SITZVERSTELLER

Seat Adjusters

The invention relates to a seat recliner with a force acting between a fixed part and an adjustable part of the brake, with which the adjustable part can be locked in different positions on the fixed part and which is unlockable by means of an activation element, with a force acting on the release element adjusting member for selectively adjusting of the adjustable part in two opposite directions, and a locking member which engages automatically when the non-actuated adjusting member and gel verrie- the adjustable part of a form-fitting on the fixed part and which automatically disengages upon actuation of the adjusting element, wherein by moving the adjustment member from a neutral position in one of the two directions, the disengagement of the locking member and the adjustment of the adjustable part can be effected. In EP 0979179 B2 a seat adjusters of this type is described, which serves for example for adjusting the inclination of the backrest, or for height adjustment of a vehicle seat. The fixed part is rigidly mounted on the vehicle seat or to the vehicle body, while the adjustable part causes the desired adjustment of the vehicle seat. The adjusting member has a lever which can be pivoted in opposite directions from the neutral position, to adjust the seat either in one direction or in the other direction. By repeatedly "pump" with the adjusting member an incremental adjustment of the vehicle seat over a larger displacement is possible. When the adjusting member is deflected in the desired adjustment direction from the neutral position, is taken by the brake of the adjustable part with. When the user releases the adjusting member, the adjustable part is blocked by the brake in the position reached, whereas the adjusting member returns under the action of a return spring in the neutral position, so that then a further adjustment stroke can be carried out if necessary.

When the brake is preferably a so-called freewheeling brake in which the locking of the adjustable part to the fixed part by means of clamping rollers and associated clamping contours is effected. This has the advantage that a quasi-continuous adjustment is made possible and the advantage - unlike, for example when a ratchet mechanism - hardly disturbing Verstellgeräusche arise. However, when the adjustable part is exposed over a longer period a permanently acting torque, with a seat height adjuster for example due to the weight of the motor vehicle seat or the weight of the person sitting thereon, it may be a result of vibrations during travel to a gradual draining of the pinch rollers to the treads of the brake and thus to an undesirable gradual adjustment of the vehicle seat. This effect is in the known Sitzverstel- 1er, thereby avoiding that the adjustable part is locked with the locking element additionally form-fitting manner to the fixed part.

In the conventional seat recliner of the locking element is formed by pivotable pawls, which engage in the locking position in a rigidly coupled to the adjustable part sprocket, and be pivoted at the beginning of an adjustment process from the locking position. Due to this construction, the locking element can only withstand a limited torque.

Seat adjusters for motor vehicles shall be designed for safety so that they continue to hold the seat securely in the set position, when due to occur in a collision inertial forces an extremely high torque acts in an accident situation on the seat adjuster. Therefore with the known seat recliner the freewheeling brake is so designed that it securely block the adjustable part also with a very high torque at the fixed part. Object of the invention is to provide a seat adjuster of the above type, which is more compact and can be produced cost-effectively.

This object is inventively achieved in that the locking element has a toothed segment for engagement with an output coupled to the adjustable partial gear and so guided to the fixed part, that in the radial direction of the ring gear between a locking position in which it into the ring gear engages, and a release position is displaceable, in which it is moved away from the ring gear.

Thus, the locking element according to the invention is guided to the fixed part that it performs a linear translation movement, through which the toothed segment with the toothed ring in and out of engagement. The toothed segment can extend over a relatively large circumferential angle of the ring gear, so that a high torque can be transmitted to the toothed segment. The thereby transferred to the locking member forces acting transversely to the adjusting direction and can be derived by the linear guide directly into the fixed part. In this way, the required crash safety can be achieved by the mechanical interlock so that the working example with rollers brake the movable part temporarily, namely, during the return movement of the adjusting member needs be kept in the neutral position. The brake therefore need to be designed for a much smaller torque, enabling a small-size design and the use of inexpensive materials and / or a reduction in the number of pinch rollers. In this way, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and at the same time a more compact design of the seat adjuster is made possible. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are specified in the subclaims.

In an advantageous embodiment of the ring gear on the release element is formed, which is movable only within a very limited angular range relative to the adjustable part. By the positive locking of the activation element, a positive locking of the adjustable part is thus achieved.

The ring gear to the release element can be also used to provide a releasable coupling between the release element and the adjusting element, for example via a further toothed segment which engages only with the movement of the adjusting member from the neutral position in the ring gear, while at the return movement the adjusting member is disengaged from the ring gear, so that the adjusting member can return smoothly and quietly in the neutral position.

In the following, an embodiment will be explained with reference to the drawing.

Show it:

Figure 1 is an exploded view of a seat adjuster in which the individual components are each shown in an axial section.

Fig. 2 shows a cross section of a clamping roller free wheel brake

The seat recliner of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows the components of the pinch roller free-wheel brake

axial section and in the assembled state; Figure 4 is a plan view of a locking member and a base plate and a section through part of an adjusting in a neutral position.

Figure 5 is an illustration corresponding to FIG 4, with a tilted from the neutral position adjusting member..;

6 and 7 are enlarged detail views of a tooth engagement between the locking member and a ring gear.

Figure 8 is an axial section through parts of the seat adjuster in an assembled state.

9 is a partially cutaway plan view of a return lever and a slider, together with part of the adjusting member;

. 10 and 11 are views similar to Figures 8 and 9 at the neutral position of a moving adjusting element.

12 shows the reset lever, the slider and a cover of the seat adjuster in a view from below. and

Fig. 13, the adjusting member and the cover in a view from below.

The seat recliner shown in FIG. 1 has, as an integral part of a base plate 10 made of stamped sheet metal and, as adjustable part, a pinion 12 which is rotatable about an axis A. Further main components of the seat adjuster are a locking member 14 of plastic, a brake 16, a return lever 18 with a slider 20, a comparison actuator 22, and a cover 24 forming a substantially closed housing together with the base plate 10, the other components receives.

When the brake 16 is a pinch roller free-wheel brake with a Au Ben ring 26 made of metal, a release element 28 of plastic material and three pairs of pinch rollers 30 that abut the inner peripheral surface of the outer ring 26th An inner race 32 for the pinch rollers 30 is formed by the outer peripheral surface of a portion of the pinion 12th

As shown in FIG. 2, the inner race 32 and the inner circumferential surface of the outer ring 26 form a gap that accommodates the clamping rollers 30. The release member 28 forms three claws 34 which engage in the intermediate space between the pairs of pinch rollers 30 in this gap. Between the pinch rollers 30 of each pair of elastic members 36 are arranged, which press the pinch rollers apart.

The inner race 32 is not perfectly cylindrical, but forms a clamping contour which is designed so that the gap of the clamping rollers of each of the pinch roller in the direction to the adjacent claw 34 becomes narrower. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer ring 26 by bolts 38 in a rotationally fixed on the base plate 10 is held. An adjacent to the inner race 32 of the pinion portion 12 is received in a bore of the activation element 28 and has on the periphery distributed grooves 40. projecting ribs 42 are formed on the inner surface of the bore of the activation element 28, which engage with play in the grooves 40 so that the pinion 12 to the release element 28 is rotatable relative to a small angle.

When a torque acts on the pinion 12 in one of the two directions of rotation, the pinion has thus the tendency to rotate relative to the release element 28, the pinch rollers 30 slide along on the outer ring. In each case, one of the pinch rollers 30 of each pair in the narrowing part of the gap, however, occurs and causes a deeper clamping between the outer ring 26 and the raceway 32, thereby the pinion 12 is blocked relative to the rotationally fixed outer ring 26th

Conversely, when the activation element 28 is rotated, so press the claws 34 each one of the adjacent pinch rollers 30 against the elastic member 36, which yields elastically, whereby said pinch roller is pressed into the further becoming part of the gap and so prevented from blocking. At the same time engaging in the grooves 40 ribs 42 cause entrainment of the pinion 12 so that the release element 28 and the pinion gear are rotated together 12th As soon as the activation member 28 is free of torque again, the pinch rollers 30 are pressed again into the clamping position by the elastic members 36, and the pinion 12 is blocked once again in the then position reached.

As Fig. 1 shows, the release element 28 in an outer ring 26 cross-section over its entire outer periphery a ring gear 46. The locking member 14 has a toothed segment 48 which can be brought into engagement with a peripheral portion of the toothed collar 46. Overall, the locking member 14 has the shape of a flat plate, which is displaceably guided between projections 50 of the base plate 10 degrees. As shown in FIG. 4, this guide is practically free of play, and the pressed out from the base plate 10, projections 50 are designed so that there is in the direction perpendicular to the direction of displacement towards a stable fit between the base plate 10 and the locking member 14.

A spring 52 is received in a recess 54 of the locking member 14 and supported at one end on a wall of the recess 54 and on the other hand, on a bent out of the base plate 10 tabs 56, so that the locking member 14 to the right in Figures 1 and 4 in a. position is biased in which the toothed segment 48 is connected to the ring gear 46 in engagement. Am in Fig. 1 and 4, the right end of edge of the locking member 14 1 forms a trapezoidal ground plan notch 58. The adjusting member 22 has on in Fig. Right end a downwardly projecting cam 60, the one complementary to the notch 58 has trapezoidal plan and engages in a manner shown in Fig. 4 neutral position in this notch. When the adjusting member is, however, 22 is pivoted from the neutral position, for example in the position shown in Fig. 5 position so 60 slides 5 cam to an edge of the notch 58 and thus causes displacement of the locking member 14 to the left, overcoming the force of the spring 52, so that the sector gear 48 releases the ring gear 46th The both sides of the notch 58 adjacent the edge of the locking member 14 runs on a circular arc which is centered on the axis A, which also forms the axis of rotation of the adjusting 22nd Consequently, the cam 60 stops as soon as it has left the notch 58, the locking member 14 in the position in which the sector gear 48 is moved away from the ring gear 46th

In FIG. 6, the sector gear is shown in the position 48 in which it is engaged with the ring gear 46 in engagement. Fig. 7 shows the sector gear 48 in the abge from the ring gear 46 \ 'JS disengaged position. Thus, the sector gear 48 can be brought with the ring gear 46 in and out of engagement, the teeth may seen 46a of the ring gear 46 in the direction of displacement X of the locking member do not form undercut. In the example illustrated this condition is satisfied, since the flanks of the teeth 46a at the top in Fig. 7 and lower edges of the toothed segment 48 extend parallel to the Verschieberich¬0 processing. the environmental The flatter the tooth flanks of the teeth 46a, the greater fang angle range of the ring gear 46, via which the toothed segment can extend 48 without the above-mentioned condition is violated. However, the tooth flanks should in any case be so steep that self-locking between the teeth of the ring gear 46 and the sector gear 48 is made so that the toothed segment of the engaged position is pushed out not of5 when a torque acts on the ring gear 46th

Referring to FIG. 1, also performed on the reset lever 18 slider 20 on a gear segment 62 which can be brought into Eingriff0 with the ring gear 46 of the activation member 28. A spring 64 is supported on the return lever 18, and biases the slider 20 in a position before, in the sector gear 62 from the ring gear. C) _

is moved away 46th At the outer end, on the right in Fig. 1, the slider 20 in the floor plan trapezoidal notch 66, which is also complementary to the cam 60, but a greater depth than the notch 58 of the locking member 14. FIG. 8 shows the Release element 28, the return lever 18 to the slider 20, the adjusting member 22 and the cover 24 in the assembled state. The slider 20 is shown here in the position in which its toothed segment releases the ring gear of the activation element 28 and the cam 60 of the actuating member 22 is fit in the notch 66 of the slider.

The adjustment element 22 is rotatably mounted on a cylindrical extension 68 of the pinion 12 (Fig. 1) is mounted, which engages in a between the adjustment element 22 and arranged to the cover 24 support ring 70. Three at angular intervals of 120 ° are arranged fastening arms 72 of the adjusting member 22 arcuate slots extend through the upper wall of the lid 24, enabling the attachment of an actuating lever, not shown, outside of the lid 24th

Fig. 9 shows, partly in section and partly in plan view, the reset lever 18 and the slider 20, and - in cross section - the cams 60 and illustrates the same state as Figure 8. The return lever 18 is rotatably supported on a formed on the release element 28 hub. and rotatable independently of the adjusting member 22 about the axis A.

The bearing ring 70 is held in press fit on the extension 68 of the pinion 12 and has a slightly conical shape so that it presses on the actuating member 22 in the manner of a plate spring and at the same time a collar 73 of the pinion 12 against the lower edge of a passage 10a of the base plate 10 draws (Fig. 1). Thus, the penetrated by the pinion components are held together and at the same time, as Fig. 8 shows that actuator 22 tensioned against the upper end face of the activation element 28. When the adjusting member 22 is rotated from the position shown in Fig. 8 and 9, neutral position, it exerts by friction torque to the release element, and at the same time the cam 60 slides on to an edge of the notch 66 of the slider 20, whereby the slide is inwardly displaced 20 against the force of the spring 64 into the position shown in Fig. 10 and 11 position. The toothed segment 62 of the slide is then connected to the ring gear 46 in engagement. Upon continued rotation of the adjusting element 22 the unit comprising the slider 20 and return lever 18 is carried along by the cam 60, and the rotational movement is transmitted via the sector gear 62 and transmitted to the ring gear 46 to the enabling element 28th

The notches 66 and 58 of the slide 20 and the locking member 14 are dimensioned such that when the adjusting member 22 is moved with the cam 60 from the neutral position, and thereby the meshing engagement between the sector gear 64 and the ring gear 46 and thus the driving connection to the release element 28 is made, at the same time the locking member 14 is moved to the unlocked position. The movement phase in which the teeth of the toothed segment 62 engage the teeth of the toothed rim 46 in engagement can thereby temporally overlap or coincide with the phase in which the teeth of the toothed segment 48 of the locking member 14 disengage from the ring gear 46th The release element 28 is then effected in the course of the pivoting movement of the adjusting member 22, the release of the brake 16, or the movement of the pinion 12th

The spring force of the spring 52 for the return member 14 is preferably dimensioned so that the user already in the initial phase of the pivoting movement, when the cam 60, the locking member 14 is unlocked, a similar high resistance feels as thereafter during the actual adjustment process.

The above-described design is ereicht that the user practically no idle stroke or backlash feel when moving the adjusting member 22 from the Neutralstel- lung out and initiates the adjustment of the pinion. Fig. 12 shows the cam 60, the slider 20 and the return lever 18 in the pivoted position. Further, Fig. 12 shows the cover 24 in a view from below, and to recognize a spring tunnel formed in this lid 74, the circular arc extending around the axis A and receives a correspondingly extending the spring 76 (helical compression spring). The cover 24 forms radial walls 78 which delimit the spring tunnel 74 at the ends on a part of its cross section.

Also, the return lever 18 forms two radially projecting abutment 80 for the spring 76. Each of these abutment carries a bent pin 82, which engages the respective end of the spring 76th When the reset lever 18 is in the neutral position, the abutments 80 are aligned with the radial walls 78 of the lid, so that each one of the walls 78 and one of the abutments 80 support the respective end of the spring 76 together. However, when the reset lever is pivoted into the position shown in FIG. 12 example, 18, then one end of the spring is supported (12, the upper end in Fig.) to the wall 78 of the lid, while the other end on the abutment 80 to the restoring lever is supported, so that the spring is compressed 76th

If now the actuating lever is released and therefore the adjusting member 22 is free of torque, so the force of the spring 64 that the slide 20 is drive excluded again, and thus the tooth engagement between the toothed segment 62 and the ring gear is released 46th The adjusting member 22 is swiveled slightly relative to the return lever 18 until the cam 60 is centered again in the notch 66th The reset lever 18 is now the force of the spring 76 subjected to and is therefore rotated together with the slider 20 in the neutral position, whereby the adjusting member 22 is returned to the neutral position, while the pinion 12 is held by the brake 16 in the reached position.

As soon as the adjusting member has returned to the neutral position 22, the cam can be resumed in the notch 58 of the locking member 60 and the Fe 52 causes the automatic resetting of the locking member 14 in the locked position. Due to the triangular shape of the teeth 46a there is no position, is in the tooth to tooth and the restoration of the tooth engagement would be blocked practical. but no later than the tooth engagement is established when there is a slight rotation between the release element 28 and the Verriegelungsor- gan 14 due to slight vibrations or due to a Abiaufens the pinch rollers.

When the neutral position is reached - or optionally even earlier - the pinion 12 can be rotated by again pivoting the adjusting member 22 a further piece in the desired direction.

Fig. 13 shows the adjusting member 22 and the cover 24 in a view from below. Dash-dot line are also the hidden contours of the cover 24 is shown, which limit the recesses in the top wall of the cover, which permit the rotational movement of the mounting arms 72 and the passage of this fastening arms through the upper wall of the lid in the assembly here. At the bottom edge of its peripheral wall, the cover has projections 84, which engage in corresponding insertion openings 86 of the base plate 10 (Fig. 1) engage. Non screw domes and the like shown in detail, allow to connect the cover 24 and the base plate 10 to each other. The base plate 10 can be fixed in a suitable position on the seat frame and a portion of the vehicle body then, so that the pinion 12 meshes with an input gear, not shown, or a rack of a transmission with which the vehicle seat is adjusted.