Disc recliner assembly incorporated into a seatback/seat base pivot associated with a vehicle seat

A seat recliner assembly established at a hinge location between a seat bottom and a pivotally associated seat back and for providing enhanced distribution of necessary sector clearances across a package defining space and to reduce the incidences of chucking and locking of package components, comprising:

• a base plate secured to a first selected one of the seat back and seat bottom;
• an inwardly teethed and package supporting sector secured to a second selected one of the seat back and seat bottom, said base plate and package supporting sector each exhibiting a circular outer profile, said base plate further including a perimeter extending lip such that said package supporting sector is capable of being sandwichingly engaged in selectively rotatable fashion relative to said base plate and to define a component receiving space therebetween;
• an outer retention ring installed over a rear facing surface of said supporting sector and engageable by outer perimeter located fasteners with said base plate perimeter extending lip;
• a shaft projects through said base plate and supporting sector, a cam including an aperture through which said shaft extends, said cam being supported within said component receiving space in a selected and rotationally biased and slaved fashion by a pair of clock springs secured at first and second locations within said package receiving space, extending finger locations associated with said springs engaging shoulder locations of said cam and biasing said cam in said locking direction relative to said shaft, said shaft further comprising a keyed portion for rotating said cam, a misalignment tolerancing defined between at least said keyed portion and an inner surface associated with said cam aperture and for permitting misalignment of said cam within a coplanar space associated with said package supporting sector;
• a pair of locking pawls each exhibiting an outer arcuate and exteriorly toothed surface and which are selectively displaceable to engage with inwardly teethed locations associated with said package supporting sector;
• a pair of anti-chuck pawls associated with further locations of said component receiving space, said anti-chuck pawls being inter-disposed between said cam and said locking pawls in spaced and non-contacting fashion relative to said inwardly teethed and package supporting sector;
• and
• said cam being biased in a first rotational locking condition in order to influence said anti-chuck pawls outwardly against said locking pawls to maintain said locking pawls in teethed engagement with said inwardly teethed sector, said cam being rotated in an opposite and counter-biasing direction, thereby directly contacting inwardly projecting locations associated with each of said locking pawls, and in order to pivot the same such that said exteriorly toothed surfaces are inwardly disengaged from said teethed sector, thereby permitting rotational movement between said base plate and package supporting sector

A seat recliner assembly established at a hinge location between a seat bottom and a pivotally associated seat back, comprising:

• a base plate secured to a first selected one of the seat back and seat bottom;
• an inwardly teethed and package supporting sector secured to a second selected one of the seat back and seat bottom, said base plate and said package supporting sector being sandwichingly engaged in selectively rotatable fashion relative to one another to define a component receiving space therebetween;
• a shaft projects through said base plate and supporting sector, a cam including an aperture through which said shaft extends, said cam being supported within said component receiving space in a selected and rotationally biased and slaved fashion relative to said shaft;
• a pair of locking pawls each exhibiting an outer arcuate and exteriorly toothed surface and which are selectively displaceable to engage with inwardly teethed locations associated with said package supporting sector;
• a pair of anti-chuck pawls associated with further locations of said component receiving space and being selectively engagable both by said cam and with said locking pawls;
• said component space defining surface associated with said package support sector further comprising a plurality of fixed structural projections extending from locations associated with at least one of a surface of said support sector and at opposing base plate surface, and for controlling actuating motion of at least one of said cam, locking pawls and anti-chuck pawls;
• said structural projections further comprising a first plurality of outer perimeter located projections, each exhibiting an inwardly facing and circular profile, said locking pawls and anti-chuck pawls being matingly configured to be displaceable around said fixed outer projections and in response to actuation of said cam;
• said first plurality of outer perimeter located structural projections further comprising a first smaller diameter pair for guiding displacing motion of said locking pawls and a second larger diameter pair for guiding said anti-chuck pawls;
• and
• said cam being biased in a first rotational locking condition in order to influence said anti-chuck pawls outwardly against said locking pawls, said cam being rotated in an opposite and counter-biasing direction, thereby directly contacting said locking pawls and pivoting the same such that said exteriorly toothed surfaces are inwardly disengaged from said teethed sector, permitting rotation between said base plate and package supporting sector;
• arrangement of said cam, locking pawls and anti-chuck pawls further providing enhanced distribution of necessary sector clearances across the package defining space to reduce the incidences of chucking and locking of package components.