阅读说明：本技术 倾斜调节装置以及座椅 (Reclining device and seat ) 是由 藤田悦则 梅崎几世纪 福田顺 于 2019-09-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：提高具备锁定用内齿和记忆用内齿的内齿轮的强度,抑制对各内齿施加有较大的负载时的变形。内齿轮(40)在轴向上一体地连接设置有外径相同而内径不同的薄壁环状部(41)和厚壁环状部(42),薄壁环状部(41)以及厚壁环状部(42)的外周面(40a)形成为共面的截面大致L字状。因此,不会如以往那样呈大致凸型而使形成有记忆用内齿的部位成为强度上的弱点。在本发明中,内齿轮(40)的厚壁环状部(42)的轴向外端面形成为大致平坦,因此将连结用盖构件(50)固定安装在厚壁环状部(42)而与座椅座垫或者座椅靠背的框架连结。由于能够经由厚壁环状部(42)连结,因此能够得到高的连结强度。(The strength of an internal gear having internal teeth for locking and internal teeth for memory is improved, and deformation when a large load is applied to each internal tooth is suppressed. The internal gear (40) is provided with a thin annular part (41) and a thick annular part (42) which have the same outer diameter and different inner diameters and are integrally connected in the axial direction, and the outer peripheral surfaces (40a) of the thin annular part (41) and the thick annular part (42) are formed in a coplanar L-shaped cross section. Therefore, the portion where the internal teeth for memory are formed does not have a weak point in strength because of having a substantially convex shape as in the conventional case. In the present invention, the axial outer end surface of the thick annular portion (42) of the internal gear (40) is formed to be substantially flat, and therefore the connecting cover member (50) is fixedly attached to the thick annular portion (42) and connected to the frame of the seat cushion or the seat back. Since the connection can be made via the thick annular portion (42), high connection strength can be obtained.)

1. A tilt adjustment device, comprising:

a lock mechanism portion including a guide bracket coupled to one of a seat cushion and a seat back, and a lock plate movable in a radial direction along a plurality of guide wall portions provided on one surface of the guide bracket;

an internal gear coupled to the other of the seat cushion and the seat back and rotating relative to the guide bracket; and

a memory mechanism portion which includes a memory gear provided between the guide bracket and the internal gear and stores a predetermined lock position of the lock mechanism portion,

the tilt adjustment means is characterized in that,

the internal gear is integrally provided with a thin-walled annular portion and a thick-walled annular portion having the same outer diameter and different inner diameters in an axial direction, and an axially outer end surface of the thick-walled annular portion is formed to be substantially flat,

locking internal teeth for meshing with locking external teeth provided on the lock plate are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the thin annular portion, and memory internal teeth for meshing with memory external teeth provided on the memory gear are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the thick annular portion.

2. The tilt adjustment device of claim 1,

a coupling cover member coupled to the seat cushion or the seat back is fixedly attached to the ring gear so as to protrude outward of an axially outer end surface of the thick annular portion.

3. Tilt adjustment device according to claim 1 or 2,

a protruding pin protruding in the direction of the memory gear is provided on the lock plate,

the protruding pin is inserted into a pin insertion hole having a predetermined length provided in the memory gear along the circumferential direction,

upon rotation of the memory gear, the protruding pin relatively moves within the pin insertion hole, thereby causing the lock plate to be held in a memory position.

4. Tilt adjustment device according to claim 3,

the protruding pin is formed by providing a flange portion at one end of the shaft portion,

the guide bracket has a pin restriction hole that is formed to be long in a radial direction so that the protruding pin can move in the radial direction together with the lock plate, and a width of the pin restriction hole in a direction orthogonal to the radial direction is substantially the same as a diameter of a shaft portion of the protruding pin,

the protruding pin is inserted into the pin restricting hole of the guide bracket from the axially outer end side of the guide bracket, the tip of the shaft portion of the protruding pin penetrates the lock plate and protrudes, and the flange portion is positioned on the axially outer end side of the guide bracket,

the shaft portion of the protruding pin is restricted by the pin restricting hole, so that rattling in a direction orthogonal to the radial direction of the lock plate is suppressed while being movable in the radial direction.

5. Tilt adjustment device according to claim 4,

the shaft portion of the protruding pin is integrated with the lock plate.

6. A seat provided with a seat cushion and a seat back, characterized in that,

the seat is provided with the reclining device of any one of claims 1 to 5.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a reclining device mounted on a seat of a vehicle or the like for appropriately adjusting a reclining angle of a seat back with respect to a seat cushion, and a seat incorporating the reclining device.

Background

In the reclining device, the guide bracket is fixed to one of the seat cushion and the seat back, the internal gear is fixed to the other of the seat cushion and the seat back, and a lock plate having external teeth that mesh with internal teeth of the internal gear is disposed between the two, and the seat back is maintained at an appropriate reclining angle by meshing the two, and the seat back can be rotated forward and backward by releasing the meshing of the two. As shown in patent documents 1 and 2, there is also known a reclining device including a memory mechanism section that can memorize a reclining angle of a seat back at a position before a passing operation when the seat back is moved to a forward tilt position by a passing (ウオ - クイン) operation or the like, and can restore the reclining angle to the memorized reclining position when returning from the passing operation.

Prior art documents

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 2008-119362

Patent document 2: japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2009-226039

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The reclining devices disclosed in patent documents 1 and 2 include the above-described memory mechanism portion in addition to the normal lock mechanism portion for locking the seat back at a predetermined reclining angle, and the internal gear includes not only the lock internal teeth that mesh with the lock plate during normal locking but also the memory internal teeth that mesh with the memory gear during memory operation. The locking internal teeth and the memory internal teeth are provided so as to be connected to each other with a step difference in the axial direction. That is, the present invention is formed in a substantially convex shape having a small diameter portion having inner and outer diameters both small and having internal teeth for memory formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof on an outer end side in an axial direction, and a large diameter portion having inner and outer diameters both larger than the small diameter portion and having internal teeth for locking formed on an inner peripheral surface thereof adjacent to the small diameter portion in the axial direction. As described above, the small-diameter portion and the large-diameter portion have different inner and outer diameters, and both the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface are generally formed into a stepped shape by fine blanking. The small diameter portion is a portion that is fixedly attached to a frame of a seat cushion or a seat back, and directly transmits a load of the frame, and therefore, the small diameter portion becomes a weak point in strength where deformation is easily generated. However, conventionally, internal teeth for memory are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion in a case where the operation of the member constituting the memory mechanism portion cannot be smoothly completed due to the deformation of the frame, and although there is a restriction on the size when fixing by welding, the small diameter portion is also reduced in outer diameter, and therefore, is easily deformed when a large load is applied to any of the internal teeth. In addition, in order to perform welding, it is necessary to form a shape in which a convex portion that is not heat-treated is formed at a position closer to the axial outer end than the small diameter portion (see patent document 2). Further, since either one of the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion has a complicated shape, it may be difficult to ensure flatness of a step surface between the large diameter portion and the small diameter portion, and smooth operation of each member may be affected.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a reclining device and a seat having the reclining device, the reclining device including: the strength of the internal gear having the locking internal teeth and the memory internal teeth is improved, so that deformation when a large load is applied to each internal tooth can be suppressed, and the flatness of the step surface between the locking internal teeth and the memory internal teeth can be easily ensured and each member can be operated more smoothly by making the internal gear have a simple shape.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problem, a tilt adjusting device according to the present invention includes:

a lock mechanism portion including a guide bracket coupled to one of a seat cushion and a seat back, and a lock plate movable in a radial direction along a plurality of guide wall portions provided on one surface of the guide bracket;

an internal gear coupled to the other of the seat cushion and the seat back and rotating relative to the guide bracket; and

a memory mechanism portion which includes a memory gear provided between the guide bracket and the internal gear and stores a predetermined lock position of the lock mechanism portion,

the tilt adjustment means is characterized in that,

the internal gear is integrally provided with a thin-walled annular portion and a thick-walled annular portion having the same outer diameter and different inner diameters in an axial direction, and an axially outer end surface of the thick-walled annular portion is formed to be substantially flat,

locking internal teeth for meshing with locking external teeth provided on the lock plate are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the thin annular portion, and memory internal teeth for meshing with memory external teeth provided on the memory gear are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the thick annular portion.

Preferably, a coupling cover member coupled to the seat cushion or the seat back is fixedly attached to the inner gear so as to protrude outward of an axially outer end surface of the thick annular portion.

Preferably, the locking plate is provided with a protruding pin protruding in the direction of the memory gear, the protruding pin is inserted into a pin insertion hole having a predetermined length provided in the circumferential direction of the memory gear, and the locking plate is held at a memory position by the protruding pin moving relatively in the pin insertion hole when the memory gear rotates.

Preferably, the protruding pin is formed by providing a flange portion at one end of a shaft portion, the guide bracket has a pin restriction hole that is formed to be long in a radial direction so that the protruding pin can move in the radial direction together with the lock plate, and a width of the pin restriction hole in a direction orthogonal to the radial direction is substantially the same as a diameter of the shaft portion of the protruding pin, the protruding pin is inserted into the pin restriction hole of the guide bracket from an axially outer end side of the guide bracket, a tip of the shaft portion of the protruding pin penetrates the lock plate and protrudes, the flange portion is located at the axially outer end side of the guide bracket, and the shaft portion of the protruding pin is restricted by the pin restriction hole, so that rattling in the direction orthogonal to the radial direction of the lock plate is suppressed and can move in the radial direction.

Preferably, the shaft portion of the protruding pin is integrated with the lock plate.

The present invention also provides a seat including a seat cushion and a seat back, wherein the seat is provided with the reclining device.

Effects of the invention

According to the present invention, the thin annular portion and the thick annular portion having the same outer diameter and different inner diameters are integrally provided in the internal gear in the axial direction, and the outer peripheral surfaces of the thin annular portion and the thick annular portion are formed in a substantially L-shaped cross section in a coplanar manner. Therefore, the portion where the internal teeth for memory are formed does not have a weak point in strength because of having a substantially convex shape as in the conventional case. In the present invention, since the axial outer end surface of the thick annular portion of the internal gear is formed to be substantially flat, the coupling cover member is fixedly attached to the thick annular portion and coupled to the frame of the seat cushion or the seat back. Since the connection can be made via the thick annular portion, high connection strength can be obtained. Further, since the internal gear has a substantially L-shaped cross section as described above, the shape is simple, and high smoothness is easily ensured even in the step surface between the thick annular portion and the thin annular portion.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows an external appearance of a tilt adjusting device according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which fig. 1 (a) is a perspective view seen from a coupling cover member side, and fig. 1 (b) is a perspective view seen from a mounting ring side.

Fig. 2 (a) is a plan view of the tilt adjusting device according to the above embodiment, fig. 2 (B) is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 2 (a), fig. 2 (C) is a sectional view taken along line B-B of fig. 2 (a), and fig. 2 (d) is a sectional view taken along line C-C of fig. 2 (a).

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing the tilt adjusting device according to the above embodiment in an exploded manner, including a mounting ring, a lock mechanism portion, a memory mechanism portion, an internal gear, and a coupling cover member.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the lock mechanism portion and the memory mechanism portion of fig. 3 further exploded into individual components.

Fig. 5 (a) is a plan view showing the memory gear, and fig. 5 (b) is a sectional view showing the internal gear.

Fig. 6 (a) is a diagram for explaining an operation of the lock mechanism portion at the time of locking, fig. 6 (b) is a diagram for explaining an operation of the lock mechanism portion at the time of unlocking, fig. 6 (c) is a diagram showing a state of the memory mechanism portion at the time of locking, and fig. 6(d) is a diagram showing a state of the memory mechanism portion at the time of unlocking.

Fig. 7 (a) to (f) are diagrams for explaining the operation of the memory mechanism.

Fig. 8 (a) is a diagram for explaining a passing mechanism provided in the back frame and the seat cushion frame, fig. 8 (b) is an enlarged view showing a range in which the reclining device of fig. 8 (a) is attached, and fig. 8 (c) is a diagram showing an operation when the back frame tilts forward.

Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view showing another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 9.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in more detail below based on embodiments shown in the drawings. Fig. 1 to 5 show a tilt adjusting apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The reclining device 10 is installed between a seat cushion frame 1 of a seat cushion and a back frame 2 of a seat back, and tilts the seat back with respect to the seat cushion (see fig. 8). As shown in fig. 1 to 5, the reclining device 10 includes a lock mechanism portion 20, a memory mechanism portion 30, and an internal gear 40.

The lock mechanism 20 includes a guide bracket 21 and a lock plate 22. On the inner surface (the surface facing the ring gear 40) of the guide bracket 21, 4 guide wall portions 21a, 21a are provided so as to protrude at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and lock plates 22, 22 are disposed between the adjacent guide wall portions 21a, 21 a. In the present embodiment, the locking plates 22, 22 are disposed between the guide wall portions 21a, 21a located at 180-degree symmetrical positions, respectively. The lock plates 22, 22 are formed with external locking teeth 22a, 22a on the outer peripheral surface thereof and are movable in the radial direction between the guide wall portions 21a, and the external locking teeth 22a, 22a move outward and mesh with internal locking teeth 411 formed on the internal gear 40, which will be described later, to lock.

A lock releasing cam 23 is disposed between the two lock plates 22, and coil springs 24, 24 are disposed between the two guide wall portions 21a, 21a where the lock plates 22, 22 are not disposed. One end of each of the coil springs 24, 24 engages with the lock releasing cam 23 and biases the lock releasing cam 23 in a direction to rotate in one direction. Thereby, the lock plates 22, 22 engaged with the lock release cam 23 are biased radially outward, that is, in a direction of meshing with the lock internal teeth 411 of the internal gear 40. A lever shaft 25 connected to a tilt adjustment operation lever (not shown) is inserted into a center hole 23a of the lock releasing cam 23, and by rotating the lever shaft 25 in a predetermined direction, the lock releasing cam 23 rotates in a direction opposite to the biasing direction, the lock plates 22, 22 are drawn radially inward, and the external lock teeth 22a, 22a are separated from the internal lock teeth 411, thereby releasing the lock.

The memory mechanism portion 30 is provided between the lock mechanism portion 20 and the internal gear 40. The memory mechanism 30 includes a memory cam 31, memory gears 32, a memory guide plate 33, and a cylindrical shaft 34. In the present embodiment, the outer periphery of the memory cam 31 has a disc shape and also functions as a partition wall portion that is spaced apart from the lock mechanism portion 20. A plurality of cam portions 31a and 31a protruding toward the inner gear 40 are formed around the central through hole 31 b. The cylindrical shaft portion 34 is coaxially integrated with the through hole 31b so as to protrude toward the inner gear 40. As shown in fig. 8, the cylindrical shaft portion 34 is provided to protrude inward of the back frame 2, and a connecting plate 34a is connected to the portion protruding inward. The connecting plate 34a is engaged with the other end of the coil spring 34b having one end engaged with the seat frame 1, and is biased in the direction of the seat frame 1. Therefore, the cylindrical shaft portion 34 is always biased in one direction, which is the biasing direction of the storage cam 31, that is, the direction in which the storage external teeth 32b, 32b of the storage gears 32, 32 are separated from the storage internal teeth 421 of the internal gear 40. The connecting plate 34a is connected to a passage lever 3a constituting the passage mechanism 3 via a cable 3b, and when the passage lever 3a is operated, the connecting plate 34a rotates in a direction opposite to the above-described biasing direction.

The memory gears 32, 32 are formed of two plate materials formed in a substantially arc shape, and are provided at 180-degree symmetrical positions across the cylindrical shaft portion 34 so as to be adjacent to the internal gear 40 side of the memory cam 31. Two cam portions 31a, 31a of the memory cam 31 are disposed at intervals that allow the inner peripheral edges 32a, 32a of the memory gears 32, 32 to contact each other. Outer teeth 32b and 32b for memory are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the memory gears 32 and 32, and inner peripheral edges 32a and 32a are pressed outward by the cam portions 31a and mesh with the inner teeth 421 for memory of the internal gear 40.

The storage guide plate 33 has a through hole 33a in the center through which the cylindrical shaft portion 34 is inserted, and small-diameter holes 33b, 33b are formed at 180-degree symmetrical positions near the outer peripheral edge. The small-diameter holes 33b and 33b are fitted with and assembled to the memory gears 32 and 32 by means of protrusions 32c and 32c formed so as to protrude toward the inner gear 40. As a result, as shown in fig. 4 and 5 (a), the memory gears 32, 32 can rotate about the protrusions 32c, 32 c. One end side end wall portions 32d, 32d extending inward are provided at one circumferential end of the memory gears 32, and the protrusions 32c, 32c are provided at positions slightly closer to the other circumferential end than the one end side end wall portions 32d, 32 d. The memory cam 31 is biased in one direction so that the cam portions 31a and 31a abut against the end side wall portions 32d and 32d, respectively. The memory cam 31 is integrated with the cylindrical shaft portion 34, and is constantly biased in one direction by the coil spring 34b via the cylindrical shaft portion 34. Thus, the other ends 32e and 32e of the memory gears 32 and 32 are biased inward about the protrusions 32c and 32c of the memory gears 32 and 32, and the memory external teeth 32b and 32b are separated from the memory internal teeth 421 of the internal gear 40. When the seat back (the back frame 2) is tilted forward by the operation of the passage lever 3a of the passage mechanism 3, the memory cam 31 rotates in the opposite direction, and the cam portions 31a and 31a press the inner peripheral edges 32a and 32a of the memory gears 32 and 32 outward, whereby the memory outer teeth 32b and 32b mesh with the memory inner teeth 421 of the internal gear 40 (see fig. 7).

A nut member 35 is attached around the cylindrical shaft portion 34 protruding from the through hole 33a on the side of the storage guide plate 33 closer to the internal gear 40. Thus, the memory mechanism 30 including the memory cam 31, the memory gears 32, the memory guide plate 33, the cylindrical shaft 34, and the nut member 35 is integrated and unitized.

Here, the memory cam 31, the memory gears 32, and the memory guide plate 33 are each formed with substantially arc-shaped pin insertion holes 311, 321, and 331 at positions that are 180 degrees symmetrical with respect to the cylindrical shaft portion 34.

As shown in fig. 5 (a), the pin insertion holes 321 and 321 formed in the memory gears 32 and 32 are formed with long groove portions 321a and 321a extending in the outer peripheral edge direction of the memory gears 32 and 32, respectively, on one circumferential end side. The protruding pins 221, 221 protruding toward the inner gear 40 side in the lock plates 22, 22 are inserted into the pin insertion holes 321, 321 of the memory gears 32, and the protruding pins 221, 221 are inserted into the long groove portions 321a, 321a at the lock positions of the lock plates 22, and during the passing operation, after the lock external teeth 22a, 22a of the lock plates 22, 22 are disengaged from the lock internal teeth 411 of the inner gear 40, the protruding pins 221, 221 are provided in a positional relationship such that the protruding pins 221, 221 are relatively moved from the long groove portions 321a, 321a toward the other end side in the circumferential direction in the pin insertion holes 321, 321 when the memory gears 32, 32 rotate together with the inner gear 40.

In the memory cam 31 provided between the lock plates 22, 22 and the memory gears 32, when the memory cam 31 is rotated in one direction together with the cylindrical shaft portion 34 and when the memory gears 32, 32 are rotated in the other direction together with the internal gear 40 after the lock is released, the protruding pins 221, 221 are provided within a range in which they can move relatively in the pin insertion holes 311, 311 of the memory cam 31. The pin insertion holes 311, 311 are formed in a shape having a portion with a groove width that allows the protruding pins 221, 221 to move in the radial direction at least when the protruding pins 221, 221 are positioned in the long groove portions 321a, 321 a.

The storage guide plate 33 rotates together with the storage gears 32, 32 because the holes 33b, 33b are fitted to the protrusions 32c, 32c of the storage gears 32, 32. Therefore, the pin insertion holes 331, 331 are formed at least at positions corresponding to the pin insertion holes 321, 321 of the memory gears 32, and are formed in a width capable of allowing the projecting pins 221, 221 to move in the radial direction within the long groove portions 321a, 321 a. The memory operation of the memory mechanism 30 will be described later.

As shown in fig. 3, 4, and 5 (b), the internal gear 40 is provided with a thin annular portion 41 and a thick annular portion 42 that have the same outer diameter and different inner diameters and are integrally connected in the axial direction. The opposite end side facing the guide bracket 21 in the axial direction is a thin annular portion 41, and the opposite end edge side is a thick annular portion 42. Since the outer diameters are the same, the outer peripheral surface of the thin annular portion 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the thick annular portion 42 are coplanar with each other, and the cross-sectional shape is substantially L-shaped. Further, the axially outer end surface 42a of the thick annular portion 42 is formed substantially flat.

Further, locking internal teeth 411 capable of meshing with the locking external teeth 22a, 22a of the locking plates 22, 22 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the thin annular portion 41, and memory internal teeth 421 capable of meshing with the memory external teeth 32b, 32b of the memory gears 32, 32 are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the thick annular portion 42.

In the present embodiment, since the processing is performed so that the cross-sectional shape is substantially L-shaped, the flatness of the step surface 43 between the locking internal teeth 411, which are the inner peripheral surface of the thin annular portion 41, and the memory internal teeth 421, which are the inner peripheral surface of the thick annular portion 42, can be easily made higher than in the case where the processing is performed so as to be convex in the related art. This makes it possible to smooth the rotation operation of the lock mechanism section 20 or the memory mechanism section 30.

The coupling cover member 50 is provided so as to protrude outward from the axially outer end surface 42a of the thick annular portion 42 of the internal gear 40. The connecting cover member 50 has a substantially convex cross section having a large diameter portion 51 and a small diameter portion 52, and the large diameter portion 51 is welded to the outer peripheral surface of the ring gear 40 near the thick annular portion 42. The portion where the memory internal teeth 421 with which the memory gears 32, 32 mesh are formed is a thick annular portion 42 having a predetermined thickness. In the conventional internal gear, the axially outer end side of the small diameter portion is set to a range where the internal teeth for memory are not formed, or a small-diameter connecting plate portion (see patent document 2) is formed on the axially outer end side and connected to the back frame or the seat cushion frame, but in the present embodiment, the portion where the internal teeth for memory 421 are formed has a predetermined thickness, and the strength of the portion where the internal teeth for memory 421 are formed is higher than that of the conventional one. Therefore, the internal gear 40 of the present embodiment is naturally high in deformation strength against external force, and when the internal gear 421 for memory is heat-treated to increase the surface hardness, the vicinity of the outer peripheral surface of the thick annular portion 42 is less susceptible to the heat treatment, and the welding of the connecting cover member 50 can be easily performed. Since the thick annular portion 42 has sufficient strength, the thickness of the connecting cover member 50 to be integrated therewith may be reduced, and workability in welding may be improved.

Here, the heat treatment for hardening the surfaces of the locking internal teeth 411 and the memory internal teeth 421 of the internal gear 40 preferably uses induction heating. By using induction heating, only the vicinity of the locking internal teeth 411 and the memory internal teeth 421 can be locally heated. In the case of induction heating, the heating portion may be formed to face the locking internal teeth 411 and the memory internal teeth 421, but may be formed from a surface different from the locking internal teeth 411 and the memory internal teeth 421 and other than the outer peripheral surface 40a to which the coupling lid member 50 and the later-described mounting ring 60 are welded. For example, a portion near the inner diameter of the axial inner end surface 41a of the thin annular portion 41 can be heated, and the frequency can be adjusted so that the influence of heat is applied to the locking internal teeth 411. Similarly, a portion near the inner diameter of the axially outer end surface 42a of the thick annular portion 42 can be heated, and the influence of the heat can be used for the internal teeth 421 for memory. By such a heating method, the surface roughening of the locking internal teeth 411 and the memory internal teeth 421 can be suppressed, and the surface of the teeth can be made to have high surface accuracy.

The memory mechanism portion 30 is disposed adjacent to the side of the internal gear 40 of the lock mechanism portion 20, the shaft 25 of the lock mechanism portion 20 is inserted into the cylindrical shaft portion 34 of the memory mechanism portion 30, and then the memory mechanism portion 30 and the lock mechanism portion 20 are inserted into the internal gear 40 in this order, and the external teeth 32b and 32b for memory of the memory gears 32 and 32 are opposed to the internal teeth 421 for memory formed in the thick annular portion 42, and the external teeth 22a and 22a for lock of the lock plates 22 and 22 are opposed to the internal teeth 411 for lock formed in the thin annular portion 41.

Next, the cylindrical shaft portion 34 through which the rod shaft 25 is inserted into the central through hole 52a formed in the small diameter portion 52 of the connecting cap member 50. On the other hand, a mounting ring 60 is attached from the outer end face side in the axial direction of the guide bracket 21 of the lock mechanism portion 20 via a ball 62, and the mounting ring 60 is used to hold the lock mechanism portion 20 and the memory mechanism 30 in an assembled state. Then, the large diameter portion 51 of the connecting cover member 50 is welded to the outer peripheral surface of the outer peripheral surface 40a of the internal gear 40 in the vicinity of the thick annular portion 42, and the peripheral wall portion 61 of the mounting ring 60 is welded and fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the internal gear 40 in the vicinity of the thin annular portion 41.

Next, the operation of the reclining device 10 of the present embodiment will be described. Before the normal tilt adjusting operation, in the lock mechanism portion 20, as shown in fig. 6 (a), the lock plates 22, 22 are biased outward by the coil springs 24, and the lock external teeth 22a, 22a mesh with the lock internal teeth 411 of the internal gear 40. Thereby, the seat back maintains a predetermined reclining angle. When the tilt adjustment operation is performed, the tilt adjustment operation lever is operated to rotate the lever shaft 25. As a result, as shown in fig. 6 (b), the lock releasing cam 23 moves the lock plates 22, 22 inward, and the engagement between the external lock teeth 22a, 22a and the internal lock teeth 411 is released, so that the seat back can be tilted. When the operation of the tilt adjustment operation lever is stopped at a predetermined angle, the lock plates 22, 22 are moved outward by the coil springs 24, and the lock external teeth 22a, 22a mesh with the lock internal teeth 411, as shown in fig. 6 (a), thereby fixing the tilt angle. Since the lever shaft 25 rotates in the cylindrical shaft portion 34 of the memory mechanism portion 30, the memory mechanism portion 30 does not operate during the normal tilt adjustment operation (see fig. 6 (a) and (b)).

On the other hand, when the seat back is tilted forward in the walk-in operation, the walk-in lever 3a shown in fig. 8 (a) is operated. When the passage lever 3a is operated, the connecting plate 34a is rotated in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the coil spring 34b via the cable 3b, and the cylindrical shaft portion 34 is rotated. When the cylindrical shaft portion 34 rotates, the state of fig. 7 (a) changes to the state of fig. 7 (b), and the memory cam 31 integrated with the cylindrical shaft portion 34 rotates in the direction of the other ends 32e, 32e of the memory gears 32, 32. By this rotation, the cam portions 31a, 31a push the inner peripheral edges 32a, 32a of the memory gears 32, 32 outward, and the memory outer teeth 32b, 32b of the memory gears 32, 32 mesh with the memory inner teeth 421 of the internal gear 40.

In a state where the memory mechanism unit 30 is not operating, as shown in fig. 7 (a), the protruding pins 221, 221 of the lock plates 22, 22 are positioned in the long groove portions 321a, 321a of the pin insertion holes 321, 321 in the memory gears 32, 32. When the memory cam 31 rotates and the other ends 32e, 32e of the memory gears 32, 32 are pushed outward and away, as shown in fig. 7 (b), first, the protruding pins 221, 221 are relatively moved inward in the long groove portions 321a, 321a while maintaining the state in which the locking plates 22, 22 are engaged with the locking internal teeth 411 of the internal gear 40, that is, while maintaining the locked state.

Thereafter, when the memory cam 31 further rotates, as shown in fig. 7 (c), the protruding pins 221, 221 further move inward in the long groove portions 321a, and the locking external teeth 22a, 22a of the locking plates 22, 22 are separated from the locking internal teeth 411 of the internal gear 40, thereby releasing the locking. Then, the seat back tilts forward by the coil spring that constantly biases the back frame 2 forward relative to the seat cushion frame 1 (see fig. 8 (c)). At this time, the state of fig. 7 (c) is changed to the state of fig. 7 (d), and the ring gear 40 fixed to the back frame 2 via the coupling cover member 50 rotates forward. Since the memory gear 32 meshes with the memory internal teeth 421 of the internal gear 40, the memory mechanism portion 30 also rotates forward together with the internal gear 40. The rotation angle is rotated until the protruding pins 221, 221 reach the other end side in the circumferential direction relatively in the pin insertion holes 321, 321. During this time, the lock plates 22 and the protruding pins 221 and 221 are in a state where the lock is released, and therefore do not rotate together with the internal gear 40, and the positions before the threading operation are maintained.

In the forward inclined position, this position is held by a forward inclined lock portion 70 having a spring 71, a fixing plate 72, a shaft 73, a rivet 74, and the like shown in fig. 4. At the time of return after the passage operation, the forward tilt lock portion 70 is unlocked by operating the passage lever 3 a. When the seat back is returned rearward, the internal gear 40 rotates rearward. As shown in fig. 7 (e), the memory external teeth 32b and 32b of the memory gears 32 and 32 are engaged with the memory internal teeth 421 of the internal gear 40, and therefore the memory gears 32 and 32 rotate rearward together with the internal gear 40. Thereafter, the protruding pins 221, 221 of the lock plates 22, which are held at the positions before the passing operation (the stored positions), move relatively to one end sides in the pin insertion holes 321, 321 due to the rearward rotation of the memory gears 32, and reach positions corresponding to the long groove portions 321a, 321a as shown in fig. 7 (f). When the projecting pins 221, 221 correspond to the long groove portions 321a, the projecting pins 221, 221 can move radially outward within the long groove portions 321a, 321 a. As a result, the lock plates 22 and 22, which are constantly biased outward by the coil springs 24 and 24, move radially outward, and return to the state shown in fig. 7 (a), and at the memory position, the external locking teeth 22a and 22a mesh with the internal locking teeth 411 of the internal gear 40, and the seat back is restored to the predetermined reclining angle, which is the memory position before the walk-in operation. When the external locking teeth 22a and 22a mesh with the internal locking teeth 411 of the internal gear 40, the memory cam 31 of the memory mechanism portion 30 returns to the original position by the biasing force of the coil spring 34b, and separates the external memory teeth 32b and 32b of the memory gears 32 and 32 from the internal memory teeth 421 of the internal gear 40.

In the above-described embodiment, the memory mechanism portion 30 is unitized by the nut member 35 while sandwiching and holding the memory gears 32, 32 by the disk-shaped memory cam 31 and the memory guide plate 33, into which the cylindrical shaft portion 34 is integrated. Therefore, by using the component having the unitized structure as described above as the memory mechanism section 30, it is possible to easily replace a component having a different internal structure, and to easily perform various adjustments of the function of the reclining device 10.

Fig. 9 and 10 show a tilt adjusting device 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The memory mechanism portion 30, the internal gear 40, the connecting cover member 50, and the mounting ring 60 constituting the tilt adjusting device 10 have the same configurations as those of the above-described embodiment, and have the same characteristics as those of the thin annular portion and the thick annular portion of the internal gear 40. The same applies to the action of the memory mechanism 30 during the memory operation. However, the projecting pin 2210, the guide bracket 21, and the lock plate 22 constituting the lock mechanism section 20 have different structures.

That is, in the present embodiment, flange portions 2212, 2212 are integrally provided at one ends of the shaft portions 2211, 2211 as the projection pins 2210, 2210. The shaft portion 2211, 2211 has a large diameter portion 2211a, 2211a having a large diameter on the flange portion 2212, 2212 side, and a small diameter portion 2211b, 2211b having a small diameter from the large diameter portion 2211a, 2211a to the tip end.

Pin regulating holes 2110, 2110 penetrating in the thickness direction are opened in the surfaces of the guide bracket 21 where the lock plates 22, 22 are disposed. The pin-regulating holes 2110, 2110 are formed long in the radial direction, and the circumferential direction (width direction) perpendicular to the radial direction is formed to have substantially the same width as the large diameter portions 2211a, 2211a of the shaft portions 2211, 2211 of the protrusion pins 2210, 2210.

The locking plates 22, 22 are also formed with through holes 22b, 22b through which the shaft portions 2211, 2211 of the projection pins 2210, 2210 are inserted.

The projection pins 2210, 2210 are inserted from the axial outer end surface 21b side of the guide bracket 21 so that the shaft portions 2211, 2211 are the lock plates 22, 22 side. Thereby, the flange portions 2212, 2212 come into contact with the axially outer end surface 21b of the guide bracket 21 and stay. The projecting pins 2210, 2210 are preferably integrated with the locking plates 22, 22 by welding or the like. The projection pins 2210, 2210 are inserted into the pin insertion holes 321, 321 of the memory gears 32, 32 formed in the memory mechanism portion 30 so that the small-diameter portion 2211b of the shaft portion 2211 penetrates the through holes 22b, 22b of the locking plates 22, 22.

The protruding pins 2210, 2210 function in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, and make the locking plates 22, 22 stay at the memory positions before the passing operation regardless of the rotation of the memory mechanism section 30 at the time of the passing operation.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, the large diameter portions 2211a, 2211a of the projection pins 2210, 2210 are inserted into the pin regulating holes 2110, 2110 of the guide bracket 21. The pin-regulating holes 2110 and 2110 have substantially the same width as the large-diameter portions 2211a and 2211a, and only a slight gap for operation exists. Therefore, during normal locking, when the locking plates 22, 22 are moved in the radial direction, the locking plates 22, 22 can be suppressed from rattling in the circumferential direction (width direction). Further, as in the above-described embodiment, by disposing the lock plates 22, 22 between the storage cam 31 of the storage mechanism section 30 and the guide bracket 21, the rattling in the axial direction is also suppressed, and according to the present embodiment, the operation of the lock plates 22, 22 is made smoother, and the occurrence of abnormal noise, which is an important factor of the rattling, can also be suppressed. In addition, the protruding pins 2210, 2210 are fixed to the locking plates 22, 22 by welding, which also contributes to an improvement in the strength of the reclining device 10.

Description of reference numerals:

10 Tilt adjusting device

20 locking mechanism part

21 guide bracket

22 locking plate

22a external teeth for locking

221 projecting pin

Cam for unlocking 23

24-coil spring

30 memory mechanism part

31 cam for memory

32 memory gear

32b external teeth for memory

33 guide plate for memory

40 internal gear

40a outer peripheral surface

41 thin-walled annular portion

411 internal tooth for locking

42 thick-walled ring part

Internal tooth for 421 memory

50 connecting cover member

51 big diameter part

52 small diameter part.