Recliner mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9731633-B2
Application number	US-201514804460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2015
Priority date	Jul 21, 2015
Publication date	Aug 15, 2017
Grant date	Aug 15, 2017

Abstract

A recliner mechanism for a seat. The recliner mechanism may include a first plate, a second plate, a set of pawls, and a driver. The driver may actuate the set of pawls when the driver rotates about the axis. A dump ramp protrusion may be provided to inhibit movement of the pawls from a refracted position to a locked position.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A recliner mechanism comprising:
a first plate having a set of pawl slots, a ring groove that extends around the set of pawl slots, and a set of pawl tooth openings that extend from the ring groove and are disposed opposite the set of pawl slots;
a second plate that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the first plate, the second plate having a center hole that extends through the second plate and a set of teeth that is received in the ring groove;
a set of pawls, wherein each member of the set of pawls is received in a corresponding member of the set of pawl slots; and
a unitary driver that is at least partially received in the center hole and that engages each member of the set of pawls, wherein the driver has a shaft portion that extends through the first plate, a cover portion that extends from the shaft portion, and a flange portion that extends from the cover portion and is completely spaced apart from the shaft portion, and the driver actuates the set of pawls when the driver rotates about the axis.

2. The recliner mechanism of claim 1 wherein each member of the set of pawls has a cam pin that engages the driver.

3. The recliner mechanism of claim 2 wherein the driver has a set of pawl actuation openings that is arranged around the axis, wherein each member of the set of pawl actuation openings receives the cam pin of a corresponding member of the set of pawls.

4. The recliner mechanism of claim 1 wherein the cover portion extends around the shaft portion, the flange portion extends around the cover portion, a set of pawl actuation openings is provided in the flange portion, and the flange portion extends around the axis and the shaft portion.

5. The recliner mechanism of claim 4 wherein the shaft portion is disposed in a center hole of the first plate and the center hole of the second plate.

6. The recliner mechanism of claim 5 wherein the cover portion is disposed in the center hole of the second plate and is not disposed in the center hole of the first plate.

7. The recliner mechanism of claim 4 wherein the flange portion extends from an end of the cover portion toward the set of teeth of the second plate.

8. The recliner mechanism of claim 4 further comprising a biasing member that is disposed inside the cover portion between the shaft portion and the flange portion.

9. A recliner mechanism comprising:
a first plate having a center hole that extends through the first plate, a ring groove that extends around the center hole, a set of pawl slots that extend from the ring groove toward the center hole, and a set of pawl tooth openings that extend from the ring groove toward an outer surface of the first plate;
a second plate that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the first plate, the second plate having a center hole and a set of teeth that is received in the ring groove;
a set of pawls, wherein each member of the set of pawls has a cam pin and is received in a corresponding member of the set of pawl slots; and
a driver that actuates the set of pawls when the driver rotates about the axis, the driver including:
a shaft portion that extends through the center hole of the first plate and is disposed in the center hole of the second plate;
a cover portion that is disposed in the center hole of the second plate and extends from an end of the shaft portion and around the axis; and
a flange portion that extends from the cover portion and is disposed between the first plate and the second plate, wherein the flange portion has a set of pawl actuation openings that each receive a cam pin of a corresponding member of the set of pawls.

10. The recliner mechanism of claim 9 further comprising a biasing member that exerts a biasing force on the driver, wherein the biasing member has a first end that is coupled to the first plate and a second end that is disposed opposite the first end and that is coupled to the cover portion.

11. The recliner mechanism of claim 10 wherein the first plate has a mounting hole that receives the first end of the biasing member and the cover portion has a first cover portion wall that extends from the shaft portion and that has a cover portion mounting hole that receives the second end of the biasing member.

12. The recliner mechanism of claim 11 wherein the cover portion has a second cover portion wall that extends around the axis from the first cover portion wall to the flange portion, wherein the biasing member is disposed between the shaft portion and the second cover portion wall.

13. The recliner mechanism of claim 11 further comprising a bushing that extends through the center hole of the first plate and has a bushing flange, wherein the biasing member is disposed on the bushing flange between the bushing flange and the first cover portion wall.

14. The recliner mechanism of claim 13 further comprising a set of pawl springs received in the first plate, wherein each member of the set of pawl springs urges a corresponding pawl away from the axis, wherein each member of the set of pawl springs is at least partially disposed between the bushing flange and the first plate.

15. A recliner mechanism comprising:
a first plate having a ring groove, a set of pawl slots disposed adjacent to the ring groove, and a set of pawl tooth openings disposed adjacent to the ring groove;
a second plate that is rotatable about an axis with respect to the first plate, the second plate having a center hole, a dump ramp protrusion that is completely spaced apart from the center hole, and a set of teeth that is received in the ring groove;
a set of pawls, wherein each member of the set of pawls is received in a member of the set of pawl slots; and
a driver that actuates the set of pawls when the driver rotates about the axis;
wherein the set of pawls is moveable between a locked position in which the second plate is inhibited from rotating about the axis with respect to the first plate and a retracted position in which the set of pawls are retracted toward the axis and do not extend into the ring groove, wherein the set of pawls is inhibited from moving from the retracted position to the locked position when the dump ramp protrusion inhibits at least one member of the set of pawls from moving away from the axis.

16. The recliner mechanism of claim 15 wherein the dump ramp protrusion extends toward the first plate and has an inner surface is spaced apart from the center hole of the second plate.

17. The recliner mechanism of claim 15 wherein the dump ramp protrusion has an inner surface that faces toward the axis and is concave with respect to the axis, wherein the inner surface engages one member of the set of pawls to hold the set of pawls in the retracted position.

18. The recliner mechanism of claim 17 wherein each member of the set of pawls has a cam pin that extends through a corresponding pawl actuation opening in the driver, wherein the inner surface engages the cam pin of at least one member of the set of pawls to hold the set of pawls in the retracted position.

19. The recliner mechanism of claim 15 wherein the driver has a set of pawl actuation openings, wherein one member of the set of pawl actuation openings has a different configuration than other members of the set of pawl actuation openings, and wherein the dump ramp protrusion engages the pawl disposed in the pawl actuation opening having the different configuration to hold the set of pawls in the retracted position.

20. The recliner mechanism of claim 19 wherein the pawl actuation open

Assignees

• Lear Corp

Inventors

• Veine Eric
• Mcculloch Peter Robert

Classifications

• B60N2/236

  linearly movable · CPC title

• B60N2/235 Primary

  by gear-pawl type mechanisms · CPC title

• B60N2/2356

  with internal pawls · CPC title