JPH11263155A - Seat sliding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To absorb shifting or twisting when a positional relationship between left and right locking mechanisms is slightly changed by connecting only one of the left and right locking mechanisms to a relatively high rigidity operation lever and interconnecting the left and right locking mechanisms by a connecting member for absorbing distortion between both ends. SOLUTION: Left and right sliding mechanisms 1 and 2 are provided with locking mechanisms 30 and 70 for locking upper rails 20 and 60 in optional positions, and these are locked/unlocked according to the rotational direction of a rod 31. For sliding and adjusting a seat, the central part of an operation lever 3 is held and rotated upward around a supporting pin 77 to release a latch from a locking hole 10A. Simultaneously, a connecting ring 74 is pulled by a wire 4, and the rod 31 is rotated against a torsion bar 75 to release the latch from the locking hole of a lower rail 50. At this time, a shift in a positional relationship between the sliding mechanisms 1 and 2 is absorbed by the wire 4, and thus the smooth operations of the left and right locking mechanisms 30 and 70 are guaranteed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat slide device for a vehicle or the like, and more particularly to a seat slide device for operating a lock mechanism between a lower rail and an upper rail. The present invention relates to a seat slide device provided with an operation bar extending to the seat slide device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As this kind of seat slide device,
For example, those described in JP-A-8-295164 and JP-A-9-48264 are known.

[0003] The operation bar in such a sheet slide device is also called a towel bar because it is substantially U-shaped in a plane, and the device itself is also called a towel bar type slide device or the like. The left and right lock mechanisms are locked and unlocked. The left and right lock mechanisms are capable of locking and unlocking the left and right upper rails on the seat bottom side with respect to the left and right lower rails on the floor side, and the left lock mechanism is provided with a left lower rail and a left upper rail. , And the right locking mechanism is configured between the right lower rail and the right upper rail. Both ends of the operation bar are rotatably supported at the forward portions of the left and right upper rails, and an intermediate portion thereof extends in a substantially horizontal left and right direction. Both ends of the operation bar are connected to the left and right lock mechanisms. When the operation bar is rotated upward, the locks of the left and right lock mechanisms are synchronized so that the seat can be slid in the front-rear direction. When the operation bar is returned downward, the left and right lock mechanisms are synchronously locked to lock the seat at the slide adjustment position.

[0004]

The operation bar in such a seed slide apparatus is, for example, a steel pipe having a diameter of about 12 mm bent in a substantially U-shape in consideration of its strength and operability. It has high rigidity.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional seat slide device, since the left and right lock mechanisms are directly connected to both ends of such a relatively rigid operation bar, for example, there is an error in the mounting accuracy of the device itself. When the positional relationship between the left and right upper rails is displaced due to component error, component deformation during use, etc.,
A large deformation load is applied to the connecting portion between the operation bar and the left and right lock mechanisms, which hinders the smooth operation of the left and right lock mechanisms, and may make it impossible to lock and release the locks reliably.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to secure the convenience of operating the right and left lock mechanisms using an operation bar bridged between the left and right upper rails, while maintaining the accuracy of the mounting accuracy of the device itself. An object of the present invention is to provide a seat slide device capable of smoothly and reliably synchronizing and unlocking left and right lock mechanisms with an operation bar by suppressing the influence of dimensional errors of parts and deformation of components during use. is there.

[0007]

A seat slide device according to the present invention is characterized in that the left and right upper rails attached to the left and right bottoms of the seat and extend in the front-rear direction of the seat, and each of the left and right upper rails is Left and right lower rails that slide freely in the front and rear direction of the seat,
A left lock mechanism capable of locking and unlocking the left upper rail with respect to the left lower rail, and a right lock mechanism capable of locking and unlocking the right upper rail with respect to the right lower rail; Left and right ends are rotatably supported by front portions of the left and right upper rails, and an intermediate portion extends in the left and right direction, and one of the left and right lock mechanisms is turned on and off in accordance with the rotation direction of the intermediate portion. An operation bar for locking and unlocking,
A connecting member having left and right ends connected to the left and right locking mechanisms and configured to absorb distortion between the left and right ends, and interlocking with one of the left and right locking mechanisms to lock and unlock the other. And characterized in that:

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This example is an application example as a seat slide device for a right seat of a vehicle.

In the perspective view of the entire apparatus shown in FIG.
Are left and right slide mechanisms. The left slide mechanism 1 is provided on the lower left side of the right seat of the vehicle, that is, toward the center of the vehicle (inner side). (Outer side). These left and right slide mechanisms 1
2 is related by an operation bar 3 also called a towel bar and a wire 4 as a connecting member. In the following, left and right slide mechanisms 1 and 2, operation bar 3,
The configuration of the wire 4 will be described separately.

(Left slide mechanism 1) As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the left slide mechanism 1 has a lower rail 10, an upper rail 20, and a lock mechanism 30.
Is provided. The lower rail 10 is fixed on the floor in the vehicle by front and rear brackets 11 and 12. The upper rail 20 is attached to the left bottom portion of the seat, and is guided by the lower rail 10 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 5, an upper rail 20 having a substantially inverted T-shaped cross section formed by combining two plates is slidably guided inside a lower rail 10 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. . Inside the lower rail 10,
Rollers and sliders, not shown, are provided so that the upper rail 10 can slide smoothly. At the rear end of the upper rail 20, a plate 21 for forming a seat belt fastening portion (not shown) is connected. 13 is a cap attached to the rear end of the lower rail 10.

The lock mechanism 30 locks the upper rail 20 at an arbitrary slide adjustment position. In this embodiment, the lock mechanism 30 locks and unlocks the upper rail 20 in accordance with the rotation direction of the rod 31. That is, in the bearing portions 32A, 32B, and 32C (see FIG. 3) of the bracket 32 connected to the upper rail 20, the rod 31 is moved in the directions indicated by arrows A1 and A2 about the longitudinal axis (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Is rotatably supported on the
A latch 33 is attached to the rod 31, and a plurality of lock holes 10 </ b> A are formed on the side of the lower rail 10. Then, when the rod 31 is rotated in the direction of the arrow A1, the latch 33 is fitted in the lock hole 10A opposed thereto to lock the upper rail 20 as shown in FIG. 6, and the rod 31 is moved in the direction of the arrow A2. When rotated, the latch 33 is disengaged from the lock hole 10A and
Is to be unlocked. The rod 31 is positioned between the rear end of the rod 31 and the upper rail 20 by an arrow A.
A torsion coil spring 34 biasing in one direction is attached.

A nut 35 is welded to a fixed position inside the bent portion 32D (see FIGS. 3 and 5) of the bracket 32. The left end 3A of the operation bar 3 described later is rotated with respect to the nut 35. Stud bolt 3 to support freely
6 is screwed. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 37 denotes a resin bush. A link 3 is provided at the tip of the rod 31.
8 is attached, and a portion on the left end 3A side of the operation bar 3, which will be described later, is slidably fitted in a guide hole 38A having a substantially elliptical shape formed in the link 38. A ring bush 39 made of resin having a substantially elliptical planar shape is fitted in the guide hole 38A.
Smooth sliding of the operation bar 3 in the longitudinal direction inside is ensured. Further, a lower end of the connection link 40 is attached to an intermediate portion of the rod 31, and a hook portion 4 on the left end side of the wire 4 described later is provided in a connection hole 40A at the upper end thereof.
A is connected.

(Right slide mechanism 2) The left slide mechanism 2 includes a lower rail 50, an upper rail 60, and a lock mechanism 70 as shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 and FIG. ing. The lower rail 50 is fixed on the floor in the vehicle by front and rear brackets 51 and 52. The upper rail 60 is attached to the right bottom of the seat, and is guided by the lower rail 50 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. In the case of this example, as shown in FIG. 10, an upper rail 60 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is slidably guided outside the lower rail 50 having a substantially U-shaped cross section. Rollers and sliders (not shown) are provided between the lower rail 50 and the upper rail 60 so that the upper rail 60 can slide smoothly. 53 is a cap attached to the rear end of the lower rail 50.

The lock mechanism 70 locks the upper rail 60 at an arbitrary slide adjustment position. In this embodiment, the lock mechanism 70 locks and unlocks the upper rail 60 in accordance with the rotation direction of the rod 71. That is, the bearing portion 7 of the plate 72 coupled to the upper rail 60
2A and 72B (see FIGS. 7 and 8)
1 is rotatably supported in the directions of arrows B1 and B2 (see FIGS. 9 and 10) about an axis in the front-rear direction, and a latch 73 is attached to a rod 71 thereof. A plurality of lock holes 50A are formed. Then, when the rod 71 is rotated in the direction of arrow B1, the latch 73 is fitted into the opposing lock hole 50A to lock the upper rail 60 as shown by the solid line in FIG. When rotated in the direction B2, the latch 73 is disengaged from the lock hole 50A and unlocks the upper rail 60, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. The upper end of the connection link 74 is attached to the distal end of the rod 71, and a hook 4B on the right end side of the wire 4 described later is connected to a connection hole 74A at the lower end. A torsion bar 75 for urging the rod 31 in the direction of arrow B1 is attached between the connection link 74 and the plate 72.

A bracket 76 is attached to the side of the upper rail 60, and the bracket 7
As shown in FIG. 13, the right end 3 of the operation bar 3 described later
A support pin 77 for rotatably supporting B is implanted. The support pins 77 are shown in FIGS.
As shown in (c), the length is such that the right end 3B of the operation bar 3 can move in the left-right direction. Reference numeral 78 denotes a resin bush.

(Operation Bar 3) The operation bar 3 has a steel pipe substantially U-shaped.
And both ends 3A, 3B are
In addition to being flattened, there are formed holes rotatably supported by the bolts 36 and the support pins 77, and bushings 37 and 78 are fitted in these holes. The intermediate portion of the operation bar 3 extends horizontally between the left and right slide mechanisms 1 and 2 and is vertically rotated about the same horizontal axis of the bolt 36 and the support pin 77. ing. A portion on the left end 3A side of the operation bar 3 is passed through a ring bush 39 attached to the guide hole 38A of the link 38.

When mounting the operation bar 3, FIG.
As shown in FIG.
After passing through the inside, it is pivotally supported by the bent portion 32 </ b> D of the bracket 32 by the bolt 36. In that case, link 3
8, a ring bush 39 is fitted in the guide hole 38, a nut 35 is welded to the bent portion 32D of the bracket 32, and the bolt 36 is attached to the left end 3A of the operation bar 3
The nut 35 passes through the bush 37 fitted in the hole of
Screwed on. On the other hand, the right end 3B of the operation bar 3 to which the bush 78 is fitted is inserted into a support pin 77 implanted in a bracket 76 to be supported by the shaft. FIG.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of only the shaft support portions of both ends 3A and 3B of the operation bar 3. When the seat slide device of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle, for example, the left slide mechanism 1 that supports the left end 3A of the operation bar 3 and the right slide mechanism 2 are separately configured. Those slide mechanisms 1, 2
When the is mounted in the vehicle, the right side 3B of the operation bar 3 can be pivotally supported by the support pin 77 of the right slide mechanism 2.

(Wire 4) The wire 4 has hook portions 4A and 4B at both ends thereof connected to the connection holes 40 of the connection links 40 and 74.
A, 74A and their connecting links 40, 7
It is hung between four. The connection hole 40A is the connection link 40
And a connecting hole 74A is formed at the upper end of the connecting link 74.
Is formed at the lower end of the wire 4 so that both ends of the wire 4 are shifted in the up-down direction and laid. Accordingly, the wire 4 is moved in conjunction with the rotation of the rod 31 in the direction of the arrow A2,
Is rotated in the direction of arrow B2. Further, since the wire 4 itself is flexible, it is inevitably configured to absorb torsion and distortion between the left and right ends.

Next, the operation will be described.

Normally, the rods 31 and 71 are rotated in the directions of arrows A1 and B1 by the urging forces of the torsion coil spring 34 and the torsion bar 75, respectively.
At 0A, the seat is locked with the upper rails 20, 60 in the current sliding position. Link 38
6 is held together with the rod 31 at the rotational position in the direction of arrow A1 as shown in FIG. 6, and the operation bar 3 is located in the guide hole 38A of the link 38 on the right side in FIG.
And the support pin 77 is held at a lower rotation position around the support pin 77.

When adjusting the slide of the seat, first,
The operator holds the intermediate portion of the operation bar 3 and rotates the operation bar 3 around the bolt 36 and the support pin 77 above the arrow C. With such rotation, the operation bar 3 moves the link 38.
While sliding to the left in FIG. 6 in the guide hole 38A, the link 38 is rotated together with the rod 31 in the direction of arrow A2 against the torsion coil spring 34. As a result, the latch 33 comes off from the lock hole 10A. at the same time,
The connecting link 74 is pulled by the wire 4, and the rod 71 is rotated together with the connecting link 74 in the direction of arrow B2 in FIG.
3 comes off the lock hole 50A.

Then, the upper rail 2 together with the seat
After adjusting 0 and 60 forward and backward, the operation force of the operation bar 3 is released. As a result, due to the weight of the operation bar 3 and the urging force of the torsion coil spring 34, as shown in FIG. 6, the operation bar 3 returns to the lower position, and the latch 33 rotates and returns together with the rod 31 in the direction of arrow A1. The lock holes 30A fit into the corresponding lock holes 30A. Further, since the connecting link 40 also returns in the direction of arrow A1, the wire 4 is loosened, and the urging force of the torsion bar 75 causes the rod 71 together with the connecting link 74 to return in the direction of arrow B1 to cause the latch 73 to return. It fits into the lock hole 50A. As a result of these,
The seat is locked together with the upper rails 20 and 60 in the slide adjustment position.

As described above, the lock mechanism 30 of the left slide mechanism 1 is directly locked and unlocked by the left end 3A of the operation bar 3, while the lock mechanism 70 of the right slide mechanism 2 is Locking and unlocking are indirectly performed via the lock mechanism 30 and the wire 4. That is, the left and right lock mechanisms 30 and 70 are not directly connected by the relatively high-rigidity operation bar 3 but are only connected by the flexible wire 4. The right end 3B is only supported by a shaft slidably in the left-right direction.

Since the left and right lock mechanisms 30 and 70 are merely connected by the flexible wire 4 for absorbing the twist and distortion between the right and left ends, an error in the mounting accuracy of the device itself is assumed. When the positional relationship between the left and right slide mechanisms 1 and 2 is slightly shifted in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction due to dimensional errors of the components, deformation of the components during use, etc.
Is absorbed, and smooth operation of the left and right lock mechanisms 30 and 70 is secured. Further, if the left slide mechanism 1 is displaced so as to be close to the right front, that is, the right slide mechanism 2 due to an impact load applied to the plate 21 from the seat belt, the wire 4 is moved in a direction in which both ends thereof are close to each other. It is displaced and loosened, and the locked state of the left and right lock mechanisms 30, 70 is maintained.

Also, by shifting both ends of the wire 4 in the vertical direction or in the front-rear direction as in the present embodiment, tension is not immediately applied to the wire 4 when the right and left slide mechanisms 1 and 2 are relatively displaced. Thus, malfunction of the lock mechanisms 30, 70 can be avoided. In particular, by shifting the left end of the wire 4 toward the rear from the right end, when an impact load is applied to the plate 21 from the seat belt and the left slide mechanism 1 is displaced forward, the wire 4 is loosened and Malfunction of the lock mechanisms 30, 70 is avoided. Further, when the device of this example is provided on the left seat of the vehicle, the plate 21 to which the impact load from the seat belt is applied is attached to the right upper rail 60. In this case,
Conversely, the right end of the wire 4 may be shifted rearward from the left end.

Further, as in this embodiment, the lock mechanism 30 and the wire 4 are provided at a position closer to the front than the plate 21 to which the impact load from the seat belt is applied.
Even if a peeling load is applied from the plate 21 to the rear end portion of the upper rail 20, the influence on the lock mechanisms 30 and 70 can be suppressed.

Further, since the right end 3B side of the operation bar 3 is slidably supported in the left-right direction with respect to the right upper rail 60, if the mounting accuracy error of the device itself, the dimensional error of the component parts, When the distance between the left and right slide mechanisms 1 and 2 changes due to deformation of components during use and the like, the change is caused by the right end 3B of the operation bar 3.
Is absorbed by the side bearing part. That is, the position of the right end 3B of the operation bar 3 is shifted as shown in FIGS. 13B and 13C based on the position of FIG. . Therefore, even if the positional relationship between the left and right slide mechanisms 1 and 2 is slightly shifted or the operation bar 3 is slightly deformed, smooth rotation of the operation bar 3 is ensured.

(Other Embodiments) A support pin 77 that supports the right end 3B of the operation bar 3 may be implanted so as to protrude outward from the bracket 76 as shown in FIG. In the case of this example, the nut 81 is attached to the male screw portion at the tip of the support pin 77.
Are screwed, and the washer 82 and the bracket 76
In between, the displacement of the right end 3B of the operation bar 3 is allowed.

The connecting member for connecting the left and right locking mechanisms 30 and 70 may be of a type that absorbs the distortion between the left and right ends, such as the wire 4. For example, the middle portion is U-shaped. It is also possible to use steel rods curved into various shapes such as. Furthermore, the configuration of the lock mechanisms 30, 70 is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and is arbitrary. In other words, one of the lock mechanisms 30 is locked and unlocked by the operation bar 3, and the connection of the wires 4 and the like is performed in response thereto. Any configuration may be used as long as the other is locked and unlocked via the member.

[0030]

As described above, according to the seat slide device of the present invention, only one of the left and right lock mechanisms is directly connected to the relatively high rigidity operation bar, and the distortion between both ends is reduced. Since the left and right lock mechanisms are connected via the connecting member in the form of absorption, the left and right lock mechanisms may be displaced due to errors in the mounting accuracy of the device itself, dimensional errors of the components, and deformation of the components during use. When the positional relationship slightly shifts, the shift and twist between them can be absorbed by the connecting member, and as a result, the left and right lock mechanisms are operated by the operating lever bridged between the left and right upper rails. The locking and unlocking can be smoothly and reliably synchronized by the operation bar with the left and right locking mechanisms while ensuring convenience.

Further, by providing the locking mechanism and the connecting member at a position forward of the fastening portion of the seat belt, even if a peeling load is applied to the rear portion of the upper rail from the fastening portion, the locking mechanism is connected to the locking mechanism. Can be suppressed.

Further, by shifting the connecting positions of both ends of the connecting member at least in the forward and backward directions or up and down, it is possible to avoid malfunction of the lock mechanism when the positional relationship between the left and right upper rails is shifted.

Further, as the connecting member, a wire or a rod whose intermediate portion is curved can be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the entire seat slide device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow II in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow III in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line VI-VI in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow VII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow VIII in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a view on arrow IX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 7;

FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the entire seat slide device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of only a pivot portion of the operation bar in the seat slide device of FIG.

13 (a), (b), and (c) are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the right end pivot portion of the operation bar in the seat slide device of FIG.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of a main part according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 slide mechanism 3 operation bar 4 wire (connection member) 10, 50 lower rail 20, 60 upper rail 30, 70 lock mechanism

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A left and right upper rail attached to the left and right bottoms of a seat and extending in the front-rear direction of the seat; and a left and right upper guide slidably guiding each of the left and right upper rails in the front-rear direction of the seat. A lower rail, a left lock mechanism capable of locking and unlocking the left upper rail with respect to the left lower rail, and a right lock capable of locking and unlocking the right upper rail with respect to the right lower rail. A left and right end portion is rotatably supported by a front portion of the left and right upper rails, and an intermediate portion extends in the left and right direction, and the left and right locking mechanism is provided in accordance with a rotation direction of the intermediate portion. An operation bar for locking and unlocking one of the two, and a left and right end connected to the left and right locking mechanism and between the left and right end. Is a form that absorbs distortion, seat slide device being characterized in that a connecting member while the in conjunction with to lock and unlock the other of said left and right locking mechanisms. 2. A seat belt fastening portion is provided at one rear portion of the left and right upper rails, and the left and right locking mechanisms and the connecting member are provided closer to the front than the fastening portion. The seat slide device according to claim 1. 3. The seat slide device according to claim 1, wherein a connection position between the left and right ends of the connection member and the left and right lock mechanisms is shifted at least in a front-rear direction or a vertical direction. 4. The seat slide device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a wire. 5. The seat slide device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting member is a rod whose middle portion is curved.