Patent ID: 6533356
Filing Date: 2003-03-18
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
A gear mechanism which is adapted to permit adjustment of the inclination of a vehicle seat, comprising:at least two hollow wheels having internal gears and being mounted in a side by side arrangement for relative rotation about an axis extending in an axial direction, at least one rotatable planet gear positioned to selectively engage the internal gears of the two hollow wheels, and a play-eliminating mechanism acting in radially different directions on the planet gear and a first wheel of the two hollow wheels, respectively, for eliminating play between the internal gears of the two hollow wheels, with the play-eliminating mechanism including: a rotatable eccentric shaft, a first hollow bearing sleeve mounted on the eccentric shaft and which mounts the planet gear for rotation about the circumference of the first bearing sleeve, a second hollow bearing sleeve mounted on the eccentric shaft and which rotatably mounts the first wheel about the circumference of the second bearing sleeve, a wedge provided on the second bearing sleeve, with the wedge being prismatically shaped and projecting in the axial direction from the second bearing sleeve, and an inclined surface of the wedge facing partially in the axial direction and partially radially outward, and an energy storage for biasing the inclined surface of the wedge onto a mating surface on the first bearing sleeve so as to bias the first bearing sleeve and thus the planet gear radially outwardly.