Chairs and seats – Movable bottom – Bottom and back movable as a unit
Reexamination Certificate
2000-05-08
2001-10-23
Barfield, Anthony D. (Department: 3636)
Chairs and seats
Movable bottom
Bottom and back movable as a unit
C297S473000, C248S429000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305746
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat sliding apparatus for sliding a vehicle seat which seat body can be longitudinally moved and particularly relates to an attachment structure for attaching an operation lever to a lock plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a seat sliding apparatus of this type, the neighborhoods of the bases of lock plates are rotatably, pivotally attached to the side surfaces of a pair of right and left upper rails fixed to a seat cushion side, respectively. The both end portions of a U-shaped rigid operation lever are fitted into two attachment holes formed at the front side of each of the paired lock plates, respectively.
The respective lock plates simultaneously rotate by operating the operation lever. Lock holes formed at the free end sides of the respective lock plates are engaged with lock teeth formed on a pair of right and left lower rails fixed to a vehicle body, thereby preventing a seat main body from moving in longitudinal direction. In addition, by releasing the engagement of the lock holes with the lock teeth, the seat main body can be moved.
The above-stated conventional technique, however, has the following disadvantages. In the conventional seat sliding apparatus in which the both ends of the operation lever are fixedly attached to the respective lock plates, when a stress acts on the upper rail at the side at which a belt anchor is attached due to a collision or the like, the lock plate at the belt anchor attachment side together with the upper rail at the belt anchor attachment side is pulled upward, followed by the deformation of the floor of the vehicle body.
As a result, the rear end sides of the upper rail and lower rail at the belt anchor attachment side float and the upper and the lower rail are thereby inclined. Here, the upper rail at the other side, i.e., the side at which the belt anchor is not attached, is not applied with a force in floating direction and is not, therefore, inclined. In addition, the lock plates pivotally supported by the respective upper rails are coupled to each other by the U-shaped operation lever. Thanks to this, even when the upper rail at the belt anchor attachment side is inclined, the lock plate therefor is held in an initial state. That is, at the belt anchor attachment side, the lock plate is in the same state as that in which the lock plate rotates in unlocking direction with respect to the lower rail.
At the time of the collision, since a force is applied toward the front side, the lock holes of the lock plates are strongly engaged with the lock teeth of the lower rails, respectively and the locking state is not released, whereby the operation lever is bent and elastically deformed.
After collision, when no more force is applied toward the front direction, the lock plate at the belt anchor attachment side rotates in the unlocking direction only by the operation lever bending amount. As a result, the engagement of the lock holes with the lock teeth may be released to thereby release the locking state.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to solve the above-stated disadvantages. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a seat sliding apparatus which can prevent releasing a locking state even when a stress acts on an upper rail at a belt anchor attachment side due to a collision or the like.
To achieve the object, according to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seat sliding apparatus, comprising: a pair of right and left lower rails (
20
,
20
) each having lock teeth (
22
,
22
) formed thereon; a first and a second upper rails (
30
A,
30
B) being arranged as a pair of right and left upper rails, the first and second upper rails (
30
A,
30
B) being slidably mounted to the pair of right and left lower rails (
20
,
20
) respectively, the first upper rail (
30
A) positioned at a seat belt anchorage plate attachment side, the second upper rail (
30
B) positioned opposite to the seat belt anchorage plate attachment side; first and second lock plates (
40
A,
40
B) wherein portions of bases of the lock plates (
40
A,
40
B) rotatably provided on side surfaces of the first and second upper rails (
30
A,
30
B) by pivot portions (
41
,
41
) respectively, lock holes (
42
a,
42
a
) engaged with the lock teeth (
22
,
22
) formed on the pair of right and left lower rails (
20
,
20
) being formed on free ends of the first and second lock plates (
40
A,
40
B) respectively; lock springs (
50
,
50
) provided at the first and second upper rails (
30
A,
30
B) respectively, urging forces of the lock spring (
50
,
50
) causing the lock holes (
42
a,
42
a
) to be engaged with the lock teeth (
22
,
22
) respectively, the engagement of the lock holes with the lock teeth preventing a longitudinal movement of a seat main body (
60
) to be provided on the first and second upper rails (
30
A,
30
B); and an operation lever (
70
) attached to the first and second lock plates (
40
A,
40
B), the first and second lock plates (
40
A,
40
B) simultaneously rotated and the engagement of the lock holes (
42
a,
42
a
) with the lock teeth (
22
,
22
) released by operating the operation lever (
70
), the release of the engagement permitting the longitudinal movement of the seat main body (
60
), wherein the first end portion (
70
a
) of the operation lever (
70
) is attached to a portion of the pivot portion (
41
) of the first lock plate (
40
A); and an operation lever attachment member (
45
) for attaching a second end portion (
70
b
) of the operation lever (
70
) to a portion of the pivot portion (
41
) of the second lock plate (
40
B) is provided to be rotatable and freely up and down.
In the invention according to the first aspect constituted as stated above, when an abnormal stress acts on the first upper rail (
30
A) at the belt anchor attachment side due to a collision or the like, the end portion (
70
b
) of the operation lever (
70
) attached to the operation lever attachment member (
45
) of the second lock plate (
40
B) arranged at the second upper rail (
30
B) at the belt anchor non-attachment side can be moved following the end portion (
70
a
) of the operation lever (
70
) attached to the first lock plate (
40
A) arranged at the first upper rail (
30
A) at the belt anchor attachment side since the end portion (
70
b
) is rotatably attached to the second lock plate (
40
B) at the belt anchor non-attachment side through the operation lever attachment member (
45
).
Thus, the above-stated stress acting on the first upper rail (
30
A) at the belt anchor attachment side does not transmitted to the second lock plate (
40
B) at the belt anchor non-attachment side and the operation lever (
70
) is not twisted. Consequently, it is possible to prevent release of the locking state of the belt anchor side.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, as it depends from the first aspect, the operation lever attachment member (
45
) is urged in the same direction as a direction in which the second lock plate (
40
B) rotates so as to release the engagement of the lock holes (
42
a,
42
a
) with the lock teeth (
22
,
22
); and by being urged, the operation lever attachment member (
45
) to abut on the lock plate (
40
B).
Furthermore, according to the invention in the second aspect, the operation lever attachment member (
45
) to which the belt anchor attachment-side end portion (
70
b
) of the operation lever (
70
) is attached, is normally press-contacted with the second lock plate (
40
B) at the belt anchor non-attachment side. Due to this, the operation of the operation lever (
70
) allows the first lock plate (
40
A) at the belt anchor attachment side and the second lock plate (
40
B) at the belt anchor non-attachment side to be rotated simultaneously.
Moreover, since the pivot shaft of the operation lever attachment member (
45
) for the operation lever (
70
) is provided at the lock plate (
40
B), it is possible to eliminate the loss of an operational force even when an
Ikegaya Isao
Kanda Yoshihiro
Matsumoto Tadashi
Barfield Anthony D.
Fujikiko Kabushiki Kaisha
Kilpatrick Stockton LLLP
LandOfFree
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