POWER SEAT SLIDING DEVICE AND VEHICLE SEAT

• US 20170267125A1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Published: 09/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Delta Tooling Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: FUJITA, Etsunori, INOUE, Katsuhiro, UMEZAKI, Kiyonori
• Granted Patent: US 10,654,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02246 Electric motors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02253 characterised by the transmission between the electric motor and the seat or seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/02258 characterised by the mounting of the electric motor for adjusting the seat
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/06 slidable B60N2/12 , B60N2/2209 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0715 C or U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/02 Suppression of vibrations of non-rotating, e.g. reciprocating systems; Suppression of vibrations of rotating systems by use of members not moving with the rotating systems F16F15/005 takes precedence ; layered products B32B; suppression of vibration in ships B63; relieving load on bearings, using magnetic means F16C39/06
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/10 Suppression of vibrations in rotating systems by making use of members moving with the system by balancing F16F15/22 ; yielding couplings F16D3/00 ; with flywheels acting variably or intermittently F16H ; construction providing resilience or vibration-damping for gear elements F16H55/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2025/2053 Screws in parallel arrangement driven simultaneously with an output member moved by the screws
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 25/20 Screw mechanisms with automatic reversal F16H25/12

Abstract

To reduce energy loss to increase power transmission efficiency, as well as to suppress unusual sound resulting from whirling vibration. A driving force transmission mechanism includes a drive unit that generates a rotation force and consists of a motor, as well as an independent rotating mechanism that is disposed between the drive unit and one of a pair of left and right gear mechanisms so as to be connected to the output shaft of the drive unit and has greater kinetic energy than the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms. Flexible shafts that rotate by smaller kinetic energy than any of the kinetic energy of the drive unit, the kinetic energy of the rotating mechanism, and the friction forces and damping forces of the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms connect between the drive unit and rotating mechanism, between the rotating mechanism and one gear mechanism, and between the drive unit and the other gear mechanism.

Claims

1. :

A power seat sliding device comprising;

a pair of left and right sliders disposed at a predetermined distance, and including upper rails being movably disposed on lower rails and supporting a seat;

a pair of left and right slide screws disposed along moving directions of the upper rails;

nut members screwed to the slide screws; and

a driving force transmission mechanism configured to cause one connected to the upper rails, of the slide screws and the nut members to rotate relative to the other connected to the lower rails, the driving force transmission mechanism including;

a pair of left and right gear mechanisms disposed on the upper rails or the lower rails and configured to transmit a rotation force that causes the slide screws and the nut members to rotate relatively;

a drive unit disposed between the pair of left and right gear mechanisms and consisting of a motor that generates a rotation force; and

a rotating mechanism disposed between the drive unit and one of the pair of left and right gear mechanisms so as to be connected to an output shaft of the drive unit, the rotating mechanism having a function of compensating for an energy loss of a rotation force of the drive unit.

2. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 1, wherein the rotating mechanism has greater kinetic energy than friction forces and damping forces of rotating parts of the gear mechanisms.

3. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 2, wherein

the rotating mechanism is disposed between the drive unit and one of the pair of left and right gear mechanisms so as to be connected to the output shaft of the drive unit and is set so as to have greater kinetic energy than the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms by using a mass difference between the rotating mechanism and the gear mechanisms.

4. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 2, wherein

the rotating mechanism is disposed between the drive unit and one of the pair of left and right gear mechanisms so as to be connected to the output shaft of the drive unit and is set so as to have greater kinetic energy than the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms by using electrical energy different from electrical energy of the drive unit.

5. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 1, wherein

flexible shafts connect between the drive unit and the rotating mechanism, between the rotating mechanism and one of the pair of left and right gear mechanisms, and between the drive unit and the other of the pair of left and right gear mechanisms, the flexible shafts being configured to rotate by smaller kinetic energy than any of kinetic energy of the drive unit, kinetic energy of the rotating mechanism, and friction forces and damping forces of rotating parts of the gear mechanisms.

6. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 5, wherein the flexible shafts are connected to the drive unit, the rotating mechanism, and the rotating parts of the gear mechanisms so as to be movable in a thrust direction.

7. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 4, wherein

the rotating mechanism includes;

a pair of bearings disposed at a predetermined distance between the drive unit and the one gear mechanism; and

a rotating shaft extending between the pair of bearings and connected to the output shaft of the drive unit,

the flexible shaft connecting between the drive unit and the rotating mechanism is disposed so as to connect between the drive unit and the rotating shaft, and

the flexible shaft connecting between the rotating mechanism and the one gear mechanism is disposed so as to connect between the rotating shaft and the one gear mechanism.

8. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 4, wherein

the rotating mechanism includes;

a pair of bearings disposed at a predetermined distance between the drive unit and the one gear mechanism; and

a rotating shaft extending between the pair of bearings and connected to an output shaft of the drive unit, and

the rotating shaft is a rotating shaft whose mass is heavier than masses of gears connected to the flexible shafts in the gear mechanisms.

10. :

The seat slide device of claim 7, wherein

the rotating mechanism further includes an auxiliary drive unit consisting of a motor and

the rotating shaft is connected to an output shaft of the auxiliary drive unit.

11. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 7, wherein the pair of bearings are formed of elastic members.

12. :

The seat sliding device of claim 11, wherein;

a difference is made between the degrees to which the rotating shaft is press-fitted to bearing holes of the pair of bearings or a difference is made between clearances between the bearing holes and the rotating shaft, and

the bearing holes cause the rotating shaft to make a whirling movement around one of the bearing holes and are able to absorb whirling of the output shaft of the drive unit.

14. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 7, wherein

the pair of bearings have bearing holes for the rotating shaft in approximately central portions thereof,

both outside portions sandwiching each of the bearing holes have outside penetration holes through which reinforcing frames penetrate, and

ends of each of the reinforcing frames inserted in the outside penetration holes are fixed to the pair of left and right upper rails.

15. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 1, wherein

the lower rails have approximately L-shaped sections such that heights of inner walls thereof are lower than heights of outer walls thereof, and

positions of centers of the rotating shaft and the reinforcing frames are lower than the heights of the outer walls.

16. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 14, wherein

the upper rails each have an inner plate and an outer plate that face each other at a predetermined distance,

lower-edge outward folds of the inner plate and the outer plate are formed so as to correspond to upper-edge inward folds of the lower rails, and

ends of each of the reinforcing frames are fixed so as to penetrate through the inner plate and the outer plate of each of the upper rails.

17. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 15, wherein gear-mechanism brackets holding the gear mechanisms supported by the upper rails are disposed so as to be adjacent to the tabular members of the upper rails, and

the reinforcing frames are disposed so as to penetrate also through the gear-mechanism brackets.

18. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 15, wherein

the driving force transmission mechanism is disposed close to front portions of the upper rails, and

a rear reinforcing frame extends between rear portions of the upper rails.

19. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 15, wherein

the driving force transmission mechanism is disposed close to front portions of the upper rails, and

upper-wall moving objects are disposed close to rear portions of the upper rails, the upper-wall moving objects protruding toward inside of the upper rails and being configured to move along upper walls located inside the lower rails and to suppress inward fall of the upper rails.

20. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 15, wherein

the gear mechanisms each include a worm disposed on a lower side and a worm wheel disposed on an upper side and engaged with the worm,

one end of each of the slide screws is supported by the worm wheel,

the other end of the slide screw is rotatably supported by an end holding member fixed to the corresponding upper rail, and

the nut members to which the slide screws are screwed and including female screw pasts are fixed to the lower rails.

21. :

The power seat sliding device of claim 14, wherein

regions around bearing holes having the rotating shaft inserted therein, of the pair of bearings are set as soft spring regions each having a relatively low spring constant, and

regions located outside the regions and around outside penetration holes having the reinforcing frames inserted therein are set as hard spring regions each having a relatively high spring constant.

22. :

A vehicle seat comprising;

a seat cushion;

a seat back; and

the power seat sliding device of claim 1.

9. :

(canceled)

13. :

(canceled)