Actuator for a vehicle seat, and vehicle seat

• US 9,193,283 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2012
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Keiper Seating Mechanisms Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Keiper GmbH & Company KG (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Heeg, Norbert, Schuhn, Christoph, Grossbudde, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Ip, Paul
• Application Number:
  US13/976,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20130305857A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,400 Days
• Field of Search: 318/103, 318/280, 318/266, 318/466, 701/36, 701/49, 297/216.13, 297/217.3, 177/144
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/0224 Non-manual adjustments, e.g. with electrical operation
• 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 2/0272 using sensors or detectors for detecting the position of seat parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/366 characterised by the locking device
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/929 linear
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18576 including screw and nut

Abstract

An actuator for a vehicle seat has a housing, a motor with a motor shaft which has at least a first direction of rotation, a gear mechanism which is connected at the output end to the motor by the motor shaft, an actuator output drive which is connected at the output end to the gear mechanism, and a control unit. The actuator output drive has an output element which can be moved in the direction of an end position from a starting position by rotation of the motor shaft in the first direction of rotation. The direction of rotation of the motor shaft can be reversed from the first direction of rotation to an opposite second direction of rotation by the control unit, with the result that the output element can be moved in the direction of the starting position from the end position.

Claims

1. An actuator for a vehicle seat comprising:

a housing;

a motor arranged fixed to the housing having a motor shaft, which has at least one first rotational direction;

a gear mechanism which is connected on the output side to the motor by the motor shaft;

an actuator output drive which is connected on the output side to the gear mechanism; and

a control unit,

wherein the actuator output drive has an output element which is able to be moved from an initial position into an end position by rotating the motor shaft in the first rotational direction,

wherein the rotational direction of the motor shaft is able to be reversed from the first rotational direction into an opposing second rotational direction by the control unit, so that the output element is able to be moved into the initial position from the end position,

wherein at least one first sensor detects the end position of the output element,

wherein the control unit has a sensor interface which is connected to the at least one first sensor, and

wherein an identification of the position of the output element is provided by evaluation of changes in measurements of time and at least one of current and/or voltage.

2. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the actuator output drive has a spindle rotatably mounted in the housing, wherein the output element is located on and cooperates with the spindle, wherein the output element is a spindle nut.

3. The actuator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the motor, the gear mechanism, the spindle and the control unit are entirely integrated in the housing.

4. The actuator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the spindle is arranged parallel to the motor shaft.

5. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one second sensor detects the initial position of the output element, wherein the sensor interface is connected to the at least one second sensor.

6. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sensor is fixed to the housing.

7. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a motor control unit which controls the reversal of the rotational direction of the motor shaft and which limits the current to the motor.

8. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has a network interface for communication of the actuator with a data bus.

9. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit has at least one signal terminal and two supply terminals.

10. A vehicle seat having at least one of an adjustable seat component and function which may be triggered, comprising an actuator as claimed in claim 1.

11. The actuator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the output element is movable along a length of the spindle between the initial position and the end position.

12. The actuator as claimed in claim 11, wherein the output element is closer to the gear mechanism in the initial position than in the end position.

13. The actuator as claimed in claim 2, wherein rotating the motor shaft moves the gear mechanism, wherein movement of the gear mechanism causes the spindle to move in order to move the output element between the initial position and the end position.

14. The actuator as claimed in claim 5, wherein the actuator output drive has a spindle rotatably mounted in the housing, wherein the first sensor is located on a first bearing of the spindle and the second sensor is located on a second bearing of the spindle, wherein the second sensor is closer to the gear mechanism than the first sensor.

15. The actuator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gear mechanism has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the gear mechanism is connected to the motor and the second end of the gear mechanism is connected to the actuator output drive.