JP4344546B2 - Reclining device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a reclining device, and more particularly, to a reclining device for rotatably mounting a seat back as a backrest with respect to a seat cushion as a seating surface of a vehicle seat.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a vehicle seat reclining device, a fixed disk attached to a base plate on the seat cushion side and a movable disk attached to an arm plate on the seat back side are configured to be rotatable with respect to each other. 2. Description of the Related Art There are known ones configured to prevent mutual rotation between a fixed disk and a movable disk by meshing a gear (tooth) with an internal gear formed on an inner peripheral surface of the movable disk.
[0003]
When the operation knob of the operation lever is operated to release the lock, the seat back is rotated in the front (F) direction by the urging force of the spiral spring. In order to return from the unlocked state to the locked state again, an operation of releasing the operation knob held at the desired seat back tilt position is performed. As a result, the external gear of the lock gear meshes with the internal gear by the urging force of the lock spring, and the locked state is established (see Patent Document 1).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2002-101994 (page 3-7, FIGS. 1 to 3)
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional art of Patent Document 1, in the arrangement portion of the operating knob of the operating lever, there is no clearance between the side range, there is a disadvantage that Dzu leprosy spear operation of the operation knob of the operating lever. Further, when the operation knob of the operation lever is made large, there is a risk that the passenger will hit the butt of the occupant, causing inconvenience.
For this reason, there has been a demand for a reclining device that is easy to operate the operation knob of the operation lever and does not feel uncomfortable even when hitting the seated person's buttocks.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a reclining device that can be easily operated by an operation lever and does not cause a sense of incongruity even when the operation knob hits the buttocks. is there.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to the reclining device according to claim 1, the subject is a bracket attached to the seat cushion side, a bracket attached to the seat back side, an urging means for urging the seat back forward, In a reclining device having an adjusting device and an operating means for operating the angle adjusting device, the operating means for operating the angle adjusting device is connected to a lever for adjusting an angle adjusting shaft of the angle adjusting device, and the lever. A first connecting means, a second connecting means that is pivotally supported by a support shaft and swings the first connecting means, and a connecting portion that swings the second connecting means about the support shaft. and a knob, together with the knob is comprised of a soft material, the graspable portion to the free end side is formed an annular section provided on the connecting portion of said knob, said second connecting means, said Connected by loosely in the axial and the same direction between the axial and the same direction as the second connection means and spaced apart by a provided flange portion of the support shaft of the connecting means, the said connecting portion second This is solved by engaging the connecting means in a movable state.
[0008]
As described above, since the knob constituting the operation means for operating the angle adjusting device is made of a thin and soft material, it can be easily pulled up even if there is little clearance between the seat and the vehicle body wall. together is possible, since a soft material, even in contact with the occupant, Ru advantage of not uncomfortable there.
[0009]
Connecting portion of the knob, the second being connected by a connecting means and loosely, if configured with the connecting portion and the second coupling means is engaged with the movable ready, knobs Since the connecting portion is movably connected to the second connecting means, the knob is maintained at the same position as the locked state even when the reclining is unlocked. In addition, the knob can be lifted from any direction, and can be operated regardless of the direction in which the knob is pulled, and the degree of freedom of operation can be ensured.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that members, arrangements, and the like described below do not limit the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.
[0011]
The reclining device S of this example includes a seat back bracket 10 attached to the seat back side of an automobile seat, a seat cushion bracket 20 attached to the seat cushion side, and both the seat cushion bracket 20 and the brackets of the seat back bracket 10. It is comprised from the angle adjustment apparatus 30 of the substantially disc shaped unit interposed between.
[0012]
A known general device can be used as the angle adjusting device 30, and an example thereof is shown as follows in FIG. 1 and FIG.
The angle adjusting device 30 shown in this example includes a bottomed dish-shaped fixed disk 31 fixed to the seat cushion bracket 20 and a bottomed dish-shaped movable disk 32 fixed to the seatback bracket 10. 32 are combined in a state where they are embraced in a peripheral wall portion 31 a formed on the periphery of the fixed disk 31, so that both the disks 31 and 32 can rotate relative to each other about the operation shaft 40.
[0013]
The movable disk 32 of this example is provided with a circular recessed portion 32a on the side facing the fixed disk 31, and an inner tooth 32b is formed on the inner peripheral wall portion of the recessed portion 32a. Further, a pair of guide plates 33 and 33 are integrally formed on the fixed disc 31 on the side facing the movable disc 32, and guide grooves 33a and 33a are formed on the side portions of the guide plates 33 and 33, respectively. Has been. Further, lock gears 34, 34 that can move forward and backward in the direction of the inner teeth 33b of the movable disk 32 are disposed in the guide grooves 33a, 33a, and the positions of the lock gears 34, 34 are regulated by the projections 33c. .
[0014]
A cam body 42 pivotally supported by the operation shaft 40 and spiral springs 50 disposed on both sides of the cam body 42 are disposed in the recessed portion 32 a of the movable disk 32. The cam body 42 is provided with raised portions 42a and 42a that are in contact with the lock gears 34 and 34 disposed opposite to each other and are pushed in the direction of the internal teeth 33b.
Further, the inner ends of the spiral springs 50, 50 are locked to the protrusion 31b of the fixed disk 31, and the outer ends thereof are locked to the cam body 42. The functions of the spiral springs 50, 50 cause the cam body 42, The locking teeth 34 a and 34 a of the lock gears 34 and 34 are urged through 42 by a direction in which the locking teeth 34 a and 34 a are always meshed with the internal teeth 32 a of the movable disk 32. The operation shaft 40 passes through the seat back bracket 10 and the seat cushion bracket 20.
[0015]
In this example, a spiral spring 60 is disposed on the side opposite to the seat back of the operation lever 12 as a biasing unit that biases the seat back forward. The outer end 61 of the spiral spring 60 is locked to the projecting piece 11b of the locking plate 11a that is crimped to the seat back bracket 10, and the inner end thereof is fixed to a portion around the operation shaft 40 of the seat cushion bracket 20. The seat back Sb that is locked to the locking plate 21 and is attached to the seat back bracket 10 by the spiral spring 60 is urged forwardly.
The angle adjusting device 30 described above is an example, and other known configurations may be used.
[0016]
The lever for adjusting the angle adjustment shaft of this example is the operation lever 12, and this operation lever 12 is fixed to the seat cushion bracket 20 side of the operation shaft 40 as shown in FIG. The operating lever 12 of this example is for operating the operating shaft 40 and has a bifurcated shape consisting of a first piece 12a and a second piece 12b with the operating shaft 40 as the center, and an end of the first piece 12a. A locking portion 12c of the return coil spring 71 is formed. Further, an end portion of the second piece 12b is formed with a connecting portion 12d for disposing a rod 13 as a first connecting means.
[0017]
The rod 13 as the first connecting means swings the operation lever 12 by the link rod 14 as the second connecting means, one end 13a is connected to the operation lever 12, and the other end 13b is described below. The second connecting means is slidably connected to the sliding hole 14h of the link rod 14.
[0018]
The link rod 14 as the second connecting means is pivotally supported by using the rotating shaft 15 formed on the seat cushion side as a support shaft, and swings the rod 13 as the first connecting means. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , the link rod 14 as the second connecting means of the present example includes a connecting hole 14a connected to the rotating shaft 15, and a short rod 14b and a long rod centered on the connecting hole 14a. 14c. An engaging portion 14d is formed on the distal end side of the short rod 14b, and a sliding hole 14h that engages with the end portion 13b of the rod 13 is formed. Since the end portion 13b of the rod 13 and the engaging portion 14d are loosely slidably fitted in the long-sliding hole 14h, even when the reclining is unlocked (that is, in a free state where the teeth are not engaged). The knob is maintained in the same position as the locked position. Further, the connecting portion 14f of the knob 80 with the connecting portion 81 is formed with a locking portion 14e near the rotating shaft 15 of the long rod 14c, and the end of the return coil spring 72 is engaged with the locking portion 14e. At the same time, the other end of the return coil spring 72 is locked to the seat cushion side, so that the link bar 14 is always urged downward (FIG. 1). Further, a connecting portion 14f with the connecting portion 81 of the knob 80 is formed at the end of the long rod 14c.
[0019]
The knob 80 of this example is a thin and thin plate-like material, and is formed of a soft material. A connection main body 83, a connection portion 81 is formed at one end, and a grippable portion 82 is formed at the free end side. Yes. A TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) material is suitable as the soft material.
As shown in FIG. 2, the grippable portion 82 of this example is formed with a hole 82 a for catching an operator's finger or the like. In this example, the hole 82a is formed, but it is only necessary that the operator can easily grasp the knob 80 even if it is not a hole.
[0020]
As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 81 of this example is formed in a ring shape. And as shown in FIG. 4 , the connection part 14f with the connection part 81 of the knob 80 of this example is a connection part 14f with a stepped connection part, and the flange part 14g which provided the gap | interval with the long rod 14c. The connecting portion 81 of the knob 80 is loosely fitted with a bolt, a screw or the like having Thus, since the connection part 14f with the connection part 81 of the knob 80 is connected in a freely movable state, the knob 80 can be operated to pull up the link rod 14 at a free position.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the reclining device having the above configuration will be described.
Normally, the two lock gears 34, 34 are strongly pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the movable disk 32 via the cam body 42 by the urging force of the spiral springs 50, 50, and the locking teeth (external teeth) 34b of the lock gear 34 are The movable disk 32 meshes with the internal teeth 32b of the movable disk 32, and the movable disk 32 is locked. That is, the seat back of the seat maintains its inclination angle.
[0022]
In FIG. 1, the knob 80 is normally positioned in the vicinity of the seat surface of the seat. To operate the reclining device S, the knob 80 is pulled up. 14c is pulled upward in FIG. 1 against the return coil spring 72. When the knob 80 is released, the link bar 14 is returned to the original position by the return coil spring 72, and the knob 80 is also returned to the same position as the locked position.
[0023]
When the link rod 14 pulled upward by the knob 80 rotates the long rod 14c around the rotation shaft 15, and simultaneously rotates the short rod 14b, the link rod 14 and the sliding hole 14h formed in the short rod 14b The end 13 b of the rod 13 to be engaged is pulled, and the operation lever 12 rotates against the return coil spring 71.
[0024]
That is, when the operation lever 12 is rotated counterclockwise (the second piece 12b is downward in FIG. 1) against the urging force of the return coil spring 71, the operation shaft 40 is rotated and the angle adjusting device is rotated. The engagement between the locking teeth 34b and the internal teeth 32b provided at the tip of the lock gear 34 disposed in the interior 30 is released. Thereby, the fixed disk 31 and the movable disk 32 can be rotated relative to each other with the operation shaft 40 penetrating both disks as a fulcrum, and the reclining position is adjusted. In short, when the cam body 42 is rotated counterclockwise against the urging force of the spiral springs 50, 50, the two lock gears 34, 34 can move radially inward, and the locking teeth (External teeth) 34b and the internal teeth 32b are disengaged, and the movable disk 32 can be freely rotated. That is, the inclination angle of the seat back can be freely adjusted.
[0025]
Further, when the knob 80 is released at the desired reclining adjustment position, the link bar 14 is returned by the return coil spring 72, the operation of the operation lever 12 is released via the rod 13, and the angle adjustment device 30 is arranged again. The locking teeth 34b and the internal teeth 32b provided at the tip of the provided lock gear 34 are engaged, the relative rotational position of the fixed disk 31 and the movable disk 32 is fixed, and the reclining position is fixed. In short, the two lock gears 34, 34 are strongly pressed against the inner peripheral surface of the movable disk 32 via the cam body 42 by the urging force of the spiral springs 50, 50, and the locking teeth (external teeth) 34b of the lock gear 34 are movable disks. The movable disc 32 is locked by engaging with the internal teeth 32b of the seat 32, and the seat back Sb of the seat maintains its inclination angle. At this time, even if the rod 13 does not move up and stops halfway, that is, even if the reclining is in an unlocked state (a free state where the teeth are not engaged), the rod 13 is inserted into the slide hole 14h of the link rod 14. Therefore, the knob 80 is maintained at the same position as the locked position. Further, even when the lock lever 34 is not engaged in the reclining process and the operating lever 12 is not completely returned, the rod 13 and the link rod 14 are provided with play by the arc-shaped long hole 14h. Since they are connected, the link bar 14 can return to the same position as when it is normally engaged. Therefore, the knob 80 can be returned to the normal position.
That is, regardless of the reclining lock state, the knob 80 is always located at the lowermost stage, so that it does not get in the way of the occupant and does not feel a foreign object against the buttocks.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, by using a thin and soft knob, there is no sense of incongruity even in a narrow space, there is room in the space, and there is no sense of incongruity even when hitting the buttocks. In addition, even in a narrow operation space, the knob operation direction is not limited, so that operation can be performed in any direction.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of a schematic configuration according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of an operation unit.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is an explanatory front view of a main part of the reclining device.
5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line II of FIG.
[Explanation of symbols]
10 Seat back bracket,
12 Operation lever,
12a first piece,
12b second piece,
12c locking part,
12d connecting part,
13 rod,
13a, 13b ends,
14 Link stick,
14a connecting hole,
14b
14c Nagatoro,
14d engaging part,
14e locking part,
14h sliding hole,
14f connecting part,
15 pivot axis,
20 seat cushion bracket,
30 angle adjustment device,
31 fixed disk,
32 movable disk,
32 movable disk,
32b internal teeth,
34 Lock gear,
34b locking teeth (external teeth),
40 operation axes,
42 cam body,
50 spiral spring,
60 spiral spring,
71, 72 return coil spring,
80 knobs,
81 connecting part,
82 grippable portion 82a hole,
83 connecting body,
S Reclining device

Claims (1)

A bracket attached to the seat cushion side, a bracket attached to the seat back side, an urging means for urging the seat back in the forward direction, an angle adjusting device, and an operating means for operating the angle adjusting device; In a reclining device having
The operating means for operating the angle adjusting device includes a lever for adjusting an angle adjusting shaft of the angle adjusting device, a first connecting means connected to the lever, and a shaft connected to the support shaft to swing the first connecting means. Second connecting means for moving, and a thin knob provided with a connecting portion for swinging the second connecting means about the support shaft,
The knob is made of a soft material, and a grippable portion is formed on the free end side,
An annular part provided in the connecting part of the knob includes the second connecting means, and a flange part provided apart from the second connecting means in the same direction as the axis of the support shaft of the second connecting means. A reclining device characterized in that the connecting portion and the second connecting means are engaged in a movable state in a loosely fitted state in the same direction as the axis thereof .

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