Ball bearing application for seat recliner disk mechanisms
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorMacit Aktas
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle seat includes a seat base and a seat back rotationally connected at a pivot. The seat base is rotatable about the pivot between a plurality of rotational positions relative to the seat base. A recliner disk is positioned at the pivot. The recliner disk includes a guide plate coupled to the seat base and a tooth plate coupled to the seat back. A plurality of bearings is positioned between the guide and tooth plates. The plurality of bearings and the guide and tooth plates are free of an internal braking mechanism. The engagement of the guide and tooth plates with the bearings provide for substantially free rotational movement between the plurality of rotational positions. The bearings also fix the relative axial position of the guide plate relative to the tooth plate.
Claims20
A vehicle seat comprising:
- a seat base and a seat back rotationally connected at a pivot, the seat base rotatable about the pivot between a plurality of rotational positions relative to the seat base;
- a recliner disk positioned at the pivot, wherein the recliner disk includes a first plate coupled to the seat base and a second plate coupled to the seat back;
- and
- a bearing positioned between the first and second plates, the bearing and the first and second plates being free of an internal braking mechanism, wherein engagement of the first and second plates with the bearing provides for substantially free rotational movement between the plurality of rotational positions, the bearing fixing a relative axial position of the first plate relative to the second plate;
- wherein;
- the first plate includes a first groove within which the bearing is disposed, wherein the first groove defines a track within which the bearing travels as the seat back is rotated between the plurality of rotational positions;
- and
- the second plate includes a second groove that opposes the first groove, wherein the first and second grooves define a bearing channel within which the bearing is disposed to secure the first and second plates in a fixed axial position relative to one another.
A vehicle seat comprising:
- a seat back rotationally operable about a rotational axis relative to a seat base;
- a first plate of the seat base that rotates about the rotational axis relative to a second plate of the seat back;
- and
- internal bearings positioned within a bearing channel defined between first and second grooves of the first and second plates, respectively, to secure an axial position of the first plate relative to the second plate.
A vehicle seat comprising:
- first and second plates coupled to a seat base and a seat back, respectively, wherein the second plate and the seat back rotate about an axis;
- and
- bearings disposed in a bearing channel defined between the first and second plates, wherein the bearings provide for substantially unimpeded rotation of the second plate relative to the first plate that is free of lateral deviation relative to the axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.