JP7310634B2 - Vehicle slide rail device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle slide rail device. Specifically, the seat position can be adjusted by releasing the lock mechanism, and the position before the change of the seat position is memorized by mechanical engagement with the slide rail, and the seat position can be returned to the position before the change. The present invention relates to a vehicle slide rail device having a memory mechanism.

Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle slide rail device that connects a vehicle seat to a floor so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. This slide rail device for a vehicle comprises a pair of left and right slide rails whose seat position can be adjusted by unlocking a lock mechanism, and mechanical engagement of the position before the change of the seat position to store the stored position before the change. a memory mechanism operable to be returned to position.

The memory mechanism is mounted on a slide rail inside the vehicle. In the above memory mechanism, when the boarding lever is operated, a release operation member provided on the slide rail inside the vehicle is pulled rearward via a cable, unlocking both slide rails at once and changing the seat position. It operates to remember the previous position by mechanical engagement. The release operation member is supported so as to be rotatable in the front-rear direction around a rotation shaft on the lower end side, and is urged to rotate forward by a torsion spring and held in position.

JP-A-2018-83498

In the above-described prior art, when one end of the torsion spring is hooked to the base member on the slide rail from below, it is necessary to set a protective cover so that the one end does not form an upward angle with respect to the outside. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention provides a slide rail device for a vehicle in which one end of a torsion spring hooked on a base member on a slide rail from below can be provided so as not to be angled upward with respect to the outside.

In order to solve the above problems, the vehicle slide rail device of the present invention employs the following means.

That is, the vehicle slide rail device of the present invention includes a slide rail whose seat position can be adjusted by releasing a lock mechanism, and a slide rail that memorizes the position before the change of the seat position by mechanical engagement and stores the position before the change of the seat position. a memory mechanism operable to be returned to the position of This vehicle slide rail device is an operation member rotatably connected to a base member provided on the slide rail, and is rotated from an initial position by an external operation to release the lock mechanism and store the memory. It has an operating member for memory operation of the mechanism and a torsion spring for rotationally biasing the operating member to hold it in an initial position relative to the base member. One end of the torsion spring has a first portion that crosses the base member in the seat width direction, and a second portion that extends outside the first portion and is bent in a direction crossing the seat width direction to face the outer surface of the base member. and a third portion that bends downward or inward in the seat width direction from the extension of the second portion, and the first portion is hooked to the base member from below. be done.

According to the above configuration, one end of the torsion spring that is hooked on the base member on the slide rail from below can be provided so as not to be angled upward with respect to the outside. Therefore, there is no need to separately protect one end of the torsion spring.

Further, the vehicle slide rail device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. The second part has a shape that bends obliquely upward from the end that extends outward from the first part to the side opposite to the side with the obstacle that is provided at the closest position in the front-rear direction, and the third part is It has a shape that bends downward.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately prevent one end of the torsion spring from interfering with another member. Therefore, the torsion spring can be urged more smoothly.

Further, the vehicle slide rail device of the present invention may be further configured as follows. A pair of slide rails are provided in the seat width direction. A seat cushion straddles the pair of slide rails and is connected via a lifter link so that the side frames on each side are offset to the inside in the vehicle width direction. The height is adjusted by raising and lowering a lifter lever provided on the side. The memory mechanism is provided on a slide rail provided inside in the vehicle width direction.

According to the above configuration, even if the memory mechanism is provided on the inner slide rail in the vehicle width direction due to the offset arrangement of the seat cushion or the arrangement of the lifter lever, there is no need to set a protective cover such as a shield. , the one end of the torsion spring can be provided so as not to be angular upward with respect to the outside.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a perspective view showing schematic structure of the slide rail apparatus for vehicles which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the perspective view which looked at FIG. 1 from the right side. FIG. 2 is a left side view of FIG. 1; FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part IV of FIG. 1; 5 is a left side view of FIG. 4; FIG. FIG. 5 is a plan view of FIG. 4; FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a main portion corresponding to FIG. 4 of the vehicle slide rail device according to the second embodiment; FIG. 8 is a left side view of FIG. 7; FIG. 8 is a plan view of FIG. 7;

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using drawing.

<<1st Embodiment>>
<Overview of Structure of Slide Rail Device (Slide Rail Device for Vehicle) 4>
First, the configuration of the slide rail device 4 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG. In the following description, when directions such as front, back, up, down, left, and right are indicated, they refer to the respective directions shown in the respective drawings.

1 to 3, a slide rail device 4 according to this embodiment is applied to a seat (vehicle seat) 1 serving as a driver's seat of a right-hand drive vehicle. The seat 1 includes a seat back 2 that serves as a backrest for a seated occupant, a seat cushion 3 that serves as a seat, and a headrest (not shown) that serves as a headrest.

The slide rail device 4 has a pair of left and right slide rails 10 capable of adjusting the longitudinal position of the seat 1 (seat position). The slide rail device 4 also has a memory mechanism 20 that stores the position of the seat position before the change and operates so that the seat position can be easily returned to the position before the change.

A pair of left and right slide rails 10 are provided between the seat cushion 3 and a floor F (vehicle body) of the vehicle. Each slide rail 10 includes a lower rail 11 fixed on the floor F, and an upper rail 12 assembled so as to be slidable only in the front-rear direction with respect to the lower rail 11 and fixed to the bottom surface of the seat cushion 3. , has

Each of the lower rails 11 has a rail shape extending longitudinally with a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction. Specifically, each of the lower rails 11 includes a flat plate-like bottom plate portion set on the floor F facing the height direction, and a generally reversed U shape extending upward and inward from the left and right edges of the bottom plate portion. It is formed in a cross-sectional shape having a pair of left and right lower side fins extending in a bent back shape.

Each upper rail 12 also has a rail shape extending longitudinally in a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction. Specifically, each upper rail 12 is composed of a flat plate-like top plate portion set under the seat cushion 3 with its surface facing in the height direction, and an approximately U-shaped portion extending downward and outward from both left and right edges of the top plate portion. It is formed in a cross-sectional shape having a pair of left and right upper side fins extending in a bent back shape.

Each upper rail 12 is attached to each lower rail 11 so as to be slidable only in the front-rear direction by being inserted into the lower rail 11 from an open end on either side in the longitudinal direction. Specifically, the upper rails 12 are arranged so that the left and right upper fins of the respective lower rails 12 pass through the spaces formed by bending back the left and right lower fins in an inverted U shape. to be assembled.

As a result, each upper rail 12 is assembled to each lower rail 11 in such a manner that the left and right upper side fins are engaged with the portions of the respective lower side fins that are bent back in an inverted U shape. Due to the above engagement, each upper rail 12 is set in such a manner that it does not come off from each lower rail 11 in each of the vertical and horizontal directions.

More specifically, between each upper rail 12 and each lower rail 11, resin shoes and steel balls (rolling elements) (not shown) are set at the four corners of their cross sections. Thereby, each upper rail 12 is guided by each lower rail 11 so as to be able to slide smoothly only in the front-rear direction without rattling in each of the vertical and horizontal directions.

Each of the upper rails 12 is provided with a lock mechanism 10A that locks the slide in the front-rear direction by being engaged with each of the lower rails 11 via a lock spring (not shown). Each lock mechanism 10A is normally in a state in which each lock spring (not shown) is engaged with each lower rail 11 by a spring biasing force to lock each upper rail 12 from sliding in the front-rear direction.

Each locking mechanism 10A is connected to a loop handle 4A provided on the front lower portion of the seat cushion 3 and an ingress/egress lever 4B provided on the right side of the seat cushion 3, respectively. As a result, each lock mechanism 10A is engaged with each lower rail 11 against the above-described spring biasing force by being operated such that either the loop handle 4A or the getting-on/off lever 4B is pulled up by the user. is detached from the

By the above operation, each upper rail 12 is brought into a state in which it can freely slide in the front-rear direction with respect to each lower rail 11 . Therefore, it is possible to freely adjust the position of the seat 1 in the front-rear direction (seat position) with respect to the floor F.

When the operation of the loop handle 4A or the boarding/alighting lever 4B is returned, the locking mechanisms 10A are returned to the locked state of the upper rails 12 at that position. Thereby, the seat 1 can be fixed in the adjusted position after the position change.

More specifically, each lock mechanism 10A stores the unlocked longitudinal position of each lower rail by the operation of the memory mechanism 20 (memory operation) when the boarding/alighting lever 4B is operated. 11 is disengaged. Accordingly, after adjusting the position of the seat 1 in the front-rear direction, each lock mechanism 10A moves the seat 1 again toward the position before the change. The movement of the upper rails 12 automatically causes the slides of the upper rails 12 to return to the locked state.

The slide rails 10 and the memory mechanism 20 have substantially the same configuration as the known configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-137126. Therefore, detailed description of these specific configurations will be omitted.

The memory mechanism 20 described above is assembled on the left slide rail 10 . Specifically, the memory mechanism 20 includes a memory rail 21 assembled on the bottom plate portion of the lower rail 11, a memory piece 22 for storing the position of the upper rail 12 before change by mechanical engagement with the memory rail 21, have

The memory rail 21 has an elongated rail shape with a substantially uniform cross-sectional shape in the front-rear direction, and is set on the bottom plate portion of the lower rail 11 in an overlapping manner. The memory piece 22 is inserted into the inside of the memory rail 21 from either one of the open ends in the longitudinal direction, and is assembled so as to be slidable only in the front-rear direction. The memory piece 22 is normally engaged with the memory rail 21 by a spring biasing force so that the memory piece 22 is locked from sliding in the front-rear direction with respect to the memory rail 21 .

The memory piece 22 is held without being disengaged from the memory rail 21 even if the boarding/alighting lever 4B is operated. Due to the above-mentioned engagement, even if the seat position is changed by operating the boarding/alighting lever 4B, the memory piece 22 remains at the position of engagement with the memory rail 21 without following the movement, and remains at the position of engagement with the memory rail 21 before the seat position is changed. Acts as a store of position.

When the seat position of the memory piece 22 is returned from the changed position to the position before the change, the memory piece 22 contacts the trigger member (not shown) of the memory mechanism 20 that moves together with the upper rail 12 . As a result, the memory piece 22 cancels the unlocked state of each lock mechanism 10A using the action of pressing and rotating the trigger member as a trigger, and locks each lock mechanism 10A at that position.

On the other hand, the memory piece 22 is disengaged from the memory rail 21 by operating the loop handle 4A. The memory piece 22 moves forward and backward on the memory rail 21 while being pulled along by the upper rail 12 due to the movement of the upper rail 12 associated with the change of the seat position. When the operation of the loop handle 4A is released, the memory piece 22 is returned to the state of being engaged with the memory rail 21 at that position.

Thereby, the memory piece 22 is switched so that the changed position of the seat position becomes the new memory position. Therefore, when the boarding/alighting lever 4B is operated next time, the seat position can be easily returned to the position before the change by using the moved position of the memory piece 22 as a new memory position.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the seat 1 has a seat cushion 3 extending over the pair of left and right slide rails 10 . Specifically, the seat cushion 3 is connected to the pair of left and right slide rails 10 via a pair of front and rear lifter links 5A and 5B forming a seat lifter 5, respectively. More specifically, the seat cushion 3 is connected via the pair of front and rear lifter links 5A and 5B so that the left and right side frames 3A of the seat cushion 3 are connected to the pair of left and right slide rails 10 inward in the vehicle width direction. is offset to the left.

The lifter links 5A and 5B constituting the seat lifter 5 move forward in accordance with the amount of operation movement when a lifter lever 5C provided on the right side of the seat cushion 3 (outer side in the vehicle width direction) is raised. Rotate in a twisted shape. Thereby, each lifter link 5A, 5B is adjusted so as to raise the height of the seat cushion 3 with respect to the floor F. Further, each lifter link 5A, 5B rotates in such a manner that it is tilted backward according to the operation movement amount by the operation of lowering the lifter lever 5C. Thereby, each lifter link 5A, 5B is adjusted so as to lower the height of the seat cushion 3 with respect to the floor F.

The right side of the seat cushion 3 is covered with a resin seat side shield (not shown). The left side of the seat cushion 3 is simply covered with a planar carpet (not shown). Specifically, the carpet (not shown) has its upper edge sewn to the left side of the seat cushion 3 and is provided in a suspended manner. The reason why the left side of the seat cushion 3 is simply covered as described above is that a center console (not shown) is provided on the left side of the seat cushion 3 and is difficult to see from the outside.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the memory mechanism 20 is mounted on a base member 23 mounted on the upper rail 12 of the left slide rail 10. As shown in FIG. An operation member 30 is connected to the front portion of the base member 23 . The operation member 30 is operated so as to be pulled rearward via an operation cable 32 by operating the boarding/alighting lever 4B (see FIG. 2) to release the lock mechanism 10A of each slide rail 10 and to store the memory mechanism 20 in memory. It is configured to be operated (an operation to hold the lock mechanism 10A in a released state while holding the memory piece 22 in an engaging state with the memory rail 21).

<Regarding the structure of the torsion spring 40>
The operating member 30 is rotatably connected at its lower end to the front portion of the base member 23 by a rotating shaft 31 extending in the seat width direction. The operating member 30 is normally urged to rotate forward by a torsion spring 40 hooked between it and the base member 23, and is locked by contact with a locking piece 23A formed on the base member 23. state. The left end of the rotating shaft 31 protrudes through the base member 23 to the left.

One end of the operation cable 32 is connected to the upper portion of the operation member 30 and is routed so as to extend rearward along the base member 23 from there. The operation cable 32 is routed outward in the vehicle width direction from a rearwardly extending end of the base member 23, and the other end thereof is connected to the boarding/alighting lever 4B (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 4, the torsion spring 40 has a winding portion 41 that is wound in a coil shape and is passed through the rotary shaft 31 . The torsion spring 40 is hooked so that one end 42 extending forward downward from the left end of the winding portion 41 is brought into contact with the base member 23 from below. The torsion spring 40 is hooked in such a manner that the other end 43 extending upwardly forward from the right end of the winding portion 41 is brought into contact with the hook portion 30A formed at the lower end of the operating member 30 in the forward rotation direction. ing.

Due to the above-described assembly, the torsion spring 40 is configured to always exert a rotational biasing force in the forward rotation direction on the operating member 30 . One end 42 of the torsion spring 40 hooked on the base member 23 from below is constructed as follows in detail.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 extends to the left side of the first portion 42A that crosses the lower end of the base member 23 from right to left. It is shaped to have a second portion 42B that is bent obliquely forward and upward at right angles, and a third portion 42C that is bent obliquely forward and downward at right angles from the extension of the second portion 42B. One end 42 of the torsion spring 40 is hooked so that the first portion 42A is brought into contact with the base member 23 from below.

The second portion 42B extends obliquely forward and upward so as to face the left side surface of the base member 23 in the seat width direction. The second part 42B is an obstacle rotating shaft 31 (corresponding to an "obstacle" in the present invention) provided at the closest position in the front-rear direction from the tip of the first part 42A extending to the left. ) is bent obliquely upward on the side opposite to the side (rear side). As a result, the one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 can be smoothly biased without interfering with the rotating shaft 31 .

The first portion 42A, the second portion 42B and the third portion 42C are each formed by bending. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the bent corners of the one end 42 has a curved shape. Therefore, the one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 is bent upward as described above so that it does not form an angular shape. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately protect the one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 .

<Summary>
In summary, the slide rail device (4) of this embodiment has the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, the vehicle slide rail device (4) stores the position of the seat position before being changed by mechanical engagement with the slide rail (10) whose seat position can be adjusted by releasing the lock mechanism (10A). and a memory mechanism (20) operable to return the seat position to the position before the change by pressing the seat position. This vehicle slide rail device (4) is an operation member (30) rotatably connected to a base member (23) provided on a slide rail (10), and is initially operated by external operation. An operation member (30) that is rotated from a position to perform a lock mechanism (10A) release operation and a memory operation of a memory mechanism (20), and the operation member (30) is held at an initial position with respect to a base member (23). and a torsion spring (40) to rotationally urge to do so.

A first portion (42A) in which one end (42) of the torsion spring (40) traverses the base member (23) in the seat width direction, and the seat width direction from the end extending outside the first portion (42A). It has a second portion (42B) that is bent in an intersecting direction and faces the outer surface of the base member (23), and a third portion (42C) that is bent downward from the extension of the second portion (42B). , the first part (42A) is hooked to the base member (23) from below.

According to the above configuration, one end (42) of the torsion spring (40), which is hooked on the base member (23) on the slide rail (10) from below, is provided so as not to be angular upward with respect to the outside. be able to. Therefore, there is no need to separately protect one end (42) of the torsion spring (40).

In addition, the second part (42B) is located on the opposite side (front side) of the obstacle (31) provided at the closest position in the front-rear direction from the point where the second part (42B) extends outside the first part (42A). ), and the third portion (42C) is bent downward. According to the above configuration, it is possible to appropriately prevent the one end (42) of the torsion spring (40) from interfering with other members. Therefore, the torsion spring (40) can be urged more smoothly.

A pair of slide rails (10) are provided in the seat width direction. A seat cushion (3) straddles the pair of slide rails (10), and the side frames (3A) on each side are offset inward in the vehicle width direction via lifter links (5A, 5B). , and the height is adjusted by raising and lowering a lifter lever (5C) provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. A memory mechanism (20) is provided on a slide rail (10) provided inside in the vehicle width direction.

According to the above configuration, the memory mechanism (20) is provided on the inner slide rail (10) in the vehicle width direction in relation to the offset arrangement of the seat cushion (3) and the arrangement of the lifter lever (5C). Also, the one end (42) of the torsion spring (40) can be provided so as not to be angular upward with respect to the outside without setting a protective cover such as a shield.

<<Second embodiment>>
Next, a configuration of a slide rail device (vehicle slide rail device) 4 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9. FIG. In this embodiment, one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 that is hooked on the base member 23 from below has the following shape.

That is, one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 has a first portion 42A that crosses the lower end of the base member 23 from right to left, and a second portion 42A that extends leftward from the first portion 42A and bends diagonally forward and upward at a right angle. It is shaped to have a portion 42B and a third portion 42D that is bent rightward at right angles from the extension of the second portion 42B. One end 42 of the torsion spring 40 is hooked so that the first portion 42A is brought into contact with the base member 23 from below.

The second portion 42B extends obliquely forward and upward so as to face the left side surface of the base member 23 in the seat width direction. The first portion 42A, the second portion 42B and the third portion 42D are each formed by bending. Therefore, the outer peripheral surface of the bent corners of the one end 42 has a curved shape. Therefore, the one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 is bent upward as described above so that it does not form an angular shape. Therefore, it is not necessary to separately protect the one end 42 of the torsion spring 40 . In addition, since the configuration other than the above is the same as the configuration shown in the first embodiment, the same reference numerals are attached and the description thereof is omitted.

<Summary>
In summary, the slide rail device (4) of this embodiment has the following configuration. Note that the reference numerals in parentheses below correspond to the respective configurations shown in the above embodiments.

That is, one end (42) of the torsion spring (40) extends in the seat width direction from a first portion (42A) that crosses the base member (23) in the seat width direction and from the tip that extends outside the first portion (42A). A second portion (42B) that is bent in a direction intersecting with and faces the outer surface of the base member (23), and a third portion (42B) that is bent inward in the seat width direction from the extension of the second portion (42B) 42D), and the first part (42A) is hooked to the base member (23) from below.

<<About other embodiments>>
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described using two embodiments, but the present invention can be implemented in various forms shown below in addition to the above embodiments.

1. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The vehicle slide rail device of the present invention can be widely applied to seats for vehicles other than automobiles such as railways, and seats for various vehicles such as aircraft and ships. In the vehicle slide rail device, the sliding direction of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail may be the seat width direction.

2. One end of the torsion spring that is hooked on the base member from below may have a shape in which the second portion is bent upward or backward from the first portion. That is, the second portion may be provided so as to be bent in a direction intersecting the seat width direction from a tip extending outward from the first portion so as to face the outer surface of the base member. This is because the one end of the torsion spring can be appropriately prevented from slipping off from the base member by providing the second portion so as to face the outer surface of the base member in the seat width direction.

The bending of the second portion and the third portion of one end of the torsion spring need not be a right angle bending, and may be an acute or obtuse angle bending. Also, the first portion of one end of the torsion spring may be a portion that crosses the base member in the seat width direction, and is not limited to the lower end of the base member. good. Further, the first portion may cross the base member from the inside to the outside in the seat width direction, or may cross the base member from the outside to the inside in the seat width direction.

Obstacles provided at the closest position in the front-rear direction from the tip of the first part that extends outside are composed of members other than the rotation shaft, such as beads and overhangs of the frame, equipment attached to the frame, etc. It can be anything.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 seat 2 seat back 3 seat cushion 3A side frame 4 slide rail device (vehicle slide rail device)
4A loop handle 4B getting-on/off lever 5 seat lifter 5A lifter link 5B lifter link 5C lifter lever 10 slide rail 10A lock mechanism 11 lower rail 12 upper rail 20 memory mechanism 21 memory rail 22 memory piece 23 base member 23A lock piece 30 operation member 30A hook 31 rotation axis (obstacle)
32 Operation cable 40 Torsion spring 41 Winding part 42 One end 42A First part 42B Second part 42C Third part 42D Third part 43 Other end F Floor

Claims (3)

A slide rail capable of adjusting a seat position by releasing a lock mechanism and a mechanical engagement memorize the position of the seat position before the change and operate so as to return the seat position to the position before the change. A vehicle slide rail device comprising a memory mechanism,
An operation member rotatably connected to a base member provided on the slide rail, which is rotated from an initial position by an external operation to perform an unlocking operation of the lock mechanism and a memory operation of the memory mechanism. the operating member for performing
a torsion spring that rotationally urges the operating member to hold the operating member in the initial position with respect to the base member;
One end of the torsion spring has a first portion that crosses the base member in the seat width direction, and a tip that extends outside the first portion and is bent in a direction that crosses the seat width direction to form an outer surface of the base member. and a third portion bent downward or inward in the seat width direction from the extension of the second portion, and the first portion is applied to the base member from below. A slide rail device for a vehicle configured to be hooked on a shape. A slide rail device for a vehicle according to claim 1,
The second portion has a shape that is bent obliquely upward to the side opposite to the side of the obstacle that is provided at the closest position in the front-rear direction from the tip that extends outward from the first portion. A vehicle slide rail device having a shape in which three portions are bent downward. A slide rail device for a vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2,
A pair of the slide rails are provided in the seat width direction, and the seat cushions straddle the pair of the slide rails, and the side frames on each side are offset inward in the vehicle width direction via lifter links. and the height is adjusted by raising and lowering a lifter lever provided on the outer side in the vehicle width direction, and the memory mechanism is provided on the inner side in the vehicle width direction. A vehicle slide rail device configured to be provided on a rail.

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