Seat reclining apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10427576-B2
Application number	US-201715678302-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 16, 2017
Priority date	Aug 18, 2016
Publication date	Oct 1, 2019
Grant date	Oct 1, 2019

Abstract

A seat reclining apparatus includes a stopper which is movable between a forward-tilt restriction position to stop the seatback at an intermediate stop position in an unlock range, which is set in front of a lockable range in which a reclining mechanism of the seat reclining apparatus allows the angle of the seatback to be adjusted, and a restriction release position to allow the seatback to tilt forward beyond the intermediate stop position, and is situated at the forward-tilt restriction position when the seatback tilts toward the intermediate stop position from the lockable range. The seat reclining apparatus further includes a holding mechanism which keeps holding the stopper in the restriction release position until the seatback returns to the lockable range from a state where the seatback tilts forward beyond the intermediate stop position following a movement of the stopper from the forward-tilt restriction position to the restriction release position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seat reclining apparatus for a reclining seat including a seat cushion and a seatback,
wherein, when a reclining mechanism of said seat reclining apparatus is provided between said seat cushion and said seatback, said seatback is supported to be capable of tilting forward and rearward relative to said seat cushion and has a moving range including: a lockable range, in which the reclining mechanism operates to allow an angle of said seatback relative to said seat cushion to be adjusted; and an unlock range in front of said lockable range, in which a non-operating state of said reclining mechanism is maintained, and
wherein said seat reclining apparatus comprises:
a stopper which is movable between a forward-tilt restriction position to stop said seatback at an intermediate stop position in said unlock range and a restriction release position to allow said seatback to tilt forward beyond said intermediate stop position, is situated at said forward-tilt restriction position when said seatback tilts toward said intermediate stop position from said lockable range side, and is movable from said forward-tilt restriction position to said restriction release position in a state where said seatback stops at said intermediate stop position; and
a holding mechanism which keeps holding said stopper in said restriction release position until said seatback returns to said lockable range from a state where said seatback tilts forward beyond said intermediate stop position following a movement of said stopper from said forward-tilt restriction position to said restriction release position.

2. The seat reclining apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a stopper biasing member which biases said stopper toward said forward-tilt restriction position,
wherein said holding mechanism comprises:
a holding member which is movable between a first position and a second position, holds said stopper in said restriction release position when positioned in said first position, and allows said stopper to move to said forward-tilt restriction position when positioned in said second position; and
a biasing member which biases said holding member toward said first position,
wherein said holding member is in said first position when said seatback is in said lockable range, and
wherein a pressing portion which moves with said seatback comes into contact with said holding member and moves said holding member from said first position to said second position in a middle of a tilting operation of said seatback from said lockable range to said intermediate stop position.

3. The seat reclining apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprises a support member which is configured to be fixed to said seat cushion,
wherein said stopper is supported by said support member to be rotatable about a rotational shaft parallel to a turning center of said seatback,
wherein said stopper comprises: a held portion which comes into contact with said holding mechanism when held in said restriction release position; and a seatback stop portion which comes into contact with said seatback, to stop said seatback at said intermediate stop position when positioned in said forward-tilt restriction position, and wherein said held portion is closer than said seatback stop portion to said rotational shaft,
wherein said holding member is supported by said support member to be rotatable about a second rotational shaft parallel to said turning center of said seatback between said second position and a third position which is located on the opposite side of said first position from said second position,
wherein said held portion projects from said stopper in a direction along said rotational shaft,
wherein said holding member comprises a recessed portion which is open in a rotational direction of said holding member about said second rotational shaft,
wherein an inner edge of said recessed portion is positioned on a rotational path of said held portion which is centered on said rotational shaft to hold said stopper in said restriction release position when said holding member is in one of said first position and said third position,
wherein said held portion is disengaged from said recessed portion to allow said stopper to rotate to said forward-tilt restriction position when said holding member is in said second position,
wherein, upon said seatback tilting forward beyond said intermediate stop position, said pressing portion is disengaged from said holding member to thereupon cause said holding member to rotate from said second position to said first position by a biasing force of said biasing member, and
wherein, when said seatback tilts to said lockable range from a position to which said seatback tilts forward beyond said intermediate stop position, said pressing portion comes into contact with and rotates said holding member from said first position to said third position, and is subsequently disengaged from said holding member to thereupon cause said holding member to rotate from said third position to said first position by said biasing force of said biasing member upon said seatback reaching.

4. The seat reclining apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprises a support member which is configured to be fixed to said seat cushion,
wherein said stopper is supported by said support member to be rotatable about a rotational shaft parallel to a turning center of said seatback,
wherein said stopper comprises:
a held portion which comes into contact with said holding mechanism when held in said restriction release position; and
a seatback stop portion which comes into contact with said seatback, to stop said seatback at said intermediate stop position when positioned in said forward-tilt restriction position, and
wherein said held portion is closer than said seatback stop portion to said rotational shaft.

5. The seat reclining apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein said rotational shaft comprises a circular cross sectional portion which projects from said support member,
wherein said stopper has a shaft hole into which said circular cross sectional portion of said rotational shaft is inserted, and
wherein said shaft hole of said stopper is shaped into a noncircular hole a large diameter of which extends in a direction toward a position at which said seatback stop portion is provided.

6. The seat reclining apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said reclining seat, which includes said seat cushion and said seatback, is supported on a seat track allowing said reclining seat to slide in forward and rearward directions, and
wherein said seat track operates in association with a slide-lock mechanism which operates to switch between a slide-locked state, in which said slide-lock mechanism locks said seat track to prevent said reclining seat from sliding in said forward and rearward directions, and a slide allowing state, in which said slide-lock mechanism unlocks said seat track to allow said reclining seat to slide in said forward and rearward directions, and
wherein said holding mechanism causes said slide lock mechanism to turn into said slide allowing state when said seatback tilts to said intermediate stop position from said lockable range.

Assignees

• Shiroki Corp

Inventors

• Nozue Norihisa
• Fujioka Hidehiko

Classifications

• B60N2/2356

  with internal pawls · CPC title

• B60N2/933 Primary

  rotatable · CPC title

• B60N2/206 Primary

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

• B60N2/20

  the back-rest being tiltable, e.g. to permit easy access (B60N2/04, B60N2/22 {, B60N2/3002} take precedence) · CPC title

• B60N2002/952

  characterised by details of the locking system · CPC title