Drive system for a tilt adjustment, vehicle seat, method for operating a drive system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10207603-B2
Application number	US-201515526856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A drive system ( 2 ) tilt adjusts a back rest ( 10 ) of a vehicle seat ( 1 ). The back rest ( 10 ) is held on a seat base ( 11 ) by a fitting ( 12 ). An output pinion ( 24 ), drivable by a drive motor ( 20 ), is provided on the seat back side and interacts with a tooth segment ( 18 ) arranged rotationally fixed on the base ( 11 ). A pivot movement of the back rest ( 10 ) can be carried out by the drive motor ( 20 ) while the fitting ( 12 ) is unlocked. The output pinion ( 24 ) can be uncoupled from the drive motor ( 20 ) by a coupling ( 22 ). A compensation spring ( 14 ) acting between the back rest ( 10 ) and the base ( 11 ) pre-tensions the back rest ( 10 ) in the direction of the non-use position. A vehicle seat ( 1 ) with the drive system and a method for operating a drive system ( 2 ) are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive system for a tilt adjustment of a backrest of a vehicle seat which is foldable between a use position, suitable for conveying a vehicle passenger, and a non-use position, which is pivoted forward with respect to the use position, wherein the backrest is held on a subframe of the vehicle seat by at least one fitting, the drive system comprising:
a drive motor;
an output pinion to be driven by the drive motor, the pinion being provided on a backrest side;
a toothed segment, the output pinion cooperating with the toothed segment and the toothed segment being arranged fixedly in terms of rotation on the subframe;
a clutch; and
a compensation spring, wherein a pivoting movement of the backrest is carried out by means of the drive motor while the fitting is unlocked, the output pinion is able to be uncoupled from the drive motor by means of the clutch and the compensation spring acts between the backrest and the subframe to pretension the backrest in a direction of the non-use position.

2. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the tilt adjustment is able to be fixed by means of the fitting.

3. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a gear unit arranged between the drive motor and the output pinion.

4. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising an actuator, the clutch being able to be actuated thereby.

5. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clutch comprises one or more engagement elements, which are arranged opposite corresponding recesses in a worm wheel and which are able to be brought into engagement with the recesses.

6. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an output shaft is coupled with the output pinion and a contoured portion of the output shaft is provided at the end of the output shaft remote from the output pinion, the clutch being arranged on the contoured portion.

7. The drive system as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the clutch is connected fixedly, in terms of rotation, to the output shaft by means of an opening in the circumferential direction of the rotational axis of the output shaft, said opening being configured in a complementary manner to the contoured portion of the output shaft, and said clutch is able to be displaced along the contoured portion of the output shaft in the axial direction of the rotational axis of the output shaft.

8. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the drive system comprises an unlocking device, the fitting of the backrest being able to be actuated thereby.

9. The drive system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the fitting of the backrest is able to be locked or unlocked or both locked and unlocked.

10. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the unlocking device is able to be electrically actuated or controlled or both electrically actuated and controlled.

11. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the vehicle seat is able to be locked by a lock to the vehicle floor.

12. The drive system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a control device which controls the drive motor or an actuator or an unlocking device controls and combination of the drive motor and an actuator and an unlocking device.

13. A vehicle seat comprising a backrest which is foldable between a use position suitable for conveying a vehicle passenger and a non-use position which is pivoted forward with respect to the use position, the vehicle seat further comprising a drive system comprising:
a drive motor;
an output pinion to be driven by the drive motor, the pinion being provided on a backrest side;
a toothed segment, the output pinion cooperating with the toothed segment and the toothed segment being arranged fixedly in terms of rotation on the subframe;
a clutch; and
a compensation spring, wherein a pivoting movement of the backrest is carried out by means of the drive motor while the fitting is unlocked, the output pinion is able to be uncoupled from the drive motor by means of the clutch and the compensation spring acts between the backrest and the subframe to pretension the backrest in a direction of the non-use position.

14. A method for operating a drive system for a tilt adjustment of a backrest of a vehicle seat which is foldable between a use position suitable for conveying a vehicle passenger and a non-use position which is pivoted forward with respect to the use position, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a first operating mode in which the drive motor is uncoupled from the backrest and the backrest is moved into the non-use position, driven by a compensation spring;
providing a second operating mode in which the drive motor coupled to the backrest moves the backrest into a use position, counter to a tensioning force produced by the compensation spring;
providing a third operating mode in which the drive motor coupled to the backrest moves the backrest in the direction of the non-use position by controlled release of the tensioning force produced by the compensation spring.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the backrest is able to be set upright at different speeds.

Assignees

• Adient Luxembourg Holding Sarl

Inventors

• Heeg Norbert
• Kirch Eckhard

Classifications

• B60N2/235

  by gear-pawl type mechanisms · CPC title

• B60N2/0232

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B60N2/2213 Primary

  Gear wheel driven mechanism (B60N2/2231, B60N2/225 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2/206

  to a position in which it can be used as a support for objects, e.g. as a tray · CPC title

• B60N2002/0236

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic