Return mechanism including lock lever with locking protrusion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471852-B2
Application number	US-201815912871-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2018
Priority date	Mar 7, 2017
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

Provided is a sliding device for a vehicle seat. The device includes a fixed rail, a movable rail, a lock portion, an operating lever, a first locking protrusion, and a lock lever. When a first contact surface among side faces of the first locking protrusion and a second contact surface among side faces of a second locking protrusion of the lock lever are in contact with each other, the operating lever is retained in one of a first position or a second position, and when a protruding-direction end of the first locking protrusion and a protruding-direction end of the second locking protrusion are in contact with each other, the operating lever is retained in the other of the first position or the second position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sliding device that supports a vehicle seat in a slidable manner, the sliding device comprising:
a fixed rail;
a movable rail that is slidably mounted to the fixed rail and onto which the vehicle seat is fixed;
a lock portion that is displaceable between a locking position restricting sliding of the movable rail and a non-locking position allowing the movable rail to slide;
an operating lever that displaces the lock portion, the operating lever being rotationally dispaceable between a first position placing the lock portion in the non-locking position and a second position placing the lock portion in the locking position;
a first locking protrusion protruding in a direction substantially perpendicular to a first axis of the operating lever, the first locking protrusion being rotationally displaced about the first axis simultaneously with the operating lever; and
a lock lever comprising a rotating shaft having a second axis parallel to the first axis of the operating lever, the lock lever comprising a second locking protrusion at a position radially offset from the rotating shaft, wherein the second locking protrusion protrudes substantially in a direction intersecting with the first axis and being rotationally displaced about the second axis of the rotating shaft, wherein
a side face on one side of the first locking protrusion is a first contact surface and a side face on one side of the second locking protrusion is a second contact surface, and
the sliding device is configured such that, when the first contact surface and the second contact surface are in contact with each other, the operating lever is retained in one of the first position or the second position, and such that, when a protruding-direction end of the first locking protrusion and a protruding-direction end of the second locking protrusion are in contact with each other, the operating lever is retained in the other of the first position or the second position.

2. The sliding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second contact surface is a curved surface that is curved substantially along an arc centered on the second axis of the rotating shaft.

3. The sliding device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the protruding-direction end of the first locking protrusion is a curved surface that is curved substantially along an arc centered on the first axis of the operating lever.

4. The sliding device according to claim 3 ,
wherein a part of the protruding-direction end of the second locking protrusion in contact with the protruding-direction end of the first locking protrusion substantially corresponds to a virtual tangential plane with respect to the protruding-direction end of the first locking protrusion at the part.

5. A return mechanism for a slidable device for a vehicle seat, the return mechanism comprising:
an operating lever including an operating-lever protrusion, and configured to rotate about an operating-lever axis; and
a lock lever including a lock-lever protrusion, and configured to rotate about a lock-lever axis, wherein
the lock-lever axis is parallel with and non-colinear with the operating-lever axis,
the lock-lever protrusion includes an arc-shaped upper surface substantially equidistant from the lock-lever axis such that a distance from the upper surface to the lock-lever axis is a first radius, and
the lock-lever protrusion includes an arc-shaped lower surface substantially equidistant from the lock-lever axis such that a distance from the lower surface to the lock-lever axis is a second radius and such that the second radius is greater than the first radius.

6. The return mechanism of claim 5 , further comprising:
an operating-lever spring configured to rotate the operating lever counter-clockwise; and
a lock-lever spring configured to rotate the lock lever counter-clockwise, wherein
the protrusions are configured such that, in a non-locking position, the upper surface of the lock-lever protrusion supports a lower surface of the operating-lever protrusion, and
the protrusions are configured such that, in a locking position, an end of the lock-lever protrusion contacts an end of the operating-lever protrusion.

7. The return mechanism of claim 6 , further comprising:
a push lever fastened to the operating lever through a first rotating shaft such that the push lever rotates synchronously with the operating lever, wherein
the push lever extends substantially rearward and downward such that a clockwise rotation of the operating lever pushes a locking portion downward and unlocks the slidable device, and
the operating-lever spring is configured to rotate the push lever counter-clockwise and to permit the locking portion to move upwards and to lock the slidable device.

8. The return mechanism of claim 7 , wherein
the operating lever includes an operating-lever coupler configured to be pulled by a first control cable to rotate the operating lever clockwise such that the push lever rotates clockwise and pushes the locking portion downward to unlock the slidable device, and
the lock lever includes a lock-lever coupler configured to be pulled by a second control cable to rotate the lock lever clockwise to permit the operating lever to rotate counter-clockwise such that the push lever rotates counter-clockwise and permits the locking portion to move upwards and to lock the slidable device.

9. The return mechanism of claim 8 , wherein
the operating-lever protrusion includes a protruding tip extending frontward from an upper corner of an end surface.

10. The return mechanism of claim 7 , further comprising:
a base member configured to support the levers,
a first sleeve covering the first rotating shaft and passing through the base member,
a second rotating shaft attached to the base member and attached to a first end of an arm of the lock lever, wherein the second rotating shaft rotates about the lock-lever axis,
a third rotating shaft attached to a second end of the arm, wherein the third rotating shaft rotates about a return-lever axis,
a return lever attached to the third rotating shaft, and
a return-lever spring configured to rotate the return lever counter-clockwise about the return-lever axis.

11. The return mechanism of claim 5 , further comprising:
an operating-lever spring configured to rotate the operating lever clockwise; and
a lock-lever spring configured to rotate the lock lever counter-clockwise, wherein
the protrusions are configured such that, in a non-locking position, an end of the lock-lever protrusion contacts an end of the operating-lever protrusion, and,
the protrusions are configured such that, in a locking position, an upper surface of the operating-lever protrusion supports the lower surface of the lock-lever protrusion.

12. The return mechanism of claim 11 , wherein
the operating lever protrusion includes a protruding tip extending frontward from a lower corner of an end surface.

Assignees

• Toyota Boshoku Kk

Inventors

• Taniguchi Kosuke

Classifications

• B60N2/0818

  inside the rail · CPC title

• B60N2/085 Primary

  about a transversal axis · CPC title

• B60N2/0705 Primary

  omega-shaped · CPC title

• B60N2/0825

  outside the rail · CPC title

• B60N2002/952

  characterised by details of the locking system · CPC title