JP4787641B2 - Vehicle seat slide device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a seat slide device for a vehicle, and is provided with seat position detecting means.

  In recent automobiles, airbags are provided in the driver's seat and the passenger seat to protect the passengers. On the other hand, the vehicle seat is provided with a mechanism for adjusting the seat position in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

  When the airbag is deployed with a constant operating force, a suitable effect may not be obtained depending on the seat position, that is, the position of the occupant. For this reason, it has been proposed to switch the operating force when the airbag is deployed according to the seat position, and a vehicle seat position detecting means is provided to switch the operating force according to the seat position.

As a conventional vehicle seat position detecting means, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is disclosed. The seat position detecting means is configured to detect the position of the upper rail by providing a sensor on the side surface of the upper rail and detecting the upper surface of the lower rail by the sensor.
JP 2004-203150 A

  However, since the sensor is provided outside the upper rail, an object other than the lower rail may be mistakenly recognized as the lower rail, or the sensor may be damaged due to contact with an object in the vehicle.

  On the other hand, if a sensor is provided inside the upper rail, the inside of the upper rail cannot be seen from the outside, so that not only the detection distance between the detection surface of the sensor and the detection surface of the lower rail cannot be adjusted, but also detection for each seat slide device of the vehicle. Variation in distance will increase.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat slide device having a seat position detecting means that solves the above-described problems.

  The configuration of the vehicle seat slide device according to claim 1 is such that an upper rail fixed to a seat is slidably assembled to a lower rail fixed to a floor of the vehicle, and the lower rail is bent into a substantially U shape with an upper opening. On the other hand, the upper rail is bent and formed into a substantially U-shape with an opening at the bottom, the upper rail is fitted into the opening of the lower rail, and a lock claw rotatably supported by the upper rail; A lock mechanism that locks the upper rail with respect to the lower rail is configured by a claw engaging portion that is formed on the lower rail so that the lock claw can be engaged and disengaged, and position detection that detects the position of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail In the vehicle seat slide device provided with the means, the position detecting means includes the upper While the proximity sensor is provided inside the rail, a detection part having a detection surface detected by the proximity sensor is provided on the lower rail, and the detection surface and the detection target are detected by contacting the non-detection surface side of the proximity sensor. A distance setting unit for setting a detection distance to the surface to a predetermined value is formed integrally with the detected unit.

  According to the present invention, the proximity sensor detects the detected surface inside the rail surrounded by the lower rail and the upper rail. For this reason, misidentification of detection does not occur. Then, when the proximity sensor is assembled, the proximity sensor is coupled to the upper rail in a state in which the proximity detection surface side of the proximity sensor is in contact with the distance setting unit, and the detection surface and the detection surface of the proximity sensor are connected to each other. The detection distance is necessarily set to a predetermined value. For this reason, the operation | work which sets a detection distance is easy, and the workability | operativity at the time of the assembly | attachment of a proximity sensor is good. And the dispersion | variation in the detection distance of the detection surface of a proximity sensor for every seat slide apparatus of a vehicle and a to-be-detected surface is small.

  The configuration of the vehicle seat slide device according to claim 2 is the vehicle seat slide device according to claim 1, wherein the lock plate has a fitting hole into which the lock claw is fitted as the claw engagement portion. Is coupled to the upper surface of the lower rail, and the detected portion and the distance setting portion are integrally formed on the lock plate.

  According to the present invention, since the detected portion and the distance setting portion are integrally formed on the lock plate that is the claw engaging portion, the three parts become one and not only the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat slide device is reduced. The number of parts can be reduced.

  According to the vehicle seat slide device of the present invention, since the proximity sensor detects the detected surface of the detected portion inside the rail, the detection error is detected as in the case of adopting the conventional detection outside the rail. Or the sensor collides with an object in the vehicle and is not damaged. In addition, since the distance setting unit is provided integrally with the detected portion, the detection distance between the detection surface of the proximity sensor and the detected surface is inevitably brought into contact with the distance setting unit on the side opposite to the detection surface of the proximity sensor. Is set to a predetermined value. For this reason, the operation | work which sets a detection distance inside the rail which cannot be seen from the outside is easy, and the workability | operativity at the time of the assembly | attachment of a proximity sensor is good. And the dispersion | variation in the detection distance of the detection surface of a proximity sensor for every seat slide apparatus of a vehicle and a to-be-detected surface is small.

Next, an embodiment of a vehicle seat slide device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(A) Embodiment 1
First, the first embodiment will be described. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the seat slide device according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the seat slide device, and FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line AA in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the seat slide device includes a lower rail 1 that is fixedly installed on the floor of the vehicle, and an upper rail 2 that is attached to the lower surface of the seat, and the lower rail 1 and the upper rail 2 are rollers that are held by a retainer 3. 4 and is slidably assembled in the longitudinal direction via a guide ball 5.

  Specifically, the lower rail 1 is formed by bending downward bent portions 1a on the inner side of the upper end of the side wall of the substantially U-shaped basic cross-section opening at the top. A hole 1b is formed in the vicinity of both ends of the lower rail 1, and the lower rail 1 is fixed to the vehicle floor via bolts 22 inserted through the hole 1b. On the other hand, the upper rail 2 has the same substantially U-shape, and an upward bent portion 2a is formed on the outside of the lower end of the side wall of the basic cross-sectional portion where the lower portion opens. The upper rail 2 is inserted into the opening of the lower rail 1.

  A lock mechanism 6 for sliding and fixing the upper rail 2 is disposed in the rail between the upper rail 2 and the lower rail 1 thus configured. The lock mechanism 6 is supported by the upper rail 2 so as to be swingable and has a substantially U-shaped latch lever 8 having a plurality of lock claws 7, and a plurality of fittings coupled to the lower rail 1 and capable of being engaged with and disengaged from the lock claws 7. A lock plate 10 as a claw engaging portion having a hole 9, a bar-like spring 11 that urges the lock claw 7 in a direction to engage with the fitting hole 9, and a lock claw 7 on the front side of the lock plate 10 when locked. And a claw support plate 12 for engaging and supporting the root portion of the base plate.

  The latch lever 8 is supported inside the upper rail 2 via a pair of shaft support members 16 having shaft portions 19 and 20, and the pair of shaft support members 16 is connected to the upper wall 2 d of the upper rail 2 via a rivet 13. Are supported on the lower surface of each. An input arm 18 is integrally formed on one side of the latch lever 8, and the latch lever 8 takes in an operating force from the outside via the input arm 18.

  Both ends of the rod-shaped spring 11 are supported by the upper wall 2 d of the upper rail 2, the curved central portion of the rod-shaped spring 11 urges the latch lever 8, and the tip of the lock claw 7 is the upper rail 2. Displacement toward one side wall 2b.

  The lock plate 10 is provided on the inner bottom surface of the lower rail 1 and is formed in a long length over a predetermined range in the longitudinal direction of the lower rail 1. The lock plate 10 is substantially L-shaped, and a base wall 10a forming a bottom side of the lock plate 10 is coupled to a substantially central portion in the width direction of the bottom surface of the lower rail 1 by spot welding or projection welding. A high vertical wall 10b is formed on one side of the base wall 10a. A plurality of the fitting holes 9 are formed in the vertical wall 10b along the longitudinal direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical wall 10b includes a claw support plate 12 and one side wall 2b of the upper rail 2. It is arranged between.

  The claw support plate 12 is attached to the upper wall 2d of a substantially central portion of the upper rail 2 in the longitudinal direction via a pair of rivets 13. Near the lower end of the claw support plate 12, each lock claw 7 of the latch lever 8 is provided. A plurality of support holes 14 are formed in which are inserted and engaged. As shown in FIG. 4, a support hole 26 is formed at a position corresponding to the support hole 14 of the claw support plate 12 in one side wall 2 b of the upper rail 2. The front end of the lock claw 7 is inserted into and engaged with the support hole 26 when locked.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a notch 27 is formed at substantially the center of the upper rail 2 in the axial direction so as to straddle one side wall 2b and the upper wall 2d, and the input arm 18 of the latch lever 8 holds the notch 27. And slightly protrudes outside the upper rail 2. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, the holder 29 is pivotally supported by a support bracket 21 (FIG. 1) having an L-shaped cross section on the upper rail 2 via a shaft pin (not shown) inserted through the hole 29b. A portion of the operation piece 29a at the rear end portion 29 swings the tip of the input arm 18 in the vertical direction. An operation lever 28 having a substantially U shape and having a central portion located below the front side of the seat is provided below the vehicle seat, and both ends of the operation lever 28 are attached to the holder 29. When the central portion of the operation lever 28 is turned upward, the operation piece 29a pushes the input arm 18 downward, whereby the latch lever 8 is turned against the urging force of the rod-shaped spring 11.

  A proximity sensor 30 is provided inside the upper rail 2, and the proximity sensor 30 is attached to the front of the vehicle body relative to the lock mechanism 6. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, a rectangular through hole 31 and a mounting hole 32 are formed through the upper wall 2d of the upper rail 2 from the top to the bottom, and the proximity sensor 30 is detected in the through hole 31 as shown in FIG. With the portion 30c fitted, a bolt 38 is inserted into a hole 30a and a mounting hole 32 formed in the mounting portion 30d and penetrating in the vertical direction, and a nut 39 disposed inside the upper rail 2 is screwed into the bolt 38. Thus, the proximity sensor 30 is attached to the upper rail 2. The through hole 31 is formed to be slightly larger than the length of the short side of the detection unit 30 c so that the detection unit 30 c of the proximity sensor 30 can move in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the length direction of the upper rail 2. The hole 30a through which the bolt 38 is inserted is also formed in a long hole shape so that it can move in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the length direction of the upper rail 2, and the position of the proximity sensor 30 can be adjusted. . As a result, as shown in FIG. 1A, the detection surface 30 b of the detection unit 30 c in the proximity sensor 30 faces the detection surface 10 d of the vertical wall 10 b of the lock plate 10. Note that holes are formed in the support bracket 21 at positions corresponding to the through holes 31 and the mounting holes 32.

  Here, the proximity sensor 30 will be described. The proximity sensor 30 includes a detection unit 30c, an attachment unit 30d, and a wiring unit 30e as shown in FIG. The detection principle of the proximity sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 (Japanese Patent Publication No. 9-511357). As shown in FIG. 7A, when the first magnet 33, the second magnet 34, and the third magnet 35 are arranged in a U-shape, the magnetic circuit follows the first magnet 33, the second magnet 34, and the third magnet 35. Are formed symmetrically. For this reason, each magnetic field formed by the first magnet 33, the second magnet 34, and the third magnet 35 is also left-right symmetric. When the lock plate 10 does not exist above the proximity sensor 30 as shown in FIG. 7A, there is a magnetic field zero region 36 in which the zero magnetic forces that are canceled by each other are present at the left and right intermediate positions. Therefore, the Hall IC 37 is fixed to the magnetic field zero region 36. When the lock plate 10 is not present, a current corresponding to zero magnetic force is output to the Hall IC 37.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, when the lock plate 10 exists above the proximity sensor 30 in the drawing, the magnetic field changes and a magnetic force having a magnitude corresponding to the change of the magnetic field acts. Therefore, a current corresponding to the magnetic force is output to the Hall IC 37. The current output from the Hall IC 37 is read by a controller (not shown), and the position of the upper rail 2 with respect to the lower rail 1 is detected.

  In other words, the position of the upper rail 2 with respect to the lower rail 1 indicates the position in the front-rear direction of the seat. When the position of the seat occupies the front side of the vehicle, for example, the deployment speed of the airbag is reduced, and the rear side of the vehicle If it occupies, the deployment speed is increased and the operation speed is switched. The Hall IC 37 of the proximity sensor 30 is connected to the controller (not shown) from the wiring part 30e.

  The relationship between the proximity sensor 30 and the lock plate 10 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, the detection surface 30b of the proximity sensor 30 is opposed to the detected surface 10d in the vertical wall 10b of the lock plate 10 as the detected portion, and the position of the front end surface of the lock plate 10 is This is the detection switching point P. In the range A where the lock plate 10 exists with the switching point P as a boundary, detection by the proximity sensor 30 is performed, and it is detected that the seat occupies a position retracted from a predetermined position, and in the range B, the detection by the proximity sensor 30 is detected. It is detected that the sheet occupies a position advanced from a predetermined position without being performed.

  The position where the distance setting portion 10c is provided is set to an arbitrary position of the lock plate 10 in consideration of the fitting position of the upper rail 2 and the lower rail 1 at the time of assembly and the attachment position of the proximity sensor 30. You may make it provide over the full length of 10 length directions.

  In the present invention, the distance setting unit 10c is set such that the detection distance a between the detection surface 30b and the detection surface 10d of the vertical wall 10b is inevitably set by bringing the counter-detection surface side of the proximity sensor 30 into contact. Is integrally formed with the vertical wall 10b which also serves as the detected portion. That is, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), a distance setting portion 10c is integrally formed on a part of the length of the lower rail 1 on the side opposite to the vertical wall 10b as shown in FIG. 1 (a). The part of the vertical wall 10b and the part of the distance setting part 10c are connected in a substantially U shape. And the space | interval of the part of the vertical wall 10b and the part of the distance setting part 10c is set to b. Therefore, if the width dimension of the detection unit 30c in the proximity sensor 30 is c, the detection distance between the detection surface 30b and the detection surface 10d is brought into contact with the distance setting unit 10c by bringing the opposite detection surface side of the proximity sensor 30 into contact with the distance setting unit 10c. a becomes a = (bc), and is necessarily set to a predetermined value a.

  A procedure for attaching the proximity sensor 30 to the upper rail 2 when assembling the seat slide device will be described. When the lock plate 10 is coupled to the upper surface of the lower rail 1 and the upper rail 2 is inserted into the lower rail 1, the position of the through hole 31 in the length direction of the rail as shown in FIG. The position of the upper rail 2 with respect to the lower rail 1 is adjusted so as to correspond. In this state, the detection unit 30c is inserted into the through hole 31, the bolt 38 is inserted into the mounting hole 32 from the hole 30a, and the bolt 38 is screwed into the nut 39 disposed inside the upper rail 2 and tightened. Thus, the proximity sensor 30 is coupled to the upper rail 2 in a state where the detection distance between the detection surface 30b and the detection surface 10d is inevitably set to be equal to or less than the predetermined value a.

  Next, the operation of the seat slide device will be described. When the seat is locked at an arbitrary slide position, as shown in FIG. 4, the latch lever 8 receives the urging force of the rod-shaped spring 11 and is rotated and displaced toward the lock plate 10. At this time, the lock claw 7 is engaged across the three of the support hole 14 of the claw support plate 12, the fitting hole 9 of the lock plate 10, and the support hole 26 of the upper rail 2. For this reason, the upper rail 2 is fixed to the lower rail 1.

  When changing the slide position of the seat from the state of FIG. 4, when the center of the operation lever 28 is pulled upward and rotated, the latch lever 8 is rotationally displaced against the urging force of the rod-shaped spring 11. The lock claw 7 of the latch lever 8 is pulled out from the support hole 26, the fitting hole 9, and the support hole 14. Therefore, the upper rail 2 can move with respect to the lower rail 1, and the seat can be freely slid. In this state, when the seat slide position is changed to an arbitrary position, and then the hand is released from the operation lever 28, the latch lever 8 is returned to the original position by the urging force of the rod-shaped spring 11, and the lock pawl 7 is again moved to the support holes 14, The mating hole 9 and the support hole 26 are engaged across the three. For this reason, the upper rail 2 is fixed to the lower rail 1 again.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, when the detection surface 30b of the proximity sensor 30 faces the vertical wall 10b of the lock plate 10, that is, when the proximity sensor 30 exists in the range A in FIG. Since the output from the proximity sensor 30 differs when the detection surface 30b does not face the lock plate 10, that is, when the proximity sensor 30 exists in the range B in FIG. Is detected, the sheet is detected to occupy a position retracted from a predetermined position, and if there is no detection by the proximity sensor 30, it is detected that the sheet occupies a position advanced from a predetermined position. The FIG. 8A shows a case where the sheet is most retracted, and FIG. 8B shows a case where the sheet is most advanced.

  According to the present invention, the proximity sensor 30 detects the detected surface 10d inside the rail surrounded by the lower rail 1 and the upper rail 2. Since detection is performed inside the rail, misdetection of detection does not occur. And since the detection distance a can be set only by making the counter-detection surface side of the detection part 30c contact | abut to the distance setting part 10c, the operation | work which sets the detection distance is easy and workability | operativity at the time of the assembly | attachment of the proximity sensor 30 good. And the dispersion | variation in the detection distance a of the detection surface 30b of the proximity sensor 30 for every seat slide apparatus of a vehicle and the to-be-detected surface 10d is small.

According to the present invention, since the detected portion and the distance setting portion 10c are integrally formed with the lock plate 10 that is the claw engaging portion, the three parts become one, and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat slide device is only reduced. Instead, the number of parts can be reduced.
(B) Embodiment 2
Next, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Since the second embodiment is obtained by changing a part of the first embodiment, only different parts will be described. FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 1 of the first embodiment.

  In this example, the detected portion 10x is formed by extending the vertical wall 10b upward in the vicinity of the front end portion of the lock plate 10 of the first embodiment. In the range A, the detected part 10x is detected by the proximity sensor 30, and it is detected that the sheet occupies a position advanced from a predetermined position. On the other hand, in the range B, detection by the proximity sensor 30 is not performed, and it is detected that the sheet occupies a position retracted from a predetermined position. Since the position of the switching point P is not the front end portion of the lock plate 10 unlike the case of the first embodiment, the attachment position of the proximity sensor 30 to the upper rail 2 is behind the case of the first embodiment.

  Since other configurations and operations are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the detected part is provided on the front side of the lock plate, and at the time of detection, the seat occupies the advanced position. However, the detected part is provided on the rear side of the lock plate, and the sheet is detected at the time of detection. You may make it the structure which occupies the retreated position. Further, in the second embodiment, the detected part 10x is arranged near the end of the lock plate 10 on the front side of the vehicle body, but the position of the detected part is set according to the attachment position of the proximity sensor 30 in the length direction of the upper rail. The degree of freedom of the attachment position of the proximity sensor 30 is improved.

  In the first and second embodiments, the proximity sensor has a structure that detects using a change in the magnetic field. However, the proximity sensor has various structures such as a structure that detects by using transmission and reception of light. Things can be considered. In addition, the case where a lock plate is used as a claw engaging portion, a part of the lock plate is used as a detected portion, and a distance setting portion is formed on the lock plate is shown. A member having a substantially U-shaped cross section composed of the detected portion and the distance setting portion may be provided separately.

In relation to the relationship between the upper rail / lower rail and the proximity sensor, (a) is a left side sectional view, and (b) is a front sectional view (Embodiment 1). 1 is an exploded perspective view of a seat slide device (Embodiment 1). FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view of a seat slide device (Embodiment 1). AA arrow line view of Embodiment 3 (Embodiment 1). The perspective view which shows the state which attached the proximity sensor inside the upper rail (Embodiment 1). The perspective view of a proximity sensor (Embodiment 1). (A) is a block diagram showing the principle of the proximity sensor, and (b) is an operation explanatory diagram (Embodiment 1). Action | operation explanatory drawing of a seat slide apparatus (Embodiment 1). In relation to the relationship between the upper rail and the lower rail and the proximity sensor, (a) is a left side sectional view and (b) is a front sectional view (second embodiment).

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Lower rail 2 ... Upper rail 6 ... Lock mechanism 7 ... Lock claw 10 ... Lock plate (claw engaging part)
10b ... Vertical wall (detected part)
10c: Distance setting unit 10d: Detection target surface 10x: Detection target unit 30 ... Proximity sensor 30b ... Detection surface 30c ... Detection unit

Claims (2)

An upper rail fixed to a seat is slidably assembled to a lower rail fixed to the floor of the vehicle, and the lower rail is bent into a substantially U shape with an upper portion opened, while the upper rail has a substantially central shape with a lower portion opened. Bent into a letter shape, the upper rail is inserted into the opening of the lower rail,
A lock mechanism that locks the upper rail with respect to the lower rail by a lock claw that is rotatably supported by the upper rail and a claw engaging portion that is formed on the lower rail and that can be engaged and disengaged. Configured,
In a vehicle seat slide device provided with position detection means for detecting the position of the upper rail with respect to the lower rail,
As the position detecting means, a proximity sensor is provided inside the upper rail, while a detected part having a detected surface detected by the proximity sensor is provided on the lower rail, and the non-detecting surface side of the proximity sensor abuts A seat slide device for a vehicle, wherein a distance setting unit for setting a detection distance between a detection surface and the detection surface to a predetermined value is integrally formed with the detection portion. The seat slide device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein a lock plate having a fitting hole into which the lock claw is fitted is coupled to the upper surface of the lower rail as the claw engaging portion, A seat slide device for a vehicle, wherein the detected portion and the distance setting portion are integrally formed.

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