Disc Recliner With Integral Travel Stops

A disc recliner mechanism, comprising:

• a guide plate;
• a pair of pawls mounted to said guide plate and moveable radially with respect to said guide plate, each of said pair of pawls including a set of teeth on the radially outer surface and a guide boss extending generally orthogonally to the plane of each of said pair of pawls;
• and
• a tooth plate having a set of inwardly extending teeth located about the circumference of said tooth plate, said set of inwardly extending teeth being complementary to said set of teeth on said pair of pawls, said tooth plate further comprising at least one travel stop whereby said guide boss on one of said pair of pawls abuts said at least one travel stop when said tooth plate is at a predefined limit of rotational movement in a first direction and said guide boss on the other of said pair of pawls abuts said at least one travel stop when said tooth plate is at a predefined limit of rotational movement in a second direction.

A disc recliner mechanism for an automotive vehicle seat to allow selective pivotal movement of a seat back relative to a seat cushion between a rearward position and a forward position, said disc recliner comprising:

• a guide plate adapted to be mounted to one of the seat back and the seat cushion;
• a tooth plate adapted to be mounted to the other of the seat back and the seat cushion, said tooth plate including a pair of travel stops;
• and
• at least one pawl operatively coupled to said guide plate for movement between a first position engaged with said tooth plate thereby locking said guide plate and said tooth plate together to prevent pivotal movement of the seat back and a second position disengaged with said tooth plate thereby unlocking said guide plate and said tooth plate to allow pivotal movement of the seat back, said at least one pawl including a guide boss extending generally orthogonally to the plane of said at least one pawl and extending toward said tooth plate;
• whereby said guide boss abuts one of said pair of travel stops when said tooth plate is rotated in a first direction relative to said guide plate and the seat back is in the rearward position, and whereby said guide boss abuts the other of said pair of travel stops when said tooth plate is rotated in a second direction relative to said guide plate and the seat back is in the forward position.