Long rail assembly for vehicle seat adjustment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12043144-B2
Application number	US-201917284510-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2019
Priority date	Oct 11, 2018
Publication date	Jul 23, 2024
Grant date	Jul 23, 2024

Abstract

A long rail assembly attached to a vehicle floor for repositioning vehicle seats in a vehicle between a plurality of seating positions. The long rail assembly includes a fixed long rail having an internal channel, and a power rail drive assembly configured to travel along the internal channel of the fixed long rail. The power rail drive assembly has a rail main body having a lateral driving wheel configured to frictionally and/or meshingly engage with the fixed long rail, an electric motor operatively coupled to the lateral driving wheel, and spring-loaded stability rolling elements attached to the rail main body configured to absorb channel variation as the power rail drive assembly travels along the internal channel of the fixed long rail.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A long rail assembly for transposing a vehicle seat along a vehicle floor, the long rail assembly comprising:
a fixed long rail extending in a longitudinal direction having an interior cavity with a generally U-shaped cross-section in profile, said fixed long rail including a bottom wall extending between a first wall and a second wall, each of said first wall and said second wall including a track having a generally C-shaped cross-section in profile and including a track bottom wall, a track outer wall, and a track top wall, and said fixed long rail having an elongated opening extending in said longitudinal direction and spaced between said track top walls; and
a rail drive assembly configured to be repositionable along said interior cavity of said fixed long rail, said rail drive assembly comprising:
a main body having a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section in profile extending in said longitudinal direction, said main body having a first side wall, a second side wall, and a top wall extending between said first side wall and said second side wall;
a front axle and a rear axle extending laterally though said first side wall and said second side wall, each of said front axle and said rear axle having a first axle end and a second axle end fixedly coupled to a respective wheel which is configured to travel longitudinally in said tracks in said fixed long rail; and
at least one stability rolling element operatively coupled to one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body, said at least one stability rolling element is spring-loaded to frictionally engage with said fixed long rail on one of said track outer walls, said track top walls, or a curved portion extending between one of said track top walls and an adjacent one of said track outer walls of said fixed long rail;

wherein said at least one stability rolling element comprises an upper arm and a roller rotationally coupled to said upper arm, said upper arm being rotationally coupled to one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body.

2. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said at least one stability rolling element comprises a first stability rolling element and a second stability rolling element, said first stability rolling element and said second stability rolling element are operatively coupled to one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body.

3. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 2 , wherein said at least one stability rolling element comprises a third stability rolling element and a fourth stability rolling element, said third stability rolling element and said fourth stability rolling element are operatively coupled to an other one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body.

4. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said rail drive assembly includes an electric motor operatively coupled to a driving wheel configured to engage with said fixed long rail in a lateral direction and configured to translate said rail drive assembly along said fixed long rail when said electric motor is energized.

5. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said driving wheel is spring-loaded towards an engagement surface.

6. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said driving wheel comprises a plastic gear having a plurality of gear teeth.

7. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 6 , wherein a rack gear is fixedly coupled to one of said track outer walls of said fixed long rail, said rack gear having a plurality of rack teeth extending in said longitudinal direction and configured to matingly engage with said plurality of gear teeth of said plastic gear.

8. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 6 , wherein one of said track outer walls of said fixed long rail includes a plurality of cut-out notches extending in said longitudinal direction configured to matingly engage with said plurality of gear teeth of said plastic gear.

9. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said driving wheel comprises a rubber wheel configured to frictionally engage with one of said track outer walls of said fixed long rail.

10. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 4 , wherein said rail drive assembly further comprises:
a mounting bracket attached to one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body;
a support bracket rotatably coupled to said mounting bracket and said driving wheel is rotatably coupled with said support bracket; and
a first spring coupled between said support bracket and said mounting bracket, said first spring configured to bias said driving wheel towards one of said track outer walls of said fixed long rail.

11. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 10 , wherein said first spring is a tension spring.

12. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said electric motor includes an output shaft which is operatively coupled to said driving wheel by a flexible drive shaft.

13. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 1 , wherein:
said at least one stability rolling element further comprises a support stud fixedly coupled to one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body; and
said upper arm is rotationally coupled to said support stud.

14. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 13 , wherein:
said at least one stability rolling element further comprises a lower arm; and
said lower arm is rotationally coupled to said support stud and fixedly coupled to said upper arm.

15. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 14 , wherein:
said at least one stability rolling element comprises a first stability rolling element and a second stability rolling element;
said rail drive assembly further comprises a spring coupled between a lower arm of said first stability rolling element and a lower arm of said second stability rolling element; and
said spring is configured to bias said lower arm of said first stability rolling element towards said lower arm of said second stability rolling element.

16. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said roller has a horizontal axis of rotation.

17. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 14 , wherein said roller has an axis of rotation that is not perpendicular to an adjacent one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body.

18. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 17 , wherein an angle between said roller and said adjacent one of said first side wall and said second side wall of said main body is about 30 degrees.

19. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 18 , wherein said upper arm of said at least one stability rolling element is not parallel to said lower arm of said at least one stability rolling element.

20. The long rail assembly as set forth in claim 19 , wherein an angle between said upper arm of said at least one stability rolling element and said lower arm of said at least one stability rolling element is about 30 degrees.

21. A long rail assembly for transposing a vehicle seat along a vehicle floor, the long rail assembly comprising:
a fixed long rail extending in a longitudinal direction having an interior cavity with a generally U-shaped cross-section in profile, said fixed long rail including a bottom wall extending between a first wall and a second wall, each of said first wall and said second wall including a track having a generally

Assignees

• Magna Seating Inc

Inventors

• Zhao Kai
• Nacy Michael D
• Marini Detjon
• Vetere Ii Louis
• Dioum Cheikh

Classifications

• B60N2/02253

  characterised by the transmission between the electric motor and the seat or seat parts · CPC title

• B60N2/02246

  Electric motors therefor · CPC title

• B60N2/0875

  in a vertical direction · CPC title

• B60N2/0818

  inside the rail · CPC title

• B60N2/0715

  C or U-shaped · CPC title