Arrangement for securing long slide rail device to vehicle

#1. Field of the Invention

#The present invention relates to a long slide rail device on which a vehicle seat is mounted for fore-and-aft movement therealong. Particularly, the invention is directed to an arrangement for securing the long slide rail device to the floor of vehicle or automobile.

#2. Description of Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a diagram showing arrangement for securing a long slide rail device in a groove of vehicle floor in accordance with the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one long slide rail unit;

#FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III—III in FIG. 2;

#FIGS. 1 through 6 illustrate one preferred mode of an arrangement for securing a long slide rail device to the floor of vehicle or automobile in accordance with the present invention.

#According to the illustrated mode, in particular referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a cabin of a vehicle of van type or the like, in which a front seat (FS) is fixed on the floor (7) and a rear seat (RS) is movably secured on a long slide rail device which is firmly attached in a long rectilinear groove (70) formed in the floor (7). Although the long slide rail device is shown as having only one slide rail unit (LS), it is to be understood that a pair of slide rail units (LS) are provided under the rear seat (RS) as with ordinary seat slide rail arrangements, and therefore, a pair of grooves (70) are formed in the floor (7) to receive those two slide rail units (5) therein. For simplicity, a description will be made only of one long slide rail unit (LS) and one groove (7).

#The long slide rail unit (LS) is of a typically known structure consisting essentially of a long lower rail (5) and a relatively short upper rail (6) slidably fitted in the lower rail (5). As seen in FIGS. 1 to 3, the long lower rail (5) is of a generally “U” shape in cross-section with an elongated guide slit (52) defined in the upper side thereof, having a bottom wall (51) and a pair of lateral walls (53A)(53B). On the other hand, as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper rail (6) includes, defined integrally therein, a pair of spaced-apart connecting portions (63)(63); a locking mechanism (62); forward roller (60A) and a pair of rearward rollers (60B). As can be seen from FIG. 3, the upper rail (6) is slidably fitted via the elongated slit (52) of lower rail (5), with the rollers (60A, 60B) thereof being rotatably accommodated within the lower rail (5). Though not shown, the lower tail (5) has a plurality of lock holes formed in the bottom wall (51) and the locking mechanism (6) includes a lock plate that can be brought to engagement in and from one of the lock holes such that the upper rail (6) may be locked and unlocked with respect to the lower rail (5) to adjustably locate the rear seat (RS) in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. Designation (55) denotes split rubber plates adapted to elastically close the elongated slit (52) of lower rail (5) and also elastically sandwich the vertical portion of upper rail (6) against invasion of dusts and foreign materials into the inside of lower rail (5). Designation (54) denotes a synthetic resin plate firmly attached to and along the lateral wall (53A), to which a carpet (not shown) may be anchored.