DEVICE FOR A MOTOR VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20110272988A1
• Filed: 03/02/2010
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper Seating Mechanisms Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Components Gmbh & Co. Kg (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Schüler, Rolf
• Granted Patent: US 8,579,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 297/354.12
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/1615 Parallelogram-like structure
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/167 Ratchet mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2252 in which the central axis of the gearing lies inside the periphery of an orbital gear, e.g. one gear without sun gear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/2257 with rollers or balls
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/933 rotatable

Abstract

A drive device for a motor vehicle seat (1) has a mount (22), a drive (24) which is mounted to the mount (22), so as to be pivoted about a first axis (A), an output (25) which is mounted to the mount (22), so as to be rotated about a second axis (B), and a transmission. The transmission transmits a driving pivot movement of the drive (24), which moves the drive (24) from an initial position into a deflected position, to the output (25) and causes a rotating movement of the output (25). At least one rolling body (26) is provided as the transmission. The rolling body (26), in the initial position and during the driving pivot movement of the drive (24), is in friction contact both with the drive (24) and simultaneously with the output (25) and rolls along same, and releases during the pivot movement back into the initial position.

Claims

1. A drive device for a vehicle seat, the drive device comprising:

a frame;

a drive input mounted on the frame so as to be pivotable about a first axis;

a drive output mounted on the frame so as to be rotatable about a second axis; and

a transmission means for transmitting a driving pivoting movement of the drive input, which causes the drive input to be moved from an initial position into a deflected position, to the drive output and for generating a rotational movement of the drive output, the transmission means comprising a rolling body which, in an initial position and during the driving pivoting movement of the drive input, is in frictional contact with and rolls on both the drive input and also at the same time the drive output, and which disengages during the pivoting movement back into the initial position.

2. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive input has a drive input segment at which the frictional contact between the rolling body and the drive input takes place.

3. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rolling body is a first rolling body and further comprising a second rolling body which, in the initial position, is in frictional contact both with the drive input and simultaneously also with the drive output, and which, during the driving pivoting movement of the drive input, is driven along—

with the simultaneous frictional contact being eliminated—

by a driver of the drive input.

4. The drive device as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a spring or some other elastic element is fastened to the frame, the spring or element acting on the second rolling body, which second rolling body is driven along by the driver, counter to a direction of the driving pivoting movement of the drive input.

5. The drive device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the spring or other elastic element holds the second rolling body, which is driven along by the driver, at a distance from the drive output and in contact with a drive input segment of the drive input.

6. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first axis and the second axis are offset relative to one another in parallel by an eccentricity distance, whereby a plane is defined which contains the two axes.

7. The drive device as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

in the initial position, the drive input and the drive output are of a mirror-symmetrical design in regions which interact with the first rolling body and the second rolling body; and

in the initial position, the rolling bodies are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane which contains the first axis and the second axis.

8. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein running surfaces on the drive input and drive output which are in frictional contact with the rolling bodies have different radii of curvature with respect to the axes.

9. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive input and the drive output have regions which interact with the first rolling body and the second rolling body and define for each provided rolling body a wedge gap, into which the rolling body is pressed during the driving pivoting movement and out of which the rolling body is pushed during disengagement.

10. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame has at least one stop with which the first rolling body comes into contact during the driving pivoting movement of the drive in the event of a high loading in relation to normal usage loads, which prevents a further movement of the first rolling body and thereby limits the maximum torque which can be transmitted to the drive output.

11. The drive device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive device is of non-load-absorbing design and drives a geared fitting which is of load-absorbing design.

12. A motor vehicle seat comprising:

a geared fitting provided in one or more of a height adjuster, an inclination adjuster and a backrest adjuster of the vehicle seat; and

a drive device connected to the geared fitting, the drive device comprising;

a frame;

a drive input mounted on the frame so as to be pivotable about a first axis;

a drive output mounted on the frame so as to be rotatable about a second axis; and

a transmission transmitting a driving pivoting movement of the drive input, from an initial position into a deflected position, to the drive output and generating a rotational movement of the drive output, the transmission comprising a rolling body in frictional contact with and rolling on both the drive input and the drive output, and which disengages during pivoting movement back into the initial position.

13. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein:

the rolling body is a first rolling body and further comprising a second rolling body which, in the initial position, is in frictional contact both with the drive input and the drive output, and during the driving pivoting movement of a driver of the drive input, is driven along by the drive input and frictional contact is eliminated; and

the drive input has a drive input segment at which the frictional contact between the drive input and the first rolling body takes place.

14. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a spring or other elastic element fastened to the frame, the spring or other element acting on the second rolling body, which second rolling body is driven along by the driver counter to a direction of the driving pivoting movement of the drive input.

15. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14, wherein the spring or other elastic element holds the second rolling body, which is driven along by the driver, at a distance from the drive output and in contact with a drive input segment of the drive input.

16. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first axis and the second axis are offset relative to one another in parallel by an eccentricity distance, whereby a plane is defined which contains the two axes.

17. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

in the initial position, the drive input and the drive output are of a mirror-symmetrical design in regions which interact with the first rolling body and the second rolling body; and

in the initial position, the rolling bodies are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane which contains the first axis and the second axis.

18. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 17, wherein running surfaces on the drive input and drive output which are in frictional contact with the rolling bodies have different radii of curvature with respect to the first axis and the second axis.

19. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the drive input and the drive output have regions which interact with the first rolling body and the second rolling body and define for each provided rolling body a wedge gap, into which the rolling body is pressed during the driving pivoting movement and out of which the rolling body is pushed during pivoting movement back into the initial position.

20. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 12, wherein the frame has at least one stop with which the first rolling body comes into contact during the driving pivoting movement of the drive in the event of a high loading in relation to normal usage loads, which prevents a further movement of the first rolling body and thereby limits the maximum torque which can be transmitted to the drive output.