Linear recliner with plastic housing

A vehicle seat comprising:

• a seat base;
• a seat back coupled for pivotable movement relative to the seat base;
• and
• a linear seat recliner including a drive mechanism, a driven mechanism and a transmission assembly operably interconnecting the drive mechanism and the driven mechanism, said transmission assembly including a gear retainer assembly and a mounting assembly, said mounting assembly including a second plate nesting within a first plate and securing said gear retainer assembly therebetween, and coupled to one of the seat back and seat base, said driven mechanism coupled to the other of the seat back and seat base, said gear retainer assembly including a gear housing formed of a polymeric material.

A linear seat recliner apparatus for controllably adjusting the angular position of a seat back relative to a seat base, comprising:

• a drive mechanism;
• a driven mechanism including a recliner rod adapted to be coupled to one of the seat back and seat base;
• and
• a transmission assembly operably interconnecting said drive mechanism and said driven mechanism, said transmission assembly including a gear retainer assembly and a mounting assembly;
• said gear retainer assembly including a helical nut gear, a thrust bearing, a doubler plate and a gear housing formed of a polymeric material, said gear housing including a drive mechanism passage, a driven mechanism passage, and a gear cavity, said drive mechanism passage having said drive mechanism disposed therein and extending transverse to said driven mechanism passage, said driven mechanism passage having said driven mechanism disposed therein, said gear cavity communicating with said drive mechanism passage and said driven mechanism passage, said helical gear nut disposed in said gear cavity in operative engagement with said drive mechanism and said driven mechanism, said thrust bearing operatively engaging said helical nut gear, said doubler plate operatively engaging said thrust bearing, said first and second plates compressing said doubler plate against said thrust bearing to limit play within the transmission assembly during operation;
• and
• said mounting assembly including a second plate nesting within a first plate and securing said gear retainer assembly therebetween, each of said first and second plates having a central portion and a pair of legs extending from said central portion for aligning said first and second plates, said first plate coupled to said second plate to define a first cavity between said central portions of said first and second plates, said first cavity receiving said gear housing, said mounting assembly coupling said gear retainer assembly to the other of the seat back and seat base.

A vehicle seat comprising;

• a seat base;
• a seat back coupled for pivotable movement relative to the seat base, and
• a linear seat recliner including a drive mechanism, a driven mechanism, and a transmission assembly, said driven mechanism including a recliner rod adapted to be coupled to one of the seat back and seat base, said transmission assembly operably interconnecting said drive mechanism and said driven mechanism, said transmission assembly including a gear retainer assembly and a mounting assembly;
• said gear retainer assembly including a helical nut gear, a thrust bearing, a doubler plate and a gear housing formed of a polymeric material, said gear housing including a drive mechanism passage, a driven mechanism passage, and a gear cavity, said drive mechanism passage having said drive mechanism disposed therein and extending transverse to said driven mechanism passage, said driven mechanism passage having said driven mechanism disposed therein, said gear cavity communicating with said drive mechanism passage and said driven mechanism passage, said helical gear nut disposed in said gear cavity in operative engagement with said drive mechanism and said driven mechanism, said thrust bearing operatively engaging said helical nut gear, said doubler plate operatively engaging said thrust bearing, said first and second plates compressing said doubler plate against said thrust bearing to limit play within the transmission assembly during operation;
• and
• said mounting assembly including a second plate nesting within a first plate and securing said gear retainer assembly therebetween, each of said first and second plates having a central portion and a pair of legs extending from said central portion for aligning said first and second plates, said first plate coupled to said second plate to define a first cavity between said central portions of said first and second plates, said first cavity receiving said gear housing, said mounting assembly coupling said gear retainer assembly to the other of the seat back and seat base.