WO2008153229A1

WO2008153229A1 - Seat track for use in vehicle with locking assembly of insert type

Info

Publication number: WO2008153229A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/002832
Authority: WO
Inventors: Bum-Suk Oh; Seong-Ha Park
Original assignee: Austem Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2007-06-13
Filing date: 2007-06-13
Publication date: 2008-12-18

Abstract

A seat track for a vehicle having an insert type locking assembly is disclosed. The seat track includes a stationary rail (110), which is supported by a vehicle body frame, a movable rail (120), which slides along the stationary rail, and the locking assembly (130), which releasably locks the movable rail to the stationary rail. The locking assembly includes a lever (131) and a locking member (135). The lever is installed in the movable rail so as to be rotatable around a first axis. The locking member is installed in the movable rail and is rotated in conjunction with the lever around a second axis, oriented perpendicular to the first axis, so that that the movable rail is locked to or unlocked from the stationary rail by the locking member. Therefore, the miniaturization of components can be realized, and the strength and stability of the locked state of the seat track can be reliably ensured.

Description

SEAT TRACK FOR USE IN VEHICLE WITH LOCKING ASSEMBLY OF INSERT TYPE

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates, in general, to seat tracks for vehicles and, more particularly, to a seat track for a vehicle having an insert type locking assembly in which the locking assembly, which conducts the operation of locking or unlocking a movable rail to or from a stationary rail, is provided in the movable rail. Background Art

[2] Generally, seat tracks for vehicles are provided under seats to make it possible for the seats to slide forwards or backwards. Typically, the seat tracks are provided under driver's seats and passenger seats of vehicles and are provided with locking assemblies, which lock the seats at predetermined positions or allow the seats to slide when manipulated by occupants.

[3] Such a seat track having a locking assembly is a well known technique, for the improvement of which the applicant of the present invention has proposed several inventions, particularly in the structure of the locking assembly.

[4] Specifically, a locking assembly, which has an improved structure such that, even if impact is applied to the rear of a vehicle, the locked state is prevented from being undesirably released, was proposed in Korean Patent Registration No. 503448 (date: JuI. 15, 2005), entitled "LOCKING DEVICE FOR SEAT TRACK OF VEHICLE". A locking assembly, which has a structure such that the number of components can be reduced through the use of a plate spring and a pin lock, was proposed in Korean Patent Registration No. 503454 (date: JuI. 15, 2005), entitled "LOCKING DEVICE FOR SEAT TRACK OF VEHICLE".

[5] Furthermore, a locking assembly having relatively high strength was proposed in

Korean Patent Registration No. 512889 (date: Aug. 30, 2005), entitled "LOCKING DEVICE FOR SEAT TRACK OF VEHICLE".

[6] However, in the field pertaining to seat tracks for vehicles as well as in the registered Patent mentioned above, a technique that ensures both miniaturization of components and high strength thereof has not been proposed.

[7] Moreover, recently, in response to many studies on miniaturization of vehicles and miniaturization of components for enhancing the utilization of space in passenger compartments of the vehicles, development of a technique for miniaturization is also required in the field pertaining to seat tracks. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[8] Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a seat track for vehicles which has an improved structure such that the miniaturization of components can be achieved, and the strength and stability of the locked state of the seat track can be reliably ensured. Technical Solution

[9] In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a seat track for a vehicle, including a stationary rail supported by a vehicle body frame, a movable rail to slide along the stationary rail, and a locking assembly coupled to the movable rail to releasably lock the movable rail to the stationary rail, wherein the locking assembly comprises: a lever provided in and supported by the movable rail and hinged to the movable rail so as to be rotatable around a first axis; and a locking member provided in and supported by the movable rail, the locking member being rotated in conjunction with the lever around a second axis, which is oriented perpendicular to the first axis, such that the movable rail is locked to or unlocked from the stationary rail by the locking member.

[10] The locking member may include: a rotating shaft to be rotated by a pushing force transmitted from the lever to an operating arm, provided on an end of the rotating shaft; and a claw having a shaft receiving part extending a predetermined length such that the claw is fastened to the rotating shaft through the shaft receiving part, so that the claw is integrally rotated with the rotating shaft. Here, the seat track for the vehicle may further include a locking member bracket installed in the movable rail and supporting the rotating shaft.

[11] Furthermore, the seat track for the vehicle may further include a lever bracket installed in the movable rail and supporting the rotation of the lever. In addition, the lever may extend a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the movable rail, and one end of the lever may be coupled to a handle through a corresponding end of the movable rail.

Advantageous Effects

[12] The seat track for a vehicle according to the present invention is constructed such that a locking assembly for locking or unlocking a movable rail is provided in the movable rail. Therefore, miniaturization of components is realized, and the utilization of space in a passenger compartment of the vehicle can be markedly increased. Brief Description of the Drawings

[13] Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a seat track for vehicles according to an embodiment of the present invention; [14] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing a stationary rail, a movable rail, a guide bearing and a locking assembly, which constitute the seat track for vehicles of Fig. 1;

[15] Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the assembled locking assembly of Fig. 2;

[16] Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showings the coupling relationship between the stationary rail, the movable rail, the guide bearing and the locking assembly of Fig. 2; and

[17] Figs. 6 and 7 are front views and are sectional views taken along the lines A-A of the front views to illustrate the operation of the locking assembly of Fig. 2. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[18] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[19] As shown in Fig. 1, a seat track 100 for vehicles according to the embodiment of the present invention includes stationary rails 110, which are fastened to a vehicle body frame (not shown) through a coupling bracket 101, movable rails 120, which are provided in respective stationary rails 110 so as to be longitudinally slidable along the stationary rails 110, and a seat frame 102, which is fastened to the upper ends of the movable rails 120. A seat (not shown) is coupled to and supported by the upper end of the seat frame 102.

[20] As shown in Fig. 2, a guide bearing unit 150 is provided between each stationary rail 110 and a corresponding movable rail 120 to support and guide the movable rail 120 such that the movable rail 120 is slidable along the stationary rail 110.

[21] Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a locking assembly 130 for releasably locking the movable rail 120 to the stationary rail 110 is provided between the stationary rail 100 and the movable rail 120.

[22] The locking assembly 130 includes a lever 131, which is rotated around a hinge shaft 132, and a locking member 135, which is rotated and removably inserted into locking holes (11Oh and 12Oh of Fig. 4), which are respectively formed in the stationary rail 110 and the movable rail 120 at positions corresponding to each other, so that the movable rail 120 is releasably locked to the stationary rail 110 using the locking member 135.

[23] The lever 131 is rotatably supported by the hinge shaft 132, which is inserted into a shaft hole 13 Ih formed through a medial portion of the lever 131. The hinge shaft 132 is inserted through and supported by a lever bracket 133. Therefore, the lever 131 has a structure such that it is rotatable around the hinge shaft 132 in a state in which the medial portion of the lever 131 is received in the lever bracket 133.

[24] In addition, the lever 131 is elastically biased in a clockwise direction by a spring 134, the central portion of which is fitted over the hinge shaft 132, and one end of which is supported by the lever bracket 133. Therefore, when a handle 140 coupled to the right end of the lever 131 is pulled upwards, the operating end 131a of the lever 131, which is opposite the right end thereof is moved downwards and pushes an operating arm 137 such that the operating arm 137 is rotated.

[25] The lever 131 extends a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the movable rail 120. The right end of the lever 131, which extends to the end of the movable rail 120, is coupled to the handle 140. Thus, the locking or unlocking operation of the locking member 135, which will be described later herein, is realized by the handle 140, which is coupled to the lever 131 at a position adjacent to the end of the movable rail 120. Therefore, unlike the conventional art, in which the locking member is operated through the sidewall of the movable rail, side space, which was required in the conventional art to conduct the manipulation for locking or unlocking the movable rail 120, can be markedly reduced.

[26] Meanwhile, the lever bracket 133 is coupled to the movable rail 120 through coupling holes 133h, which are formed through the upper surface of the lever bracket 133. Thanks to the assembly structure of the lever bracket 133, the lever bracket 133, along with a locking member bracket 1301, which will be explained later herein, can realize modularization of the locking assembly 130.

[27] The locking member 135 includes a rotating shaft 136, which has an operating arm

137 protruding from an end thereof, and a claw 138, which has a shaft receiving part 138a coupled to the rotating shaft 136. The operating arm 137, the rotating shaft 136 and the claw 138 are integrated with each other by welding or the like such that they are integrally operated.

[28] The rotating shaft 136 is rotatably supported by a locking member bracket 1301.

The locking member bracket 1301 is coupled to the movable rail 120 through coupling holes 130 Ih formed through the locking member bracket 1301. Thanks to this assembly structure of the locking member bracket 1301, in which the locking member 135 is rotatably supported by the rotating shaft 136, the modularization of the locking assembly 130 can be realized.

[29] As such, the locking assembly 130 consists of two units, which are separated from each other, namely, the lever bracket 133 for supporting the lever 131 and the locking member bracket 1301 for supporting the locking member 135. Therefore, there is an advantage in that each unit can be manufactured in a separate process.

[30] Furthermore, because the present invention is constructed such that the brackets 133 and 1301 are coupled at predetermined positions to the movable rail 120 through coupling holes 133h and 130 Ih, a process of assembling the locking assembly can be simplified. [31] The locking member 135 is elastically biased by a spring 139 such that it is rotated in a direction in which the movable rail 120 is locked to the stationary rail. In this embodiment, the spring 139 is a torsion spring. A first end of the spring 139 is fastened to the locking member bracket 1301, and a second end thereof compresses the locking member 135 such that the locking member 135 is rotated in one direction.

[32] When the lever bracket 133 and the locking member bracket 1301 are installed in the movable rail 120, the operating end 131a of the lever 131 is disposed above the operating arm 137 of the rotating shaft 136 at a position vertically spaced apart therefrom by a predetermined distance. Furthermore, an axis (hereinafter, referred to as a "first axis") of the hinge shaft 132, which is supported by the lever bracket 133, is oriented perpendicular to an axis (hereinafter, referred to as a "second axis") of the rotating shaft 136, which is rotatably supported by the locking member bracket 1301. Thereby, the operational relationship between the lever 131 and the locking member 135 is defined.

[33] That is, when the end of the lever 131, which is adjacent to the handle 140, is moved upwards, the opposite operating end 131a of the lever 131 is moved downwards, thus contacting and pushing the operating arm 137. Thereby, the operating arm 137 is rotated.

[34] Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views showing the coupling relationship between the components of Fig. 2 which constitute the seat track 100. Fig. 4 illustrates the state when the lever (131 of Fig. 2) is not in operation, and Fig. 5 illustrates the state in which the locking member 135 is rotated by the operation of the lever (131 of Fig. 2).

[35] When the lever 131 is not in operation, as shown in Fig. 4, the claw 138 is inserted into the through holes HOh and 12Oh, which are respectively formed in the stationary rail 110 and the movable rail 120 at positions corresponding to each other, thus locking the movable rail 120 to the stationary rail 110.

[36] As shown in Fig. 5, when the operating arm 137 is rotated by the operation of the lever 131, the rotating shaft 136 and the claw 138 are integrally rotated along with the operating arm 137. Then, the movable rail 120 is unlocked from the stationary rail 110 by the rotation of the claw 138, thus entering a state of being slidable along the stationary rail 110.

[37] Figs. 6 and 7 are views illustrating the operational relationship between the components of the locking assembly 130 in the states of Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, assuming that the lever 131 and the locking member 135 are respectively supported in the movable rail (120 of Fig. 2) by the lever bracket 133 and the locking member bracket 1301.

[38] As shown in Fig. 6, when the lever is not in operation, the operating end 131a of the lever 131 maintains a state in which it is spaced apart from the operating arm 131a by a predetermined distance. As shown in Fig. 7, when the lever is operated (that is, rotated), the operating end 131a pushes and rotates the operating arm 137. Thereby, the locking member 135 is rotated. Industrial Applicability

[39] As described above, a seat track for a vehicle according to the present invention is constructed such that a locking assembly for locking or unlocking a movable rail is provided in the movable rail. Therefore, miniaturization of components is realized, and the utilization of space in a passenger compartment of the vehicle can be markedly increased. In addition, because a rotating shaft, an operating arm and a claw, which constitute a locking member, are integrated with each other, the strength and stability of the locked state of the seat track can be reliably ensured.

[40] Furthermore, in the seat track for the vehicle according to the present invention, a lever bracket for supporting a lever and a locking member bracket for supporting a locking member are separately provided. The seat track is assembled by a method in which these brackets are removably coupled to the movable rail. Therefore, modularization of the locking assembly can be realized, so that the assembly of the seat track is simplified, thus enhancing productivity.

Claims

[1] A seat track for a vehicle, comprising a stationary rail supported by a vehicle body frame, a movable rail to slide along the stationary rail, and a locking assembly coupled to the movable rail to releasably lock the movable rail to the stationary rail, wherein the locking assembly comprises: a lever provided in and supported by the movable rail and hinged to the movable rail so as to be rotatable around a first axis; and a locking member provided in and supported by the movable rail, the locking member being rotated in conjunction with the lever around a second axis, which is oriented perpendicular to the first axis, such that the movable rail is locked to or unlocked from the stationary rail by the locking member.

[2] The seat track for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the locking member comprises: a rotating shaft to be rotated by a pushing force transmitted from the lever to an operating arm, provided on an end of the rotating shaft; and a claw having a shaft receiving part extending a predetermined length such that the claw is fastened to the rotating shaft through the shaft receiving part, so that the claw is integrally rotated with the rotating shaft.

[3] The seat track for the vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising: a locking member bracket installed in the movable rail and supporting the rotating shaft.

[4] The seat track for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising: a lever bracket installed in the movable rail and supporting the rotation of the lever.

[5] The seat track for the vehicle according to claim 1 or 4, wherein the lever extends a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction of the movable rail, and one end of the lever is coupled to a handle through a corresponding end of the movable rail.