JP7765304B2 - Seat slide device - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a seat slide device used in a vehicle seat.

A seat slide device for a vehicle has an upper rail fixed to a seat that is slidably mounted relative to a lower rail fixed to the vehicle body. The locking teeth (locking portion) of a locking member attached to the upper rail are engaged with a locking groove (locked portion) in the lower rail to enter a locked state. The seat slide device is equipped with a lever member that operates the locking portion in the unlocking direction, and the portion of the lever member forward of its rotation center is biased upward by a biasing member. An operating member is connected to the front end of the lever member, and when the operating member is lifted upward, the lever member rotates together with the operating member.

In Patent Document 1, a lever member is provided that operates the locking portion in the unlocking direction, and the lever member is biased upward by a biasing member on the side forward of its rotation center. This biases the rear end of the lever member and the locking portion so that they come into contact with each other with no clearance between them. Here, in Patent Document 1, a biasing member is provided between the lever member and an operating member that is inserted into the front end of the lever member, and the rear end connection portion of the operating member is supported so that it can swing around a left-right axis that is different from the rotation center of the lever member.

In contrast, in Patent Document 2, a clearance is set between the operating member and the lever member from the initial position to the operating position where the release operating force is exerted against the biasing forces of the lock spring and leaf spring, releasing the slide-lock state set by the lock spring. In other words, in Patent Document 2, only the operating member can rotate relative to the lever member in the unlocking direction (upward). Furthermore, in Patent Document 2, one end of the leaf spring biases the upper surface of the operating member downward between a pair of front and rear upper support surfaces of the lever member, providing clearance between the pair of upper support surfaces and the operating member. Therefore, in Patent Document 2, only the operating member can rotate relative to the lever member in the counter-unlocking direction (downward). For this reason, Patent Document 2 discloses that only the operating member can rotate relative to the lever member in both the unlocking direction (upward) and the counter-unlocking direction (downward).

JP 2012-126184 A JP 2015-67142 A

However, in the structure of Patent Document 2, the leaf spring has a complex shape, which not only makes the shape of the biasing member complex, but also increases the number of parts because the lock spring and leaf spring are separate components.

The present invention aims to simplify the shape of the biasing member and prevent an increase in the number of parts.

The seat slide device of the present invention comprises a lower rail extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an upper rail that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail, a lever member supported to be rotatable about a left-right axis relative to the upper rail, a locking member provided at the rear end of the lever member and including a locking portion that is movable between a locked position in which it engages with a locked portion formed on the lower rail and an unlocked position in which it disengages from the locked portion, a biasing member that biases the locking portion toward the locked position, and an operating member connected to the front end of the lever member. The biasing member extends along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail, and an intermediate portion between the rear and front ends of the biasing member is engaged with the upper rail. The rear end of the biasing member abuts against the rear end of the lever member from below, biasing the rear end of the lever member upward, and the front end of the biasing member abuts against the end of the operating member from below, biasing the front end of the lever member upward via the operating member. The front end of the lever member has a generally rectangular cross-section into which the operating member is inserted. It has a pair of side walls extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail, a front upper support surface and a rear upper support surface facing the upper end surface of the operating member and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and a front lower support surface facing the lower end surface of the operating member and positioned below the front upper support surface. The upper rail is provided with a rear lower support surface facing the lower end surface of the operating member and positioned below the rear upper support surface. The front end of the biasing member engages with the lower end surface of the operating member from below, between the front upper support surface and the rear upper support surface, to bias the operating member upward. Clearances are provided in the vertical direction between the front lower support surface on the lever member and the lower end surface of the operating member, and between the rear lower support surface on the upper rail and the lower end surface of the operating member.

This invention simplifies the shape of the biasing member and prevents an increase in the number of parts.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a seat slide device according to an embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view of a seat slide device including a lower guide ball and an upper guide ball disposed between an upper rail and a lower rail. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 10 is a rear view of the rear end portion of the operating member as seen from behind. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lever member and the biasing member as viewed from above. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device showing one of the bearing portions. FIG. 10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device showing the other bearing portion. FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the lever member seen from above before the operation member is attached. 3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device, showing a state before an operating member is attached. FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device, showing a state in which the operating member is operated in an unlocking direction. FIG. 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device, showing a state in which a load in a direction opposite to the unlocking direction acts on the operating member. FIG.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

The seat slide device 101 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 1 is a manual type that manually adjusts a vehicle seat in the fore-and-aft direction. The seat slide device 101 includes a lower rail 103 that is installed on the floor of the vehicle and extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and an upper rail 105 that is installed on the rear surface of the seat cushion (not shown) and is assembled along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail 103 so as to be relatively movable within the lower rail 103. The lower rail 103 and the upper rail 105 form a rail body 106, and a pair of rail bodies 106 are provided on the left and right. In the following description (including other embodiments), "front" refers to the front (FR) side of the vehicle, i.e., the left side in Figure 1, "rear" refers to the rear (RR) side of the vehicle, i.e., the right side in Figure 1, and "left and right" refer to the left and right directions when looking at the front of the vehicle from the rear of the vehicle.

As shown in Figure 2, the lower rail 103 has a lower bottom wall 103a with a rectangular plate shape extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. A pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b rise from both ends of the lower bottom wall 103a in the vehicle width direction, tilting slightly outward. A lower inclined wall 103c is formed between the lower ends of the pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b and the lower bottom wall 103a. A pair of left and right lower upper walls 103d are provided from the upper edges of the pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b, extending parallel to the lower bottom wall 103a in directions approaching each other.

A pair of left and right lower inner walls 103e are provided that hang down from the inner edges of the pair of left and right lower upper walls 103d toward the lower bottom wall 103a. The distance between the opposing parallel lower inner walls 103e is set so that the upper rail 105 housed within the lower rail 103 can move.

The upper rail 105 has an upper top wall 105a with a rectangular plate shape extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. A pair of left and right upper side walls 105b hang down from both edges of the upper top wall 105a in the vehicle width direction. Upper lower inclined walls 105c rise diagonally upward and outward from the lower edges of both left and right upper side walls 105b. Upper upper inclined walls 105e rise diagonally upward from the upper edges of both left and right upper lower inclined walls 105c via bends 105d toward the lower upper wall 103d.

A lower guide ball 107 is rollably disposed between the lower arc portion 103f between the lower bottom wall 103a and lower inclined wall 103c of the lower rail 103 and the upper lower inclined wall 105c of the upper rail 105. An upper guide ball 109 is rollably disposed between the upper arc portion 103g between the lower outer wall 103b and lower upper wall 103d of the lower rail 103 and the upper upper inclined wall 105e of the upper rail 105.

As shown in Figure 1, the lower guide balls 107 and upper guide balls 109 are rotatably supported by ball retainers 111 (not shown in Figure 2). The ball retainers 111 support two lower guide balls 107 and two upper guide balls 109, for a total of four. The ball retainers 111 supporting these lower guide balls 107 and upper guide balls 109 are arranged in two locations, one at the front and one at the back, within the accommodation section 113 (Figure 2) surrounded by the lower outer wall 103b, lower inclined wall 103c, lower upper wall 103d, and lower inner wall 103e, for a total of four locations for each pair of left and right rail bodies 106.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the rail body 106 is assembled, a lever member 131 is rotatably supported by a shaft member 115 on the upper side wall 105b on the front side of the upper rail 105. The shaft member 115 is suspended between the left and right upper side walls 105b of the upper rail 105 so as to straddle both the left and right upper side walls 105b. A lock member 117 is provided at the end of the lever member 131 rearward of the rotation center (shaft member 115). Meanwhile, an operating member 133 is connected to the end of the lever member 131 forward of the rotation center (shaft member 115).

As shown in Figure 5, the locking member 117 is a convex flat plate with two rectangular holes 125a formed along the front-to-rear direction near each of the left and right edges. The portions of the locking member 117 adjacent to each hole 125a in the front-to-rear direction form locking teeth 125b that protrude outward on both the left and right sides. Three locking teeth 125b are formed on each of the left and right sides. The three locking teeth 125b on each of the left and right sides are connected at their tips by connecting portions 125c that extend in the front-to-rear direction.

In this embodiment, of the three lock teeth 125b on the right side of the vehicle width direction, the frontmost lock tooth 125b constitutes the main lock tooth 125m, which is wider in the fore-and-aft direction than the other lock teeth 125b. The main lock tooth 125m is only one of the multiple (six) lock teeth on the left and right sides.

In addition, the locking member 117 is provided at its left-right center with, in order from the front, a front fixing hole 117a, an upper protrusion 117b that protrudes upward from the locking member 117, a lower protrusion 117c that protrudes downward from the locking member 117, and a rear fixing hole 117d. The upper protrusion 117b is formed by protruding a portion of the locking member 117 downward, and the lower protrusion 117c is formed by cutting and raising the locking member 117 downward.

As shown in FIG. 4 , three locking tooth receiving recesses 129 are formed on each side of the upper rail 105 in the longitudinal direction, extending from the upper left and right side walls 105b to the upper lower inclined walls 105c, approximately near the center of the upper rail 105 in the longitudinal direction. When the rail body 106 is assembled, the three locking teeth 125b of the locking member 117 fit into the three locking tooth receiving recesses 129 from below. At this time, the protrusions 126 between the locking tooth receiving recesses 129 are inserted into the holes 125a of the locking member 117. To prevent the connection portion 125c of the locking member 117 from interfering with the upper rail 105, an opening 128 continuing to the bottom of the locking tooth receiving recesses 129 and a notched opening 130 formed in the top of the upper upper inclined wall 105e are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper rail 105.

In addition, both left and right upper side walls 105b of the upper rail 105 are provided with bearing holes 105f through which the shaft member 115 is inserted, and a pair of left and right locking portions 105g that are formed at the same position in the vehicle longitudinal direction and vertical direction and that lock onto the biasing member 132 (described below). These pair of left and right locking portions 105g are located on the upper side walls 105b rearward of the rotation center (shaft member 115) of the lever member 131. The locking portions 105g are formed by cutting and raising inward from the upper side walls 105b.

As shown in FIG. 3 , multiple locking grooves 127 serving as lockable portions are provided along the front-to-rear direction on the left and right lower inner walls 103e of the lower rail 103, except near the front and rear. When the locking teeth 125b of the locking member 117 are positioned in the locking tooth receiving recesses 129 and enter the locking grooves 127 from below, the locking member 117 is locked to the lower rail 103. As a result, the upper rail 105 to which the locking members 117 are attached is restricted from moving in the front-to-rear direction relative to the lower rail 103.

When the locking member 117 is attached to the upper rail 105, the biasing member 132 applies an upward elastic force, maintaining the locking tooth 125b in the locking groove 127. From this state, operating the operating member 133 shown in Figure 1 in the unlocking direction (upward) pushes the locking member 117 downward via the lever member 131, releasing the lock. The operating member 133 is inserted into the upper rail 105 from the front and is positioned so that it can move in conjunction with the lever member 131.

As shown in Figure 6, the lever member 131 includes left and right side walls 147 that extend along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105 and face each other at a predetermined distance in the left-right direction, and a bottom wall 134 that connects the bottom ends of the left and right side walls 147 in an area excluding the front ends of the left and right side walls 147.

A pair of left and right grooves 147a serving as bearings are formed on the upper end of the side wall 147, forward of the midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction of the lever member 131. Of the pair of left and right grooves 147a, the bottom surface of the right groove 147a is formed as a semicircular arc surface with a radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 115 (see Figure 10A), while the bottom surface of the left groove 147a is formed as a flat surface extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle (see Figure 10B). The grooves 147a engage with the shaft member 115 from below, and the lever member 131 is biased upward at both the front and rear ends so that the grooves 147a remain engaged with the shaft member 115, causing the bottom surfaces of the pair of left and right grooves 147a to contact the shaft member 115 at a single point in the vertical direction. Here, the radius of the aforementioned arcuate surface is set slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 115, to the extent that engagement with the shaft member 115 does not become a press fit due to variations.

Although not shown, in another embodiment, one of the pair of left and right bearing portions may be formed as a round hole, and the other may be formed as an elongated hole extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

The lower wall 134 at the rear end of the lever member 131 is provided with, in order from the front, a front protrusion 134a that protrudes downward from the lower wall 134, a positioning hole 134b, and a rear protrusion 134c that protrudes downward from the lower wall 134. The front protrusion 134a and the rear protrusion 134c are each formed by cutting and raising the lower wall 134 downward.

The front protrusion 134a and rear protrusion 134c of the lever member 131 are inserted into the front fixing hole 117a and rear fixing hole 117d of the locking member 117, respectively, and the upper protrusion 117b of the locking member 117 is press-fit into the positioning hole 134b of the lever member 131. In this state, the front protrusion 134a and rear protrusion 134c are crimped, respectively, to secure the locking member 117 to the rear end of the lever member 131 (see Figure 11B).

The lower ends of the front ends of the lever members 131 are connected to each other by a front lower wall 147b, which serves as a front lower support portion and extends left and right toward the lower ends on the opposing sides. The upper surface of the front lower wall 147b forms a front lower support surface 147c. Front upper protrusions 157, which serve as front upper support portions and extend left and right from the front upper ends of both side walls 147, are formed at the upper ends of the front ends of the side walls 147, bending toward the opposing sides. The tips of the left and right front upper protrusions 157 are spaced apart, leaving a gap between them. The lower surfaces of the front upper protrusions 157 form a front upper support surface 157a.

Rear upper protrusions 158 are formed on the upper portions of both side walls 147, rearward of the front upper protrusions 157 and forward of the recessed grooves 147a, as rear upper support portions. These protrusions extend laterally from both side walls 147, bending in opposite directions. The lower surfaces of the rear upper protrusions 158 form rear upper support surfaces 158a. That is, the front end of the lever member 131 is provided with a pair of upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) spaced apart in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, facing the upper surface 169b1 of the rear end of the operating member 133. Furthermore, the front end of the lever member 131 is provided with a front lower support surface 147c, facing the lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133, positioned below the front upper support surface 157a.

The front upper support surface 157a, the front lower support surface 147c, and both side walls 147 form the front end of the lever member 131 with a generally rectangular cross section, and the rear end of the operating member 133 is inserted inside the front end of this lever member 131.

Movement restricting protrusions 147d protruding from both side walls 147 toward the opposing sides are formed on both side walls 147 behind the rear upper protrusion 158 and in front of the recessed groove 147a. The movement restricting protrusions 147d are formed by protruding a portion of each side wall 147 inward.

Furthermore, a pair of left and right recesses 147e are provided on both side walls 147, located behind the recessed groove 147a and forward of the front protrusion 134a, forming narrow portions 147f in which the distance between the side walls 147 is narrower than the front and rear ends.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the biasing member 132 is formed from a pair of elongated rod-shaped members extending substantially parallel to one another and extending in the front-rear direction along the upper sidewall 105b of the upper rail 105 inside the upper rail 105. The biasing member 132 has a front biasing member 135 with a pair of front acting portions 135a that respectively abut the front end of the lever member 131 to urge the front end of the lever member 131 upward. The biasing member 132 also has a rear biasing member 136 with a pair of rear acting portions 136a that respectively abut the rear end of the lever member 131 to urge the rear end of the lever member 131 upward. The biasing member 132 also has a pair of left and right intermediate support portions 137 that are formed between the front acting portions 135a and the rear acting portion 136a and are respectively engaged with a pair of left and right engaging portions 105g provided on the upper sidewall 105b of the upper rail 105.

The rear biasing member 136 extends from the intermediate support portion 137 to the rear acting portion 136a along both the left and right upper side walls 105b, and has a connecting portion 136b at its rear end to which the pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a are connected. Therefore, the rear biasing member 136 (biasing member 132) is formed in a generally U-shape in plan view. The connecting portion 136b of the rear biasing member 136 abuts against the underside of the locking member 117 from below, and the rear acting portion 136a (connecting portion 136b) biases the locking member 117 upward (towards the locked position). The connecting portion 136b of the rear biasing member 136 is positioned between the downward protrusion 117c and the rear protrusion 134c, thereby defining the range of movement of the rear biasing member 136 (biasing member 132) in the front-to-rear direction.

The rear end of the rear biasing member 136 (the pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a and the connecting portion 136b) is located below the lever member 131 and the locking member 117, and the middle portion (the pair of left and right middle support portions 137) extends above the lever member 131 through the recess 147e (between the narrow portion 147f and the upper side wall 105b).

On the other hand, the front biasing member 135 extends from the intermediate support portion 137 to the front acting portion 135a along both the left and right upper side walls 105b. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 are biased by the elastic force of the biasing member 132 so as to move apart outward in the left-right direction and are also biased upward. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the front biasing member 135 each abut separately from below against the inner surface of the operating member 133, and each front acting portion 135a biases the front end of the lever member 131 upward via the operating member 133.

The front portions (tips) of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a each have a guide portion 138 inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to guide the front acting portion 135a into the connecting end 169 of the operating member 133 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a each abut against the front end of the lever member 131 at different positions relative to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle between the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a. Furthermore, of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, the front acting portion 135a located on the front side has an extension portion 139 that extends laterally from one side to the other of the flat surface 170a of the operating member 133 on which it is located.

The front biasing member 135 has its rear end (a pair of left and right intermediate support portions 137) located above the lever member 131, and its front end (a pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, guide portion 138, and extension portion 139) bent inward to approach each other and extend forward between the side walls 147.

The front biasing member 135 and the rear biasing member 136 are integrated (one member).

As shown in FIG. 1, the operating member 133 includes a pair of left and right arm portions 167 that correspond to the pair of left and right rail bodies 106, and a grip portion 168 that connects the pair of left and right arm portions 167 and extends in the vehicle width direction. The pair of left and right arm portions 167 extend in the front-to-rear direction and have rear ends that are inserted from their front ends into the respective left and right upper rails 105. The grip portion 168 is gripped by the occupant when operating the operating member 133.

As shown in Figure 12, the rear end of the arm portion 167 is inserted between the left and right side walls 147 of the lever member 131. The entire arm portion 167, including the grip portion 168, is constructed from a cylindrical member, and the aforementioned rear end forms the connecting end 169, which serves as a rear connecting portion and is formed by pressing the cylindrical member.

As shown in FIG. 8, the connection end 169 has an upper surface 169b1, side surfaces 169b2 extending downward from both left and right ends of the upper surface 169b1, and a lower surface 169b3 provided at the lower ends of the left and right side surfaces 169b2. The connection end 169 has a flat portion 170a at the top and an arcuate surface 170b at the bottom that is convex downward, forming a generally semicircular cross section. A pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the front biasing member 135 are respectively disposed at both left and right ends of the flat portion 170a.

As shown in Figures 11A and 11B, an operating member side protrusion 173 that protrudes downward from the flat surface 170a is provided on the upper inner surface of the connection end 169. The operating member side protrusion 173 is formed by cutting and raising downward from the flat surface 170a of the connection end 169.

A sloped surface 174 is formed at the rear of the operating member protrusion 173 so that the extension 139 can climb over the operating member protrusion 173 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131. Furthermore, a locking surface 175 is formed at the front of the operating member protrusion 173 so that forward movement of the operating member 133 is restricted when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131 and the extension 139 and operating member protrusion 173 are engaged.

Before the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131, the front end (contact portion) of the biasing member 132 abuts against the front upper support surface 157a or the rear upper support surface 158a of the lever member 131. That is, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 abut against the front upper support surface 157a or the rear upper support surface 158a of the lever member 131. In addition, the pair of left and right movement restricting protrusions 147d formed on the lever member 131 abut against the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a in the left-right direction. Then, when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131 (see FIG. 12), the front end (contact portion) of the biasing member 132 abuts against the lower surface (inner surface of the upper surface 169b1) of the operating member 133 from below, biasing the operating member 133 upward.

Next, an example of the procedure for assembling the operating member 133 to the rail body 106 (lever member 131) will be described.

(1) Before the operating member 133 is attached The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a contact the upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) of the lever member 131 and the movement restricting protrusion 147d, and are respectively positioned on the inner portions of the upper ends of the left and right side walls 147, and are inclined so as to face the center in the left-right and up-down directions so that each guide portion 138 fits into the connecting end portion 169 of the operating member 133 (see Figure 11A).

(2) When the operating member 133 is attached, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a are pushed downward by the guide portion 138 as the operating member 133 moves rearward, and move inward in the left-right direction, thereby entering the connecting end portion 169 of the operating member 133. The extension portion 139 of the front acting portion 135a on the left side in the vehicle width direction climbs over the operating member-side protrusion 173 as it is pushed downward by the inclined surface 174 of the operating member-side protrusion 173.

(3) After the operating member 133 is attached, the locking surface 175 of the operating member-side protrusion 173 faces the front acting portion 135a on the left side in the vehicle width direction, restricting forward (removal direction) movement of the operating member 133. In addition, the rear end surface of the operating member 133 faces the movement restricting protrusion 147d, restricting further rearward (pushing-in) movement of the operating member 133.

As shown in FIG. 12, a lever member 131 is rotatably supported by a shaft member 115 on the upper side wall 105b of the upper rail 105, and a biasing member 132 is engaged by an engaging portion 105g to restrict downward movement. Furthermore, rear lower protrusions 148 are formed on both left and right upper side walls 105b of the upper rail 105, forward of the bearing holes 105f in the vehicle longitudinal direction, as rear lower support portions that protrude in a curved manner from both upper side walls 105b toward opposite sides. These rear lower protrusions 148 are formed by cutting and raising inward from the upper side walls 105b.

The pair of front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 engage from below with the underside of the rear end portion of the operating member 133 (the inner surface of the upper surface 169b1) at a position below the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a, biasing the operating member 133 upward. As a result, the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133 contacts the pair of upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a). At this time, vertical clearances C1 and C2 are provided between the front lower support surface 147c provided on the lever member 131 and the underside surface 169b3 of the rear end portion of the operating member 133, and between the rear lower support surface 148a provided on the upper rail 105 and the underside surface 169b3 of the rear end portion of the operating member 133, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 12, on one side (the right side in the vehicle width direction), the length L1b between the contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (front application point P1b) between the front end of the lever member 131 and the front application portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is shorter than the length L2 between the contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (rear application point P2) between the rear end of the lever member 131 and the rear application portion 136a of the biasing member 132 (L1b < L2).

On the other hand, on the other side (left side in the vehicle width direction), the length L1a between the contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (front application point P1a) between the front end of the lever member 131 and the front application portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is approximately the same length as the length L2 between the contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (rear application point P2) between the rear end of the lever member 131 and the rear application portion 136a of the biasing member 132 (L1a ≒ L2).

When the forces acting on the front application points P1a and P1b are defined as front application forces F1a and F1b, and the force acting on the rear application point P2 is defined as rear application force F2, the balance of the moments is M0 = (F1a × L1a + F1b × L1b) - F2 × L2 = 0, so F1a × L1a + F1b × L1b = F2 × L2. In this embodiment, the length L1b between the support point P0 and one of the front application points P1b is shorter than the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear application point P2 (L1b < L2). Meanwhile, in this embodiment, the length L1a between the support point P0 and the other front application point P1a is approximately the same as the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear application point P2 (L1a ≒ L2). In other words, the force (F1a + F1b) that urges the front end of the lever member 131 upward (unlocking direction) is greater than the force F2 that urges the rear end of the lever member 131 upward (locking direction) ((F1a + F1b) > F2).

Here, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 and the contact point (front application point P1a) between the front end of the lever member 131 and the other front application portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L3a." On the other hand, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 and the contact point (front application point P1b) between the front end of the lever member 131 and the one front application portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L3b." Furthermore, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 and the contact point (rear application point P2) between the rear end of the lever member 131 and the rear application portion 136a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L4." At this time, the aforementioned lengths L3a, L3b, and L4 are set so that the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 on the rear end side (Mb = F2 x L4) is greater than the sum of the moments on the front end side Ma (Ma1 + Ma2 = F1a x L3a + F1b x L3b).

In this embodiment, the aforementioned length L3a is shorter than the length L1a (L1a > L3a), the aforementioned length L3b is shorter than the length L1b (L1b > L3b), and the aforementioned length L2 is shorter than the length L4 (L2 < L4). By doing so, the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 on the rear end side (Mb = F2 x L4) is greater than the sum of the moments on the front end side Ma (Ma1 + Ma2 = F1a x L3a + F1b x L3b).

Therefore, the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 acts as a biasing force that biases the rear end of the lever member 131 (locking member 117) in the locking direction.

Next, we will explain the operation of the seat slide device 101 configured as described above.

Figure 12 shows the standby state (non-operating state when the operating member 133 is not being operated) in which the locking teeth 125b of the locking member 117 are engaged with the locking groove 127 of the lower rail 103 and locked in the locked position. In this state, the operating member 133 is pressed against a pair of upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) by the front end (abutment portion) of the biasing member 132. The pressing force (biasing force) by the front end of the biasing member 132 is greater than the force that tends to lower the operating member 133 due to its own weight. However, the rotational moment that rotates the locking member 117 toward the unlocked position is smaller than the rotational moment toward the locked position due to the pressing force (biasing force) of the rear end of the biasing member 132, so the standby state described above is maintained.

12, when the occupant lifts the grip portion 168 of the operating member 133, the operating member 133 rotates around the point of contact between the front upper support surface 157a and the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133, and the rear end of the operating member 133 presses down the front end (contact portion) of the biasing member 132, moving downward. From this state, when the grip portion 168 of the operating member 133 is further lifted, the lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133 abuts against the rear lower support surface 148a provided on the upper rail 105, and the operating member 133 rotates around the point of contact between the rear lower support surface 148a and the lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133. As a result, the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133 rotates to lift the front upper support surface 157a of the lever member 131 upward, causing the lever member 131 to rotate the locking portion of the locking member 117 toward the unlocked position (see Figure 13).

As a result, the lever member 131 pivots and rotates clockwise in Figure 12 around the shaft member 115. At this time, the lever member 131 pushes the lock member 117 downward as it pivots, and the biasing member 132 (rear biasing member 136) elastically deforms downward. As a result, the lock tooth 125b disengages from the lock groove 127 of the lower rail 103, resulting in an unlocked state in which the lock is released. By releasing the lock, the seat (not shown) can be moved forward or backward together with the upper rail 105 relative to the vehicle floor on the lower rail 103 side, ensuring the seat position desired by the occupant.

When the occupant releases the operating member 133 after the seat position has been determined, the biasing member 132 (rear biasing member 136) presses the locking member 117 upward, causing the lever member 131 to pivot and rotate, returning to the standby state shown in Figure 12. At this time, the lever member 131 pivots and rotates counterclockwise in Figure 12 around the shaft member 115.

When a load is applied to the operating member 133 in the counter-release direction (downward) in the state shown in Figure 12, the operating member 133 rotates around the point of contact between the rear upper support surface 158a and the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133 as a fulcrum, and can move downward by the amount of clearance C1 between the lower surface 169b3 of the operating member 133 and the front lower support surface 147c (see Figure 14). At this time, the lever member 131 rotates downward around the engagement position of the main lock tooth 125m, and the lower surfaces of the front ends of both side walls 147 abut against the rear lower support surfaces 148a, restricting the downward movement of the lever member 131 and preventing the recessed groove 147a from coming off the shaft member 115.

The following describes the effects of the seat slide device 101 according to this embodiment.

(1) The seat slide device 101 includes a lower rail 103 extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an upper rail 105 that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail 103, a lever member 131 that is supported rotatably about a left-right axis relative to the upper rail 105, a locking member 117 that is provided at the rear end of the lever member 131 and has a locking portion (locking tooth 125b) that is movable between a locked position in which it engages with a locked portion (lock groove 127) formed in the lower rail 103 and an unlocked position in which it is disengaged from the locked portion, a biasing member 132 that biases the locking portion toward the locked position, and an operating member 133 that is connected to the front end of the lever member 131. The biasing member 132 extends along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105, and an intermediate portion (intermediate support portion 137) between the rear and front ends of the biasing member 132 is engaged with the upper rail 105. The rear end of the biasing member 132 abuts against the rear end of the lever member 131 from below, biasing the rear end of the lever member 131 upward, and the front end of the biasing member 132 abuts against an end (connection end 169) of the operating member 133 from below, biasing the front end of the lever member 131 upward via the operating member 133. The front end of the lever member 131 has a substantially rectangular cross section into which the operating member 133 is inserted, and has a pair of side walls 147 extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105, a front upper support surface 157a and a rear upper support surface 158a that face the upper end surface of the operating member 133 and are spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and a front lower support surface 147c that faces the lower end surface of the operating member 133 and is positioned below the front upper support surface 157a. The upper rail 105 is provided with a rear lower support surface 148a that faces the underside of the end of the operating member 133 and is positioned below the rear upper support surface 158a, and the front end of the biasing member 132 engages with the underside of the end of the operating member 133 from below at a position between the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a, biasing the operating member 133 upward. Vertical clearances C1 and C2 are provided between the front lower support surface 147c on the lever member 131 and the underside of the end of the operating member 133, and between the rear lower support surface 148a on the upper rail 105 and the underside of the end of the operating member 133, respectively.

In the standby state (non-operating state in which the operating member 133 is not being operated), the operating member 133 is urged upward by the urging member 132 so as to press it against a pair of upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a and rear upper support surface 158a) arranged in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the lower end surface of the operating member 133 faces the front lower support surface 147c of the lever member 131 and the rear lower support surface 148a of the upper rail 105, which are arranged below, with clearances C1 and C2 between them.

As a result, when the operating member 133 is lifted in the unlocking direction (upward) from its standby position in an inoperative state, only the operating member 133 rotates around the point of contact between the front underside of the front upper support surface 157a and the upper end surface of the operating member 133 as a fulcrum until the lower end surface of the operating member 133 abuts against the rear lower support surface 148a provided on the upper rail 105. Then, when the operating member 133 is lifted further upward, the operating member 133 rotates around the point of contact with the rear lower support surface 148a provided on the upper rail 105 as a fulcrum, causing the upper end surface of the operating member 133 to lift the front upper support surface 157a of the lever member 131 upward, causing the lever member 131 to rotate in the unlocking direction.

On the other hand, when the operating member 133 is pushed down in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction (downward) from its standby position in a non-operated state, only the operating member 133 can rotate, with the contact point between the underside of the rear upper support surface 158a and the upper end surface of the operating member 133 as a fulcrum, until the underside of the end surface of the operating member 133 abuts against the front lower support surface 147c provided on the lever member 131.

Therefore, it is possible to set a range within which only the operating member 133 can rotate relative to the lever member 131 in both directions counter to the unlocking direction (downward) and toward the unlocking direction (upward) from the standby position of the operating member 133, which is in a non-operated state.

This structure can be configured using a biasing member 132 that biases the lever member 131 in the locking direction, simplifying the structure and reducing manufacturing costs.

(2) The biasing member 132 is formed from a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending approximately parallel to one another. The biasing member 132 has a pair of left and right front acting portions 135a that respectively abut against the front end of the lever member 131 to urge the front end of the lever member 131 upward, a pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a that respectively abut against the rear end of the lever member 131 to urge the rear end of the lever member 131 upward, a pair of left and right intermediate support portions 137 that respectively engage with a pair of left and right engaging portions 105g formed on the upper rail 105 at the same positions in the front-to-rear and up-down directions, and a connecting portion 136b that connects the rear ends of the pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a each abut separately against the front end of the lever member 131 at different positions in the front-to-back direction between the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a.

By using the roughly U-shaped biasing member 132, tilting in the left-right direction does not occur, and the biasing force (rotational moment) of the lever member 131 in the locking direction and the upward biasing force of the biasing member 132 at the front end of the lever member 131 can be stabilized and made stronger.

(3) The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 are biased so as to move away from each other outward in the left-right direction and are also biased upward. Before the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a abut against the front upper support surface 157a or the rear upper support surface 158a of the lever member 131 in the left-right direction, and also abut against the pair of left and right movement restriction protrusions 147d formed by protruding portions of the pair of left and right side walls 147 of the lever member 131 inward in the left-right direction. At the front of each of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, an inclined guide portion 138 is formed to guide the front acting portions 135a into the end of the operating member 133 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131, with the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a abutting against the front upper support surface 157a or rear upper support surface 158a and the movement restricting protrusion 147d.

Before the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131, the biasing member 132 abuts against the underside of the upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) and also abuts against the movement restricting protrusions 147d in the left-right direction. Because the biasing member 132 can be temporarily held in place, the position of the biasing member 132 relative to the lever member 131 is stable, improving assembly ease.

(4) The connecting end of the operating member 133 is formed in a generally semicircular cross section with a flat surface 170a at the top, and the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 are respectively disposed on both left and right ends of the flat surface 170a of the operating member 133.

The left-right position of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 is stabilized, thereby suppressing the generation of abnormal noise and rattle caused by misalignment of the biasing member 132.

The operating member 133 can be formed simply by pushing the top surface of a cylindrical pipe member up and down, making it easy to process and providing high rigidity.

(5) Of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, the front acting portion 135a located on the front side has an extension portion 139 extending in the left-right direction from one left-right end of the planar portion 170a on which it is located to the other left-right end. The operating member 133 has an operating member-side protrusion 173 that protrudes downward from the planar portion 170a, and an inclined surface 174 is formed at the rear of the operating member-side protrusion 173 so that the extension portion 139 can climb over the operating member-side protrusion 173 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131. A locking surface 175 is formed at the front of the operating member-side protrusion 173 so that forward movement of the operating member 133 is restricted when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131 and the extension portion 139 and the operating member-side protrusion 173 are engaged.

The operating member-side protrusion 173 provided on the flat surface of the operating member 133 engages with the extension 139 of the biasing member 132, preventing the operating member 133 from coming loose. Furthermore, when attaching the operating member 133 to the lever member 131, the operating member-side protrusion 173 presses the extension 139 downward, making assembly easy.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples set forth to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific technical details disclosed in the above embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, and alternative technologies that can be easily derived therefrom.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the length L1a between the support point P0 and the front application point P1a on the other side (left side in the vehicle width direction) and the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear application point P2 are approximately the same length (L1a ≒ L2). However, as with the one side (right side in the vehicle width direction), the length L1a may be shorter than the length L2 (L1a < L2). Furthermore, if the resultant force of the front biasing forces (F1a + F1b) is greater than the rear biasing force F2 ((F1a + F1b) > F2), the length L1a may be longer than the length L2.

In addition, although the front acting portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is inserted inside the operating member 133, it may also be possible to bias the outer lower surface (lower surface 169b3) upward from below.

Furthermore, although the upper protrusions 157, 158 are provided at the upper end of each of the side walls 147, they may be provided at only the upper end of one of the side walls 147.

In addition, the lower ends of the front ends of the lever members 131 are connected to each other by the front lower wall 147b, but the front upper protrusions 157 may also be connected to each other. In this case, the lever member 131 has an inverted U-shape that is open at the bottom, with the lower wall 134 connecting the lower ends of the left and right side walls 147 becoming the upper wall connecting the upper ends.

101 Seat slide device 103 Lower rail 105 Upper rail 105g Locking portion 117 Locking member 125b Locking tooth 127 Locking groove 131 Lever member 132 Urging member 133 Operating member 135a Front acting portion 136a Rear acting portion 136b Connecting portion 137 Intermediate support portion 138 Guide portion 139 Extension portion 147 Side wall 147c Front lower support surface 147d Movement restricting protrusion 148a Rear lower support surface 157a Front upper support surface 158a Rear upper support surface 169 Connection end portion 169b1 Upper surface 169b3 Lower surface 170a Flat portion 173 Operating member side protrusion 174 Inclined surface 175 Locking surface C1 Clearance C2 Clearance

Claims (5)

a lower rail extending along the front-rear direction of the vehicle;
an upper rail that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail;
a lever member supported on the upper rail so as to be rotatable about an axis in the left-right direction;
a locking member provided at a rear end of the lever member and including a locking portion movable between a locked position where the locking portion engages with a locked portion formed on the lower rail and an unlocked position where the locking portion is disengaged from the locked portion;
a biasing member that biases the locking portion toward the locked position;
an operating member connected to a front end of the lever member,
The biasing member extends along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail,
an intermediate portion between the rear end and the front end of the biasing member is engaged with the upper rail;
a rear end portion of the biasing member abuts against the rear end portion of the lever member from below to bias the rear end portion of the lever member upward;
a front end of the biasing member abutting against an end of the operating member from below, and biasing the front end of the lever member upward via the operating member;
the front end of the lever member has a substantially rectangular cross section into which the operating member is inserted, and includes a pair of side walls extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail, a front upper support surface and a rear upper support surface facing an upper surface of the end of the operating member and spaced apart in the front-to-rear direction, and a front lower support surface facing a lower surface of the end of the operating member and positioned below the front upper support surface,
a rear lower support surface facing a lower surface of an end of the operating member is provided on the upper rail and positioned below the rear upper support surface;
a front end portion of the biasing member engages with an inner side of an upper surface or an outer side of a lower surface of the operating member from below at a position between the front upper support surface and the rear upper support surface to bias the operating member upward;
a vertical clearance is provided between the front lower support surface provided on the lever member and a lower surface of the end of the operating member, and between the rear lower support surface provided on the upper rail and a lower surface of the end of the operating member,
Seat slide device. The biasing member is formed of a pair of left and right rod-shaped members extending substantially parallel to each other,
a pair of left and right front acting portions that respectively abut against the front end portion of the lever member so as to urge the front end portion of the lever member upward;
a pair of left and right rear acting portions that respectively abut against the rear end portion of the lever member so as to urge the rear end portion of the lever member upward;
a pair of left and right intermediate support portions that are respectively engaged with a pair of left and right engaging portions formed on the upper rail at the same positions in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction;
a connecting portion that connects rear end portions of the pair of left and right rear acting portions to each other, and is formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view,
the pair of left and right front acting portions respectively come into contact with the front end portion of the lever member at different positions in the front-rear direction between the front upper support surface and the rear upper support surface;
The seat slide device according to claim 1 . The pair of left and right front acting portions of the biasing member are biased so as to be spaced apart outward in the left-right direction and are also biased upward,
before the operation member is attached to the lever member, the pair of left and right front acting portions abut in the left-right direction against the front upper support surface or the rear upper support surface of the lever member, and also abut in the left-right direction against a pair of left and right movement restricting protrusions formed by protruding inward a portion of the pair of left and right side walls of the lever member,
At the front portions of the pair of left and right front acting portions, inclined guide portions are formed to guide the front acting portions into the ends of the operating member when the operating member is attached to the lever member in a state in which the pair of left and right front acting portions are in contact with the front upper support surface or the rear upper support surface and the movement restricting protrusion.
The seat slide device according to claim 2 . The connecting end of the operating member is formed in a substantially semicircular cross section with a flat portion at the top,
the pair of left and right front acting portions of the biasing member are respectively disposed on both left and right side ends of the planar portion of the operating member,
The seat slide device according to claim 2 or 3. Of the pair of left and right front acting portions, the front acting portion disposed on the front side has an extension portion extending in the left-right direction from one side end toward the other side end in the left-right direction of the planar portion on which the front acting portion is disposed,
the operating member has an operating member-side protrusion that protrudes downward from the flat surface,
a sloped surface is formed at the rear of the operating member-side protrusion so that the extension can climb over the operating member-side protrusion when the operating member is attached to the lever member;
a locking surface is formed at the front portion of the operating member-side protrusion so that forward movement of the operating member is restricted when the operating member is attached to the lever member and the extension portion and the operating member-side protrusion are engaged with each other;
The seat slide device according to claim 4.