JP7407572B2 - seat slide device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seat slide device for adjusting the longitudinal position of a vehicle seat.

2. Description of the Related Art Seat slide devices are known that can adjust the longitudinal position of a vehicle seat and lock the seat at a predetermined position. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view showing an example of a conventional seat slide device. A conventional seat slide device 100 mainly includes a lower rail 110, an upper rail 120, a lock device 130, and a lever mechanism 140. The lower rail 110 and the upper rail 120 are immovable relative to each other when locked by the locking device 130, and become movable relative to each other when unlocked. The lock device 130 is locked and unlocked by a lever mechanism 140.

The lever mechanism 140 includes a lever 141, a lever bracket 142, and a spring bracket 143. The lever bracket 142 is connected to the lever 141 on the first end side (front side). A pressing portion 142a that operates the lock device 130 is provided on the second end side (rear side) of the lever bracket 142. The lever bracket 142 has a protruding shaft portion 142b between a first end and a second end. The spring bracket 143 is made of a plate spring and has a through hole 143a. A shaft portion 142b of the lever bracket 142 is pivotally supported in the through hole 143a of the spring bracket 143.

When the rider lifts the lever 141, the lever 141 and the lever bracket 142 rotate around the shaft portion 142b, and the pressing portion 142a side is lowered. The locking device 130 is unlocked by the pressing portion 142a exerting a force on the locking device 130.

In the case of the lever mechanism 140 shown in FIG. 9, the distance from the part where the rider lifts the lever 141 to the center of the shaft portion 142b is X1, the distance from the center of the shaft portion 142b to the pressing portion 142a is X2, and the locking force by the locking device 130 ( That is, when the force with which the locking device 130 locks the lower rail 110 and the upper rail 120 is F, it is necessary to apply an operating force greater than (X2/X1)F to the lever 141 to release the lock. be.

In the conventional lever mechanism, a fixed part such as a spring bracket is required to pivotally support the shaft part which is the rotational fulcrum of the lever bracket, and the number of parts is increased.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a seat slide device in which a rotation fulcrum of a lever bracket is configured with a small number of parts.

The present invention provides the following aspects of the invention.
(Item 1)
A lower rail fixed to the floor of the vehicle,
an upper rail that has an upper wall formed with a protrusion that projects toward the lower rail, is fixed to the seat, and is slidable with respect to the lower rail;
a locking device that releasably locks relative movement between the lower rail and the upper rail;
a lever mechanism that switches the locking device between a locked state and an unlocked state;
Equipped with
The lever mechanism is
lever and
A lever bracket having an upper wall that contacts the protrusion, is connected directly or indirectly to the lever at a first end, and is provided with a pressing part that applies force to the locking device at a second end. ,
a biasing member that biases the lever bracket toward the protrusion;
Equipped with
The lever bracket rotates around a point of contact with the protrusion as the lever is operated.
Seat sliding device.

(Item 2)
The protrusion is formed by embossing,
The seat sliding device according to item 1.

In the seat slide device of the present invention, the lever bracket rotates around the contact point between the protrusion provided on the upper rail and the upper wall of the lever bracket. Therefore, in the present invention, it is possible to eliminate the fixing parts that were conventionally required to pivotally support the shaft portion of the lever bracket.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a seat and a seat slide device. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the seat slide device. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of the lower rail and the upper rail in FIG. 2. FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially sectional perspective view of the seat slide device after assembly. FIG. 3 is a view of the seat slide device seen from the front side. (a) A perspective view of the lock device, and (b) a perspective view of the lock device seen from the opposite side from (a). 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 4. FIG. (a) A side view when the lever is not operated, and (b) a side view when the lever is operated. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view showing an example of a conventional seat slide device.

A seat slide device of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below shows a preferred specific example of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit thereof.

<1 Structure of seat sliding device>
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a seat S and a seat slide device 1 of a vehicle. Hereinafter, "vehicle vertical direction,""vehicle longitudinal direction," and "vehicle lateral direction (vehicle width direction)" will be simply referred to as "vertical direction,""front/reardirection," and "horizontal direction," respectively. Note that the left and right directions are defined as right and left with respect to the passenger.

The seat slide device 1 includes a lower rail 2, an upper rail 3, a lock device 4, and a lever mechanism 5. The seat slide device 1 is provided as a pair of left and right seats for one seat S, except for an operating section 511 of a lever 51, which will be described later.

The lower rail 2 is fixed to the floor of the vehicle via a bracket B. The upper rail 3 is fixed to the seat S and assembled to the lower rail 2. The lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 cannot be slid in the front-rear direction when locked by the locking device 4, and become slidable in the front-rear direction when unlocked. The lever mechanism 5 switches the locking device 4 between a locked state and an unlocked state. Each component will be explained in detail below.

<1-1 Lower rail and upper rail>
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat slide device 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 taken along the line III-III in FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially sectional perspective view of the seat slide device 1 after assembly. FIG. 5 is a diagram of the seat slide device 1 seen from the front side after assembly.

The lower rail 2 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. The lower rail 2 is an elongated member that extends in the front-rear direction and includes a bottom wall 21, a side wall 22, an upper wall 23, and a flange portion 24. A pair of side walls 22, a top wall 23, and a pair of flange portions 24 are provided. The lower rail 2 is integrally formed by, for example, press working.

The bottom wall 21 has a substantially flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The side walls 22 extend upward from both left and right ends of the bottom wall 21 at substantially right angles to the bottom wall 21 . The upper wall 23 extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall 21 from the upper end of the side wall 22 toward the other side wall 22 . The flange portion 24 extends downward from the end of the upper wall 23 substantially parallel to the side wall 22. A plurality of notches 24a are formed at the lower end of the flange portion 24 at intervals in the front-rear direction. Lock teeth 412, which will be described later, are arranged within this notch 24a.

Next, the upper rail 3 will be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. It consists of an elongated member extending in the front-rear direction and having A pair of side walls 32, a bottom wall 33, a flange portion 34, a holding portion 36, and a pair of attachment portions 37 are provided. The upper rail 3 is integrally formed by, for example, press working.

The upper wall 31 has a substantially flat plate shape extending in the front-rear direction. The side walls 32 extend downward from both left and right ends of the upper wall 31 at substantially right angles to the upper wall 31 . The bottom wall 33 extends diagonally upward from the lower end of the side wall 32 and away from the side wall 32 . The flange portion 34 extends obliquely upward from the bottom wall 33 so as to approach the side wall 32, and is bent and extends obliquely upward away from the side wall 32.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of openings 32a (four in this embodiment) are formed in the side wall 32 at the same intervals as the notches 24a of the lower rail 2. The lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 are locked so as not to be slidable by inserting the lock teeth 412 into the opening 32a and the notch 24a with the opening 32a and the notch 24a facing each other.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the protrusion 35 is integrally formed with the upper wall 31 at a position forward of the opening 32a, and protrudes downward while being curved. More specifically, the protrusion 35 is formed by recessing a portion of the upper wall 31 downward by embossing. An upper wall 521 of a lever bracket 52, which will be described later, comes into contact with the protrusion 35 (see FIGS. 4 and 8).

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding part 36 is provided in front of the projection part 35 and above the vertical intermediate position of the upper rail 3 (that is, in a position close to the upper wall 31). There is. The holding portion 36 holds a shaft portion 533 of a transmission member 53, which will be described later. The holding portion 36 is U-shaped and integrally formed with the upper wall 31. More specifically, the holding portion 36 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the upper wall 31.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of attachment parts 37 are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction. A lock member 41 is attached to the attachment portion 37 by a biasing member 42, which will be described later. The pair of attachment portions 37 are integrally formed with the side wall 32 at a position below the opening 32a. More specifically, each attachment portion 37 is formed by cutting and raising a part of the side wall 32, one attachment portion 37 is provided forward of the frontmost opening 32a, and the other attachment portion 37 is provided forward of the frontmost opening 32a. is provided behind the rearmost opening 32a. Each attachment portion 37 has a through hole 37a, into which the first portion 421 of the biasing member 42 is inserted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 are such that the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 is arranged in the space between the pair of flange parts 24 of the lower rail 2, and the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 is arranged in the space between the pair of flange parts 24 of the lower rail 2. The upper rail 3 is assembled so that the flange portion 34 of the upper rail 3 is disposed in the space.

A rolling means 6 such as a ball is arranged between a corner between the bottom wall 21 and the side wall 22 of the lower rail 2 and a bottom wall 33 of the upper rail 3. Further, a rolling means 6 such as a ball is arranged between the upper end of the side wall 22 of the lower rail 2 and the upper end of the flange portion 34 of the upper rail 3. This rolling means 6 allows the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 to slide smoothly in the front and back direction.

<1-2 Lock device>
The lock device 4 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, 6, and 7. 6(a) is a perspective view of the locking device 4, and FIG. 6(b) is a perspective view of the locking device 4 seen from the opposite side to FIG. 6(a). FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. The locking device 4 includes a locking member 41 and a biasing member 42, and locks the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 so that they cannot move relative to each other.

As shown in FIG. 6, the locking member 41 includes a pair of attachment parts 411, a plurality of locking teeth 412, and a pressed part 413.

The pair of attachment parts 411 are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction, and each has a through hole 411a. Each attachment part 411 is arranged opposite to the attachment part 37 of the upper rail 3, and the through hole 411a of the attachment part 411 communicates with the through hole 37a of the attachment part 37. A first portion 421 of a biasing member 42, which will be described later, is inserted into the through hole 411a of the attachment portion 411 and the through hole 37a of the attachment portion 37, whereby the lock member 41 is rotatably held in the attachment portion 37 of the upper rail 3. be done.

The lock teeth 412 are provided in the same number (ie, four) as the opening 32a of the upper rail 3, and extend toward the opening 32a. As shown in FIG. 7, the lock teeth 412 are arranged within the notch 24a of the lower rail 2 and the opening 32a of the upper rail 3 when locked, and restrict relative movement between the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3.

The pressed portion 413 curves and extends forward of the lock teeth 412 and toward the opposite side of the lock teeth 412 (that is, in the direction away from the opening 32a). The pressed portion 413 is pressed by a pressing portion 523 of the lever bracket 52, which will be described later, during a lock release operation.

The biasing member 42 biases the lock member 41 toward the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 (that is, toward the lock teeth 412 into the opening 32a). In this embodiment, the biasing member 42 is made of a bent linear spring.

The biasing member 42 includes a first portion 421, a second portion 422, a third portion 423, a fourth portion 424, and a fifth portion 425.

The first portion 421 extends in the front-back direction and is inserted into the through hole 411a and the through hole 37a. The second portion 422 rises upward from the first portion 421. The first portion 421 and the second portion 422 are arranged between the side wall 32 and the locking member 41. The third portion 423 extends from the second portion 422 over the locking member 41 to the opposite side of the locking member 41 . The fourth portion 424 extends downward from the third portion 423 and is in contact with the locking member 41 . The fifth portion 425 extends horizontally from the fourth portion 424 and is in contact with the locking member 41 .

When the pressed portion 413 is pressed by the lever bracket 52, the lock member 41 rotates about the first portion 421 of the biasing member 42 as a rotation axis such that the lock teeth 412 are removed from the opening 32a and the notch 24a. do. When the pressure applied by the lever bracket 52 is released, the locking member 41 automatically rotates in the opposite direction due to the restoring force of the biasing member 42, and the locking teeth 412 are disposed within the opening 32a and the notch 24a.

<1-3 Lever mechanism>
The lever mechanism 5 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5. The lever mechanism 5 includes a lever 51, a lever bracket 52, a transmission member 53, and a biasing member 54. When the rider operates the lever 51, the movement of the lever 51 is transmitted to the lever bracket 52 by the transmission member 53, and the lock device 4 is unlocked by the lever bracket 52.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lever 51 includes an operating section 511, an arm section 512, and a connecting section 513. The operating section 511 and the arm section 512 are arranged outside the upper rail 3. The operating portion 511 is a portion that the passenger grasps and operates the lever 51 . A pair of left and right arm portions 512 are provided, and the pair of arm portions 512 are connected by an operating portion 511. The connecting portion 513 is provided at the tip of each of the pair of arm portions 512 and is connected to the transmission member 53. Thereby, the lever 51 is connected to the transmission member 53.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the lever bracket 52 includes an upper wall 521, a pair of side walls 522, and a pressing portion 523. The lever bracket 52 is arranged between the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3.

A pair of side walls 522 extend downward from the top wall 521. A cutout 522a is provided at the bottom of the side wall 522. A biasing member 54 is attached to this notch 522a. The biasing member 54 is, for example, a linear spring. The lever bracket 52 is urged upward by the urging member 54, so that a portion of the upper wall 521 is pressed against the protrusion 35 (see FIGS. 4 and 8). As will be described later, the lever bracket 52 rotates around the contact point P1 between the upper wall 521 and the protrusion 35 (see FIGS. 4 and 8).

The pressing portion 523 is provided at the rear end of the upper wall 521, has a flat plate shape, and is disposed on the pressed portion 413 of the locking member 41, preferably in contact with the pressed portion 413. As the lever bracket 52 rotates, the pressing portion 523 presses the pressed portion 413 and rotates the locking member 41.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the transmission member 53 is disposed between the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3, and transmits the operation of the lever 51 to the lever bracket 52. The transmission member 53 includes a bottom wall 531, a pair of side walls 532, a pair of shaft portions 533, and a pair of moving portions 534.

A pair of side walls 532 stand up from the bottom wall 531 and face each other. The shaft portion 533 has a cylindrical shape and extends from the outer surface of each of the pair of side walls 532 in opposite directions. The shaft portion 533 is held by the holding portion 36 of the upper rail 3, and the transmission member 53 rotates around the shaft portion 533.

The moving portion 534 is provided at the front end of each of the pair of side walls 532 (that is, in front of the shaft portion 533). The pair of moving parts 534 extend in opposite directions from the side wall 532, and are disposed in contact with the lower side of the pair of side walls 522 of the lever bracket 52, as shown in FIG.

<2 Operation of lock device and lever mechanism>
The operations of the locking device 4 and the lever mechanism 5 will be explained mainly with reference to FIG. FIG. 8(a) is a side view of the seat slide device 1 when the lever 51 is not operated, and FIG. 8(b) is a side view of the seat slide device 1 when the lever 51 is operated (that is, when the lever 51 is lifted upward). 1 is a side view of FIG.

When the passenger lifts the operating portion 511 of the lever 51, the lever 51 and the transmission member 53 rotate around the shaft portion 533 of the transmission member 53. As the transmission member 53 rotates, the moving part 534 of the transmission member 53 lifts the front side of the lever bracket 52 (the point of contact between the moving part 534 and the side wall 522 of the lever bracket 52 is expressed as P2). Thereby, the lever bracket 52 rotates around the contact point P1 between the upper wall 521 and the projection 35 of the upper rail 3. That is, the portion of the lever bracket 52 in front of the contact point P1 moves upward, and the portion behind the contact point P1 moves downward.

Then, the pressing portion 523 of the lever bracket 52 presses the pressed portion 413 of the locking member 41. As a result, the lock member 41 rotates about the first portion 421 of the biasing member 42 as the rotation axis so that the lock teeth 412 are separated from the notch 24a and the opening 32a. In this way, the lock between the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 is released, and the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 become able to slide relative to each other.

Here, when the operating force T1 is applied to the operating portion 511 of the lever 51, the force acting on the locking member 41 is determined as follows. Note that although the forces acting on each member are indicated by arrows in FIG. 8(a), the direction and length of the arrows do not accurately represent the direction and magnitude of the force.

The distance from the operating part 511 of the lever 51 to the center of the shaft 533 of the transmission member 53 is Y1, the distance from the contact point P2 to the center of the shaft 533 of the transmission member 53 is Y2, and the distance from the contact point P2 to the contact point P1 is Y3, and the distance from the contact point P1 to the pressing portion 523 is Y4.

According to the principle of a lever, where the operating part 511 of the lever 51 is the point of force, the contact point P2 is the point of action, and the shaft part 533 of the transmission member 53 is the fulcrum, the force T2 acting on the point of action (the contact point P2) is T2 = (Y1/ Y2) becomes T1. That is, a force T2 larger than the force T1 applied to the operating portion 511 of the lever 51 acts on the front portion of the lever bracket 52 (contact point P2). (Y1/Y2) is preferably 5 to 6.

Next, the force T3 acting on the pressed part 413 of the locking member 41 is , (Y3/Y4)T2=(Y1/Y2)(Y3/Y4)T1. (Y3/Y4) is preferably 0.5 or more, for example 0.5 to 0.6.

In other words, when the locking force of the locking device 4 is F, the operating force required to release the locking device 4 is (Y4/Y3)(Y2/Y1)F.

When the force T1 applied to the operating portion 511 of the lever 51 is removed, the lever 51 is lowered by its own weight and the restoring force of the biasing member 42. As a result, the pressing portion 523 of the lever bracket 52 rises and no longer presses the pressed portion 413 of the locking member 41. As a result, the lock member 41 automatically rotates due to the restoring force of the biasing member 42, and the lock teeth 412 are inserted into the notch 24a and the opening 32a. In this way, the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 are locked so that they cannot slide.

<3 Features>
In the seat slide device 1 of the present invention, the lever bracket 52 is rotated by the biasing member 54 around the contact point P1 with the protrusion 35 provided on the upper wall 31 of the upper rail 3. Therefore, in order to form a rotational fulcrum for the lever bracket 52, a fixed part such as a spring bracket is not required. Further, the rotation center (contact point P1) of the lever bracket 52 is located near the upper wall 31 of the upper rail 3. Therefore, the gap t (see FIG. 8(a)) between the arm portion 512 of the lever 51 and the bottom wall 21 of the lower rail 2 can be increased.

By integrally forming the holding portion 36 for holding the shaft portion 533 of the transmission member 53 on the upper rail 3, there is no need to provide the holding portion for the shaft portion 533 as a separate member. Therefore, the number of parts can be reduced. Further, the holding portion 36 is provided near the upper wall 31 of the upper rail 3. Thereby, the gap t (see FIG. 8(a)) between the arm portion 512 of the lever 51 and the bottom wall 21 of the lower rail 2 can be increased.

In the event of a vehicle collision, etc., the rear end of one of the pair of left and right seat slide devices 1 may be lifted up relative to the rear end of the other seat slide device 1. . In such a case, a situation equivalent to when the arm portion 512 of the lever 51 in the seat slide device 1 on one side moves upward (that is, moves in the unlocking direction) occurs. Here, in the seat slide device 1 of the present invention, the gap t (see FIG. 8(a)) between the arm portion 512 and the bottom wall 21 of the lower rail 2 is increased, and the arm portion 512 is further moved from the initial posture. There is room to move downwards. As a result, even if the rear end of the seat slide device 1 on one side is raised higher than the rear end of the seat slide device 1 on the other side, the arm portion 512 on one side is kept in balance with the arm portion 512 on the other side. By moving downward while maintaining the position, it is possible to follow the lifting of the rear end of the seat slide device 1 on one side. As a result, the arm portion 512 on one side can apparently maintain its initial posture, and the seat slide device 1 on one side can be prevented from being unlocked. Note that such a function is called a "cancellation function" and is detailed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-116998.

By interposing the transmission member 53 between the lever 51 and the lever bracket 52, a force greater than the force applied to the operating portion 511 can be applied to the front portion of the lever bracket 52 (contact point P2). As a result, a force greater than the force acting on the operating portion 511 of the lever 51 can be applied to the pressed portion 413 of the locking member 41. Therefore, the lock can be unlocked even with a small force.

1 Seat slide device 2 Lower rail 3 Upper rail 31 Upper wall 35 Projection 36 Holding portion 4 Locking device 5 Lever mechanism 51 Lever 52 Lever bracket 521 Upper wall 523 Pressing portion 53 Transmission member 533 Shaft portion 534 Moving portion 54 Biasing member S Seat P1 contact point

Claims (2)

A lower rail fixed to the floor of the vehicle,
an upper rail having an upper wall formed with a protrusion projecting downward , fixed to the seat and slidable with respect to the lower rail;
a locking device that releasably locks relative movement between the lower rail and the upper rail;
a lever mechanism that switches the locking device between a locked state and an unlocked state;
Equipped with
The lever mechanism is
lever and
A lever bracket having an upper wall that contacts the protrusion, is connected directly or indirectly to the lever at a first end, and is provided with a pressing part that applies force to the locking device at a second end. ,
a biasing member that is a separate member from the locking device and biases the lever bracket toward the protrusion;
Equipped with
The lever bracket rotates around a point of contact with the protrusion as the lever is operated.
Seat sliding device. The protrusion is formed by embossing,
The seat slide device according to claim 1.

Images