WO2014025143A1

WO2014025143A1 - Track locking mechanism for vehicle seat

Info

Publication number: WO2014025143A1
Application number: PCT/KR2013/006413
Authority: WO
Inventors: Dong-Il Kim; Jae-Won Sim
Original assignee: Daewon Precision Industrial Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2012-08-06
Filing date: 2013-07-18
Publication date: 2014-02-13
Also published as: CN104428161B; CN104428161A; KR101201654B1

Abstract

A track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat is provided. The locking mechanism includes a lock assembly including a guide member coupled to one lateral side of a movable track, a fixing member coupled to the lateral side of the movable track that is opposite the guide member, a plurality of locking elements each vertically inserted into the movable track, a spring holder member inserted between the movable track and the fixing member, a plurality of return springs each connected between the spring holder member and the locking element, and an operating member configured to rotate about the rotary axis against the spring force of the return springs.

Description

TRACK LOCKING MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE SEAT

The present invention relates, in general, to a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat which couples a movable track which is engaged with a seat to a stationary track fixed to a vehicle body, or decouples the movable track which has been fastened to the stationary track from the stationary track, in such a manner that is capable of quickly and precisely locking and unlocking a plurality of locking elements and of obtaining simplified construction and easy assembly of parts, and therefore a reduction in cost.

Vehicle seats have a variety of adjustment functions such as being fitted to an occupant’s body type or being position-adjusted for in-vehicle space application. For the position adjustment function, vehicle seats have a motion mechanism to allow them to move back and forth in the vehicle.

For the linear movement, the vehicle seats are coupled to a vehicle body by means of a track mechanism.

A conventional track locking mechanism of a vehicle seat includes a stationary track which is fixedly mounted to a vehicle body, a movable track which is movably coupled to the stationary track while being mounted to the vehicle seat such that the movable track is movable along the stationary track together with the vehicle seat, a lock assembly which is mounted to the movable track so as to selectively lock or unlock the movable track with respect to the stationary track while moving along with the movable track so that the movable track is stopped at a position in a locked state or the locked movable track is unlocked, and a manipulating lever which manipulates the lock assembly to perform a locking or unlocking action.

As such, when the manipulating operation is exerted to the manipulating lever, locking elements constituting the lock assembly engage with locking holes formed on the stationary track, entering into a locked state, and on the contrary, when the manipulating operation exerted to the manipulating lever is released, the locking elements disengage from the locking holes, exiting the locked state.

The locking holes of the stationary track into which the locking elements of the lock assembly are inserted are formed at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the stationary track. However, in the locked state, locking elements of the lock assembly may not be in the locked state, but may often be positioned between the adjoining locking holes, thereby being in the unlocked state. In this case, usually, the locking elements can be moved into a fully-locked state by softly moving the unlocked seat in the linear direction so that the locking elements can be inserted into the adjoining locking holes with a click.

In such a unstably locked state, if an accidental impact such as a rear-end collision is applied to the vehicle seat, problems arise that the locking elements cannot be inserted into the locking holes due to a moment speed (which is faster than a speed of the locking elements responsive to a return spring) of the seat caused by the impact. To solve these problems, recently, a track locking mechanism having a continuous locking function or a half-locking function has been widely used.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a track locking mechanism having such a half-locking function.

Referring to FIG. 1, the improved track locking mechanism includes, in addition to the above-known construction including the stationary track, the movable track, and lock assembly, a plurality of

locking elements

6a, 6b, and 6c (three or more locking elements) which are spaced at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the tracks in such a manner that the locking elements are each resiliently supported by a return spring, and locking holes 5 which are provided on the stationary track 10 and into which the

locking elements

6a, 6b, and 6c are inserted. Here, the respective locking holes have a larger length than a longitudinal length of the respective locking elements such that a particular locking hole has a certain longitudinally-remaining space when a

particular locking element

6a, 6b, or 6c is inserted into that locking hole.

The operation of the track locking mechanism having such a half-locking function will now be described.

In the fully-locked state, as shown in FIG. 1A, two locking elements are inserted into adjoining locking holes 5, respectively, such that a front side of one locking element and a rear side of the other locking element simultaneously come into contact with a front side and a rear side of the adjoining locking holes, respectively, thereby entering the fully-locked state in which the linear motion of the vehicle seat is blocked.

In the unlocked state, as shown in FIG. 1B, when an undepicted manipulating lever is manipulated, all of the

locking elements

6a, 6b, and 6c of the lock assembly 6 are separated from the locking holes 5 and are unlocked, so that a user can adjust a vehicle seat to a desired position.

Further, in the half-locked state, as shown in FIG. 1C, at the time when the manipulating force applied to the manipulating lever is released, the

locking elements

6a, 6b, and 6c are moved towards the locking holes 5 with the spring forces of the respective springs. Here, even if the movable track is stopped at an arbitrary position that is out of the fully-locked position of FIG. 1A, at least one locking element 6b is maintained in a state of being inserted into a locking hole 5.

In such a half-locked state in which at least one locking element 6b is inserted into a locking hole 5, with only a slight linear movement of the seat, another locking element can be further quickly inserted into the locking hole, entering the fully-locked state. Particularly, if an impact intended by a user or an accidental external impact occurs to the movable track in such a half-locked state, the front side or the rear side of the locking element 6b, which is inserted into the locking hole 5, moves towards and comes into contact with the front side or the rear side of that locking hole, and at the same time, any one of the

other locking elements

6a and 6c is inserted into the adjoining locking hole 5, exactly entering the fully-locked state.

As such, in the track locking mechanism having the half-locking function, even though the movable track is stopped at an arbitrary position with respect to the stationary track, a minimum coupling force is secured so that a user can quickly and precisely correct the unstable locking state while preparing for the safety problem occurring due to an accidental impact applied prior to the fully-locked state.

However, such a track locking mechanism having the half-locking function also has problems as follows.

First, since the locking mechanism having such a half-locking function should have the plurality of locking elements (at least three elements) which are resiliently supported by return springs, respectively, many complicated bracket members are required in order to mount the locking elements and the return springs and to guide the locking and unlocking operation, which causes an increase in the cost.

Further, such bracket members constituting the locking mechanism should be designed taking account of securing sufficient strength to resist the reaction transferred from the locking elements. For example, the locking mechanism should satisfy allowable safety strength according to the types of vehicles, seats, seat belts, or the like, and at the same time, the locking mechanism should be designed to be built-in in a restricted space between the vehicle body and the seat.

Up to now, researches have been actively conducted in the related art in order to develop a high-quality track locking mechanism satisfying design parameters such as cost-saving, assembly, durability, operability, strength (for safety), etc.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat capable of obtaining simplified construction and easy assembly of parts, and therefore a reduction in cost.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat capable of performing quick, precise locking or unlocking operation of locking elements even with simplified construction of parts, and thus improving operability responsive to the manipulation of the mechanism.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat capable of accomplishing excellent strength in a half-locked state or a fully-locked state.

In an aspect, the present invention provides a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat including a lock assembly, including: a guide member coupled to one lateral side of a movable track and having, at different levels, a plurality of first and second guide holes; a fixing member coupled to the lateral side of the movable track that is opposite the guide member and having, on an upper part thereof located above an upper side of the movable track, a plurality of assembly holes; a plurality of locking elements each vertically inserted into and held in the movable track through the assembly hole and the first and second guide holes; a spring holder member inserted between the upper side of the movable track and the upper part of the fixing member and fitted into the assembly holes; a plurality of return springs each connected between the spring holder member and an upper end of the locking element so as to resiliently separate the spring holder member and the locking element; and an operating member coupled with the fixing member through a rotary axis and configured to, when applied with a manipulating force, rotate about the rotary axis against the spring force of the return springs so as to vertically move all of the locking elements up out of locking holes of a stationary track.

The guide member may include: a vertical plate part abutted against and coupled to the lateral side of the movable track; a first plate part horizontally formed from the vertical plate part adjacent to and parallel with a bottom plate part of the stationary track on which the locking holes are formed, and having the plurality of the first guide holes through which the locking elements are vertically guided; and a second plate part horizontally formed from the vertical plate part above and parallel with the first plate part and having the second guide holes through which the locking elements are vertically guided.

The first plate part may have stopper grooves to be engaged with stopper protrusions formed at front and rear sides, respectively, of the stationary track so as to restrict a longitudinal movement section of the movable track.

The fixing member may have: a pair of lateral bracket parts each coupled to the lateral side of the movable track and having a hook-type bearing hole through which the rotary axis of the operating member is coupled; and an upper bracket part horizontally formed from the lateral bracket parts and coupled around the upper side of the movable track, the upper bracket part having a plate portion having the assembly holes and separated upward from the upper side of the movable track such that the spring holder member is inserted through a lateral side of the upper bracket part.

The spring holder member may have a cut part configured to, when inserted into the space between the upper side of the movable track and the fixing member, prevent interference from an assembly tool for compressing the return springs from the upper ends thereof.

The lock assembly may include a spring member connected between the fixing member and the operating member so as to return the operating member to the locked state about the rotary axis.

As described above, with the assembly structure of the guide member and the fixing member, the locking mechanism can be easily assembled and operated, which ensures increased productivity and cost reduction due to simplified parts.

Further, with the preassembled coupling between the guide member and the fixing member, the locking elements, the spring member, and the operating member are easily assembled, thereby reducing the number of assembly steps.

Further, with the configuration of the guide member in which guide elements are provided at different heights so as to vertically guide the pin-type locking elements, the locking elements can be constantly vertically guided such that particularly insertion sides and lower sides thereof can be stably reinforced, and the entire longitudinal section has constant strength, thereby considerably improving the durability of the locking elements.

FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C are conceptual diagrams showing a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat having a half-locking function.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are perspective views showing a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an assembled state between a stationary track and a movable track.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the construction of the stationary track.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the construction of the movable track.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are exploded perspective views showing the construction of the track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the construction of a guide member.

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view showing the reaction around a locking element in a locked state.

FIG. 11 is a partial plan view showing a stopper-coupled state between the guide member and the stationary track.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the construction of a fixing member.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the construction of the locking element.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the construction of a spring holder member.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the construction of an operating member.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing an assembled state between the operating member and the movable track.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing an assembling process of the spring holder member.

FIGS. 18 and 19 are front cross-sectional views showing a locked state and an unlocked stage of the locking mechanism.

FIG. 20 is a partial perspective view showing the construction of a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat according to another embodiment of the present invention.

(Description of Reference Signs)

10: Stationary track 15: Locking hole

20: Movable track 30: Lock assembly

40: Guide member 41: Vertical plate part

43: 1st plate part 430: 1st guide hole

45: 2nd plate part 450: 2nd guide hole

47: Stopper groove 50: Fixing member

51: Lateral bracket part 510: Bearing hole

53: Upper bracket part 530: Assembly hole

60: Locking element 65: Engaging flange

70: Spring holder member 71: Fitting element

71a: Cut part 80: Return spring

90: Operating member 91: Rotary axis

93: Engaging end side 92: Operating end side

95: Spring member

The above and other features and effects of the present invention will be understood from the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat includes a stationary track 10, a movable track 20, and a lock assembly 30.

The stationary track 10 is a member that is fixedly mounted to a vehicle body, and has a certain length having the same sectional area in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle seat.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 4 and 5, the stationary track 10 has a flat bottom part 11, left and right lateral sides bent upward from the left and right sides of the bottom part, and hook parts 12 bent downward from the left and right lateral sides. The bottom part 11 has a plurality of locking holes 15 which are provided at regular intervals in the longitudinal direction of the track.

As previously described with reference to FIG. 1, the locking hole 15 has a larger longitudinal length than width (i.e. diameter) of an insertion-side end 63 of a locking element in the longitudinal direction of the track in order to satisfy a half-locking function of the movable track 20 relative to the stationary track 10. The size, shape, and spacing of the locking holes are precisely designed, entirely into taking account the size, shape, and spacing of the locking element 60.

The movable track 20 is a member that is fixedly mounted to a seat, and also has a certain length having the same sectional area in the longitudinal direction of the seat.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 4 and 6, the movable track has a flat upper plate part 21, left and right lateral sides bent downward from the left and right sides of the upper plate part, and hook parts 22 bent upward from the left and right lateral sides. The upper plate part 21 has a plurality of through-holes 23 through which respective locking elements 60 and return springs 80 of the lock assembly 30, which will be described later, are inserted. One lateral side bent from the upper plate part 21 is provided with through-slots 25 which are provided in order to prevent interference by the operating member 90 of the lock assembly 30 when the operating member is assembled and operated. Reference numeral 27, which is not indicated in FIG. 6, denotes a fastening hole through which a fixing element is fastened.

The stationary track 10 and the movable track 20 can be separated by a distance and can be linearly slidable by means of retainer assemblies R which are provided between the left and

right hook parts

12 and 22. The retainer assembly R may have a variety of known structures in the types of ball, roller, etc.

In the shown embodiment, the stationary track 10 and the movable track 20 are laterally asymmetric with a central line extending through the bottom part 11 and the upper plate part 21 that are opposite each other. That is, the left and right lateral sides of the stationary track 10 and the movable track 20 have different lengths so that the left and

right hook parts

12 and 22, which are formed at end portions of the lateral sides, have different heights.

Although the embodiment has described the locking mechanism for the laterally-asymmetric track structure, the lock assembly 30, which will be described below, can also be adapted to a laterally-symmetric track structure.

The lock assembly 30 that is a major element of the locking mechanism will now be described.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the lock assembly 30 includes a guide member 40, a fixing member 50, a locking element 60, a spring holder member 70, a return spring 80, and an operating member 90.

The guide member 40 is a member that serves to both guide a vertical movement of the locking element 60 and support the reaction applied to the locking element 60 in a locked state.

Referring particularly to FIG. 9, the guide member 40 has a pair of vertical plate parts 41, a first horizontal plate part 43, and a second horizontal plate part 45.

Each vertical plate part 41 is coupled to one lateral side of the movable track 20 by means of a fixing element 401. The vertical plate part has a through-hole 411 through which the fixing element 401 is coupled, and abuts against and comes into contact with the lateral side of the movable track 20. Referring to FIG. 20, a guide member 400 according to another embodiment may be coupled to the lateral side of a movable track 200 by means of laser welding.

The first plate part 43 is horizontally bent from the vertical plate part 41 parallel with the bottom part 11 of the stationary track 10 on which the locking holes 15 are formed, and has a plurality of first guide holes 430 through which the respective locking elements 60 are vertically guided. Here, a diameter of the first guide hole 430 corresponds to that of a body part 61 (see FIG. 13) of the locking element 60.

The second plate part 45 is also horizontally bent from the vertical plate part 41 parallel with the bottom part 11 of the stationary track 10 on which the locking holes 15 are formed, and has a plurality of second guide holes 450 through which the respective locking elements 60 are vertically guided. Similar to the first guide hole 430, a diameter of the second guide hole 450 corresponds to that of the body part 61 (see FIG. 13) of the locking element 60.

Here, the first and

second plate parts

43 and 45 have different heights from the bottom part 11 of the stationary track 10.

That is, referring to FIG. 10, the first plate part 43 is positioned adjacent the bottom part 11 of the stationary track 10, on which the locking holes 15 are formed, such that the first guide holes 430 vertically guide lower portions of the respective locking elements 60. The second plate part 45 is separated upward from the first plate part 43 such that the second guide holes 450 vertically guide upper portions of the respective locking elements 60.

As a result, when a load is applied in one direction to the insertion end 63 of the locking element 60 which is locked in the locking hole 15, the first guide hole 430 of the first plate part 43, which supports the lower portion of the locking element 60, supports and resists the load in the opposite direction, thereby securing excellent support with respect to the insertion end 63 and the lower portion of the locking element 60. Further, the second guide hole 450 of the second plate part 45, which supports the upper portion of the locking element 60, supports and resists a moment that is caused from a slight height difference between the reaction acting from the locking hole 15 and the reaction acting from the first guide hole 430, and is applied to the upper portion of the locking element 60.

In this way, with the establishment of multiple reaction-acting points at different heights for the locked locking element 60, the insertion end 63 and the lower portion of the locking element 60 which may be easily bent or damaged can be reinforced, and at the same time, the reaction can be uniformly distributed over the locking element from the insertion end 63 to the upper portion thereof.

The guide member 40 may have a stopper function to restrict a longitudinal movement section of the movable track 20 with the contact with stopper protrusions 19 which are mounted on both front and rear sides of the stationary track 10. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, the first plate part 43 is provided on both front and rear edges thereof with stopper grooves 47 so as to engage with the stopper protrusions 19 formed on the lateral side of the stationary track 10. Here, the stopper groove 47 extends at an oblique angle (a) at the front or rear edge of the first plate part 43 with respect to the movement direction of the track, and the stopper 19 of the stationary track 10 also extends at the same oblique angle (a).

If the stopper protrusion 19 protrudes vertically with respect to the movement direction of the movable track 20, the stopper protrusion may be bent or damaged by an impact transmitted from the guide member 40, or the coupling part of the guide member 40 may be damaged because the vertical plate part 41 of the guide member 40 is separated from the stopper groove 47. Thus, with the configuration in which the stopper protrusion 19 and the stopper groove 47 are arranged at an oblique angle relative to the movement direction of the movable track, a direction of the moment acting on the stopper protrusion 19 or the guide member 40 is turned towards a reinforced part, thereby improving the strength of the stopper protrusion 19 and the guide member 40.

The fixing member 50 is a member to which the locking elements 60, the spring holder member 70, the return springs 80, and the operating member 90 are mounted. The fixing member is fixedly coupled to the lateral side of the movable track 20 opposite the guide member 4o coupled to the opposite lateral side.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 12, the fixing member has a pair of lateral bracket parts 51 each of which is coupled to one lateral side of the movable track 20, and an upper bracket part 53 which is horizontally formed from an upper end of the lateral bracket parts 51 and is coupled around the upper side 21 of the movable track 20.

The lateral bracket part 51 has a through-hole 511 through which the fixing element 401 is coupled, and comes into surface contact with the lateral side of the movable track 20 when coupled thereto using the fixing element 401. Further, the lateral bracket part 51 has, on an outer side thereof (inside the seat), a hook-type bearing hole 510 through which a rotary axis 91 of the operating member 90, which will be described later, is coupled. Referring to FIG. 20, a fixing member 500 according to another embodiment may be coupled to one lateral side of a movable track 200 by means of laser welding.

In the upper bracket part 53, front and rear ends thereof come into surface contact with the upper plate side 21 of the movable track 20, and a middle portion thereof is separated upward from the upper side 21 of the movable track 20 such that the spring holder member 70, which will be described later, is inserted through a lateral side of the upper bracket part. Also, the middle portion of the upper bracket part 53 has a plurality of assembly holes 530.

The locking element 60 is a member that maintains a locked or unlocked state of the movable track according to whether the locking element is inserted into the locking hole 15 or not. The locking element basically has a pin structure.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 13, the locking element has a cylindrical body part 61, an insertion end 63 which is formed at a lower portion of the body part 61 and is inserted into the locking hole 15, and an engaging flange part 65 which is formed on an upper circumference of the body part 61.

The insertion end 63 of the locking element 60 has a tapered structure in which a diameter thereof gradually decreases towards a tip portion thereof facing the locking hole 15, in order to satisfy a feature of being fitted into the locking hole 15 without a gap.

As described before, although the present embodiment has illustrated four locking elements 60 in order to provide a half-locking function, tree or five or more locking elements may also be employed.

The locking element 60 is inserted into and assembled with the track through the assembly hole 530 of the fixing member 50 and the through-hole 23 of the movable track 20, and maintains a vertical posture by the first and second guide holes 430 and 450 of the guide member 40.

The spring holder member 70 is a member that is inserted into the assembly hole 530 of the fixing member 50 so as to block the upward separation of the return springs 80 and the locking elements 60 which are arranged therebelow.

Referring particularly to FIG. 14, when coupled, the spring holder member 790 is inserted into a space between the upper side of the movable track 20 and the fixing member 50 and seats on the bottom of the assembly hole 530 of the fixing member 50.

That is, the spring holder member 70 has a sectional shape like a right-angled frame, and is laterally inserted into the space between the upper side of the movable track 20 and the middle portion of the upper bracket part 51.

The spring holder member 70 is provided, on an upper surface thereof, with a plurality of fitting protrusions 71 which seat in the assembly holes 530, respectively, of the upper bracket part 51. The position of the spring holder member is fixed when the fitting protrusions 71 are inserted into and seat in the assembly holes 530 of the fixing member 50.

Further, the spring holder member is provided, on a lower surface thereof, with a plurality of return spring-guide protrusions 73 on which the upper ends of the return springs 80 are inserted and seat.

Further, the lower surface of the spring holder member 70, on which the protrusions 73 are formed, is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs 75 that are not subjected to interference of the return springs 80.

Further, the spring holder member 70 has a plurality of cut parts 71a that extend across the fitting protrusions 71 and the guide protrusions. The function of the cut part 71 will be described later.

As a result, the return springs 80 are arranged such that the upper ends thereof are coupled with the guide protrusions of the spring holder member 70 and the lower ends thereof are seated on the engaging flanges 65 of the locking elements 60 so as to resiliently support the locking elements 60 downwards from the spring holder member 70, thereby maintaining a locked state in which the insertion ends 63 of the locking elements 60 are locked in the locking holes 15.

The operating member 90 is a member that transmits a user’s manipulating action. The user’s manipulating action move the plurality of locking elements 60 upwards against the spring force of the return springs 80.

Referring particularly to FIG. 15, the operating member 90 is coupled with the lateral bracket part 51 of the fixing member 50 through a rotary axis 91. The operating member also has a fork-type engaging end side 93 at one side thereof extending through a through slot 25 of the movable track 20 relative to the rotary axis 91 in order to support the engaging flange 65. Further, the other side of the operating member relative to the rotary axis 91 is provided with an operating end side 92 to be coupled with another hole bar (not shown).

Further, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the operating member 90 is operated such that the operating member returns to its initial position about the rotary axis 91 by a spring member 95 connected between the fixing member 50 and the operating member 90.

Unexplained reference numeral ‘925’ in FIG. 15 denotes a ‘coupling hole’ through which the spring member 95 is coupled.

Referring to FIG. 16, the operating member 90 is assembled with the lateral bracket part 51 of the fixing member 50 by laterally inserting the rotary axis through the hook-type bearing holes 510 formed on the lateral bracket part. However, in such an assembly structure, if an excessive unlocking force is applied through the hole bar by a user, the rotary axis 91 of the operating member 90 can be missed from the bearing holes 510.

Although, in fact, such an event occurs barely, in order to completely prevent such an event from occurring, one or more 25” of the through slots 25 of the movable track 20 are integrally provided with engaging grooves 250” to prevent the unlocked operating member 90 from being separated, and an engaging end side 93” of the operating member 90 passing through the through slot 25” is integrally provided with an engaging step 930” which is engaged with and supported by the engaging groove 250” during an unlocking operation.

As a result, the user’s manipulating force is transmitted through the hole bar, and the engaging end side 93 of the operating member 90 rotates upwards about the rotary axis 91 so that the engaging step 930” of the engaging end side 93” is engaged with the engaging groove 250”, which extends upwards from the through slot 25” of the movable track 20, thereby completely preventing the engaging step from being separated outwards (inwards the seat) from the engaging groove.

An assembly process of the lock assembly 30 having the construction will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

Prior to the coupling of the movable track 20 to the stationary track 10, the guide member 40 and the fixing member 50 are pushed against opposite faces of one lateral side of the movable track 20, and then are assembled using a single fitting element 401.

Next, the stationary track 10 and the movable track 20 are assembled together by means of the retainer assemblies R, and a linear sliding operation between the tracks is tested.

Next, after the engaging end side 93 of the operating member 90 has been inserted through the through slot 25 formed on one lateral side of the movable track 20, the rotary axis 91 of the operating member 90 is pushed into hook-type the bearing holes 510 formed on the lateral bracket part 51 of the fixing member 50 and then is completely axis-coupled therewith. Then, the fixing member 50 and the operating member 90 are connected by the spring member 95, thereby completing the assembly of the operating member 90.

Next, the locking elements 60 are inserted through the assembly holes 530 formed on the upper bracket part 53 of the fixing member 50. The locking elements 60 are inserted through the through holes 23 and are supported by the first and second guide holes 430 and 450, thereby maintaining a vertical posture.

Next, the return springs 80 are inserted through the assembly holes 530 so that the return springs 80 are seated on the engaging flanges 65 of the locking elements 60.

Then, prior to the assembly of the spring holder member 70 therewith, the upper ends of the return springs 80 are simultaneously pushed down and compressed using a bar-type assembly tool T shown in FIG. 17, and then the spring holder member 70 is laterally inserted into the space formed between the upper bracket part 53 of the fixing member 50 and the movable track 20.

Here, when inserted into the cut part 71a of the spring holder member 70, the bar-type assembly tool T, which has being compressed the return springs 80, induces the insertion of the spring holder member 70 while maintaining the action of compressing the return springs 80.

After the completion of the insertion of the spring holder member 70, the bar-type assembly tool T, which has being compressed the return springs 80, is separated, and at the same time, the upper ends of the return springs 80 are inserted around and seated on the guide protrusions 73 of the spring holder member 70. The fitting elements 71 formed on the spring holder member 70 are seated and assembled in the assembly holes 530 of the fixing member 50 with a continuously applied spring force.

Further, the locking and unlocking operations of the track locking mechanism having the lock assembly will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19.

First, a half-locked state or a fully-locked state in which a user’s manipulating force is not transmitted to the operating member 90 connected with the hole bar will be described. The locking elements among the plurality of locking elements 60, which are positioned above the locking holes 15 of the stationary track 10, are moved down by the spring force of the return springs 80 so that the insertion ends 63 thereof are inserted into and locked in the locking holes 15. Further, the other locking elements, which are not positioned above the locking holes 15 of the stationary track 10, are being engaged with the bottom part 11 of the stationary track 10 which is positioned between the locking holes 15.

In the fully-locked state, when the user’s manipulating force is transmitted through the hole bar, the operating end side 92 of the operating member 90 rotates downwards about the rotary axis 91 against the spring force of the spring member 95, in association with the hole bar, and at the same time, the engaging end side 93 rotating upwards about the rotary axis 91 moves the engaging flange 65 upwards so as to vertically lift and separate all of the locking elements 60 from the locking holes 15.

Then, if the user’s manipulating force applied through the hole bar is released, because of the spring forces of the spring member 95, which returns the operating member 90 to the locked state, and the return springs 80, which return the locking elements 60 to the locked state, the operating member 90 rotates reversely and returns to the initial position (the locked state), and the locking elements among the plurality of locking elements, which are positioned above the locking holes 15, are inserted into the locking holes 15, entering the fully-locked or half-locked state.

If the half-locked state is maintained, it can be quickly switched to the fully-locked state with a click by a linear motion of the seat exerted by a user.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims.

Claims

A track locking mechanism for a vehicle seat comprising a lock assembly (30) comprising:

a guide member (40) coupled to one lateral side of a movable track (20) and having, at different levels, a plurality of first and second guide holes (430) and (450);

a fixing member (50) coupled to the lateral side of the movable track (20) that is opposite the guide member (40) and having, on an upper part thereof located above an upper side of the movable track (20), a plurality of assembly holes (530);

a plurality of locking elements (60) each vertically inserted into and held in the movable track (20) through the assembly hole (530) and the first and second guide holes (430) and (450);

a spring holder member (70) inserted between the upper side of the movable track (20) and the upper part of the fixing member (50) and fitted into the assembly holes (530);

a plurality of return springs (80) each connected between the spring holder member (70) and an upper end of the locking element (60) so as to resiliently separate the spring holder member (70) and the locking element (60); and

an operating member (90) coupled with the fixing member (50) through a rotary axis (91) and configured to, when applied with a manipulating force, rotate about the rotary axis (91) against the spring force of the return springs (80) so as to vertically move all of the locking elements (60) up out of locking holes (15) of a stationary track (10).
The track locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the guide member (40) comprises:

a vertical plate part (41) abutted against and coupled to the lateral side of the movable track (20);

a first plate part (43) horizontally formed from the vertical plate part (41) adjacent to and parallel with a bottom plate part (11) of the stationary track (20) on which the locking holes (15) are formed, and having the plurality of the first guide holes (430) through which the locking elements (60) are vertically guided; and

a second plate part (45) horizontally formed from the vertical plate part (41) above and parallel with the first plate part (43) and having the second guide holes (450) through which the locking elements (60) are vertically guided.
The track locking mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the first plate part (43) integrally has stopper grooves (47) to be engaged with stopper protrusions formed at front and rear sides, respectively, of the stationary track (10) so as to restrict a longitudinal movement section of the movable track (20).
The track locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the fixing member (50) has:

a pair of lateral bracket parts (51) each coupled to the lateral side of the movable track (20) and having a hook-type bearing hole (510) through which the rotary axis (91) of the operating member (90) is coupled; and

an upper bracket part (53) horizontally formed from the lateral bracket parts (51) and coupled around the upper side of the movable track (20), the upper bracket part having a plate portion having the assembly holes (530) and separated upward from the upper side of the movable track (20) such that the spring holder member (70) is inserted through a lateral side of the upper bracket part.
The track locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring holder member (70) is provided, on upper and lower portions thereof, respectively, with a plurality of fitting protrusions (71) which seat in the assembly holes (530), respectively, of the fixing member (50), and a plurality of guide protrusions (73) on which the upper ends of the return springs (80) are inserted and seat.
The track locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the spring holder member (70) has a cut part (71a) configured to, when inserted into the space between the upper side of the movable track (20) and the fixing member (50), prevent interference from an assembly tool (T) for compressing the return springs (80) from the upper ends thereof.
The track locking mechanism according to claim 1, wherein one lateral side of the movable track (20) is provided with a through slot (25) through which an engaging end side (93) of the operating member (90) passes,

wherein the through slots (25) is integrally provided with an engaging groove (250”) to prevent the engaging end side (93) being unlocked from being separated, and wherein

the engaging end side (93) is integrally provided with an engaging step (930”) which is engaged with the engaging groove (250”).