Slide device

Abstract

To provide a slide device which improves durability in a vertical direction, in addition to protection of a cover member and maintenance of its attitude.SOLUTION: A slide device includes a fixed rail having an opening groove in its part, a movable rail which is slidably connected to the fixed rail, a belt-like cover member which has a connection plate connected to the movable rail on its end and closes the opening groove between a longitudinal end of the fixed rail and the movable rail, and a slide cover covering each periphery of the side edge part of the cover member, wherein the slide cover includes an upper wall facing the upper face of the side edge part of the cover member, a lower wall facing the lower surface of the side edge part of the cover member, and a rib which is arranged on at least one of a surface facing the side edge part of the cover member of the upper wall and a surface facing the side edge part of the cover member of the lower wall in the slide direction of the movable rail, and projects in a direction of approaching the side edge part of the cover member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sliding device. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In order to slide a seat, for example a vehicle seat, in the longitudinal direction and to stop it at an appropriate position, a slide device installed between the vehicle body and the seat has been conventionally used.

[0003] The following Patent Document 1 describes a sliding device including a groove-shaped seat rail with an open top, legs that engage with the seat rail to support the seat so that it can move along the seat rail, and an elongated cover member that closes the opening of the seat rail. In addition, it also describes providing walls (an upper wall and a posture-maintaining wall) that cover the side edges of the cover member from above and below. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-093743 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Partially covering the side edges of the cover member with walls, as in Patent Document 1, is preferable because it protects the side edges of the cover member and maintains the posture of the cover member. However, if the covering structure is constructed with walls that extend linearly horizontally, as in Patent Document 1, the walls are cantilevered, making it difficult to ensure durability against vertical loads. Therefore, if a large downward load occurs, such as when a vehicle occupant steps on this part, the wall portion may undergo significant downward plastic deformation. Such deformation not only detracts from the aesthetic appearance but also may damage the side edges of the cover member.

[0006] In consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a sliding device that not only protects a cover member and maintains its posture, but also improves durability in the vertical direction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the sliding device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a fixed rail having an opening groove at the top, a movable rail slidably connected to the fixed rail, a band-shaped cover member having a connecting plate connected to the movable rail at its end and closing the opening groove between the longitudinal end of the fixed rail and the movable rail, and a sliding cover covering the periphery of each of the side edges of the cover member, wherein the sliding cover includes an upper wall facing the upper surface of the side edge of the cover member, a lower wall facing the lower surface of the side edge of the cover member, and a rib arranged along the sliding direction of the movable rail on at least one of the surface of the upper wall facing the side edge of the cover member and the surface of the lower wall facing the side edge of the cover member, and protruding in a direction approaching the side edge of the cover member.

[0008] In such a sliding device, a rib is provided to fill the gap between the upper and lower walls of the sliding cover, thereby preventing the upper wall from plastically deforming when downward stress (bending stress) is applied to the upper wall, thereby providing a highly durable sliding device that is less likely to be damaged even if stepped on by an occupant when mounted on a vehicle or the like.

[0009] A slide device according to a second aspect of the present disclosure is a slide device according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, wherein the ribs comprise an upper wall rib provided on the surface of the upper wall facing the side edge portion of the cover member, and a lower wall rib provided on the surface of the lower wall facing the side edge portion of the cover member, and the upper wall rib and the lower wall rib are arranged so that at least a portion of them face each other via the side edge portion of the cover member.

[0010] In such a sliding device, the upper wall ribs and the lower wall ribs face each other, thereby reducing the range of movement of the upper wall 42 in the up-down direction and further suppressing plastic deformation of the upper wall. Furthermore, the ribs face each other with the cover member in between, thereby suppressing large vertical movement of the cover member.

[0011] A sliding device according to a third aspect of the present disclosure is the sliding device according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, wherein at least a portion of the side edge of the cover member is sandwiched between the upper wall side rib and the lower wall side rib.

[0012] In such a sliding device, the side edge of the cover member is clamped by the ribs, so that rattle in the up and down direction can be substantially eliminated.

[0013] A slide device according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is a slide device according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present disclosure, further including a reel rotatably attached to the longitudinal end of the fixed rail and around which the cover member is wound.

[0014] In such a sliding device, by winding the cover member around the reel, the installation space for the cover member can be reduced, and the entire sliding device can be made smaller. In addition, because the cover member can be pulled out via the reel, the open groove can be closed regardless of the position of the movable rail.

[0015] A slide device according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is a slide device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the connecting plate is composed of a rectangular plate-like body attached to the end of the cover member on the movable rail side, and both end faces of the connecting plate in the width direction that intersects with the sliding direction extend along the adjacent ribs.

[0016] In such a sliding device, the side surface of the connecting plate extends along the rib, so that the cover member can be prevented from moving in the left-right direction.

[0017] A slide device according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a slide device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects of the present disclosure, wherein the movable rail includes a connecting piece adjusted so that its widthwise length intersecting the sliding direction gradually shortens from the base end to the tip end, and the connecting plate includes a connecting hole into which the connecting piece is inserted, the length along the widthwise direction being shorter than the widthwise length at the base end of the connecting piece.

[0018] In such a sliding device, rattle of the cover member relative to the movable rail in the width direction can be suppressed at the connection portion between the movable rail and the cover member. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the slide device of the present disclosure, it is possible to protect the cover member and maintain its posture, while also improving durability in the vertical direction. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of a sliding device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the slide device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] 2 is an enlarged plan view showing a rear portion of the sliding device shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] 4A and 4B show a cross-sectional structure of the sliding device shown in FIG. 3 cut along the front-to-rear direction, where FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view cut along line AA in FIG. 3, and FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of part D in FIG. 4A. [Figure 5] This shows a modified example of the connecting structure between the movable rail and the cover member, where FIG. 5(A) is an enlarged view corresponding to FIG. 4(B), and FIG. 5(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part taken along line EE in FIG. 5(A). [Figure 6] 6A and 6B show a cross-sectional structure of the sliding device shown in FIG. 3 cut along the left-right direction, with FIG. 6A being a cross-sectional view cut along line BB in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6B being an enlarged view of part F in FIG. 6A. [Figure 7] 7A and 7B show other cross-sectional structures of the sliding device shown in FIG. 3 cut along the left-right direction, where FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view cut along line CC in FIG. 3, and FIG. 7B is an enlarged arrow view of part G in FIG. 7A. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing a modified example of the slide cover. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing another modified example of the slide cover. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the following will show a schematic view of the scope necessary for the explanation to achieve the object of the present disclosure, and will mainly explain the scope necessary for explaining the relevant parts of the present disclosure, and the parts for which explanation is omitted will be referred to as publicly known techniques. Furthermore, when a drawing includes multiple identical or equivalent components, only some of them may be designated by reference numerals to make the drawing easier to understand.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a sliding device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view in which the sliding device shown in FIG. 1 is partially disassembled. The sliding device 1 according to this embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can be applied to a seat, for example, a seat mounted in a vehicle, and may slide the seat in one direction (for example, the front-to-rear direction) relative to the floor surface of the vehicle. Note that the use of the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to the above. In the following description, the X direction shown in FIG. 1 is assumed to be the left-right direction (or width direction), the Y direction is assumed to be the front-to-rear direction, and the Z direction is assumed to be the up-to-down direction.

[0023] 1 and 2, a slide device 1 according to this embodiment includes a slide rail unit 2. This slide rail unit 2 includes at least a fixed rail 10 attached to the floor surface of the vehicle, and a movable rail 20 attached to the bottom surface of the seat and slidably connected to the fixed rail 10. The fixed rail 10 and movable rail 20 that make up the slide rail unit 2 can both be formed by bending a metal plate or the like.

[0024] The fixed rail 10 can be configured as a so-called lower rail that is fixed directly or indirectly to the floor surface of the vehicle and is long in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. This fixed rail 10 can include an accommodation space 11 extending in the longitudinal direction therein for accommodating a portion of the movable rail 20, and the upper part of the accommodation space 11 can have an open shape as an open groove 12. A lead screw 13 extending in the longitudinal direction and guiding the movement of the movable rail 20 can be provided within the accommodation space 11.

[0025] This fixed rail 10 can be a long metal plate with both left and right end portions bent inward (for example, as shown in Figures 6 and 7).The bent left and right end portions are bent inward, so that the upper part of the fixed rail 10 has an open groove 12 and a substantially horizontal upper surface 15 extending to the left and right of the open groove 12.

[0026] The movable rail 20 can be configured as a so-called upper rail that is attached directly or indirectly to the seat side. This movable rail 20 is accommodated within the accommodation space 11 of the fixed rail 10, and a portion of it may be exposed to the outside of the open groove 12 so as to be attached to a portion of the seat, for example, the rear surface of the seatback frame. The movable rail 20 may include a movable rail main body 21 that is connected to the fixed rail 10 in a state that allows it to slide freely in the front-rear direction.

[0027] Connecting tongues 22, 22 to which connecting plates 31 of a cover member 30, which will be described later, are connected may be provided at both front-rear end portions of the movable rail main body 21. Furthermore, these connecting tongues 22, 22 may have screw holes 23, 23 that penetrate vertically at approximately the center thereof. In relation to the above-described structure, the sliding direction of the movable rail 20 in this embodiment corresponds to the front-rear direction shown as the Y direction in Figures 1 and 2.

[0028] 1 and 2, the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment includes cover members 30, 30 for closing the open grooves 12 of the fixed rail 10 that are formed at the front and rear of the movable rail 20 and exposed to the outside. Additionally, the sliding device 1 further includes slide covers 40, 40 that are arranged to sandwich the fixed rail 10 from the left and right and cover the side edges 30L, 30R (see FIG. 5, etc.) of the cover members 30, 30, respectively. While the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment illustrates an example in which two cover members 30 are provided at the front and rear of the movable rail 20, the structures of both cover members 30 can be substantially identical. Therefore, the following description will be given representatively of the cover member 30 arranged at the rear in FIG. 1 and the associated slide cover 40.

[0029] Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view showing an enlarged rear portion of the sliding device shown in Fig. 1. Also, Fig. 4 shows a cross-sectional structure of the sliding device shown in Fig. 3 cut along the front-rear direction, where Fig. 4(A) is a cross-sectional view cut along line AA in Fig. 3, and Fig. 4(B) is an enlarged view of part D in Fig. 4(A).

[0030] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the cover member 30 may have a connecting plate 31 at one end thereof that is connected to the movable rail 20, and may close the open grooves 12 between the two longitudinal ends 14 of the fixed rail 10 and the two longitudinal ends of the movable rail 20. This cover member 30 may be made of a thin plate member approximately 0.1 to 0.2 mm thick and formed in a long strip along the sliding direction of the movable rail 20. The cover member 30 may be formed of a single strip-shaped thin plate member, or may be formed by connecting multiple relatively short thin plate-shaped members in a strip shape. The thickness of the cover member 30 is not limited to the above range and may be thicker, for example, approximately 0.5 mm.

[0031] The connecting plate 31 may be formed, for example, of a metal plate that is thicker than the cover member 30. The connecting plate 31 may be attached to the center of one end of the cover member 30, as shown in FIG. 2 . A specific attachment structure may be employed in which a metal plate that is long in the front-rear direction and that constitutes the connecting plate 31 is bent and fixed so as to sandwich the end of the cover member 30 therebetween, as shown in FIG. 4(B) . The connecting plate 31 may be fixed to the cover member 30 by, for example, performing half-punching (half-blanking) on ​​the metal plate at appropriate locations. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , half-punched portions 36 formed by half-punching are formed at two locations on the connecting plate 31.

[0032] The connecting plate 31 attached to the cover member 30 in the above-described manner can be a plate-like body that is rectangular in plan view. Note that the term "rectangular" here includes not only a strict square shape, but also shapes in which the corners are chamfered or rounded.

[0033] Furthermore, a connecting hole 37 may be formed in the approximate center of the connecting plate 31, which penetrates the connecting plate 31 and the cover member 30 in the vertical direction and is used for connecting to the connecting tongue piece 22. After inserting a screw B into this connecting hole 37, the screw B can be threaded into the screw hole 23 and secured, thereby connecting the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30.

[0034] By employing the screw fastening structure described above, the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30 can be connected without rattle. However, if the screw B becomes loose for some reason, rattle may occur between the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30 in the left-right direction (and the front-rear direction). Taking this into consideration, in the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment, the connection structure between the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30 can be changed to effectively suppress rattle in the left-right direction.

[0035] Figure 5 shows a modified example of the connection structure between the movable rail and the cover member, where Figure 5(A) is an enlarged view corresponding to Figure 4(B), and Figure 5(B) is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part taken along line EE in Figure 5(A). Note that Figure 5(B) shows an enlarged view of the connection portion between the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30, and the surrounding components, such as the slide cover 40, are not shown. In the modified example described below, differences from the structure described above as one embodiment will be mainly described, and components that are similar to those in the embodiment will be designated by the same reference numerals and will not be described again.

[0036] As a connecting structure between the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30, instead of the screw fastening structure described above, as shown in Figure 5, a locking piece 24 as an example of a connecting piece can be formed on the connecting tongue piece 22A, and this locking piece 24 can be used to connect the movable rail 20 and the cover member 30.

[0037] The locking piece 24 can be configured as a generally hook-shaped member formed by cutting and raising a portion of the connecting tongue piece 22A. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the locking piece 24 is preferably adjusted so that its left-right length gradually decreases from the base end connected to the connecting tongue piece 22 toward the tip end extending upward. As a result, the locking piece 24 is configured as a cut-and-raised piece that has a generally trapezoidal shape when viewed from the front. Note that the shape of the locking piece 24 is not limited to the above-described one, and it may also have a shape, for example, such that its left-right length decreases in a stepped manner from the base end to the tip end when viewed from the front.

[0038] The connecting plate 31A, which is locked by the locking piece 24 described above, is formed with a connecting hole 37A into which the locking piece 24 is inserted. It is particularly important to note here that the left-right width W1 of the connecting hole 37A is set smaller than the left-right width W2 of the base end of the locking piece 24. When the width W1 of the connecting hole 37A is smaller than the width W2 of the base end of the locking piece 24, both left-right sides of the connecting hole 37A into which the locking piece 24 is inserted are locked to the side surfaces of the locking piece 24. This makes it easy to prevent rattling in the left-right direction between the connecting hole 37A and the locking piece 24.

[0039] The other end of the cover member 30 opposite to the end to which the connecting plate 31 is attached can be configured to be wound around a reel 32 rotatably attached to the end 14 in the longitudinal direction of the fixed rail 10. In this regard, the cover member 30 according to this embodiment should preferably be made of a flexible material that can be wound into a roll following the reel 32.

[0040] The reel 32 may be rotatably attached to a reel bracket 33 fixed to the end 14 of the fixed rail 10. The reel 32 may be provided with a biasing member (e.g., a torsion spring) (not shown) that biases the wrapped cover member 30 in the direction of winding it up. The other end of the cover member 30 may be fixed to the reel 32.

[0041] The reel bracket 33 may be provided with two guide pins 34 arranged on either side of the movement path of the cover member 30 in order to guide the movement of the cover member 30, which moves in accordance with the sliding movement of the movable rail 20. In addition, a reel cover 35 that covers the outer periphery of the reel 32 may be attached above the reel bracket 33. The specific attachment structure between the reel bracket 33 and the reel cover 35 is not particularly limited, and any well-known attachment structure may be used.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the front cover member 30 and the rear cover member 30 are respectively wound around the front reel 32 and the rear reel 32, but the support structure of the cover members 30 is not limited to this. Specifically, for example, a single long cover member 30 may be wound around the front reel 32 and the rear reel 32. In this case, the cover member 30 may be a single long strip-shaped body with connecting plates 31 attached to both ends thereof, and wound around both reels 32 while connected to the connecting tongues 22 at the ends of the movable rail 20 via the connecting plates 31. Even with this structure, the open grooves 12 of the fixed rail 10 that open at the front and rear of the movable rail 20 can be closed.

[0043] Fig. 6 shows one cross-sectional structure of the sliding device shown in Fig. 3 cut along the left-right direction, with Fig. 6(A) being a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 3, and Fig. 6(B) being an enlarged view of part F in Fig. 6(A). Fig. 7 shows another cross-sectional structure of the sliding device shown in Fig. 3 cut along the left-right direction, with Fig. 7(A) being a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Fig. 3, and Fig. 7(B) being an enlarged view of part G in Fig. 7(A). The structure of the sliding cover 40 that covers the peripheries of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 described above will be described below mainly with reference to Figs. 6 and 7.

[0044] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 7 , the slide cover 40 may be formed of a resin molded product using, for example, synthetic resin. The slide cover 40 may include a slide cover main body 41 that is elongated in the front-rear direction and attached along the left and right side surfaces of the fixed rail 10; an upper wall 42 that extends left and right from the surface of the upper end of the slide cover main body 41 that abuts against the fixed rail 10; a lower wall 43 that extends left and right from the surface that abuts against the fixed rail 10, similar to the upper wall 42, between the upper surface 15 of the fixed rail 10 and the upper wall 42; and a rib 44 formed on at least one of the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43. The left and right direction here corresponds to the width direction that intersects with the sliding direction. The slide cover main body 41, the upper wall 42, the lower wall 43, and the rib 44 may be integrally molded.

[0045] The slide cover main body 41 may be configured as a plate-like body whose front-to-rear length is approximately the same as that of the fixed rail 10 and whose up-to-down length is longer than that of the fixed rail 10. One left-to-right surface of this slide cover main body 41 may be provided with a plurality of (e.g., seven) mounting claws 47, as shown in FIG. 2. The slide cover 40 can be fixed to the fixed rail 10 by inserting and engaging these mounting claws 47 into mounting holes 16 formed on the side of the fixed rail 10. Note that the mounting structure of the fixed rail 10 and slide cover 40 is not limited to the one described above, and other well-known fixing structures may also be used.

[0046] The upper wall 42 is a member that faces the upper surfaces of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 that is connected to the movable rail 20. The upper wall 42 extends horizontally from the upper end portion of the slide cover main body 41 toward the cover member 30, and the lower surface of the upper wall 42 may face the upper surfaces of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 with a predetermined gap therebetween.

[0047] The lower wall 43 is a member that faces the lower surface of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 that is connected to the movable rail 20. This lower wall 43 is disposed between the upper wall 42 of the slide cover 40 attached to the fixed rail 10 and the upper surface 15 of the fixed rail 10, and may extend horizontally toward the cover member 30, similar to the upper wall 42. The upper surface of the lower wall 43 and the lower surfaces of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 may face each other with a predetermined gap between them.

[0048] The ribs 44 protrude in a direction approaching the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 from at least one of the lower surface of the upper wall 42 facing the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 and the upper surface of the lower wall 43 facing the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30. In this embodiment, as shown in particular in Figures 6(B) and 7(B), an example is shown that includes an upper-wall-side rib 45 provided on the lower surface of the upper wall 42 and a lower-wall-side rib 46 provided on the upper surface of the lower wall 43.

[0049] When the upper wall 42 is pressed downward due to, for example, a vehicle occupant standing on it, the above-mentioned rib 44 comes into contact with an opposing member, such as the upper wall 42, the lower wall 43, or another rib 44. Therefore, the rib 44 functions to suppress downward displacement of the upper wall 42. As a result, in the slide device 1 according to this embodiment, downward plastic deformation of the upper wall 42 is suppressed, and it can be said that its durability is improved.

[0050] To explain the ribs 44 in more detail, the upper-wall rib 45 of the ribs 44 may be formed as a protrusion formed at a position slightly closer to the slide cover main body 41 from the left-right tip of the upper wall 42, extending over the entire length of the upper wall 42 in the front-rear direction. Similarly, the lower-wall rib 46 may be formed as a protrusion formed at a position slightly closer to the slide cover main body 41 from the left-right tip of the lower wall 43, extending over the entire length of the lower wall 43 in the front-rear direction. When viewed from the front, the upper-wall rib 45 and the lower-wall rib 46 may each have rounded tips 48, 49 that are circular.

[0051] Here, it is preferable that the upper wall ribs 45 and the lower wall ribs 46 are arranged so that at least a portion of each of them faces each other via the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30. When the upper wall ribs 45 and the lower wall ribs 46 are arranged facing each other in this manner, when the upper wall 42 is pressed downward, the tip 48 of the upper wall rib 45 and the tip 49 of the lower wall rib 46 come into contact with each other via the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30, thereby effectively suppressing plastic deformation of the upper wall 42.

[0052] In addition to the above structure, it is preferable that the upper surface 15 of the fixed rail 10 is disposed below the tips 48 of the upper wall ribs 45 and the tips 49 of the lower wall ribs 46. With this arrangement, the downward stress transmitted from the tips 48 of the upper wall ribs 45 acts on the upper surface 15 portion, which is a horizontal plane, and therefore the stress can be stably supported.

[0053] In the device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the walls that cover the top and bottom of a portion of the cover member are disposed at a position sufficiently distant from the cover member, and the side edges of the cover member are not particularly supported, which can cause the cover member to rattle in the vertical direction.

[0054] In consideration of the above points, the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment employs a structure in which at least a portion of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 is sandwiched between the tip 48 of the upper wall rib 45 and the tip 49 of the lower wall rib 46. In other words, in the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment, the tip 48 of the upper wall rib 45 and the tip 49 of the lower wall rib 46 are in line contact with the cover member 30, thereby sandwiching the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30. In this way, the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 are sandwiched between the ribs 44 from above and below, thereby supporting the side edge portions 30L, 30R and substantially eliminating rattle of the cover member 30 in the up-down direction.

[0055] As described above, in the present embodiment, the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 are sandwiched between the ribs 44, but the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 do not have to be in contact with the ribs 44. Even if there is a gap between the ribs 44 and the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30, the gap that occurs above and below the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 can be made smaller than when the ribs 44 are not present. This not only improves durability as described above, but also suppresses the occurrence of large rattles in the vertical direction.

[0056] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the upper wall rib 45 and the lower wall rib 46 are formed as protrusions extending in the front-to-rear direction, but the shapes of the upper wall rib 45 and the lower wall rib 46 are not limited to this. For example, one of the upper wall rib 45 and the lower wall rib 46 may be formed as an island-shaped rib arranged in the front-to-rear direction at a predetermined interval. In this case, the island-shaped rib and the cover member 30 come into point contact, and the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 are clamped at the point contact.

[0057] By adopting the above-described configuration, the slide device 1 according to this embodiment can improve durability against vertical stress, and can suppress or substantially eliminate vertical rattle that occurs in the cover member 30.

[0058] As described above, the cover member 30 can effectively suppress left-right rattle relative to the movable rail 20 by devising a connection structure for the cover member 30 relative to the movable rail 20. However, because the cover member 30 is made of a relatively flexible material, it may not be possible to completely eliminate left-right rattle of the entire cover member 30 simply by suppressing left-right rattle relative to the movable rail 20. Therefore, the slide device 1 according to this embodiment can employ a structure described below for more effectively suppressing left-right rattle of the cover member 30.

[0059] In this embodiment, as described above, the connecting plate 31 attached to the end of the cover member 30 is configured as a plate-like body that is rectangular in plan view. In relation to this, the slide device 1 according to this embodiment employs a structure that restricts the movement of this connecting plate 31 in the left-right direction, thereby suppressing rattling of the cover member 30 in the left-right direction.

[0060] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7(B), the slide device 1 according to this embodiment employs a structure in which both end faces 31L, 31R located in the left-right direction of the connecting plate 31 extend along the adjacent ribs 44. In this case, the position or size of the ribs 44 is preferably adjusted so that the inner surfaces thereof contact or are close to both end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31 connected to the movable rail 20. It is preferable that both end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31 contact the ribs 44 to an extent that does not impose a load on the cover member 30 when it moves.

[0061] As described above, by adopting a structure in which both end faces 31L, 31R of connecting plate 31 extend along the extension direction of rib 44, when cover member 30 moves in the left-right direction, both end faces 31L, 31R come into contact with rib 44 and restrict the movement. Therefore, rattle occurring in cover member 30 in the left-right direction can be more effectively suppressed.

[0062] Furthermore, by providing the ribs 44, especially the upper wall-side ribs 45, at a position slightly closer to the slide cover main body 41 than the left-right tip of the upper wall 42, the left-right tip of the upper wall 42 is positioned above both end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31. This protects both end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31, and is expected to have the effect of preventing the corners of the cover member 30 from curling up.

[0063] As described above, in the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment, by providing the rib 44 on at least one of the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43, the amount of downward displacement of the upper wall 42 can be suppressed, thereby improving durability. As described above, in the sliding device 1 according to this embodiment, the rib 44 includes the upper wall-side rib 45 and the lower wall-side rib 46 provided at positions slightly closer to the sliding cover main body 41 than the left-right ends of the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43, but is not limited to this. Therefore, several other structures of the rib 44 will be described below as examples.

[0064] Fig. 8 is an enlarged view showing a modified example of the sliding cover. In this modified example, as shown in Fig. 8, upper wall ribs 45A and lower wall ribs 46A are provided at the left and right ends of the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43 as ribs 44A. Note that the sliding device shown in this modified example is similar to the sliding device 1 according to the above-described embodiment except for the structure of the sliding cover, and in Fig. 8, components common to the sliding device 1 according to the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0065] In this modified example, side edges 30L, 30R of cover member 30 may be sandwiched between ribs 44A by contacting tip 48A of upper-wall rib 45A and tip 49A of lower-wall rib 46A. Therefore, even with the structure of this modified example, it is possible to suppress rattle in the up-down direction while improving durability, similar to the sliding device 1 according to the above-described embodiment. In addition, forming upper-wall ribs 45A and lower-wall ribs 46A at the left-right ends of upper wall 42 and lower wall 43, as in rib 44A shown in this modified example, can prevent foreign matter such as dust from entering between rib 44A and cover member 30 and damaging cover member 30.

[0066] FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing another modified example of the sliding cover. In this modified example, as shown in FIG. 9, the rib 44B is only an upper-wall rib 45B provided on the upper wall 42, and no rib is provided on the lower wall 43. Therefore, in this modified example, the side edges 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 are sandwiched between the tip 48B of the upper-wall rib 45B and the substantially flat upper surface 49B of the lower wall 43. Note that the sliding device shown in this modified example is similar to the sliding device 1 according to the above-described embodiment except for the structure of the sliding cover, and therefore, in FIG. 9, components common to the sliding device 1 according to the embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0067] In this modification, since the rib 44B is formed only by the upper-wall-side rib 45B, it is preferable that the vertical and horizontal positions and lengths of the lower wall 43A are adjusted. Specifically, it is preferable that the vertical and horizontal positions and lengths of the lower wall 43A are adjusted so as to achieve the above-described clamping structure of the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 and the contact structure of the end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31 with the rib 44B.

[0068] Even when the ribs 44B are provided only on the upper wall 42 as in this modified example, the side edge portions 30L, 30R of the cover member 30 can be sandwiched between the ribs 44B and the upper surface of the lower wall 43, so the same effects as those of the sliding device 1 according to the above-described embodiment can be expected. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to configure the ribs to face each other, the vertical length of the sliding cover can be shortened.

[0069] In this modified example, only the upper-wall rib 45B is used as the rib 44B, but only the lower-wall rib may be used. Even if the rib 44B is provided only on at least one of the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43, backlash in the left-right direction can be suppressed by bringing both end faces 31L, 31R of the connecting plate 31 into contact with the inner side surfaces of the rib 44B in the left-right direction.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment and each modified example, the sliding cover 40 is exemplified as one in which the sliding cover main body 41 is provided with the upper wall 42 and the lower wall 43, but the sliding cover main body 41 may be substituted with, for example, a part of the fixed rail 10. Similarly, the lower wall 43 included in the sliding cover 40 may be formed from a part of the upper surface 15 of the fixed rail 10.

[0071] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. These modifications are all included in the technical concept of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described components can be combined to achieve the present disclosure as long as they maintain their respective functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0072] 1 Slide device 2 Slide rail units 10 Fixed rail 12 Opening groove 15 Top surface (of fixed rail) 20 Movable rail 21 Movable rail body 22 Connecting tongue piece 23 screw holes 30 Cover member 30L, 30R side edge 31, 31A connection plate 31L, 31R Both ends of connecting plate 32 reels 37, 37A connection hole 40 Slide cover 42 Upper Wall 43, 43A Lower wall 44, 44A, 44B Ribs 45, 45A, 45B Upper wall rib 46, 46A Lower wall rib B screw

Claims

1. a fixed rail having an open groove at the top; a movable rail slidably connected to the fixed rail; a band-shaped cover member having a connecting plate at an end thereof connected to the movable rail, the band-shaped cover member closing the open groove between the longitudinal end of the fixed rail and the movable rail; a slide cover that covers the periphery of each side edge of the cover member, The slide cover is an upper wall facing an upper surface of the side edge portion of the cover member; a lower wall facing a lower surface of the side edge portion of the cover member; a rib disposed on at least one of a surface of the upper wall facing the side edge of the cover member and a surface of the lower wall facing the side edge of the cover member along the sliding direction of the movable rail, the rib protruding in a direction approaching the side edge of the cover member; Slide device.

2. The ribs include an upper wall-side rib provided on a surface of the upper wall facing the side edge portion of the cover member, and a lower wall-side rib provided on a surface of the lower wall facing the side edge portion of the cover member, and the upper wall-side rib and the lower wall-side rib are respectively arranged so that at least a portion thereof faces each other across the side edge portion of the cover member. The sliding device according to claim 1 .

3. At least a portion of a side edge of the cover member is sandwiched between the upper wall rib and the lower wall rib. The sliding device according to claim 2 .

4. a reel rotatably attached to the longitudinal end of the fixed rail and around which the cover member is wound; The sliding device according to claim 1 .

5. The connecting plate is formed of a rectangular plate-like body attached to the end of the cover member on the movable rail side, and both end faces of the connecting plate in a width direction intersecting with the sliding direction extend along the adjacent ribs. The sliding device according to claim 1 .

6. the movable rail includes a connecting piece that is adjusted so that the length in a width direction intersecting with the sliding direction gradually decreases from the base end toward the tip end, The connecting plate includes a connecting hole into which the connecting piece is inserted, the connecting hole having a length along the width direction that is shorter than the length of the base end of the connecting piece in the width direction. The sliding device according to claim 1 .

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