Reclining apparatus for vehicle seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9682639-B2
Application number	US-201314383847-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2013
Priority date	Mar 6, 2012
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat that is capable of improving coupling strength and entire durability and removing operation noise by removing a clearance between components at the time of a reclining operation and is capable of decreasing a cost and a weight by decreasing an entire size.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat, comprising:
a base plate 10 installed so as to be connected to a seat cushion and having a circular operation space 11 formed on one surface thereof;
a mobile flange 20 installed so as to be connected to a seat back, having an outer edge installed so as to be inserted into the operation space 11 , and having an internal gear 21 formed in a circumferential direction on an inner peripheral surface thereof;
a central cam 40 positioned at a central portion between the base plate 10 and the mobile flange 20 and installed so as to be rotatable together with an input shaft 30 ; and
a locking device installed so as to be connected to the central cam 40 to be engaged with or disengaged from the internal gear 21 depending on a rotation direction of the central cam 40 , wherein the locking device comprises:
the central cam 40 rotatably supported on the input shaft 30 about a central axis;
at least on cam block 60 slidably supported for movement in a radial direction toward and away from the central axis on at least one of the base plate 10 and the mobile flange 20 ; and
at least one first cam gear 70 having a first external gear 71 for engagement with the internal gear 21 and at least one second cam gear 80 having a second external gear 81 for engagement with the internal gear 21 , wherein each of the cam gears 70 , 80 is radially slidably supported for movement in a radial direction toward and away from the central axis on at least one of the base plate 10 and the mobile flange 20 , wherein each of the first and second cam gears 70 , 80 has two opposite side edges that are generally parallel to the radial direction of sliding of the respective cam gear 70 , 80 ;
wherein in an engaged position, the at least one cam block 60 simultaneously engages both cam gears at a respective one of the side edges, and the central cam simultaneously engages the cam block 60 and both of the cam gears 70 , 80 at respective other of the side edges of the cam gears.

2. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 1 , further comprising a spring member 50 positioned in the operation space 11 and having one end supported by the base plate 10 and the other end supported by the central cam 40 to provide elastic rotation restoring force to the central cam 40 .

3. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 1 or 2 , further comprising a retainer 100 installed so as to enclose both of an outer edge of the base plate 10 and one surface of the mobile flange 20 to retain a coupled state between the base plate 10 and the mobile flange 20 .

4. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 1 , wherein a cam groove 12 into which the central cam 40 is rotatably inserted is at a central portion of the operation space 11 ,
a pair of block supporting protrusions 13 are at outer side portions of the cam groove 12 ,
a pair of gear supporting protrusions 14 are at positions bisecting a space between the block supporting protrusions 13 ,
a pair of block moving grooves 15 are each connected to the cam groove 12 and directed toward the block supporting protrusions 13 ,
spring insertion grooves 16 are connected to the cam groove 12 , and
two spaces positioned in one diagonal line direction among spaces between the block supporting protrusions 13 and the gear supporting protrusions 14 are first gear moving grooves 17 , and another two spaces positioned on another diagonal line direction are second gear moving grooves 18 .

5. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 4 , wherein both side surfaces 13 a of the block supporting protrusions 13 and both side surfaces 14 a of the gear supporting protrusions 14 are formed as inclined surfaces so that radially outer side portions of the block supporting protrusions 13 and the gear supporting protrusions 14 have widths wider, in the circumferential direction of the base plate 10 , than those of radially inner side portions thereof directed toward the center of the cam groove 12 , and inclined angles of both side surfaces 13 a and 14 a are formed so as to be bilaterally symmetrical to each other with respect to each of the block supporting protrusions 13 and the gear supporting protrusions 14 .

6. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 5 , wherein the locking device includes:
a pair of cam blocks 60 contacting the central cam 40 and installed so as to be movable along the block moving grooves 15 ;
a pair of first cam gears 70 , including the first cam gear 70 , contacting the central cam 40 , the pair of first cam gears 80 installed so as to be movable along the first gear moving grooves 17 , and having respective first external gears 71 , including the first external gear 71 , formed on outer peripheral surfaces thereof and engaged with the internal gear 21 ;
a pair of second cam gears 80 , including the second cam gear 80 , contacting the central cam 40 , the pair of second cam gears 80 installed so as to be movable along the second gear moving grooves 18 , and having respective second external gears 81 , including the second external gear 81 , formed on outer peripheral surfaces thereof and engaged with the internal gear 21 ; and
a control plate 90 installed so as to be fitted into the central cam 40 to be rotated together with the central cam 40 and providing operation force so as to forcibly move the cam blocks 60 and the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 toward the center of the central cam 40 in order to disengage the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 from each other by rotation of the central cam 40 .

7. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein locking jaw parts 111 and 113 limiting movement of the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 toward the central cam 40 , when the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 are disengaged from each other, wherein the locking jaw parts 111 , and 113 are formed integrally with both side surfaces 14 a of the gear supporting protrusions 14 and one of the side surfaces of each of the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 , respectively.

8. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein an outer peripheral surface of the central cam 40 is provided with a pair of first cam protrusions 41 supporting the cam blocks 60 when the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 are engaged with each other, a pair of second and third cam protrusions 42 and 43 each supporting the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 when the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 are engaged with each other, and seating grooves 44 into which the cam blocks 60 are inserted when the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 are disengaged from each other, and
the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 are each provided with gear protrusions 72 and 82 contacting the second and third cam protrusions 42 and 43 when the internal gear 21 and the first and second external gears 71 and 81 are engaged with each other.

9. The reclining apparatus for a vehicle seat of claim 6 , wherein the cam blocks 60 and the first and second cam gears 70 and 80 are provided with guide protrusions 115 protruding therefrom, respectively, and
the control plate 90 is provided with a plurality of guide holes 91 into which the guide protrusions 115 are inserted, respectively, the guide holes 91 being slit holes fo

Assignees

• Hyundai Dymos Inc
• Hyundai Dynos Incorporated

Inventors

• Chang Seung Hun

Classifications

• B60N2205/20

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

• B60N2/236

  linearly movable · CPC title

• B60N2/2356 Primary

  with internal pawls · 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

• B60N2/22 Primary

  the back-rest being adjustable {(B60N2/2878 takes precedence)} · CPC title