Reclining device
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Solution Overview
Problem
In Taumel-type reclining devices, the engagement of internal and external gears can become shallow due to load, leading to clattering of the seat back.
Innovation Solution
A reclining device design featuring an external gear with fewer teeth, an internal gear with more teeth, wedge-shaped members, and a driving ring that adjusts the engagement depth of the gears to maintain a locked state and prevent clattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the wedge-shaped member is pressed by load to move in the drawing direction, then the engagement of gears becomes shallow, but clattering occurs at the seat back
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is pre-loaded to continuously apply a pressing force on the wedge-shaped member in the direction that maintains deep gear engagement. This preliminary anti-action counteracts the load-induced movement that would otherwise cause shallow engagement and clattering, ensuring the wedge-shaped member remains positioned to maintain optimal gear contact depth under varying load conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring acts as a cushioning element that absorbs and compensates for the load variations before they can cause harmful effects. By providing continuous elastic pressure on the wedge-shaped member, the spring beforehand cushions against the load that would push the wedge member in the drawing direction, thereby preventing engagement degradation and clattering before they occur.
2Ease of operation
If the wedge-shaped member moves in the drawing direction due to load, then the seat back becomes capable of tilting, but the locked state is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically balances between locked and tilting states through the spring-loaded wedge-shaped member. The spring provides continuous pressure to maintain the locked state under normal conditions, but allows controlled movement when intentional tilting force is applied. This dynamic mechanism ensures the wedge member remains positioned to maintain gear engagement depth, preserving the locked state reliability while still enabling tilting operation when needed.
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 design effectively prevents clattering of the seat back by ensuring deep engagement of the gears, even under load, thereby enhancing the stability and usability of the reclining mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of wedge-shaped members 5 and 7 is biased in directions (an arrow A direction and an arrow B direction) to drive wedges into the eccentric annular space by a spring 9
Implementation Method 2
The wedge-shaped members 5 and 7 each press the inner surface of the circular hole 1 and the outer surface of the cylinder 3, thereby pressing the internal gear and the external gear in a direction to increase eccentricity between the rotation axes of them
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a Taumel-type reclining device and provides a reclining device in which clattering does not occur. On either the inner side or the outer side of a first wedge-shaped member 71 and a second wedge-shaped member 73, a driving ring 75 is disposed. A abutting portion of the driving ring 75 is formed such that, in a case where the internal gear 61 and the external gear 63 are in a locked state, a force to move the first wedge-shaped member 71 and the second wedge-shaped member 73 in a direction in which engagement of the inner teeth 61c of the internal gear 61 and the outer teeth 63a of the external gear 63 becomes deeper can be generated.