A slide rail assembly and a seating system

Abstract

The application provides a slide rail assembly and a seat system with good stability. The slide rail assembly comprises an inner rail, an outer rail and a support element. The support element comprises rolling bodies, support bodies and a retainer. The retainer has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion arranged along a first direction. The first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are each provided with at least one rolling body. The first connecting portion is provided with a support body, which is located on the side of all the rolling bodies of the first connecting portion away from the second connecting portion. The second connecting portion is provided with a support body, which is located on the side of all the rolling bodies of the second connecting portion away from the first connecting portion. The inner rail slides relative to the outer rail along the first direction through the rolling bodies and the support bodies. The rigidity of the rolling bodies is greater than that of the support bodies. The first direction is the sliding direction of the inner rail relative to the outer rail.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of seating technology, specifically to a slide rail assembly and a seating system. Background Technology

[0002] To allow for fore-and-aft adjustment of the seat body, a slide rail is provided under the seat body, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown, Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the application environment of a slide rail 02; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a slide rail 02; Figure 3 for Figure 2 Side view.

[0003] In the current technical solution, the slide rail 02 includes an inner rail 021 and an outer rail 022 arranged opposite to each other. The inner rail 021 is fixedly connected to the seat body 01 and slides relative to the outer rail 022. A support element is also provided between the inner rail 021 and the outer rail 022. The support element includes a retainer 023 and a steel ball 023a installed within the retainer 023. (Refer to...) Figure 2 As shown.

[0004] The contact between steel ball 023a and the inner rail 021 and outer rail 022 is point contact, see reference. Figure 3 As shown, when the seat body 01 moves back and forth, it causes the inner rail 021 to move at the front and rear support points of the retainer 023, resulting in stress concentration on the steel balls 023a located at the front and rear ends of the retainer 023. Since the hardness of the steel balls 023a is much greater than that of the slide rail 02, when the steel balls 023a bear a load, they will leave indentations on the front and rear ends of the inner rail 021 and the outer rail 022. When the steel balls 023a pass through these indentations again, it causes an unstable movement trajectory and bouncing, resulting in vibration of the slide rail 02 during sliding and a decrease in the comfort of the seat body 01. Utility Model Content

[0005] One object of this application is to provide a slide rail assembly with good stability. Another object of this application is to provide a seating system including the above-mentioned slide rail assembly.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a slide rail assembly, including an inner rail, an outer rail, and a support element. The support element includes a rolling element, a support body, and a cage. The cage has a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion arranged along a first direction. Both the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are provided with at least one of the rolling elements.

[0007] The first connecting portion is provided with the support body, and the support body is located on the side of the first connecting portion where all the rolling elements are away from the second connecting portion;

[0008] And / or, the second connecting portion is provided with the support body, the support body being located on the side of the second connecting portion away from the first connecting portion for all the rolling elements;

[0009] The inner rail slides relative to the outer rail along the first direction via the rolling element and the support body, and the stiffness of the rolling element is greater than the stiffness of the support body; the first direction is the sliding direction of the inner rail relative to the outer rail.

[0010] Optionally, a support body is further provided between adjacent rolling elements on the first connecting portion or the second connecting portion.

[0011] Optionally, the first connecting portion or the second connecting portion has a first support portion and a second support portion arranged along a second direction, and both the first support portion and the second support portion are provided with the rolling element, and the support element is located in at least one of the first support portion and the second support portion; the second direction is a direction perpendicular to the sliding plane of the inner rail and the outer rail.

[0012] Optionally, the support body is interference-fitted with the inner rail and the outer rail, and the rolling element is interference-fitted with the inner rail and the outer rail, with the interference amount of the support body being greater than the interference amount of the rolling element.

[0013] Optionally, the support includes a connected main body and an abutment portion, the abutment portion protruding from the main body and having at least two abutment portions, the main body extending along the first direction and mounted on the retainer, the abutment portion slidingly contacting the outer rail or the inner rail.

[0014] Optionally, the abutting portion includes two first abutting portions, which are spaced apart circumferentially along the main body, and both first abutting portions slide in contact with the outer rail.

[0015] Optionally, the outer surface of the support also has an oil groove for containing lubricating oil.

[0016] Optionally, the material of the support is a material with self-lubricating properties;

[0017] And / or, the rolling element is a steel ball.

[0018] This application also provides a seating system including the slide rail assembly described in any of the above claims.

[0019] The slide rail assembly of this application includes an inner rail, an outer rail, and a support element. The support element includes rolling elements, a support body, and a cage. The rolling elements and the support body are mounted on the cage, and the support body is provided on at least one section of the cage along a first direction. The stiffness of the rolling elements is greater than that of the support body. When the inner rail slides normally relative to the outer rail along the first direction via the rolling elements and the support body, the rolling elements act as the primary support, and the support body acts as the auxiliary support, sharing the load. When the inner rail wobbles, because the stiffness of the support body is less than that of the rolling elements, the support body will deform preferentially. At this time, the support body acts as the primary support, bearing the torsional force between the inner and outer rails. Compared to the prior art where the steel ball directly bears the load, resulting in point contact stress concentration between the inner and outer rails, the support body can increase the contact area with the inner and outer rails, thereby reducing stress concentration between the inner and outer rails and reducing indentations caused by the rolling elements. This results in better stability of the slide rail assembly and a more comfortable seat.

[0020] The seat system provided in this application has the same technical effect as the aforementioned slide rail assembly. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating the application environment of a slide rail;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a slide rail in the current technology;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Schematic diagram showing the position of the central steel ball relative to the inner and outer rails;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a slide rail assembly in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the supporting element in the middle;

[0026] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of slide rail assembly in the embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 7 A sectional view of a support located on the side of a cage;

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the central support structure;

[0029] Figure 9 for Figure 8 Side view;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the second type of support structure;

[0031] Figure 11 for Figure 9 Side view;

[0032] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the third type of support structure;

[0033] Figure 13 for Figure 12 Side view.

[0034] The attached figures are labeled as follows:

[0035] 01-Seat body; 02-Slide rail; 021-Inner rail; 022-Outer rail; 023-Cage; 023a-Steel ball; 03-Base plate;

[0036] 1-Slide rail assembly; 11-Inner rail; 12-Outer rail;

[0037] 13-Support element; 131-Cage; 131a-First connecting part; 131b-Second connecting part; 1311-First support part; 1312-Second support part; 132-Rolling element; 133-Support body; 133a-Abutting part. Detailed Implementation

[0038] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of this application, the application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0039] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back", etc. is based on the accompanying drawings and is only for the convenience of description, and is not intended to indicate or imply that the device referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0040] like Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a slide rail assembly 1 in an embodiment of this application.

[0041] This application provides a slide rail assembly 1, including an inner rail 11, an outer rail 12, and a support element 13. The inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12 are inserted together and slide relative to each other. There is a gap between the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, and the support element 13 is located in the gap. A first direction, a second direction, and a third direction are defined. The first direction is the sliding direction of the inner rail 11 relative to the outer rail 12. The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the sliding plane of the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12. The third direction is perpendicular to the first and second directions. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12. In this embodiment, the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12 are inserted together, and there is a gap in the third direction. The support element 13 is fixed in the gap and is used to support the inner rail 11 while sliding relative to the inner rail 11.

[0042] The support element 13 includes a rolling element 132, a support body 133, and a cage 131. The rolling element 132 and the support body 133 are mounted on the cage 131, and the rolling element 132, the support body 133, and the cage 131 are in a clearance fit. The rolling element 132 can rotate within the cage 131 and has a certain amount of wobble. In practical applications, when the inner rail 11 slides relative to the outer rail 12, the rolling element 132 rolls along a first direction. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the rolling element 132. For example, in this embodiment, the rolling element 132 is a steel ball.

[0043] like Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the middle support element 13.

[0044] In this embodiment, the retainer 131 has a first connecting portion 131a and a second connecting portion 131b arranged along a first direction, and each of the first connecting portion 131a and the second connecting portion 131b is provided with at least one rolling element 132. The two ends of the retainer along the first direction are defined as the first end and the second end, respectively. (Refer to...) Figure 4 As shown, the first end is the first connecting part 131a, and the second end is the second connecting part 131b. In this embodiment, the number of rolling elements 132 is not limited. For example, at least three rolling elements 132 are provided in the first connecting part 131a, and at least three rolling elements 132 are provided in the second connecting part 131b.

[0045] The first connecting portion 131a is provided with a support body 133, which is located on the side of the first connecting portion 131a away from the second connecting portion 131b; and / or, the second connecting portion 131b is provided with a support body 133, which is located on the side of the second connecting portion 131b away from the first connecting portion 131a. In this embodiment, both the first connecting portion 131a and the second connecting portion 131b are provided with a support body 133, as shown in the reference. Figure 5As shown, specifically, a support body 133 is provided on the side of the three rolling elements 132 in the first connecting part 131a away from the second connecting part 131b; a support body 133 is also provided on the side of the three rolling elements 132 in the second connecting part 131b away from the first connecting part 131a. Support bodies 133 are respectively provided at both ends of the retainer 131 along the first direction. The retainer 131 slides along the first direction, and the support body 133, located within the retainer 131, also slides along the first direction. When the inner rail 11 wobbles, the support body 133 can provide support force to the inner rail 11 along the second and third directions, better buffering the rolling elements 132, making the inner rail 11 more stable, and thus making the seat body more comfortable.

[0046] The inner rail 11 slides relative to the outer rail 12 along a first direction via rolling elements 132 and a support body 133, with the stiffness of the rolling elements 132 being greater than that of the support body 133. When the inner rail 11 slides normally relative to the outer rail 12 along the first direction via the rolling elements 132 and the support body 133, the rolling elements 132 act as the primary support, and the support body 133 acts as the auxiliary support, sharing the load. When the inner rail 11 wobbles, because the stiffness of the support body 133 is less than that of the rolling elements 132, the support body 133 will deform preferentially. At this time, the support body 133 acts as the primary support, bearing the torsional force between the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12. It can be understood that when the support body 133 is assembled between the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, the support body 133 is in an elastic deformation stage, and this elastic deformation continues during the sliding process. In some embodiments, the support body 133 is interference-fitted with the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, and the rolling element 132 is interference-fitted with the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12. The interference of the support body 133 is greater than that of the rolling element 132. The larger interference of the support body 133 can increase the local contact pressure and structural rigidity of the contact surfaces with the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, thereby more effectively reducing the relative sliding and fretting wear of the support body 133.

[0047] During the sliding process, the rolling element 132 generates the sliding force between the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12. At this time, the rolling element 132 acts as the primary support, while the support body 133 assists in supporting the rolling element 132. However, both the rolling element 132 and the support body 133 are subjected to uniform force. But when the inner rail 11 wobbles, the support body 133 deforms preferentially, and during the force application process, it changes from elastic deformation to plastic deformation, generating a stiffness close to that of the rolling element 132. However, because the support body 133 can increase the contact area with the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, it reduces stress concentration on the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, making it less prone to indentation. Compared to the prior art where the steel ball 023a directly experiences stress and causes point contact stress concentration on the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12, the support body 133 allows the slide rail assembly 1 to have better stability, making the seat body more comfortable.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of slide rail assembly 1 in the embodiments of this application.

[0049] In some embodiments, a support 133 is further provided between adjacent rolling elements 132 on the first connecting portion 131a or the second connecting portion 131b. In this embodiment, at least two rolling elements 132 are provided in the first connecting portion 131a, at least two rolling elements 132 are provided in the second connecting portion 131b, and three supports 133 are provided in both the first connecting portion 131a and the second connecting portion 131b. (Refer to...) Figure 6 As shown, specifically, the two rolling elements 132 and three support elements 133 of the first connecting portion 131a are alternately distributed, and one support element 133 is located on the side of the two rolling elements 132 of the first connecting portion 131a away from the second connecting portion 131b; the two rolling elements 132 and three support elements 133 of the second connecting portion 131b are alternately distributed, and one support element 133 is located on the side of the two rolling elements 132 of the second connecting portion 131b away from the first connecting portion 131a. When the inner rail 11 wobbles, the support elements 133 can buffer the rolling elements 132 located between adjacent support elements 133, making the inner rail 11 more stable, thereby making the seat body more comfortable.

[0050] In some embodiments, the first connecting portion 131a or the second connecting portion 131b has a first support portion 1311 and a second support portion 1312 arranged along a second direction, and both the first support portion 1311 and the second support portion 1312 are provided with rolling elements 132. In this embodiment, both the first connecting portion 131a and the second connecting portion 131b have a first support portion 1311 and a second support portion 1312 arranged along a second direction, wherein the first support portion 1311 is provided with rolling elements 132 at both ends along the first direction, and the second support portion 1312 is also provided with rolling elements 132 at both ends along the first direction. The inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12 have a gap in a third direction, and the gap includes an upper gap and a lower gap in the second direction. The first support portion 1311 is located in the upper gap, and the second support portion 1312 is located in the lower gap. The rolling elements 132 support the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12 and provide sliding force.

[0051] The support body 133 is located in at least one of the first support portion 1311 and the second support portion 1312. The support body 133 can be located in the first support portion 1311, or in the second support portion 1312, or simultaneously in both. The configuration can be determined according to actual usage requirements, and this embodiment does not impose any limitations. In this embodiment, the support body 133 is located in the second support portion 1312 to buffer the rolling force of the rolling element 132 in the second support portion 1312.

[0052] like Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A side sectional view of a support 133 located on a retainer 131.

[0053] In some embodiments, the support 133 includes a connected main body and abutment portions 133a. The abutment portions 133a protrude from the main body, and there are at least two of them. The main body extends along a first direction and is mounted on the retainer 131. The abutment portions 133a slide in contact with the outer rail 12 or the inner rail 11. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the support 133. For example, this embodiment illustrates three shapes of the support 133, but is not limited to these three. The first type of support 133 is irregularly shaped, having a diameter, but with an irregular outer surface and three abutment portions 133a, providing good support. Figure 8 , Figure 9 As shown, Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of the central support 133; Figure 9 for Figure 8The side view. It is worth noting that the cross-section of the irregularly shaped support 133 is still obtained by transforming a circle; it is based on a circle but with a reduced contact area with the inner rail 11 and outer rail 12. The second type of support 133 is circular, with truncated cones at both ends along its length for easy installation on the cage 131, such as... Figure 10 , Figure 11 As shown, Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second type of support 133; Figure 11 for Figure 9 The side view shows that the outer circumferential surface along its length is the abutment portion 133a. The third type of support 133 is a spline, which is based on the second type of support 133, with multiple evenly distributed protrusions on the outer circumferential wall, such as... Figure 12 , Figure 13 As shown, Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the third type of support 133; Figure 13 for Figure 12 The side view shows multiple protrusions that serve as abutment portions 133a. In this embodiment, the shape of the two ends of the support body 133 along its length is not limited, as long as the outer wall surface has abutment portions 133a that abut against the inner rail 11 and the outer rail 12.

[0054] The abutting part 133a includes two first abutting parts 133a, which are spaced apart circumferentially along the main body. Both first abutting parts 133a slide in contact with the outer rail 12. The irregular support body 133 includes an abutting part 133a that abuts against the inner rail 11 and an abutting part 133a that abuts against the outer rail 12. The abutting part 133a that abuts against the outer rail 12 includes two first abutting parts 133a. One first abutting part 133a has an interference fit with the outer rail 12, and the other first abutting part 133a has a direct abutment with the outer rail 12.

[0055] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the support 133 also has an oil groove for containing lubricating oil. The abutment portion 133a of the irregular support 133, which abuts against the inner rail 11, is also provided with a groove that extends through the irregular support 133 along a first direction for storing oil. When the irregular support 133 is under force, lubricating oil can be squeezed out onto the contact surfaces between the irregular support 133 and the inner rail 11 and outer rail 12 to reduce friction. Gaps exist between the multiple protrusions of the third type of support 133; these gaps serve as oil grooves and can also be used for storing oil.

[0056] In practical applications, the support body 133 has a centerline. The centerline of the support body 133 is installed parallel to the first direction within the retainer 131, facilitating positional adjustment of the support body 133 within the retainer 131. This allows the support body 133 to be positioned appropriately, accommodating dimensional errors in the inner rail 11 and outer rail 12, thus providing better support. This embodiment does not limit the shape of the contact surfaces between the inner rail 11, outer rail 12, and support body 133. For example, the bottom of the inner rail 11 and the bottom of the outer rail 12 are both arc-shaped. The centerline of the support body 133 is parallel to the first direction. The support body 133 contacts the contact surfaces of the inner rail 11 and outer rail 12 along its outer wall surface in the first direction. It then oscillates relative to the retainer 131 in the second and third directions, adaptively adjusting to the rail dimensions of the inner rail 11 and outer rail 12 to find a more stable support position.

[0057] In some embodiments, the material of the support 133 is a self-lubricating material, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, which can form a lubricating film during friction. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions.

[0058] This application also provides a seat system, including the slide rail assembly 1 of any of the above embodiments, which has the same technical effects as the slide rail assembly 1 in the above embodiments, and will not be described again.

[0059] This document uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several improvements and modifications to this application without departing from the principles of this application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the protection scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A slide rail assembly, characterized in that, It includes an inner rail (11), an outer rail (12), and a support element (13). The support element (13) includes a rolling element (132), a support body (133), and a cage (131). The cage (131) has a first connecting portion (131a) and a second connecting portion (131b) arranged along a first direction. Both the first connecting portion (131a) and the second connecting portion (131b) are provided with at least one of the rolling elements (132). The first connecting portion (131a) is provided with the support body (133), and the support body (133) is located on the side of the first connecting portion (131a) away from the second connecting portion (131b) where all the rolling elements (132) are located. And / or, the second connecting portion (131b) is provided with the support body (133), the support body (133) being located on the side of the second connecting portion (131b) away from the first connecting portion (131a) where all the rolling elements (132) are located; The inner rail (11) slides relative to the outer rail (12) along the first direction via the rolling element (132) and the support (133), wherein the stiffness of the rolling element (132) is greater than the stiffness of the support (133); the first direction is the sliding direction of the inner rail (11) relative to the outer rail (12).

2. The slide rail assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support (133) is also provided between adjacent rolling elements (132) on the first connecting part (131a) or the second connecting part (131b).

3. The slide rail assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first connecting part (131a) or the second connecting part (131b) has a first support part (1311) and a second support part (1312) arranged along a second direction. The first support part (1311) and the second support part (1312) are both provided with the rolling element (132). The support body (133) is located at least one of the first support part (1311) and the second support part (1312). The second direction is a direction perpendicular to the sliding plane of the inner rail (11) and the outer rail (12).

4. The slide rail assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The support body (133) is interference-fitted with the inner rail (11) and the support body (133) is interference-fitted with the outer rail (12). The rolling element (132) is interference-fitted with the inner rail (11) and the rolling element (132) is interference-fitted with the outer rail (12). The interference of the support body (133) is greater than that of the rolling element (132).

5. The slide rail assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The support (133) includes a connected main body and an abutment (133a), the abutment (133a) protruding from the main body and there are at least two abutments, the main body extends along the first direction and is mounted on the retainer (131), and the abutment (133a) slides in contact with the outer rail (12) or the inner rail (11).

6. The slide rail assembly according to claim 5, characterized in that, The abutting part (133a) includes two first abutting parts, which are arranged circumferentially along the main body and both first abutting parts slide in contact with the outer rail (12).

7. The slide rail assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The outer surface of the support (133) also has an oil groove for containing lubricating oil.

8. The slide rail assembly according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The material of the support (133) is a material with self-lubricating properties; And / or, the rolling element (132) is a steel ball.

9. A seating system, characterized in that, Includes the slide rail assembly (1) as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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