JP5733095B2 - Power seat slide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a power seat slide device capable of sliding a seat electrically.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a power seat slide device for a vehicle that electrically slides a seat back and forth is well known. The power seat slide device includes a lower rail provided on the floor inside the vehicle and an upper rail provided on the back surface of the seat. For example, by sliding the upper rail along the lower rail by the power of the motor, the seat is moved forward and backward. Adjust the position in the direction. As this type of power seat slide device, for example, the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 are well known.

  Patent Document 1 is a technique for converting a rotational force of a motor into a moving force in the longitudinal direction of a seat by a rack and a pinion. Patent Document 2 is a technique for converting a rotational force of a motor into a moving force in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body by a worm gear mechanism. Patent Document 3 is a technique in which the upper rail slides in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body by winding a wire cable routed on the lower rail with a rotating drum provided on the upper rail.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-84255 Japanese Patent No. 3131394 Japanese Patent No. 4392611

  By the way, in the case of a one-box vehicle or a minivan vehicle, for example, a long slide type power seat slide device mounted on the second row seat is desired to have a speed that is easy to adjust in the vicinity of the seating position of the occupant. It has to move at a high speed when getting on and off the third row seat and expanding the cargo compartment behind the second row seat. However, in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the speed is constant over the entire stroke of the seat, the seat speed in the vicinity of the seating position is the same as the seat speed in the vicinity of the seating position. There was a problem that had to be sacrificed.

  In Patent Document 3, the rotary drum and the motor drive mechanism are disconnected by a clutch near the seating position of the occupant, the seat position is adjusted manually, and the walk-in operation switch is turned on outside the seating position. In this technique, manual operation of lock mechanism release → clutch connection → motor drive mechanism operation is sequentially executed, and the seat is automatically slid by the motor. In Patent Document 3, the seat moving speed can be switched between a position near the occupant's seating and the other position, but there is a problem that the position adjustment near the seating is a manual operation, which is not convenient. It was.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a power seat slide device that can improve the convenience of moving the seat position by allowing the seat to move at a speed suitable for the seat position.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, a plurality of rail units are provided in which the first rail member formed on one of the seat and the seat mounting surface slides relative to the second rail member formed on the other. In the power seat slide device that adjusts the position of the seat by sliding one of the first rail member and the second rail member with respect to the other by the driving force of the driving means, the first rail member and A multi-stage gear provided on one of the second rail members and having a plurality of gears having different pitch diameters, and provided on the other of the first rail member and the second rail member, and selectively with the gear of the multi-stage gear. And a multi-stage rack having a plurality of racks meshing with each other, the power transmission mechanism including the first rail member and the second rail Depending on the position between the seal member, which gear the multistage gear by selectively varying whether mesh with any rack of the multi-stage rack, and summarized in that for switching the speed of the sheet.

  According to the configuration of the present invention, the moving speed when the seat is electrically slid and moved can be switched by the power transmission mechanism. For example, when the seat is in the seating area, the seat moving speed is lowered and the seat is seated. When in the unusable area, the sheet moving speed can be increased. For this reason, when the seat is electrically slid, the seat moving speed can be set to a suitable speed when the seat is located in the seating area and when the seat is located in the non-sitting area. It becomes possible.

  In the present invention, the multi-stage gear includes a large-diameter gear and a small-diameter gear having different pitch diameters. When the small-diameter gear meshes with the first rack of the multi-stage rack, the moving speed of the seat becomes low, and the large gear The gist is that when the radial gear meshes with the second rack of the multi-stage rack, the moving speed of the sheet becomes high. According to this configuration, since the sheet moving speed is switched according to the pitch diameter of the large-diameter gear and the small-diameter gear of the multi-stage gear, each rack of the multi-stage rack need only change the rack height. For this reason, the shape of the multistage rack can be simplified.

  In the present invention, the multistage rack includes a first rack that meshes with one gear of the multistage gear, a second rack that meshes with the other gear of the multistage gear, and a seam rack that connects the first rack and the second rack. The summary is provided. According to this configuration, when the meshing of the multi-stage gear is switched between the first rack and the second rack, the moving speed changes, so the teeth of the multi-stage gear and the rack interfere with each other, but the first rack and the second rack Interference between teeth due to speed change is reduced by the seam rack connecting the two. For this reason, smooth operation is ensured when the meshing of the gears is switched.

  In the present invention, the joint rack includes first gear teeth that form one gear tooth of the first rack and second gear teeth that form two gear teeth of the second rack, and the first gear teeth. Is formed such that at least one of the tooth height and the tooth thickness is smaller than the gear teeth of the first rack, and at least one of the tooth height and the tooth thickness of the second gear teeth is smaller than the gear teeth of the second rack. The gist is that it is formed. According to this configuration, it is possible to ensure smoothness when the meshing of the multistage gear is switched between the first rack and the second rack by a simple configuration in which the shape of the seam rack is devised.

  In the present invention, the power transmission mechanism decelerates the driving force of the driving means and transmits it to one of the multi-stage gear and the multi-stage rack, so that one of the first rail member and the second rail member becomes the other. The gist of the present invention is that it is provided with a deceleration means for moving it. According to this configuration, even if an impact is applied to the power seat slide device, the impact load can be absorbed by the speed reduction means. For this reason, it is possible to make it difficult for the seat to move when an impact occurs, and thus it is possible to protect an occupant seated on the seat.

  The gist of the present invention is that it comprises detection means for detecting the slide position of the sheet, and control means for controlling the drive means based on the detection result of the detection means. According to this configuration, since the seat can be operated in various modes based on the detection result of the detection means, for example, it is detected whether the seat position is in the seating region, and the occupant It becomes possible to determine whether or not seating is possible.

  The gist of the present invention is that a pair of the rail units are provided in the seat width direction, and the power transmission mechanism is provided in each of the pair of rail units and is symmetrically arranged in the seat width direction. . According to this configuration, since the power seat slide device has a symmetrical shape with the drive means as the center, the weight balance of the device is ensured.

  In the present invention, a plurality of one first rail member is formed by assembling the second rail members of the plurality of seats arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction to the one first rail member provided on the seat mounting surface. The second rail member is used in common. According to this configuration, it is possible to apply to a long slide type in which the front seat, the second row seat, and the like slide along one first rail member. If the sheet moving speed can be switched as appropriate, the effect of securing convenience is further enhanced.

  According to the present invention, since the sheet can be moved at a speed suitable for the sheet position, the convenience of moving the sheet position can be improved.

The perspective view of the power seat slide device of one embodiment. The perspective view of the state which removed the upper rail from the lower rail. II-II sectional view taken on the line of FIG. The top view of a power seat slide apparatus. The exploded perspective view of a power seat slide device. III-III sectional view taken on the line of FIG. IV-IV sectional view taken on the line of FIG. The perspective view which expanded the multistage rack in the joint rack. The electric block diagram of a power seat slide apparatus. The operation | movement transition diagram of a power seat slide apparatus.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a power seat slide device embodying the present invention in a vehicle will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, in a vehicle such as a one-box vehicle or a minivan vehicle, for example, a seat (for example, a second row seat) 1 installed in the vehicle is electrically driven by the seat 1 in the vehicle longitudinal direction (the X direction in FIG. 1). ) Is attached to the vehicle interior floor 4 via the power seat slide device 2. The power seat slide device 2 enables the vehicle body longitudinal direction position of the seat 1 to be set in multiple stages in the vicinity of the seating position of the occupant and other regions.

  The power seat slide device 2 is provided with a pair of rail units 3 and 3 arranged in the seat width direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 1). The seat 1 is supported on the interior floor 4 by a pair of rail units 3 and 3. The pair of rail units 3 and 3 in this example has a left side rail unit 3a on the front side in FIG. 1 and a right side rail unit 3b on the back side in FIG. The left rail unit 3a and the right rail unit 3b are arranged symmetrically in the seat width direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each rail unit 3 a, 3 b has a lower rail 5 attached to the interior floor 4 and an upper rail 6 attached to the back surface of the seat 1 in the rail longitudinal direction (FIG. 2). Along the X-axis direction). Since the lower rail 5 is on the support side of the upper rail 6, it is longer than the upper rail 6. In the rail units 3a and 3b, a front seat, a second row seat, and a third row seat upper rail 6 are assembled to one lower rail 5. The interior floor 4 corresponds to the seat mounting surface, the lower rail 5 corresponds to the first rail member, and the upper rail 6 corresponds to the second rail member.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, rollers 7 for guiding the sliding movement with respect to the lower rail 5 are provided on the roller shaft 8 protruding from the side wall of the upper rail 6 on both sides of the rail at the front end and the rear end of the upper rail 6. It is pivotally supported so that it can rotate. The roller 7 is a double-supported type in which a pair of left and right sides in the rail longitudinal direction form a pair. In this example, four rollers 7 are arranged on each of the left and right upper rails 6, and a total of eight rollers 7 are arranged when viewed from the entire sheet 1.

  On the upper surface of the lower rail 5, a through groove 9 is formed in a recess along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail 5 (X-axis direction in FIG. 2). Further, a pair of space portions 10 communicating with the through groove 9 are provided on both sides of the through groove 9 inside the lower rail 5. The upper rail 6 has a main body portion passed through the through groove 9, a left roller group disposed in the space portion 10a, and a right roller group disposed in the space portion 10b. The upper rail 6 slides relative to the lower rail 5 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body along the through groove 9 while the roller 7 rotates on the rolling wall 5 b of the lower rail 5.

  A plurality of shoes 11 that suppress rattling between the lower rail 5 and a plurality of shoes 11 are attached to the upper rail 6. In the shoe 11 of this example, two on the left and right sides are arranged between two rollers 7 and 7 aligned in the rail longitudinal direction, and the front side (the front side in FIG. 2) is the front end roller 7. Arranged in the vicinity, the rear side (the back side in FIG. 2) is arranged in the vicinity of the roller 7 at the rear end. An upper sliding contact piece 11 a that suppresses rattling in the rail height direction (Z-axis direction in FIG. 2) is provided on the shoe 11. The upper sliding contact piece 11a abuts against the inner surface of the upper wall 5d of the lower rail 5 to absorb rattling in the rail height direction. An outer sliding contact piece 11b that suppresses rattling in the rail lateral direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 2) is provided on the side of the shoe 11. The outer slidable contact piece 11b abuts against the inner surface of the side wall 5c of the lower rail 5 to absorb rattle in the rail lateral direction. Four shoes 11 in this example are arranged on each of the left and right upper rails 6, when viewed from the entire seat 1, for a total of eight shoes 11.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the power seat slide device 2 is provided with a motor 12 serving as a power source for the seat slide. The motor 12 is attached to the seat 1 via a motor bracket 13 and motor shafts 12a are provided on both sides so that a driving force can be output from both sides. A pair of power transmission mechanisms 14 and 14 are provided on the left and right sides of the motor 12 in the seat width direction to switch the moving speed of the seat 1 by selective engagement of gears and latches. The power transmission mechanisms 14, 14 use the same parts on the left and right by changing the mounting direction on the left and right. In the case of this example, the left and right power transmission mechanisms 14, 14 have a symmetrical structure, so only one (left side) is shown in FIG. The motor 12 corresponds to a driving unit.

  Next, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 14 will be described. A drive unit 16 is connected to the motor shaft 12a via a torque cable 15. The drive unit 16 converts the rotational force of the motor 12 into a straight traveling force of the upper rail 6 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The drive unit 16 is provided with a gear case 17 that houses various components of the drive unit 16. The gear case 17 includes two parts, a first gear case 17a and a second gear case 17b. The drive part 16 is being fixed to the attachment bracket 18 provided in the upper rail 6 with the some fastening part (bolt etc.) 18a. The mounting bracket 18 is integrally fixed to the upper end of the upper rail 6 by welding or the like, for example.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a worm gear mechanism 19 for storing an input rotational force by changing its direction by approximately 90 degrees is housed in the gear case 17. The worm gear mechanism 19 includes a worm 20 that rotates about an axis L1 (X axis in FIG. 5) and a worm wheel that can rotate with the worm 20 and rotate about an axis L2 (Y axis in FIG. 5). 21. Both ends of the worm 20 are pivotally supported by worm bearings 22 and 22, respectively. Further, both ends of the worm wheel 21 are pivotally supported by thrust washers 23 and 23, respectively. Note that the worm gear mechanism 19 corresponds to a reduction means.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the torque cable 15 includes two layers of an outer cable 15a and an inner cable 15b, and the inner cable 15b can rotate within the outer cable 15a. At both ends of the inner cable 15b, square connecting portions 15c and 15c are provided, one of which is attached and fixed to the motor shaft 12a, and the other is attached and fixed to the worm 20. When the motor 12 rotates, the torque cable 15 transmits the rotational force of the motor 12 to the worm 20, and the worm 20 and the worm wheel 21 rotate.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a pinion gear 24 that rotates integrally around the same axis as the worm wheel 21 is fixedly attached to the worm wheel 21 at the same axis position. As shown in FIG. 6, the gear portion 25 of the pinion gear 24 is pulled out of the case through an opening hole 17 c formed in the side wall of the second gear case 17 b, and is rotated to the pair of bearing holes 26, 26 of the mounting bracket 18. By being pivotally supported, it is arranged in the storage space 27 in the mounting bracket 18.

  A multi-stage gear 28 having a plurality of gears is meshed with the gear portion 25 of the pinion gear 24 so as to be integrally rotatable. The multi-stage gear 28 is a gear in which a plurality (two in this example) of gears (spur gears) 29 and 30 having different pitch circle diameters are coaxially overlapped and integrated, and the larger diameter gear 29 is arranged on the larger diameter side. The smaller diameter side is referred to as a small diameter gear 30.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the multi-stage gear 28 rotates around the axis L <b> 3 (Y axis in FIG. 6) that is the axis of the gear shaft 32, around the gear shaft 32 of the gear attachment portion 31 that is attached and fixed to the upper rail 6. It is pivotally supported. The gear shaft 32 is inserted into a shaft hole 33 formed at the center position of the multistage gear 28 so as to be relatively rotatable, and a tip is pivotally supported by a shaft hole 34 penetrating the upper rail 6. The multistage gear 28 is located in the storage space 35 in the upper rail 6 in the attached state. The gear attachment portion 31 is attached and fixed to the side wall of the upper rail 6 by a plurality of fastening portions (bolts or the like) 36 shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the lower rail 5 is provided with a multistage rack 37 in which the gears 29 and 30 of the multistage gear 28 are selectively meshed. The multi-stage rack 37 is formed in an elongated shape and is fixedly attached to the bottom wall 5 a of the lower rail 5. The multi-stage rack 37 of this example includes a first rack 38 that can mesh with the small-diameter gear 30 of the multi-stage gear 28, a second rack 39 that can mesh with the large-diameter gear 29 of the multi-stage gear 28, the first rack 38, and the second rack 38. It consists of a seam rack 40 connecting the racks 39.

  As shown in FIG. 5, these racks 38 to 40 are aligned in a line along the rail longitudinal direction of the lower rail 5 (X-axis direction in FIG. 5). However, the first rack 38 and the second rack 39 do not overlap in the rail lateral direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 5), that is, are shifted in the rail lateral direction. This is because the first rack 38 is meshed with the small-diameter gear 30 and the second rack 39 is meshed with the large-diameter gear 29 according to the slide position of the upper rail 6, that is, the rotational position of the multistage gear 28.

  On the upper surface of the first rack 38, a plurality of gear teeth 38a meshing with the small-diameter gear 30 are formed at equal intervals along the rack longitudinal direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 5). The first rack 38 is formed higher than the second rack 39 so as to reach the small-diameter gear 30. The first rack 38 is made of a material having high strength such as metal, and is firmly fixed to the lower rail 5 by welding or the like. The first rack 38 has a plurality of locking protrusions 41, 41... Formed at equal intervals along the longitudinal direction of the rack on the bottom surface and a plurality of locking holes 42, 42... Formed on the bottom wall 5 a of the lower rail 5. By stopping, it is positioned with respect to the lower rail 5.

  On the upper surface of the second rack 39, a plurality of gear teeth 39a that mesh with the large-diameter gear 29 are formed at equal intervals along the rack longitudinal direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 5). The second rack 39 is formed lower than the first rack 38 so as to be aligned with the large-diameter gear 29. The second rack 39 is also made of a material having high strength such as metal, and is firmly fixed to the lower rail 5 by welding or the like. The second rack 39 has a plurality of locking protrusions 43, 43,... Formed at equal intervals along the rack longitudinal direction on the bottom surface, respectively, and a plurality of locking holes 44, 44 ... formed on the bottom wall 5a of the lower rail 5. By stopping, it is positioned with respect to the lower rail 5.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the joint rack 40 has small-diameter gear teeth 45 that can mesh with the small-diameter gear 30 of the multi-stage gear 28, and a large-diameter gear that can mesh with the large-diameter gear 29 of the multi-stage gear 28. Gear teeth 46, and small-diameter gear teeth 45 and large-diameter gear teeth 46 are connected to each other. The joint rack 40 is formed of, for example, an elastic member (made of rubber) or a resin member (made of elastomer). The small-diameter gear teeth 45 correspond to first gear gears, and the large-diameter gear teeth 46 correspond to second gear teeth.

  The gear teeth 45 for the small-diameter gear are arranged so as to be continuously aligned with the gear teeth 38a of the first rack 38, and the tooth height H1 and the tooth thickness W1 shown in FIG. 8 are larger than those of the gear teeth 38a of the first rack 38. It is formed smaller than. The tooth height H1 is a member height from the rack bottom surface to the tooth tip in the rail height direction (Z-axis direction in FIG. 8). The tooth thickness W1 is the thickness of the tooth portion in the rail longitudinal direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 8). The gear teeth 46 for the large-diameter gear are arranged so as to be continuously aligned with the gear teeth 39a of the second rack 39, and the tooth height H2 and the tooth thickness W2 are formed smaller than the gear teeth 39a of the second rack 39. . The gear teeth 46 for the large-diameter gear are formed so that the tooth width W <b> 3 is larger than that of the second rack 39. The tooth width W3 is the width of the tooth portion in the rail lateral direction (the direction of Y in FIG. 8).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the seam rack 40 is engaged with the lower rail 5 by engaging a locking protrusion 48 formed on the bottom surface with a locking hole 49 formed on the bottom wall 5 a of the lower rail 5. It is positioned. The joint rack 40 is attached and fixed to the lower rail 5 by, for example, press-fitting, bonding, screws, or the like.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the multistage gear 28 slides a short distance (distance M1 in FIG. 7) when the motor 12 makes one rotation when the small-diameter gear 30 is in mesh with the first rack 38. For this reason, when the multistage gear 28 rotates on the first rack 38, the seat 1 moves at a low speed, and this low speed movement region becomes a seating region where the user can sit on the seat 1. When the seat 1 is in the seating area, the mounting bracket of the seat belt device can reach the buckle, and the occupant seated on the seat 1 can attach the seat belt.

  Further, the multistage gear 28 slides and moves a long distance (distance M2 in FIG. 7) when the motor 12 makes one rotation while the large-diameter gear 29 is in mesh with the second rack 39. For this reason, when the multistage gear 28 rotates on the second rack 39, the seat 1 moves at a high speed, and this high-speed movement area becomes a non-sitting area where the user cannot sit on the seat 1. In the non-sitting area, the mounting bracket of the seat belt device does not reach the buckle, and the seat belt cannot be mounted.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the power seat slide device 2 is provided with a control unit 50 that controls the operation of the power seat slide device 2. The control unit 50 is connected to the motor 12 and an operation unit 51 that is operated when the seat 1 is moved forward or backward. Further, a seating area detection sensor 52 that detects that the seat 1 is located in the seating area and a non-sitting area detection sensor 53 that detects that the seat 1 is located in the non-sitting area are connected to the control unit 50. ing. As the seating area detection sensor 52 and the non-sitting area detection sensor 53, for example, a position sensor or a limit sensor is used. A seating sensor 54 that detects whether or not a person is seated on the seat 1 is connected to the control unit 50. The control unit 50 corresponds to a control unit, and the sensors 52 to 54 constitute a detection unit.

  When the control unit 50 detects that the reverse operation of the seat has been performed at the operation unit 51, the control unit 50 slides the seat 1 to the rear of the vehicle, for example, by rotating the motor 12 normally. Further, when the control unit 50 detects that the operation of the seat advance is performed in the operation unit 51, the control unit 50 slides the seat 1 forward of the vehicle, for example, by reversing the motor 12.

  The control unit 50 determines the seat position based on detection signals input from the seating area detection sensor 52 and the non-sitting area detection sensor 53, and performs various operations according to the seat position. For example, when the seat 1 is located in the seating area, the control unit 50 notifies the user that the seat 1 can be seated by the display unit (indicator) 55 or the like. Further, when the seating sensor 54 detects the seating of a person, if the seat 1 is in the non-sitting area, the control unit 50 does not energize the motor 12 and prohibits the electric movement of the seat 1.

Next, operation | movement of the power seat slide apparatus 2 of this example is demonstrated using FIG.5 and FIG.10.
Here, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, when the seat 1 is in the non-seatable region and the multistage gear 28 is engaged with the second rack 39 by the large-diameter gear 29, the operation of the reverse operation of the seat is performed in the operation portion 51. Suppose that was made. At this time, the control unit 50 energizes the motor 12 in the forward rotation direction while the operation of the operation unit 51 performs the reverse operation of the seat, and executes the movement of the seat 1 toward the rear of the vehicle.

  When the motor 12 rotates normally, the rotational force in the normal rotation direction of the motor 12 is transmitted to the worm 20 of the drive unit 16 by the torque cable 15. At this time, the worm 20 rotates in one direction (arrow A1 direction in FIG. 5), and the worm wheel 21 and the pinion gear 24 rotate in one direction (arrow B1 direction in FIG. 10). The rotation of the worm wheel 21 is decelerated by the worm wheel 21 and input to the pinion gear 24. When the pinion gear 24 rotates in the arrow B1 direction, the multi-stage gear 28 that meshes with the pinion gear 24 by the large-diameter gear 29 rotates in the direction opposite to the pinion gear 24 (the arrow C1 direction in FIG. 10).

  When the seat 1 is in the non-seatable region, the multi-stage gear 28 is in a state where the large-diameter gear 29 is engaged with the second rack 39. Therefore, when the multi-stage gear 28 rotates in the arrow C1 direction, the large-diameter gear 29 and the second rack 39 The seat 1 slides and moves rearward at a speed corresponding to the gear pitch determined by Therefore, when the seat 1 is in the non-sitting region, the seat 1 can be slid at a high speed toward the rear of the vehicle.

  When the multi-stage gear 28 reaches the joint rack 40, the large-diameter gear 29 meshes with the gear teeth 46 for the large-diameter gear of the joint rack 40 and the small-diameter gear 30 engages with the small-diameter gear of the joint rack 40, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. The gear teeth 45 are engaged with each other. That is, the multi-stage gear 28 is engaged with the joint rack 40 from the second rack 39. Here, in the case of this example, the seam rack 40 is formed of a material that is easily deformed, and the tooth heights H1 and H2 and the tooth thicknesses W1 and W2 of the gear teeth 45 for the small diameter gear and the gear teeth 46 for the large diameter gear are formed small. Therefore, the multistage gear 28 meshes smoothly with the joint rack 40 from the second rack 39, and the multistage gear 28 rotates stably.

  Then, when the multi-stage gear 28 on the joint rack 40 further rotates, the small-diameter gear 30 of the multi-stage gear 28 is now engaged with the first rack 38 as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Thereafter, when the multi-stage gear 28 rotates in the direction of the arrow C1, the seat 1 slides backward at the speed corresponding to the gear pitch determined from the small diameter gear 30 and the first rack 38, that is, at a low speed. Therefore, when the seat 1 is in the seating area, the seat 1 moves at a low speed, so that fine alignment is possible.

  Conversely, assume that when the multi-stage gear 28 is engaged with the first rack 38 by the small-diameter gear 30, the operation portion 51 is operated to advance the seat. At this time, the control unit 50 energizes the motor 12 in the reverse direction while the seat advance operation is performed in the operation unit 51, and executes the movement of the seat 1 forward of the vehicle. When the motor 12 reverses, the worm 20 rotates in the other direction (arrow A2 direction in FIG. 5), and the worm wheel 21 and the pinion gear 24 rotate together in the other direction (arrow B2 direction in FIG. 10). When the pinion gear 24 rotates in the arrow B2 direction, the multi-stage gear 28 that meshes with the pinion gear 24 by the small-diameter gear 30 rotates in the direction opposite to the pinion gear 24 (the arrow C2 direction in FIG. 10).

  When the seat 1 is in the seating region, the multistage gear 28 is in a state where the small-diameter gear 30 is engaged with the first rack 38, so that the seat 1 slides forward at a low speed. Then, the multistage gear 28 smoothly meshes with the second rack 39 at the joint rack 40, and thereafter, the multistage gear 28 enters a state where the large-diameter gear 29 meshes with the second rack 39, and the seat 1 slides forward at a high speed. To do.

  As described above, in this example, the multi-stage gear 28 is provided on the upper rail 6 and can be rotated by the motor 12 on the upper rail 6 side, and the multi-stage rack 37 is provided on the lower rail 5 to slide the seat 1. Depending on the position, one of the large-diameter gear 29 and the small-diameter gear 30 of the multistage gear 28 is selectively engaged with one of the first rack 38 and the second rack 39 of the multistage rack 37. Therefore, the sliding movement speed of the seat 1 is a speed corresponding to the pitch diameter of the small-diameter gear 30 when the small-diameter gear 30 and the first rack 38 mesh with each other, and when the large-diameter gear 29 and the second rack 39 mesh with each other. The speed corresponds to the pitch diameter of the large-diameter gear 29.

  Therefore, in the region where the small-diameter gear 30 and the first rack 38 are engaged, that is, in the seating region, the moving speed of the seat 1 is low, so that the position adjustment of the seat 1 can be performed even when the seat 1 is slid electrically. Easy to handle. Further, in the area where the large gear 29 and the second rack 39 are engaged, that is, in the non-sitting area, the movement speed of the seat 1 is high. Can be done. Therefore, even when the seat 1 is an electric type, the moving speed of the seat 1 can be changed between the seating area and the non-sitting area, so that the convenience in adjusting the position of the seat 1 is ensured. The

  Further, when the multistage gear 28 is engaged with the first rack 38 by the small diameter gear 30, the input load is decelerated by the small diameter gear 30. For this reason, even if an occupant is seated on the seat 1 in the seating region, the seat 1 can be smoothly slid regardless of its weight. Even if the vehicle collides, the impact load (inertial load) input at this time is reduced by the small-diameter gear 30 and input to the drive unit 16, so that the drive unit 16 is made a high-strength component. Even without this, it is possible to withstand the impact load. Further, since the worm gear mechanism 19 is used for the drive unit 16, the impact load input at the time of the vehicle collision is absorbed by the self-lock function of the worm gear mechanism 19. For this reason, it is difficult for the seat on which the occupant is seated to move in a collision.

  On the other hand, when the multistage gear 28 is engaged with the second rack 39 by the large-diameter gear 29, the input load is output as it is without being decelerated. When moving at 12, only the weight of the seat 1 is relevant. For this reason, since the load for moving the seat 1 can be reduced, the seat 1 can be slid without increasing the size of the drive unit 16. Further, when the vehicle collides, if the seat 1 is in the non-sitting area, the collision load is related only to the seat 1 and can be sufficiently supported by the normal drive unit 16.

  By the way, since the speed of the joint portion of the first rack 38 and the second rack 39 is changed by switching the gears of the meshing multi-stage gear 28, the gear teeth and the rack teeth interfere with each other, which can hinder smooth movement. There is sex. Therefore, in the case of this example, since the seam rack 40 is provided at the seam portion, interference between the gear teeth and the rack teeth is reduced. For this reason, when the gear meshing with the multi-stage rack 37 is switched in the multi-stage gear 28, the interference between the teeth is reduced in the joint rack 40, so that the smooth sliding movement of the seat 1 can be ensured.

According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) Since the speed of the electric slide movement of the seat 1 can be switched by the multi-stage gear 28 and the multi-stage rack 37, when the seat 1 is in the seating region, the movement speed of the seat 1 is reduced and the seat 1 is seated. When in the impossible area, the moving speed of the sheet 1 can be set to a high speed. Therefore, when the seat 1 is slid electrically, the movement speed of the seat 1 is set to a suitable speed when the seat 1 is located in the seating area and when the seat 1 is located in the non-sitting area. Can be set. Further, since the position of the seat 1 in the seating area can be adjusted electrically, the position of the seat 1 can be adjusted easily.

  (2) When the seat 1 is lowered in the seating area, the input load is decelerated by the small-diameter gear 30 of the multi-stage gear 28. Therefore, even if an occupant sits on the seat 1 and the weight increases, the seat 1 can be removed without any problem. The motor 12 can be slid. In addition, when an occupant sits on the seat 1, even if an impact occurs due to the collision of the vehicle, the impact load is reduced by the small-diameter gear 30 and input to the drive unit 16. For this reason, since it is not necessary to manufacture the drive part 16 as a high intensity | strength component, an effect becomes high at the simplification of a structure and cost reduction of components.

  (3) When the seat 1 is in the non-seatable region, the multi-stage gear 28 is engaged with the second rack 39 by the large-diameter gear 29, so that the input load is not reduced. Since only the weight of the seat 1 is concerned without being seated, the load when moving the seat 1 can be reduced. For this reason, it is not necessary to increase the size of the drive unit 16, and the effect of reducing the component cost is enhanced.

  (4) The multi-stage gear 28 is provided with a large-diameter gear 29 and a small-diameter gear 30 having different pitch diameters, and the small-diameter gear 30 and the first rack 38 are engaged with each other, or the large-diameter gear 29 and the second rack 39 are engaged with each other. Is changed according to the rotation of the motor 12 to switch the moving speed of the sheet 1. For this reason, the racks 38 and 39 of the multi-stage rack 37 can have the same tooth shape only by changing the rack height. Therefore, the shape of the multistage rack 37 is simple.

  (5) Since the first rack 38 and the second rack 39 are connected by the seam rack 40 made of a material having small tooth heights H1 and H2 and tooth thicknesses W1 and W2, the multi-stage gear 28 is meshed. When switching between the first rack 38 and the second rack 39, even if the moving speed of the seat 1 changes, interference between teeth between the multistage gear 28 and the multistage rack 37 can be reduced. For this reason, the smoothness of operation | movement when the gear of the multistage gear 28 switches can be ensured.

  (6) The motor 12 is connected to the pinion gear 24 and the multistage gear 28 via the worm gear mechanism 19 having a self-locking function. For this reason, even if an impact is applied to the power seat slide device 2 due to a vehicle collision, the impact load is absorbed by the self-lock function of the worm gear mechanism 19. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the seat to move when a collision occurs, so that the occupant seated on the seat 1 can be protected.

  (7) The seating area detection sensor 52, the non-sitting area detection sensor 53, and the seating sensor 54 are provided, and the operation of the power seat slide device 2 can be controlled based on the output of these sensors. For this reason, for example, it is detected whether or not the seat position is in the seating area to determine whether or not an occupant can be seated on the seat 1, or if seating is detected when the seat 1 is in the non-sitting area, the movement of the seat 1 is detected. It is possible to perform an operation of prohibiting the above.

(8) Since the power transmission mechanisms 14 and 14 are arranged symmetrically about the motor 12, the weight balance of the power seat slide device 2 is improved.
(9) The joint rack 40 includes a gear tooth 45 for a small gear that forms one gear tooth of the first rack 38 and a gear tooth 46 for a large gear that forms one gear tooth of the second rack 39. And it forms with the material which is easy to deform | transform. For this reason, when the mesh of the multistage gear 28 is switched between the first rack 38 and the second rack 39, the shape of the joint rack 40 is devised and the joint rack 40 is made of a material that is easily deformable. Smoothness can be ensured.

In addition, embodiment is not limited to the structure described until now, You may change into the following aspects.
The multi-stage gear 28 is not limited to a component in which the large-diameter gear 29 and the small-diameter gear 30 are integrally assembled on the same axis. For example, the large-diameter gear 29 and the small-diameter gear 30 may be separate parts, which are connected by a belt and rotated synchronously by the motor 12.

The multi-stage gear 28 may be disposed on the lower rail 5 side, and the multi-stage rack 37 may be disposed on the upper rail 6 side.
The upper rail 6 is not attached to the seat 1 and the lower rail 5 is not attached to the vehicle interior floor 4, but may be reversed.

A single lower rail 5 is not limited to be shared by a plurality of upper rails 6. For example, each of the lower rail 5 and the upper rail 6 may be a set.
The rail unit 3 is not limited to being provided as a pair on the left and right, and may be provided, for example, three or more.

The arrangement position and the number of the rollers 7 and shoes 11 can be changed as appropriate.
The driving means is not limited to the motor 12, and other actuators such as a cylinder can be used.

  The detection means is not limited to the seating area detection sensor 52, the non-sitting area detection sensor 53, and the seating sensor 54, and can be changed to another sensor as long as the use state of the seat 1 can be seen.

The speed reduction means is not limited to the worm gear mechanism 19 and can be changed to another type of gear.
-The joint rack 40 is not limited to the member of embodiment, For example, other members, such as a mere leaf | plate spring, can be used.

-The number of gears of the power transmission mechanism 14 is not limited to two, and may be three or more.
The power seat slide device 2 is not limited to the power transmission mechanisms 14 and 14 having a symmetrical arrangement shape with the motor 12 as a center, and may be asymmetrical to the left and right.

The seat mounting surface is not limited to the interior floor 4 and may be another location.
-Different gear pitch diameters are not limited to the different number of gear teeth. For example, the gear pitch diameters may be different from each other even if the gears have the same number of teeth and the gear modules are different. That is, the diameters of the gears may be different.

  The power seat slide device 2 is not limited to being mounted on a vehicle, and may be applied to other devices and apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Seat, 2 ... Power seat slide apparatus, 3 (3a, 3b) ... Rail unit, 4 ... Vehicle interior floor as seat mounting surface, 5 ... Lower rail as 1st rail member, 6 ... Upper as 2nd rail member Rail: 12 ... Motor as drive means, 14 ... Power transmission mechanism, 19 ... Worm gear mechanism as speed reduction means, 28 ... Multi-stage gear, 29 ... Large-diameter gear constituting a gear (one gear), 30 ... Gear (other gear) 37 ... multi-stage rack, 38 ... first rack constituting the rack, 38a ... gear teeth, 39 ... second rack constituting the rack, 39a ... gear teeth, 40 ... seam rack constituting the rack 45... Small gear gear teeth as first gear teeth 46. Large gear gear teeth as second gear teeth 50. Control unit as control means 52. Detection means Seating area detection sensor for forming, 53 ... seating area incapable detection sensors constituting the detection means, 54 ... seat sensors constituting the detection means, H1, H2 ...... tooth height, W1, W2 ... tooth thickness.

Claims (8)

The first rail member formed on one of the seat and the seat mounting surface is provided with a plurality of rail units that slide relative to the second rail member formed on the other, and the first rail member and the first rail member are driven by the driving force of the driving means. In the power seat slide device that adjusts the position of the seat by sliding one of the second rail members relative to the other,
A multi-stage gear provided on one of the first rail member and the second rail member and having a plurality of gears having different pitch diameters; and a multi-stage gear provided on the other of the first rail member and the second rail member. A power transmission mechanism comprising a multi-stage rack having a plurality of racks that selectively mesh with the gears of
The power transmission mechanism selectively changes which gear of the multi-stage gear meshes with which rack of the multi-stage rack according to the position between the first rail member and the second rail member. A power seat slide device that switches the speed of the seat. The multi-stage gear includes a large-diameter gear and a small-diameter gear having different pitch diameters. When the small-diameter gear meshes with the first rack of the multi-stage rack, the moving speed of the seat becomes low, and the large-diameter gear 2. The power seat slide device according to claim 1, wherein when the second rack of the multistage rack is engaged, the moving speed of the seat becomes high. The multi-stage rack is
A first rack meshing with one gear of the multi-stage gear;
A second rack meshing with the other gear of the multi-stage gear;
The power seat slide device according to claim 1, further comprising a seam rack that connects the first rack and the second rack. The joint rack includes first gear teeth that form one gear tooth of the first rack, and second gear teeth that form two gear teeth of the second rack;
The first gear teeth are formed such that at least one of the tooth height and the tooth thickness is smaller than the gear teeth of the first rack, and the second gear teeth are the tooth height and the tooth thickness than the gear teeth of the second rack. 4. The power seat slide device according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the two is formed small. 5. The power transmission mechanism moves one of the first rail member and the second rail member relative to the other by decelerating and transmitting the driving force of the driving means to one of the multistage gear and the multistage rack. The power seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a deceleration unit. Detecting means for detecting a slide position of the sheet;
The power seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a control unit that controls the drive unit based on a detection result of the detection unit. A pair of the rail units are provided in the seat width direction,
The power seat slide according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the power transmission mechanism is provided in each of the pair of rail units and is symmetrically arranged in the seat width direction. apparatus. By assembling the second rail members of the plurality of seats arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction to one first rail member provided on the seat mounting surface, one first rail member is attached to the plurality of second rail members. The power seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the power seat slide device is shared by rail members.

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