Seat track end cap and travel stop seat position sensor

• US 9,102,245 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2014
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lear Corporation
• Inventors: Mischer, Hans-Peter, Walter, Klaus, Wojatzki, Michael, Ruthmann, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Tan
• Application Number:
  US14/156,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20140291473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• Field of Search: 248/429, 248/430, 248/424, 248/542, 297/344.1, 297/217.3, 280/735, 324/207.22, 324/207.24
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0722 Constructive details
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0725 Closing members for covering the slide
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0727 Stop members for limiting sliding movement

Abstract

An end cap for a seat track assembled between a vehicle seat and a floor of a vehicle. The seat track includes an upper track attached to the vehicle seat and a lower track attached to the floor that receives the upper track in a sliding relationship. A seat position sensor attached to the upper track senses the position of the lower seat track. The end cap has a plurality of longitudinally extending walls that are assembled over the lower track. One of the longitudinally extending walls is attached to a recessed portion of the lower track with an external surface that is contiguous with the outer surface of one wall of the lower track.

Claims

1. A seat track assembly that is assembled between a vehicle seat and a floor of a vehicle, the seat track assembly comprising:

an upper track attached to the vehicle seat;

a lower track attached to the floor that receives the upper track in a telescoping sliding relationship;

a seat position sensor attached to one of the upper track and the lower track that senses the position of the other of the upper track and the lower track; and

an end cap assembled to an end of one of the tracks, the one track having a recessed portion formed on the end of the one track, wherein a wall of the end cap between the recessed portion of the one track and the seat position sensor is received in the recessed portion of the one track, and wherein the lower track includes a reference wall that is sensed by the seat position sensor, the reference wall extends outboard from the recessed portion, and wherein the seat position sensor senses the reference wall as the seat position sensor moves relative to the reference wall and senses the recessed portion through the wall of the end cap located between the recessed portion of the lower track and the seat position sensor.

2. The seat track assembly of claim 1 wherein the wall of the end cap is attached to the recessed portion of the lower track and has an outer surface that is flush with the reference wall.

3. The seat track assembly of claim 1 wherein the seat position sensor has a detection range of X and the thickness of the wall of the end cap is less than X.

4. The seat track assembly of claim 3 wherein the detection range X is between 1.25 and 1.75 millimeters.

6. The seat track assembly of claim 1 wherein the end cap includes a first engagement feature and the lower track includes a second engagement feature, wherein the end cap is assembled to the lower track with the first engagement feature being attached to the second engagement feature.

7. The seat track assembly of claim 1 wherein the end cap includes a tang, the lower track includes an opening, and wherein the tang is received in the opening to secure the end cap to the opening.

5. A seat track assembly that is assembled between a vehicle seat and a floor of a vehicle, the seat track assembly comprising:

an upper track attached to the vehicle seat;

a lower track attached to the floor that receives the upper track in a telescoping sliding relationship;

a seat position sensor attached to one of the upper track and the lower track that senses the position of the other of the upper track and the lower track; and

an end cap assembled to an end of one of the tracks, the one track having a recessed portion formed on the end of the one track, wherein a wall of the end cap between the recessed portion of the one track and the seat position sensor is received in the recessed portion of the one track, wherein the wall of the end cap is recessed relative to a side of the lower track that faces the seat position sensor and the seat position sensor is moveable to a position wherein the seat position sensor is on the opposite side of the wall of the end cap from the recessed portion of the lower track.

8. In combination, an end cap for a seat track assembly that is assembled between a vehicle seat and a floor of a vehicle, the seat track assembly including an upper track attached to the vehicle seat, a lower track attached to the floor that receives the upper track in a telescoping sliding relationship, and a seat position sensor attached to one of the upper track and the lower track that senses the position of the other of the upper track and the lower seat track, the end cap comprising:

an end wall that extends over an end edge of one of the tracks;

a plurality of longitudinally extending walls that are assembled over the one track, and wherein the end cap includes a first engagement feature and the lower track includes a second engagement feature, wherein the end cap is assembled to the one track with the first engagement feature being attached to the second engagement feature, wherein the lower track includes a reference wall, and wherein the seat position sensor senses the reference wall as the seat position sensor moves relative to the reference wall, and the one of the longitudinally extending walls of the end cap is longitudinally aligned with the reference wall, and

wherein the one of the longitudinally extending walls of the end cap is attached to a recessed portion of the lower track and the external surface is flush with the reference wall.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein the seat position sensor has a detection range of X and the thickness of the one of the longitudinally extending walls of the end cap is less than X.

10. The combination of claim 9 wherein the detection range X is between 1.25 and 1.75 millimeters.

12. The combination of claim 8 wherein includes a tang, the lower track includes an opening, and wherein the tang is received in the opening to secure the end cap to the opening.

11. In combination, an end cap for a seat track assembly that is assembled between a vehicle seat and a floor of a vehicle, the seat track assembly including an upper track attached to the vehicle seat, a lower track attached to the floor that receives the upper track in a telescoping sliding relationship, and a seat position sensor attached to one of the upper track and the lower track that senses the position of the other of the upper track and the lower seat track, the end cap comprising:

an end wall that extends over an end edge of one of the tracks;

a plurality of longitudinally extending walls that are assembled over the one track, and wherein the end cap includes a first engagement feature and the lower track includes a second engagement feature, wherein the end cap is assembled to the one track with the first engagement feature being attached to the second engagement feature, and wherein the one of the longitudinally extending walls of the end cap is recessed relative to a side of the lower track that faces the seat position sensor and the seat position sensor is moveable to a position wherein the seat position sensor is on the opposite side of the longitudinally extending wall of the end cap from a recessed portion of the lower track.