Power slide device for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power slide device for a vehicle, which allows separate delivery of components and enables separated upper rails to be connected to each other using an assembly bridge during vehicle assembly. The power slide device for a vehicle may comprise: a first upper rail formed to be slidable in a front-rear direction along a first lower rail; a second upper rail formed to be slidable in a front-rear direction along a second lower rail; an assembly bridge, at least one end of which is detachably assembled with the first upper rail or the second upper rail; and a driving device formed on the first upper rail or the second upper rail for driving the first upper rail and the second upper rail connected by the assembly bridge forward and backward.

Description

Vehicle power slide device

[0001] The present invention relates to a power slide device for a vehicle, and more specifically, to a power slide device for a vehicle that allows for the separate delivery of parts and enables the separated upper rails to be connected to each other using a modular bridge during vehicle assembly.

[0002] The present invention relates to Project No. 1415189597 and Project No. P0021941, which were carried out with funding from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and support from the Korea Institute for Industrial Technology Promotion.

[0003] Generally, vehicle seats are installed to slide electrically or manually along rails installed on the vehicle floor to adjust to a position suitable for different body types of passengers or to utilize the interior space of the vehicle. Recently, as users enjoy car camping or camping in leisure vehicles or multi-purpose vehicles, the seats applied to these vehicles are equipped with a so-called power long slide device that automatically moves a longer distance compared to conventional seats.

[0004] In the conventional power long slide device, a first upper rail and a second upper rail are installed on a single movable bogie between a first lower rail and a second lower rail, and a drive unit is installed on this movable bogie. In the conventional vehicle manufacturer, the entire movable bogie with the first upper rail and the second upper rail already installed is supplied from a parts supplier or partner company, and a worker on the production line assembles it onto the vehicle body to manufacture the vehicle.

[0005] However, this bulk assembly method for all modules had the problem that the unit size or weight of the delivered parts became excessive, making parts management—such as loading, transportation, handling, and maintenance—very difficult and increasing logistics costs.

[0006] In addition, during the process of assembling the entire module into the vehicle body, there were many problems, such as an increase in the number of fasteners like bolts, nuts, and washers, which resulted in unnecessary fastening processes, increased assembly time, labor, and costs, and made it difficult to deploy robots.

[0007] In addition, there were many problems, such as the lateral size of the movable bogie, which already had the first upper rail and the second upper rail installed, becoming so large that it was difficult to finish the car body floor, such as carpet, between them, and parts such as drive units, brackets, and motors being installed on the movable bogie and taking up a lot of space.

[0008] The present invention aims to solve various problems, including those mentioned above, by providing a power slide device for a vehicle that can connect separated upper rails to each other during vehicle assembly using a modular bridge. However, this problem is exemplary and does not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0009] A power slide device for a vehicle according to the concept of the present invention for solving the above problem may include: a first upper rail formed to be slidable in the forward and backward direction along a first lower rail; a second upper rail formed to be slidable in the forward and backward direction along a second lower rail; a modular bridge having at least one end detachably assembled to the first upper rail or the second upper rail so that the first upper rail and the second upper rail can be connected to each other and move together after the first upper rail and the second upper rail are assembled to a vehicle in a separated state; and a driving device formed on the first upper rail or the second upper rail and driving the first upper rail and the second upper rail connected by the modular bridge forward and backward.

[0010] In addition, according to the present invention, the prefabricated bridge may be a prefabricated rod having one end hinge-coupled to the first upper rail and the other end equipped with a locking device so as to be detachably connected to the second upper rail with one touch.

[0011] In addition, according to the present invention, the locking device may be a latch-type locking device in which a notch is formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod to enable unidirectional assembly, and a gate is formed at the entrance of the notch so as to be elastically hinged or coupled to enable forward and backward movement.

[0012] Additionally, according to the present invention, the prefabricated bridge may include: a first bridge connecting the front end of the first upper rail and the front end of the second upper rail; and a second bridge connecting the rear end of the first upper rail and the rear end of the second upper rail.

[0013] In addition, according to the present invention, the locking device may be a locking device in which a hook portion or a locking portion is formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod so as to enable locking assembly with a slot groove portion formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

[0014] In addition, according to the present invention, the prefabricated bridge may be equipped with a flexible adjustment device in at least a part so as to extend or contract the overall length or correspond to vertical clearance depending on the twisting of the vehicle body or the distance between the first upper rail and the second upper rail.

[0015] Additionally, according to the present invention, the prefabricated bridge may include: a first part connected to the first upper rail; and a second part connected to the second upper rail and formed to overlap with the first part so as to be able to extend or contract relative to the first part.

[0016] Additionally, according to the present invention, the flexible adjustment device may include: an elongated groove portion formed longitudinally in the first portion; and an articulating pin portion formed in the second portion, wherein at least a portion thereof is inserted into the elongated groove portion and can be guided longitudinally or rotated at an upward or downward angle.

[0017] Additionally, according to the present invention, the driving device may include: a first driving device formed on the first upper rail and driving the first upper rail forward and backward; and a second driving device formed on the second upper rail and driving the second upper rail forward and backward.

[0018] In addition, according to the present invention, a control unit may further include a first speed control signal applied to a first driving device and a second speed control signal applied to a second driving device so as to synchronize the forward and backward movement speed of the first upper rail with the forward and backward movement speed of the second upper rail.

[0019] In addition, according to the present invention, the locking device may be a fixing pin type locking device in which a fixing pin is formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod so as to be vertically inserted into a vertical hole formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

[0020] In addition, according to the present invention, the locking device may have a magnetic body formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod so that it can be assembled by means of a magnetic force and a slot groove formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention as described above, separated upper rails can be connected to each other during vehicle assembly using a modular bridge, allowing parts suppliers to supply parts to manufacturers in separate units. Consequently, the unit size or weight of the supplied parts can be reduced, thereby simplifying parts management such as loading, transportation, handling, and maintenance, and reducing logistics costs. Additionally, assembly time, manpower, and costs can be reduced through a one-touch assembly method, robot deployment becomes possible, and the movable trolley can be removed to facilitate the finishing of the vehicle body floor, such as carpets. Furthermore, the product can be made compact by reducing the installation space for parts. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view showing a power slide device for a vehicle according to some embodiments of the present invention.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a latch-type locking device of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 1.

[0024] FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view showing a power slide device for a vehicle according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

[0025] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the interference locking device of the vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0026] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the parts of the vehicle power slide device of Fig. 3.

[0027] FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of a prefabricated bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0028] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing another example of a prefabricated bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0029] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective view showing another example of a prefabricated bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0030] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a fixing pin type locking device of an assembly bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0031] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a fixing pin type locking device of an assembly bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 9.

[0032] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a magnetic locking device of an assembled bridge of a vehicle power slide device of FIG. 3.

[0033] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0034] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified in various different forms, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more faithful and complete and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, the thickness or size of each layer in the drawings is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of explanation.

[0035] The terms used herein are for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular form may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, "comprise" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the mentioned features, numbers, steps, actions, parts, elements, and / or groups thereof, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, actions, parts, elements, and / or groups.

[0036] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to drawings that schematically illustrate ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, variations of the illustrated shapes may be expected, for example, depending on manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the inventive concept should not be interpreted as being limited to specific shapes of the areas illustrated herein, but should include, for example, variations in shape resulting from manufacturing.

[0037] Hereinafter, a vehicle power slide device (100) (200) according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view showing a vehicle power slide device (100) according to some embodiments of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a latch-type locking device (33) of the vehicle power slide device (100) of FIG. 1.

[0039] First, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle power slide device (100) according to some embodiments of the present invention may largely include a first upper rail (10) (Upper rail), a second upper rail (20), an assembly bridge (30), and a driving device (40).

[0040] The first upper rail (10) may be a type of movable body formed to slide in the forward and backward directions along the first lower rail (LR1) (Lower rail) formed longitudinally on the vehicle body, for example.

[0041] The second upper rail (20) may be a type of movable body on the other side that is formed to be long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and is formed to be able to slide in the forward and backward directions along the second lower rail (LR2) which is arranged parallel to the first upper rail (10).

[0042] These first upper foil (10) and second upper rail (20) can be supplied to the manufacturer separately, and can be assembled to form a single unit by connecting them using an assembly bridge (30) on the manufacturer's production line.

[0043] The prefabricated bridge (30) (Bridge) may be a type of connecting device in which at least one end is detachably assembled to the first upper rail (10) or the second upper rail (20) so that the first upper rail (10) and the second upper rail (20) can be connected to each other and move together after the first upper rail (10) and the second upper rail (20) are assembled to the vehicle in a separated state.

[0044] Such a prefabricated bridge (30) may be a prefabricated rod (30a) in which one end is hinge-connected to the first upper rail (10) and the other end is equipped with a locking device so that it can be detached with one touch from the second upper rail (20), for example, as shown in the dotted line portion of FIG. 1.

[0045] The driving device may be a type of driving actuator that drives the first upper rail (10) and the second upper rail (20), which are formed on the first upper rail (10) or the second upper rail (20) and connected by an assembly bridge (30), back and forth.

[0046] Such drive actuators can be applied to a wide variety of power sources and power transmission devices, including pinion rack gear combinations using drive motors, belt pulley combinations, chain sprocket wheel combinations, and pulley wire combinations.

[0047] For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a locking device may be applied as a latch-type locking device (33) in which a notch (N) is formed at one end or both ends of an assembly rod (30a) to enable unidirectional assembly, and a gate (G) is formed at the entrance of the notch (N) to be elastically hinged or connected to enable forward and backward movement.

[0048] In addition to the one-touch attachment / detachment function, this latch-type locking device (33) can prevent reverse unlocking and can act as a hinge, allowing it to respond flexibly in the up and down direction when the vehicle body is deformed.

[0049] Meanwhile, the prefabricated bridge (30) may include, for example, a first bridge (B1) connecting the front end of the first upper rail (10) and the front end of the second upper rail (20) and a second bridge (B2) connecting the rear end of the first upper rail (10) and the rear end of the second upper rail (20) in order to further reinforce the connection strength.

[0050] Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, according to the present invention, a parts manufacturer can supply a first upper rail (10), a second upper rail (20), and a prefabricated bridge (30) connected to only one of these to a manufacturer in a separated state.

[0051] Furthermore, the vehicle manufacturer can very simply connect and assemble the separated first upper rail (10) and second upper rail (20) in a one-touch manner during vehicle assembly without a screwdriver or welding equipment by using the separately supplied prefabricated bridge (30). As a result, the unit size or weight of the supplied parts can be reduced, thereby simplifying parts management such as loading, transportation, handling, and management, and reducing logistics costs. Additionally, assembly time, manpower, and costs can be reduced through the one-touch assembly method, robots can be introduced, the movable trolley can be removed to facilitate finishing of the vehicle body floor such as carpet, and the product can be made compact by reducing the installation space for parts.

[0052] FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view showing a vehicle power slide device (200) according to some other embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a locking device (34) of the vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing an example of an assembled bridge (30) of the vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3.

[0053] As illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 6, the locking device of a vehicle power slide device (200) according to some other embodiments of the present invention may be a locking device (34) in which a hook portion (H) or a locking portion is formed at one end or both ends of an assembly rod (30a) so as to enable locking assembly with a slot groove portion (S) formed in a first upper rail (10) or a second upper rail (20).

[0054] The prefabricated bridge (30) may be equipped with a flexible adjustment device (60) in at least a portion so as to extend or contract the overall length or respond to vertical play depending on the twisting of the vehicle body or the distance between the first upper rail (10) and the second upper rail (20), for example, as illustrated in more detail in FIGS. 5 and 6.

[0055] More specifically, for example, the assembly bridge (30) may include a first part (31) connected to a first upper rail (10) and a second part (32) connected to a second upper rail (20) and formed to overlap with the first part (31) so as to be able to extend or contract relative to the first part (31) in an antenna-like manner, and the flexible adjustment device (60) may include an elongated groove (61) formed in the first part (31) in the longitudinal direction and an articulating pin (62) formed in the second part (32) and having at least a part inserted into the elongated groove (61) so as to be guided in the longitudinal direction or rotated at an up-and-down angle.

[0056] Accordingly, according to the prefabricated bridge (30) of the present invention, even if deformation occurs in the vehicle body due to driving conditions such as irregular roads or weather, the second part (32), which is formed to overlap with the first part (31) and extend or contract relative to the first part (31) in an antenna-like manner, can flexibly respond to this, and can actively respond to various forms of twisting or positional changes by using the joint pin part (62), which is guided in the longitudinal direction by the elongated groove part (61) or can be rotated at an up and down angle.

[0057] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the driving device (40) of a vehicle power slide device (200) according to some other embodiments of the present invention may include a first driving device (41) formed on a first upper rail (10) and driving the first upper rail (10) forward and backward, and a second driving device (42) formed on a second upper rail (20) and driving the second upper rail (20) forward and backward, in order to further reinforce the driving force.

[0058] At this time, a vehicle power slide device (200) according to some other embodiments of the present invention may further include a control unit (50) that measures each moving speed, such as by measuring the rotational speed of a motor or pinion gear, and applies a first speed control signal to a first driving device (41) and applies a second speed control signal to a second driving device (42) so that the forward and backward moving speed of the first upper rail (10) and the forward and backward moving speed of the second upper rail (20) can be synchronized, in order to prevent jamming between parts, damage to parts, or non-smooth operation due to differences between the forward and backward moving speeds of the first upper rail (10) and the second upper rail (20).

[0059] Accordingly, the control unit (50) may apply control signals to the first driving device (41) and the second driving device (42), respectively, such as increasing the forward and backward movement speed of the first upper rail (10) or decreasing the forward and backward movement speed of the second upper rail (20), in preparation for cases where the forward and backward movement speed of the first upper rail (10) is relatively slow and the forward and backward movement speed of the second upper rail (20) is relatively fast, causing jamming between parts, damage to parts, or non-smooth operation.

[0060] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective view showing another example of a prefabricated bridge (30) of a vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3. As another example of a prefabricated bridge (30) of a vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3, the prefabricated bridge (30) may be an integrated prefabricated bridge (30) in which the flexible adjustment device (60) of FIG. 6 described above is removed, as shown in FIG. 7, or it may be an injection molded structure or die-cast structure formed as a whole, as shown in FIG. 8.

[0061] Accordingly, the assembly bridge (30) of the vehicle power slide device (200) of the present invention is not necessarily limited to the drawings, and a wide variety of shapes and types of one-touch assembly structures can all be applied.

[0062] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a fixing pin type locking device (35) of an assembly bridge (30) of a vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3, and FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a fixing pin type locking device (35) of an assembly bridge (30) of a vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 9.

[0063] As illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the locking device of the assembly bridge (30) of the vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3 may be a fixing pin type locking device (35) in which a fixing pin (P) is formed at one end or both ends of an assembly rod (30a) so that it can be vertically inserted into a vertical hole (V) formed in the first upper rail (10) or the second upper rail (20).

[0064] The fixing pin (P) can be inserted into the vertical hole (V) in a one-touch manner. During insertion, it can be inserted elastically using elasticity. After insertion, a locking projection (Pa) is formed at the tip of the fixing pin (P) so that it does not easily come out using elasticity. Additionally, a lateral clearance groove (Pb) can be formed on the locking projection (Pa) to facilitate the change in elasticity of the locking projection (Pa).

[0065] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10, while the fixing pin (P) is being inserted, the clearance groove (Pb) narrows and the locking projection (Pa) elastically deforms so that the fixing pin (P) can be easily inserted into the vertical hole (V), and after insertion, the clearance groove (Pb) widens to prevent the fixing pin (P) from easily coming out of the vertical hole (V), thereby allowing it to be firmly fixed.

[0066] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a magnetic locking device (36) of an assembly bridge (30) of a vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3.

[0067] As illustrated in FIG. 11, the locking device of the assembly bridge (30) of the vehicle power slide device (200) of FIG. 3 may be a magnetic locking device (36) in which a magnetic body (M) is formed at one end or both ends of an assembly rod (30a) so that assembly is possible by magnetic force with a slot groove (S) formed in the first upper rail (10) or the second upper rail (20).

[0068] Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 11, when a magnetic body (M) is inserted into the slot groove (S), it is attached to the correct position by magnetic force, and after being attached, the magnetic body (M) can be firmly fixed by preventing it from easily detaching from the slot groove (S) by strong magnetic force such as a permanent magnet.

[0069] The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, but this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A first upper rail formed to be slidable in the forward and backward directions along a first lower rail; A second upper rail formed to be slidable in the forward and backward directions along the second lower rail; A prefabricated bridge having at least one end detachably assembled to the first upper rail or the second upper rail so that the first upper rail and the second upper rail can be connected to each other and move together after the first upper rail and the second upper rail are assembled to the vehicle in a separated state; and A driving device formed on the first upper rail or the second upper rail and connected by the prefabricated bridge to drive the first upper rail and the second upper rail forward and backward; A vehicle power slide device including 2. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned prefabricated bridge is, A power slide device for a vehicle, which is an assembly rod having one end hinge-connected to the first upper rail and the other end equipped with a locking device to enable one-touch attachment and detachment to the second upper rail.

3. In Paragraph 2, The above locking device is, A power slide device for a vehicle, which is a latch-type locking device having a notch formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod to enable unidirectional assembly, and a gate formed at the entrance of the notch that is elastically hinged or connected to allow forward and backward movement.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned prefabricated bridge is, A first bridge connecting the front portion of the first upper rail and the front portion of the second upper rail; and A second bridge connecting the rear end of the first upper rail and the rear end of the second upper rail; A vehicle power slide device including 5. In Paragraph 2, The above locking device is, A power slide device for a vehicle, which is a locking device having a hook portion or a locking portion formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod to enable locking assembly with a slot groove portion formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

6. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned prefabricated bridge is, A power slide device for a vehicle, having a flexible adjustment device installed in at least a part so as to extend or contract the overall length or correspond to vertical play depending on the twisting of the vehicle body or the distance between the first upper rail and the second upper rail.

7. In Paragraph 6, The above-mentioned prefabricated bridge is, A first part connected to the first upper rail; and A second part connected to the second upper rail and formed to overlap with the first part so as to be able to extend or contract relative to the first part; A vehicle power slide device including 8. In Paragraph 7, The above flexible adjustment device is, An elongated groove portion formed longitudinally in the first portion above; and An articulating pin portion formed in the second portion above, with at least a portion inserted into the elongated groove portion to be guided in the longitudinal direction or rotated at an upward or downward angle; A vehicle power slide device including 9. In Paragraph 1, The above driving device is, A first driving device formed on the first upper rail and driving the first upper rail back and forth; and A second driving device formed on the second upper rail and driving the second upper rail back and forth; A vehicle power slide device including 10. In Paragraph 9, A control unit that applies a first speed control signal to a first driving device and applies a second speed control signal to a second driving device so as to synchronize the forward and backward movement speed of the first upper rail and the forward and backward movement speed of the second upper rail; A vehicle power slide device further comprising 11. In Paragraph 2, The above locking device is, A power slide device for a vehicle, which is a fixing pin type locking device in which a fixing pin is formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod so as to be vertically inserted into a vertical hole formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

12. In Paragraph 2, The above locking device is, A power slide device for a vehicle, which is a magnetic locking device in which a magnetic body is formed at one end or both ends of the assembly rod so that assembly is possible by means of a slot groove formed in the first upper rail or the second upper rail.

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