Seat slide device

Abstract

To arrange an energization member so as not to affect operation ranges of an operation member and a lever member, simplify the shape of the energization member and further facilitate attachment / detachment of the operation member.SOLUTION: A seat slide device 101 includes a lever member 131, a lock member 117, a rear side energization member 136, an operation member 133, and a front side energization member 135. A cylindrical part of the operation member 133 is inserted into the inner side of the front end of the lever member 131. At the front end of the front side energization member 135 inserted into the cylindrical part of the operation member 133, a locking part 139 for regulating movement to the front side of the operation member 133, and a release part 140 extending to the front side from the locking part 139 are formed. In the cylindrical part of the operation member 133, a through hole 176 penetrating into the inside of the cylindrical part of the operation member 133 is formed at a position facing the release part 140 or a position on the front side of the release part 140, on an upper surface 169b1 or a lower surface 169b3 of a part on the front side of the part inserted into the lever member 131.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12A

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 lever member is supported on the upper rail so as to be rotatable about a left-right axis, and a locking portion is disposed at the rear end of the lever member to engage with and disengage from a locking groove provided in the lower rail that is continuous in the longitudinal direction. An operating member is connected to the front end of the lever member, and the lever member is configured to rotate upward integrally with the operating member by lifting an operating handle upward. Furthermore, a biasing member is provided between the operating member and the lever member to prevent the operating member from moving forward and backward relative to the lever member.

[0004] On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a structure in which an arrowhead provided at the front end of a lock plate (lever member) is inserted into the inside of a slide lever (operating member). In Patent Document 2, a cylindrical spring is provided between the inner surface of the operating member and the arrowhead of the lever member to prevent the operating member from coming off. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-166434 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-219768 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1, the biasing member is located below the operating member, thereby narrowing the operating range (angle) of the operating member. On the other hand, in Patent Document 2, the arrowhead is inserted into the operating member by forming two overlapping vertical walls. Furthermore, increasing the diameter of the operating member significantly increases its weight, resulting in a small arrowhead that is insufficient in strength. Furthermore, even if the cross section of the arrowhead in Patent Document 2 is made rectangular, for example, to ensure its strength, the spring and operating member are located outside it. This results in the operating member and lever member becoming larger in the vertical direction, narrowing the operating range (angle). Furthermore, to reduce the burden on the operator when attaching and detaching the operating member and shortening the work time, it is desirable to facilitate the attachment and detachment of the operating member to and from the lever member, particularly the removal of the operating member from the lever member.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to position the biasing member so as not to affect the operating range of the operating member and the lever member, to simplify the shape of the biasing member, and to make it easier to attach and detach the operating member. [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 with respect 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 is disengaged from the locked portion, a rear 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 lever member has a pair of left and right side walls extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail, an upper support portion provided at an upper end of a front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls and extending toward the other side wall in the left-right direction, and a lower support portion provided at a lower end of the front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls and extending toward the other side wall in the left-right direction. The pair of left and right side walls, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion give the front end of the lever member a generally rectangular cross section, and the cylindrical portion of the operating member is inserted into this front end. A front biasing member is provided, formed from a rod-shaped member, with its support portion engaged with a locking portion provided on the upper rail and its front end inserted into the cylindrical portion of the operating member. The front end of the front biasing member is formed with a stopper portion that urges the operating member upward to press the operating member against the upper support portion, and engages with an inner protrusion provided on the operating member to restrict forward movement of the operating member, and a release portion extending forward from the stopper portion. A through-hole that penetrates into the cylindrical portion of the operating member is formed on the top or bottom surface of a portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member, at a position facing the release portion or forward of the release portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, the biasing member is arranged so as not to affect the operating range of the operating member and the lever member, the shape of the biasing member is simplified, and further, the operating member can be easily attached and detached. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1]1 is an exploded perspective view of a seat slide device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 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 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a rear view of the rear end portion of the operating member as seen from behind. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the lever member and the biasing member as viewed from above. [Figure 10A] 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 10B] 10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device showing the other bearing portion. FIG. [Figure 11A] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the lever member seen from above before the operation member is attached. [Figure 11B] 3 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device, showing a state before an operating member is attached. FIG. [Figure 12A] 4 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device before the operation of removing the operating member. FIG. [Figure 12B] FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the operating member of FIG. 12A. [Figure 13A] 10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of the seat slide device during a removal operation of the operating member. FIG. [Figure 13B] FIG. 13B is a cross-sectional view of the operating member of FIG. 13A. [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. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a lever member and an urging member of a seat slide device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from above. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is an enlarged side cross-sectional view of a main part of a seat slide device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which an operating member is being removed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

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

[0012] [First embodiment] A seat slide device 101 according to a first embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 1 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 sides. In the following description (including other embodiments), "front" refers to the front side (FR) of the vehicle on the left side in Fig. 1, "rear" refers to the rear side (RR) of the vehicle on 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. 2, 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 hangs 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 a ball retainer 111, which is omitted in Fig. 2. The ball retainer 111 supports 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 a housing section 113 (Fig. 2) surrounded by the lower outer wall 103b, the lower inclined wall 103c, the lower upper wall 103d, and the lower inner wall 103e, at two locations, one at the front and one at the back, and also arranged in a pair at the left and right in the housing section 113, for a total of four locations on the rail body 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 5, 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 4, 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] Further, both 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 a pair of left and right locking portions 105g formed at the same position in the vehicle longitudinal direction and vertical direction and for locking a biasing member 132 (described later). The pair of left and right 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 inward from the upper side walls 105b.

[0024] 3, 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 vicinity of the front and rear portions. 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, 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 moves 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 6, 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. 10A), 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. 10B). 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 the bottom surfaces of the pair of left and right recessed grooves 147a each come 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 FIG. 14).

[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 end of the opposite opposing side. The upper surface of the front lower wall 147b forms a front lower support surface 147c. A front upper protrusion 157, which serves as a front upper support portion, is formed at the upper end of the front end of one of the left and right side walls 147 and extends inward in the left-right direction from the one side wall 147 toward the opposing other side wall 147, bending from the one side wall 147 toward the other opposing side wall 147. In other words, the upper support portion has a front upper protrusion 157, which serves as a front upper support portion, located forward of the rotation center (shaft member 115) of the lever members 131. The lower surface of this front upper protrusion 157 forms a front upper support surface 157a.

[0032] At the upper ends of the front ends of both side walls 147, front upper protrusions 157 may be formed as front upper support parts that extend in the left-right direction so as to bend toward opposite sides from both side walls 147. In this case, the tips of the left and right front upper protrusions 157 are spaced apart from each other, forming a gap between them.

[0033] A rear upper protrusion 158 serving as a rear upper support portion is formed on an upper portion of one of the left and right side walls 147, rearward of the front upper protrusion 157 and forward of the recessed groove 147a, and extends inward in the left-right direction from the one side wall 147 toward the opposing other side wall 147. That is, the upper support portion has the rear upper protrusion 158 serving as a rear upper support portion provided between the rotation center (shaft member 115) of the lever member 131 and the front upper support portion (front upper protrusion 157). The lower surface of the rear upper protrusion 158 constitutes a rear upper support surface 158a. That is, a pair of front and rear upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) facing an upper surface 169b1 of the rear end portion of the operating member 133 are provided at a distance in the vehicle front-rear direction on the front end portion of the lever member 131. Furthermore, at the front end of the lever member 131, a front lower support surface 147c that faces a lower surface 169b3 of the rear end of the operating member 133 is provided below the front upper support surface 157a.

[0034] Rear upper protrusions 158 may be formed as rear upper support portions that extend in the left-right direction and bend toward opposite sides from both side walls 147, at the top of each side wall 147 behind front upper protrusions 157 and in front of recessed grooves 147a. In this case, the tips of the left and right rear upper protrusions 158 are spaced apart from each other, forming a gap between them.

[0035] 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.

[0036] 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.

[0037] Furthermore, a pair of left and right recesses 147e are provided on both side walls 147 behind the recessed groove 147a and forward of the front protrusion 134a, forming narrow portions 147f that make the distance between both side walls 147 narrower than the front and rear ends. This forms a gap in the left-right direction between the pair of upper side walls 105b of the upper rail 105 and the narrow portions 147f.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 7 , the biasing member 132 is formed of a pair of left and right elongated rod-shaped members extending substantially parallel to each other, and extends in the front-rear direction inside the upper rail 105 along the upper side wall 105b of the upper rail 105. The biasing member 132 has a front biasing member 135 having a pair of left and right front operating portions 135a that respectively 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 member 132 also has a rear biasing member 136 that has a pair of left and right rear operating portions 136a that respectively 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 member 132 also has a pair of left and right intermediate support portions 137 that are formed between the front operating portion 135a and the rear operating portion 136a and are respectively engaged with a pair of left and right engaging portions 105g provided on the upper side wall 105b of the upper rail 105.

[0039] The rear biasing member 136 extends from the intermediate support portion 137 to the rear acting portion 136a along the inner surfaces of the left and right upper side walls 105b, and has a connecting portion 136b at its rear end to which the pair of left and right rear acting portions 136a are connected. Therefore, the rear biasing member 136 (biasing member 132) is formed in a substantially U-shape in a plan view. The connecting portion 136b of the rear biasing member 136 abuts against the lower surface of the locking member 117 from below, and the rear acting portion 136a (connecting portion 136b) biases the locking member 117 upward (toward the locked position). The connecting portion 136b of the rear biasing member 136 is positioned between the downward protrusion 117c and the rear protrusion 134c, thereby regulating the range of movement of the rear biasing member 136 (biasing member 132) in the front-rear direction.

[0040] The rear end portion (a pair of left and right rear acting portions 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 (a pair of left and right middle support portions 137) extends above the lever member 131 through the recess 147e (the gap between the narrow portion 147f and the upper side wall 105b).

[0041] On the other hand, the front biasing member 135 extends from the intermediate support portion 137 to the front acting portion 135a along the inner surfaces of both the left and right upper side walls 105b. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 are biased so as to move apart outward in the left-right direction and are also biased upward by the elastic force of the biasing member 132. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the front biasing member 135 abut separately from below against the inner surface of the operating member 133, and each front acting portion 135a biases the front end of the lever member 131 upward via the operating member 133.

[0042] A guide portion 138 inclined with respect to the vehicle longitudinal direction is formed at the front portion (tip) of each of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a to guide the front acting portions 135a into the connection end portion 169 of the operating member 133 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a are adapted to abut against the front end of the lever member 131 at different positions in the vehicle longitudinal direction between the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a. Of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, the front acting portion 135a located on the front side has a retaining portion 139 extending from one side to the other side in the lateral direction of the flat surface 170a of the operating member 133 on which it is located. Of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, the front acting portion 135a located on the front side has a release portion 140 extending further forward from the retaining portion 139. The release portion 140 is inclined so as to face inward in the left-right direction, and extends forward so as to be inclined downward.

[0043] That is, of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, the front acting portion 135a located on the front side has a generally crank shape bent from one end side of the flat portion 170a in the left-right direction to the other end side. The portion of the front acting portion 135a located on the front side that extends in the left-right direction functions as the retaining portion 139, and the portion of the front acting portion 135a located on the front side that extends in the front-rear direction along the other end side of the flat portion 170a functions as the release portion 140.

[0044] The front biasing member 135 has its rear end (a pair of left and right intermediate support portions 137) located above the lever member 131, and its front end (a pair of left and right front acting portions 135a, guide portion 138, retention portion 139, release portion 140) bent inward so as to approach each other and extend forward between both side walls 147.

[0045] The front biasing member 135 and the rear biasing member 136 are integral (one member).

[0046] Although not shown, in another embodiment, the front biasing member 135 and the rear biasing member 136 may be separate bodies (separate members).

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 8, the connection end 169 includes an upper surface 169b1, side surfaces 169b2 extending downward from both left and right ends of the upper surface 169b1, and lower surfaces 169b3 provided at the lower ends of the left and right side surfaces 169b2. The connection end 169 has a flat surface 170a at its upper end and a generally semicircular cross section having an arcuate surface 170b convex downward at its lower end. A pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the front biasing member 135 are respectively disposed at both left and right ends of the flat surface 170a. That is, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a are disposed at the outer left and right ends of the flat surface 170a by the elastic force of the front acting portions 135a.

[0050] 11A and 11B, an inner protrusion 173 that protrudes downward from a flat surface 170a is provided on the upper inner surface of the connection end 169. The inner protrusion 173 is formed by cutting and raising downward from the flat surface 170a of the connection end 169. That is, the inner protrusion 173 is formed by bending a part of the flat surface 170a of the connection end 169 inward to make it protrude.

[0051] An inclined surface 174 inclined with respect to the flat surface 170a is formed at the rear of the inner protrusion 173 so that the retaining portion 139 can climb over the inner protrusion 173 when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131. In addition, an engaging surface 175 perpendicular to the flat surface 170a is formed at the front of the inner protrusion 173 so that the forward movement of the operating member 133 is restricted when the operating member 133 is attached to the lever member 131 and the retaining portion 139 and the inner protrusion 173 are engaged.

[0052] Furthermore, a through-hole 176 is formed in the upper surface 169b1 of the connecting end 169, which is the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133, in a portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member 131. The through-hole 176 is further formed in the upper surface 169b1 of the connecting end 169, in a position forward of the inner protrusion 173 of the flat portion 170a, so as to face the front end of the releasing portion 140. The through-hole 176 is formed to a size that allows a rod-shaped releasing member 180 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B) to be inserted from above (upper surface 169b1), and in this embodiment, is a circular hole. The releasing member 180 is used to release the engagement between the retaining portion 139 and the inner protrusion 173, and may be a dedicated member for disengaging the engagement, or may be a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0053] In this embodiment, through-hole 176 is provided in upper surface 169b1 of connection end portion 169, but through-hole 176 may also be provided in lower surface 169b3 of connection end portion 169. In this case, through-hole 176 is formed to a size that allows rod-shaped release member 180 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B) to be inserted from below (lower surface 169b3), and further, the shape of release member 180 is appropriately set so that release portion 140 can be pulled from below.

[0054] 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 or the rear upper support surface 158a of the lever member 131. That is, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 abut against the front upper support surface 157a or the rear upper support surface 158a of the lever member 131. Furthermore, the pair of left and right movement restricting protrusions 147d formed on the lever member 131 abut against the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a in the left-right direction. 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 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.

[0055] Next, an example of a procedure for assembling the operating member 133 to the rail body 106 (lever member 131) and an operation for removing the operating member 133 from the rail body 106 (lever member 131) will be described.

[0056] (1) Before mounting the operating member 133 The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a contact the upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, rear upper support surface 158a) of the lever member 131 and the movement restricting protrusion 147d, and are respectively arranged on the inner portions of the upper ends of the left and right side walls 147, and are inclined so as to face the center in the left-right and up-down directions so that each guide portion 138 fits into the connecting end 169 of the operating member 133 (see Figure 11A).

[0057] (2) When the operating member 133 is attached As the operating member 133 moves rearward, the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a are pushed downward by the guide portion 138 and move inward in the left-right direction, thereby entering into the connecting end portion 169 of the operating member 133. The retaining portion 139 of the front acting portion 135a on the left side in the vehicle width direction climbs over the inner protrusion portion 173 as it is pushed downward by the inclined surface 174 of the inner protrusion portion 173.

[0058] (3) After the operation member 133 is attached The locking surface 175 of the inner protrusion 173 faces the front acting portion 135a on the left side in the vehicle width direction, restricting forward movement (in the direction of removal) of the operating member 133. In addition, the rear end surface of the operating member 133 faces the movement restricting protrusion 147d, restricting further rearward movement (in the direction of pushing) of the operating member 133.

[0059] (4) Operation for removing the operating member 133 In this embodiment, the operating member 133 is removed by pushing it from above (upper surface 169b1) with the release member 180 (see FIGS. 12A and 12B). The release member 180 is inserted into the connecting end portion 169 of the operating member 133 from the through-hole 176, and the front end of the release portion 140 is pushed downward by the inserted release member 180, thereby disengaging the retaining portion 139 from the locking surface 175 of the inner protrusion 173 (see FIGS. 13A and 13B).

[0060] 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.

[0061] The pair of front acting portions 135a of the biasing member 132 engage from below with the lower surface (inner surface of the upper surface 169b1) of the rear end portion of the operating member 133 at a position below the front upper support surface 157a and the rear upper support surface 158a, thereby biasing the operating member 133 upward. As a result, the upper surface 169b1 of the operating member 133 contacts the pair of upper support surfaces (front upper support surface 157a, 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 portion 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 portion of the operating member 133, respectively.

[0062] As shown in FIG. 14, on one side (the right side in the vehicle width direction), a length L1b between a contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the urging member 132 and a contact point (front action point P1b) between the front end of the lever member 131 and the front action portion 135a of the urging member 132 is shorter than a length L2 between the contact point (support point P0) between the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the urging member 132 and a contact point (rear action point P2) between the rear end of the lever member 131 and the rear action portion 136a of the urging member 132 (rear action point P2). <L2)。

[0063] On the other hand, on the other side (left side in the vehicle width direction), the length L1a between the contact point (support point P0) of the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (front acting point P1a) of the front end portion of the lever member 131 and the front acting portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is substantially the same as the length L2 between the contact point (support point P0) of the locking portion 105g and the intermediate support portion 137 of the biasing member 132 and the contact point (rear acting point P2) of the rear end portion of the lever member 131 and the rear acting portion 136a of the biasing member 132 (L1a ≒ L2).

[0064] When the rotational moment at the support point P0 is such that the biasing forces acting on the front acting points P1a and P1b are the front biasing forces F1a and F1b, and the biasing force acting on the rear acting point P2 is the rear biasing force F2, from the moment balance "M0 = (F1a × L1a + F1b × L1b) - F2 × L2 = 0", it is "F1a × L1a + F1b × L1b = F2 × L2". Here, in the present embodiment, the length L1b between the support point P0 and one of the front acting points P1b is made shorter than the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear acting point P2 (L1b < L2). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the length L1a between the support point P0 and the other front acting point P1a is substantially the same as the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear acting point P2 (L1a ≒ L2). That is, the force (F1a + F1b) for biasing the front end portion of the lever member 131 upward (unlocking direction) is larger than the force F2 for biasing the rear end portion of the lever member 131 upward (locking direction) ((F1a + F1b) > F2).

[0065] Here, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131, the front end portion of the lever member 131, and the contact point (front-side acting point P1a) of the other front-side acting portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L3a". On the other hand, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131, the front end portion of the lever member 131, and the contact point (front-side acting point P1b) of the one front-side acting portion 135a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L3b". Also, the length between the rotation center Q of the lever member 131, the rear end portion of the lever member 131, and the contact point (rear-side acting point P2) of the rear-side acting portion 136a of the biasing member 132 is defined as "L4". At this time, the lengths L3a, L3b, and L4 are set such that the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 has a larger moment (Mb = F2 × L4) on the rear end portion side than the total moment Ma (Ma1 + Ma2 = F1a × L3a + F1b × L3b) on the front end portion side.

[0066] In the present embodiment, the aforementioned length L3a is made shorter than the length L1a (L1a > L3a), and the aforementioned length L3b is made shorter than the length L1b (L1b > L3b), and at the same time, the aforementioned length L2 is made shorter than the length L4 (L2 < L4). By doing so, the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 has a larger moment (Mb = F2 × L4) on the rear end portion side than the total moment Ma (Ma1 + Ma2 = F1a × L3a + F1b × L3b) on the front end portion side.

[0067] Therefore, the rotational moment at the rotation center Q of the lever member 131 acts as a biasing force that biases the rear end portion (lock member 117) of the lever member 131 in the locking direction.

[0068] Next, the operation of the seat slide device 101 configured as described above will be described.

[0069] 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.

[0070] 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).

[0071] 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.

[0072] 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] The following describes the operation and effect of the seat slide device 101 according to this embodiment.

[0075] (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 relative 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 in which it engages with a locked portion (locking groove 127) formed in the lower rail 103 and an unlocked position in which it is disengaged from the locked portion, a rear biasing member 136 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 lever member 131 has a pair of left and right side walls 147 extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail 105, an upper support portion (front upper protrusion 157, rear upper protrusion 158) provided at an upper end of the front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls 147 and extending toward the other side wall 147 in the left-right direction, and a lower support portion (front lower wall 147b) provided at a lower end of the front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls 147 and extending toward the other side wall 147 in the left-right direction. The pair of left and right side walls 147, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion give the front end of the lever member 131 a substantially rectangular cross section, and a cylindrical portion (connection end 169) of the operating member 133 is inserted into the front end portion. A front biasing member 135 is provided, which is formed from a rod-shaped member, has a support portion engaged with a locking portion 105g provided on the upper rail 105, and has a front end portion inserted into the interior of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133. The front end of the front biasing member 135 is formed with a retaining portion 139 that urges the operating member 133 upward to press the operating member 133 against the upper support portion, and that engages with an inner protrusion 173 provided on the operating member 133 to restrict forward movement of the operating member 133, and a release portion 140 that extends forward from the retaining portion 139. A through-hole 176 that penetrates into the interior of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133 is formed on an upper surface 169b1 or a lower surface 169b3 of a portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member 131, at a position facing the release portion 140.

[0076] Because the structure is such that the front-side biasing member 135 is inserted into the inside of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133, there is no need to provide the front-side biasing member 135 in the space above and below the lever member 131 and the operating member 133, and a large space can be secured for the operation of the lever member 131 and the operating member 133. Therefore, the layout of the lever member 131 and the operating member 133 is easy.

[0077] The front end of the front biasing member 135 has a shape formed by bending a thin rod-like member, which simplifies the shape of the front biasing member 135 for biasing and preventing it from coming off, and also reduces manufacturing costs.

[0078] Because through-hole 176 provided in operating member 133 is positioned opposite release portion 140 in the cylindrical portion of operating member 133, release member 180 can be used to push down release portion 140 to disengage retaining portion 139 from inner protrusion 173. This makes it possible to easily remove operating member 133 from lever member 131.

[0079] (2) The upper support portion has a front upper support portion (front upper protrusion 157) provided forward of the rotation center (shaft member 115) of the lever member 131, and a rear upper support portion (rear upper protrusion 158) provided between the rotation center of the lever member 131 and the front upper support portion. The front biasing member 135 has a pair of left and right front acting portions 135a extending approximately parallel to each other. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a respectively abut against the operating member 133 at different positions in the front-to-rear direction between the front upper support portion and the rear upper support portion, thereby urging the operating member 133 upward. One front acting portion 135a abuts against the operating member 133 near the front upper support portion, and has a retaining portion 139 and a release portion 140 formed in a position forward of the front end of the other front acting portion 135a.

[0080] A pair of front acting portions 135a, a retaining portion 139, and a release portion 140 can be compactly arranged side by side in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle inside the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133, and interference between the pair of front acting portions 135a can be prevented when the operating member 133 is moved up and down.

[0081] (3) The portion of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133 that is inserted into the lever member 131 is formed to have a generally semicircular cross section with a flat portion 170a at the top, and the inner protrusion 173 of the operating member 133 is formed by a part of the flat portion 170a protruding inward. The pair of left and right front acting portions 135a are respectively positioned at the outer left and right ends of the flat portion 170a by the elastic force of each front acting portion 135a.

[0082] Since the left-right positions of the pair of left and right front acting portions 135a of the front biasing member 135 are stable, the generation of abnormal noise and rattle due to positional deviation of the front biasing member 135 can be suppressed.

[0083] The cylindrical portion of the operating member 133 can be formed by pressing the tip of a cylindrical pipe member up and down, which makes it easy to process and also makes it possible to increase the rigidity of the cylindrical portion.

[0084] (4) One front acting portion 135a has a generally crank shape bent from one end to the other in the left-right direction of the flat portion 170a. The portion of one front acting portion 135a extending in the left-right direction functions as the retaining portion 139, and the portion of one front acting portion 135a extending in the front-rear direction along the other end of the flat portion 170a functions as the release portion 140.

[0085] Since the front acting portion 135a can be formed by bending a rod-shaped member into a generally crank shape, the front biasing member 135 including the front acting portion 135a can be easily formed.

[0086] (5) The release portion 140 is inclined from the other end of the flat portion 170a in the left-right direction toward the inside in the left-right direction and extends forward so as to be inclined downward. The through-hole 176 is formed in the upper surface 169b1 or the lower surface 169b3 of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133 at a position forward of the inner protrusion 173 of the flat portion 170a so as to face the front end of the release portion 140.

[0087] By inserting release member 180 into the inside of the cylindrical portion of operating member 133 from through-hole 176 and pressing release portion 140, it is possible to use release member 180 to press release portion 140. Therefore, the engagement between retaining portion 139 and inner protrusion 173 can be easily released, and operating member 133 can be removed from lever member 131.

[0088] (6) An inclined surface 174 is formed at the rear of inner protrusion 173 so that retaining portion 139 can climb over inner protrusion 173 when operating member 133 is attached to lever member 131. An engagement surface 175 is formed at the front of inner protrusion 173 so that forward movement of operating member 133 is restricted when operating member 133 is attached to lever member 131 and retaining portion 139 and inner protrusion 173 are engaged.

[0089] The inner protrusion 173 engages with the retaining portion 139 of the front biasing member 135, and can restrict the movement of the operating member 133 to the front side (in the direction of removal).

[0090] Furthermore, when attaching the operating member 133 to the lever member 131, the inner protrusion 173 presses the retaining portion 139 downward, so that the operating member 133 can be easily assembled to the lever member 131.

[0091] (7) The lever member 131 has a movement restriction protrusion 147d that is located rearward of the upper support portion and restricts the rearward movement of the operating member 133. The movement restriction protrusion 147d is formed by protruding a portion of the pair of left and right side walls 147 inward.

[0092] This makes it possible to regulate the position of the operating member 133 relative to the lever member 131 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle together with the retaining portion 139 of the front biasing member 135 .

[0093] [Second embodiment] 17 and 18 show a seat slide device 101A according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] The following mainly describes the differences in shape, structure, etc. from the first embodiment.

[0095] 17 and 18, a through-hole 176A is formed in the underside 169b3 of the connecting end 169, which is the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133A, at a portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member 131. The through-hole 176A is formed in the underside 169b3 of the connecting end 169 at a position forward of the front end of the releasing portion 140. The through-hole 176A is sized to allow a rod-shaped releasing member 180A to be inserted from below (the underside 169b3), and in this embodiment, the through-hole 176A is configured as an elongated hole extending in the front-rear direction. The releasing member 180A is used to release the engagement between the retaining portion 139 and the inner protrusion 173, and may be a dedicated member for releasing the engagement or a tool such as a screwdriver.

[0096] In this embodiment, through-hole 176A is provided in lower surface 169b3 of connection end portion 169, but through-hole 176A may also be provided in upper surface 169b1 of connection end portion 169. In this case, through-hole 176A is formed to a size that allows rod-shaped release member 180A to be inserted from above (upper surface 169b1), and further, the shape of release member 180A is appropriately set so that release portion 140 can be pushed downward from above.

[0097] Next, an example of an operation for removing the operating member 133A from the rail body 106 (lever member 131) will be described.

[0098] (Operation for removing the operating member 133A) In this embodiment, operation member 133A is removed by pushing it down from below (lower surface 169b3) with release member 180A. Release member 180A is inserted into connecting end portion 169 of operation member 133 through through-hole 176A, and the tip of release member 180A is inserted between release portion 140 and upper surface 169b1 of connecting end portion 169. Then, release member 180A is rotated around the edge of through-hole 176A as a fulcrum, or the tip of release member 180A is slid rearward along the inner surface of upper surface 169b1, thereby pushing the front end of release portion 140 downward and disengaging stop portion 139 from locking surface 175 of inner protrusion 173.

[0099] The following describes the effects of the seat slide device 101A according to the second embodiment, but the description of the effects common to the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0100] (1) In the cylindrical portion (connection end 169) of the operating member 133A, a through hole 176A is formed on the upper surface 169b1 or the lower surface 169b3 of the portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member 131, at a position forward of the release portion 140, which penetrates into the interior of the cylindrical portion.

[0101] Because through-hole 176A provided in operating member 133A is located at a position forward of release portion 140 in the cylindrical portion of operating member 133A, release member 180A can be used to press down release portion 140 to disengage retaining portion 139 from inner protrusion 173. This makes it possible to easily remove operating member 133A from lever member 131.

[0102] (2) The through-hole 176A is formed in the upper surface 169b1 or the lower surface 169b3 of the cylindrical portion of the operating member 133 at a position forward of the front end of the releasing portion 140.

[0103] The release member 180A is inserted from the through-hole 176A into the inside of the cylindrical portion of the operation member 133A, and by pushing the release portion 140, the release portion 140 can be pushed using the release member 180A. Therefore, the engagement between the retaining portion 139 and the inner protruding portion 173 can be easily released, and the operation member 133A can be removed from the lever member 131A.

[0104] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, these embodiments are merely examples described for facilitating the understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. The technical scope of the present invention includes not only the specific technical matters disclosed in the above embodiments but also various modifications, changes, alternative technologies, etc. that can be easily derived therefrom.

[0105] For example, in the above-described embodiment, the length L1a between the support point P0 on the other side (left side in the vehicle width direction) and the front acting point P1a and the length L2 between the support point P0 and the rear acting point P2 are made substantially the same length (L1a≒L2). However, similar to one side (right side in the vehicle width direction), the length L1a may be shorter than the length L2 (L1a<L2). Also, if the combined force (F1a + F1b) of the front biasing forces is greater than the rear biasing force F2 ((F1a + F1b)>F2), the length L1a may be made longer than the length L2.

[0106] Also, the lower ends of the front end portions of the lever member 131 are connected to each other by the front lower wall 147b, but they may be shaped to be connected to each other by the front upper protrusion 157. In this case, the lever member 131 has an inverted U-shaped configuration with the lower wall 134 connecting the lower ends of the left and right side walls 147 serving as the upper wall connecting the upper ends and being open at the bottom.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0107] 101, 101A Seat Slide Device 103 Lower Rail 105 Upper Rail 105g Locking Portion 115 Shaft Member 117 Locking Member 125b Locking Teeth 127 Lock groove 131, 131A Lever member 132 biasing member 133,133A Operating member 135 Front biasing member 135a Front side working part 136 Rear biasing member 139 Retaining part 140 Release unit 147 Side wall 147d Movement restriction protrusion 157 Anterior upper projection 158 Upper posterior process 169 Connection end 169b1 Top surface 169b3 Bottom surface 170a flat part 173 Inner protrusion 174 Slope 175 Locking surface 176,176A through hole 180,180A Release member

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 rear biasing member that biases the locking portion toward the locked position; an operating member connected to a front end of the lever member, The lever member is a pair of left and right side walls extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper rail; an upper support portion provided at an upper end of a front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls and extending toward the other side wall in the left-right direction; a lower support portion provided at a lower end of a front end of at least one of the pair of left and right side walls and extending toward the other side wall in the left-right direction; the pair of left and right side walls, the upper support portion, and the lower support portion form a front end portion of the lever member having a substantially rectangular cross section, and the cylindrical portion of the operating member is inserted into the front end portion, a front biasing member formed from a rod-shaped member, a support portion of which is engaged with an engaging portion provided on the upper rail, and a front end portion of which is inserted into the cylindrical portion of the operating member; a front end portion of the front biasing member is formed with a retaining portion that urges the operating member upward to press the operating member against the upper support portion, and that engages with an inner protrusion provided on the operating member to restrict forward movement of the operating member, and a release portion that extends forward from the retaining portion; A through hole penetrating into the cylindrical portion of the operating member is formed on the upper surface or lower surface of a portion forward of the portion inserted into the lever member, at a position facing the release portion or at a position forward of the release portion. Seat slide device.

2. the upper support portion includes a front upper support portion provided forward of a rotation center of the lever member, and a rear upper support portion provided between the rotation center of the lever member and the front upper support portion, the front biasing member has a pair of left and right front acting portions extending substantially parallel to each other, the pair of left and right front acting portions separately come into contact with the operating member at different positions in the front-rear direction between the front upper support portion and the rear upper support portion, and urge the operating member upward; one of the front acting portions that contacts the operating member at a position close to the front upper support portion is formed with the retaining portion and the releasing portion at a position forward of a front end of the other front acting portion; The seat slide device according to claim 1 .

3. a cylindrical portion of the operating member that is inserted into the lever member has a substantially semicircular cross section with a flat portion at an upper portion; the inner protrusion of the operating member is formed by protruding a part of the flat surface inward, The pair of left and right front acting portions are respectively disposed at outer end portions in the left and right direction of the planar portion by the elastic force of each of the front acting portions. The seat slide device according to claim 2 .

4. the one front acting portion has a generally crank shape bent from one end side to the other end side in the left-right direction of the planar portion, a portion of the one of the front acting portions extending in the left-right direction functions as the retaining portion, and a portion of the one of the front acting portions extending in the front-rear direction along the other end side of the flat portion functions as the releasing portion; The seat slide device according to claim 3 .

5. the release portion is inclined from the other end side of the flat portion in the left-right direction to face inward in the left-right direction and extends forward to be inclined downward, the through-hole is formed on the upper surface or the lower surface of the cylindrical portion of the operating member at a position forward of the inner protrusion of the flat portion so as to face the front end of the release portion. The seat slide device according to claim 4.

6. The release portion is inclined so as to face inward in the left-right direction and extends forward so as to be inclined downward, The through hole is formed in the upper surface or the lower surface of the cylindrical portion of the operating member at a position forward of the front end of the release portion. The seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

7. a rear portion of the inner protrusion is formed with an inclined surface that is inclined so that the retaining portion can climb over the inner protrusion when the operating member is attached to the lever member; a locking surface is formed at the front portion of the inner protrusion so that forward movement of the operating member is restricted when the operating member is attached to the lever member and the retaining portion and the inner protrusion are engaged with each other; The seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The lever member has a movement restricting protrusion located rearward of the upper support portion and restricting rearward movement of the operating member, the movement restricting protrusion being formed by protruding a portion of the pair of left and right side walls inward. The seat slide device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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