Slide rail device for vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9056561-B2
Application number	US-201113993345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2011
Priority date	Dec 13, 2010
Publication date	Jun 16, 2015
Grant date	Jun 16, 2015

Abstract

A slide rail device for a vehicle is provided, which can increase the rotatable range of a handle that is connected to a lock operational lever, and the operational force that is necessary for carrying out a lock release operation can be reduced, even if the rotatable range of the lock operational lever is limited to a narrow range by an upper rail.
The slide rail device includes a biaser 70 which rotatably biases the handle with respect to said lock operational lever in a direction so as to constantly maintain a supported state of a lower supported portion by a lower support portion and a supported state of an upper supported portion by an upper supporting portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A slide rail device for a vehicle comprising:
a lower rail which extends in a forward/rearward direction and is immovable relative to a floor of the vehicle;
an upper rail which supports a seat and is supported by said lower rail to be slidable in said forward/rearward direction;
a lower support portion provided on said upper rail, wherein said lower support portion extends inwardly from a side wall of said upper rail;
a lock mechanism, provided between said upper rail and said lower rail, which restricts or releases restriction of sliding of said upper rail;
a lock operational lever provided in an internal space of said upper rail, a portion of said lock operational lever which is rearward from said lower support portion being rotatably supported by said upper rail, and said lock operational lever being upwardly/downwardly rotatable between a locked position, at which the sliding restriction is allowed by the lock mechanism, and an unlocked position, at which a front portion of said lock operational lever moves further upward than said locked position to release said sliding restriction;
an upper supporting portion provided on said lock operational lever, said upper supporting portion positioned further forward than said lower support portion and further upward than said lower support portion;
a handle provided with a lower supported portion on an underside thereof which is rotatably supported by said lower support portion, and an upper supported portion on an upper side thereof which is positioned further forward than said lower supported portion and is rotatably supported by said upper supporting portion, said handle projecting forwardly from said lock operational lever;
said handle and said lock operational lever are arranged to relatively rotate upward with each other when said lock operational lever is moved to said unlocked postion and said lower supported portion rotates while being supported at said lower support portion; and
a biaser which rotatably biases said handle with respect to said lock operational lever in a direction so as to constantly maintain a supported state of said lower supported portion by said lower support portion and a supported state of said upper supported portion by said upper supporting portion.

2. The slide rail device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein said lock mechanism comprises a lock biaser which biases said lock operational lever toward said locked position,
wherein L 1 , L 2 , L 3 and L 4 are set so that:
F 1 =F×L 1 /L 2 ×L 3 /L 4 <F 2 =F×L 1 /(L 2 +L 4 ), wherein, when said lock operational lever is positioned at said locked position, Ll designates the distance in the forward/rearward direction from the action position between said lock operational lever and said lock biaser to the rotational center position of said lock operational lever; L 2 designates the distance in the forward/rearward direction from said rotational center position to said upper supporting portion; L 3 designates the distance in the forward/rearward direction from said upper supporting portion to said lower support portion; L 4 designates the distance in the forward/rearward direction from said upper supporting portion to an operation portion of said handle; and F designates a force which said lock operational lever applies on said lock mechanism, when said sliding restriction by said lock mechanism is released by said lock operational lever.

3. The slide rail device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein said lock operational lever is rotatably biased toward said locked position, and
wherein, when said lock operational lever is positioned at said locked position, said lower support portion and said upper supporting portion maintain a relative rotational position of said handle with respect to said lock operational lever at a predetermined position.

4. The slide rail device for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein said biaser further comprises a base-surface supporting portion which is in contact with said lower support portion and said lower supported portion.

5. The slide rail device of a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein said handle is configured to have an upward rotational angle greater than an upward rotational angle of said lock operational lever.

Assignees

• Hayashi Naoki
• Shiroki Corp

Inventors

• Hayashi Naoki

Classifications

• B60N2/0881

  Activation of the latches by the control mechanism · CPC title

• B60N2/0705 Primary

  omega-shaped · CPC title

• B60N2/0715

  C or U-shaped · CPC title

• B60N2/08 Primary

  characterised by the locking device · CPC title

• B60N2205/20

  Measures for elimination or compensation of play or backlash · CPC title