deformed shaft portion 21b (see FIG. 5) having a substantially semicircular shape protruding toward the tooth plate 20 is formed at a position offset from the shaft hole 21a. In addition, since this unusually shaped shaft portion 21b is formed by so-called punching, FIG. 7 shows a punching mark that is recessed in a substantially semicircular shape. Further, at the peripheral edge of the input lever 21, there are two folding locking pieces 21c having a bifurcated end, and a folding locking piece 21d having a projection length smaller than these folding locking pieces 21c. It protrudes toward the surface.

  The holding plate 19 and the input lever 21 are rotatably inserted into and supported by the medium-diameter shaft portion 12b of the output shaft 12 through the shaft holes 19b and 21a, and a deformed shaft portion 21b on the input lever 21 side is provided. The input lever 21 and the tooth plate 20 are connected to each other so as to be rotatable relative to the similarly shaped shaft hole 20a on the tooth plate 20 side so as to be rotatable by a predetermined angle. In addition, the shaft hole 20b on the tooth plate 20 side engages with the shaft portion 19e on the holding plate 19 side, and the tooth plate 20 and the holding plate 19 are connected to be rotatable relative to each other.

  The torsion coil spring 22 is accommodated inside a cover 23 which will be described later to hold the input lever 21 in a neutral position. Hook portions 22a and 22b are formed inwardly at both ends of the torsion coil spring 22, and the pair of hook portions 22a and 22b are connected to the input lever 21 after the torsion coil spring 22 itself is in a tightened state. The side bending locking pieces 21d are locked so as to be sandwiched from both sides.

  The cover 23 is integrally formed into a cup shape by deep drawing using a press, for example, and this cover 23 is abutted against the housing member 11 on the brake mechanism 9 side as shown in FIGS. 7 is formed, and the components of the brake mechanism portion 9 and the drive mechanism portion 10 are accommodated and disposed in the internal spaces of the two casings. Among them, the holding plate 19 is sandwiched between the drive wheel 18 and the input lever 21 and deformed by bending, and the end of the spring leg piece 19c is molded with the resin of the drive wheel 18. The holding plate 19 provides a sliding resistance in the relative rotational direction at least with the drive wheel 18 by being pressed against the portion.

  In addition, a pair of long holes 23b and another long hole 23c are formed around the shaft hole 23a at the center portion on the side wall portion of the cover 23. When the cover 23 is abutted against the housing member 11 on the brake mechanism portion 9 side, the shaft hole 23 a is fitted into the small diameter shaft portion 12 a of the output shaft 12, so that the output shaft 12 is formed by the housing member 11 and the cover 23. Both ends are supported so as to be rotatable. As shown in FIG. 4, two bent locking pieces 21c having a bifurcated shape on the input lever 21 side are inserted into the pair of long holes 23b so as to protrude outward. The length (peripheral length) of each elongated hole 23b is set to be sufficiently large with respect to the width dimension of the two folding locking pieces 21c, whereby the rotation of the lever bracket 24 that can rotate in the forward direction and the reverse direction. The range is regulated within the range of the length of the long hole 23b. That is, the inner peripheral surfaces of both ends in the longitudinal direction in the pair of long holes 23 b function as stopper surfaces that restrict the rotation range of the lever bracket 24.

  Guide protrusions 27 are formed to be bent toward the inside from the peripheral edge of the pair of long holes 23 b formed in the cover 23. These guide projections 27 face the internal space of the drive mechanism 10 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and serve to guide the movement of the tooth plate 20 as will be described later. Further, a spring locking piece 28 is formed to be bent inward from the peripheral edge of the remaining one long hole 23c. As shown in FIG. 5, the spring locking piece 28 overlaps with the bending locking piece 21d on the input lever 21 side, and both the hook portions 22a of the torsion coil spring 22 together with the bending locking piece 21d. 22b is locked. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of flange portions 29 having mounting holes 29a are formed to be bent and formed on the outer peripheral edge portion of the cover 23 shown in FIG. These flange portions 29 function as attachment portions to the vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG.

  The lever bracket 24 shown in FIG. 7 is disposed outside the side wall portion of the cover 23, and a shaft hole 24 a formed in the center portion is rotatably supported by the small diameter shaft portion 12 a of the output shaft 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the lever bracket 24 is formed with a plurality of screw holes 24b, and each of the bifurcated divided pieces of the two bent locking pieces 21c on the input lever 21 side shown in FIG. A small square hole 24c that protrudes while engaging with 121c is formed. When the shaft hole 23a of the cover 23 is inserted into the small-diameter shaft portion 12a of the output shaft 12, the divided pieces 121c of the two bending locking pieces 21c on the input lever 21 side protrude while engaging with the square holes 24c. It becomes a form to do. Here, the lever bracket 24 and the input lever 21 are fixed to each other by bending the pair of split pieces 121c protruding from the square holes 24c in a direction approaching each other. Note that the pair of divided pieces 121c may be bent in directions away from each other. As a result, relative rotation between the lever bracket 24 and the input lever 21 is prevented, and the lever bracket 24 can rotate integrally with the input lever 21 in the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction.

  Further, the operation lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the lever bracket 24 shown in FIG. The operating lever 5 is fixed to the lever bracket 24 using three screw holes 24b. Thereby, the lever bracket 24 functions as an operation member in the drive function unit 10 together with the operation lever 5.

  Here, the output shaft 12 and the two pairs of clamp members 14 and 16 that are components of the brake mechanism 9 shown in FIG. 7, the ring portion 18 a of the drive wheel 18 that is a component of the drive mechanism 10, and the tooth plate. 20 and the like are all formed of a metal material, but are hardened by a quenching process in advance according to their functions. On the other hand, as will be described later, the brake drum 13 formed of a metal material similarly ensures a sliding resistance with the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 and also has a large-diameter clamp surface 26a and a brake protrusion. In order to make 26b easy to bite in, it is not subjected to quenching and is made of a material softer than the clamp members 14 and 16.

  In the brake device 7 configured as described above, the lever bracket 24 and the input lever 21 are connected to the torsion coil spring 22 unless the operation lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 is rotated together with the lever bracket 24 shown in FIGS. Neutral state by biasing force. FIG. 10 shows a neutral state of the drive mechanism unit 10 shown in FIG. In the neutral state shown in FIG. 10, the tooth plate 20 in the drive mechanism unit 10 is also in the neutral state, and the external teeth 20d on both sides of the tooth plate 20 both face the internal teeth 18b of the drive wheel 18 with a gap. It has become. At the same time, in the brake mechanism portion 9 shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8, the convex portions 14a and 14a of the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 biased by the composite springs 15 and 17, respectively, and 16b and 16b are pressed against the two-surface width portion 12e of the output shaft 12, and the clamp surfaces 26 at both ends are pressed against the braking surface 13a on the inner periphery of the brake drum 13, so that the output shaft 12 rotates in both directions. Rotation is prevented in the direction, and the braking state is held by the friction force of both.

  More specifically, FIG. 11 shows a simplified diagram of the brake mechanism 9 shown in FIG. Even when the operation lever 5 is in a neutral state together with the lever bracket 24, the reverse input to the brake device 7 from the seat lifter mechanism side by the seating of the occupant is acting normally. The reverse input due to the seating of the occupant acts as a force to rotate, for example, the output shaft 12 in the direction of the arrow R1 in FIG. 11 with the pinion shaft 12d shown in FIG. The force F1 exerted by the two-surface width portion 12e of the output shaft 12 shown in FIG. 11 on one (left side) clamp member 16 is the force by which the clamp surface 26 pushes the braking surface 13a in the direction perpendicular to the surface, and the clamp surface 26 Acting as a force that moves along the braking surface 13a, the material, the contact area, and the brake of the both so that the moving force is smaller than the frictional force between the brake drum 13 and one clamp member 16. The surface roughness of the braking surface 13a of the drum 13 is set in advance. Therefore, no slip occurs between the brake drum 13 and the pair of clamp members 16, and the braking state is self-held by the frictional force of both.

  In FIG. 11, only one set of clamp members 16 including the composite spring 17 shown in FIG. 7 is shown, but another set of clamp members 14 (compounds) overlapping the back side of the set of clamp members 16 is shown. The other set of clamp members 14 also behaves in the same manner as the set of clamp members 16 (including the spring 15) is also in an upside-down relationship. Therefore, the braking state shown in FIG. 11 is maintained by the one clamp member 14 on the right side as well as the one clamp member 16 on the left side shown in FIG.

  In such a braking state by the brake mechanism unit 9, for example, due to a vehicle collision or other circumstances, an excessive load input than usual is applied from the seat lifter mechanism side to the brake device 7 with the pinion gear 12 d of the output shaft 12 as the input side. The behavior when acting is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, when an excessive input (external force) is applied to rotate the output shaft 12 in the direction of arrow R11 using the pinion gear 12d as an input portion, a load input F11 from the two-surface width portion 12e of the output shaft 12 is applied. As a result, the clamp surface 26 of the clamp member 16 on the left side of the figure is more strongly pressed against the braking surface 13a of the brake drum 13.

  As the load input increases, the brake drum 13 and one of the pair of clamp members 14 and 16 are elastically deformed. Therefore, as shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 9 in addition to FIG. 12, the large-diameter clamp surface 26a of the left clamp member 16 presses against the braking surface 13a even more strongly, and the corner portion on the side of the relief recess 26c of the large-diameter clamp surface 26a. Crushes and bites the braking surface 13a, and the braking protrusion 26b spaced from the large-diameter clamping surface 26a is also pressed against the braking surface 13a. Since the braking protrusion 26b has an extremely small diameter with a contact area smaller than that of the large-diameter clamping surface 26a, the force that moves the clamping surface 26a along the braking surface 13a is prevented from increasing. The small-diameter braking protrusion 26b also eventually bites into the braking surface 13a.

  By such pressure contact and biting of the large-diameter clamp surface 26a and the brake protrusion 26b with respect to the brake surface 13a, it is possible to counter an excessive load input from the opposite direction. Thereby, the slip between the braking surface 13a on the brake drum 13 side and the one clamp member 16 can be suppressed, and the braking state can be self-held against an excessive load input from the reverse direction. In FIG. 12, only one set of clamp members 16 is shown, but another set of clamp members 14 (see FIG. 7) overlapping the back side of the set of clamp members 16 behave in the same manner. As described above.

  On the other hand, in order to release the braking state of the brake mechanism unit 9 in the brake device 7 during the height position adjustment by the seat lifter mechanism described above, the lever bracket 24 of the drive mechanism unit 10 shown in FIG. It is assumed that the operation lever 5 is rotated in the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction.

  FIG. 10 shows the neutral state of the drive function unit 10 in the brake device 7 as described above. In this state, the external teeth 20d at both ends of the tooth plate 20 are respectively connected to the internal teeth 18b of the drive wheel 18. Facing each other with a gap. And the rim | limb part 20c in which the external tooth | gear 20d was formed among the tooth plates 20 is spaced apart from the guide protrusion part 27 formed protrudingly from the cover 23 side.

  When the lever bracket 24 is operated together with the operation lever 5 from the neutral state shown in FIG. 10 in either the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction, for example, from the state of FIG. 10 in the direction of the arrow R2 in FIG. The input lever 21 of the drive mechanism unit 10 also rotates integrally in the same direction, and the tooth plate 20 is pushed in the direction of the arrow R2 at the position of the shaft hole 20a by the shaft portion 21b having a different shape with respect to the input lever 21, but the tooth plate Reference numeral 20 denotes a shaft hole 20a supported by the shaft portion 19e of the holding plate 19, and the holding plate 19 has a rotational resistance against the rotation in the direction of the arrow R2, so that the tooth plate 20 is centered on the shaft portion 19e as shown in FIG. Rotates counterclockwise inside. At this time, the lower rim portion 20c shown in FIG. 10 is located away from one of the guide projections 27 that protrude from the cover 23 side, and prevents rotation about the shaft portion 19e of the tooth plate 20. Therefore, the outer teeth 20d of the upper rim portion 20c mesh with the inner teeth 18b of the drive wheel 18. Then, by further rotating the input lever 21 in the direction of the arrow R2 from this state, the input lever 21, the tooth plate 20, the holding plate 19 and the drive wheel 18 are rotated together.

  In the state where the input lever 21 is rotated from the neutral position, as shown in FIG. 13, since the one guide protrusion 27 is positioned so as to face the inner peripheral surface of the upper rim portion 20 c, the tooth plate 20. The lower external teeth 20d and the internal teeth are caused by the interference between the upper rim portion 20c and the one guide protrusion 27 even if the lower external teeth 20d try to mesh with the internal teeth 18b on the drive wheel 18 side. Engagement with 18a is prevented. Therefore, when the input lever 21 is returned to the neutral position from the state shown in FIG. 13, the lower outer teeth 20d do not mesh with the inner teeth 18a, so that the input lever 21, the tooth plate 20, and the holding plate 19 are integrated. It will turn to the neutral state.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of bending locking pieces 21 c of the input lever 21 that rotates together with the operation lever 5 are inserted into the two long holes 23 b on the cover 23 side. Is regulated by abutting each folding engagement piece 21c against the inner peripheral surface of one end in the longitudinal direction of the long hole 23b on the cover 23 side.

  The drive wheel 18 pushed by the tooth plate 20 first releases the rotation restriction of the output shaft 12 by the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16. As shown in FIG. 8, since the release claw portions 18d on the drive wheel 18 side enter the recesses 25 of the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16, respectively, the release claw is accompanied by the rotation of the drive wheel 18 in the arrow R2 direction. The portion 18d rotates the left clamp member 16 and the right clamp member 14 in FIG. 8 in the same direction. Thereby, the sandwiching of the two-surface width portion 12e of the output shaft 12 by the two sets of clamp members 14 and 16 is released, and the braking state of the brake mechanism portion 9 until then is substantially released. By releasing the braking state, the output shaft 12 can rotate with respect to the brake drum 13 together with the one clamp member 16.

  Next, the rotation of the output shaft 12 by the drive wheel 18 pushed by the tooth plate 20 causes the deformed shaft portion 12c having the two-sided width portion 12e functioning as the action portion of the square hole 18c and the output shaft 12 shown in FIG. This is performed after rotating by a predetermined amount of play provided between the two. The output shaft 12 is rotated in the direction of the arrow R2 in FIG. 13 by the contact between the square hole 18c and the deformed shaft portion 12c. Note that the clamp member 16 on the right side of FIG. 8 also rotates in the same direction following the movement of the output shaft 12. The rotation of the output shaft 12 is nothing but the rotation of the pinion gear 12d shown in FIG. Will be displaced to the lower side.

  The behavior at the time of releasing the braking state centering on the movement of the pair of clamp members 14 and 16 shown in FIG. 8 is another set of clamp members arranged so as to overlap with the pair of clamp members 16. 14 is exactly the same, and the braking state is released in such a manner that the behaviors of the two clamp members 14 and 16 proceed simultaneously. Further, as apparent from the above description, the vertical displacement of the vehicle seat 1 in FIG. 1 based on the function of the seat lifter mechanism is small for the amount of rotation operation of the operation lever 5, so in many cases The rotation operation of the operation lever 5 is repeated a plurality of times.

  Further, since the return force of the torsion coil spring 22 shown in FIG. 7 acts on the operating lever 5 shown in FIG. 7 attached to the lever bracket 24 shown in FIG. When the operating force of the lever 5 is released, the input lever 21, the holding plate 19, and the tooth plate 20 of the drive mechanism unit 10 in addition to the operating lever 5 are restored from the state of FIG. The rotation returns to the initial state which is the neutral position shown in FIG.

  Upon returning to the initial position, when the input lever 21 is rotated counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 13 in order to return the input lever 21 to the initial position, the tooth plate 20 is rotated clockwise about the shaft portion 19e. The upper outer teeth 20d are disengaged from the inner teeth 18b of the drive wheel 18, and the lower outer teeth 20d are engaged with the inner teeth 8b. ) To prevent the outer teeth 20d on both sides from engaging with the inner teeth 18b, leaving the drive wheel 18 in the previously rotated position. The input lever 21, the tooth plate 20, and the holding plate 19 are rotated back to the initial positions in FIG. 10 without rotating the drive wheel 18 and the output shaft 12. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, when the tooth plate 20 returns to the initial position, the upper rim portion 20 c is released from the restraint by the one guide projection portion 27 on the cover 23 side, and the outside of both the tooth plates 20 is removed. Both of the teeth 20d can be engaged with the inner teeth 18b of the drive wheel 18.

  8 and 10, since both the brake mechanism 9 and the drive mechanism 10 are symmetrically arranged, the series of operations described above reverses the operation lever 5 from the above. Even when the rotation operation is performed in the direction (the direction opposite to the R2 direction in FIGS. 8 and 13), the rotation direction of the rotation elements of the drive mechanism unit 10 and the brake mechanism unit 9 is reversed, and the same as above. Will perform the action.

  As described above, according to the brake device 7 of the present embodiment, the drive wheel 18, the holding plate 19, the tooth plate 20, the input lever 21, and the torsion coil spring 22 that are components of the drive mechanism unit 10 are all covered. Therefore, the entire device including the brake mechanism 9 can be reduced in size. Further, since the drive elements other than the lever bracket 24 that forms a part of the operation lever 5 are not exposed to the outside, there is no possibility of interference between the drive elements and the cushion cover of the vehicle seat 1, and the brake device 7. This is also advantageous in terms of operational stability.

  Further, when the drive mechanism 10 is returned to the initial position, the engagement of the tooth plate 20 is restricted by the guide protrusion 27 formed by bending from the cover plate 23. For example, a separate protrusion or the like is provided on the tooth plate 20 side. There is no need to provide it, which is advantageous in reducing the number of parts and cost.

  In addition, three bending locking pieces 21c and 21d necessary for the operation of the drive mechanism 10 are formed on the input lever 21, and a spring locking piece 28 for the torsion coil spring 22 is provided from the cover 23 side. Since it is formed by bending, this can also reduce the number of parts and contribute to a compact structure.

  In the above embodiment, the brake device 7 of the seat lifter mechanism has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the brake device of the seat lifter mechanism, and may be used as a brake device of another seat adjuster. it can. For example, the present invention can also be applied as a brake device of a reclining mechanism for adjusting the angular position of the seat back 4 serving as the backrest portion of the vehicle seat 1 shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vehicle seat 5 ... Operation lever (operation member)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 8 ... Brake housing 9 ... Drive mechanism part 10 ... Brake mechanism part 11 ... Housing member 12 ... Output shaft 12d ... Pinion gear (drive side gear)
12c ... odd-shaped shaft part 12e ... two-sided width part (action part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 13 ... Brake drum 14 ... Clamp member 16 ... Clamp member 18 ... Drive wheel 18b ... Internal tooth 19 ... Holding plate 19e ... Shaft part (support shaft)
20 ... tooth plate (tooth member)
20d ... external teeth (tooth part)
21 ... Input lever 21c ... Bending locking piece 21d ... Bending locking piece 22 ... Torsion coil spring (spring member)
22a ... hook part 23 ... cover (cover member)
23b ... long hole 23c ... long hole 24 ... lever bracket (operation member)
27 ... Guide protrusion 28 ... Spring locking piece

Claims (3)

A brake mechanism that is incorporated in the seat adjuster of the vehicle seat and holds the braking state so that the output shaft does not rotate due to reverse input from the drive gear side provided at one end, and the operation member in the forward direction from the neutral position And a drive mechanism that releases the braking state of the output shaft and allows the output shaft to rotate in accordance with the rotation operation of the operation member when rotating in either one of the reverse rotation directions. And
A brake device in which the brake mechanism and the drive mechanism are arranged coaxially with each other,
The drive mechanism is
An internal gear-like drive wheel having internal teeth concentric with the output shaft;
A tooth member that is disposed in proximity to the drive wheel and has tooth portions that can mesh with internal teeth of the drive wheel at both ends;
A holding plate having a support shaft that is rotatably supported by the output shaft in a form having sliding resistance in the rotation direction, and that supports the tooth member so as to be swingable;
An input lever that is rotatably supported by the output shaft and engages the tooth member at a radial position different from the support shaft;
A spring member that biases and holds the input lever in a neutral position;
A bottomed cylindrical cover member that is coupled to the brake housing of the brake mechanism unit, accommodates each component of the drive mechanism unit therein, and rotatably supports one end portion of the output shaft at the side wall portion; ,
It is arranged outside the side wall portion of the cover member, is connected to the input lever through at least two long holes formed in the side wall portion, and is rotated in the forward direction and the reverse direction by the two long holes. An operation member whose range is regulated;
A pair of guide protrusions that are bent from the peripheral edge of the two elongated holes toward the inside of the cover member and face the back side of each tooth of the tooth member;
A brake device for a vehicle seat adjuster, comprising: The input lever is formed with three bent locking pieces protruding toward the side wall of the cover member,
Of these three folding locking pieces, two folding locking pieces are connected to the operating member through the two elongated holes,
One of the remaining bent locking pieces is sandwiched between hook portions at both ends of the spring member together with a spring locking piece formed by bending from the peripheral edge of another elongated hole formed in the side wall of the cover member. 2. The vehicle seat adjuster brake device according to claim 1, wherein the input lever is biased and held together with the operation member at a neutral position.   The said spring member is a torsion coil spring arrange | positioned in the ring-shaped space formed with the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the said cover member, and three bending locking pieces, The Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. Brake device for vehicle seat adjusters.

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