Reclining seat apparatus

A reclining seat apparatus for a vehicle body comprising:

• a seat cushion having a pair of rear side portions and mountable on a floor of the vehicle body;
• a lower arm secured to one of the rear side portions of the seat cushion;
• an outward gear secured to the lower arm;
• a seat back having a pair of lower side portions and located on or above a rearward portion of the seat cushion;
• an upper arm secured to one of the lower side portions of the seat back;
• an inward gear secured are the upper arm, in such a manner that the outward gear is in meshing engagement with the inward gear and a number of teeth of the outward gear is at least one less than a number of teeth of the inward gear;
• a shaft having a circular portion on which the lower arm is rotatably mounted and an eccentric portion on which the upper arm is supported;
• a motor energizeable to rotate the shaft in order that the resulting rotation may establish a reclining movement of the seat back through an angle relative to the seat cushion;
• and
• stopper means for regulating the reclining movement of the seat back, having a first gear secured on the shaft, a second gear differing from the first gear in a number of teeth and mounted on the shaft so as to be rotatable relative to the first gear through an angle, restriction means for establishing a first engagement between the first gear and the second gear when the first gear reaches a first angular limit in one direction and a second engagement between the first gear and the second gear when the first gear reaches a second angular limit in the other direction, and a pinion gear driven by the motor and meshed with both of the first gear and the second gear.

A reclining seat apparatus for a vehicle body comprising:

• a seat cushion having a pair of rear side portions and mountable on a floor of the vehicle body;
• a lower arm secured to one of the side portions of the seat cushion;
• an outward gear secured to the lower arms;
• a seat back having a pair of lower side portions and located on or above a rearward portion of the seat cushion;
• an upper arm secured to one of the pair of lower side portions of the seat back;
• an inward gear secured to the upper arm, in such a manner that the outward gear is in meshing engagement with the inward gear and a number of teeth of the outward gear is at least one less than a number of teeth of the inward gear;
• a shaft having a circular portion on which the lower arm is rotatably mounted and an eccentric portion on which the upper arm is supported;
• a motor energizeable to rotate the shaft in order that the resulting rotation may establish a reclining movement of the seat back through an angle relative to the seat cushion;
• and
• stopper means for regulating the reclining movement of the seat back, having a first gear secured on the shaft, a second gear differing from the first gear in a number of teeth and mounted on the shaft so as to be rotatable relative to the first gear through an angle, restriction means for establishing a first engagement between the first gear and the second gear when the first gear reaches a first angular limit in one direction and a second engagement between the first gear and the second gear when the first gear reaches a second angular limit in the other direction, a first pinion gear driven by the motor and meshed with the first gear, a second pinion meshed with both of the first gear and the second gear, and a supporting plate connected on the shaft and rotatably supporting the second pinion.