The present application is a national phase application of International Application No. PCT/CN2019/129937, filed on Dec. 30, 2019, which claims priority to Chinese patent application No. 201910000531.3, filed on Jan. 2, 2019, entitled “MEMORY MODULE AND SEAT MOUNTING STRUCTURE WITH EASY ENTRY MODULE,” the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
The present invention relates to an automotive seat, and more specifically to a memory module and a seat mounting structure with an easy-entry module.
With the two-child policy, 5-seater sedans can no longer meet the needs of families with larger members. Therefore, in recent years, the market of 7-seater SUVs and MPVs has increased year by year. 7-seater has been favored by more and more families, and gradually becomes the mainstream model in the automotive market. An easy-entry (EZE) module aims to provide the enough access room for passengers of each row, especially for the passenger straight to his third-row seat passing the second-row seat.
The seat mounting structure with the easy-entry module usually includes a lower sliding rail and an upper sliding rail. The lower sliding rail is stationary relative to the floor or frame of the car and the upper sliding rail is stationary relative to the seat (such as the second-row seat). The upper sliding rail is connected to the lower sliding rail for allowing the upper sliding rail movable back and forth relative to the lower sliding rail. When the seat on the upper sliding rail is moved forward, a more spacious access room for passenger to the rear seat is provided. In addition, the seat mounting structure with the easy-entry module also includes a rail locking mechanism for restricting the relative movement between the lower sliding rail and the upper sliding rail, so as to lock the upper sliding rail (i.e., the seat) after the passenger accesses to the rear seat.
It is known that the seat mounting structure with the easy-entry module can also include a memory module to allow the seat to move forward from a selected point (such as a comfortable position of the second-row passenger), and then allow the seat to move backward before the selected point. Such memory module is often arranged outside of the sliding rails (i.e., the lower sliding rail and the upper sliding rail), which not only takes up a lot of space and makes it inconvenient to arrange, but also expensive. Further, additional fastening structure is needed on the seat frame. Compared with such external memory module, the memory module arranged inside the sliding rails has significant advantages. For example, CN102126449 and CN102198808B disclose memory modules, which do not need to take up the space outside the sliding rails. However, these known memory modules have numerous parts and complex mechanisms, for example complex parts such as ratchets, which take up a large space inside the sliding rails, easily interfere with the rail locking mechanism and are difficult to apply to different types of sliding rails. Moreover, many parts of these known memory modules need to be installed before the sliding rails are paired, resulting in high installation costs. In addition, more slots on the sliding rails are needed for these known memory modules, and thus the overall rigidity of the sliding rails is reduced and their applications are greatly restricted.
In order to solve the problems of the complex structure and the large space occupied of the built-in module in the prior art, the present invention aims to provide a memory module and a seat mounting structure with an easy-to-enter module.
The present invention provides a memory module, comprising: an upper module including a fixed block, a pressure tongue and a reset spring, wherein the pressure tongue is rotatably mounted on the fixed block by the reset spring, wherein the reset spring provides a first driving force for the rotation of the pressure tongue, wherein the fixed block has a downwardly extending upper retaining point, and wherein the pressure tongue has an upper retaining surface formed by the front surface; a lower module engaged with the upper module and including a guide rail, a slider, a rotating block and a torsion spring, wherein the rotating block is rotatably mounted on the slider by the torsion spring, wherein the torsion spring provides a second driving force for the rotation of the rotating block, wherein the slider is slidably mounted on the guide rail, wherein the guide rail has locking holes, wherein the rotating block has a locking block, wherein the slider has an upwardly extending first lower retaining point at its front end, wherein the rotating block has an upwardly extending second lower retaining point at its rear end for engaging with the upper retaining point; when the front end of the rotating block is raised under the action of the second driving force, the locking block is inserted into the locking hole, and the upper retaining surface is separated from the first lower retaining point; when the rear end of the rotating block is raised since the rotating block is pressed by the pressure tongue under the action of the first driving force overcoming the second driving force, the locking block is separated from the locking hole, and the upper retaining surface is engaged with the first lower retaining point.
The fixed block comprises a top plate portion and a bottom plate portion, wherein the bottom plate portion starts from the lower surface of the top plate portion and extends downward in an arc shape and then extends parallel to the top plate portion to form a fixed arcuate section and a straight section; wherein the rear end of the pressure tongue extends upward in an arc shape to form a tongue arcuate section; wherein the reset spring includes a first reed and a second reed; wherein the second reed starts from the rear end of the first reed and extends upward in an arc shape and then slopes upward to form a reed arcuate section and an inclined section; wherein the reed arcuate section is received in the tongue arcuate section, and the tongue arcuate section is received in the fixed arcuate section; wherein the inclined section is engaged with the top plate portion; and wherein the first reed provides the first driving force to the straight section of the pressure tongue.
The fixed block further comprises a connecting rib, which extends perpendicular to the top plate portion and the bottom plate portion between the top plate portion and the bottom plate portion; wherein the pressure tongue includes side sections spaced apart by a tongue notch; wherein the reset spring includes side sections spaced apart by a reed notch; and wherein the connecting rib is inserted into and engaged with the tongue notch and the reed notch.
The inclined section has a protrusion, wherein the top plate portion has a recess, and wherein the protrusion extends into and engaged with the recess.
The pressure tongue comprises a first tongue portion, an inclined portion and a second tongue portion, wherein the inclined portion is between the first tongue portion and the second tongue portion parallel to each other and connects the first tongue portion to the second tongue portion.
The upper module further comprises a pull tab mounted on the pressure tongue, wherein the pull tab has a curved section, wherein the inclined portion has a through hole, and wherein the curved section is inserted into and engaged with the through hole.
The guide rail comprises a bottom wall and two side walls extending perpendicular to the bottom wall; wherein the slider is a rectangular frame structure and includes two longitudinal beams parallel to each other and two transverse beams perpendicular to the longitudinal beams and connecting the longitudinal beams; wherein half spheres are raised from both the bottom surface and the outer surface of the longitudinal beams; and wherein the half spheres is slidable on and engaged with the bottom wall and the side wall of the guide rail.
The lower module further comprises a rotating shaft fixedly connected to the slider, wherein the torsion spring around the rotating shaft includes a first torsion arm, a second torsion arm and a connecting arm, wherein the connecting arm is disposed between the first torsion arm and the second torsion arm and connects the first torsion arm to the parallel second torsion arm; wherein the connecting arm is pressed on the upper surface of the rotating block, and wherein the free ends of the first torsion arm and the second torsion arm away from the connecting arm are pressed on the upper surface of the slider to provide the second driving force to the rotating block.
The present invention provides a seat mounting structure with an easy-entry module, wherein the seat mounting structure includes above memory module.
The seat mounting structure also includes a lower sliding rail, an upper sliding rail and the easy-entry module, wherein the upper module is connected to and inside the upper sliding rail, wherein the lower module is connected to and inside the lower sliding rail, wherein the upper sliding rail is connected to the lower sliding rail for allowing the upper sliding rail movable back and forth relative to the lower sliding rail, and wherein the easy-entry module is respectively connected to the upper module and the upper sliding rail.
The guide rail of the lower module is connected to the lower sliding rail at two ends by a first blind rivet and a second blind rivet.
The memory module and the seat mounting structure according to of the present invention provide the locking and unlocking of the slider on the guide rail through the cooperation of the rotatable pressure tongue and the rotating block. The structure is simple, without involving complex parts such as ratchets. The module cost is reduced with fewer components. The occupy space in sliding rails is small and the interference with the rail locking mechanism is avoided, for enhancing the scope of use of the module. In particular, locking holes are disposed on the guide rail, and slots opened on the sliding rail are omitted, thus the weakening of the rigidity of the sliding rail is avoided. In fact, the rigidity of the sliding rail can be strengthened by the guide rail in the sliding rail, and the front and rear stroke stops can be formed by the fasteners of the guide rail and the sliding rail. In addition, the memory module of the seat mounting structure of the present invention is driven by the easy-entry module, in order to realize the coordinated movement of the easy-entry module and the memory module. Moreover, for the seat mounting structure according to the present invention, the upper and lower modules of the memory module can be separately installed on the upper and lower sliding rails after the upper and lower sliding rails are paired, which does not involve a lot of installation work before the sliding rails are paired, and thus the complexity of installation is reduced.
The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings.
As shown in
The upper module 1 includes a fixed block 11, a pressure tongue 12, a reset spring 13 and a pull tab 14, wherein the pressure tongue 12 is mounted on the fixed block 11 by the reset spring 13, and the pull tab 14 is mounted on the pressure tongue 12.
Specifically, the fixed block 11 is a splint structure, and includes a top plate portion 111, a bottom plate portion 112 and a connecting rib 113. The bottom plate portion 112 starts from the lower surface of the top plate portion 111 and extends downward in an arc shape and then extends parallel to the top plate portion 111, and thus a fixed arcuate section 1121 and a straight section 1122 are formed (see
The pressure tongue 12 is a sheet structure, and includes a first tongue portion 121, an inclined portion 122 and a second tongue portion 123, wherein the inclined portion 122 is between the first tongue portion 121 and the second tongue portion 123 parallel to each other and connects the first tongue portion 121 to the second tongue portion 123 (see
The reset spring 13 is a clip structure, and includes a first reed 131 and a second reed 132, wherein the second reed 132 starts from one end of the first reed 131 and extends upward in an arc shape and then slopes upward to form a reed arcuate section 1321 and an inclined section 1322 (see
Returning to
The installation of the upper module 1 is easy, including: laterally inserting the arcuate section 1321 of the reset spring 13 into the tongue arcuate section 1211 of the pressure tongue 12; and then inserting the connecting rib 113 of the fixed block 11 into the tongue notch 121a of the pressure tongue 12 and the reed notch 13a of the reset spring 13 until the protrusion 1322a of the reset spring 13 is inserted into the recess 111a of the fixed block 11; and then snapping the curved section 141 of the pull tab 14 into the through hole 122a of the pressure tongue 12 from above.
The lower module 2 includes a guide rail 21, a slider 22, a rotating block 23, a torsion spring 24 and a rotating shaft 25. The rotating block 23 is mounted on the slider 22 via the torsion spring 24 and the rotating shaft 25, and the slider 22 is mounted on the guide rail 21.
Specifically, the guide rail 21 has a U-shaped structure, and includes a bottom wall 211 and two side walls 212 extending perpendicular to the bottom wall 211. The bottom wall 211 has a plurality of locking holes 211a.
The slider 22 is a rectangular frame structure, and includes two longitudinal beams 221 parallel to each other and two transverse beams 222 perpendicular to the longitudinal beams 221 and connecting the longitudinal beams 221. A first lower retaining point 2a extends upwardly from the top surface of the front transverse beam 222, the function of which will be explained when the working mechanism of the memory module is described below. Half spheres are raised from both the bottom surface and the outer surface of the longitudinal beams 221. In the installation state, the slider 22 is guided in the guide rail 21 in a free slide manner by the raised half spheres.
The rotating block 23 is a plate-like structure, and a second lower retaining point 2b extends upwardly from its rear end, the function of which will be explained when the working mechanism of the memory module is described below. In addition, a locking block 231 extends downwardly from the lower surface of the rotating block 23 adjacent to the second lower retaining point 2b for engaging with the locking holes 211a of the guide rail 21, as shown in
Returning to
With reference to
The working mechanism of the memory module will be described in detail below with reference to
In an initial state, a downward prestressing force is exerted to the first tongue portion 121 of the pressure tongue 12 by the first reed 131 of the reset spring 13, allowing the pressure tongue 12 to rotate clockwise around the center of the arc, and to press down the front end and raise the rear end of the rotating block 23. At this time, the upper retaining surface 1b formed by the front surface of the pressure tongue 12 is engaged with the upwardly extending first lower retaining point 2a of the slider 22. When the upper module 1 is forced to move forward, the lower module 2 is moved forward accordingly. In addition, at this time, the downwardly extending upper retaining point 1a of the fixed block 11 is engaged with the upwardly extending second lower retaining point 2b of the rotating block 23 at its rear end. When the upper module 1 is forced to move backward, the lower module 2 is moved backward accordingly. That is to say, the upper module 1 and the lower module 2 are linked.
An external force F is acted on the pull tab 14 to overcome the preload of the reset spring 13, so that the front end of the pressure tongue 12 is raised to move away from the rotating block 23. The front end of the rotating block 23 is raised under the action of the torsion spring 24 (See
Since the upwardly warped pressure tongue 12 is free from the restriction of the first lower retaining point 2a, the forward movement of the upper module 1 is completely independent from the lower module 2.
Although the front end of the rotating block 23 is raised under the action of the torsion spring 24, the upwardly extending second lower retaining point 2b at its rear end is also engaged with the downwardly extending upper retaining point 1a of the fixed block 11. The backward movement of the upper module 1 is stopped by the second lower retaining point 2b at the memory position since the lower module 2 is fixed at the memory position. After that, the external force F is released, and the upper module 1 and the lower module 2 are restored to the initial state under the preload of the reset spring 13.
As shown in
The installation of the seat mounting structure is also easy, including: fastening the easy-entry module 5 and the upper module 1 on the upper sliding rail 4 by the first fastener 6; fastening the lower module 2 on the lower sliding rail 3 by the second fastener 7; and pairing the upper sliding rail 4 with the lower sliding rail 3.
The working mechanism of the seat mounting structure with easy-entry modules will be described in detail below. In the initial state, the upper sliding rail 4 is slidable on the lower sliding rail 3, wherein the upper module 1 and the lower module 2 are linked. The upper sliding rail 4 is movable back and forth when force in forward or backward direction is applied to the seat. Within the stroke range defined by the first blind rivet 71 and the second blind rivet 72 (see
The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Various changes can be made to the above-mentioned embodiments of the present invention. That is to say, all simple and equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims of the present invention and the contents of the description fall into the protection scope of the patent of the present invention. What is not described in detail in the present invention is conventional technical content.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201910000531.3 | Jan 2019 | CN | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/CN2019/129937 | 12/30/2019 | WO |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2020/140870 | 7/9/2020 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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6098946 | Sechet et al. | Aug 2000 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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101157344 | Apr 2008 | CN |
101633330 | Jan 2010 | CN |
102126449 | Jul 2011 | CN |
102198808 | Sep 2011 | CN |
109435787 | Mar 2019 | CN |
Entry |
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International Search Report dated Apr. 2, 2020, 4 pages. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20220118887 A1 | Apr 2022 | US |