Seat sliding apparatus for vehicle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a slide device for a vehicle seat that enables switching between a power mode and a manual mode, and may include: a lower rail formed on a vehicle body; an upper rail that supports a seat or seat frame and is installed to enable forward and backward sliding along the lower rail; a driving device that drives the upper rail forward and backward using a rotating body formed on the upper rail and rotated by a driving motor while in rolling contact with the lower rail; and a mode switching device that moves the position of the rotating body so that, in a power mode, the rotating body is in rolling contact with the lower rail, and in a manual mode, the rotating body is separated from the lower rail by a distance.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a sliding device for a vehicle seat, and more specifically, to a sliding device for a vehicle seat that enables switching between a power mode and a manual mode. Background Technology

[0002] Generally, vehicle seats are installed to slide electrically or manually along rails installed on the vehicle floor to adjust to positions suitable for different body types of passengers or to utilize the interior space of the vehicle. Recently, as users enjoy car camping or camping in leisure vehicles or multi-purpose vehicles, seats applied to these vehicles are equipped with so-called long slides that move a longer distance compared to conventional seats.

[0003] However, due to the basic structure of the motor applied for forward and backward movement of the electric seat, a worm gear combination is applied inside the motor module for reduction, and because of the self-locking mechanism that prevents rotation by external force, there is a need for a seat that can be operated at all times in power mode (electric mode) and manual mode (manual mode) due to safety issues where the seat cannot be moved when the vehicle is discharged and power is not supplied to the motor in urgent emergency situations such as accidents or fires. The problem to be solved

[0004] The present invention aims to solve various problems, including those mentioned above, by providing a slide device for a vehicle seat that enables mode switching between a power mode, in which the upper rail can be moved forward and backward by a drive motor, and a manual mode, in which the upper rail can be moved forward and backward manually by a user or external force. However, this objective is exemplary and does not limit the scope of the present invention. means of solving the problem

[0005] A slide device for a vehicle seat according to the concept of the present invention for solving the above problem may include: a lower rail formed on a vehicle body; an upper rail that supports a seat or seat frame and is installed to enable forward and backward sliding along the lower rail; a driving device that drives the upper rail forward and backward using a rotating body formed on the upper rail and rotated by a driving motor while in rolling contact with the lower rail; and a mode switching device that moves the position of the rotating body so that, in power mode, the rotating body is in rolling contact with the lower rail, and in manual mode, the rotating body is separated from the lower rail by a distance.

[0006] Additionally, according to the present invention, the driving device may include: the driving motor formed on the upper rail; a flexible wire connected to the driving motor and rotated axially, the shape of which can be flexibly changed when the position of the rotating body is moved; a power transmission device that transmits rotational force received from the flexible wire; and the rotating body that is rotated by the rotational force received from the power transmission device.

[0007] In addition, according to the present invention, the power transmission device may include a worm gear formed on the flexible wire; and a worm wheel gear formed on the rotation axis of the rotating body and rotated by meshing with the worm gear.

[0008] In addition, according to the present invention, the rotating body may be a friction wheel that comes into contact with the friction part of the lower rail.

[0009] In addition, according to the present invention, the friction wheel may be made of a cushioning material comprising at least a portion of rubber, silicone, urethane, resin, and combinations thereof.

[0010] Additionally, according to the present invention, the friction part may include a contact plane that contacts the flat surface of the friction wheel; and a contact inclined surface that contacts the outer inclined surface of the friction wheel.

[0011] In addition, according to the present invention, the rotating body may be a pinion gear that meshes with the rack gear of the lower rail.

[0012] Additionally, according to the present invention, the mode switching device may include: a movable gearbox that is hinge-coupled to a hinge shaft formed on the upper rail to enable rotation or forward / backward movement and supports the rotating body to enable rotation; an elastic spring formed on the movable gearbox and having a restoring force applied so that the movable gearbox is pressed in a direction in which the rotating body contacts the lower rail; and a cable connected to the mode switching lever and connected to the movable gearbox so that the movable gearbox can be rotated or forward / backward when tension greater than the restoring force is applied.

[0013] In addition, according to the present invention, the cable may be formed on a cable bracket that is hinge-coupled to a protruding piece formed on one side of the movable gearbox.

[0014] In addition, according to the present invention, the flexible wire may have one end connected to the rotational shaft of the driving motor and the other end formed with a polygonal projection so that it can be inserted into a polygonal groove formed in the worm gear. Effects of the invention

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention as described above, mode switching is enabled between a power mode in which the upper rail can be moved forward and backward by a drive motor and a manual mode in which the upper rail can be moved forward and backward manually by a user or external force. This provides the effect of easily forcibly moving the seat when power is not supplied to the drive motor in urgent emergency situations such as accidents or fires, or when the seat needs to be moved forward and backward at high speed. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by this effect. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0016] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a sliding device for a vehicle seat according to some embodiments of the present invention. Figure 2 is a side view showing the power mode state of the slide device of the vehicle seat of Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mode switching device of the slide device of the vehicle seat of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a mode switching device of the slide device of the vehicle seat of FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a side view showing the manual mode state of the slide device of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a mode switching device of the slide device of the vehicle seat of FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a mode switching device of the slide device of the vehicle seat of FIG. 5. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a slide device for a vehicle seat according to some other embodiments of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0017] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0018] The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more fully explain the invention to those skilled in the art, and the following embodiments may be modified in various different forms, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the following embodiments. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure more faithful and complete and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, the thickness or size of each layer in the drawings is exaggerated for convenience and clarity of explanation.

[0019] The terms used herein are for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular form may include the plural form unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Additionally, as used herein, "comprise" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the mentioned features, numbers, steps, actions, parts, elements, and / or groups thereof, and do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, actions, parts, elements, and / or groups.

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to drawings that schematically illustrate ideal embodiments of the present invention. In the drawings, variations of the illustrated shapes may be expected, for example, depending on manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Accordingly, embodiments of the inventive concept should not be interpreted as being limited to specific shapes of the areas illustrated herein, but should include, for example, variations in shape resulting from manufacturing.

[0021] Hereinafter, a sliding device (100) (200) for a vehicle seat according to various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0022] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing a slide device (100) for a vehicle seat according to some embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view showing a power mode state of the slide device (100) for a vehicle seat of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mode switching device (40) of the slide device (100) for a vehicle seat of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a front view showing a mode switching device (40) of the slide device (100) for a vehicle seat of FIG. 2.

[0023] First, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, a slide device (100) for a vehicle seat according to some embodiments of the present invention may largely include a lower rail (10), an upper rail (20), a driving device (30), a mode switching device (40), and a locking device (50).

[0024] The lower rail (10) is fixed in a long forward and backward direction so as not to move on the body side of the vehicle, for example, the floor surface of the vehicle interior, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and has a guide space formed inside to guide the sliding path of the vehicle seat, is formed long in the longitudinal direction, and can be formed in an overall rod shape with a part of the upper side open.

[0025] More specifically, for example, the lower rail (10) has a left rail groove and a right rail groove formed with respect to the center, and at least some of the left rail groove or the right rail groove may have a row or multiple rows of tooth grooves formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction so that they can be locked by a locking device (50).

[0026] Accordingly, the lower rail (10) can serve as a guide member that guides the forward and backward movement path of the upper rail (20), and can support the upper rail (20), the seat including the seat frame, and the load of the seated person.

[0027] However, such lower rails (10) are not necessarily limited to the drawings, and all rail structures of various shapes and types can be applied as needed, such as being formed wide in the left-right width direction or arranged in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0028] The upper rail (20) supports a seat or seat frame, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is installed to allow forward and backward sliding along the lower rail (10), and can be fixed to the seat side of the vehicle corresponding to the lower rail (10).

[0029] More specifically, for example, the upper rail (20) can be inserted into the open upper part of the lower rail (10) and placed in the guide space of the lower rail (10) so as to be guided in the forward and backward longitudinal direction by the left rail groove and the right rail groove.

[0030] Accordingly, the upper rail (20) can move freely back and forth along the lower rail (10), and locking and unlocking operations can be performed using the locking device (50) to be described later.

[0031] However, such upper rails (20) are not necessarily limited to the drawings, and any movable structure of various shapes and types can be applied as needed.

[0032] That is, for example, the upper rail (20) may include various parts such as a movable body on which rolling bearings can be installed, an internal rolling wheel to reduce friction during sliding, or a case covering the movable body to form an internal space. However, the upper rail (20) is not necessarily limited to this and may be formed in a wide variety of shapes, such as the parts being formed integrally or formed in various frame shapes.

[0033] The driving device (30) may be a device that drives the upper rail (20) forward and backward using a rotating body (34) formed on the upper rail (20) and rotated by a driving motor (31) in rolling contact with the lower rail (10), as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, for example.

[0034] The driving device (30) may include, more specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 4, a driving motor (31) formed on an upper rail (20), a flexible wire (32) connected to the driving motor (31) and rotated axially, and whose shape can be flexibly changed when the position of the rotating body (34) is moved, a power transmission device (33) that transmits rotational force received from the flexible wire (32), and a rotating body (34) that is rotated by rotational force received from the power transmission device (33).

[0035] The flexible wire (32) may be made of an elastic or ductile member that is entirely flexible so as to be able to transmit rotational force sufficiently and be partially bent, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, and one end may be connected to the rotation axis of the drive motor (31), and the other end may have a polygonal projection (T) formed so that it can be inserted into a polygonal groove (G) formed in the worm gear (331).

[0036] This flexible wire (32) can be formed in a spiral shape with coils twisted into a fine size, and in addition, a wide variety of elastic members can be applied.

[0037] The power transmission device (33) may include, for example, a worm gear (331) formed on a flexible wire (32) as shown in FIG. 3, and a worm wheel gear (332) formed on the rotation axis (34a) of a rotating body (34) and rotated by meshing with the worm gear (331).

[0038] Accordingly, when the flexible wire (32) is rotated forward or backward by the drive motor (31), the worm gear (331) is rotated forward or backward, and the worm wheel gear (332) can be rotated forward or backward, and the upper rail (20) can be moved forward or backward as the rotating body (34) is rotated forward or backward by the forward or backward rotation of the worm wheel gear (332).

[0039] Here, the rotating body (34) may be a friction wheel (341) that comes into contact with the friction part (11) of the lower rail (10), for example, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0040] Here, the friction wheel (341) may be made of a cushioning material comprising at least a portion of rubber, silicone, urethane, resin, and combinations thereof, and the friction part (11) in contact with the friction wheel (341) may include a contact plane (111) in contact with the flat surface of the friction wheel (341) and a contact slope surface (112) in contact with the outer slope surface of the friction wheel (341).

[0041] Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper rail (20) can be moved forward or backward by utilizing the frictional force of the friction wheel (341) by utilizing the contact plane (111) of the friction part (11), and the frictional force of the friction wheel (341) can be increased by utilizing the contact inclined surface (112), and the friction wheel (341) can be automatically aligned to its correct position without being dislodged by utilizing the property of the load moving along the inclined surface.

[0042] The mode switching device (40) may be a device that moves the position of the rotating body (34) so ​​that, for example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the rotating body (34) is in rolling contact with the lower rail (10) in power mode, and as shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the rotating body (34) is separated from the lower rail (10) by a separation distance (L, see FIG. 7).

[0043] The mode switching device (40) may include, more specifically, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, a movable gearbox (41) that is hinge-coupled to a hinge shaft (H) formed on an upper rail (20) to enable rotation or forward / backward movement and supports a rotating body (34) to rotate, an elastic spring (42) formed on the movable gearbox (41) and connected to a mode switching lever (not shown) to apply a restoring force so that the movable gearbox (41) is pressed in the direction in which the rotating body (34) contacts the lower rail (10), and a cable (43) connected to the movable gearbox (41) so that the movable gearbox (41) can rotate or forward / backward movement when a tension greater than the restoring force is applied.

[0044] The cable (43) can be formed on a cable bracket (45) that is hinge-connected to a protruding piece (44) formed on one side of a movable gearbox (41).

[0045] Accordingly, by operating the mode switching lever (not shown) to apply tension to the cable (43) greater than the restoring force of the elastic spring (42), the movable gearbox (41) rotates or moves back and forth about the hinge axis (H), and the rotating body (34) can come into contact with or be separated from the lower rail (10).

[0046] Meanwhile, the locking device (50) is formed on the upper rail (20) to facilitate changing modes such as locking or unlocking operations by operating a lever, button, handle, etc., of a vehicle seat as shown in FIG. 1, for example, and may be a device for selectively locking or unlocking the upper rail (20) to the lower rail (10).

[0047] However, the locking device (50) is not necessarily limited to the drawing, and in addition to the rotational method described above, a wide variety of types and forms of locking devices can be applied, such as a direct-acting locking device that moves forward or backward.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a side view showing the manual mode state of the slide device (100) of the vehicle seat of FIG. 1, FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the mode switching device (40) of the slide device (100) of the vehicle seat of FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a front view showing the mode switching device (40) of the slide device (100) of the vehicle seat of FIG. 5.

[0049] Accordingly, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7, the manual mode state of the slide device (100) of the vehicle seat is described. In manual mode, when a user operates a mode switching lever (not shown) to apply tension to the cable (43) that is greater than the restoring force of the elastic spring (42), the movable gearbox (41) rotates or moves back and forth about the hinge axis (H), and the rotating body (34) can be separated from the friction part (11) of the lower rail (10) by a distance (L).

[0050] Therefore, power transmission due to contact between the rotating body (34) and the friction part (11) of the lower rail (10) is blocked, and the upper rail (20) can be freely moved back and forth manually by an external force.

[0051] At this time, the flexible wire (32) can be partially bent as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 to accommodate the positional movement of the rotating body (34), and thereafter, when the tension of the cable (43) is removed and the rotating body (34) comes into contact with the friction part (11) of the lower rail (10) and is restrained again by the restoring force of the elastic spring (42), the bent part of the flexible wire (32) is straightened, and the rotating body (34) can also be sufficiently accommodated for its original movement.

[0052] FIG. 8 is a side view showing a slide device (200) for a vehicle seat according to some other embodiments of the present invention.

[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 8, the rotating body (34) of the slide device (200) of a vehicle seat according to some other embodiments of the present invention may be a pinion gear (342) that meshes with the rack gear (12) of the lower rail (10).

[0054] Accordingly, when the flexible wire (32) is rotated forward or backward by the drive motor (31), the power transmission device (33) is rotated forward or backward, thereby causing the pinion gear (342) to rotate forward or backward so that the upper rail (20) can move forward or backward along the rack gear (12).

[0055] Therefore, according to the present invention, a mode switching is made between a power mode in which the upper rail (20) can be moved forward and backward by a drive motor (31) and a manual mode in which the upper rail (20) can be moved forward and backward manually by a user or external force, so that the seat can be easily moved forcibly when power is not supplied to the drive motor in urgent emergency situations such as accidents or fires, or when the seat is moved forward and backward at a high speed.

[0056] The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings, but this is merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent alternative embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0057] 10: Lower Rail 11: Friction part 111: Contact plane 112: Contact slope 12: Rack gear 20: Upper Rail 30: Driving device 31: Drive motor 32: Flexible wire G: Polygonal groove T: Polygonal projection 33: Power transmission device 331: Worm gear 332: Worm wheel gear 34: Rotating body 34a: Rotation axis 341: Friction wheel 342: Pinion gear 40: Mode switching device L: Separation distance 41: Movable gearbox H: Hinge axis 42: Elastic spring 43: Cable 44: Protruding piece 45: Cable bracket 50: Locking device 100, 200: Slide device for a vehicle seat

Claims

Claim 1 A lower rail formed on a vehicle body; an upper rail that supports a seat or seat frame and is installed to enable forward and backward sliding along the lower rail; a driving device that drives the upper rail forward and backward using a rotating body formed on the upper rail and rotated by a driving motor while in rolling contact with the lower rail; and a mode switching device that moves the position of the rotating body so that, in power mode, the rotating body is in rolling contact with the lower rail, and in manual mode, the rotating body is spaced apart from the lower rail by a distance; wherein the driving device comprises: the driving motor formed on the upper rail; and a rotating body connected to the driving motor and axially rotated, and capable of flexibly changing its shape when the position of the rotating body is moved. A shape of finely twisted coils wound in a spiral A slide device for a vehicle seat comprising: a flexible wire; a power transmission device for transmitting rotational force received from the flexible wire; and the rotating body that rotates by the rotational force received from the power transmission device; wherein the power transmission device comprises: a worm gear formed on the flexible wire; and a worm wheel gear formed on the rotation axis of the rotating body and rotated by meshing with the worm gear; and wherein the flexible wire has one end connected to the rotation axis of the driving motor and the other end having a polygonal projection formed thereon so that the other end can be inserted into a polygonal groove formed in the worm gear. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 In claim 1, the rotating body is a friction wheel that contacts the friction portion of the lower rail, a slide device for a vehicle seat. Claim 5 In claim 4, the friction wheel is a sliding device for a vehicle seat, wherein at least a portion thereof is made of a cushioning material comprising any one of rubber, silicone, urethane, resin, and combinations thereof. Claim 6 A slide device for a vehicle seat according to claim 4, wherein the friction part comprises: a contact plane that contacts the flat surface of the friction wheel; and a contact inclined surface that contacts the outer inclined surface of the friction wheel. Claim 7 In claim 1, the rotating body is a pinion gear that meshes with the rack gear of the lower rail, a slide device for a vehicle seat. Claim 8 In claim 1, the mode switching device comprises: a movable gearbox formed to be hinge-coupled to a hinge shaft formed on the upper rail so as to be rotatable or forward and backward, and which supports the rotating body rotatablely; an elastic spring formed on the movable gearbox, on which a restoring force acts so that the movable gearbox is pressed in a direction in which the rotating body contacts the lower rail; and a cable connected to the mode switching lever and connected to the movable gearbox so as to be rotatable or forward and backward when tension greater than the restoring force is applied; a slide device for a vehicle seat. Claim 9 In claim 8, the cable is a slide device for a vehicle seat formed on a cable bracket that is hinge-coupled to a protruding piece formed on one side of the movable gearbox. Claim 10 delete

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