Telescopic retainer, seat slide rail, vehicle seat and vehicle

Abstract

The present application proposes a retractable cage (13) for a seat slide rail (1), the cage (13) comprising: a plurality of support modules (131), each of the plurality of support modules (131) comprising at least one roller (1311), the at least one roller (1311) being rotatably arranged in the support module (131); the spring (132) is connected between at least one pair of adjacent supporting modules (131) in the multiple supporting modules (131) in the extending direction of the sliding rail and can stretch out and draw back in the extending direction of the sliding rail. The invention further relates to a corresponding seat slide rail (1), a vehicle seat (100) and a vehicle. By means of the automobile seat, the good NVH performance can be kept under the condition that the seat is allowed to have a large adjusting range.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicles and seats, in particular to a telescopic holder of a seat rail, a seat rail, a vehicle seat and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In adjustable seats, in particular in vehicle seats, the fore-aft position of the seat can be adjusted using a seat rail. The seat rail enables position adjustment by relative sliding of two rail parts. To make the sliding process smoother, a holder with rollers can be used to reduce friction.

[0003] When the rail parts are slid relative to each other to adjust the seat position, problems such as seat chattering, noise generation or seat movement not being smooth can occur. Generally, increasing the length of the holder can improve the stability to some extent and improve the above problems.

[0004] However, as the length of the holder increases, the fore-aft adjustment range of the seat will decrease, which is also undesirable.

[0005] In this case, the fore-aft adjustment range of the seat can be ensured unchanged by increasing the overall length of the seat rail. However, this will result in a larger space occupied by the seat. In particular, in compact vehicles, this is difficult to achieve.

[0006] Therefore, the prior art still has deficiencies in the stability and / or adjustment range of the seat rail. SUMMARY

[0007] The present application aims to provide an improved telescopic holder and corresponding seat rail, vehicle seat and vehicle in order to at least partially overcome the deficiencies of the prior art.

[0008] According to a first aspect of the present application, a telescopic holder of a seat rail is provided, the holder comprising: a plurality of support modules, each of the plurality of support modules comprising at least one roller rotatably arranged in the support module; and a spring connected between at least one pair of adjacent support modules of the plurality of support modules in a rail extension direction and being telescopable in the rail extension direction.

[0009] Thus, the sliding stroke and stability can be considered. The spring can ensure that the adjacent support modules are spaced apart from each other during use of the seat slide rail, thereby improving the stability of the seat slide rail. With the spring, the retainer is formed as a telescopic retainer. When the spring is in a relaxed state, the retainer can have a large length, so that the natural frequency of the seat slide rail and the seat is improved, and the stability of the seat slide rail and the seat as a whole is improved. At the same time, when approaching both ends of the sliding stroke, the spring can reduce the length of the retainer by compression, thereby preventing the sliding stroke of the seat slide rail from being reduced, and further preventing the adjustment range of the seat from being reduced. Therefore, the telescopic retainer according to the example embodiment of the present application can allow the seat to have a large adjustment range while maintaining good NVH performance, where the NVH performance represents the control ability of the seat to noise (Noise), vibration (Vibration) and harshness (Harshness) during vehicle operation, which is a key performance for measuring the comfort of a vehicle seat.

[0010] In one example embodiment, the maximum compression distance of the spring is 50% to 80% of the length of the spring in the relaxed state. Thus, good stability can be ensured while effectively increasing the sliding stroke.

[0011] In one example embodiment, each of the at least one pair of support modules includes a retaining block for retaining the at least one roller, and the spring is connected between the retaining blocks of the support modules without being directly connected to the roller. By connecting the spring to the retaining blocks, the force of the spring can only act on the retaining blocks and be completely isolated from the rotation area of the roller, thereby ensuring that the roller can always maintain a predetermined low-resistance rotation state. Thus, abnormal noise or jamming of the retainer during use can be prevented.

[0012] In one example embodiment, each of the plurality of support modules includes an annular retaining block for retaining the at least one roller, and the at least one roller includes a plurality of rollers embedded in the retaining block in a circumferential direction.

[0013] In one example embodiment, the at least one roller is a steel ball.

[0014] In one example embodiment, the retaining block is made of plastic.

[0015] In one example embodiment, the spring is a coil spring.

[0016] In one example embodiment, the retainer further includes a rigid spacer arranged between adjacent another at least one pair of support modules of the plurality of support modules.

[0017] According to a second aspect of the present application, there is provided a seat slide rail, the seat slide rail comprising: a first slide rail; a second slide rail slidable with respect to the first slide rail in a slide rail extension direction; and a retainer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, the retainer being arranged between the first slide rail and the second slide rail.

[0018] In one exemplary embodiment, the ratio of the maximum compression distance of the spring of the retainer to the slide travel of the second slide rail is between 0.4 and 0.6. This also helps to ensure that good stability is maintained while effectively increasing the slide travel.

[0019] According to a third aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle seat, wherein the vehicle seat comprises: a seat body; and a seat slide rail according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, wherein the seat body is fixed to the second slide rail of the seat slide rail.

[0020] According to a fourth aspect of the present application, there is provided a vehicle, wherein the vehicle comprises a vehicle seat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0021] The principles, features, and advantages of the present application can be better understood by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the principles, features, and advantages of the present application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings provided are for purposes of illustration only and merely show example embodiments of the present application. Figure 1 A seat slide rail according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated; Figure 2 A retainer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated; Figure 3 A support module of a seat slide rail according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated; Figure 4 A retainer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated; Figure 5 A retainer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated; and Figure 6 A vehicle seat according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically illustrated.

[0022] LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS 100 vehicle seat 1 seat slide rail 11 first slide rail 12 second slide rail 121 mounting hole 13 retainer 131 support module 1311 roller 1312 holding block 132 spring 133 rigid spacer 2 seat body DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the technical problems to be solved, technical solutions and beneficial technical effects of the present application more clearly understood, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application, but not to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0024] Figure 1 A seat rail 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present application is schematically shown. For the sake of clarity, partly internal components which are not normally visible are shown in Figure 1 Fig. 1. The seat rail 1 is particularly suitable for use in a vehicle seat 100 (see Figure 6 Fig. 2). The seat rail 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present application can also be applied in other types of seats, such as marine seats, aircraft seats, office seats, etc.

[0025] As shown in Figure 1 Fig. 1, the seat rail 1 comprises a first rail 11 and a second rail 12. Both the first rail 11 and the second rail 12 extend along a rail extension direction D. The second rail 12 is slidably arranged relative to the first rail 11 along the rail extension direction D. The seat rail 1 further comprises a holding frame 13 which is arranged between the first rail 11 and the second rail 12.

[0026] In this embodiment, the first rail 11 (which can also be referred to as "lower rail" herein) can have a generally U-shaped cross-section. The second rail 12 (which can also be referred to as "upper rail" herein) can be at least partly arranged within the U-shaped groove of the first rail 11. The second rail 12 may, for example, have a generally inverted U-shaped cross-section.

[0027] The second rail 12 can together with the first rail 11 delimit a raceway for accommodating the holding frame 13. The raceway extends along the rail extension direction D. The holding frame 13 is movable within the raceway. The holding frame 13 is capable of reducing friction and ensuring smoothness of the sliding process during the sliding of the second rail 12 relative to the first rail 11.

[0028] The second rail 12 can be provided with a plurality of mounting holes 121. With the mounting holes 121, the seat body 2 may, for example, be fixed to the second rail 12 by means of a threaded connection.

[0029] Figure 2 The holding frame 13 is schematically shown. The holding frame 13 comprises a plurality of support modules 131 and springs 132.

[0030] Each of the plurality of support modules 131 comprises at least one roller 1311 rotatably arranged in the support module 131. By means of the rollers 1311, the frictional force can be effectively reduced, in particular, sliding friction can be converted into rolling friction.

[0031] The spring 132 is connected between at least one pair of adjacent support modules 131 of the plurality of support modules 131 in the slide rail extension direction D and is retractable in the slide rail extension direction D.

[0032] In this embodiment, the retainer 13 comprises three support modules 131 which are arranged spaced apart from each other in the slide rail extension direction D. The spring 132 is arranged between any two adjacent support modules 131 of the three support modules 131.

[0033] The spring 132 can ensure that the adjacent support modules 131 are spaced apart from each other during use of the seat slide rail, thereby improving the stability of the seat slide rail 1. With the spring 132, the retainer 13 is formed as a retractable retainer 13. When the spring 132 is in a relaxed state, the retainer 13 can have a larger length, so that the natural frequency of the seat slide rail 1 and the seat is improved, and the stability of the seat slide rail 1 and the seat as a whole is improved. When adjusting the seat position with the seat slide rail 1, problems such as seat jitter, noise, or seat movement not smooth can be prevented. The seat can have good NVH performance. At the same time, when approaching both ends of the sliding stroke, the spring 132 can reduce the length of the retainer 13 by compression, thereby preventing the sliding stroke of the seat slide rail 1 from being reduced, and further preventing the adjustment range of the seat from being reduced. Therefore, the retractable retainer 13 according to the exemplary embodiments of the present application can allow the seat to have a larger adjustment range while maintaining good NVH performance.

[0034] Referring to Figure 1 In the case where the spring 132 is in a relaxed state, the length of the retainer 13 is L1. If the retainer 13 is not retractable, the sliding stroke of the retainer 13 is the sum of the length LA and the length LB. In the seat slide rail 1, the free movement distance of the retainer 13 in the raceway is limited. In other words, the sum of the lengths L1, LA and LB is limited. If the length L1 of the retainer 13 is increased, although the NVH performance can be improved, the sliding stroke (LA+LB) is usually shortened. In the exemplary embodiments according to the present application, by means of the spring 132, the retainer 13 can be contracted. When approaching the limit position of sliding, the spring 132 can be compressed, so that the length of the retainer 13 is shortened, for example, to a length L2 (not shown here) which is less than L1. In this case, the sliding stroke can also be increased accordingly, so as to be greater than LA+LB.

[0035] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, the maximum compression distance of the spring 132 is 50% to 80% of the length of the spring 132 in the relaxed state. Therefore, when the spring 132 is in the maximum compression state, the length of the spring 132 retainer 13 can be shortened by approximately 50% to 80% accordingly.

[0036] Optionally, when the spring 132 is in the relaxed state, the length of the retainer 13 is between 200 mm and 230 mm, for example, 218 mm. When the spring 132 is compressed to its shortest length, the length of the retainer 13 can be shortened to between 50 mm and 125 mm, for example.

[0037] If the maximum compression distance of spring 132 is too small (e.g., less than 50%), the effect of increasing the sliding stroke will be limited. If the maximum compression distance of spring 132 is too large (e.g., greater than 80%), it may cause the length of the cage 13 to be too short in extreme cases, making the seat slide rail 1 unstable.

[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, good stability can still be maintained while effectively increasing the sliding stroke.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, the ratio of the maximum compression distance of the spring 132 of the cage 13 to the sliding stroke of the second slide rail 12 is between 0.4 and 0.6. This also helps to maintain good stability while effectively increasing the sliding stroke.

[0040] According to an exemplary embodiment of this application, the spring 132 may in particular be a helical spring 132.

[0041] like Figure 2 As shown, each of the at least one pair of support modules 131 may include a retaining block 1312 for holding the at least one roller 1311. A spring 132 may be connected between the retaining blocks 1312 of the support module 131, rather than being directly connected to the roller 1311.

[0042] If spring 132 is directly connected to roller 1311, the tension or pressure of spring 132 will be transmitted to roller 1311, thus applying additional force to roller 1311, disrupting the stability of the rotational clearance, and even causing roller 1311 to jam. By connecting spring 132 to retaining block 1312, the force of spring 132 can act only on retaining block 1312 and be completely isolated from the rotational area of ​​roller 1311, thereby ensuring that roller 1311 can always maintain a preset low-resistance rotational state. This prevents abnormal noise or jamming of the retainer 13 during use.

[0043] Figure 2It is also shown that each of the plurality of support modules 131 can comprise an annular holding block 1312 for holding the at least one roller 1311. The at least one roller 1311 comprises a plurality of rollers 1311 distributed in a circumferential direction embedded in the holding block 1312.

[0044] Figure 3 A support module 131 of a seat rail 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically shown.

[0045] As Figure 3 shown, the support module 131 can comprise an annular holding block 1312 and a plurality of rollers 1311. The annular holding block 1312 is in the shape of a circular ring extending around the rail extension direction D. In this example, 3 rollers 1311 are held in the holding block 1312 spaced apart from each other in a circumferential direction. The plurality of rollers 1311 can be arranged uniformly in the circumferential direction, thereby preventing a wobble of the rail when sliding due to uneven distribution of the rollers 1311.

[0046] Herein, the circumferential direction refers to a circumferential direction with respect to the annular holding block 1312.

[0047] The rollers 1311 of the cage 13 can in particular comprise steel balls. The holding block 1312 can for example be made of plastic (i.e. a plastic bushing).

[0048] Figure 4 A cage 13 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically shown.

[0049] In this embodiment, the cage 13 comprises two support modules 131 and a spring 132. Each of the two support modules 131 comprises three rollers 1311. The three rollers 1311 are arranged rotatably in the support module 131. The spring 132 is connected between the two support modules 131 in the rail extension direction D and is stretchable in the rail extension direction D.

[0050] Figure 5 A cage 13 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application is schematically shown.

[0051] In this embodiment, the cage 13 comprises a plurality of support modules 131 (here three support modules 131) and a spring 132. Each of the plurality of support modules 131 comprises at least one roller 1311, which is arranged rotatably in the support module 131. The spring 132 is connected between at least one pair of adjacent support modules 131 of the plurality of support modules 131 in the rail extension direction D and is stretchable in the rail extension direction D.

[0052] The holder 13 can further comprise rigid spacers 133 arranged between adjacent further at least one pair of support modules 131 of the plurality of support modules 131. The rigid spacers 133 are for example spacer bars. "Rigid spacer" means that it does not substantially elastically deform during use of the holder 13.

[0053] Figure 6 A vehicle seat 100 according to exemplary embodiments of the present application is schematically shown.

[0054] As Figure 6 shown, the vehicle seat 100 can comprise a seat body 2 and a seat rail 1 according to exemplary embodiments of the present application. The seat body 2 can be fixed to the second rail 12 of the seat rail 1. With sliding of the second rail 12 relative to the first rail 11, the position of the seat body 2 can be adjusted.

[0055] The present application also relates to a vehicle comprising a vehicle seat 100 as described above. The first rail 11 of the seat rail 1 of the vehicle seat 100 can be fixed to a floor of the vehicle.

[0056] Although specific embodiments of the application have been described herein in some detail, this has been done solely for explanation purposes and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the application. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents can be substituted for elements of the application without departing from the scope of the application.

Claims

1. A retractable retainer (13) for a seat slide rail (1), wherein, The cage (13) includes: A plurality of support modules (131), each of the plurality of support modules (131) including at least one roller (1311), the at least one roller (1311) being rotatably arranged in the support module (131); and A spring (132) is connected between at least one pair of adjacent support modules (131) in the slide rail extension direction and is capable of extending and retracting along the slide rail extension direction.

2. The cage (13) according to claim 1, wherein, The maximum compression distance of the spring (132) is 50% to 80% of the length of the spring (132) in the relaxed state.

3. The cage (13) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, Each of the at least one pair of support modules (131) includes a retaining block (1312) for holding the at least one roller (1311), and a spring (132) is connected between the retaining blocks (1312) of the support module (131) and not directly connected to the roller (1311).

4. The cage (13) according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein, Each of the plurality of support modules (131) includes an annular retaining block (1312) for holding the at least one roller (1311), the at least one roller (1311) including a plurality of circumferentially distributed rollers (1311) embedded in the retaining block (1312).

5. The cage (13) according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein, The at least one roller (1311) is a steel ball; and / or The retaining block (1312) is made of plastic; and / or The spring (132) is a helical spring (132).

6. The cage (13) according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein, The retainer (13) also includes a rigid spacer (133) arranged between at least one additional pair of adjacent support modules (131) of the plurality of support modules (131).

7. A seat slide rail (1), wherein, The seat rail (1) includes: First slide rail (11); A second slide rail (12) that is slidable relative to the first slide rail (11) along the extension direction of the slide rail; and The retainer (13) according to any one of claims 1-6 is arranged between the first slide rail (11) and the second slide rail (12).

8. The seat slide rail (1) according to claim 7, wherein, The ratio of the maximum compression distance of the spring (132) of the cage (13) to the sliding stroke of the second slide rail (12) is between 0.4 and 0.

6.

9. A vehicle seat (100), wherein, The vehicle seat (100) includes: Seat body (2); and According to claim 7 or 8, the seat slide rail (1) is fixed to the second slide rail (12) of the seat slide rail (1).

10. A vehicle, wherein, The vehicle includes a vehicle seat (100) as claimed in claim 9.

Images