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US 6,786,550 B2Granted
Reclining device for a seat
AssigneeAraco Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorHideki Uramichi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reclining device including a recess formed as a low-rigidity portion in a lateral portion of each of slide pawls which faces a lateral wall surface of a guide groove of a stationary disc (the lateral wall surface of a bearing wall portion). The stationary disc holds the slide pawls. If an enormous circumferential turning force is applied to the slide pawls from a ratchet, the recess functions as a point upon which a pawl body of each of the slide pawls is deflected in the direction in which the turning force is applied. As a result, the pawl body quickly sinks into the lateral wall surface of the bearing wall portion. Thus, the slide pawls are prevented from moving away from the ratchet.
Claims28
A reclining device, comprising:
- a plurality of pawls, each of which has first teeth formed in a first end portion thereof, first and second leg portions extending in a direction opposite to the first teeth and formed in a second end portion on the other side of the first end portion where the first teeth are formed and a low-rigidity portion formed in each of the first and second leg portions and demonstrating a lower rigidity than the other portions of the first and second leg portions, wherein the low-rigidity portion is formed at a root of each of the leg portions of each of the pawls;
- a ratchet which has second teeth that mesh with the first teeth and which can turn within a range where the second teeth are formed so that the first and second teeth can mesh with each other locally and variably;
- a holder which has a guide groove that abuts on and holds a lateral face of each of the pawls so that the pawls slidably move toward and away from the second teeth of the ratchet;
- and
- a cam body which bears on at least one of the first and second leg portions of each of the pawls and presses the first teeth of the pawl toward the ratchet so that the first teeth of the pawl are brought into mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet in order to prevent the holder and the ratchet from rotating relative to each other and which brings the first teeth of the pawl out of mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet so that the holder and the ratchet are allowed to rotate relative to each other.
2 more elements
A reclining device, comprising:
- a plurality of pawls, each of which has first teeth formed in a first end portion thereof, first and second leg portions extending in a direction opposite to the first teeth and formed in a second end portion on the other side of the first end portion where the first teeth are formed and a low-rigidity portion formed in each of the first and second leg portions and demonstrating a lower rigidity than the other portions of the first and second leg portions;
- a ratchet which has second teeth that mesh with the first teeth and which can turn within a range where the second teeth are formed so that the first and second teeth can mesh with each other locally and variably;
- a holder which has a guide groove that abuts on and holds a lateral face of each of the pawls so that the pawls slidably move toward and away from the second teeth of the ratchet;
- and
- a cam body which bears on at least one of the first and second leg portions of each of the pawls and presses the first teeth of the pawl toward the ratchet so that the first teeth of the pawl are brought into mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet in order to prevent the holder and the ratchet from rotating relative to each other and which brings the first teeth of the pawl out of mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet so that the holder and the ratchet are allowed to rotate relative to each other, wherein if a stress is applied to the pawls via the ratchet in the direction in which the ratchet can turn when the pawls are in mesh with the ratchet such that the low-rigidity portion on the side of the stress buckles, each of the pawls are deflected upon the low-rigidity portion on the side of a turning direction such that the first teeth turn toward the ratchet.
2 more elements
A reclining device, comprising:
- a plurality of pawls, each of which has first teeth formed in a first end portion thereof, first and second leg portions extending in a direction opposite to the first teeth and formed in a second end portion on the other side of the first end portion where the first teeth are formed and a low-rigidity portion formed in at least one of the first and second leg portions and demonstrating a lower rigidity than the other portions of the first and second leg portions, wherein the low-rigidity portion is formed at a root of each of the leg portions of each of the pawls;
- a ratchet which has second teeth that mesh with the first teeth and which can turn within a range where the second teeth are formed so that the first and second teeth can mesh with each other locally and variably;
- a holder which has a guide groove that abuts on and holds a lateral face of each of the pawls so that the pawls slidably move toward and away from the second teeth of the ratchet, wherein the low-rigidity portion is formed to face a lateral wall of the guide groove of the holder;
- and
- a cam body which bears on at least one of the first and second leg portions of each of the pawls and presses the first teeth of the pawl toward the ratchet so that the first teeth of the pawl are brought into mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet in order to prevent the holder and the ratchet from rotating relative to each other and which brings the first teeth of the pawl out of mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet so that the holder and the ratchet are allowed to rotate relative to each other.
2 more elements
A reclining device, comprising:
- a plurality of pawls, each of which has first teeth formed in a first end portion thereof, first and second leg portions extending in a direction opposite to the first teeth and formed in a second end portion on the other side of the first end portion where the first teeth are formed and a low-rigidity portion formed in at least one of the first and second leg portions and demonstrating a lower rigidity than the other portions of the first and second leg portions;
- a ratchet which has second teeth that mesh with the first teeth and which can turn within a range where the second teeth are formed so that the first and second teeth can mesh with each other locally and variably;
- a holder which has a guide groove that abuts on and holds a lateral face of each of the pawls so that the pawls slidably move toward and away from the second teeth of the ratchet, wherein the low-rigidity portion is formed to face a lateral wall of the guide groove of the holder;
- and
- a cam body which bears on at least one of the first and second leg portions of each of the pawls and presses the first teeth of the pawl toward the ratchet so that the first teeth of the pawl are brought into mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet in order to prevent the holder and the ratchet from rotating relative to each other and which brings the first teeth of the pawl out of mesh with the second teeth of the ratchet so that the holder and the ratchet are allowed to rotate relative to each other, wherein if a stress is applied to the pawls via the ratchet in the direction in which the ratchet can turn when the pawls are in mesh with the ratchet such that the low-rigidity portion on the side of the stress buckles, each of the pawls are deflected upon the low-rigidity portion on the side of a turning direction such that the first teeth turn toward the ratchet.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.