JP2000025502A - Seat lifter structure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve safety to an excessive load without enhancing the braking force of a brake device. SOLUTION: An external gear shaped lock gear 22 is at the fulcrums of front and rear lifter links 16F, 16R fixedly arranged freely to rotate to an attaching bracket 14 on a floor surface side and fleely to integrally rotate with the lifter links. In addition, a rolling lock plate 24 has a weight body 46 at its lower end and has forkedly engaging claws 26-1, 26-2 engaged with the lock gear at its upper end, and the fulcrum of the rolling lock plate 24 is pivotally fitted to the attaching bracket 14 so that either one of the forkedly engaging claws is engaged with the lock gear 22 under rotational movement from a position out of mesh.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seat lifter structure in which the height of a seat can be arbitrarily adjusted and set by synchronized rotation of front and rear lifter links.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a seat lifter capable of securing the height of a seat according to the body shape and preference of a seated person and the height of a viewpoint suitable for driving, etc., under arbitrary adjustment,
It is mounted on the seat of a vehicle such as an automobile.

[0003] The seat lifter has, for example, front and rear lifter links for supporting the seat so as to be able to move up and down. Drive members such as a drive handle and a drive lever are operatively connected to front and rear lifter links via a reduction gear train or the like, so that the rotation of the drive members or the synchronization of each lifter link associated with the turning operation, etc. This type of seat lifter is configured so that the seat can be moved up and down under such a rotation.

Here, since a load such as the weight of the occupant acts on the seat lifter from above, the rotation of the lifter link in the seat descending direction is usually restricted to prevent the driving member from being disengaged. This type of seat lifter is provided with a brake device for preventing a descent caused by a load during operation. According to this, since the lowering of the seat when the driving member is not operated is prevented under the braking force of the brake device, the seat can be held at any height. If the driving member is operated (driven) under an operating force (driving force) that is in opposition to the braking force of the brake device, the seat can be lowered under the operation of the driving member, which makes operation difficult. The seat lowering regulation during non-operation can be ensured without any inconvenience.

[0005]

By the way, high safety is always desired in automobiles and the like, and with this, seat lifters are also strengthened, that is, due to the input of an emergency impact such as a collision. There is a demand for an enhanced holding force against unexpected lowering of the seat lifter.

[0006] In order to increase the holding force of the seat lifter, it is usually considered to increase the braking force of the brake device. However, an increase in the braking force of such a brake device adversely affects the operating force of the driving member, and thus may cause a decrease in operability at normal times, that is, operability of ascending and descending by the driving member. Such an increase in the braking force of the brake device involves an increase in the size of the brake device itself, a complicated configuration, and the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a seat lifter structure for improving safety against an excessive load without increasing a braking force of a brake device.

[0008]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve this object, an external gear-shaped lock gear is mounted at the center of rotation of front and rear lifter links with respect to a mounting bracket on the floor side. It is arranged and fixed so as to be rotatable with respect to the bracket and rotatable integrally with the lifter link. A fulcrum of a pendulum-type lock plate having a predetermined weight body at a lower end and a bifurcated engagement claw capable of meshing with a lock gear at an upper end is provided for pivoting one of the bifurcated engagement claws from a disengaged position. It is pivotally attached to the mounting bracket so that it can be engaged with the lock gear.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG.
In the seat lifter structure 10 according to the present invention, the mount bracket 12 on the seat side is connected to the mounting bracket 14 on the floor side so as to be able to move up and down via the rotatable front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R. A sheet lifter 20 that raises and lowers the sheet 18 by supporting is formed. Then, the combination of the lock gear 22 and the pendulum lock plate 24 is combined with the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16
R is provided at the center of rotation, that is, at the fulcrum of each lifter link, and when the engagement claws 26-1, 26-2 of the pendulum lock plate engage with the lock gear, the rotation of each lifter link in the corresponding direction is adjusted. The seat lifter structure 10 of the present invention is configured to be forcibly prevented.

As shown in FIG. 2, the mounting bracket 14 of the seat lifter is, for example, for fixing a seat slide device 28 to a slide rail (also referred to as an upper rail) 30 for supporting the seat 18 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. Thus, the sheet is usually spaced apart at the left and right positions of the sheet. For example, the fulcrum of the substantially rectangular front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R are the left and right mounting brackets.
14, a pivot pin, for example, a stepped bolt 31 described later
Respectively, and a pair of left and right mounting brackets 12 is pivotally mounted on the upper piece of each lifter link.
Are connected to and supported by the mounting bracket 14 so as to be movable up and down (see FIGS. 1A and 1B).

The left and right sides of the front lifter link 16F and the left and right sides of the rear lifter link 16R are normally connected to each other via bridge rods 32F and 32R so as to be integrally rotatable. By connecting the lower pieces via the connecting rods 34, the front and rear lifter links 16 are connected.
F and 16R are connected so as to be rotatable synchronously in the same direction.

A mounting bracket (also referred to as an upper frame or an upper frame) on the seat side is replaced with a mounting bracket (also referred to as a lower frame or a lower frame) on the floor side.
On the other hand, the basic configuration itself of this type of seat lifter 20 which is connected and supported so as to be able to ascend and descend via front and rear lifter links is general, and the basic configuration of this seat lifter is not the purpose of the present invention. It will not be described in detail.

Here, as shown in FIG. 2, this type of seat lifter 20 is usually formed with a drive member 36 which can be manually operated, and a front and a rear interlocked with the drive operation of this drive member. By the synchronous rotation of the lifter links 16F and 16R, the mount bracket 12, that is, the seat 18 can be arbitrarily moved up and down.

As the driving member 36, for example, a driving lever can be exemplified. The driving lever is provided with a pinion gear 40 and a pinion gear Are connected in an interlockable manner via a reduction gear train 42 and the like for transmitting the rotation of the motor at a reduced speed. In such a configuration, the brake device 44 that can restrict the rotation of the drive shaft 44a in one direction is usually provided by, for example, a pinion gear 38.
The drive shaft is fixedly connected to an output end (not shown) of a drive lever (drive member) 36. The drive shaft of the brake device, that is, the drive lever is controlled under the rotation of a pinion gear. Front and rear lifter links 16F, 16 due to load in the seat lowering direction when the vehicle is not operated
Rotation of R is prevented.

Here, as can be seen from FIG. 3 in addition to FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG. 2, in the seat lifter structure 10 of the present invention, an external gear-shaped lock gear 22 is provided. , A bifurcated engagement claw 26-1,2 that can mesh with this lock gear
A pendulum-type lock plate 24 having a substantially bifurcated upper end having 6-2 at the upper end and a predetermined weight member 46 at the lower end is provided at the fulcrum of the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R, respectively.

The weight member 46 of the pendulum-type lock plate has a weight that causes the pendulum-type lock plate 24 to generate a pendulum motion exceeding a specified range under an emergency impact such as a collision, that is, the running of an automobile or the like. It is set to a weight that does not generate a pendulum movement just enough to engage the engagement claws 26-1, 26-2 with the lock gear 22 under vibration, acceleration, etc. that generally occur at the time of starting, stopping, etc. You.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and FIG.
The lock gear 22 is formed integrally with a non-circular detent shape, for example, a hexagonal projection 22a, and the front and rear lifter links are fitted with the projections fitted into the correspondingly shaped receiving holes 16a. It is integrally rotatably fixed to the fulcrum of 16F, 16R and cannot be removed. The stepped portion 31a is loosely inserted into the insertion hole 14a of the mounting bracket 14, and the aligned stepped bolt (pivot pin) 31 is inserted into the threaded portion of the lock gear 22.
By screwing and tightening into the mounting bracket 22b, the lock gear and the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R are integrally rotatably arranged and connected to the mounting bracket 14.

The pendulum lock plate 24 is rotatably and irremovably supported, for example, by pivoting a fulcrum to a support pin 50 protruding from a base surface 48a of the unit base 48. . Then, by fixing the unit base 48 to the mounting bracket 14, the pendulum lock plate 24
Is disposed so as to be able to mesh with any one of the bifurcated engaging claws 26-1, 26-2 with the lock gear 22 under rotation from the non-meshing position.

The unit base 48 has a base surface 48a
At the upper end of the hole, the insertion hole 48 into which the stepped portion 31a of the stepped bolt can be loosely inserted
By positioning the insertion hole with the insertion hole 14a of the mounting bracket, the positioning can be easily performed.

Here, in the unit base 48, the pendulum type lock plate 24 pivotally supported by the support pins 50 is provided.
The side wall 48c covering at least the side and the lower side of the
It stands on the periphery of 48a. That is, in this configuration, the pendulum lock plate 24 is housed in the unit base 48 so as to be surrounded by the side wall 48c.

As described above, the unit base support pin 50
The pendulum-type lock plate 24 pivotally supported by the lock member is driven by a lock gear shown in FIG.
The engagement pawls 26-1, 26-2 are held at the non-meshed positions with respect to 22. In such a position where the engaging claws 26-1 and 26-2 do not mesh with the lock gear 22, the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R in the seat descending direction under the braking force of the brake device 44. Is restricted.

In the state shown in FIG. 1A, for example, a collision from the rear of an automobile or the like, that is, a rear collision occurs, and the impact is applied to the seat 18 and the seat lifter 20.
, The pendulum-type lock plate 24 moves around the support pin 50 under the weight of the weight member 46 in the corresponding direction, that is, in the counterclockwise direction in the drawing, due to its inertial force against the impact acting in the direction of the arrow. The so-called pendulum movement is performed, and as shown in FIG.
Meshes with the lock gear 22.

Here, when the impact at the time of a rear collision is input to the seat 18 and the seat lifter 20, the seating body moves rearward due to the inertia force, and the seat descends as shown by an arrow in FIG. Excessive load acts on the lifter links 16F, 16R from the seat to the front and rear, and attempts to rotate each lifter link clockwise in the drawing. However, in the seat lifter structure 10 of the present invention, the engagement claws 26-1 of the pendulum lock plate rotated under the inertial force of the impact are provided with the front and rear lifter links 16F, 16R.
Since the lock gear 22 is meshed with the lock gear 22, the lock gear and thus the lifter links do not rotate from the meshing position in the seat descending direction.

That is, when an excessive load is applied due to an impact at the time of a rear collision, the engagement of the engaging claw 26-1 of the pendulum type lock plate rotated under the inertia force causes the engagement.
Since the rotation of the lock gear 22 in the seat lowering direction, that is, the rotation of the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R is prevented, the seat 18 excessively sinks during a rear collision,
Alternatively, excessive backward tilt can be prevented, thereby sufficiently improving the safety of the occupant and, consequently, the safety performance of an automobile or the like.

As described above, in the seat lifter structure 10 of the present invention, the engagement claws 26-1, 2 of the pendulum type lock plate exhibiting a pendulum motion under an emergency impact such as a collision.
6-2, with the lock gear 22 integral with the front and rear lifter links 16F, 16R,
It is possible to engage under a pendulum motion of more than 24 specific ranges,
Under the engagement between the lock gear and the engagement claw, the rotation of each lifter link in the corresponding direction after the occurrence of an impact can be prevented. That is, since the safety of the occupant against an excessive load can be improved without increasing the braking force of the brake device 44, it is possible to reliably prevent an increase in the size of the brake device and a complicated configuration thereof. .

The lock gear 22 is provided integrally with the front and rear lifter links 16F and 16R, and the pendulum type lock plate 24 provided with the engagement claws 26-1 and 26-2 which can be engaged with the lock gear. , Mounting bracket 14
However, since it is sufficient to rotatably support the unit base via the support pins 50 of the unit base, the configuration is sufficiently simplified. That is, also in this respect, the safety of the occupant can be easily improved without complicating the configuration.

Here, the embodiment of the present invention has been described by exemplifying the time of an impact at the time of a rear collision. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In the event of a collision, the same operation as described above can be obtained. In other words, when a front collision of an automobile or the like occurs and the impact is input to the seat 18 and the seat lifter 20, the inertia force at that time causes the pendulum type lock plate 24 to move in the opposite direction to the rear collision, that is, The engagement claw 26-2 on the corresponding side is engaged with the lock gear 22 by exhibiting a pendulum movement in the clockwise direction. At this time, an excessive load generated at the time of a front collision particularly tends to rotate the rear lifter link 16R counterclockwise, but the engaging claw 26-2 of the pendulum type lock plate is engaged with the lock gear 22. Therefore, the rotation of each lifter link after the meshing state is prevented, and the seat 18 is reliably prevented from being excessively inclined.

Accordingly, the seat lifter structure 10 of the present invention
According to both rear-end collision and front-end collision of automobiles,
Its safety is sufficiently ensured.

In the embodiment of the present invention,
The pendulum-type lock plate 24 is embodied as a substantially bifurcated upper end having bifurcated engaging claws 26-1, 26-2, but is not limited to this as it only needs to exhibit a pendulum motion. A pendulum-type lock plate may be formed as a form having only the engagement claw on the corresponding side so as to be able to respond to only one of the collision and the front collision.

However, the pendulum lock plate 24
If the upper end has a substantially bifurcated shape, it is possible to cope with both a rear collision and a front collision, so that the safety is further improved. If the pendulum-type lock plate 24 is substantially bifurcated at the upper end, the pendulum-type lock plate can cope with inertial force in any direction. Therefore, also in this respect, the configuration of the seat lifter 20 can be simplified.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the pendulum lock plate 24 is pivotally attached to the support pin 50 of the unit base. The pendulum lock plate is pivotally attached to the mounting bracket side. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a configuration in which a support pin is directly protruded from the mounting bracket 14 and a pendulum lock plate is pivotally mounted on the support pin may be employed.

However, as in this embodiment,
If the pendulum-type lock plate 24 is rotatably housed in the unit base 48 with the wall 48c that covers the sides and the lower part, the support pins 50 may be damaged or damaged under the action of an excessive load. However, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the pendulum-type lock plate is held in the unit base under the contact and engagement with the wall surface of the unit base. By maintaining the engaged state of the claws 26-1, 26-2, a large rotation of the front and rear lifter links 16F, 16R can be prevented. Therefore, with this configuration, sufficient security against a load exceeding the rigidity of the support pin 50 can be ensured.

In this embodiment, an example of application to the seat lifter 20 having the drive lever 36 as a drive member has been embodied. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It is needless to say that the present invention can also be applied to a seat lifter that has been used. Furthermore, the configuration is not limited to the configuration in which the sector gear 38 is provided on the rear lifter link 16R.
A sector gear may be provided.

The structure of the seat lifter of the present invention is as follows.
Although the present invention is suitable for seats of automobiles and the like, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to seats of other vehicles, for example, trains, airplanes, ships, and the like.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are intended to explain the present invention, and do not limit the present invention in any way, and may be modified or modified within the technical scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that all are included in the present invention.

[0037]

As described above, according to the seat lifter structure of the present invention, the engagement claws of the pendulum-type lock plate rotated under the inertia force are integrated with the front and rear lifter links. By engaging with the lock gear, the rotation of each lifter link in the corresponding direction is prevented,
Excessive sinking or excessive inclination of the seat in the event of an emergency such as a collision can be prevented, thereby sufficiently improving the safety of the occupant and, consequently, the safety performance of a car or the like.

Only when the pendulum-type lock plate exhibits a pendulum motion in a specified range or more, each lifter in the corresponding direction after the impact is generated under the engagement between the lock gear and the engagement claw. Since the rotation of the link can be prevented, the safety of the occupant against an excessive load can be improved without increasing the braking force of the brake device. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the brake device from being enlarged and its configuration becoming complicated.

Further, it is sufficient that the lock gear is provided integrally with the front and rear lifter links, and that the pendulum lock plate provided with the engagement pawls engageable with the lock gear is pivotally mounted on the mounting bracket. , And its configuration is sufficiently simplified. That is, also in this respect, the safety of the occupant can be easily improved without complicating the configuration.

Further, since the pendulum-type lock plate is substantially bifurcated at the upper end, it is possible to cope with both rear-end collision and front-end collision, and the safety thereof is further improved. By making the pendulum type lock plate substantially bifurcated, it is possible to cope with inertial force in any direction, so that the pendulum type lock plate can be shared on the left and right sides of the seat. Therefore, also in this respect, the configuration can be simplified.

Further, if the pendulum-type lock plate is rotatably housed in a unit base having an upright wall covering the sides and the lower side, the support pins may be damaged or damaged under an excessive load. Even if damaged, the pendulum-type lock plate is held in the unit base under contact and engagement with the wall of the unit base. Significant rotation of the rear lifter link can be prevented. Therefore, with this configuration, sufficient safety against a load exceeding the rigidity of the support pin can be ensured.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial front view showing a seat lifter structure according to the present invention in an initial state, and a schematic longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a seat lifter.

FIG. 3 is a schematic partial exploded perspective view of a seat lifter structure.

FIG. 4 is a partial front view of the seat lifter structure similar to FIG. 1 when an impact occurs.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Seat lifter structure 16F, 16R Front and rear lifter links 20 Seat lifter 22 Lock gear 24 Pendulum lock plate 26-1,26-2 Engaging claw 46 Weight member 48 Unit base 50 Support pin

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A mounting bracket on the floor side and a mounting bracket on the seat side are connected by rotatable front and rear lifter links, and each lifter link is synchronized with the driving operation of a driving member. A seat lifter that enables the seat to be lifted and lowered by the rotation control by the brake means and prevents the lowering during non-operation due to the action of the load. At the center of rotation of the link, it is arranged and fixed so as to be rotatable with respect to the mounting bracket and integrally rotatable with the lifter link, and has a predetermined weight body at the lower end and a fork that can mesh with the lock gear. The fulcrum of the pendulum-type lock plate having an engaging claw at the upper end, respectively, Sheet lifter structure characterized in that it is pivoted to the can mesh with the lock gear under rotation from non engagement position, relative to the mounting bracket. 2. A mounting bracket on the floor side and a mounting bracket on the seat side are connected by rotatable front and rear lifter links, and each lifter link is synchronously rotated in conjunction with the driving operation of the driving member. A seat lifter that enables the seat to be lifted and lowered by the rotation control by the brake means and prevents the lowering during non-operation due to the action of the load. At the rotation center of the link, it is arranged and fixed so as to be rotatable with respect to the mounting bracket and integrally with the lifter link, and the fulcrum of the pendulum lock plate having a predetermined weight body at the lower end is The engaging claw at the upper end is attached so that it can mesh with the lock gear under rotation from the non-meshing position. Sheet lifter structure characterized in that it is pivoted relative to the bracket. 3. A pendulum-type lock plate is rotatably mounted in a unit base having a wall surface covering at least a side and a bottom under pivotal support by a support pin projecting from a base surface. The seat lifter structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the pendulum-type lock plate is disposed with respect to the mounting bracket while being housed and the unit base is fixed to a corresponding portion.