Powered seat slide device

• US 5,829,727 A
• Filed: 06/07/1996
• Issued: 11/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Ikeda Bussan Co., Ltd. (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Ishii, Wataru, Chinomi, Isamu, Sebata, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Braun, Leslie A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAXTER, GWENDOLYN WRENN
• Application Number:
  US08/660,474
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 248/419, 248/424, 248/429, 248/430, 248/562, 248/569, 248/571, 248/573, 248/602, 248/636
• US Class Current: 248/429
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/067 by linear actuators, e.g. linear screw mechanisms

Abstract

A powered seat slide device comprises upper and lower guide rails slidably fitted to each other, and a rail drive mechanism with a reversible motor and a reduction gear box. The drive mechanism includes a screw-threaded shaft being rotatable about its axis through the motor and the gear box and installed on one of the upper and lower guide rails, and a nut member being installed on another rail and screwed into the screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member. An elastic shock-absorbing damper assembly (including essentially annular elastomeric damper) is supported on the screw-threaded shaft in front and in rear of the nut member. The damper assembly includes at least a plastic washer interposed between the nut member and the damper. The plastic washer has a radially and inwardly tapered and circumferentially curved face to define a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing to the flat side wall of the damper, and thus provide an elastic-deformation permissible space of the damper.

Claims

1. A powered seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidably fitted to said lower guide rail;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said shock-absorbing means includes an elastomeric damper and a plastic washer, both supported on said screw-threaded shaft, said plastic washer being interposed between said elastomeric damper and said nut member,

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and each side wall of said elastomeric damper is flat, and said plastic washer has a circumferentially-extending diametrical-deformation suppressive portion on its outer periphery and an elastic-deformation permissible space in its side wall.

2. A powered seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidable fitted on said lower guide rail;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said shock-absorbing means includes an elastomeric damper and a plastic washer, both supported on said screw-threaded shaft, said plastic washer interposed between said elastomeric damper and said nut member,

wherein said plastic washer abuts one side wall of said elastomeric damper, said one side wall facing said nut member,

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and said one side wall of said elastomeric damper has a flat side wall surface, and said plastic washer has a radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved face which defines a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing the one flat side wall on said elastomeric damper and which defines a circumferentially-extending, outer peripheral edge facing an outer periphery of the one flat side wall of said elastomeric damper.

3. A powered seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidably fitted to said lower guide rail;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said shock-absorbing means includes an elastomeric damper and a pair of plastic washers supported on said screw-threaded shaft, said pair of plastic washers provided at a front and at a rear of said elastomeric damper so that said elastomeric damper is sandwiched by the pair of plastic washers,

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and formed with two flat side walls, and each of said pair of plastic washers has a radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved face which defines a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing an associated one flat side wall of said elastomeric damper and which defines a circumferentially-extending outer peripheral edge facing an other periphery of the associated one flat side wall of said elastomeric damper.

4. The powered seat slide device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said flat side walls of said elastomeric damper are perpendicular to an axis of said screw-threaded shaft.

5. The powered seat slide device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said substantially frusto-conical hollow defined by said radially and inwardly tapered and circumferentially curved face of each of said plastic washers is coaxial with respect to said axis of said screw-threaded shaft, for permitting elastic deformation of said elastomeric damper and for preventing said elastomeric damper from being diametrically enlarged during contraction of said elastomeric damper.

6. A powered seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidably fitted to said lower guide rail;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail, and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said shock-absorbing means includes a stopper, an elastomeric damper and a plastic washer supported on said screw-threaded shaft in that order, said plastic washer being interposed between said elastomeric damper and said nut member so that said plastic washer abuts a first side wall of said elastomeric damper, said first side wall facing said nut member, and said stopper being provided so that said stopper abuts a second side wall of said elastomeric damper,

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and said first and second side walls of said elastomeric damper are flat, and said elastic washer has a radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved face which defines a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing the first flat side wall of said elastomeric damper and which defines a circumferentially-extending, outer peripheral edge facing an outer periphery of the first flat side wall of said elastomeric damper, and said stopper has a radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved face which defines a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing the second flat side wall of said elastomeric damper and which defines a circumferentially extending, outer peripheral edge facing an outer periphery of the second flat side wall of said elastomeric damper.

7. The powered seat slide device as set forth in claim 6, wherein said first and second flat side walls of said elastomeric damper are perpendicular to an axis of said screw-threaded shaft.

8. The powered seat slide device as set forth in claim 7, wherein said radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved faces of said plastic washer and said stopper oppose each other, and said substantially frusto-conical hollow defined by each of said radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved faces is coaxial with said axis of said screw-threaded shaft for permitting elastic deformation of said elastomeric damper and for preventing said elastomeric damper from being diametrically enlarged during contraction of said elastomeric damper.

9. A power ed seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidably fitted to said lower guide rail;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said shock-absorbing means includes a stopper, an elastomeric damper and a plastic washer supported on said screw-threaded shaft in that order, said plastic washer being interposed between said elastomeric damper and said nut member so that said plastic washer abuts a first side wall of said elastomeric damper, said first side wall facing said nut member, and said stopper being provided so that said stopper abuts a second side wall of said elastomeric damper,

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and said first and second side walls of said elastomeric damper are flat and perpendicular to an axis of said screw-threaded shaft, and said plastic washer has an annular recessed portion facing the first flat side wall of said elastomeric damper and said stopper has an annular recessed portion facing the second flat side wall of said elastomeric damper, and said annular recessed portions are coaxially aligned with each other with respect to said axis of said screw-threaded shaft to provide an elastic-deformation permissible space of said elastomeric damper and which defines two opposing axially extending cylindrical outer flanged portions on opposing faces of said stopper and said plastic washer, said two opposing axially extending cylindrical outer flanged portions are in axially spaced relationship with each other by a predetermined distance in an uncompressed state of said elastomeric damper.

10. A powered seat slide device, comprising:

a lower guide rail rigidly mounted on a floor panel;

an upper guide rail slidably fitted to said lower guide rail;

rollers and balls rotatably disposed between said upper and lower guide rails for sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail through rolling motion of said rollers and balls;

a rail drive mechanism for producing a sliding movement of said upper guide rail relative to said lower guide rail in a longitudinal direction of said upper guide rail, said drive mechanism including

(1) a reversible motor,

(2) a reduction gear box connected to an output shaft of said reversible motor,

(3) a screw-threaded shaft rotatable about its axis through said reversible motor and said reduction gear box and installed on one of said upper and lower guide rails, and

(4) a nut member installed on another guide rail and screwed onto said screw-threaded shaft for a relative axial motion of said screw-threaded shaft with respect to said nut member; and

elastic shock-absorbing means provided at each of a predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced position and a predetermined maximum backwardly-displaced relative position of said nut member with respect to said screw-threaded shaft, for absorbing shock by elastically abutting said nut member substantially at said predetermined maximum forwardly-displaced and backwardly-displaced positions;

wherein said elastomeric damper is substantially annular, and each side wall of said elastomeric damper is flat, and said plastic washer has a radially and inwardly tapered, and circumferentially curved face which defines a substantially frusto-conical hollow facing an associated one flat side wall of said elastomeric damper and which defines a circumferentially-extending, outer peripheral edge facing an outer periphery of the associated one flat side wall of said elastomeric damper.