Actuator for a vehicle seat, and vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189376-B2
Application number	US-201414917388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 8, 2014
Priority date	Sep 9, 2013
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

An actuator ( 110, 210 ) for a vehicle seat ( 1 ) includes a housing ( 11 ), a motor ( 12 ) which is fixed to the housing and includes a motor shaft ( 12 a ), a transmission ( 13 ) connected to the motor shaft, an actuator output drive ( 14 ) which is connected to the transmission, and a control unit ( 21 ). The actuator output drive includes an output element moveable towards an end position from a starting position by rotating the motor shaft in a first direction and in a reversed direction—in the direction of the starting position from the end position. A carriage ( 15 ) is driven, upon movement of the output element. A position sensor detects a position of the carriage. An actuator ( 210 ) for a vehicle seat is provided, in which a position sensor ( 28 ) detects an effect of gravity on the actuator. A vehicle seat ( 1 ) with one such actuator ( 110, 210 ) is provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An actuator for a vehicle seat, the actuator comprising:
a housing;
a motor which is fixed to the housing and which has a motor shaft;
a transmission, which is connected at an output side to the motor by means of the motor shaft;
an actuator output drive, which is connected at an output side to the transmission;
a control unit, wherein the actuator output drive has an output element, which is moved in a direction of an end position from a starting position by rotating the motor shaft in a first direction of rotation, wherein 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 means of the control unit whereby the output element is moved from the end position in the direction of the starting position, and the actuator has a slide, which can be moved relative to the housing and which can be driven during a movement of the output element from the starting position in the direction of the end position; and
a position sensor for detecting at least one position of the slide, the actuator output drive having a spindle, along which the output element and the slide are movable, the spindle being in thread engagement with the output element, and the spindle passing through a through hole in the slide so as not to cause direct linear motion of the slide.

2. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a locking unit with a catch wherein the slide includes a catch coupling for coupling to the catch of the locking unit.

3. The actuator as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the catch coupling is a pin.

4. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the slide is decoupled from the output element during a movement of the output element from the end position in the direction of the starting position.

5. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a position sensor, which detects the action of gravity on the actuator.

6. The actuator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control unit has a circuit board, in which the position sensor is integrated.

7. The actuator as claimed in claim 6 , further comprising at least one further sensor is arranged on the circuit board of the control unit.

8. The actuator as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the at least one further sensor is a Hall effect sensor, a position sensor, a gravitational force sensor or an acceleration sensor or any combination of a Hall effect sensor, a position sensor, a gravitational force sensor and an acceleration sensor.

9. The actuator as claimed in claim 6 , wherein a first sensor for sensing the end position of the output element or a second sensor for sensing the starting position of the output element or both a first sensor for sensing the end position of the output element and a second sensor for sensing the starting position of the output element are integrated in the circuit board.

10. An actuator as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the output element comprises an output element through hole, at least a portion of the spindle being arranged in the output element through hole, the output element comprising outlet element threads, the spindle comprising spindle threads, at least one of the outlet element threads engaging at least one of the spindle threads, the spindle threads being free of thread engagement with the slide.

11. An actuator for a vehicle seat, the actuator comprising:
a housing;
a motor, which is fixed to the housing and which has a motor shaft;
a transmission, which is connected at an output side to the motor by means of the motor shaft;
an actuator output drive, which is connected at an output side to the transmission;
a control unit, wherein the actuator output drive has an output element, which is in the direction of an end position from a starting position by rotating the motor shaft in a first direction of rotation, wherein 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 means of the control unit, whereby the output element is moved from the end position in the direction of the starting position; and
a position sensor, which detects the action of gravity on the actuator or a position sensor for detecting at least one position of the slide, the actuator output drive having a spindle, along which the output element and the slide are movable, the spindle being in thread engagement with the output element, and the spindle passing through a through hole in the slide so as not to cause direct linear motion of the slide.

12. The actuator as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the position sensor is an acceleration sensor.

13. An actuator as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the output element comprises an output element through hole, at least a portion of the spindle being arranged in the output element through hole, the output element comprising outlet element threads, the spindle comprising spindle threads, at least one of the outlet element threads engaging at least one of the spindle threads, the spindle threads being free of thread engagement with the slide.

14. A vehicle seat comprising at least one actuator, the actuator comprising:
a housing;
a motor, which is fixed to the housing and which has a motor shaft;
a transmission, which is connected at an output side to the motor by means of the motor shaft;
an actuator output drive, which is connected at an output side to the transmission;
a control unit, wherein the actuator output drive has an output element, which is moved in the direction of an end position from a starting position by rotating the motor shaft in a first direction of rotation, wherein 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 means of the control unit, whereby the output element is moved from the end position in the direction of the starting position; and
a position sensor, which detects the action of gravity on the actuator or a position sensor which detects at least one position of the slide, the actuator output drive having a spindle, along which the output element and the slide are movable, the spindle being in thread engagement with the output element, and the spindle passing through a through hole in the slide so as not to cause direct linear motion of the slide.

15. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the position sensor detects the action of gravity and comprises an acceleration sensor.

16. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14 , further comprising a locking unit with a catch wherein the slide includes a catch coupling for coupling to the catch of a locking unit.

17. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the slide is decoupled from the output element during a movement of the output element from the end position in the direction of the starting position.

18. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the output element comprises an output element through hole, at least a portion of the spindle being arranged in the output element through hole, the output element comprising outlet element threads, the spindle comprising spindle threads, at least one of the outlet element threads engaging at least one of the spindle threads, the spindle threads being free of thread engagement with the slide.

19. A vehicle seat as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the control unit has a circuit board, in which the position sensor is integrated.

20. The vehicle seat as claimed in claim 19 , furthe

Assignees

• Johnson Controls Components Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Heeg Norbert
• Mueller Peter

Classifications

• B60N2/0244

  with logic circuits · CPC title

• B60N2/0232 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2002/0236

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/2245

  provided with a lock mechanism on the upper part of the back-rest · CPC title

• B60N2/929

  linear · CPC title