RAIL MECHANISM USED IN VEHICLE SEATS

Technical Field

The invention relates to a rail mechanism developed for use in pilot/driver and passenger seats in vehicles.

In particular, the invention relates to rail mechanism that eliminates the tightness or slackness problem by preventing the direct contact between the matrix body and the movable body, that has a locking system which has been made safe with the double - sided tab structure, that has an increased flexibility capability with the new latch design which is fixed to the movable body with rivets before the assembly of the mechanism, that has a lug which prevents the formation of cracks during forming which can be manually bent and opened back when desired to facilitate the maintenance or inspection process and that provides the safety of the pilot and the passenger, with the mechanism working distance determiners.

Prior Art

It has become possible to make longer journeys due to the tightening of the legal regulations regarding the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the nature in vehicles that consume fossil fuels, resulting in weight reduction and increased engine efficiency. Long journeys required the driver’ s seat to be more comfortable and safer in case of an accident. While comfort conditions are provided by the sponges and seat covers in the seating and backrest area, it is the seat mechanisms that determine both safety and comfort features. Mechanisms are very important as they determine the driving position and the sitting position of the driver. Main seat mechanisms are the slide mechanism that provides forward - backward movement depending on the vehicle direction, the back tilting mechanism that connects the seating area and the backrest and adjusts the backrest angle and the height adjustment mechanism that adjusts the height of the seat. There are studies in the literature on the development methods of these mechanisms.

The slide mechanism is the system that provides the seat to be adjusted position forward or backward, depending on the vehicle direction, and to make it remain fixed in this position. Each seat has 2 individual slide mechanisms, one inside and one outside. In the performed studies, the effect of the dimensional shape change in the production conditions of the slide profile sections on the slide sliding performance was examined. Due to the production variability of products with different cross sections, the differences in their dimensional properties were compared and the most suitable profiles were evaluated. One of the problems experienced in the rail mechanisms used today is the tightness or slackness problem that arises due to the contact of the matrix and the movable body. In addition, the locking system in the presently available mechanisms is insufficient in terms of life safety. The flexibility capability of the latch of the mechanisms being used is insufficient and cracks occur in the radius region. As these cracks increase the risk of breakage, they endanger life safety. On the other hand, latch fixation methods are also insufficient. The present applications do not have a suitable structure for post - installation maintenance or inspection. In order to be able to be disassembled, the fixed body and the movable part must be cut or the intermediate distance determiner tabs on these parts must be broken. After these methods, the mechanism becomes unusable. In the existing mechanisms, the safety of the pilot and the passengers depends only on the tabs on the latch mechanism. There is no stopper to provide life safety in case of breakage or rupture in the latch. Lugs that are bent to prevent the ball bearings from falling are insufficient as a stopper method in this dangerous situation.

Many studies have been carried out today in order to eliminate the problems of the existing rail mechanisms. One of these studies is the invention, which is the subject of the patent application numbered TR 2021 I 018498 and titled "A Railed Adjustment Mechanism for Vehicle Seats". The invention is an adjustment mechanism, developed to lock vehicle seats to the floor rails with a single mechanism, to be adjusted on the rails and to be removed from the rails when desired, that can be moved in one direction and locked in the other direction and it comprises two locking bars, which have an interlocking inner body and an outer body, a tab structure inside the inner body and an outer body, and which engages the inner and outer body on the rail by moving these tabs into the rail, which holds the mechanism together, a holder, an adjuster located in an inner body and an outer body, a trigger that in connection with the holder, which provides the movement of the tabs on the locking arms to connect to the rails by pulling the holder upwards and pushing down in the z direction, and the tabs that are closed during the assembly of the seat to the rails, to open as soon as they enter the rails and a trigger spring that keeps said trigger constantly tense.

Another study is the invention, which is the subject of the utility model application numbered TR 2021 I 004510 and titled "Vehicle Seat Rail Actuation Mechanism". The invention relates to the mechanisms that allow the vehicle seats to move horizontally forward and backward, wherein it is characterized in that it comprises a support at both sides of the seat, moved by motor drive or manually effect to form a lighter, easy to install, carry more load, and silent operation vehicle seat rail drive mechanism, the car seat moves horizontally back and forth on both sides of the seat, at least one moving roller that moves forward and backward based on the weight of the seat, and a rail element with surfaces that fit on the surfaces of the rollers with full grip and adapt to the roller form, which provides a quieter movement on this surface.

Another study is the invention, which is the subject of the utility model application, numbered TR 2017 I 22224 and titled “A Seat Adjustment Mechanism for Vehicles”. The invention is a rail adjustment mechanism that consists of at least one fixed rail with a toothed structure placed on the vehicle floor, which allows the passenger sitting in the front or the back of the vehicle to move the vehicle’ s front seat forward or backward, and in its most basic form, it is characterized to comprisat least one fixed rail placed on the vehicle floor and having a toothed structure on it, at least one movable rail placed on the fixed rail and movable linearly on the fixed rail, on which the passenger seat is placed, placed between the movable rail and the fixed rail, to the teeth on the fixed rail at least one jog bar having teeth to engage, at least one front arm attached to one end of the jog bar and enabling the user to lift the jog bar in the opposite direction to the vehicle floor, at least one rear arm connected to the other end of the jog bar and enabling the user to lift the jog bar in the opposite direction to the vehicle floor, at least one safety opening in the form of a protrusion on the moving rail and dividing the moving rod in two, placed on the vehicle chassis and at least one stopper that prevents the jog bar from being lifted with the rear arm in the opposite direction to the vehicle floor, a sensor on the vehicle seat that detects whether there is a passenger on the vehicle seat, at least one control unit in which the sensor sends a signal and adapted to move the stopper.

Therefore, the existence of the need for a rail mechanism developed to be used in pilot /driver and passenger seats in vehicles that eliminate the disadvantages of the present art and the inadequacy of the existing solutions made an improvement in the relevant technical field necessary.

Brief Description of the Invention

The invention relates to a rail mechanism developed for use in pilot / driver and passenger seats in vehicles that meet the requirements mentioned above, eliminate all disadvantages and provide some additional advantages.

Based on the prior art, the aim of the invention is provide to preventing direct contact between the matrix body and the moving body in the rail mechanism.

The aim of the invention is to facilitate the movement of the movable body in the matrix body by means of the steel ball bearing placed in the plastic cage in the four channels of the mechanism and to ensure that the deviations due to the sheet metal do not prevent the operation.

Another aim of the invention is provide to increasing the safety of the locking system by means of the double - sided designed tab structure. Another aim of the invention is provide to increasing the flexibility by means of the newly designed latch and to preventing cracks that may occur during forming.

Another aim of the invention is provide to preventing breakages that may occur in the rail mechanism after heat treatment, as well as its flexibility, by means of the renewed radius form.

Another aim of the invention is to provide a stable and strong joint by fixing the latch to the movable body with rivets before the assembly of the mechanism.

Another aim of the invention is to provide that the lugs are manually bent and opened back when desired, by means of the designed matrix body and ball bearing cage holder lugs in the movable body, and thus the mechanism is disassembled and reassembled without being damaged during inspection or maintenance processes.

Another aim of the invention is provide to increasing pilot and passenger safety by means of the working distance determiner tabs designed to be double on the matrix body base.

Another aim of the invention is to determine the distance by means of the movable body stopper which acts as a stopper when it contacts the tabs and to prevent accidents that may occur due to damage to the latch tabs and to increase the safety of life by this method.

The below drawings and the detailed description set out with reference to the accompanying drawings provide for a clearer understanding of the structural and characteristic properties and all benefits of the invention; For this reason, the evaluation should be made by taking these figures and detailed explanation into consideration.

Brief Description of the Figures

In order to best understand the configuration of the present invention and its advantages with additional elements, it should be evaluated together with the figures explained below.

Figure 1 is the schematic general view of the seat mounted on the rail mechanism,

Figure 2 is the schematic general disassembled view of the rail mechanism,

Figure 3 is the schematic general disassembled view of the latch,

Figure 4 is the schematic general view of the cross section of the latch,

Figure 5 is the schematic general assembled view of the matrix body, movable body and latch,

Figure 6 is the schematic general view of the intermediate distance determiner and stopper of the movable body,

Figure 7 is the schematic general view of the intermediate distance determiner, intermediate distance determiner on the stopper of the movable body and the matrix body stopper, Figure 8 is the detailed view of the intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper,

Figure 9 is the schematic general view of the matrix body,

Figure 10 is the schematic general view of the cross section of the matrix body,

Figure 11 is the schematic general view of the movable body,

Figure 12 is a schematic general view of the cross section of the movable body,

Figure 13 is a schematic general view of the upper ball bearing cage and the lower ball bearing cage,

Figure 14 is a schematic general view of the ball bearing.

Reference Numbers

I . Rail mechanism

I I . Matrix body

I I I . Upper ball bearing holder

112. Lower ball bearing holder

113. Intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper

12. Movable body

121 . Upper ball bearing support

122. Lower ball bearing support

13. Latch

131. Rivet through hole

132. Locking tabs

133. Pin holding lug

134. Latch fixation rivet

135. Radius

14. Intermediate distance determiner and movable body stopper

141. Stopper lug

142. Movable body reference lug

15. Connection support part

16. Lock mechanism body part

161. Lock mechanism arm

162. Lock mechanism arm rivet

163. Lock moving pin

17. Ball bearing cage 171. Upper ball bearing cage

172. Lower ball bearing cage

173. Ball bearing

2. Seat

21. Seat backrest

22. Seat bottom

23. Seat armrest

24. Seat bellows

25. Latch arm

3. Vehicle floor

Detailed Description of the Invention

In this detailed description, the rail mechanism (1 ) developed to be used in the pilot / driver and passenger seats (2) in the vehicles, which is the subject of the invention, is explained only as an example for a better understanding of the subject and without constituting any limiting effect.

The rail mechanism (1), which is the subject of the invention, consisting of the seat backrest (21 ) shown in Figure 1 , the seat bottom (22), the seat armrest (23) and the seat bellows (24) is disposed between the vehicle seat (2) and vehicle floor (3). The said seat (2) moves on the rail mechanism (1). There is a latch arm (25) on the lower front side of the said seat (2), which provides for the movement of the lock mechanism.

The rail mechanism (1) shown in Figure 2 eliminates the tightness or slackness problem by preventing the direct contact between the matrix body (11) and the movable body (12), it makes the locking system safe with its double - sided tab structure, increases its flexibility by means of the new ratchet (13) design, which is fixed on the movable body (12) with a latch fixing rivet (134), and prevents the formation of cracks during forming, the upper ball bearing holder (111) and comprises the lower ball bearing holder (112), which can be manually bent and opened manually when desired to facilitate maintenance or inspection. The connection support part (15) is disposed in the said rail mechanism (1 ), so that the bolt does not damage the movable body (12). As shown in Figure 3, the locking tabs (132) that are positioned on the latch (13) that lock the movable body (12) to the matrix body (11) and that stop the movable body (12) by entering the tabs of the matrix body (11 ), are double - sided and they ensure safety of life for both the passenger and the pilot. The rivet through hole (131 ) through which the latch fixing rivet (134) passes is positioned on the said latch (13). Pin holder lug (133) is positioned on the latch (13) so that the lock moving pin (163), which transfers the movement from the lock mechanism arm (161) to the latch (13), does not slip and can push from the same point. Radius (135) form of the latch (13) shown in Figure 4 is renewed to increasing the flexibility capability and to preventing cracks that occur during forming, the breakage that may occur in the rail mechanism (1) after heat treatment is also prevented. The said latch shown in Figure 5 (13) is fixed to the movable body (12) before assembly of the mechanism with the latch fixing rivet (134). In order to ensure the safety of the pilot and passengers, the intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper (113) shown in Figure 7, which determine the distance during the forward and backward movement of the seat (2) and act as a stopper in case of emergency, and the intermediate distance determiner and movable stopper (113) shown in Figure 6 body stopper (14) are positioned. The stopper lug (141), which is positioned on the intermediate distance determiner and the movable body stopper (14) to make the moving body (12) stop by contacting the matrix body stopper (113) , defines the boundary and is connected to the movable body (12). Movable body reference lug (142) is used to center the said intermediate distance determiner and the movable body stopper (14). The intermediate distance determiner shown in Figure 7 and matrix body stopper (113) are designed to be double on the base of the matrix body (11 ). When the intermediate distance determiner shown in Figure 8 and the matrix body stopper (113) are contacted, the intermediate distance determiner and the movable body stopper (14) act as a stopper.

A new design has been made for the upper ball bearing cage shown in Figure 13, which can be used to operate the ball bearings (173) at a certain distance between each other, which are positioned between the matrix body (11) and the movable body (12) and act as sliding element, ball bearing cage (17) consisting of (171) and lower ball bearing cage (172), upper ball bearing retainer (111) and lower ball bearing retainer (112), preventing ball bearing cage (17) from coming out A new design has been made for the upper ball bearing carrier (121) and the lower ball bearing carrier (122), which allows it to be carried by the movement distance, as shown in Figures 9 and 11.

It is a new design for ball bearing cage (17) consisting of the upper ball bearing cage (171) and the lower ball bearing cage (172) shown in Figure 13, which can be used for the ball bearings (173), which are positioned between the matrix body (11 ) and the movable body (12) and act as sliding elements, to operate at a certain distance from each other, for the upper ball bearing holder (111) and lower ball bearing holder (112), which prevent the ball bearing cage (17) from coming out, and for the upper ball bearing support (121) and lower ball bearing support (122), which allow the ball bearing cage (17) to be transported over the travel distance, shown in Figure 9 and Figure 11. In this design, the upper ball bearing holder (111), the lower ball bearing holder (112), the upper ball bearing support (121 ) and the lower ball bearing support (122) are manually bent and manually retracted when desired. In this way, the rail mechanism (1) can be disassembled and reassembled without damage during inspection or maintenance processes.

Preventing direct contact between the matrix body (11 ), which is the main body part shown in Figure 10 and Figure 12, which carries the movable body (12) inside it with the help of ball bearings (173) and provides mounting on the vehicle floor (3), and the movabel body (12), which is the main upper body part, on which most of the elements are mounted, which provides linear movement on the matrix body (11 ) with the help of ball bearings (173), has facilitated the movement of the movable body (12) within the matrix body (11). Steel ball bearings (173), shown in Figure 14, are installed in the four grooves of the rail mechanism (1) so that the deflections due to the shaft do not interfere with the operation.

The rail mechanism (1 ) of the invention is mounted on the vehicle floor (3) with the help of bolts through the holes on the matrix body (11). The seat (2) is mounted on the seat bottom (22) by fixing it to the lower base of the seat bottom (22) with bolts through the holes on the movable body (12). The movement of the rail mechanism (1 ) starts with the user lifting the latch arm (25) up and ends with the user lowering it down. During this process, the locking tabs (132) on the latch (13) are fixed by inserting them into the tab slots on the matrix body (11) at the distance that the user wants to adjust. All of the elements that make this fixing process are called lock mechanisms. The lock mechanism body part (16), which is the main body part of the said lock mechanism, is connected to the movable body (12).

In the locking mechanism, the user lifts the latch arm (25) and the latch arm (25) and the locking mechanism arm (161) move together. The lock mechanism arm (161), which is mounted on the lock mechanism body part (16) by means of the lock mechanism arm rivet (162), carries the movement received from the latch arm (25) to the lock moving pin (162). The lock moving pin (163) fixed on the locking mechanism arm (161) pushes the latch (13) downwards by utilizing the spring feature and removes the locking tabs (132) from the slot. At this stage, the user can move the seat (2) forward or backward. By lowering the latch arm (25) again, this movement process is completed and the locking tabs (132) enter the slot on the matrix body (11) and fix the seat (2). The locking mechanism arm (161) is connected to the locking mechanism body part (16) with the locking mechanism arm rivet (162) method. The aforementioned locking mechanism body part (16) is fixed to the movable body (12) with the help of spot welding and bolts.

There is a intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper (113) on the matrix body (11 ) to determine the movement limit of the user. The user is prevented from exceeding the limit set by the vehicle manufacturer by contacting the aforementioned intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper (113) with the moving intermediate distance determiner and moving body stopper (14). The aforementioned intermediate distance determiner and matrix body stopper (113), the movable intermediate distance determiner and movable body stopper (14) also ensure the safety of the user by preventing the movable body (12) from coming out of the matrix body (11) in case of problems that may occur in the latch (13).

The ball bearings (173) that provide the movement of the movable body (12) on the matrix body

(I I ) can be placed in the ball bearing cage (17) or can be used without a ball bearing cage. Ball bearing cage (17) or ball bearings (173) can be shifted in the forward or backward positions of the movable body (12) by means of upper ball bearing support (121) and lower ball bearing support (122). The upper ball bearing holder (111) and lower ball bearing holders (112) on the matrix housing (11) are responsible for preventing the ball bearing cage (17) or ball bearings (173) from coming out during this sliding process. The aforementioned upper ball bearing holder

(I I I) and lower ball bearing holders (112) as well as the upper ball bearing support (121 ) and lower ball bearing support (122) can be manually bent and manually retracted. Except for the aforementioned matrix body (11), ball bearings (173) or ball bearing cages (17) in which ball bearings (173) are placed, all elements are mounted on the movable body (12). After the necessary elements are assembled on the moving body (12), they are placed in the matrix body (11 ). The upper ball bearing cage (171) and the lower ball bearing cage (172) in which the ball bearings (173) or ball bearings (173) are inserted are pushed through four channels between the movable body (12) and the matrix body (11 ). The upper ball bearing holder (111 ), lower ball bearing holder (112), upper ball bearing support (121) and lower ball bearing support (122) are manually bent in order to prevent the ball bearings (173) or upper ball bearing cage (171) and lower ball bearing cage (172) from coming out. After safety tests, the fully assembled rail mechanism (1) is ready for installation on the seat (2) and vehicle.