JP3527173B2 - Ratchet lever mechanism - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is applicable to a ratchet type lever mechanism for transmitting a rotational operation force of a drive lever to a braking shaft of a brake unit, and in particular, as a driving means for a seat lifter that supports a seat so that it can be raised and lowered. The present invention relates to a ratchet type lever mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a seat lifter that can secure a seat height according to a seated person's body shape and taste, and a viewpoint height suitable for driving etc. under arbitrary adjustment, It is mounted on a seat of an automobile or the like as a seating posture control device.

The seat lifter is provided with, for example, front and rear lifter links that support the seat so that it can be raised and lowered. A seat lifter of this type is configured so that the seat can be raised and lowered under the synchronized rotation of each link by the driving means having a handle, a lever and the like as a driving member.

By the way, the seat lifter driving means is formed, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-342036, having a bifurcated ratchet pawl that can be interlocked with a drive lever. After selectively engaging one of the ratchet pawls of the body with the ratchet gear under the rotation operation of the drive lever, by further rotating the drive lever, the ratchet gear, and eventually the braking shaft of the brake unit, etc. A so-called ratchet type lever mechanism capable of outputting a rotational force is provided.

According to such a ratchet type lever mechanism, since the drive lever is rotated, the operating force is reduced by the lever principle. Then, since the rotating force in one arbitrary direction can be output under the repeated turning operation of the drive lever without requiring a specific switching operation,
The driving operation for the seat lifter can be simplified.

[0006]

The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In a known ratchet type lever mechanism such as No. 11-342036, a ratchet gear is formed as an external gear, and a ratchet pawl is provided on the outside of the ratchet gear so as to be meshable with the external gear. Therefore, the ratchet type lever mechanism easily spreads in a plane, and it is unavoidable that the plane shape becomes large.

Further, in the known construction, the drive lever and the lever plate to which the ratchet pawl is pivotally attached are
Since they are biased and held at their respective neutral positions under the biasing force of individual return springs, an increase in the number of parts is unavoidable, which tends to complicate the configuration and increase costs.

Here, in this type of ratchet type lever mechanism, the amount of rotation operation of the drive lever per operation is limited to within a predetermined range. Therefore, if the operation amount is small,
It is easy to request a large number of operations when raising and lowering the seat. Therefore, it is undeniable that the operation is likely to be complicated and the operability may be deteriorated.

As a countermeasure against this, it is conceivable to enlarge the range of rotation of the drive lever. However, in order to expand the rotation range of the drive lever, it is necessary to secure a vast space around the ratchet type lever mechanism that can ensure the rotation of the drive lever. It is undeniable that the rotating operation is inferior in adaptability because it tends to cause inferior operability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a ratchet type lever mechanism which simplifies the structure and improves its operability.

[0011]

In order to achieve this object, according to the present invention, a ratchet gear serving as an internal gear provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess of the rotatable gear plate is positioned on a predetermined axis. Is connected to the rotatable output end via a predetermined speed increasing gear means which is a combination of specific gears. Further, a ratchet pawl body having up and down ratchet pawls, which can be meshed with the ratchet gear, at the separated positions, is provided with respect to a lever plate rotatably arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear. , A drive piece of a specific shape, which is pivotally attached via a predetermined ratchet fulcrum, and which selectively follows and tilts the ratchet pawl in the engagement direction of one of the ratchet pawls, and the drive lever is connected and fixed drive A lever bracket integrally having a shaft is further rotatably arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear.

A lever plate and a lever bracket are integrally provided from a single return spring at a neutral position relative to the base bracket, which is defined as an alignment position with a specific portion of the base bracket serving as a unit base. The ratchet pawl on the corresponding side is tilted by the biasing force, and the ratchet pawl on the corresponding side is tilted by the tilting of the ratchet pawl via the drive piece accompanying the rotation of the lever bracket against the biasing force of the return spring. The ratchet gear is rotated by a corresponding amount by the rotation of the lever plate in the corresponding direction accompanying the further rotation operation of the lever bracket from this meshed state, and the ratchet gear is increased by the speed increasing gear means. The converted rotation can be output from the output end.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 according to the present invention, the ratchet gear is used.
The fork 12 is formed as an internal gear provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 14a of the gear plate 14, and has a bifurcated ratchet pawl 18 integrally having ratchet pawls 16u, 16d capable of meshing with the ratchet gear. Any one of the ratchet pawls is pivotally attached and connected to the lever plate 20 via a predetermined ratchet fulcrum 22 so that the ratchet gear can be selectively engaged with the ratchet gear.

As can be seen from FIG. 3 in addition to FIG.
The ratchet type lever mechanism 10 of the present invention is embodied as a unit body having a base bracket 24 and a cover bracket 26 as a base, and generally, a drive member 28 such as a drive lever and a descent restricting means for a seat lifter and the like. It is configured so as to be usable as a driving means of a device such as a seat lifter having a large load, in combination with the brake unit 30 as described above.

The seat lifter itself is known,
Further, as a seat lifter provided with this type of ratchet type lever mechanism as a driving means, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-342036 and the like can be exemplified, which is not the gist of the present invention. The description is omitted here.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the support shaft 32 is provided on the front surface side of the base bracket 24, that is, the arrangement surface side of the cover bracket 26. A gear plate 14 having a ratchet gear 12 is provided so as to project and is rotatably arranged around and supported by the through hole 34 around the support shaft. Then, in this embodiment, the output gear 36 serving as an external gear having the predetermined output end 40 on its shaft portion 36a is transferred to the transmission gear 38 serving as an external gear formed on the outer peripheral surface of the gear plate 14. It is rotatably arranged and supported with the meshing.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, in this embodiment the output end 40 of the output gear is formed as a through serration bearing and the base bracket 2
The output gear 36 is rotatably supported under the loose insertion of the shaft portion 36a into the insertion holes 42 and 44 of the cover bracket 26. Then, at the output end 40 serving as the serration bearing, the braking shaft 46 to which the braking force is applied by the rotation of the above-described brake unit 30 in one direction is fitted and engaged with the corresponding serration shaft portion 46a. And are rotatably connected and held together.

The brake unit 30 is formed, for example, by having an output end 46b serving as a serration shaft portion at the other end with respect to one end where the serration shaft portion 46a is formed, and a seat lifter is provided at this output end in a predetermined manner. Is connected via gear means (not shown) or the like.

The structure of the brake unit 30 is known, and the structure itself is not the purpose of the present invention.
It will not be described in detail here.

As described above, in the present invention, the ratchet gear 12 is the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear, that is, the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit which is a parallel shaft provided at a position separated from the support shaft 32. In contrast, the transmission gear 38 of the gear plate 14 and the output gear 36 are interlockably connected. In this configuration, the transmission gear 3
8 and output gear 36 combination is ratchet gear 1
The rotation amount of 2 is transmitted to the braking shaft 46 after the rotation amount is increased, which functions as so-called speed increasing gear means 48, so that the output of the increased rotation amount is smooth and easy. Can be secured.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a ratchet having a bifurcated shape, for example, a substantially C shape, having ratchet pawls 16u, 16d for up and down which can be meshed with the ratchet gear 12 at each end thereof. The ratchet fulcrum is provided on the lever plate 20 in which the claw 18 is rotatably arranged around the support shaft 32.
22, pivotally attached, for example, via a pivot pin.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the ratchet pawl 18 is formed in a shape having a so-called neutral position in which none of the ratchet pawls 16u and 16d is meshed with the ratchet gear 12, and from this neutral position The ratchet pawl on the corresponding side can be selectively meshed with the ratchet fulcrum (pivotally supported pin) 22 as a center for tilting upward and downward in the drawing. The ratchet pawl 18 is provided with a drive piece having a specific shape, for example, a cam 50.
The lever bracket 52 is interlockable with the lever bracket 52, and is thus driven.

As can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, the cam (driving piece) 50 integrally has a cam shaft (driving shaft) 54 which can be rotatably mounted on the support shaft 32 of the base bracket. The lever bracket 52 is integrally formed with the cam shaft and / or the cam under the fixing of the cam shaft and / or the cam. Then, the cam shaft 54 with respect to the support shaft 32
Under this ring, the cam 50 and the lever bracket are rotatably arranged around the support shaft.

The lever plate 20 is formed with an insertion hole 56 into which the cam shaft 54 can be loosely inserted. By loosely inserting the cam shaft into the insertion hole, the lever plate 20 is rotated around the cam shaft, and by extension, the support shaft.
The lever plate is rotatable about 32.

The cover bracket 26 that forms a unit base under the combination with the base bracket 24
Is mounted from the outside of the lever plate 20 with loose insertion of the cam shaft 54 through the insertion hole 58, and is integrally fixed to the base bracket, for example, through its leg portion 26a also serving as a spacer. ing.

In the embodiment of the present invention,
The drive lever 28 is formed into a predetermined shape as a resin exterior body, and is integrally connected and fixed to the cam shaft 54 from the outside of the cover bracket 26 (the upper side in FIG. 3) to rotate the cam 50. As a result, the rotation operation of the ratchet gear 12 after the ratchet pawls 16u and 16d are meshed with each other is enabled by the drive lever.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, generally, the cam shaft 54 is used as a serration shaft, the bearing 60 of the drive lever 28 is used as a corresponding serration bearing, and the drive lever is further fixed to the spindle holder. By screwing with the screws 61 or the like, the integral connection and fixation can be easily secured.

By the way, in this structure having the neutral position of the ratchet pawl 18, the normal position of the lever plate 20 for holding the ratchet pawl at this neutral position, that is, the neutral position is, for example, a predetermined portion of the base bracket 24. It is defined in advance as an alignment position with. In the present invention, the biasing force of the single return spring 62 is integrally applied to both the lever bracket 52 and the lever plate 20 so that both the lever bracket and the lever plate are biased and held at the neutral position. It is possible.

As can be seen from FIGS. 1 to 3, in the present invention, a torsion spring is used as the return spring 62. Then, for example, the return spring 62 is disposed under the winding around the support shaft base portion 32a arranged on the back surface (the lower surface in FIG. 3) of the base bracket 24 coaxially with the support shaft 32, Base bracket 2 with almost the same width
4, the lever plate 20, and the holding portions 24a, 20a, 52a of the lever bracket 52 are connected to a pair of terminals 62a, 6 of the return spring.
This return spring is configured so that the lever plate and the lever bracket can be biased and held at the respective neutral positions that are the aligned positions by sandwiching them integrally between the 2b.

In the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 unitized with the base bracket 24 and the cover bracket 26 as a base as in the present invention, since the base bracket also serves as a fixed base portion, this base bracket is used as a brake. The unit 30 and the unit 30 are fixed to a predetermined fixing member, for example, the upper frame 64 of the seat lifter, so that the unit 30 can be installed (see FIG. 3).

The lever plate 20 and the lever bracket 52 are biased and held in their neutral positions by the biasing force of the return spring 62, that is, the drive lever 28.
The non-operation state of is shown in FIG. 1 as the initial state of the ratchet type lever mechanism 10. Normally, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 of this type, the operation direction of the drive lever 28 coincides with the ascending / descending direction of the seat. Therefore, by rotating the drive lever clockwise from the initial state, the seat is lifted ( It is possible to ensure that the seat is lowered (down) by rotating the drive lever counterclockwise in the figure.

From this initial state shown in FIG. 1, when the drive lever 28 is rotated, for example, in the up direction, that is, in the clockwise direction in the figure, first, the lever bracket 52 and the cam 50.
Is rotated around the support shaft 32 integrally with the drive lever against the biasing force acting on the lower end 62b of the return spring in the figure, and the lever bracket is independently rotated without the lever plate 20. The tilting of the ratchet pawl 18 driven by the cam causes the up ratchet pawl 16u to mesh with the corresponding portion of the ratchet gear 12 as shown in FIG. Then, this ratchet claw 16 for up to this ratchet gear 12
In the engaged state of u, the tilting of the ratchet pawl 18 around the ratchet fulcrum 22 thereafter, that is, the independent rotation of the lever bracket 52 without the lever plate 20, is prevented. Is further rotated clockwise against the biasing force acting on the lower end 62b of the return spring in the figure, as shown in FIG. 5, the lever plate is rotated about the support shaft 32. Under the motion, the ratchet gear 12 is rotated in the corresponding direction by the corresponding amount, that is, in the up direction.

Here, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 10, the speed increasing gear means 48 is operated in accordance with the rotation of the ratchet gear 12. That is, the rotation of the ratchet gear 12 by the drive lever 28 is increased by the transmission gear 38 integral with the ratchet gear and the output gear 36 meshing with this transmission gear, and transmitted to the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit.

The rotational operation force of the drive lever 28 is the speed increasing gear means.
In this configuration in which the rotation amount is transmitted to the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit via 48, the rotation amount is increased and transmitted, so that the rotation amount increased more than the turning operation amount of the drive lever is applied to the braking shaft 46. Is output from the output terminal 46b. Then, the rotation of the braking shaft 46 is output and transmitted from the output end 46b thereof to the seat lifter, whereby the seat lifter is actuated, so that the seat is raised by a corresponding amount.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, the drive lever 28
The rotation range of, for example, the engagement end of the cover bracket 26 is
The lever bracket 52 and the lever plate 20 are regulated by the engagement of the lever bracket 52 with the 26b, and when the operation force of the drive lever is released at this rotation limit position, the lever bracket and the lever plate 20 are biased by the return spring 62. Under the biasing force acting on the middle and lower terminals 62b, they are biased and held at the neutral positions shown in FIG.

When the drive lever 28 is again rotated in the up direction from the neutral position shown in FIG. 1, the seat is lifted by the corresponding rotation amount of the ratchet gear 12, and thus the braking shaft 46, in the same manner as above. Therefore, by repeating this operation, the operator can raise the seat to a desired height.

When lowering the seat, the drive lever 28 is rotated in the down direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1) from the neutral position against the biasing force of the return spring acting on the upper end 62a in the figure. 6, the ratchet pawl 16d for down of the ratchet pawl is engaged with the corresponding portion of the ratchet gear 12, and from this state, the drive lever is moved to the biasing force acting on the upper end of the return spring. By further rotating in the down direction against this, it is possible to secure the descent of the seat according to the rotation amount of the ratchet gear, and thus the rotation amount of the braking shaft 46.

As described above, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 of the present invention, the lever bracket 52 and the lever plate are operated under the biasing force of the single return spring 62.
20 can be biased and held in the neutral position.

That is, since the individual return springs for the lever bracket 52, the drive lever 28, the lever plate 20 and the like are not necessary, the present invention can surely reduce the number of parts. This sufficiently simplifies the structure of the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 and reduces the cost.

Further, the return spring 62 is a torsion spring wound and arranged around the support shaft base 32a, that is, around the axis of the support shaft 32 which is the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear 12, and the lever plate 20, the lever bracket 52, and Base bracket
The 24 clamps 20a, 52a, 24a are connected to the ends 62a, 6 of this return spring.
Since it suffices to integrally clamp between the 2b, the return spring for the lever plate and the lever bracket can be unified easily and appropriately without complicating the configuration.

In this structure, it is sufficient to wind the return spring 62, which serves as a torsion spring, around the support shaft base portion 32a on the rear surface of the base bracket, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the unit from becoming large in the thickness direction. Therefore,
The return spring 62 is integrated into the ratchet type lever mechanism 10
It can be easily secured without increasing the size.

The drive operation by repeatedly rotating the drive lever 28 in an arbitrary direction, that is, the drive operation with high operability that enables the direction selection at the same time, is also achieved in the ratchet type drive mechanism 10 of the present invention. Since this is no different from the above, it is possible to easily ensure simplification of the configuration and reduction of cost without impairing the high operability.

Further, in the present invention, since the ratchet gear 12 is the internal gear provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess of the gear plate 14, it has ratchet pawls 16u, 16d capable of meshing with the ratchet gear. The ratchet pawl 18
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, it is necessarily arranged in the recess 14a of the gear plate. That is, according to the present invention, the planar spread of the member forming the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 is reliably suppressed, so that the planar shape can be sufficiently reduced.

Then, the ratchet pawl 18 and the cam 50
Since the ratchet gear can be arranged in the recess 14a of the ratchet gear, the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 of the present invention sufficiently suppresses the increase in size in the thickness direction.

Further, in the present invention, the transmission gear 38 integrated with the ratchet gear 12 and the braking shaft of the brake unit.
Since the rotation of the ratchet gear is transmitted to the braking shaft via the speed increasing gear means 48 which is a combination with the output gear 36 integrally attached to the 46, the rotation amount of the drive lever 28 is expanded more than the operation amount. The converted rotation amount is transmitted and output to the braking shaft. That is, since the amount of lifting and lowering of the seat can be surely increased by rotating the drive lever 28 once, the operability is surely improved according to the present invention.

In this configuration, since the support shaft 32, which is the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear 12, and the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit are formed as different shafts in parallel, the unit shape of the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 is not limited. From this point, it can be surely made thinner.

The ratchet type lever mechanism of the present invention
In 10, the drive lever 28 is retrofitted to the cam shaft 54, that is, the ratchet type lever mechanism is unitized and then connected.
It just needs to be fixed. That is, the drive lever 28 does not interfere with the mounting on the seat, so that the mounting work is simplified. Since it is sufficient that the cam shaft 54 of the ratchet type lever mechanism 10 projects from the trim cover of the seat or a decorative member such as a finisher, it is possible to reliably prevent the shapes and configurations from becoming complicated.

Further, the shape of the drive lever 28 can be formed independently of the unit shape of the lever bracket 52 and the like, and hence the ratchet type lever mechanism itself, so that the degree of freedom of the shape of the drive lever is increased. In other words, since the shape of the drive lever 28 can be appropriately selected according to the shape of the seat, the interior of the vehicle, etc., it is not limited to the seat, and it is easy to improve the overall appearance quality of the interior of the vehicle, etc. It comes off.

Here, in the embodiment of the present invention, the cam 50 engageable with the ratchet pawl 18 is embodied as a drive piece integral with the lever bracket 52. However, the drive piece is the rotation of the lever bracket. Ratchet claw 18 with movement
It is sufficient if the ratchet pawl is driven and tilted in the corresponding direction under the engagement with, and is not limited to the cam.
For example, an engaging claw or the like inserted through the corresponding engaging hole may be used as this driving piece.

However, if the cam 50 which can be engaged with the ratchet pawl 18 is used as the driving piece, the driven and tilted movements are obtained under the engagement of the cam surface with the ratchet pawl, so that the driven and tilted movements are reliable. It is possible to secure the smoothness and ease without complicating the structure. And
Since the cam 50 and the engagement surface of the ratchet pawl 18 do not require very high accuracy, the structure can be sufficiently simplified from this point as well.

By the way, in the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the speed increasing gear means 48 for increasing the rotation of the ratchet gear 12 and transmitting it to the output end 40 of the output gear is used as the transmission gear 38.
And the output gear 36 are combined,
For example, a so-called planetary gear mechanism having a planetary gear may be used as the speed increasing gear unit.

This speed increasing gear means including a planetary gear mechanism
7 to 10 show a configuration in which 148 is interposed between the ratchet gear 12 and the output end 40, that is, the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit.

As can be seen from FIGS. 7 and 8, in the ratchet type lever mechanism 110 of this configuration, the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear 12, that is, the support shaft 132, and the axis of the output end 40, that is, the braking of the brake unit. The shaft 46 and the shaft 46 are arranged coaxially in series.

The braking shaft 46 of the brake unit has an insertion hole 14
The output gear 136, which is arranged through the base bracket 124 via 2 and serves as an external gear, has its shaft portion 136a, through the output end 40, which serves as, for example, a serration bearing, through the braking shaft of this braking shaft, which serves as a corresponding serration shaft. Protruding part
It is attached to 46a integrally. Then, by loosely inserting the shaft portion 136a of this output gear, which serves as a shaft-like projection, into the corresponding recessed portion 166, a ratchet gear serving as an internal gear.
A gear plate 114 provided with 12 is rotatably arranged and supported around the shaft portion of the output gear, that is, coaxially with the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit.

Here, as can be seen from FIG. 9 in addition to FIG. 7, in this embodiment, the transmission gear 138 is
As an internal gear different from the ratchet gear 12, when the side with the recess 114a of the ratchet gear is the upper surface side, it is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess 114b on the lower surface side, and this transmission gear and the output gear 136 are aligned. At the same time, the planetary gear 168, which serves as an external gear that can be meshed correspondingly, is
For example, the shaft portion 168a is rotatably disposed and supported by free insertion of the shaft portion 168a into the insertion hole 170 of the base bracket.

In this structure, the ratchet gear 12
However, with respect to the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear, that is, the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit provided coaxially with the support shaft 132, via the transmission gear 138 of the gear plate 114, the planetary gear 170, and the output gear 136. It is linked so that it can be linked.
In this configuration, the transmission gear 138 and the planetary gear 1
Since the combination of 70 and the output gear 136 functions as so-called speed increasing gear means 148 that transmits the rotation of the ratchet gear 12 to the braking shaft 46 after increasing the rotation amount thereof, the increased rotation amount. Output can be secured through the speed increasing gear means.

In this embodiment, the support shaft 13
2 is the output end 40, that is, the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit
And a ratchet gear 114 that is integrally projectingly provided coaxially therewith.

As can be seen from FIG. 10 in addition to FIGS. 7 and 8, also in the ratchet type lever mechanism 110 of this embodiment, as in the above-described embodiment, the ratchet gear 12 is provided.
Ratchet claws 16u, 16 for up and down that can be engaged with
A ratchet pawl 18 having a bifurcated shape, for example, a substantially C shape, having d at each end thereof is provided on a lever plate 20 rotatably arranged around a support shaft 132 and a ratchet support point (pivot support pin) 22.
Cam 50, which is pivotally attached through and is integral with lever bracket 52
The ratchet pawl is interlockable with the lever bracket under the engagement with.

The ratchet gear 12, the ratchet pawl 18, the lever plate 20, and the lever bracket 52.
Since the ratchet gear is mainly composed of the above, the so-called feed mechanism portion is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

Further, as can be seen from FIGS. 8 and 10, the cover bracket 126 is formed in a shape corresponding to the base bracket 124, and like the above-described embodiment,
The cam shaft 54 integrated with the cam 50 is inserted through the insertion hole 158, and is connected and fixed to the cover bracket.

Here, as can be seen from FIGS. 7, 8 and 10, in this embodiment, the return spring 162, which is a torsion spring, is arranged at a winding position with respect to the gear plate 114, for example. The base bracket 124, the lever plate 20, and the sandwiching portions 124a, 20a, 52a of the lever bracket 52, which are formed to have substantially the same width, are integrally sandwiched between the pair of terminals 162a, 162b of the return spring.

Under the biasing force of the return spring 162, the lever plate 20 and the lever bracket 52 are biased to the neutral position with respect to the base bracket 124.
Since holding is similar to the above-described embodiment,
A detailed description thereof will also be omitted here.

Similar to the above-described embodiment, the neutral position of the lever plate 20 with respect to the base bracket 124, and the ratchet pawls 16u, 16d for the ratchet gear 12 are provided.
The neutral position of the lever bracket 52 with respect to the base bracket, which is the non-meshing position, is shown in FIG. 10 as the initial state of the ratchet type lever mechanism 110 of this configuration. Then, the lever bracket from this initial state that resists the biasing force acting on the lower end 162b of the return spring in the drawing centering on the ratchet fulcrum 22, that is, the ratchet pawl in the corresponding direction by the independent rotation of the drive lever 28. 16u,
16d meshes with the corresponding position of ratchet gear 12, and from this meshed state, drive lever in the same direction as lever plate 20.
Since the ratchet gear is rotated in the corresponding direction by the corresponding amount by rotating it together with the ratchet gear, the ratchet gear is not described in detail here because it is similar to the above embodiment.

In this structure, as the ratchet gear 12 rotates, the speed increasing gear means 14 serving as a planetary gear mechanism is provided.
8 is activated. And the rotation of the ratchet gear 12 is
After being increased by the speed increasing gear means 148, the output end 4
0, that is, since it is transmitted to the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit, even in this configuration, it is possible to surely increase the amount of lifting and lowering of the seat by the rotating operation of the drive lever 28 per one time. The operability is improved.

Also in this configuration, the lever bracket 52 and the lever plate 20 can be biased and held at the neutral positions under the biasing force of the single return spring 62, so that the number of parts can be reduced. As a result, the ratchet type lever mechanism 110 can be sufficiently simplified, and the cost can be reduced.

Further, since the ratchet gear 12 is the internal gear, the planar shape of the ratchet lever mechanism 110 can be sufficiently miniaturized. According to this embodiment, the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear 12, that is, the support shaft 132
And the output end 40, that is, the braking shaft 46 of the brake unit are coaxially arranged, and further, the return spring 162 is arranged at the winding position on this coaxial axis. Can be converted.

Here, in the present invention, the ratchet gear 12 and the transmission gear 138 are respectively formed on the single gear plate 114, but it is sufficient if the ratchet gear and the transmission gear can rotate integrally. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the ratchet gear and the transmission gear may be integrally coupled, and the ratchet gear and the transmission gear may be integrally rotated.

However, as in this embodiment,
If the ratchet gear 12 and the transmission gear 138 are provided on the single gear plate 114, the number of parts can be surely reduced. From this point as well, the configuration can be surely simplified.

In the embodiment of the present invention,
A seat lifter is embodied as a device having a ratchet type lever mechanism as a driving means. However, the ratchet type lever mechanism of the present invention may be applied to drive devices for other devices of the seat, such as a reclining device and a seat slide device, without being limited to the seat lifter.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention are for explaining the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way, and modifications and alterations made within the technical scope of the present invention are also possible. It goes without saying that all are included in this invention.

[0072]

As described above, according to the ratchet type lever mechanism of the present invention, the lever bracket and the lever plate can be respectively biased and held in the neutral position under the biasing force of the single return spring. Therefore, the number of parts can be surely reduced. Therefore, the structure of the ratchet type lever mechanism can be simplified and the cost can be reduced sufficiently.

Further, the return spring is a torsion spring wound and arranged around the rotation axis of the ratchet gear, and the holding portions of the lever plate, the lever bracket, and the base bracket having substantially the same width are integrally formed between the ends of the return spring. Since it suffices to clamp the lever plate, the return springs for the lever plate and the lever bracket can be easily and appropriately secured without complicating the structure.

Since the direction selection and the drive operation can be simultaneously performed by repeatedly rotating the drive lever in an arbitrary direction, the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced without impairing the high operability. Can be easily secured.

Further, since the ratchet gear is the internal gear provided on the inner peripheral surface of the recess of the gear plate, the planar shape of the ratchet type lever mechanism can be sufficiently miniaturized.

Since the rotation of the ratchet gear is transmitted to the output end via the speed increasing gear means, the rotation amount which is larger than the rotation operation amount by the drive lever is transmitted to the output end. To be done. That is, since the output rotation amount can be surely increased by rotating the drive lever once, the operability thereof is surely improved.

Further, since it is sufficient to connect and fix the drive lever to the drive shaft after the ratchet type lever mechanism is unitized, the drive lever does not interfere with the mounting on the seat, and the mounting work can be performed. Simplified. Since it suffices that the drive shaft of the ratchet type lever mechanism projects from the trim cover of the seat or a decorative member such as a finisher, it is possible to reliably prevent the shapes and configurations from becoming complicated.

Further, since the shape of the drive lever can be formed independently of the unit shape of the ratchet type lever mechanism itself, the degree of freedom of the shape of the drive lever is increased. In other words, since the shape of the drive lever can be appropriately selected according to the shape of the seat, the interior of the vehicle, etc., it is not limited to the seat, and the overall appearance quality of the interior of the vehicle, etc. can be improved easily. Get rid of.

If the rotating shafts of the gear plates, which are parallel different shafts, and the axis line of the output end are linked by the speed increasing gear means so as to be interlocked, the unit shape can be surely thinned.

Further, if the rotary shaft of the gear plate and the axis of the output end are arranged coaxially and they are linked by the speed increasing gear means so as to be interlocked with each other, the planar shape of the unit shape can be further reduced. Get rid of.

Further, in the structure in which the transmission gear is an internal gear, if this transmission gear is provided on the single gear plate together with the ratchet gear, the number of parts can be surely reduced. From this point as well, the structure is simple. It will definitely happen.

If a cam engageable with the ratchet pawl is used as the driving piece, the driven and tilted movement is obtained under the engagement of the surface of the cam with the ratchet pawl, so the certainty of the driven and tilting is ensured. It is possible to secure the structure smoothly and easily without complicating the structure. Further, the cams and the engagement surfaces of the ratchet pawls do not need to have very high precision, and from this point as well, the configuration thereof can be sufficiently simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a ratchet type lever mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention in a neutral position.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view of a ratchet type lever mechanism.

FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a ratchet type lever mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the ratchet type lever mechanism at the start of rotation in the up direction.

FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the ratchet type lever mechanism at the rotation limit position in the up direction.

FIG. 6 is a schematic front view of the ratchet type lever mechanism at the time of starting rotation in the down direction.

FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a ratchet type lever mechanism according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the ratchet type lever mechanism shown in FIG.

9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ratchet type lever mechanism at a position along the line AA in FIG.

10 is a schematic front view of the ratchet type lever mechanism shown in FIG. 7 in a neutral position.

[Explanation of symbols]

10,110 Ratchet type lever mechanism 12 Ratchet gear 14,114 gear plate 16u, 16d ratchet claw 18 ratchet claw 20 lever plate 24 base bracket 32,132 spindle 36,136 Output gear 38,138 Transmission gear 40 output end 48,148 Speed increasing gear means 50 cam (driving piece) 52 Lever bracket 54 Cam shaft (drive shaft) 168 Planetary gear

Continuation of front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47C 7/02 B60N 2/16 F16D 41/12 F16H 31/00

Claims (6)

(57) [Claims] 1. A ratchet gear, which serves as an internal gear provided on the inner peripheral surface of a recess of a rotatable gear plate, has a predetermined increase as a combination of a specific gear with respect to a rotatable output end located on a predetermined axis. A ratchet pawl, which is operatively connected through a high speed gear means and has ratchet pawls for up and down, which can be meshed with the ratchet gear, at their separated positions, is rotated coaxially with the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear. A drive piece of a specific shape, which is pivotally attached to a movably arranged lever plate via a predetermined ratchet fulcrum and selectively follows and tilts the ratchet pawl in the engagement direction of one of the ratchet pawls. , And drive lever connection,
A lever bracket integrally having a fixed drive shaft is further rotatably arranged coaxially with the rotation shaft of the ratchet gear, and is defined as an alignment position with a specific portion of the base bracket that serves as a unit base. In a neutral position with respect to the base bracket, the lever plate and the lever bracket are respectively biased and held under a biasing force integrally imparted from a single return spring, and a lever that resists the biasing force of the return spring. By tilting the ratchet pawl via the drive piece accompanying the rotation of the bracket, the ratchet pawl on the corresponding side is selectively meshed with the ratchet gear, and the lever bracket is further rotated from this meshed state. By rotating the lever plate in the corresponding direction, the ratchet gear is rotated by a corresponding amount, and The rotation increased by the speed increasing gear means,
Ratchet type lever mechanism that can output from the output end. 2. The return spring is a torsion spring arranged coaxially with the rotation axis of the gear plate, and the base bracket, the lever plate, and the holding portion of the lever bracket, which are formed to have substantially the same width, are provided with the torsion spring. The ratchet type lever mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the lever plate and the lever bracket can be biased and held at the respective neutral positions which are the aligned positions thereof by being sandwiched between the pair of terminals. 3. A transmission gear formed as an external gear of this gear plate, wherein a rotating shaft of the gear plate and an axis line of the output end are parallel to each other, and a transmission gear formed as an external gear having the shaft portion as an output end. The ratchet type lever mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a combination of the transmission gear and the output gear is formed as speed-increasing gear means by meshing gears. 4. A transmission gear, which is formed separately from a ratchet gear as an internal gear of the gear plate and has an outer peripheral portion with its shaft portion as an output end. A combination of the transmission gear, the output gear, and the planetary gear is formed as a speed-increasing gear means by operatively connecting the output gears through a rotatable planetary gear that can be meshed with both. Alternatively, the ratchet type lever mechanism described in 2. 5. The ratchet type lever mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the ratchet gear and the transmission gear are formed on a single gear plate. 6. The drive piece is a cam integrally formed with a drive shaft which is a center of rotation, and the ratchet pawl is supported by engagement and pressing of the ratchet pawl by the rotation of the cam. The ratchet type lever mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the ratchet type lever mechanism is capable of being driven and tilted in a direction of rotation.