U.S. patent number 3,673,891 [Application Number 05/071,844] was granted by the patent office on 1972-07-04 for reclining seat adjuster.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Ferro Manufacturing Corporation. Invention is credited to Joseph Pickles.
United States Patent |
3,673,891 |
Pickles |
July 4, 1972 |
RECLINING SEAT ADJUSTER
Abstract
Irreversible epicyclic gearing connects the seat back to the
seat and includes a manually rotatable shaft having an eccentric
portion on which is mounted a drive gear engaged in an internal
gear carried by the seat or seat back member and having limited
lost motion connection with the other member.
Inventors: |
Pickles; Joseph (Birmingham,
MI) |
Assignee: |
Ferro Manufacturing Corporation
(Detroit, MI)
|
Family
ID: |
22103949 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/071,844 |
Filed: |
September 14, 1970 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
475/178; 475/349;
297/362 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60N
2/2252 (20130101); F16H 1/32 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60N
2/225 (20060101); F16H 1/32 (20060101); F16h
001/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;74/804,805 ;16/140 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Walker; Robert M.
Claims
What I claim is:
1. Adjustable support structure for a seat back of a reclining seat
comprising
a stationary support member,
an arm member pivoted to said stationary support member,
pivot means comprising a rotatable shaft connecting said members,
said shaft having a circular cross-section first portion defining
the pivot axis between said members, and a circular cross-section
second portion eccentric to said first portion,
irreversible drive gearing connecting said members comprising
an externally toothed annular drive gear rotatable on the eccentric
portion of said shaft and having a series of circular openings
disposed in a circular array around and concentric with said
eccentric portion,
one of said members having an internally toothed recess
constituting an internal gear and receiving said drive gear in mesh
therewith, the number of teeth in said internal gear exceeding the
number of teeth in said drive gear by a small number representing a
small fraction of the total number of teeth in said recess,
said other member having a circular array of pin-like elements
extending into said circular openings, the diameter of said array
being equal to the diameter of the circular array of openings in
said drive gear, the diameter of said circular openings exceeding
the diameter of said elements by double the eccentricity of the
eccentric portion of said shaft,
said one member being formed of flat metal plate-like material,
and an annular abutment on said one member closing one end of the
internal gear and serving to engage one side of said drive gear to
limit axial movement thereof in one direction,
said other member having an annular portion positioned to engage
the other side of said drive gear to limit axial movement thereof
in the other direction,
and manually operated means for rotating shaft shaft.
2. Structure as defined in claim 1 in which said internal gear and
said annular abutment are both formed from unitary rigid plate-like
material, and said abutment is a gear shape laterally stamped
partially from but not severed from the sheet material.
3. Structure as defined in claim 1 in which said other member is
formed of plate-like material and said pin-like elements are
stamped extrusions extending laterally from one side of said other
member.
4. Structure as defined in claim 2 in which said other member is
formed of plate-like material and said pin-like elements are
stamped extrusions extending laterally from one side of said other
member.
5. Structure as defined in claim 4, said drive gear being formed of
plate-like metal of about the same thickness as said members and
having opposed flat surfaces in sliding contact with the
confronting surface of the annular abutment on said one member and
the side of said other member, whereby the operating structure at
the pivot connections between said members exclusive of said shaft
has an overall thickness about equal to the combined thickness of
said members and drive gear.
6. Structure as defined in claim 2, said other member comprising
substantially paired concave shaped portions, one of said portions
having a substantially cylindrically shaped flange guidingly
engaging the crests of the teeth of said gear-shaped stamping.
7. Structure as defined in claim 6, said one concave shaped portion
having an inwardly formed arcuate portion having an arcuate
generally cylindrical area guidingly engaging the crests of the
teeth of said gear-shaped stamping in a zone generally opposite the
zone thereof engaged by said flange.
8. Structure as defined in claim 1, the annular abutment on said
one member having a generally cylindrical outer peripheral portion,
said other member comprising substantially paired concave shaped
portions, one of said portions having a substantially cylindrically
shaped flange guidingly engaging the outer peripheral portions of
said abutment.
9. Structure as defined in claim 8 in which said concave shaped
portions are formed of sheet material having stiffening flanges
around their edge portions.
10. Structure as defined in claim 9 in which said pin-like elements
extend between and rigidly interconnect said concave shaped
portions.
11. Structure as defined in claim 8, said one concave-shaped
portion having an inwardly formed arcuate portion having an arcuate
generally cylindrical area guidingly engaging the outer peripheral
portions of said abutment in a zone generally opposite the zone
thereof engaged by said flange.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT
The present application is related to my prior U.S. Pat. No.
3,423,785.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present construction provides a manually adjustable seat back
intended to be moved from normal upright position to rearwardly
extending reclining position. Associated with the pivot connection
between the seat back and the seat is epicyclic gearing.
Substantially identical bracket constructions are provided at each
side of the seat and serve to interconnect a fixedly mounted seat
member with a pivotally mounted seat back member. One of the
members includes an internal gear which preferably is formed by a
partial stamping operation, leaving the partially stamped-out
material connected to the member as a generally annular abutment
closing one end of the tooth spaces. Received in the recess thus
formed is a drive gear having a few less teeth than the internal
gear. The drive gear is provided with a circular array of openings
extending about the axis of the drive gear.
The drive gear is mounted on an eccentric portion of a shaft
constituting a part of the pivot connection between the
members.
The other member is provided with pin-like elements extending into
the openings in the drive gear with substantial lost motion.
As a result, rotation of the drive shaft causes an oscillating
movement of the drive gear and each oscillation effects relative
angular movement between the members in accordance with the
difference in number of teeth of the internal and drive gears.
The epicyclic gearing thus provided is irreversible so that
rotation of the shaft is required to effect movement of the seat
back either forwardly or rearwardly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of the bracket members
constituting portions of the seat and seat back.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2--2, FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3, FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a second embodiment of
the invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5--5, FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6--6, FIG. 5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, the reclining seat back construction
comprises a hinge or pivot mounting between a seat member 10 and a
seat back member 12. These members are preferably formed of flat
metal which is referred to herein as "plate-like." The distinction
between plate and sheet is not strictly observed although sheet is
sometimes described as having a thickness of not more than
one-fourth inch. In the present case, the material of the bracket
members 10 and 12 may be less than one-fourth inch as for example,
about three-sixteenths inch, but in the dimensions in which the
material is used, the material is substantially rigid.
On the other hand, as will subsequently appear, one of the brackets
may be formed of a substantially thinner material adapted to be
shaped to relatively abrupt contours and this material is referred
to as "sheet" material. This material may for example be considered
as having a thickness of approximately one-sixteenth inch.
One of the members, as for example the seat back member 12, is
provided with a recess 14, the peripheral portion of which is
shaped to form an internal gear having the teeth as best indicated
at 16 in FIG. 3. This construction may advantageously be made by a
stamping operation in which the recess 14 is formed by displacing
or extruding the material to form a displaced abutment wall 18
which forms a bottom to the recess 14, but leaves the displaced
material connected to the plate-like member 12 as indicated at 20.
It will be appreciated that with this construction the outer
surface of the displaced material will have a toothed configuration
as best illustrated at 22 in FIG. 1 although the gear formed by
these teeth do not enter functionally into operation of the seat
recliner.
Received in the recess 14 is an annular drive gear 24, the
construction of which is best apparent in FIG. 3. The drive gear 24
includes a circular central opening 26 and disposed in a circular
array about the axis of the drive gear are a multiplicity of
enlarged circular openings 28. The bracket member 10 forming a part
of the seat has a central opening 30 and disposed about the central
opening 30 in concentric relation thereto is a circular array of
laterally projecting pin-like elements 32. These elements are
preferably formed by a partial stamping operation somewhat similar
to the operation employed in producing the internal gear recess 14,
and results in the formation of non-functional recesses 34 at one
side of the member 10. The circular elements 32 extend into the
circular openings 28 with substantial lost motion for a purpose
which will presently appear.
A drive shaft indicated generally at 36 is provided having a flange
38, circular bearing surfaces 40 and 42, and an eccentric circular
bearing surface 44.
As best seen in FIG. 2, the members 10 and 12 are journaled on the
coaxial bearing surfaces 40 and 42 and the drive gear 24 is
rotatably mounted on the eccentric shaft portion 44.
The diameter of the openings 28 exceeds the diameter of the
pin-like elements 32 by twice the amount of the eccentricity of the
shaft portion 44.
The drive gear 24 has a number of teeth slightly less than the
number of teeth in the internal gear 16 with the result that the
gears 16 and 24 mesh in the relationship illustrated in FIG. 3.
From this Figure it will be apparent that one rotation of the shaft
36, which may be accomplished by a handle or crank as indicated at
46, will effect relative angular movement between the members 10
and 12 in accordance with the difference in the number of teeth.
The difference in the number of teeth represents a small fraction
of the total number of teeth in the internal gear 16. Accordingly,
several rotations of the shaft 36 will be necessary to produce a
90.degree. adjustment of the seat back from vertical to horizontal
position.
As a result of this gear arrangement, it will be appreciated that
the gearing is irreversible so that the seat back will remain in
any position to which it is adjusted by rotation of the shaft, and
conversely, manual rotation of the shaft is required to effect
adjustment of the seat back.
With the construction as just described it will be observed that
the operating structure at the pivot connection, with the exception
of the shaft 36, is approximately equal to the combined thicknesses
of the plate-like material from which the members 10 and 12 and the
gear 24 are fabricated.
It will further be appreciated that similar hinge and pivot means
are provided at opposite sides of the seat and for this purpose
rotation may be imparted to a second bracket by means of a torsion
bar indicated at 48, which as illustrated is of square
cross-section.
The shaft 36 carries a washer 49 which engages the outer surface of
the displaced abutment wall 18, this washer being retained in place
by upsetting the adjacent end of the shaft 36 as illustrated in
FIG. 2. With this arrangement it will be seen that the bracket
member 10 mounts the shaft in a fixed position and the shaft in
turn constitutes the guiding support which locates both the drive
gear 24 and the seat back bracket member 12.
Referring now to FIGS. 4-6 there is illustrated a somewhat
different embodiment of the 3, in which the seat bracket indicated
generally at 50 is formed of an assembly of two concave stampings
52 and 54 assembled together to provide an effectively rigid
supporting bracket. The seat back member 56 may in this embodiment
of the invention be identical with that illustrated at 12 in FIGS.
1-3, and the drive gear 58 and shaft 60 may also be identical.
In this construction the upper end of the stampings 52 and 54 are
interconnected by rivets 62 which form pin-like elements performing
the functions of the elements 32 in the previously described
embodiment of the invention. These elements not only serve the
function of establishing a driving relation with the drive gear 58,
but also of course serve as the means both interconnecting and
spacing the upper ends of the stampings 52 and 54.
Rotation of the shaft 60 results in oscillation of the drive gear
58 and produces angular movement between the members 50 and 56.
In this construction a different guiding support is provided
intermediate the members 50 and 56. The member 50 journals the
shaft 60 at the two coaxial cylindrical journal portions 64 and 66.
However, the seat back bracket member 56 is in this case guidingly
connected to and supported by the member 50 by reason of a
cylindrical flange 68 which engages around a substantial portion of
the toothed periphery of the laterally displaced abutment wall 70.
In addition, the stamping 54 is provided with an arcuate depressed
portion 72 forming a generally cylindrical guide wall 74 which
engages a portion of the crests of the teeth on the abutting wall
70 substantially opposite the flange 68.
It will of course be understood that the drive gear 58 is journaled
on the eccentric portion 76 of the shaft 60 but since this gear is
in mesh with the internal gear 78 provided in the seat back member
56, it cannot provide the necessary guidance for swinging movement
of the seat back.
It will be observed that in this embodiment of the invention the
overall thickness of the mechanism provided at the pivot
connection, exclusive of the shaft 64, is again substantially equal
to the combined thickness of the material of the drive gear 58, the
member 56, and the combined thickness of the two stampings 52 and
54.
It will further be observed that in both cases the drive gear has
opposite flat side surfaces which respectively engage a confronting
surface of one of the bracket members 10 or 50 and the confronting
surface of the abutment wall 18 or 70.
* * * * *