Conveyance seat

• US 9,597,980 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Boshoku Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Morishita, Kentarou, Kishida, Hideyoshi, Kondou, Keiichi, Enokijima, Tomohiro, Kanehira, Masayuki, Tsuji, Eiichiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Jonathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Guan, Guang H
• Application Number:
  US14/494,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150090856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 248/419, 248/420, 248/422, 248/424, 248/429, 248/430, 296 6513- 6515, 297/330, 297/344.1, 297/344.11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2/067 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: B60N 2/075 roller-less
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2205/20 Measures for elimination or compensation of play or backlash

Abstract

A conveyance seat includes: a pair of lower rails; a pair of upper rails, each of which is slidably assembled to the corresponding lower rail; an electric drive mechanism; a pair of brackets, each of which is assembled to an upper surface of the corresponding upper rail; and a pair of buffer members, each of which is arranged between the upper surface of the upper rail and the bracket. The electric drive mechanism includes a drive source fastened to one of the brackets; a shaft; a pair of screws assembled one to each rail of the lower rails or the upper rails; a pair of nuts; and a pair of gear subassemblies. The electric drive mechanism electrically slides each upper rail with respect the corresponding lower rail by the screw moving relative to the nut or by the nut moving relative to the screw, by rotation of the shaft when the drive source is driven.

Claims

1. A conveyance seat comprising:

a pair of lower rails structured and arranged to be attached to a floor-side member;

a pair of upper rails, each of the pair of upper rails being slidably assembled to a corresponding lower rail of the pair of lower rails;

an electric drive mechanism that electrically slides each upper rail of the pair of upper rails with respect to the corresponding lower rail;

a pair of brackets, each of the pair of brackets being assembled to an upper surface of a corresponding upper rail of the pair of upper rails; and

a pair of buffer members, each of the pair of buffer members being arranged partially between the upper surface of the corresponding upper rail and a bracket of the pair of brackets, wherein;

the electric drive mechanism includes a drive source that is fastened to one of the pair of brackets;

a shaft that rotates by driving force of the drive source;

a pair of screws, each screw of the pair of screws assembled to a respective rail of the pair of lower rails;

a pair of nuts, each of the pair of nuts screwing onto a corresponding screw of the pair of screws; and

a pair of gear subassemblies, each of the pair of gear subassemblies transmits rotation of the shaft to a corresponding nut of the pair of nuts; and

the electric drive mechanism electrically slides the upper rails with respect to the lower rails by each nut moving relative to the corresponding screw by rotation of the shaft when the drive source is driven,

wherein each bracket of the pair of brackets includes a mounting hole, an upper surface side and a lower surface side, the conveyance seat further comprises a pair of assembly members and a pair of collars, each of the pair of assembly members and each of the pair of collars are inserted into the mounting hole of a corresponding bracket of the pair of brackets and assemble the corresponding bracket to the upper surface of the corresponding upper rail,

wherein each buffer member is structured and arranged such that each assembly member and each collar are inserted into a corresponding buffer member of the pair of buffer members, and the corresponding buffer member sandwiches an edge of the mounting hole from both the upper and lower surface sides,

wherein each buffer member includes an upper portion, a lower portion, and a connecting portion that connects the upper portion and the lower portion, and the connecting portion is positioned in the mounting hole of the corresponding bracket, and

wherein each collar is disposed between the corresponding assembly member of the pair of assembly members and the corresponding buffer member of the pair of buffer members.

2. The conveyance seat according to claim 1, wherein:

the shaft includes a first shaft and a second shaft;

the first shaft is connected at a first end to the drive source, and fastened at a second end to a first gear subassembly of the pair of gear subassemblies; and

the second shaft is connected at a first end to the drive source, and fastened at a second end to a second gear subassembly of the pair of gear subassemblies.

3. The conveyance seat according to claim 1, wherein:

each collar includes an upper surface portion that contacts the corresponding assembly member of the pair of assembly members.

4. The conveyance seat according to claim 1, wherein:

each collar passes through the mounting hole of the corresponding bracket of the pair of brackets from the upper surface side to the lower surface side of the corresponding bracket.