JP7389714B2 - Brake device for automobile seats - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a brake device for an automobile seat.

For example, in Patent Document 1, a brake part that supports the brake part so as not to rotate in response to a reverse input from the pinion shaft side and an operating part for operating the pinion shaft of this brake part are arranged in an overlapping manner in the axial direction. A brake device for an automobile seat is disclosed.

In Patent Document 1, a holding plate and a tooth plate, which are components of an operating section, are temporarily assembled in advance as a tooth assembly so that the relative positional relationship can be self-maintained. The tooth plate is rotatably supported by a first support part provided on the holding plate. The first support part is formed at the tip of the arm part provided on the holding plate. Further, the tooth plate is supported so as to be sandwiched between the arm portion and a pair of holding pieces provided on the holding plate.

In Patent Document 1, the holding portion prevents the tooth plate from coming off the first support portion.

JP2020-44855A

However, the holding part only supports the tooth plate so as to be sandwiched between the holding part and the arm part, and there is a risk that the holding part may accidentally fall off from the holding plate when the tooth assembly is temporarily assembled.

That is, in Patent Document 1, there is room for further improvement in preventing the tooth plate from falling off the holding plate during assembly of the brake device.

The braking device for an automobile seat of the present invention includes a brake part that supports the brake part so as not to rotate in response to a reverse input from the pinion shaft, and an operating part for operating the pinion shaft, which is arranged in the axial direction of the pinion shaft. They are arranged one on top of the other.

The brake section includes a housing member, and a drive wheel that is housed within the housing member, is inserted into the pinion shaft, and is rotatable integrally with the pinion shaft.

The operating section is rotatably inserted into the pinion shaft and rotatably supported by a holding plate that constantly exerts a frictional force in a rotational direction with respect to the drive wheel, and a first support section provided on the holding plate. and a tooth plate having a pair of external teeth that mesh with internal teeth provided on the drive wheel, and a tooth plate that is rotatably inserted into the pinion shaft and engages with the tooth plate at a position different from the first support portion. an input lever having a mating second support portion; a coil spring that urges the input lever toward the neutral position; and a coil spring that is coupled to the housing member so that the retaining plate, the tooth plate, and the input lever are connected together with the housing member. and a lever bracket connected to the input lever on the outside of the cover member.

The holding plate is a leaf spring, and includes an arm portion extending along a surface of the tooth plate on the opposite side to the input lever side, and a pair of holding portions extending along a surface of the tooth plate on the input lever side. It is equipped with.

The arm portion and the holding portion are formed to extend in a radial direction from the center of the pinion shaft, and support the tooth plate so as to sandwich it therebetween.

Moreover, the arm portion is characterized in that a regulating portion is formed on the arm portion to protrude toward the tooth plate and engage with the tooth plate.

More specifically, the restriction portion is located between the pinion shaft and the first support portion, and engages with a recess formed in the center of the tooth plate.

More specifically, the regulating portion is a cut-and-raised piece integrally formed with the arm portion.

More specifically, the cut and raised piece has a tongue-like shape, and the tip thereof is oriented toward the pinion shaft.

According to the present invention, the tooth plate sandwiched between the arm portion and the holding portion is prevented from moving in the radial direction of the pinion shaft when the regulating portion of the arm portion engages (catches) the tooth plate.

Therefore, the tooth plate sandwiched between the holding plates can be prevented from falling off (coming off) from the holding plates by the regulating portion.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an automobile seat equipped with a seat lifter mechanism and a seat reclining mechanism as seat adjusters. FIG. 2 is a front view of the brake device used in the seat lifter mechanism shown in FIG. 1, equivalent to when mounted on a vehicle. 3 is a left side view of the brake device shown in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 4 is a left side view showing a state in which the lever bracket of the brake device shown in FIG. 3 is removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of each component of a brake section and an operation section in the brake device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the brake section shown in FIG. 6 in a neutral state. FIG. 8 is an enlarged explanatory diagram of section Q in FIG. 7; FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the holding plate shown in FIG. 6. A sectional view of the tooth assembly. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a state in which the brake part and the operating part shown in FIG. 6 are temporarily assembled as a brake assembly, tooth assembly, and lever assembly, respectively.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of an automobile seat (hereinafter simply referred to as a "seat") equipped with a seat adjuster.

The seat 1 functions as a seat adjuster, and includes a seat slide mechanism 2 for adjusting the front and back position of the seat 1, a seat lifter mechanism for adjusting the height position of the seat cushion 3 that serves as the seat surface, and a seat back 4 that serves as the backrest. Equipped with a reclining mechanism for angle adjustment. Therefore, an operating lever 5 for the seat lifter mechanism and an operating lever 6 for the reclining mechanism are provided side by side on the side of the seat cushion 3.

When focusing on the seat lifter mechanism, the height of the seat 1 can be adjusted by operating an operating lever 5 of the seat lifter mechanism.

In the seat 1, the position of the seat cushion 3 is raised little by little each time the operating lever 5 is pulled upward from, for example, a neutral position (in the following explanation, the state in which the operating lever 5 is in the neutral position is also referred to as a neutral state). Become. Further, in the seat 1, the position of the seat cushion 3 is lowered little by little each time the operating lever 5 is pushed down from the neutral position.

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

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, in the brake device 7, a substantially cylindrical case 8 is formed by abutting a housing 11, which is a half-split housing member, and a cover 22, which is a cover member. In this case 8, a brake section 9 shown in FIG. 6 and some components of an operating section 10, which will be described later, are housed coaxially. Further, a pinion shaft 12, which is substantially shared by the brake section 9 and the operating section 10, penetrates in the axial direction at the center of the housing 11 and the cover 22, which form the case 8. will be placed. At one end of the pinion shaft 12, the operating lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 and a lever bracket 24 functioning as an operating member are rotatably supported. A pinion gear 12g exposed to the outside is integrally formed at the other end of the pinion shaft 12.

Note that the lever bracket 24 can be rotated from the neutral position in either the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction. Further, the operating lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 is fixed to the lever bracket 24 by screwing using a screw hole 24e (see FIG. 3) on the lever bracket 24 side.

The brake device 7 is fixed to a side bracket (not shown) of the seat 1 shown in FIG. 1 using the mounting hole 29a formed in the flange portion 29 on the cover 22 side, and the pinion gear 12g is This will mesh with the driven gear on the seat lifter mechanism side.

The brake device 7 maintains a braking state so that the pinion shaft 12 does not rotate due to a reverse input to the pinion shaft 12 when the lever bracket 24 is in the neutral position. Further, when the lever bracket 24 is rotated from the neutral position in either the forward rotation direction or the reverse rotation direction, the brake device 7 releases the braking state of the pinion shaft 12 and accompanies the rotation operation of the lever bracket 24. Rotation of the pinion shaft 12 is allowed. The rotation of the pinion shaft 12 is converted into a rotational displacement of a driven gear of a seat lifter mechanism (not shown) via a pinion gear 12g, and further converted into a vertical displacement of the seat cushion 3 of the seat 1 via a link mechanism. .

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

As shown in FIG. 6, the brake part 9 is composed of a housing 11 that functions as a part of the case 8, a pinion shaft 12 that is rotatable by the housing 11, and two parts that are arranged opposite to each other in the housing 11. A set of substantially semicircular lock plates 14, a lock spring 15 shared by these sets of lock plates 14, and a lock spring 15 that is stacked in the axial direction on the set of lock plates 14 also in the housing 11. Another set of lock plates 16 of the same shape arranged, a lock spring 17 shared by these sets of lock plates 16, and a shallow plate arranged over one set of lock plates 16. The drive wheel 18 has a shape of a drive wheel 18.

Further, the operating unit 10 shown in FIG. 6 includes a holding plate 19 disposed overlappingly on the drive wheel 18, a tooth plate 20 combined with the holding plate 19, and a tooth plate 20 that is overlapped with the holding plate 19 and the tooth plate 20. The input lever 21, the cover 22 which is butted against the housing 11 on the brake part 9 side to form the case 8, the coil spring 23 of the torsion coil spring type arranged on the outside of the cover 22, and the coil spring 23 of the cover 22. It has a lever bracket 24 as an operating member disposed on the outside.

The housing 11 of the brake part 9 shown in FIG. 6 is, for example, drawn and press-formed into a substantially deep dish shape using a sheet metal material of a predetermined thickness, and the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11 is formed with a cylindrical braking surface 13. It has become.

A shaft hole 11a is formed in the bottom of the housing 11, into which a large diameter shaft portion 12f of the pinion shaft 12 on the pinion gear 12g side is inserted. Furthermore, a flange portion 11b is formed at the opening edge of the housing 11. Locking recesses 11c are formed at, for example, three locations on the flange portion 11b. These three locking recesses 11c serve as coupling and fixing portions with a cover 22, which will be described later.

The pinion shaft 12 of the brake part 9 shown in FIG. 6 includes a small diameter shaft portion 12a, a medium diameter shaft portion 12b, a modified shaft portion 12c having a width across flats portion 12d, and a substantially rectangular shaft portion 12c as shown in FIG. a flange portion 12e that comes into contact with the inner bottom surface of the housing 11 to restrict axial movement of the pinion shaft 12; and a large diameter shaft portion 12f that is rotatably supported in a shaft hole 11a formed in the bottom of the housing 11. , a pinion gear 12g as a drive side gear, and a tip shaft portion 12h at the tip of the pinion gear 12g are coaxially formed into a so-called multistage stepped shaft shape. This pinion shaft 12 is shared by the brake section 9 and the operating section 10, as will be described later. Furthermore, the width across flats portion 12d of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c of the pinion shaft 12 functions as an acting portion that exerts an external force on the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16.

A pair of lock plates 14 of the brake part 9 shown in FIG. 6 are arranged to face each other symmetrically or vertically so that the outer circumferential surfaces of both ends are in contact with the braking surface 13 while being seated on the inner bottom surface of the housing 11. Furthermore, another set of lock plates 16 is disposed on top of the one set of lock plates 14 so as to overlap and face each other in the axial direction of the pinion shaft 12 so as to be bilaterally symmetrical or vertically symmetrical. Arc-shaped brake lock surfaces 26 that can come into contact with the brake surface 13 of the housing 11 are formed at both ends of the outer peripheral surfaces of these two sets of lock plates 14 and 16, which are separated from each other across the recess 25. .

A lock spring 15 as a biasing means is interposed between one end (first end) of the pair of lock plates 14. This lock spring 15 biases one end (first end) of the pair of lock plates 14 in a direction away from each other. Similarly, a lock spring 17 as a biasing means is interposed between one end (second end) of the other set of lock plates 16. This lock spring 17 urges one end (second end) of the pair of lock plates 16 in a direction away from each other. The lock springs 15 and 17 shown in FIG. 6 are so-called composite springs in which a leaf spring 17a bent into a substantially M shape and a coil spring 17b are sandwiched between the end portions of both legs of the leaf spring 17a. The coil spring 17b is biased in the direction in which both legs of the leaf spring 17a are spread.

The drive wheel 18 of the brake part 9 shown in FIG. 6 is in the shape of a so-called internal gear in which internal teeth 18b are formed over the entire circumference of the inner peripheral surface of the ring part 18a on the outer peripheral side. A square hole 18c is formed in the center of the drive wheel 18, into which the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c of the pinion shaft 12 is fitted so as to be rotatable together with the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c. Furthermore, a pair of arc-shaped release claws 18d that protrude toward the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16 are integrally formed on the back side of the drive wheel 18 (see FIG. 7).

Note that there is a predetermined play in the rotational direction between the square hole 18c of the drive wheel 18 and the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c of the pinion shaft 12. Further, the drive wheel 18 is formed by, for example, half punching a metal disc by press molding to form a ring part 18a having internal teeth 18b (see FIG. 5), and forming a ring part 18a having an inner bottom part and a release claw part 18d. are integrally formed from a resin material using a technique such as a so-called insert molding method.

In the pinion shaft 12 shown in FIG. 6, as also shown in FIG. 5, a large diameter shaft portion 12f formed at the root portion of the pinion gear 12g is rotatably inserted and supported in the shaft hole 11a of the housing 11. Further, the pinion shaft 12 is inserted such that the width across flats 12d of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c are located in the opposing gaps between one set of lock plates 14 and another set of lock plates 16, respectively. Further, the pinion shaft 12 has its irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c fitted into the square hole 18c of the drive wheel 18 in a loose manner and rotatable by a small angle. That is, the square hole 18c is formed slightly larger than the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c.

At this time, as also shown in FIG. 7, the pair of release claws 18d on the drive wheel 18 side are inserted into the recesses 25 of each lock plate 14, 16 on the outer circumferential side of the two sets of lock plates 14, 16. 12 are fitted with a gap in the rotational direction. The arcuate outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of release claws 18d are pressed against the braking surface 13 of the housing 11 by the elastic force of each release claw 18d itself.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the brake section 9 shown in FIG. 6 in a neutral state. As shown in FIG. 7, among the opposing end surfaces P of a pair of lock plates 16, 16 located on both sides of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c of the pinion shaft 12, the portion facing the width across flat portion 12d of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c. Arc-shaped convex portions 16a and 16b are formed at two positions corresponding to the right and left sides of the rotation center of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c. A lock spring 17 is interposed between one end (second end) of the pair of lock plates 16, and the one end (second end) is biased in a direction away from each other. ing.

Therefore, the set of lock plates 16 rotates by a predetermined amount along the braking surface 13 of the housing 11, so that the distance between the first ends of the lock plates 16 is smaller than the distance between the second ends of the lock plates 16. is smaller. As a result, one of the protrusions 16a and 16b formed on the opposing end surfaces P of the pair of lock plates 16 comes into contact with one side of the width across flats portion 12d of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c. , the other convex portion 16a is spaced apart from the width across flat portion 12d of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c.

These relationships are the same for the other set of lock plates 14 shown in FIG. The one end portions (first end portions) are urged in a direction away from each other. Therefore, as will be described later, the width across flats portion 12d functioning as the acting portion of the irregularly shaped shaft portion 12c comes into contact with the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16 without any gap in the rotational direction.

Note that the width across flats portion 12d of the pinion shaft 12 shown in FIG. It may be a simple flat surface without any inclination.

FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of section Q in FIG. As shown in the figure, the brake lock surfaces 26 on the outer peripheral surfaces of the set of lock plates 16 are set so that the radius becomes slightly smaller toward the opposite end surface P, and A large-diameter braking surface 26a having a long contact length in the circumferential direction, a very small arc-shaped braking protrusion 26b formed near the recess 25, and a large-diameter braking surface 26a and a braking protrusion 26b are separated from each other. An escape recess 26c formed between the two is included. Note that the shape of this brake locking surface 26 is the same for the other set of locking plates 14 as well.

As shown in FIG. 8, under normal conditions, when the upper and lower large-diameter braking surfaces 26a of each lock plate 16 are in contact with the braking surface 13 of the housing 11, the braking protrusion 26b is in contact with the braking surface 13 of the housing 11. To avoid contact, the gap a between the braking surface 13a and the braking protrusion 26b and the depth b of the relief recess 26c from the braking surface 13a are set to satisfy the relationship a<b.

The holding plate 19 of the operating section 10 shown in FIG. 6 is in the shape of a leaf spring that exhibits spring characteristics in the axial direction of the pinion shaft 12, as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. This holding plate 19 includes a boss portion 19a in which a shaft hole 19b is formed to be inserted into the medium diameter shaft portion 12b of the pinion shaft 12, and a boss portion 19a that extends in the radial direction from the boss portion 19a and is bent integrally toward the drive wheel 18 side. A pair of leg portions 19c are formed and seated on the bottom of the drive wheel 18, and an arm portion 19d extends in the radial direction from the boss portion 19a and is integrally bent into a stepped shape as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later. , is provided. The arm portion 19d is formed with a first shaft portion 19e that functions as a first support portion and is rounded into a substantially cylindrical shape with its tip cut and raised.

Furthermore, a cut-and-raised piece 19i is formed on the arm portion 19d as a regulating portion that protrudes toward the tooth plate 20 side and engages with the tooth plate 20.

The cut and raised piece 19i is located between the shaft hole 19b and the first shaft portion 19e. In other words, the cut and raised piece 19i is located between the pinion shaft 12 and the first shaft portion 19e when the pinion shaft 12 is inserted into the shaft hole 19b.

The cut-and-raise piece 19i is formed by punching out the arm portion 19d along a substantially U-shaped (substantially U-shaped) cut line 19j and raising the inner part toward the tooth plate 20 side. It is formed integrally with 19d. In other words, the cut and raised piece 19i has a tongue-like shape, and is formed such that the tip thereof faces the shaft hole 19b. In other words, the tip of the cut and raised piece 19i points toward the pinion shaft 12 when the pinion shaft 12 is inserted into the shaft hole 19b.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the holding plate 19 has a pair of working pieces 19f bent toward the cover 22 and extending in the radial direction so as not to interfere with the arm 19d. . A locking portion 19g is formed in a curved manner at the tip of each operating piece 19f. On the holding plate 19, a pair of holding pieces 19h as holding parts are formed to protrude straight in the radial direction so as to sandwich the arm part 19d between the pair of working pieces 19f.

The tooth plate 20 shown in FIG. 6 has a substantially semicircular arc shape and is placed inside the drive wheel 18 so as to overlap the arm portion 19d of the holding plate 19. At the center of this tooth plate 20, an irregularly shaped shaft portion 20a is formed to protrude toward the cover 22 side, and a circular shaft portion 20a is formed at a position offset to the outside of the shaft portion 20a in the radial direction centering on the pinion shaft 12. A shaft hole 20b is formed. Further, rim portions 20c are formed at both ends of the tooth plate 20 so as to face the internal teeth 18b on the drive wheel 18 side. External teeth 20d that mesh with internal teeth 18b on the drive wheel 18 side are formed on the outer peripheral surface of this rim portion 20c. As shown in FIG. 10, the tooth plate 20 has a recess 20e formed in the center thereof to engage with the cut and raised piece 19i of the holding plate 19. The recessed portion 20e is formed on the back side of the shaft portion 20a. A recess 20e is formed in the tooth plate 20 by half punching, for example, by press molding. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the tooth assembly 50.

Although a portion of the shaft portion 20a is cut out to form a substantially D-shape, this is to avoid interference with the adjacent shaft hole 20b.If such interference can be avoided, The shaft portion 20a may have a cylindrical shaft shape.

The input lever 21 shown in FIG. 6 functions as an input member in the operating section 10. A shaft hole 21 a rotatably supported by the medium diameter shaft portion 12 b of the pinion shaft 12 is formed in the center of the input lever 21 . Further, at a position offset outward from the shaft hole 21a, a small diameter shaft hole 21b is formed as a second support portion into which the shaft portion 20a of the tooth plate 20 is inserted. Further, on the peripheral edge of the input lever 21, three bent locking pieces 21c having bifurcated ends are formed to protrude toward the cover 22 side.

The shaft portion 20a of the tooth plate 20 is rotatably inserted into and supported by the small diameter shaft hole 21b of the input lever 21. Thereby, the input lever 21 and the tooth plate 20 are connected to be relatively rotatable. Moreover, the shaft hole 20b of the tooth plate 20 engages with the first shaft portion 19e of the holding plate 19, and the tooth plate 20 and the holding plate 19 are connected to be relatively rotatable. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11, which will be described later, the tooth plate 20 is sandwiched between the arm portion 19d of the holding plate 19 and the holding piece 19h. That is, the arm portion 19d and the holding piece 19h sandwich the tooth plate 20 in the axial direction of the pinion shaft 12. Note that the relationship between the shaft hole 20b of the tooth plate 20 and the first shaft portion 19e of the holding plate 19 may be reversed.

The cover 22 shown in FIG. 6 is integrally formed into a substantially cup shape by deep drawing using a press, for example. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, this cover 22 forms a case 8 of the brake device 7 together with the housing 11 by being butted against the housing 11 on the brake unit 9 side. As described above, some components of the brake section 9 and the operating section 10 are housed inside the case 8.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the holding plate 19 is sandwiched between the drive wheel 18 and the input lever 21 and is bent and deformed, so that the holding plate 19 comes into pressure contact with both. Furthermore, since the ends of the legs 19c of the holding plate 19 come into pressure contact with the resin-molded portion of the bottom wall of the drive wheel 18, the holding plate 19 can at least slide in the relative rotation direction with the drive wheel 18. Adds dynamic resistance. That is, the holding plate 19 always has a frictional force in the rotational direction with respect to the drive wheel 18.

As shown in FIG. 4, the side wall of the cover 22 has a shaft hole 22a in the center and a pair of arcuate long holes 22b at positions facing each other across the shaft hole 22a. It is formed. Further, in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the pair of long holes 22b face each other, an opening 22c made of an arc-shaped long hole is formed on one side, and a cut-and-raised piece is formed on the other side along with a rectangular opening 22d. 22e is formed so as to stand upright on the outside. The length of the opening 22c (circumferential length of the circular arc) is set to be larger than the length of each of the set of elongated holes 22b (circumferential length of the circular arc). Then, when the cover 22 is butted against the housing 11 on the brake part 9 side, the shaft hole 22a is fitted into the small diameter shaft portion 12a of the pinion shaft 12, so that the pinion shaft 12 is rotated by the housing 11 and the cover 22. Can be supported on both sides.

As shown in FIG. 4, two bent locking pieces 21c forming a bifurcated shape on the input lever 21 side protrude toward the lever bracket 24 side in the elongated hole 22b and the opening 22c. inserted into. The length (periphery) of the set of long holes 22b and opening 22c is set to be sufficiently large with respect to the width dimension of the three bent locking pieces 21c. As a result, the rotation range of the input lever 21, which can be rotated in the normal rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction, and the rotation range of the lever bracket 24 coupled to the input lever 21 are restricted to within the length range of the set of elongated holes 22b. be done. In other words, the inner circumferential surfaces of the pair of elongated holes 22b at both ends in the longitudinal direction function as stopper surfaces that restrict the rotation range of the lever bracket 24.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, when the input lever 21 is in the neutral position as shown in the figure, in the opening 22c of the cover 22, holding plates 19 shown in FIG. The locking portions 19g of the action pieces 19f are removably locked to each other. As a result, the holding plate 19 is rotationally displaced together with the input lever 21 via the tooth plate 20. The holding plate 19 returns to the neutral position when the input lever 21 returns to the neutral position.

As shown in FIG. 4, guide protrusions 27 are formed by bending inward from the peripheral edges of a set of elongated holes 22b formed in the cover 22, respectively. These guide protrusions 27 face the internal space of the brake part 9 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 11, and serve to guide the movement of the tooth plate 20 as described later.

In addition, in the opening edge of the cover 22 shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 on the side facing the housing 11, a flange portion 29 having mounting holes 29a at three locations in the circumferential direction is bent outward. It is formed. Further, locking flange portions 30 having a smaller protrusion length than the flange portions 29 are formed protrudingly at three locations in the circumferential direction that do not interfere with each flange portion 29 . As shown in FIG. 2, these locking flange portions 30 are fitted into the locking recesses 11c on the housing 11 side when the housing 11 and cover 22 are butted against each other to form the case 8. Then, by caulking the locking flange portion 30 from the state shown by the imaginary line in FIG. 2 as shown by the solid line, the housing 11 and the cover 22 are inseparably coupled and fixed. Note that the flange portion 29 of the cover 22 serves as an attachment portion for the brake device 7 to the seat 1 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lever bracket 24 shown in FIG. 6 is formed by drawing press into a substantially shallow dish shape, and is disposed outside the side wall portion of the cover 22. As shown in FIG. A coil spring 23 is arranged between the cover 22 and the lever bracket 24 so as to be accommodated in a concave space of the lever bracket 24. A shaft hole 24a is formed in the center of the lever bracket 24. The shaft hole 24a is rotatably supported by the small diameter shaft portion 12a of the pinion shaft 12. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of positioning pieces 24b and a cut-and-raised piece 24c protruding toward the cover 22 are formed on the peripheral edge of the lever bracket 24 between the pair of positioning pieces 24b. Ru.

Furthermore, the lever bracket 24 shown in FIG. 6 has a pair of flange portions 24d with screw holes 24e as shown in FIG. A corresponding square hole 24f is formed. The three bent locking pieces 21c pass through the elongated hole 22b and opening 22c of the cover 22, and then protrude while engaging with the square hole 24f of the lever bracket 24.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3, by bending the pair of tip divided pieces 121c of each bent locking piece 21c protruding from the square hole 24f in a direction away from each other, the cover 22 is sandwiched between the lever bracket 24 and the lever bracket 24. The levers 21 are fixed to each other. This prevents relative rotation between the lever bracket 24 and the input lever 21, and the lever bracket 24 can rotate integrally with the input lever 21 in the forward rotation direction and the reverse rotation direction.

The cut-and-raised piece 24c formed on the lever bracket 24 is set to match the cut-and-raised piece 22e of the cover 22 in position. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, when the lever bracket 24 and the input lever 21 are fixed with the cover 22 in between, the cut and raised pieces 22e and 24c of both sides overlap each other.

The operating lever 5 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the lever bracket 24 shown in FIGS. 3 and 6. The operating lever 5 is relatively positioned using a pair of positioning pieces 24b of the lever bracket 24, and then fixed to the lever bracket 24 by two screw holes 24e and a set screw (not shown). Thereby, the lever bracket 24 functions as an operating member in the operating section 10 together with the operating lever 5.

The coil spring 23 shown in FIG. 6 is housed between the cover 22 and the lever bracket 24, and has the function of biasing and holding the input lever 21 together with the lever bracket 24 toward the neutral position. Hook portions 23a are formed at both ends of the coil spring 23 by being bent outward. As shown in FIG. 3, after the coil spring 23 itself is wound tightly, the pair of hook portions 23a are attached to the cut and raised pieces of both the cover 22 and the lever bracket 24 that overlap with each other. The cut and raised pieces 22e and 24c are locked by sandwiching the pieces 22e and 24c from both sides.

As a result, even if the operating lever 5 shown in FIG. The lever 21 returns to the neutral position together with the lever bracket 24 and the operating lever 5.

Here, the pinion shaft 12 and two sets of lock plates 14 and 16, which are components of the brake part 9 shown in FIG. 6, the ring part 18a of the drive wheel 18, the tooth plate 20, etc. Both are made of metal materials. In addition, each component is hardened by being hardened in advance, depending on its function. On the other hand, the housing 11, which is also made of a metal material, secures sliding resistance with the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16, while ensuring that the lock plates 14 and 16 have large diameters. In order to make it easier for the brake surface 26a and the brake protrusion 26b to bite, it is preferable that no hardening treatment be performed.

The functions and behavior of the brake device 7 configured in this way are basically the same as those described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2020-44855, which was previously exemplified as Patent Document 1.

Here, to assemble the brake device 7 as described above, the following steps are performed. That is, the respective components of the brake part 9 and the operating part 10 shown in an exploded view in FIG. Leave it in a temporarily assembled state. Then, these three assemblies 40, 50, and 60 are assembled and integrated so as to overlap each other in the axial direction.

FIG. 11 shows the relative positional relationship of the brake assembly 40, tooth assembly 50, and lever assembly 60 in a temporarily assembled state. The brake assembly 40 shown in FIG. 11 is a combination of the components of the brake section 9 shown in FIG. 6. A pinion shaft 12, a pair of lock plates 14 including a lock spring 15, a pair of lock plates 16 also including a lock spring 17, and a drive wheel 18 are attached to the housing 11 using the housing 11 shown in FIG. , are temporarily assembled so as to overlap in the axial direction, and assembled as a brake assembly 40 shown in FIG. 11.

In this case, the elastic force of the lock spring 15 interposed between one set of lock plates 14 and the lock spring 17 interposed between another set of lock plates 16 causes two The brake lock surfaces 26 of the set of lock plates 14 and 16 come into pressure contact with the brake surface 13, which is the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11, respectively.

Further, as described above, the release claw portion 18d of the drive wheel 18 comes into pressure contact with the braking surface 13, which is the inner circumferential surface of the housing 11, due to its own elastic force. Therefore, the brake assembly 40, which includes the housing 11, the pinion shaft 12, the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16, and the drive wheel 18, self-maintains the relative positional relationship of the components that is the same as in the normally assembled state. It is possible to maintain the state shown in FIG.

The tooth assembly 50 shown in FIG. 11 is a combination of the holding plate 19 and the tooth plate 20 among the components of the operating section 10 shown in FIG. Using the arm portion 19d and the pair of holding pieces 19h of the holding plate 19 shown in FIG. 6, the tooth plate 20 is sandwiched between the arm portion 19d and the pair of holding pieces 19h. Furthermore, the shaft hole 20b of the tooth plate 20 is fitted into the first shaft portion 19e of the arm portion 19d.

In this case, the distance between the arm portion 19d and the pair of holding pieces 19h is preset to a size that can accommodate the thickness of the tooth plate 20, so the distance between the arm portion 19d and the pair of holding pieces 19h is set in advance to a size that can accommodate the thickness of the tooth plate 20. If the tooth plate 20 is sandwiched between the tooth plate 20 and the shaft hole 20b of the tooth plate 20 is fitted into the first shaft portion 19e of the arm portion 19d, the two will not come apart. As a result, the tooth assembly 50, which includes the holding plate 19 and the tooth plate 20, can maintain the relative positional relationship between the components that is the same as in the normally assembled state, and can maintain the state shown in FIG. be.

The lever assembly 60 shown in FIG. 11 is a combination of the input lever 21, the cover 22, the coil spring 23, and the lever bracket 24 among the components of the operating section 10 shown in FIG. The input lever 21 is attached from the inside of the cover 22 shown in FIG. 6, and the bent locking piece 21c of the input lever 21 is made to protrude from the two elongated holes 22b and the opening 22c of the cover 22. Further, a coil spring 23 is applied to the outside of the cover 22, and the three bent locking pieces 21c protruding from the cover 22 are arranged so as to be surrounded by the coil spring 23. Then, both hook portions 23a of the coil spring 23 are engaged with the cut and raised pieces 22e of the cover 22 from both sides.

Further, the lever bracket 24 is placed over the cover 22 so as to cover the coil spring 23. Then, the cut-and-raised piece 24c of the lever bracket 24 and the cut-and-raised piece 22e of the cover 22 are overlapped, and both hook portions 23a of the coil spring 23 are also locked to the cut-and-raised piece 24c of the lever bracket 24. At the same time, the bent locking piece 21c of the input lever 21 protruding from the cover 22 is made to protrude from the square hole 24f of the lever bracket 24.

Then, with the input lever 21, cover 22, coil spring 23, and lever bracket 24 properly assembled, the bending locking piece 21c of the input lever 21 protruding from the square hole 24f of the lever bracket 24 is bent. More specifically, the tip divided pieces 121c of the three bent locking pieces 21c of the input lever 21 are bent in the direction away from each other and plastically deformed. As a result, the lever assembly 60, which includes the input lever 21, the cover 22, the coil spring 23, and the lever bracket 24, maintains the same relative positional relationship between the components as in the normally assembled state, as shown in FIG. It is possible to maintain the state.

In this way, the brake assembly 40, tooth assembly 50, and lever assembly 60 shown in FIG. After that, the tooth assembly 50 is placed on top of it, and finally the brake assembly 40 is placed on top of the tooth assembly 50.

When overlapping the tooth assembly 50 from above the lever assembly 60, the shaft portion 20a of the tooth plate 20 is fitted into the small diameter shaft hole 21b of the input lever 21.

Moreover, when overlapping the brake assembly 40 from above the tooth assembly 50, the pinion shaft 12 is inserted into the shaft hole 19b of the holding plate 19, and the pinion shaft 12 is inserted into the shaft hole 21a of the input lever 21 and the cover 22. and the shaft hole 24a of the lever bracket 24, respectively. Then, the three locking flange portions 30 of the cover 22 and the three locking recesses 11c of the housing 11 are aligned.

Once the brake assembly 40, tooth assembly 50, and lever assembly 60 have been assembled in this way, the locking flange portions 30 of the cover 22 are caulked as shown in FIG. 2 to inseparably integrate them. join to. Through the above steps, the brake device 7 shown in FIG. 2 is completed.

As described above, according to the brake device 7 of the present embodiment, the housing 11 which is a component of the brake part 9, the pinion shaft 12, the two sets of lock plates 14 and 16 including the lock springs 15 and 17, and the drive The wheels 18 are temporarily assembled in advance as a brake assembly 40 so that the relative positions of the respective components can be self-maintained.

Similarly, the holding plate 19 and the tooth plate 20, which are components of the operating section 10, are temporarily assembled in advance as a tooth assembly 50 so that the relative positional relationship between the two can be maintained by itself.

Furthermore, the input lever 21, the cover 22, the coil spring 23, and the lever bracket 24, which are the components of the operating unit 10, are configured as a lever assembly 60 so that the relative positional relationship of each component can be maintained by itself. It has been temporarily assembled in advance.

In addition, the brake device 7 is constructed by assembling the brake assembly 40, tooth assembly 50, and lever assembly 60 one on top of the other in the axial direction.

Therefore, the brake device 7 has improved ease of assembly and can reduce costs by reducing the number of assembly steps. Furthermore, the brake device 7 can easily be assembled automatically by automated equipment such as an assembly robot.

Here, in the tooth assembly 50, the first shaft portion 19e provided on the holding plate 19 is inserted into the small diameter shaft hole 21b of the tooth plate 20 and is rotatably supported. Further, the holding plate 19 is provided with a holding piece 19h for supporting the tooth assembly 50 when it is turned over. This holding piece 19h supports the tooth plate 20 so as to sandwich it between the arm portion 19d having the first shaft portion 19e and this holding piece 19h, and functions to support the tooth plate 20 when it is turned over.

The holding plate 19 generates a biasing force in the axial direction when the arm portion 19d and the leg portion 19c are sandwiched between the brake assembly 40 and the lever assembly 60. Therefore, in the state before assembly, the arm portion 19d is not perpendicular to the axial direction but is formed to be inclined in the axial direction. Note that the holding piece 19h is formed on a plane perpendicular to the axial direction. Therefore, the distance between the holding piece 19h and the arm portion 19d increases as the distance from the axial center of the holding plate 19 increases in the radial direction. Since the first shaft portion 19e is formed at the furthest position in the radial direction of the arm portion 19d, when the tooth assembly 50 is turned over during assembly, the first shaft portion 19e will be in the position where the tooth plate 20 is supported. The portion 19e is now half removed from the shaft hole 20b of the tooth plate 20. Here, if the arm part 19d has a large slope due to variations, when stacking the tooth assembly 50 on the lever assembly 60, hold the holding plate 19 and quickly move it and stop it, or shake it up and down. If such a movement is made, there is a risk that the tooth plate 20 may come off from the holding plate 19.

However, in the brake device 7 of the above-described embodiment, the cut-and-raised piece 19i is formed on the arm portion 19d of the holding plate 19 and protrudes toward the tooth plate 20 side and engages with (caught in) the recess 20e of the tooth plate 20. ing.

The tooth plate 20, which is sandwiched between the arm portion 19d and the holding piece 19h, is prevented from moving in the radial direction of the pinion shaft 12 when the cut-and-raised piece 19i engages (gets caught) in the recess 20e. Therefore, the tooth plate 20 sandwiched between the holding plate 19 is prevented from falling off (coming off) from the holding plate 19 by the cut and raised pieces 19i.

In addition, in the brake device 7, the tooth plate 20 is prevented from falling off (coming off) from the holding plate 19, and the assembly performance can be further improved.

In other words, the brake device 7 has a simple configuration, can reliably prevent the tooth plate 20 from coming off, and can further improve the ease of assembly.

7...Brake device 9...Brake part 10...Operation part 11...Housing (housing member)
12... Pinion shaft 18... Drive wheel 18b... Internal tooth 19... Holding plate 19c... Leg part 19d... Arm part 19e... First shaft part (first support part)
19f...Action piece 19h...Holding piece (holding part)
19i...Cut and raise piece (regulating part)
20...Tooth plate 20d...External tooth 20e...Concave portion 21...Input lever 21b...Small diameter shaft hole (second support part)
22...Cover (cover member)
22e...Cut and raise piece 23...Coil spring 23a...Hook part (end part)
24...Lever bracket 24c...Cut and raised piece 40...Brake assembly 50...Tooth assembly 60...Lever assembly

Claims (3)

A brake device for an automobile seat in which a brake part that supports the pinion shaft so as not to rotate in response to a reverse input from the pinion shaft, and an operating part for operating the pinion shaft are arranged in an overlapping manner in the axial direction of the pinion shaft. And,
The brake section includes a housing member, and a drive wheel that is housed in the housing member and is inserted into the pinion shaft and can rotate integrally with the pinion shaft,
The operating section is rotatably inserted into the pinion shaft and rotatably supported by a holding plate that constantly exerts a frictional force in a rotational direction with respect to the drive wheel, and a first support section provided on the holding plate. and a tooth plate having a pair of external teeth that mesh with internal teeth provided on the drive wheel, and a tooth plate that is rotatably inserted into the pinion shaft and engages with the tooth plate at a position different from the first support portion. an input lever having a mating second support portion; a coil spring that urges the input lever toward the neutral position; and a coil spring that is coupled to the housing member so that the retaining plate, the tooth plate, and the input lever are connected together with the housing member. and a lever bracket connected to the input lever on the outside of the cover member,
The holding plate is a leaf spring, and includes an arm portion extending along a surface of the tooth plate on the opposite side to the input lever side, and a pair of holding portions extending along a surface of the tooth plate on the input lever side. and,
The arm portion and the holding portion are formed to extend in a radial direction from the center of the pinion shaft, and support the tooth plate so as to sandwich it therebetween;
The arm portion is formed with a regulating portion that protrudes toward the tooth plate and engages with the tooth plate ,
A braking device for an automobile seat, wherein the restriction portion is located between the pinion shaft and the first support portion and engages with a recess formed in a central portion of the tooth plate. The braking device for an automobile seat according to claim 1 , wherein the regulating portion is a cut-and-raised piece formed integrally with the arm portion. 3. The brake device for an automobile seat according to claim 2 , wherein the cut-and-raised piece has a tongue-like shape, and a tip thereof is oriented toward the pinion shaft.

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