LONGITUDINAL ADJUSTING DEVICE FOR A VEHICLE SEAT

Abstract

A longitudinal adjusting device for a vehicle seat with a floor rail for fastening to a vehicle floor, the floor rail having a base wall for resting on the vehicle floor, with a seat rail that is displaceable with respect to the floor rail, with a spindle that is rigidly coupled to the floor rail, with a gear, which has a spindle nut, which is in engagement with the spindle, and is axially rigidly coupled to the seat rail, and with fastening means, which are guided through fastening openings on a fastening wall of the seat rail for fastening the gear on the seat rail. The longitudinal adjusting device may have a fastening wall arranged at an angle to the base wall and the fastening means for enclosing the gear reach through the complete seat rail and also absorb the crash forces with dual shear.

Claims

1. A longitudinal adjusting device for a vehicle seat comprising: a floor rail configured to be fastened to a vehicle floor, the floor rail defining a base wall configured to contact a vehicle floor; a spindle rigidly coupled to the floor rail; a seat rail displaceable relative to the floor rail and including a fastening wall oriented at an angle to the base wall and including fastening openings, and a side wall substantially parallel to the fastening wall and including side openings aligned with the fastening openings; a gear including a spindle nut in engagement with the spindle and a gear holder defining a central portion and side portions flanking the central portion and defining holder openings; wherein the gear is axially rigidly coupled to the seat rail by fasteners, each fastener extending through a respective fastening opening, holder opening and side opening.

2. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the seat rail is in engagement with the floor rail to define a channel therebetween.

3. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the holder openings are aligned with the fastening openings.

4. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the seat rail is displaceable relative to the floor rail in a displacement direction.

5. The longitudinal adjusting device according to one of claim 1, wherein the side portions each define an angled wall including at least one of the holder openings and a transition wall oriented at an angle to the angled wall.

6. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 5, wherein the side portions define spindle openings through which the spindle extends and the holder openings are vertically offset from the spindle openings.

7. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening wall is configured to be oriented at an angle relative to a vehicle floor when the base wall is in contact with a vehicle floor.

8. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the fastening wall is oriented substantially perpendicular to the base wall and/or configured to be oriented substantially perpendicular to a vehicle floor.

9. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 7, wherein the floor rail defines first catch apertures configured to receive therein first catch arms.

10. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 9, wherein the floor rail defines second catch apertures configured to receive therein second catch arms, wherein the second catch apertures are offset from the first catch apertures on an opposite side of the fastening wall from the first catch apertures.

11. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 9, further including a shaft configured to drive the spindle nut, wherein the gear defines a receptacle configured to engage the shaft and transmit a rotational movement of the shaft to the spindle nut.

12. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 11, configured so that rotational movement of the spindle nut displaces the gear relative to the spindle that, in turn, displaces the seat rail relative to the floor rail.

13. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 11, wherein the gear includes a worm in engagement with the spindle nut, and the receptacle is coupled to the worm.

14. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 13, wherein the gear includes a gear housing that houses the receptacle, the spindle nut and the worm.

15. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 14, wherein the gear housing is at least partially surrounded by the gear holder.

16. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 14, wherein a dimension of the gear housing in a vertical direction is larger than a dimension of the gear housing in the displacement direction.

17. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 14, wherein the gear further includes rubber mounts between which the gear housing is located.

18. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 17, wherein the rubber mounts are located between the gear holder and the gear housing.

19. The longitudinal adjusting device according to claim 17, wherein the rubber mounts are offset from each other in the displacement direction.

20. The adjusting device according to claim 11, wherein the fastening wall defines a shaft opening through which the shaft extends.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a longitudinal adjusting device, and

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective sectional view of the longitudinal adjusting device of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The longitudinal adjusting device shown in FIG. 1 is used for the longitudinal adjustment of a vehicle seat, which is not shown here. The longitudinal adjusting device has a floor rail 1, which can be fastened through its openings 2 on the base wall 3 to the vehicle floor—which is not shown here. In the case of such fastening, the vehicle floor is aligned parallel to the base wall 3. The floor rail further has first catch apertures 25 and second catch apertures 26, which are used for locking during manual longitudinal adjustment after reaching the desired position. The catch arms, which then engage into the first catch apertures 25 and into the second catch apertures 26, are not shown here.

[0035] Likewise, the longitudinal adjusting device has a seat rail 4 with a fastening wall 5, an upper wall 6 and a side wall 7. The seat rail 4 is—as illustrated in FIG. 2—in engagement with the floor rail 1 in such a manner that it can be displaced with respect to the floor rail 1 along a displacement axis 27. The fastening wall 5 is perpendicular to the base wall 3 and thus also to the vehicle floor.

[0036] The floor rail 1 and the seat rail 4, form by means of their engagement a channel, in which a spindle 8 that is rigidly coupled to the floor rail 1 is arranged. A gear 9 is in turn rigidly coupled to the seat rail 4, which gear consists of a gear holder 10, a receptacle 11 for a shaft 31, a gear housing 12, rubber mountings 13a, b and a spindle nut 30, which is in engagement with the spindle 8, and a worm 32. The receptacle 11 can be driven by the shaft 31, which is in engagement with it, as a result of which the worm 32 and in turn by this the spindle nut 30, the external toothing of which is in engagement with the worm 32, is driven. The worm 32 and the spindle nut 30 are arranged in the gear housing 12.

[0037] The rotation of the spindle nut 30 effects a displacement of the gear 9 and thus of the seat rail 4 in the direction of the displacement axis or direction 27. The fastening wall 5 has a shaft opening 28, which is flush with the receptacle 11.

[0038] The gear holder consists of a central part or portion 14 having a central part wall 16 and from side parts 15a, b, which side parts 15a, b in each case have an angled wall 17a, b and a transition wall 18a, b. The angled walls 17a, b in each case have a holder opening 19a, b, which is in turn in each case flush with fastening openings 20a, b in the fastening wall 5. Likewise, the holder openings 19a, b are in each case flush with side openings 21a, b in the side wall 7. Fastening means 22a, b, which are constructed as screws here, are in each case guided through the fastening openings 20a, b, the holder openings 19a, b and the side openings 21a, b, and thus both cross the channel. Crash loads on the vehicle seat can then be absorbed both by the fastening wall 5 and by the side wall 7. The screws are in engagement with a respective screw nut 29a, b.

[0039] The transition walls 18a, b in each case have a spindle opening 23a, b, through which the spindle 8 is guided. Due to the offset of the spindle openings 23a, b with respect to the holder openings 19a, b along the vertical axis 24, which is orientated vertically to the vehicle floor and to the base wall 3, there is no engagement or contact between the spindle 8 and the fasteners 22a, b.

[0040] As should be understood to those of ordinary skill in the art, this description is not intended to disclose all possible embodiments of the invention and combinations of features thereof, and this description should not be interpreted to apply only to the specific exemplary apparatuses described herein or the exemplary methods described herein, or exemplary combination of features. That is, the inventors expressly contemplate that the invention includes any combination or sub-combination of features described herein, regardless of whether such are explicitly described or shown herein.

[0041] As may be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art based on the teachings herein, numerous changes and modifications may be made to the above-described and other embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. Accordingly, this detailed description of embodiments is to be taken in an illustrative, as opposed to a limiting sense.