Seat slide device

Abstract

To restrain backlash of an upper rail in a vehicle longitudinal direction at lock.SOLUTION: A seat slide device 101 comprises a lower rail 103, an upper rail 105, a lever member 131, a lock member 117, an urging member 132 and an operation member 133. The upper rail 105 includes a shaft member 115 which is disposed so as to stride over left and right both side walls. The lever member 131 includes bearing parts which are provided on a pair of left and right side walls 147, respectively and engage to the shaft member 115. A pair of respective left and right bearing parts each include a surface which is in contact with the shaft member 115 at one point in a vertical direction by urging due to the urging member 132. The surface which is in contact with the shaft member 115 in one bearing part of the pair of left and right bearing parts is formed as a circular arc surface which includes a slightly larger radius than the outer diameter of the shaft member 115. The surface which is in contact with the shaft member 115 in the other bearing part is formed as a plane surface which extends in a longer direction of the upper rail 105.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 14

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a seat slide device used in a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] 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, and is locked by engaging a locking tooth (locking portion) of a locking member attached to the upper rail with a locking groove (locked portion) of the lower rail. The seat slide device includes a lever member that operates the locking portion in an unlocking direction, and a 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 the lever member rotates together with the operating member when the operating member is lifted upward.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a shaft member is supported in a shaft mounting hole provided on both left and right side walls of the upper rail, and the shaft member is inserted into a shaft mounting hole provided on both left and right side walls of the lever member, so that the lever member is rotatably supported relative to the upper rail. Although these four shaft mounting holes are formed concentrically, there is variation in the concentricity of the four shaft mounting holes, which can result in misalignment of the four shaft mounting holes in the up-down or front-rear direction. If the shaft mounting holes are misaligned, particularly in the vehicle front-rear direction, the lever member is long in the vehicle front-rear direction, so the side wall of the lever member is pressed against and comes into contact with the inner surface of the opposing side wall of the upper rail, potentially generating abnormal noise. Furthermore, if the shaft mounting hole is significantly misaligned, when the lever member is rotated in the unlocking direction and the locking portion disengages from the guide pawl (guide portion) provided on the side wall of the upper rail, the lever member may be misaligned more to the left or right, making it impossible to relock.

[0004] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which the shaft mounting holes provided on both the left and right side walls of the upper rail are elongated holes that are long in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and a wedge portion is provided to restrict the fore-and-aft movement of the shaft member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-18400 A [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-83890 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the structure of Patent Document 2, the wedge portion still restricts the movement of the shaft member in the forward and backward directions, so even if the structure of Patent Document 2 is applied to the shaft mounting hole of Patent Document 1, the above problems in Patent Document 1 cannot be solved.

[0007] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to suppress rattle of the upper rail in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when locked. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The seat slide device according to the present invention includes a lower rail extending along the longitudinal direction of a vehicle, an upper rail that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail, a lever member supported rotatably about a left-right axis relative to the upper rail, a locking member provided at a rear end of the lever member and including a locking portion that is movable between a locked position where it engages with a locked portion formed on the lower rail and an unlocked position where it disengages from the locked portion, a biasing member that biases the locking portion toward the locked position, and an operating member connected to a front end of the lever member. The upper rail has a shaft member disposed so as to straddle both left and right sidewalls of the upper rail. The lever member has a pair of left and right sidewalls that extend along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail inside the left and right sidewalls of the upper rail, and bearing portions that are provided on each of the pair of left and right sidewalls and engage with the shaft member. Each of the pair of left and right bearing portions has a surface that contacts the shaft member at a single point in the vertical direction when biased by the biasing member. Of the pair of left and right bearing portions, the surface in one bearing portion that comes into contact with the shaft member is formed as an arc surface having a radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member, and the surface in the other bearing portion that comes into contact with the shaft member is formed as a plane extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, rattle of the upper rail in the vehicle longitudinal direction when locked can be suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of a seat slide device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper rail is assembled to the lower rail, including the lever member and the biasing member; FIG. [Figure 3] 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. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state in which the biasing member is assembled to the lever member. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the lever member and the biasing member as seen from the rear. [Figure 11A] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a part of the operating member as seen from below. [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the rear end portion of the operating member as seen from behind. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lever member and the biasing member as viewed from above. [Figure 13A] 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device showing one of the bearing portions. FIG. [Figure 13B] 10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device showing the other bearing portion. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 2 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device. [Figure 15] 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. [Figure 16] 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. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0012] 1 to 3, a seat slide device 101 according to one embodiment of the present invention is a manual type that manually adjusts a vehicle seat in the fore-and-aft direction. The seat slide device 101 includes lower rails 103 that are installed on the floor of the vehicle and extend in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and upper rails 105 that are installed on the rear surface of a seat cushion (not shown) and are assembled along the longitudinal direction of the lower rails 103 so as to be relatively movable within the lower rails 103. The lower rails 103 and the upper rails 105 form rail bodies 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 side (FR) of the vehicle, which is the left side in FIG. 1, "rear" refers to the rear side (RR) of the vehicle, which is the right side in FIG. 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.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3, the lower rail 103 includes a lower bottom wall 103a having a rectangular plate shape extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b rise from both end edges of the lower bottom wall 103a in the vehicle width direction so as to be slightly inclined outward upward from the lower bottom wall 103a. 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 end edges of the pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b so as to extend parallel to the lower bottom wall 103a in directions approaching each other.

[0014] A pair of left and right lower inner walls 103e are provided that hang down from the inner end 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 in the lower rail 103 can move.

[0015] The upper rail 105 includes an upper top wall 105a having 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 downward from both vehicle width direction edges of the upper top wall 105a. Upper lower inclined walls 105c rise obliquely upward and outward from the lower edges of both left and right upper side walls 105b. Upper upper inclined walls 105e rise obliquely upward from the upper edges of both the pair of left and right upper lower inclined walls 105c via bent portions 105d toward the lower upper wall 103d.

[0016] A lower guide ball 107 is rollably disposed between a lower arc portion 103f between the lower bottom wall 103a and the lower inclined wall 103c of the lower rail 103 and an upper lower inclined wall 105c of the upper rail 105. An upper guide ball 109 is rollably disposed between an upper arc portion 103g between the lower outer wall 103b and the lower upper wall 103d of the lower rail 103 and an upper upper inclined wall 105e of the upper rail 105.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 1, the lower guide balls 107 and the upper guide balls 109 are rotatably supported by ball retainers 111, which are omitted from Fig. 3. 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 a housing section 113 (Fig. 3) surrounded by the lower outer wall 103b, the lower inclined wall 103c, the lower upper wall 103d, and the lower inner wall 103e, for a total of four locations for each pair of left and right rail bodies 106.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 14, 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).

[0019] As shown in Figure 6, the locking member 117 is a convex flat plate with two rectangular holes 125a formed along the front-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-rear direction form locking teeth 125b that serve as locking portions that protrude to the left and right. 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 tip ends by connecting portions 125c that extend in the front-rear direction.

[0020] In this embodiment, of the three lock teeth 125b on the right side in the vehicle width direction, the frontmost lock tooth 125b constitutes a main lock tooth 125m that is wider in the front-to-rear 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.

[0021] Furthermore, in the center of the left-right direction of the locking member 117, there are provided, 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 making a part of the locking member 117 protrude downward, and the lower protrusion 117c is formed by cutting and raising the locking member 117 downward.

[0022] As shown in Figure 5, three locking tooth receiving recesses 129 are formed on each side of the upper rail 105 along the front-to-rear 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 front-to-rear 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, protrusions 126 between the locking tooth receiving recesses 129 are inserted into the holes 125a of the locking member 117. To prevent the vicinity of the connecting portion 125c of the locking member 117 from interfering with the upper rail 105, openings 128 continuing to the bottom of the locking tooth receiving recesses 129 and notched openings 130 formed in the top of the upper upper inclined walls 105e are provided on both the left and right sides of the upper rail 105.

[0023] Furthermore, both the 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 locking portions 105g that lock with the biasing member 132, which will be described later. These locking portions 105g are provided 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 the upper side walls 105b inward.

[0024] 4, a plurality of locking grooves 127 serving as locked portions are provided along the front-to-rear direction on the left and right lower inner walls 103e of the lower rail 103, except for the front and rear portions thereof. 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.

[0025] When the locking member 117 is attached to the upper rail 105, the biasing member 132 applies an upward elastic force to the locking member 117, thereby maintaining a state in which the locking teeth 125b are engaged with the locking groove 127. From this state, by operating the operating member 133 shown in FIG. 1 in the unlocking direction (upward), the locking member 117 is pushed downward via the lever member 131, and the lock is released. The operating member 133 is inserted into the upper rail 105 from the front and is arranged so as to be able to move in conjunction with the lever member 131.

[0026] As shown in Figure 7, the lever member 131 has left and right side walls 147 that extend along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105 and face each other at a predetermined interval 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.

[0027] A pair of left and right recessed grooves 147a serving as bearings are formed in the upper end of side wall 147, forward of the midpoint in the fore-and-aft direction of lever member 131. Of the pair of left and right recessed grooves 147a, the bottom surface of the right recessed groove 147a is formed as a semicircular arc surface having a radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of shaft member 115 (see FIG. 13A), and the bottom surface of the left recessed groove 147a is formed as a flat surface extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle (see FIG. 13B). Groove 147a engages with shaft member 115 from below, and lever member 131 is urged upward at the front and rear ends so as to maintain the state in which groove 147a is engaged with shaft member 115, and each of the bottom surfaces of the pair of left and right recessed grooves 147a comes into contact with shaft member 115 at a single point in the up-and-down direction. Here, the radius of the aforementioned arcuate surface is set to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 115 so that engagement with the shaft member 115 does not become a press fit due to variations.

[0028] 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 bearing portion may be formed as an elongated hole extending in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0029] Furthermore, on the lower wall 134 at the rear end of the lever member 131, there are provided, in order from the front side, 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.

[0030] 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 inserted by press fitting into the positioning hole 134b of the lever member 131. In this state, the front protrusion 134a and rear protrusion 134c are respectively crimped, thereby fixing the locking member 117 to the rear end of the lever member 131 (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

[0031] 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 in the left-right direction toward the lower ends of the opposing opposite 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 in the left-right direction so as to bend from the front ends of both side walls 147 toward the opposing opposite sides, are formed at the upper ends of the front ends of the both side walls 147. The tips of the left and right front upper protrusions 157 are spaced apart from each other, leaving a gap between them. The lower surfaces of the front upper protrusions 157 form a front upper support surface 157a.

[0032] Rear upper protrusions 158 are formed on the upper portions of both side walls 147, rearward of front upper protrusions 157 and forward of recessed grooves 147a, as rear upper support portions. The rear upper protrusions 158 extend in the left-right direction, bending from both side walls 147 toward opposite sides of each other. The lower surfaces of rear upper protrusions 158 form rear upper support surfaces 158a. That is, the front end of 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 vehicle fore-and-aft direction, facing upper surface 169b1 of the rear end of operating member 133. Furthermore, the front end of lever member 131 is provided with front lower support surfaces 147c facing lower surfaces 169b3 of the rear end of operating member 133, positioned below front upper support surfaces 157a.

[0033] The front end of the lever member 131 is formed into an approximately rectangular cross section by the front upper support surface 157a, the front lower support surface 147c, and both side walls 147, and the rear end of the operating member 133 is inserted inside the front end of this lever member 131.

[0034] Additionally, movement restricting protrusions 147d protruding toward opposing sides from both side walls 147 are formed on both side walls 147 behind rear upper protrusion 158 and in front of recessed groove 147a. The movement restricting protrusions 147d are formed by making parts of both side walls 147 protrude inward.

[0035] Furthermore, a pair of left and right recesses 147e are provided on both side walls 147 behind the recessed groove 147a and in front of the front protrusion 134a, and narrow portions 147f are formed in which the distance between both side walls 147 is narrower than the front end and rear end.

[0036] 8, the biasing members 132 are formed in the shape of a pair of elongated rods extending substantially parallel to each other, and extend in the front-rear direction inside the upper rail 105 along the upper sidewall 105b of the upper rail 105. The biasing members 132 have front biasing members 135 each having front operating portions 135a that abut against the front end of the lever member 131 so as to urge the front end of the lever member 131 upward. The biasing members 132 also have rear biasing members 136 each having rear operating portions 136a that abut against the rear end of the lever member 131 so as to urge the rear end of the lever member 131 upward. The biasing members 132 also have intermediate support portions 137 that are formed between the front operating portions 135a and the rear operating portions 136a and that are each engaged with an engaging portion 105g provided on the upper sidewall 105b of the upper rail 105.

[0037] The rear biasing member 136 extends from the intermediate support portion 137 to the rear acting portions 136a along the left and right upper side walls 105b, respectively, and has connecting portions 136b at its rear end to which the pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a are connected. The connecting portions 136b of the rear biasing member 136 abut against the lower surface of the locking member 117 from below, and the rear acting portions 136a (connecting portions 136b) bias the locking member 117 upward (towards the locked position). The connecting portions 136b of the rear biasing member 136 are positioned between the downward protrusions 117c and the rear protrusions 134c, thereby regulating the range of movement of the rear biasing member 136 (biasing member 132) in the front-to-rear direction.

[0038] The rear end portion (rear acting portion 136a, connecting portion 136b) of the rear biasing member 136 is located below the lever member 131 and the locking member 117, and the middle portion (middle support portion 137) extends above the lever member 131 through the recess 147e (between the narrow portion 147f and the upper side wall 105b).

[0039] 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, and has a retaining portion 135b at its front end portion that is folded downward and engages with a locking hole 133a provided in the underside of the operating member 133. The front acting portion 135a of the front biasing member 135 abuts against the operating member 133 from below, and the front acting portion 135a biases the front end of the lever member 131 upward via the operating member 133.

[0040] The front biasing member 135 has its rear end (intermediate support portion 137) located above the lever member 131, and its front end (front acting portion 135a) bent inward to approach each other and extending forward between both side walls 147.

[0041] In this embodiment, the front biasing member 135 and the rear biasing member 136 are integral (one member).

[0042] Although not shown, in another embodiment, the front biasing member 135 and the rear biasing member 136 may be separate bodies (separate members).

[0043] 1, the operating member 133 includes a pair of left and right arm portions 167 provided corresponding to the pair of left and right rail bodies 106, and a grip portion 168 connecting the pair of left and right arm portions 167 and extending in the vehicle width direction. The pair of left and right arm portions 167 extend in the front-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.

[0044] 14, the rear end of arm portion 167 is inserted between the left and right side walls 147 of lever member 131. Arm portion 167, including grip portion 168, is configured entirely from a cylindrical member, and the aforementioned rear end forms connecting end portion 169, which serves as a rear connecting portion, and is shaped by pressing the cylindrical member.

[0045] 11A and 11B, 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 extending from the lower ends of the left and right side surfaces 169b2 toward the left and right inward. A pair of left and right recesses 171 extending along the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle are provided on the upper and lower inner surfaces of the connection end 169. In addition, a locking hole 133a is formed in the lower surface 169b3 of the connection end 169 so as to straddle the left and right recesses 171, 171.

[0046] The connecting end 169 of the operating member 133 has upper and lower protrusions 172 that protrude inward from the left-right middle part of the cylindrical member, and a pair of left and right front end parts of the urging member 132 are each arranged in parts (recesses 171) of the connecting end 169 that are spaced apart widely in the up-down direction.

[0047] 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 of the lever member 131. Then, when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131 (see FIG. 14), the front end (contact portion) of the biasing member 132 is inserted into the inside of the operating member 133 and abuts against the lower surface (the inner surface of the upper surface 169b1) of the operating member 133 from below, thereby biasing the operating member 133 upward.

[0048] 14, 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 locked by a locking portion 105g so as to restrict downward movement. In addition, rear lower protrusions 148 are formed on both left and right upper side walls 105b of the upper rail 105 at positions 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.

[0049] The biasing member 132 engages with the lower surface (inner surface of the upper surface 169b1) of the rear end of the operating member 133 from below at a position below the front upper support surface 157a, and biases the operating member 133 upward. As a result, the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133 contacts the pair of upper support surfaces (the front upper support surface 157a and the 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 lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133, and between the rear lower support surface 148a provided on the upper rail 105 and the lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133, respectively.

[0050] Next, the operation of the seat slide device 101 configured as above will be described.

[0051] 14 shows a standby state (a non-operating state in which the operating member 133 is not operated) in which the lock teeth 125b of the locking member 117 are engaged with the lock grooves 127 of the lower rails 103 and are locked at 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. On the other hand, the rotational moment that rotationally biases 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, and therefore the standby state described above is maintained.

[0052] 14, when the occupant performs an operation to lift 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 as a fulcrum, and the rear end of the operating member 133 presses down the front end portion (contact portion) of the biasing member 132 and moves downward. When the grip portion 168 of the operating member 133 is further lifted from that state, the lower surface 169b3 of the rear end portion 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 portion of the operating member 133 as a fulcrum. 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, and the lever member 131 rotates the locking portion of the locking member 117 toward the unlocked position (see FIG. 15).

[0053] As a result, the lever member 131 swings and rotates clockwise in FIG. 14 around the shaft member 115 as the rotation center. At this time, the lever member 131 pushes the lock member 117 downward by swinging and rotation, 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, and the lock is released to an unlocked state. 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 surface on the lower rail 103 side, and the seat position desired by the occupant can be secured.

[0054] 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 swing and rotate, returning to the standby state shown in Fig. 14. At this time, the lever member 131 swings and rotates counterclockwise in Fig. 14 around the shaft member 115 as the rotation center.

[0055] 14, when a load is applied to the operating member 133 in the direction opposite to the unlocking direction (downward), 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 the operating member 133 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 FIG. 16). At this time, the lever member 131 rotates downward around the meshing 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, thereby restricting the downward movement of the lever member 131 and preventing the recessed groove 147a from coming off the shaft member 115.

[0056] The following describes the operation and effect of the seat slide device 101 according to this embodiment.

[0057] (1) The seat slide device 101 includes a lower rail 103 extending along 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 an axis in the left-right direction with respect 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 where it engages with a locked portion (lock groove 127) formed in the lower rail 103 and an unlocked position where 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 upper rail 105 has a shaft member 115 that is arranged to straddle both left and right side walls (left and right upper side walls 105b) of the upper rail 105. The lever member 131 has a pair of left and right side walls 147 extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105 inside the left and right side walls of the upper rail 105, and bearing portions (recessed grooves 147a) provided on each of the pair of left and right side walls 147 and engaging with the shaft member 115. Each of the pair of left and right bearing portions has a surface that comes into contact with the shaft member 115 at one point in the vertical direction when biased by the biasing member 132. Of the pair of left and right bearing portions, the surface that comes into contact with the shaft member 115 of one bearing portion is formed as an arc surface having a radius slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 115, and the surface that comes into contact with the shaft member 115 of the other bearing portion is formed as a flat surface extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105.

[0058] There is a slight clearance in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction between the arcuate surface of the bearing portion and the shaft member 115. However, because the shaft member 115 is biased so as to be pressed against the bottom surface of the arcuate surface of the bearing portion, when the shaft member 115 attempts to move in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, this contact point is displaced along the arcuate surface of the bearing portion. For this reason, the clearance is not felt as rattle of the upper rail 105 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction.

[0059] Furthermore, the surface of the other bearing portion that comes into contact with shaft member 115 is a flat surface that extends in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, so there is clearance in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction of shaft member 115. Therefore, side wall 147 that has this other bearing portion can move relatively in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction, so lever member 131 can take any position between the pair of left and right side walls 147 of upper rail 105. Note that one bearing portion that has an arcuate surface does not hinder the above movement because there is a slight clearance between it and shaft member 115 in the vehicle fore-and-aft direction.

[0060] This can prevent rattle of the upper rail 105 when locked. Also, it can absorb axial misalignment of the shaft member 115 caused by variations in the concentricity of the shaft mounting holes (bearing holes 105f, recessed grooves 147a), thereby preventing the side wall 147 of the lever member 131 from being pressed against the inner surface of the upper side wall 105b of the upper rail 105.

[0061] (2) The lower rail 103 has a lower bottom wall 103a extending along the vehicle longitudinal direction, a pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b extending upward from both left and right end edges of the lower bottom wall 103a, lower upper walls 103d extending inward in the left-right direction from upper end edges of the pair of left and right lower outer walls 103b, lower inner walls 103e extending downward from the pair of left and right lower upper walls 103d, and a plurality of locking grooves 127 provided in each of the pair of left and right lower inner walls 103e along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The left and right side walls of the upper rail 105 are arranged inside the pair of left and right lower inner walls 103e of the lower rail 103 in the left-right direction, and a locking portion of the locking member 117 is provided with a plurality of locking teeth 125b along the vehicle longitudinal direction that engage with the left and right locking grooves 127, respectively. The multiple lock teeth 125b include a main lock tooth 125m whose width in the front-to-rear direction is larger than that of the other lock teeth 125b, and the main lock tooth 125m is provided on the lock section, positioned on the side of the side wall 147 on which one bearing section is formed.

[0062] The main lock tooth 125m engages with the lock groove 127 so as to come into contact with it in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the other lock tooth 125b engages with the lock groove 127 so as to have a gap therebetween in the vehicle longitudinal direction. By providing this main lock tooth 125m on the side of the side wall 147 having one bearing portion formed as an arcuate surface, when a load is applied to the upper rail 105 in the vehicle longitudinal direction in the locked state, the load is received by the same side wall 147 side of the lever member 131, thereby reducing the generation of a load that bends the lever member 131 in the left-right direction. This prevents the generation of a load that rotates the lever member 131 in the left-right direction, and suppresses the side wall 147 of the lever member 131 from being pressed against the inner surface of the upper side wall 105b of the upper rail 105.

[0063] (3) Each of the pair of left and right bearing portions is formed as a recessed groove 147a that is open at the top, and a surface that contacts the shaft member 115 at one point in the vertical direction is formed on the bottom surface of the recessed groove 147a.

[0064] Since the shaft member 115 is biased so as to be pressed against the bottom surface of the bearing portion (recessed groove 147a), the bearing portion can be formed as a recessed groove 147a that is open at the top. As a result, there is no portion of the lever member 131 above the shaft member 115, and therefore the degree of freedom in utilizing the space inside the upper rail 105 in the vertical direction is improved.

[0065] Furthermore, with the shaft member 115 attached to the upper rail 105, the recessed groove 147a of the lever member 131 can be engaged with the shaft member 115 from below, so that the lever member 131 can be easily assembled.

[0066] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely examples described 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 matters disclosed in the above embodiments, but also includes various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0067] For example, the pair of front ends of the urging member 132 may have the same length but may have different lengths in the longitudinal direction (one longer and the other shorter). Also, although the retaining portion 135b is provided at each of the pair of front ends of the urging member 132, it may be provided at only one of the front ends.

[0068] Furthermore, although the front acting portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is inserted inside the operating member 133, the outer lower surface (lower surface 169b3) may be biased upward from below.

[0069] Furthermore, although the upper protrusions 157 and 158 are provided at the upper end portions of both side walls 147, they may be provided at the upper end portion of only one of the side walls 147.

[0070] Furthermore, although the lower ends of the front ends of lever member 131 are connected to each other by front lower wall 147b, front upper protrusions 157 may also be configured to be connected to each other. In this case, lever member 131 has an inverted U-shape that is open downward, with lower wall 134 connecting the lower ends of left and right side walls 147 becoming an upper wall connecting the upper ends. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 101 Seat slide device 103 Lower rail 103a Lower bottom wall 103b Lower outer wall 103d Lower upper wall 103e Lower inner wall 105 Upper Rail 105b Upper side wall 115 Shaft member 117 Locking member 125b locking teeth 125m main locking teeth 127 Lock groove 131 Lever member 132 biasing member 133 Operating member 147 Side wall 147a Groove

Claims

1. 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 upper rail has a shaft member disposed across both left and right side walls of the upper rail, The lever member is a pair of left and right side walls extending along a longitudinal direction of the upper rail on the inner sides of the left and right side walls of the upper rail; a bearing portion provided on each of the pair of left and right side walls and engaged with the shaft member, each of the pair of left and right bearing portions has a surface that comes into contact with the shaft member at one point in the up-down direction due to the biasing force of the biasing member; a surface of one of the pair of left and right bearing portions that comes into contact with the shaft member is formed as an arcuate surface having a radius slightly larger than an outer diameter of the shaft member, and a surface of the other bearing portion that comes into contact with the shaft member is formed as a flat surface extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail; Seat slide device.

2. the lower rail includes a lower bottom wall extending along the vehicle longitudinal direction; a pair of left and right lower outer walls extending upward from both left and right end edges of the lower bottom wall; a lower upper wall extending inward in the left and right direction from upper end edges of the pair of left and right lower outer walls, respectively; a lower inner wall extending downward from each of the pair of left and right lower upper walls; and a plurality of locking grooves provided in each of the pair of left and right lower inner walls along the vehicle longitudinal direction, left and right side walls of the upper rail are disposed inside the pair of left and right lower inner walls of the lower rail in the left-right direction, The locking portion of the locking member is provided with a plurality of locking teeth that engage with the left and right locking grooves, respectively, along the front-rear direction of the vehicle, The plurality of lock teeth include a main lock tooth whose width in the front-to-rear direction is larger than that of the other lock teeth, The main lock tooth is provided on the lock portion and positioned on the side wall on which the one bearing portion is formed. The seat slide device according to claim 1 .

3. Each of the pair of left and right bearing portions is formed as a recessed groove that is open at the top, a surface that contacts the shaft member at one point in the vertical direction is formed on the bottom surface of the recessed groove; The seat slide device according to claim 1 or 2.

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