JP7690374B2 - Multi-axis drive and power seat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a power seat, and in particular to a multi-axis drive device that selectively switches the transmission path of rotational force from one motor to multiple movable mechanisms.

The following Patent Document 1 discloses a multi-shaft drive device that selectively switches the transmission path of rotational force from one motor to multiple movable mechanisms. This multi-shaft drive device includes multiple input bevel gears, multiple output bevel gears, and a selector. The input bevel gear is rotatably supported relative to the case, and rotates when the power of the motor is transmitted to it. The multiple output bevel gears are provided corresponding to the multiple input bevel gears individually, and are supported relative to the case so that they can slide in their respective axial directions. These output bevel gears are biased in a direction to mesh with the input bevel gear, and are connected to each of the multiple movable mechanisms individually so that they can transmit rotational force. The selector is provided so as to be movable relative to the case and to be able to face the multiple output bevel gears, and meshes a selected output bevel gear from the multiple output bevel gears with the corresponding input bevel gear, and separates the other output bevel gears from the corresponding input bevel gear. In this multi-shaft drive, even if the output bevel gear slides in the axial direction, the meshing and backlash between the output bevel gear and the input bevel gear are said to be properly maintained.

International Publication No. 2012/117780

Bevel gears can cause operating noise if the tooth surface precision, meshing between gears, and backlash are not properly maintained. In addition, when gears such as bevel gears mesh with each other, operating noise can occur at high rotation speeds, so it may be necessary to slow down the rotation speed to an appropriate level. To achieve a large reduction ratio with bevel gears, the gears themselves need to be made larger. Making the gears larger leads to increased costs and mass.

In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a multi-axis drive device that can reduce operating noise while avoiding an increase in size, and a power seat equipped with the multi-axis drive device.

The first aspect of the multi-axis drive device is a multi-axis drive device that selectively switches the transmission path of rotational force from one motor to multiple movable mechanisms, and includes a reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation of the motor, and multiple output members that are connected to the multiple movable mechanisms so as to be able to transmit rotation and that are selectively rotated by selectively switching the connection state with the reduction mechanism, and the reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism.

In the first aspect, a plurality of output members each connected to a plurality of movable mechanisms so as to be capable of transmitting rotation are selectively rotated by selectively switching the state of connection with a reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation of the motor. The reduction mechanism is a planetary gear mechanism. Compared to a reduction mechanism using a large number of bevel gears such as the multi-shaft drive device described in the Background Art section, the planetary gear mechanism can properly maintain the meshing and backlash between the gears, and can increase the reduction ratio while avoiding an increase in size. Since reducing the rotation speed of the gears has the effect of reducing operating noise, increasing the reduction ratio and reducing the rotation speed of the gears can reduce operating noise.

The second aspect of the multi-axis drive device is the first aspect, in which the internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism has a face gear formed on one axial surface, and each of the multiple output members has a spur gear that is selectively slid in the axial direction and selectively meshes with the face gear.

In the second mode, multiple spur gears of multiple output members are selectively slid in the axial direction. These spur gears are selectively meshed with a face gear formed on one axial surface of the internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism. In this way, the spur gears are slid in the axial direction to switch between meshing with the face gear and not meshing with it, making it easy to keep the backlash between the spur gears and the internal gear constant.

The multi-axis drive device of the third aspect is the same as that of the second aspect, but has a side wall facing the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear and a bottom wall facing the other axial surface of the internal gear, and is provided with a case that rotatably supports the internal gear and has multiple shafts that respectively support the multiple planetary gears of the planetary gear mechanism.

In the third embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism faces the side wall of the case, and the other axial surface of the internal gear faces the bottom wall of the case. The internal gear is rotatably supported by this case. This case is formed with a number of shaft portions that respectively support the multiple planetary gears of the planetary gear mechanism. As this case functions (is used in conjunction with) the planetary carrier, a dedicated planetary carrier is not required.

The power seat of the fourth aspect includes a seat body having multiple movable mechanisms, a motor provided on the seat body, a multi-axis drive device of any one of the first to third aspects provided on the seat body and selectively switching the transmission path of the rotational force from the motor to the multiple movable mechanisms, and an operating unit provided on the seat body for operating the motor and the multi-axis drive device.

In the fourth aspect, a motor, a multi-axis drive device, and an operating unit are provided on a seat body having multiple movable mechanisms. The operating unit operates the motor and the multi-axis drive device, and the multi-axis drive device selectively switches the transmission path of the rotational force from the motor to the multiple movable mechanisms. The multi-axis drive device is any one of the first to third aspects, and therefore the above-mentioned actions and effects are obtained.

As described above, the multi-axis drive device and power seat of the present invention can reduce operating noise while avoiding an increase in size.

1 is a perspective view showing a power seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a perspective view showing a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a planetary gear mechanism and its surroundings in the multi-shaft drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view showing a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a cut surface taken along line F6-F6 in FIG. 5. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a cut surface taken along line F7-F7 in FIG. 5. 1 is a front view showing a partial configuration of a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a side view showing a partial configuration of a multi-axis drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 5 is a front view of the configuration shown in FIG. 4 in which the dial switch and the outer case are omitted, showing a state in which the selector is located at a neutral position. FIG. FIG. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 and illustrating a state in which the selector is located at a first position. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 and illustrating a state in which the selector is located at a second position. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 and illustrating a state in which the selector is located at a third position. 11 is a view corresponding to FIG. 10 and illustrating a state in which the selector is located at a fourth position.

The power seat 10 and multi-axis drive device 40 according to one embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to Figs. 1 to 14. Note that in each drawing, some reference numerals may be omitted in order to make the drawings easier to understand. As shown in Fig. 1, the multi-axis drive device 40 according to this embodiment is provided in a power seat 10 for a vehicle, and constitutes a part of a power seat operating device 26 for operating the power seat 10. The power seat 10 is, as an example, a 4-way power seat, and includes a seat body 12.

The seat body 12 is equipped with a slide mechanism 18 that slides the seat cushion 14 in the front-rear direction relative to the vehicle body floor (not shown), a recliner mechanism 20 that rotates the seat back 18 relative to the seat cushion 14, a lifter mechanism 22 that moves the seat cushion 14 up and down relative to the vehicle body floor, and a lumbar support mechanism 24 that moves the lumbar part of the seat back 16 in the front-rear direction. All of these mechanisms are movable mechanisms. Each of these movable mechanisms does not have a dedicated motor, and is configured to operate when the drive shaft of each mechanism is rotated forward and backward.

The power seat operating device 26 is provided on the side of the seat cushion 14 on the outer side in the vehicle width direction. This power seat operating device 10 is a seat switch for selectively activating the slide mechanism 18, recliner mechanism 20, lifter mechanism 22, and lumbar support mechanism 24. This power seat operating device 26 is configured to include a dial switch 28, which is an operating unit located on the side of the seat cushion 14, and a multi-axis drive unit 40 and a motor 34 (see Figures 2 to 4) located on the inside of the seat cushion 14.

The dial switch 28 is supported on the seat body 12 via a motor 34 and a multi-axis drive device 40. The dial switch 28 has a dial 30 supported rotatably on the seat body 12, a switch knob 32 supported rotatably on the dial 30, and a switch (not shown) that is turned on and off by rotating the switch knob 32. The dial 30 is generally cylindrical with its axis along the seat width direction and its dimension in the axial direction being small. One of the multiple movable mechanisms is selected as the object of operation by rotating the dial 30. The switch knob 32 is rotatable around an axis along the seat width direction relative to the dial 30. The motor 34 is rotated forward and backward by rotating the switch knob 32.

The multi-axis drive device 40 is a device that selectively switches the transmission path of the rotational force from one motor 34 to the slide mechanism 18, the recliner mechanism 20, the lifter mechanism 22, and the lumbar support mechanism 24. This multi-axis drive device 40 is capable of selectively switching the mechanical connection state between the motor 34 and each of the above-mentioned movable mechanisms by operating the dial 30. The motor 34 is disposed in the seat cushion 14 with the axial direction of the output shaft 36 aligned along the seat width direction, and is supported by a frame (not shown) of the seat cushion 14. The multi-axis drive device 40 is disposed between the motor 34 and the dial switch 28.

As shown in Figures 2 to 9, the multi-shaft drive device 40 includes a lower case 42, an inner case 48, an outer case 50, a planetary gear mechanism (planetary gear unit) 52, multiple (four in this case) output members 60, a partition member 68, and a selector 72. The lower case 42 corresponds to the "case" in this invention. The planetary gear mechanism 52 and the four output members 60 form a clutch unit. Each of the above components of the multi-shaft drive device 40 is made of, for example, resin. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the four output members 60 may be referred to as output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D.

The lower case 42 is disposed adjacent to the motor 34 on the outer side in the seat width direction. The lower case 42 is a cylindrical shape with a bottom whose axis is the seat width direction and whose dimension in the axial direction is small, and is fixed to the motor 34 by means of screws, claw fitting, or the like. The lower case 42 opens to the outer side in the seat width direction. The output shaft 36 of the motor 34 penetrates the center of the bottom wall 42A of the lower case 42 and is disposed inside the lower case 42. A pair of gear holding parts 44 and a pair of shaft parts 46 protruding from the bottom wall 42A of the lower case 42 to the outer side in the seat width direction are formed inside the lower case 42. The pair of gear holding parts 44 are fan-shaped when viewed from the seat width direction, and are disposed symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lower case 42. The pair of shaft parts 46 are cylindrical with the axis in the seat width direction, and are disposed symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the lower case 42. The gear holding portions 44 and the shaft portions 46 are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction of the lower case 42.

The inner case 48 is disposed adjacent to the lower case 42 on the outer side in the seat width direction. The inner case 48 has a shallow dish-shaped case body 48A that opens to the outer side in the seat width direction, and multiple (four in this case) arms 48B that extend radially from the case body 48A in the radial direction of the motor 34. The four arms 48B open to the outer side in the seat width direction, and their interiors communicate with the interior of the case body 48A. The inner case 48 is fixed to the lower case 42 by means of claw engagement, screw fastening, adhesives, or other means.

The outer case 50 is disposed adjacent to the inner case 48 on the outside in the seat width direction. The outer case 50 has a shallow dish-shaped case body 50A that opens to the inside in the seat width direction, and multiple (four in this case) arms 50B that extend radially from the case body 50A in the radial direction of the motor 34. The four arms 50B open to the inside in the seat width direction, and their interiors communicate with the interior of the case body 50A. The outer case 50 is shaped approximately symmetrically to the inner case 48 in the seat width direction, and is fixed to the inner case 48 by means of claw fitting, screws, adhesives, etc.

The planetary gear mechanism 52, which is a speed reduction mechanism that reduces the rotation of the motor 34, is housed inside the lower case 42. The planetary gear mechanism 52 has an internal gear 54, a pair of planetary gears (idle gears) 56, and a sun gear (motor gear) 58. The internal gear 54, the pair of planetary gears 56, and the sun gear 58 are helical gears, for example. The internal gear 54, the pair of planetary gears 56, and the sun gear 58 are arranged with the seat width direction as the axial direction. The lower case 42 has a side wall 42B that faces (contacts) the outer circumferential surface of the internal gear 54, and a bottom wall 42A that faces (contacts) the surface of the internal gear 54 on the motor 34 side, and supports the internal gear 54 rotatably. The surface of the internal gear 54 on the motor 34 side corresponds to the "other surface in the axial direction" in this invention.

When the internal gear 54 rotates relative to the lower case 42, the outer circumferential surface of the internal gear 54 slides against the side wall 42B, and the surface of the internal gear 54 facing the motor 34 slides against the bottom wall 42A. A lubricant such as grease is interposed between the outer circumferential surface of the internal gear 54 and the side wall 42B, and between the surface of the internal gear 54 facing the motor 34 and the bottom wall 42A. Note that rollers may be interposed between the outer circumferential surface of the internal gear 54 and the side wall 42B, and between the surface of the internal gear 54 facing the motor 34 and the bottom wall 42A.

A pair of planetary gears 56 of the planetary gear mechanism 52 are supported by a pair of shafts 46 protruding from the bottom wall 42A of the lower case 42. This allows the lower case 42 to function as a planetary carrier. The sun gear 58 of the planetary gear mechanism 52 is fixed to the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 that penetrates the bottom wall 42A of the lower case 42. When the sun gear 58 rotates together with the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, the rotation of the sun gear 58 is transmitted to the internal gear 54 via the pair of planetary gears 56, and the internal gear 54 rotates at a reduced speed. The direction of rotation of the internal gear 54 is switched by the forward and reverse rotation of the motor 34. A face gear 54A is formed on the surface of the internal gear 54 opposite the motor 34 (corresponding to the "one surface in the axial direction" in this invention). This face gear 54A corresponds to the four output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D.

The four output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D are connected to the slide mechanism 18, the recliner mechanism 20, the lifter mechanism 22, and the lumbar support mechanism 24 so as to be capable of transmitting rotation, respectively, and are selectively rotated by selectively switching the connection state with the planetary gear mechanism 52. The four output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D are respectively housed in four spaces formed by the four arms 48B and 50B of the inner case 48 and the outer case 50, and are arranged radially in the radial direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34. Each output member 60 is composed of an output shaft 62 and an output gear 64.

The output shaft 62 of each output member 60A, 60B, 60C, 60D is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with the radial direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 as the axial direction, and is rotatably supported by the inner case 48 and the outer case 50. The output shaft 62 of the output member 60A is connected to the slide mechanism 18 via a torque cable (transmission member) not shown. The output shaft 62 of the output member 60B is connected to the recliner mechanism 20 via a torque cable not shown. The output shaft 62 of the output member 60C is connected to the lifter mechanism 22 via a torque cable not shown. The output shaft 62 of the output member 60D is connected to the lumbar support mechanism 24 via a torque cable not shown.

The output gear 64 of each output member 60 is formed in a stepped, generally cylindrical shape with multiple steps, and has a spur gear 64A, a cylindrical protrusion 64B coaxially extending from one axial end of the spur gear 64A, and a cylindrical tube portion 64C coaxially extending from the other axial end of the spur gear 64A. One axial end of the output shaft 62 is fitted into the inside of the tube portion 64C. The tube portion 64C and the output shaft 62 are connected by a so-called spline fit, and the output gear 64 is connected to the output shaft 62 so as to be movable relative to the output shaft 62 in the axial direction and to be rotatable together. A compression coil spring 65 (see FIG. 7) is arranged inside the tube portion 64C of the output gear 64, and the output gear 64 is biased radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 relative to the output shaft 62.

A partition member 68 is disposed on the radial inside of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 with respect to the four output members 60. The partition member 68 is disposed inside the inner case 48, and has a plate-shaped main body 68A with the axial direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 as the plate thickness direction, and a pair of side wall portions 68B extending from the main body 68A to the opposite side of the motor 34. The pair of side wall portions 68B face each other in the radial direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, and are curved along the circumferential direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34. The two output members 60A and 60D have the protruding portions 64B of the output gear 64 inserted into two insertion holes 70 formed in one side wall portion 68B, and the remaining two output members 60B and 60C have the protruding portions 64B of the output gear 64 inserted into two insertion holes 70 formed in the other side wall portion 68B. Each protrusion 64B is supported so as to be rotatable with respect to each side wall portion 68B and to be movable relative to the axial direction. The tip side of each protrusion 64B extends radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 beyond each side wall portion 68B. A selector 72 is disposed radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 relative to each protrusion 64B.

The selector 72 is cylindrical with its axis aligned with the axis of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34. The selector 72 is inserted into a circular bearing hole 51 formed in the center of the outer case 50 and is rotatably supported by the outer case 50. The connecting portion 31 protruding from the axis of the dial 30 is fitted inside the selector 72. As a result, the dial switch 28 is rotatably supported by the outer case 50 via the selector 72. The selector 72 rotates integrally with the dial switch 28. A flange portion 72A is formed on the end of the selector 72 on the motor 34 side. The outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 72A faces the protruding portions 64B of the four output gears 64 in the radial direction of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34. Two notches 74 and 76 are formed in the flange portion 72A.

In the multi-shaft drive device 40 configured as described above, each output gear 64 of the multiple output members 60 is selectively slid in the axial direction, and the spur gear 64A of each output gear 64 is selectively meshed with the face gear 54A of the internal gear 54. This will be explained in detail below.

As shown in FIG. 10, when the selector 72 is in the neutral position, the protrusions 64B of the output gears 64 of the four output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D contact the outer circumferential surface of the flange portion 72A of the selector 72 at locations where the notches 74 and 76 are not formed. In this state, the compression coil springs 65 of the four output members 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D are compressed, and the biasing force of these compression coil springs 65 presses the protrusions 64B against the flange portion 72A.

When the selector 72 is rotated to the first position shown in FIG. 11 together with the dial switch 28, the protruding portion 64B of the output gear 64 of the output member 60A enters one of the notches 74. At this time, the output gear 64 of the output member 60A slides radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, and the spur gear 64A of the output gear 64 meshes with the face gear 54A of the internal gear 54. In this state, when the switch knob 32 of the dial switch 28 is rotated and the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 is rotated, the rotation of the output shaft 36 is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism 52 and transmitted to the output member 60A, and the output member 60A rotates. The rotation of the output member 60A is transmitted to the slide mechanism 18 via a torque cable (not shown), and the slide mechanism 18 is operated.

When the selector 72 is rotated integrally with the dial switch 28 to the second position shown in FIG. 12, the protruding portion 64B of the output gear 64 of the output member 60B enters the other notch 76. At this time, the output gear 64 of the output member 60B slides radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, and the spur gear 64A of the output gear 64 meshes with the face gear 54A of the internal gear 54. In this state, when the switch knob 32 of the dial switch 28 is rotated and the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 is rotated, the rotation of the output shaft 36 is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism 52 and transmitted to the output member 60B, which rotates. The rotation of the output member 60B is transmitted to the reclining mechanism 20 via a torque cable (not shown), and the reclining mechanism 20 is operated.

When the selector 72 is rotated integrally with the dial switch 28 to the third position shown in FIG. 13, the protruding portion 64B of the output gear 64 of the output member 60C enters the other notch 76. At this time, the output gear 64 of the output member 60C slides radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, and the spur gear 64A of the output gear 64 meshes with the face gear 54A of the internal gear 54. In this state, when the switch knob 32 of the dial switch 28 is rotated and the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 is rotated, the rotation of the output shaft 36 is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism 52 and transmitted to the output member 60C, and the output member 60C rotates. The rotation of the output member 60C is transmitted to the lifter mechanism 22 via a torque cable (not shown), and the lifter mechanism 22 is operated.

When the selector 72 is rotated integrally with the dial switch 28 to the fourth position shown in FIG. 14, the protrusion 64B of the output gear 64 of the output member 60D enters one of the notches 74. At this time, the output gear 64 of the output member 60D slides radially inward of the output shaft 36 of the motor 34, and the spur gear 64A of the output gear 64 meshes with the face gear 54A of the internal gear 54. In this state, when the switch knob 32 of the dial switch 28 is rotated and the output shaft 36 of the motor 34 is rotated, the rotation of the output shaft 36 is decelerated by the planetary gear mechanism 52 and transmitted to the output member 60D, and the output member 60D rotates. The rotation of the output member 60D is transmitted to the lumbar support mechanism 24 via a torque cable (not shown), and the lumbar support mechanism 24 is activated.

(Action and Effects)
In the power seat 10 configured as described above, the seat body 12 having the slide mechanism 18, the reclining mechanism 20, the lifter mechanism 22, and the lumbar support mechanism 24 is provided with one motor 34, a multi-shaft drive device 40, and a dial switch 28. The motor 34 and the multi-shaft drive device 40 are operated by the dial switch 28, and the multi-shaft drive device 40 selectively switches the transmission path of the rotational force from the motor 34 to the plurality of movable mechanisms.

In this multi-shaft drive device 40, the multiple output members 60, each connected to the multiple movable mechanisms so as to be capable of transmitting rotation, are selectively rotated by selectively switching the state of connection with the planetary gear mechanism 52, which reduces the rotation of the motor 34. Compared to a reduction mechanism using multiple bevel gears such as the multi-shaft drive device described in the Background Art section, this planetary gear mechanism 52 can properly maintain the meshing and backlash between the gears, and can increase the reduction ratio while avoiding an increase in size. Since reducing the rotation speed of the gears has the effect of reducing operating noise, increasing the reduction ratio and reducing the rotation speed of the gears can reduce operating noise.

The above effects will be further explained with reference to Tables 1 to 3 below. In Tables 1 to 3 below, the reduction mechanism of the multi-shaft drive device described in the Background Art section is referred to as the "prior art", the reduction ratio of the prior art in which the reduction ratio has been changed while keeping the inter-shaft distance the same is referred to as the "prior art with changed gear ratio", and the planetary gear mechanism 52 in this embodiment is referred to as the "present embodiment". Table 1 below lists the number of teeth of each gear in the "prior art", "prior art with changed gear ratio", and "present embodiment".

The following Table 2 shows the reduction ratio, motor rotation speed, and output gear (spur gear 64A or output side bevel gear) rotation speed in the "conventional technology", "conventional technology with changed gear ratio", and "present embodiment". As shown in Table 2, the larger the reduction ratio, the lower the output gear rotation speed.

The following Table 3 shows the reduction ratio, reduction rate, and expected reduction in operating noise in the "conventional technology", "conventional technology with changed gear ratio", and "this embodiment". As shown in Table 3, this embodiment, which can increase the reduction ratio, is expected to reduce operating noise.

In this way, in this embodiment, by changing from the conventional bevel gear reduction mechanism to the planetary gear mechanism 52, it is possible to achieve large reduction in speed while avoiding an increase in the size of the device. As a result, it is expected that the operating noise will be significantly reduced.

In addition, in this multi-axis drive device 40, multiple spur gears 64A of multiple output members 60 are selectively slid in the axial direction. These spur gears 64A are selectively meshed with face gears 54A formed on one axial surface of an internal gear 54 of a planetary gear mechanism 52. In this way, the spur gears 64A are slid in the axial direction to switch between meshing with the face gear 54A and not meshing with it, making it easy to keep the backlash between the spur gears 64A and the internal gear 54 constant.

In addition, in this multi-shaft drive device 40, the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear 54 of the planetary gear mechanism 52 faces the side wall 42B of the lower case 42, and the other axial surface of the internal gear 54 faces the bottom wall 42A of the lower case 42. The internal gear 54 is rotatably supported by this lower case 42. A plurality of shaft portions 46 are formed in this lower case 42, which respectively support a plurality of planetary gears 56 of the planetary gear mechanism 52. Since this lower case 42 functions (is used in combination) as a planetary carrier, a dedicated planetary carrier is not required.

In the above embodiment, the seat slide mechanism 18, the reclining mechanism 20, the lifter mechanism 22, and the lumbar support mechanism 24 are described as movable mechanisms, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other types of movable mechanisms such as a tilt mechanism, an ottoman mechanism, and a thigh support mechanism can also be used as the movable mechanism.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the power seat operating device 26 is configured to include a dial switch 28, which is a dial-shaped operating unit, but this is not limited thereto, and the power seat operating device 26 may be configured to include, for example, a lever-shaped operating unit.

The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. It goes without saying that the scope of the invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

10 Power seat 12 Seat body 18 Slide mechanism 20 Reclining mechanism 22 Lifter mechanism 24 Lumbar support mechanism 28 Dial switch (operation unit)
34 Motor 40 Multi-axis drive device 42 Lower case (case)
42A Bottom wall 42B Side wall 46 Shaft portion 52 Planetary gear mechanism 54 Internal gear 54A Face gear 56 Planetary gear 60 Output member 64A Spur gear

Claims (3)

A multi-axis drive device that selectively switches a transmission path of a rotational force from one motor to a plurality of movable mechanisms,
a planetary gear mechanism for reducing the rotation speed of the motor;
a plurality of output members each connected to the plurality of movable mechanisms so as to be capable of transmitting rotation thereto, and each of which is selectively rotated by selectively switching a connection state between the output members and the planetary gear mechanism;
Equipped with
The internal gear of the planetary gear mechanism has a face gear formed on one surface in the axial direction,
A multi-shaft drive device in which each of the plurality of output members has a spur gear that is selectively slidable in the axial direction to selectively mesh with the face gear . 2. The multi-shaft drive device according to claim 1, further comprising a case having a side wall facing the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear and a bottom wall facing the other axial surface of the internal gear, the case rotatably supporting the internal gear and having a plurality of shaft portions formed therein for supporting a plurality of planetary gears of the planetary gear mechanism, respectively . A seat body having a plurality of movable mechanisms;
A motor provided in the seat body;
a multi-axis driving device according to claim 1 or 2, which is provided in the seat body and selectively switches a transmission path of a rotational force from the motor to the plurality of movable mechanisms;
an operation unit provided on the seat body for operating the motor and the multi-axis drive device;
Equipped with power seats.