Patent Description:
Unless otherwise indicated in this specification, contents described herein are not included in a prior art for the claims of this application, and although described herein, the contents are not admitted as a prior art.

In general, seats installed inside a vehicle can be folded through recliners, and due to the folding of the seats, space occupied by the seats can be used for multiple purposes, thereby improving convenience inside the vehicle.

Convenience features that passengers can enjoy inside a vehicle are increasing through convenience devices provided inside electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and camper vans, and following this trend, demand for space utilization according to the change of seat position is increasing.

In addition, in the case of electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and camper vans, since the utilization of indoor space and fuel efficiency is important, a structural change is necessary to reduce space and weight occupied by remaining parts of seats except for a seat on which a passenger is seated.

However, in the case of an actuator mounted on an existing vehicle for the electrically folding, walk-in or reclining operation of a seat, the actuator has complicated structure or due to the use of a plurality of parts, is difficult to be assembled and has increased weight, which reduces the fuel efficiency of the vehicle. There are disadvantages.

In this regard, <CIT> discloses "ELECTRIC ACTUATOR FOR FOLDING SEAT", and <CIT> discloses "DUAL RELEASE ACTUATOR OF SEAT FOR VEHICLE".

Further, <CIT> describes a mechanical lumbar support intended for use in an automotive seat wherein, however, no spring is disclosed which is located in the actuator.

However, existing inventions do not disclose a technology for reducing fuel efficiency, weight, and manufacturing cost of a vehicle.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the related art, and the present invention is intended to propose an actuator for a recliner which can be manufactured with components having simple structures to reduce weight, and functions of a seat operated through different cables are independently performed stably.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to technical objectives described above, and it is obvious that other technical objectives may be derived from the following description.

In order to achieve the above objectives, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an actuator for a recliner includes: a casing part, and a drive part provided with a worm wheel gear located inside the casing part and rotated by an operation of a motor, and a rack gear configured to move elastically toward a first or second side of the drive part in engagement with the worm wheel gear, with cables being coupled respectively to the first and second sides of the rack gear, and
a pinion gear provided by protruding forward from a center of the worm wheel gear such that the pinion gear engages with the rack gear, wherein the rack gear includes fixing members being in close contact with a spring fixed to the casing part and elastically transformed at an initial position thereof, with the spring between the fixing members, and a slider provided by protruding from a rear of the rack gear so as to have a shape of a stick extending toward the opposite sides of the rack gear.

In addition, the rack gear may include: insertion holes formed through portions of a front surface of the rack gear, a head of each of the cables being inserted into each of the insertion holes so as to move to opposite sides thereof, and a fixing groove formed in such a manner that a front surface of a side of the insertion hole is recessed such that the fixing groove is connected to the insertion hole and opposite external spaces, the fixing groove having a height smaller than the head.

In addition, the heads of the cables may be respectively inserted into the insertion holes and may be in close contact with inner surfaces of the first and second sides of the rack gear, wherein according to a moving direction of the rack gear, only one of the heads of the cables may be pulled.

According to an embodiment disclosed herein, the actuator for a recliner is assembled with components having simple structures to reduce manufacturing cost and weight, and while one of cables is pulled, the operation of a remaining cable is restricted, thereby stably performing one of the walk-in and folding function of a seat.

In addition, the actuator for a recliner can be manufactured to be slim in front-to-rear thickness thereof, thereby facilitating the installation of the actuator in narrow space between seats, and the overlapping areas of components to each other are minimized, thereby minimizing noise due to friction or collision therebetween.

Furthermore, the effects of the present invention described above are naturally exhibited by the described contents regardless of whether the inventor of the actuator for a recliner recognizes the effects. Accordingly, the above-described effects are only a few effects according to the described contents and should not be recognized as describing all effects that the inventor has grasped or all effects that exist.

Additionally, other effects of the actuator for a recliner of the present invention should be further grasped by the overall description of the present specification, and if the other effects can be recognized through this specification by those skilled in the art to which the described content belongs even if the other effects are not described in explicit sentences, the other effects should be considered as effects described in the present specification.

The above and other objectives, features, and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:.

Hereinafter, the configuration, operation, and effects of an actuator for a recliner according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, in the following drawings, each component is omitted or schematically illustrated for the convenience and clarity of the description of the present invention, and the size of each component does not reflect the actual size. Additionally, the same reference numerals refer to the same components throughout the specification, and reference numerals for the same components in individual drawings will be omitted.

As illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, the actuator <NUM> for a recliner includes a casing part <NUM>, a drive part <NUM>, and a controller <NUM>, wherein the drive part <NUM> is coupled to first and second cables connected to a seat walk-in recliner and a seat-folding recliner, respectively.

According to the actuator <NUM> for a recliner, when a walk-in button or a seat folding button is operated in a vehicle, a portion of the drive part <NUM> pulls one of the first and second cables while moving toward a first or second side such that a state in which the walk-in or folding operation of a seat is possible is maintained for a predetermined period of time.

For example, when the walk-in button is operated by a passenger, the actuator <NUM> for a recliner pulls the first cable for a predetermined period of time to maintain the walk-in operation state of a seat for the predetermined period of time. In this case, the passenger can move the seat for the predetermined period of time.

When the walk-in button is operated, a period of time for which the actuator <NUM> for a recliner pulls the first cable is preferably <NUM> seconds, and when the seat folding button is operated, a period of time for which the actuator <NUM> for a recliner pulls the second cable is preferably <NUM> seconds.

The casing part <NUM> includes a rear casing <NUM> and a front casing <NUM>.

The casing part <NUM> is coupled removably to a seat frame or a surrounding portion of a seat, and the drive part <NUM> is disposed inside the casing part <NUM>. The first and second cables are inserted into the casing part <NUM> respectively from the first and second sides of the casing part <NUM> and are coupled to the drive part <NUM>.

The rear casing <NUM> has semi-cylindrical groove formed in a lower part of the first side thereof such that a motor can be disposed in the semi-cylindrical groove, and has a cylindrical protrusion formed on the second side of the rear casing <NUM> such that a worm gear and a worm wheel gear engaging with the worm gear are disposed at the second side.

The front casing <NUM> is coupled removably to the front of the rear casing <NUM> so as to cover the worm gear and the worm wheel gear, which stably fixes the drive part <NUM> including the motor.

The drive part <NUM> includes the motor <NUM>, the worm gear <NUM>, the worm wheel gear <NUM>, a rotation shaft <NUM>, a pinion gear <NUM>, a rack gear <NUM>, a spring <NUM>, a first sliding cover <NUM>, and a second sliding cover <NUM>.

The first cable includes a first cable head <NUM> and a first cable core <NUM>, and the second cable includes a second cable head <NUM> and a second cable core <NUM>.

Inside the casing part <NUM>, the drive part <NUM> is arranged such that a part of the drive part <NUM> elastically slides toward the first or second side, wherein each of the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM> is coupled removably to the drive part <NUM>.

The motor <NUM> is disposed inside the casing part <NUM> such that a drive shaft of the motor located at a position corresponding to the lower part of the first side of the casing part <NUM> protrudes toward the second side of the casing part <NUM>, and the worm gear <NUM> is coupled to the drive shaft and rotates by using the drive shaft as a shaft according to the rotation of the drive shaft.

The worm wheel gear <NUM> is configured in the form of a circular plate and has a plurality of teeth formed on the outer side thereof such that the teeth engage with the worm gear <NUM>. With the worm wheel gear <NUM> located at the upper side of the worm gear <NUM> engaging with the worm gear <NUM>, the worm wheel gear <NUM> is disposed to rotate relative to the front-to-rear directional shaft inside the casing part <NUM>.

The rotation shaft <NUM> is formed in a cylindrical shape extending from the rear casing <NUM> to the front casing <NUM>, passes through the centers of the worm wheel gear <NUM> and the pinion gear <NUM>, and is rotatably coupled to the front casing <NUM>.

The pinion gear <NUM> is formed to protrude forward from the center of the front of the worm wheel gear <NUM> and rotates by engaging teeth formed on the outer side of the pinion gear <NUM> with the rack gear <NUM> disposed on the upper side of the pinion gear <NUM> such that the rack gear <NUM> moves toward the first or second side.

The rack gear <NUM> is formed in the form of a vertical plate extending toward opposite sides and is disposed in front of the worm wheel gear <NUM> such that teeth <NUM> protruding from the lower part of the rack gear <NUM> engage with the upper part of the pinion gear <NUM>, wherein the upper end of the rack gear <NUM> is in close contact with the spring <NUM>.

An insertion hole <NUM> is located at the first side of the rack gear <NUM> and is formed rearward through a portion of the front surface of the rack gear <NUM> having a rectangular shape extending toward the opposite sides so as to connect the front and rear spaces of the rack gear <NUM> to each other.

The first cable head <NUM> is inserted into the insertion hole <NUM>, and in a state in which the rack gear <NUM> does not pull the first and second cables toward the second and first sides, respectively, a portion of the first cable head <NUM> is in close contact with the inner surface of the rack gear <NUM> corresponding to the first side of the insertion hole <NUM>.

A fixing groove 452a is located at the first side of the insertion hole <NUM> and is configured in such a manner that a portion of the front surface of the rack gear <NUM> located at height lower than the insertion hole <NUM> is recessed rearward by a predetermined distance such that the fixing groove 452a is connected to the insertion hole <NUM>, the front of the rack gear <NUM>, and the first side space of the rack gear <NUM>.

The first cable core <NUM> is inserted into the fixing groove 452a, and since the first cable head <NUM> is larger in volume than the fixing groove 452a, the insertion of the first cable head <NUM> into the inner space of the fixing groove 452a is restricted.

An insertion hole <NUM> is located at the second side of the rack gear <NUM> and is formed rearward through a portion of the front surface of the rack gear <NUM> having a rectangular shape extending toward the opposite sides so as to connect the front and rear spaces of the rack gear <NUM> to each other.

The second cable head <NUM> is inserted into the insertion hole <NUM>, and in a state in which the rack gear <NUM> does not pull the first and second cables toward the second and first sides, respectively, a portion of the second cable head <NUM> is in close contact with the inner surface of the rack gear <NUM> corresponding to the second side of the insertion hole <NUM>.

A fixing groove 453a is located at the second side of the insertion hole <NUM> and is configured in such a manner that a portion of the front surface of the rack gear <NUM> located at height lower than the insertion hole <NUM> is recessed rearward by a predetermined distance such that the fixing groove 453a is connected to the insertion hole <NUM>, the front of the rack gear <NUM>, and the second side space of the rack gear <NUM>.

The second cable core <NUM> is inserted into the fixing groove 453a, and since the second cable head <NUM> is larger in volume than the fixing groove 453a, the insertion of the second cable head <NUM> into the inner space of the fixing groove 453a is restricted.

A fixing member <NUM> is formed on an upper part of the rack gear <NUM> spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the end of the first side of the rack gear <NUM> toward the second side thereof and is in close contact with a center portion of the first side of the spring <NUM> disposed on the upper side of the rack gear <NUM>, and thus when the rack gear <NUM> moves toward the second side due to the operation of the motor <NUM>, the fixing member <NUM> contracts the spring <NUM> toward the second side.

A fixing member <NUM> is formed on an upper part of the rack gear <NUM> spaced part by a predetermined distance from the end of the second side of the rack gear <NUM> toward the first side thereof and is in close contact with a center portion of the second side of the spring <NUM> disposed on the upper side of the rack gear <NUM>, and thus when the rack gear <NUM> moves toward the first side due to the operation of the motor <NUM>, the fixing member <NUM> contracts the spring <NUM> toward the first side.

A slider <NUM> is located at the lower part of the rear surface of the rack gear <NUM> and is formed in the form of a stick extending toward the opposite sides by rearward protruding a portion of a rear surface of the rack gear having a rectangular shape extending toward the opposite sides.

A sliding groove <NUM> is configured as space having a cuboid shape in such a manner that a portion of the front surface of the rack gear <NUM> corresponding to the front of the slider <NUM> is recessed rearward by a predetermined distance such that the sliding groove <NUM> is connected to the front of the rack gear <NUM> and the first and second spaces thereof.

The spring <NUM> is located between the fixing members <NUM> and <NUM> and is fixed between the first and second sliding covers <NUM> and <NUM>, and is contracted toward the first or second side according to the sliding of the rack gear <NUM> so as to provide elastic force to the rack gear <NUM> such that the rack gear <NUM> moves to an initial position thereof.

The first sliding cover <NUM> has a first end part formed in the shape of a rectangular vertical plate and is disposed at the rear side of the rack gear <NUM>. The first sliding cover <NUM> has hooking members <NUM> formed by forward protruding portions of the first and second sides of the first end part such that the hooking members <NUM> pass the rack gear <NUM> and are coupled to the second sliding cover <NUM>.

The first sliding cover <NUM> has a second end part formed in the shape of a rectangular plate by upward protruding a center portion of the upper part of the first end part and has side walls <NUM> formed by forward extending the first and second portions of the second end part such that the side walls <NUM> are in close contact with the first and second portions of the spring <NUM>, respectively.

An upper cover <NUM> is formed by forward extending the upper edge of the second end part of the first sliding cover <NUM> by a predetermined distance and covers an upper portion of the spring <NUM>. In a state in which the upper cover <NUM> is coupled to the second sliding cover <NUM>, the upper cover <NUM> prevents the spring <NUM> from being removed from a position thereof.

A holding plate 473a is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate by forward extending a center portion of the upper cover <NUM>, wherein a groove formed in the center of the holding plate 473a is coupled to a protrusion 483a formed on the upper part of the second sliding cover <NUM>.

A rail <NUM> is formed in the shape of a cuboid by forward protruding a portion of the front surface of the first sliding cover <NUM> on a horizontal line corresponding to the lower portion of the slider <NUM> such that the rail <NUM> is in close contact with the lower surface of the slider <NUM>.

A rail <NUM> is formed in the shape of a cuboid by forward protruding a portion of the front surface of the first sliding cover <NUM> on a horizontal line corresponding to the upper portion of the slider <NUM> such that the rail <NUM> is in close contact with the upper surface of the slider <NUM>.

Accordingly, with the slider <NUM> disposed between the rails <NUM> and <NUM>, the rack gear <NUM> can stably slide toward the first or second side and can be effectively prevented from being slanted by the elasticity of the spring <NUM>.

The second sliding cover <NUM> has a first end part formed in the form of a rectangular vertical plate, wherein a portion of each of the opposite sides of the first end part of the second sliding cover <NUM> extends downward in the form of a plate and is coupled to each of the hooking members <NUM>. The front surface of the second sliding cover <NUM> is in surface contact with the front casing <NUM>.

The second sliding cover <NUM> has a second end part formed in the shape of a rectangular plate by upward protruding an upper central part of the first end part thereof and has side walls <NUM> formed by rearward extending portions of the first and second ends of the second end part such that the side walls <NUM> are in close contact with the first and second portions of the spring <NUM>, respectively.

In a state in which the first and second sliding covers <NUM> and <NUM> are coupled to each other, the side walls <NUM> and <NUM> are spaced apart from each other by a distance less than the thickness of the front-to-rear direction of the spring <NUM>, and the fixing members <NUM> and <NUM> pass through space between the side walls <NUM> and <NUM> to move to the first or second side space of the first and second sliding covers <NUM> and <NUM>.

An upper cover <NUM> is formed by rearward extending the upper edge of the second end part of the second sliding cover <NUM> by a predetermined distance and covers an upper portion of the spring <NUM>. In a state in which the upper cover <NUM> is coupled to the first sliding cover <NUM>, the upper cover <NUM> is in close contact with the upper cover <NUM> and covers the upper part of the spring <NUM>.

The upper cover <NUM> has a center portion formed thereon in the shape of a plate by extending upward therefrom such that the center portion of the upper cover <NUM> is coupled to the front casing <NUM>, wherein a groove into which the holding plate 473a is inserted is formed in the center portion, and a holding jaw is formed under the groove.

A slider <NUM> is formed in the shape of a cuboid extending toward opposite sides by rearward protruding a portion of the rear surface of the second sliding cover <NUM>. When the actuator <NUM> for a recliner is assembled, the slider <NUM> is inserted into the sliding groove <NUM> and guides the movement of the rack gear <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, when the worm gear <NUM>, the worm wheel gear <NUM>, and the pinion gear <NUM> rotate clockwise due to the operation of the motor <NUM>, the rack gear <NUM> moves toward the first side, and the second cable head <NUM> is moved toward the first side by the rack gear <NUM>.

In the process in which the second cable head <NUM> is pulled, the first cable head <NUM> is located at an initial position due to the insertion hole <NUM>, and the fixing member <NUM> presses the second side of the spring <NUM> toward the first side thereof to contract the spring <NUM>.

Through the control of stopping the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> by the controller <NUM>, the pulled state of the second cable head <NUM> is maintained, and when the folding operation of a seat is completed for the period of time for which the second cable head <NUM> is pulled, the motor <NUM> automatically operates and releases the stop state of the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> such that the worm gear <NUM> is rotated counterclockwise at a predetermined angle or the drive shaft is rotated by the elasticity of the spring <NUM>.

In this case, when the stop state of the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> is released or the worm gear <NUM> is rotated counterclockwise at a predetermined angle, the rack gear <NUM> is moved by a predetermined distance toward the second side by the elasticity of the spring <NUM> and is restored to an initial position thereof.

In the state in which the rack gear <NUM> is restored to the initial position thereof, the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM> are located respectively in the insertion holes <NUM> and <NUM> to be in close contact with the inner surfaces of the first and second sides of the rack gear <NUM>.

When the worm gear <NUM>, the worm wheel gear <NUM>, and the pinion gear <NUM> rotate counterclockwise due to the operation of the motor <NUM>, the rack gear <NUM> moves toward the second side, and the first cable head <NUM> is moved toward the second side by the rack gear <NUM>.

In the process in which the first cable head <NUM> is pulled, the second cable head <NUM> is located at an initial position thereof due to the insertion hole <NUM>, and the fixing member <NUM> presses the first side of the spring <NUM> toward the second side to contract the spring <NUM>.

Through the control of stopping the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> by the controller <NUM>, the pulled state of the first cable head <NUM> is maintained, and when the walk-in operation of a seat is completed for a period of time for which the first cable head <NUM> is pulled, the motor <NUM> automatically operates and releases the stop state of the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> such that the worm gear <NUM> is rotated clockwise at a predetermined angle or the drive shaft is rotated by the elasticity of the spring <NUM>.

In this case, when the stop state of the drive shaft of the motor <NUM> is released or the worm gear <NUM> is rotated clockwise at a predetermined angle, the rack gear <NUM> is moved by a predetermined distance toward the first side by the elasticity of the spring <NUM> and is restored to an initial position thereof.

In a state in which the rack gear <NUM> is restored to the initial position, the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM> are located respectively in the insertion holes <NUM> and <NUM> to be in close contact with the inner surfaces of the first and second sides of the rack gear <NUM>.

Meanwhile, the insertion holes <NUM> and <NUM> formed in the rack gear <NUM> may be connected to each other and may be configured as the shape of a single insertion hole extending toward the opposite sides, and in order to maintain the tightly pulled states of each of the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM>, a U-shaped bracket is inserted into insertion holes corresponding to positions between the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM> and the fixing grooves 452a and 453a so as to fix each of the first and second cable heads <NUM> and <NUM> to the center portion of the rack gear <NUM>.

Claim 1:
An actuator for a recliner, the actuator comprising:
a casing part (<NUM>); and
a drive part (<NUM>) provided with a worm wheel gear (<NUM>) located inside the casing part (<NUM>) and rotated by an operation of a motor (<NUM>), and a rack gear (<NUM>) configured to move elastically toward a first or second side of the drive part (<NUM>) in engagement with the worm wheel gear (<NUM>), with cables being coupled respectively to the first and second sides of the rack gear (<NUM>), and a pinion gear (<NUM>) provided by protruding forward from a center of the worm wheel gear (<NUM>) such that the pinion gear (<NUM>) engages with the rack gear (<NUM>);
characterized in that the rack gear (<NUM>) comprises fixing members (<NUM>, <NUM>) being in close contact with a spring (<NUM>) fixed to the casing part (<NUM>) and elastically transformed at an initial position thereof, with the spring (<NUM>) between the fixing members (<NUM>, <NUM>), thereby, when the rack gear (<NUM>) moves toward a first side due to the operation of the motor (<NUM>), the fixing member (<NUM>) contracts the spring (<NUM>) toward the first side and when the rack gear (<NUM>) moves toward a second side due to the operation of the motor (<NUM>), the fixing member (<NUM>) contracts the spring (<NUM>) toward the second side.