Seat slide device

Abstract

To provide a seat slide device including a structure capable of preventing a collapse of an upper rail side wall.SOLUTION: A seat slide device 1 includes a lower rail 2, an upper rail 3, a lock member 4, and a bracket 6. The bracket 6 includes a receiving part 62 having a front surface and a rear surface. The front surface of the receiving part 62 faces a rear end of the lock member 4. The front surface of the receiving part 62 is disposed at the front relative to an edge part 32a' of a cutout 32a where a part of the rear end of the lock member 4 is disposed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat slide device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART A seat slide device for adjusting the front-rear position of a vehicle seat is known. Such a seat slide device is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a seat slide device including a lower rail extending along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, an upper rail that moves relatively along the longitudinal direction of the lower rail, and a locking member that is attached to the upper rail so as to be able to swing freely in the vertical direction around a swing fulcrum, has locking teeth that can engage with locking grooves formed in the lower rail, and is biased in a locking direction to engage the locking teeth with the locking grooves. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-30928 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When a forward load is applied to the upper rail, such as in a rear-end collision, the upper rail moves forward. However, the locking member does not move forward because it is engaged with the lower rail. As the upper rail moves forward, the side wall of the upper rail collides with the rear end of the locking member. Because the side wall of the upper rail is a thin plate with a small thickness in the left-right direction and the rear end of the locking member is a thin plate with a small thickness in the up-down direction, the contact area between the locking member and the upper rail is small. Because the contact area is small, high stress is applied to the side wall of the upper rail from the rear end of the locking member, which may cause the side wall of the upper rail to collapse. If the side wall of the upper rail collapses, the locking member may also be damaged, potentially compromising the locking strength.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a seat slide device having a structure that can prevent the upper rail side wall from being crushed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention provides the following aspects. (Item 1) A seat slide device for adjusting the front-rear position of a vehicle seat, Lower rails that can be fixed to the vehicle body, an upper rail fixable to the seat, the upper rail having a side wall with a notch; a locking member attached to the upper rail and restricting relative movement between the lower rail and the upper rail, the locking member having a rear end portion disposed in the notch; a bracket including a receiving portion having a front surface and a rear surface, the front surface of the receiving portion facing the rear end portion of the locking member and being disposed forward of a rear edge of the notch on which a portion of the rear end portion of the locking member is disposed; A seat slide device comprising:

[0008] (Item 2) The bracket has a protruding portion that protrudes from the receiving portion in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the rear surface of the protruding portion is flat, and the protruding portion is disposed within the notch. Item 1. The seat slide device according to item 1.

[0009] (Item 3) The rear surface of the protrusion is in contact with the rear edge portion. Item 2. The seat slide device according to item 2. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] Because the seat slide device of the present invention includes a bracket, the rear end of the locking member does not collide directly with the side wall of the upper rail, but rather with the front surface of the receiving portion, thereby preventing the side wall of the upper rail from being crushed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a seat and a seat slide device. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional perspective view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partially sectional perspective view of the seat slide device after assembly. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the upper rail, the locking member, and the bracket as viewed from below. [Figure 6A] FIG. [Figure 6B] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the seat slide device after assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The seat slide device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the "vehicle up-down direction," "vehicle front-rear direction," and "vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction)" will be simply referred to as the "vehicle up-down direction," "vehicle front-rear direction," and "left-right direction," respectively.

[0013] The seat slide device 1 is a device for adjusting the fore-and-aft position of a vehicle seat S. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the seat slide device 1 mainly includes a lower rail 2, an upper rail 3, a locking member 4, a lever 5, a bracket 6, an elastic member 7, and a rolling member 8. The components other than the lever 5 are provided on both the inner side and the outer side of one seat S. Figs. 1 and 2 show only one of the components on the inner side and the outer side.

[0014] The lower rail 2 is fixed to the vehicle floor via a bracket B. The upper rail 3 is fixed to the seat S and assembled to the lower rail 2. The locking member 4 is fixed to the upper rail 3. When the occupant is not operating the lever 5, the locking member 4 prevents the upper rail 3 from moving in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the lower rail 2. When the occupant lifts the lever 5, the locking member 4 is released and the upper rail 3 becomes movable in the fore-and-aft direction relative to the lower rail 2. In this way, the occupant can adjust the fore-and-aft position of the seat S.

[0015] Each component will be described in detail below.

[0016] <1-1 Lower rail and upper rail> The lower rail 2 will be described mainly with reference to FIG.

[0017] The lower rail 2 is made of a long member extending in the front-rear direction. The lower rail 2 includes a bottom wall 21, a side wall 22, an upper wall 23, and a flange portion 24. There are pairs of the side wall 22, the upper wall 23, and the flange portion 24. The lower rail 2 is made of, for example, metal, and is integrally formed by press working.

[0018] The bottom wall 21 is a generally flat plate extending in the front-to-rear direction. The side walls 22 extend upward from both left and right ends of the bottom wall 21, forming a generally right angle with the bottom wall 21. The top wall 23 extends from the upper end of the side wall 22 toward the opposing side wall 22. The flange portion 24 extends downward from the end of the top wall 23, generally parallel to the side wall 22.

[0019] A plurality of notches 24a are formed at intervals in the front-rear direction in each flange portion 24. By providing the plurality of notches 24a, a plurality of teeth 24b are formed at the lower end of each flange portion 24. When the teeth 24b are disposed in the through holes 41a (see FIG. 6A) of the locking member 4 and engage with the corresponding teeth 41b of the locking member 4, movement of the upper rail 3 relative to the lower rail 2 is restricted.

[0020] Next, the upper rail 3 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

[0021] The upper rail 3 is made of a long member extending in the front-rear direction. The upper rail 3 has a top wall 31, side walls 32, a bottom wall 33, and a flange portion 34. There are pairs of side walls 32, bottom walls 33, and flange portions 34. The upper rail 3 is made of, for example, metal, and is integrally formed by press working.

[0022] The top wall 31 is generally flat and extends in the front-to-rear direction. The side walls 32 extend downward from both left and right ends of the top wall 31 at a generally right angle to the top wall 31. The bottom wall 33 extends obliquely upward from the side wall 32 and away from the side wall 32. The flange portion 34 extends obliquely upward from the bottom wall 33 and approaches the side wall 32.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 2, a notch 31a is provided in the corner between the top wall 31 and the side wall 32. As shown in Fig. 4, the elastic member 7 is engaged in the notch 31a.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, each side wall 32 has a plurality of notches 32a to 32d formed therein. As shown in FIG. 5, a portion of the rear end of the locking member 4 and the protruding portion 63 of the bracket 6 are disposed within the rearmost notch 32a. Therefore, the rearmost notch 32a is larger than the other notches 32b to 32d. Note that in FIG. 5, the bottom wall 33 and flange portion 34 of the upper rail 3 on the near side of the page are omitted for clarity. By providing the plurality of notches 32a to 32d, a plurality of teeth 32e are formed in each side wall 32. When the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 are locked together, the teeth 32e are disposed within the through-holes 41a of the locking member 4. Furthermore, the teeth 41b of the locking member 4 are disposed within the notches 32a to 32d.

[0025] A notch 32f extending in the vertical direction is provided in each side wall 32. A protrusion 44b (see FIG. 6A) of the locking member 4 is press-fitted into the notch 32f.

[0026] The upper rail 3 is assembled to the lower rail 2 so that both side walls 32 of the upper rail 3 are positioned between a pair of flange portions 24 of the lower rail 2, and the flange portion 34 of the upper rail 3 is positioned between the side walls 22 and the flange portion 24 of the lower rail 2.

[0027] 2 are disposed between the corner portion between the bottom wall 21 and the side wall 22 of the lower rail 2 and the bottom wall 33 of the upper rail 3. In addition, a rolling member 8 is disposed between the upper end of the side wall 22 of the lower rail 2 and the upper end of the flange portion 34 of the upper rail 3. These rolling members 8 allow the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 to slide smoothly in the front-to-rear direction.

[0028] <1-2 Locking member> The locking member 4 will be described mainly with reference to Figures 4, 5, 6A and 6B.

[0029] 6A and 6B, locking member 4 includes locking piece 41, pressed portion 42, extending portion 43, rising portion 44, mounting portion 45, and hanging portion 46. Locking member 4 is manufactured by, for example, pressing a single elastically deformable plate material such as spring steel.

[0030] The pressed portion 42 is provided in front of the lock piece 41. The two extending portions 43 are spaced apart in the left-right direction and extend in the front-rear direction. The two rising portions 44 rise from the front ends of the two extending portions 43, respectively, while tilting slightly backward. The two rising portions 44 are connected to each other at their tops. The mounting portion 45 is connected to the upper ends of the two rising portions 44. The hanging portion 46 extends downward from the front end of the mounting portion 45.

[0031] Each rising portion 44 has a protrusion 44b that protrudes outward. The protrusion 44b is press-fit into the notch 32f of the upper rail 3. The mounting portion 45 is attached to the top wall 31 of the upper rail 3 with a fixing member such as a bolt. In this way, the locking member 4 is fixed to the upper rail 3.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 6A, the locking piece 41 has a plurality of through holes 41a. Portions of the locking piece 41 adjacent to the plurality of through holes 41a in the front-rear direction function as teeth 41b. Each tooth 41b is inserted into the notch 24a of the lower rail 2 and the notches 32a to 32d of the upper rail 3. The rearmost tooth 41b is disposed in the notch 32a (see FIG. 5). When the teeth 41b of the locking piece 41 engage with the corresponding tooth 24b of the lower rail 2, the upper rail 3 to which the locking member 4 is attached is locked relative to the lower rail 2, and the upper rail 3 is prevented from moving relative to the lower rail 2.

[0033] An opening 44a, which is closed at the top, is formed between the two rising portions 44. An opening 46a is also provided in the hanging portion 46. An arm portion 52 of the lever 5 is inserted into the openings 44a and 46a (see FIG. 4).

[0034] The pressing portion 53 of the lever 5 is disposed on the pressed portion 42 (see FIG. 4). When the operating portion 51 of the lever 5 is lifted (i.e., when the unlocking operation is performed), the pressed portion 42 is pressed downward by the pressing portion 53 of the lever 5. When the pressed portion 42 is pressed downward, mainly the extension portion 43 is elastically deformed, and the lock piece 41 moves downward.

[0035] <1-3 Lever and elastic member> The lever 5 and the elastic member 7 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2, the lever 5 includes an operating portion 51, a pair of left and right arm portions 52, and a pressing portion 53 provided at the rear end of each arm portion 52 (the left side of the lever 5 is omitted in FIG. 2). The lever 5 is integrally formed, for example, by pressing a single pipe. The pair of arm portions 52 are integrally connected via the operating portion 51. A notch 52a is provided on the underside of each arm portion 52. The pressing portion 53 is disposed on the pressed portion 42 of the locking member 4.

[0037] The elastic member 7 is engaged with the notch 31a of the upper rail 3 and the notch 52a of the lever 5, and biases the lever 5 upward. The elastic member 7 is formed, for example, by bending a single linear spring.

[0038] The elastic member 7 engaged with the lever 5 bears the weight of the lever 5 (i.e., the downward load), but the upward biasing force of the elastic member 7 is greater than this downward load. Therefore, the lever 5 is biased upward by the elastic member 7, and the arm portion 52 is in contact with the upper edge of the opening 44a.

[0039] When the passenger lifts the operating portion 51, the lever 5 rotates around the contact portion between the arm portion 52 and the upper edge of the opening 44a. When the pressing portion 53 presses down on the pressed portion 42 of the locking member 4, the tooth portion 41b is released from the notch 24a of the lower rail 2 and the notches 32a to 32d of the upper rail 3. In this way, the lock between the lower rail 2 and the upper rail 3 is released. When the passenger releases the operating portion 51 of the lever 5, the lever 5 returns to its original locked position due to the weight of the lever 5 and the elastic force (restoring force) of the locking member 4.

[0040] <1-4 bracket> The bracket 6 will now be described with reference mainly to FIGS.

[0041] The bracket 6 is provided to prevent the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 from being crushed. The bracket 6 is L-shaped in side view. The bracket 6 is, for example, an integrally molded product made of metal or polymer material.

[0042] The bracket 6 includes an attachment portion 61 , a receiving portion 62 , and two protrusions 63 .

[0043] The mounting portion 61 has a flat plate shape extending substantially parallel to the top wall 31 of the upper rail 3. The mounting portion 61 is fixed to the top wall 31 by a fixing member such as a bolt.

[0044] The receiving portion 62 is a portion that receives the load from the locking member 4. The receiving portion 62 is at a substantially right angle to the mounting portion 61 and extends downward from the mounting portion 61. The receiving portion 62 is disposed between a pair of side walls 32 of the upper rail 3 (see FIG. 5). The front surface of the receiving portion 62 faces the rear end portion of the locking member 4. The front surface of the receiving portion 62 is located forward of the rear edge portion 32a' of the notch 32a. The receiving portion 62 is flat. In other words, the front and rear surfaces of the receiving portion 62 are flat. The receiving portion 62 has a vertical length that is greater than the thickness of the rear end portion of the locking member 4.

[0045] Each protrusion 63 protrudes in the left-right direction from approximately the center position of the receiving portion 62 in the up-down direction. Each protrusion 63 is disposed within the notch 32a of each side wall 32 (see FIG. 5). The front surface of each protrusion 63 faces the rear end of the locking member 4. It is preferable that the rear surface of each protrusion 63 contacts the rear edge 32a' of the notch 32a. The front and rear surfaces of each protrusion 63 are flat and are flush with the front and rear surfaces of the receiving portion 62. Furthermore, each protrusion 63 has a length in the up-down direction that is greater than the thickness of the rear end of the locking member 4.

[0046] <2 Features> When a forward load is applied to the upper rail 3, such as when another vehicle collides with the vehicle from behind, the upper rail 3 moves forward. However, the locking member 4 does not move forward because it is engaged with the lower rail 2. Because the seat slide device 1 includes the bracket 6, the front surfaces of the receiving portion 62 and the protruding portion 63 collide with the rear end of the locking member 4. That is, because the front surfaces of the receiving portion 62 and the protruding portion 63 are positioned forward of the edge 32a' of the notch 32a of the upper rail 3, the rear end of the locking member 4 does not come into direct contact with the edge 32a' of the notch 32a, but collides with the front surfaces of the receiving portion 62 and the protruding portion 63. As a result, the load from the locking member 4 can be received by the receiving portion 62 and the protruding portion 63, preventing the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 from being crushed. Furthermore, by providing the bracket 6, the side wall 32 of the upper rail 3 can be prevented from collapsing without increasing the thickness of the side wall 32 to increase its cross-sectional strength, thereby suppressing an increase in the mass of the upper rail 3.

[0047] The bracket 6 includes a protrusion 63, which is disposed within the notch 32a of the upper rail 3. When a load is applied from the locking member 4 to the bracket 6, the protrusion 63 is supported by the edge 32a' of the notch 32a. This prevents the receiving portion 62 and each protrusion 63 from deforming rearward. Furthermore, because the rear surface of each protrusion 63 is flat, each protrusion 63 comes into surface contact with the edge 32a' of the notch 32a. Therefore, even if each protrusion 63 collides with the edge 32a', the side wall 32 will not be crushed.

[0048] The seat slide device 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 Seat slide device 2 Lower rail 3 Upper Rail 32 Side wall 32a notch 32a' Rear edge of the notch 4 Locking member 6 Bracket 62 Receiving part 63 Protrusion S seat

Claims

1. A seat slide device for adjusting the front-rear position of a vehicle seat, Lower rails that can be fixed to the vehicle body, an upper rail fixable to the seat, the upper rail having a side wall with a notch; a locking member attached to the upper rail and restricting relative movement between the lower rail and the upper rail, the locking member having a rear end portion disposed in the notch; a bracket including a receiving portion having a front surface and a rear surface, the front surface of the receiving portion facing the rear end portion of the locking member and being disposed forward of a rear edge of the notch on which a portion of the rear end portion of the locking member is disposed; A seat slide device comprising:

2. The bracket has a protruding portion that protrudes from the receiving portion in the left-right direction of the vehicle, the rear surface of the protruding portion is flat, and the protruding portion is disposed within the notch. The seat slide device according to claim 1 .

3. The rear surface of the protrusion is in contact with the rear edge portion. The seat slide device according to claim 2 .

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