Disc Recliner with Lost Motion Ganging for Vehicle Seats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Prior art recliner assemblies for vehicle seats are costly due to additional components needed to limit seat back motion and often malfunction due to misalignment of recliners, leading to increased operation effort and binding issues.
Innovation Solution
A recliner assembly with a pair of disc recliners ganged together by a rod, featuring a guide plate, toothed plate, pawls, cam, and bushing, which allows for minimal operation effort and compensates for misalignment through a lost motion connection and abutments that limit rotational travel, enabling smooth adjustment of the seat back relative to the seat cushion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If brackets with stops are used to limit seat back motion, then the range of motion is defined, but the cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the separate bracket and stop components from the recliner assembly. Instead, the range of motion limiting function is extracted and integrated directly into the disc structure through strategically positioned tabs that engage with corresponding features on the seat back and cushion, eliminating the need for additional bracket components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the motion limiting function with the existing disc structure by integrating tabs directly onto the disc. This merging of functions eliminates the need for separate bracket and stop components, reducing device complexity while maintaining the defined range of motion capability.
2Ease of operation
If recliners are rigidly ganged together, then simultaneous operation is achieved, but misalignment causes binding and increased operation effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the rigid gang connection with a dynamic, flexible coupling mechanism. The coupling allows for slight angular adjustments and misalignments between the inboard and outboard recliners, enabling smooth simultaneous operation even when perfect alignment is not achieved during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the coupling parameters from rigid fixed-position connection to a flexible connection that accommodates parameter variations within acceptable tolerances. This allows the recliners to operate simultaneously while compensating for minor misalignments in the gang rod connection.
3Reliability
If multiple components are used to limit motion, then the range of motion is controlled, but the manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the motion control function from separate bracket and stop components and integrates it directly into the disc structure through tabs. This eliminates the need for additional parts, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost while maintaining reliable motion control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the disc structure multi-functional by integrating motion limiting tabs directly onto it. The disc now serves both as the rotational mechanism and as the motion limiter, eliminating the need for separate components and reducing overall manufacturing cost.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution reduces operational effort and minimizes the impact of misalignment, ensuring smooth and efficient adjustment of the seat back while maintaining cost-effectiveness by eliminating the need for additional components and preventing binding issues.
Implementation Method 1
A spring continuously biases the cam, urging the pawls toward the locked position.
Implementation Method 2
A bushing is snappingly secured to the cam. The cam and the bushing have a lost motion connection therebetween.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle seat has a seat back and a seat cushion and a pair of recliners hingedly mounting the seat back to the seat cushion providing pivotal movement of a seat back relative to a seat cushion. Each of the recliners has a guide plate configured to be mounted to the seat cushion and a toothed plate rotatably assembled to the guide plate. The toothed disc has a flange having a series of internal teeth thereon. A plurality of pawls is mounted between the toothed plate and the guide plate. The pawls each has a toothed surface and is moveable between a locked position with the toothed surfaces engaging the series of teeth to lock the toothed plate relative to the guide plate, and an unlocked position with the toothed surfaces spaced from the teeth of the guide plate to allow movement of the toothed plate relative to the guide plate. A plurality of guides extends from the guide plate, guiding the pawls between the locked and unlocked positions. A cam is rotatably mounted between the guide plate and the toothed plate. The cam has a cam surface defined by a plurality of lobes for selective engagement with the pawls, selectively moving the pawls between the locked and unlocked positions. A spring continuously biases the cam, urging the pawls toward the locked position. A bushing is secured to the cam. The cam and the bushing have a lost motion connection therebetween. A rod extending through the bushing on each of the recliners to gang the recliners together for simultaneous operation. The guide plate and the toothed plate have abutments that limit relative rotational travel therebetween.