Patent ID: 6857613
Filing Date: 2005-02-22
Classification: B60N

Abstract:
1. A slide device in combination with a seat and a floor, comprising: a pair of lower track elements fixed on said floor; a pair of upper slide elements slidably engaged on the respective said pair of lower track elements so as to be movable therealong in forward and backward directions, said pair of upper slide elements being connected with said seat; a drive means provided in said floor, said drive means being operable in one of a normal direction and a reverse direction; a flexible drive transmission means operatively and flexibly connected between said pair of upper slide elements and said drive means, with such an arrangement that, upon operation of said drive means in said normal direction, a corresponding normal drive force is transmitted through said flexible drive transmission means to said pair of upper slide elements, thereby causing movement of the pair of upper slide elements in the forward direction along said pair of lower track elements, and that, upon operation of said drive means in said reverse direction, a corresponding reverse drive force is transmitted through said flexible drive transmission means to said pair of upper slide elements, thereby causing movement of the pair of upper slide elements in the backward direction along said pair of lower track elements; a locking means operable for locking and unlocking said pair of upper slide elements to and from said pair of lower track elements; a lock operation/control means arranged between said locking means and said drive means, said lock operation/control means being normally set in a locking position and operable therefrom toward one of normal unlocking position and reverse unlocking position, such that, when the lock operation/control means is set in said locking position, both of said drive and locking means are in an inoperative state, that operation of the lock operation/control means in said normal unlocking position causes said locking means to unlock said pair of upper slide elements from said pair of lower track elements, while simultaneously activating said drive means to operate in said normal direction, and that operation of the lock operation/control means in said reverse unlocking direction causes said locking means to unlock said pair of upper slide elements from said pair of lower track elements, while simultaneously activating said drive means to operate in said reverse direction; said lock operation/control means including: with such an arrangement that, when said lock operation/control means is set in said locking position, said lock operation means and said start switch means being set in said neutral locking position and said neutral switch-off position, respectively, whereby said pair of upper slide elements are locked to said pair of lower track elements, that, when said lock operation/control means is operated in said normal unlocking direction, said lock operation means is operated in said first unlocking position to cause operation of said locking means to unlock said upper slide element from said lower track element, while simultaneously, said start switch means is operated to said normal switch-on position, which in turn causes said drive means to operate in said normal direction, thereby causing movement of said pair of upper slide elements in said forward direction along said pair of lower track elements through said flexible drive transmission means, and that, when said lock operation/control means is operated in said reverse unlocking direction, said lock operation means is operated in said second unlocking position to cause operation of said locking means to unlock said upper slide element from said lower track element, while simultaneously, said start switch means is operated to said reverse switch-on position, which in turn causes said drive means to operate in said reverse direction, thereby causing movement of said pair of upper slide elements in said backward direction along said pair of lower track elements through said flexible drive transmission means.