ANTI-BACKLASH RESISTANT GEARING FOR A SEAT MECHANISM

• US 20080023998A1
• Filed: 07/28/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lindsay, Derek
• Granted Patent: US 7,735,927 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/362
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/165 Gear wheel driven mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/933 rotatable
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2205/20 Measures for elimination or compensation of play or backlash

Abstract

A vehicle seat assembly includes an anti-backlash mechanism in the seat adjustment gearing to reduce or eliminate gaps that cause looseness in the gearing.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat assembly comprising:

a seat portion against which a user of the seat can be positioned; and

an anti-backlash gear mechanism attached to the seat portion, the anti-backlash gear mechanism including

a first gear having first gear teeth, the first gear attached to the seat portion;

a second gear substantially similar to the first gear and having second gear teeth;

at least one spring attaching the first gear to the second gear such that the first gear teeth and the second gear teeth are adjacent to and offset from each other; and

a third gear having third gear teeth mating with said first teeth and said second teeth;

wherein the at least one spring biases the second gear teeth against the third gear teeth.

2. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least two pins, wherein the first gear and the second gear each comprise at least one of said at least two pins, the at least one spring mounted over the at least two pins to bias the gears in a circumferential direction.

3. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, further comprising:

a drive motor attached to the first gear or to the third gear.

4. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 3, further comprising:

a drive shaft attached to the first gear; and

wherein the drive motor is attached to the drive shaft.

5. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 3, wherein the drive motor is attached to the third gear.

6. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion comprises a seat bottom.

7. A vehicle seat assembly according to claim 1, wherein the seat portion comprises a seat back.

8. A vehicle comprising at least one seat assembly according to claim 1.

9. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of an automobile, a train, an airplane, and a boat.

10. A vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle comprises an automobile.