POWER SEAT TRACK DRIVE ASSEMBLY
First Claim
1. A drive assembly comprising:
- a threaded screw;
a gear rotatably disposed about said threaded screw, said gear including a geared outer surface;
a housing including a bore and an opening in a lower surface;
a rotatably driven worm disposed within said bore of said housing, said worm including a threaded outer surface protruding through said opening in said lower surface of said housing and threadably engaging said geared outer surface of said gear; and
a generally U-shaped retainer strap partially surrounding said gear and adapted to couple said housing and said gear together to align and preload said worm and said gear.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An adjustment mechanism is disclosed for moving a movable member relative to a fixed member. A threaded screw is fixedly secured to the fixed member. A gear is rotatably disposed about the threaded screw. A housing includes a bore and an opening in a lower surface. A rotatably driven worm is disposed within the bore and includes a threaded outer surface that protrudes through the opening in the lower surface of the housing and threadably engages the gear. A generally U-shaped retainer strap partially surrounds the gear and is adapted to couple the housing and gear together to align and preload the worm and gear. A generally U-shaped bracket is adapted to be fixedly secured to the movable member, wherein the gear, housing, worm, and retainer strap are disposed within the bracket and the threaded screw passes through a pair of openings in the bracket.
67 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A drive assembly comprising:
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a threaded screw; a gear rotatably disposed about said threaded screw, said gear including a geared outer surface; a housing including a bore and an opening in a lower surface; a rotatably driven worm disposed within said bore of said housing, said worm including a threaded outer surface protruding through said opening in said lower surface of said housing and threadably engaging said geared outer surface of said gear; and a generally U-shaped retainer strap partially surrounding said gear and adapted to couple said housing and said gear together to align and preload said worm and said gear.
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2. An adjustment mechanism arranged between a movable member and a fixed member for moving the movable member relative to the fixed member, said adjustment mechanism comprising:
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a threaded screw fixedly secured to the fixed member; a gear rotatably disposed about said threaded screw, said gear including a geared outer surface; a housing including a bore and an opening in a lower surface; a rotatably driven worm disposed within said bore of said housing, said worm including a threaded outer surface protruding through said opening in said lower surface of said housing and threadably engaging said geared outer surface of said gear; a generally U-shaped retainer strap partially surrounding said gear and adapted to couple said housing and said gear together to align and preload said worm and said gear; and a generally U-shaped bracket adapted to be fixedly secured to the movable member, wherein said gear, housing, worm, and retainer strap are disposed within said generally U-shaped bracket and said threaded screw passes through a pair of openings in said generally U-shaped bracket. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A power seat track assembly for moving a seat fore and aft along a floor in a motor vehicle, said power seat track assembly comprising:
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a fixed track adapted to be mounted to the floor and a movable track slidably engaging said fixed track; a threaded screw fixedly secured to said fixed track; a gear rotatably disposed about said threaded screw, said gear including a geared outer surface; a housing including a bore and a lower arcuate surface with an opening therethrough; a worm rotatably disposed within said bore of said housing and extending between a bearing end and a driven end, said worm including a threaded outer surface protruding through said opening in said lower arcuate surface of said housing and threadably engaging said geared outer surface of said gear; a generally U-shaped retainer strap partially surrounding said gear and adapted to couple said housing and said gear together to align and preload said worm and said gear; a generally U-shaped bracket adapted to be fixedly secured to said movable track, wherein said gear, housing, worm, and retainer strap are disposed within said generally U-shaped bracket and said threaded screw passes through a pair of openings in said generally U-shaped bracket; and a drive operatively coupled to said driven end of said worm, whereby rotation of said worm causes said gear to rotate and travel along said threaded screw thereby urging said generally U-shaped bracket and said movable track fore and aft. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification