Longitudinal adjuster, including a position recognizer, for a vehicle seat

• US 7,511,479 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2006
• Issued: 03/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper Seating Mechanisms Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Flick, Joachim, Schuler, Rolf
• Primary Examiner(s): Patidar; Jay M
• Application Number:
  US11/605,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20070069100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 3242072-20725
• US Class Current: 324/207.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0705 omega-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0715 C or U-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/929 linear
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2210/22 Optical; Photoelectric; Lidar [Light Detection and Ranging]
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/145 influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields see G01R33/06
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/2451 Incremental encoders G01D5/2454 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 5/34746 Linear encoders

Abstract

In the case of a longitudinal adjuster (1) for a vehicle seat, in particular for a motor vehicle seat, with at least one first seat rail (5), at least one second seat rail (8) which is displaceable relative to the first seat rail (5) and is guided therein, at least one locking device (11) for locking the first seat rail (5) to the second seat rail (8), wherein a locking row (19) of the first seat rail (5) is assigned to the locking device (11), and a position recognition device (20) with a sensor (24), the sensor (24) interacts with the locking row (19).

Claims

1. A longitudinal adjuster for a vehicle seat, the longitudinal adjuster comprising:

at least one first seat rail, wherein the first seat rail includes at least one locking row, and the locking row has an alternating sequence of notches and bars;

at least one second seat rail that is guided in the first seat rail so that the second seat rail is displaceable relative to the first seat rail;

at least one locking device for interacting with at least the alternating sequence of notches and bars of the locking row of the first seat rail for locking the second seat rail to the first seat rail; and

a position recognition device having a sensor, wherein

the sensor is positioned so that the sensor moves along the alternating sequence of notches and bars of the locking row in response to the second seat rail being displaced relative to the first seat rail, and

the sensor is configured for interacting with the locking row so that the sensor produces a signal in response to the sensor being moved along the alternating sequence of notches and bars of the locking row, and the signal is produced by the alternating sequence of notches and bars of the locking row.

2. The longitudinal adjuster according to one of claim 1, wherein the sensor is carried by the second seat rail.

3. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 2, wherein a sensor holder is on the second seat rail and secures the sensor with respect to the second seat rail.

4. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 3, wherein the sensor holder comprises plastic.

5. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a Hall sensor.

6. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an optical sensor.

7. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 in combination with the vehicle seat, wherein the longitudinal adjuster is for allowing the vehicle seat to be longitudinally adjusted.

8. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1, wherein:

there is an opening in the second seat rail; and

the sensor is directed at the locking row through the opening in the second seat rail.

9. A longitudinal adjuster for a vehicle seat, the longitudinal adjuster comprising:

at least one first seat rail, wherein the first seat rail includes at least one locking row;

at least one second seat rail that is guided in the first seat rail so that the second seat rail is displaceable relative to the first seat rail;

at least one locking device for interacting with at least the locking row of the first seat rail for locking the second seat rail to the first seat rail; and

a position recoanition device having a sensor, wherein

the sensor is carried by the second seat rail and interacts with the locking row,

there is an opening in the second seat rail, and

the sensor is directed at the locking row through the opening in the second seat rail.

10. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 9, wherein the locking row has a sequence of different elements.

11. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 10, wherein the sequence of different elements of the locking row comprises uniformly arranged notches and bars.

12. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 11, wherein:

the sensor is positioned so that the sensor moves along the notches and bars in response to the second seat rail being displaced relative to the first seat rail; and

the sensor interacts with the notches and bars so that the sensor produces a signal in response to the sensor being moved along the notches and bars.

13. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 10, wherein:

the sensor is positioned so that the sensor moves along the sequence of different elements in response to the second seat rail being displaced relative to the first seat rail; and

the sensor interacts with the sequence of different elements so that the sensor produces a signal in response to the sensor being moved along the sequence of different elements.

14. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a Hall sensor, and

an optical sensor.

15. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 9, wherein:

the sensor is positioned so that the sensor moves along the locking row in response to the second seat rail being displaced relative to the first seat rail; and

the sensor interacts with the locking row so that the sensor produces a signal in response to the sensor being moved along the locking row.

16. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 15, wherein the sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a Hall sensor, and

an optical sensor.

17. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 9 in combination with the vehicle seat, wherein the longitudinal adjuster is for allowing the vehicle seat to be longitudinally adjusted.