GB2136086A

GB2136086A - Adjusting gear

Info

Publication number: GB2136086A
Application number: GB08405045A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jurgen Korth
Original assignee: Rentrop Hubbert & Wagner
Current assignee: Rentrop Hubbert & Wagner
Priority date: 1983-02-28
Filing date: 1984-02-27
Publication date: 1984-09-12
Also published as: AU547644B2; SE8401040D0; ES286095U; IT8485533A0; SE455287B; ES286095Y; BE899004A; NL8400610A; BR8400849A; DE3307049A1; AU2476384A; ZA841422B; JPS59164235A; CA1208457A; MX158698A; IT1181520B; GB2136086B; GB8405045D0; DE3307049C2; SE8401040L

Abstract

An adjusting arrangement for controlling the movement of an object e.g. a vehicle seat in at least two different directions includes a control member (13, 12, 11) having an eccentric (11) mounted within a pinion gear (5) which engages an internally toothed gear (1). The control member (13, 12, 11) can drive, i.e. rotate, the pinion gear (5) such that it selectively engages any of a plurality of toothed driving elements (7 to 10) each associated with a respective direction of movement of the object. The internally toothed gear (1) can be driven by a pole-changeable motor or by a hand wheel (4). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Adjusting gear The present invention relates to an arrangement for the adjustment of an object. Such arrangement is particularly, but not exclusively, applicable to the adjustment of a vehicle seat in at least two directions of movement, such as vertically and longitudinally.

DE-PS 2 952 030 shows an arrangement of this type with an actuating device by means of which it is possible to control the drive of driving elements associated with each different direction of movement. The actuating device has a control member and a pivoting arm which are in active connection through a sliding guide. This actuating device comprises a drivable sun wheel and at least one planet wheel which can be moved by the control member in such a manner that it is selectively engageable with each driving element, thereby permitting various directions of movement of the object. The driving elements are in the form of drive wheels or toothed wheels.,The planet wheel and the driving elements have an external toothing with an amount of play of a maximum of one tooth gap.Connected with the control member are two pivotable arms which, by means of at least two planet wheels, permit the simultaneous drive of different driving elements.

The sun wheel in this arrangement is designed as a flat disc of comparatively large diameter, on the circumference of which each externally toothed driving element is disposed. A drive pinion engages with each driving element and is connected with a drive motor. The sliding guide is incorporated into the control member. Pins firmly connected with each pivoting arm engage with said sliding guide.

This known device is too bulky to be suitable for the vertical and longitudinal adjustment of vehicle seats where, as is well known, only limited space is available. Also, it is difficult to design the sliding guide so exactly that a non-forcing engagement of the planet wheels with the external toothed wheel of the sun wheel and therefore also with the associated drive wheels is ensured.

The present invention provides an adjusting arrangement for controlling the movement of an object in at least two directions, the object having at least one toothed driving element associated with each direction of movement, the arrangemeht including a control member having an eccentric, a drivable internally toothed sun wheel, and at least one toothed planet wheel movable by means of said control member in such a manner that it is selectively engageable with each said toothed driving element to cause motion of the object in each different direction, the control member eccentric being rotatably mounted in said planet wheel.

Some embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a vertical part section through an arrangement according to the invention; Figure 2 is an isometric part exploded view on an enlarged scale of the arrangement of Figure 1; Figures 3 to 6 are diagrammatic views of the sun wheel, the planet wheel and the drive wheels in various setting positions of the arrangement; Figure 7 is an isometrric representation of a motor vehicle seat frame with the arrangement incorporated therein; and Figure 8 is an isometric representation of a motor vehicle seat frame with a modified arrangement incorporated therein.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a sun wheel which can be driven by means of a polechangeable motor not represented further in the drawing. The sun wheel 1 has internal toothing 2 and is in the shape of a vessel defining a cavity with a bottom portion and a side wall carrying the internal toothing 2. Connected with the sun wheel 1 is an axle 3 which is connected with a hand wheel 4, so that the arrangement can be driven either by the drive motor (not shown) or by hand.

There is also provided at least one planet wheel 5. The external toothing 6 of this planet wheel engages with the internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel. The pitch diameter d of the external toothing 6 of the planet wheel 5 is smaller than the pitch diameterD of the internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel 1. The planet wheel 5 thus engages within the sun wheel 1, as a result of which an outstandingly compact, space-saving arrangement is ensured which for the first time opens up the possibility of disposing this arrangement in a motor vehicle seat where space conditions are extremely limited.

The tooth width B of the external toothing 6 of the planet wheel 5 is greater than the tooth width b of the internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel J.

The planet wheel 5 is movable by means of a control member in such a way that the planet wheel can be selectively engaged with any one of various driving elements allowing different directions of movement of the object. In the present case the driving elements are toothed wheels 7 to 10. The control member includes an eccentric part 11 and a centric part 12. On the eccentric part 11 of this eccentric arrangement 11, 12 the planet wheel 5 is rotatably mounted.It is clear that the structure of the eccentric as well as the situation of the individual toothed wheels 7 to 10 relative to the planet wheel 5 are so selected that in a particular setting position of the control member the desired engagement of the teeth of the required toothed wheel 7 to 10 with the teeth of the planet wheel 5 or planet wheels is effected. The man skilled in the art will appreciate how this selection may be performed for a specific case. The selection may be empirically determined.

The two parts 11, 1 2 of the eccentric which forms the control member for the planet wheel 5 are rotatable by means of a setting lever 1 3 about a shaft 3. The centre line m--pn of the shaft coincides with that of the driving axle 1 4 of the sun wheel. The setting lever 13 is guided in a setting slide 1 5 with several engagement positions. Each engagement position is associated with at least one direction of movement of the object. The centric part 1 3 of the eccentric 11, 12 is rotatably mounted in the setting slide 1 5 in bearing 16, 17.

As Figure 2 shows, the driving elements in the form of toothed wheels 7 to 10 are connected with elastic shafts 18 to 21 by means of which the corresponding adjustment devices for the vertical and longitudinal displacement of the vehicle seat can be actuated.

The operation of the described arrangement will now be explained in greater detail with reference to Figures 3 to 7. In this connection the position of the setting lever 13, as shown in these Figures should be noted.

If the motor (not shown) is set in motion it drives the sun wheel 1, the internal toothing 2 of which sets the planet wheel 5 in rotary motion by means of its external toothing 6 If the setting lever 1 3 assumes the engagement position represented in Figure 3 of the drawings, then the toothed wheel 7 is in engagement with the planet wheel 5, while the toothed wheels 8 to 1Q are out of engagement. The toothed wheel 7 drives the elastic shaft 1 8. As the toothed wheel 7 engages with a toothed wheel 22 the two toothed wheels 7 and 22 rotate in opposite directions. Toothed wheel 22 is connected by means of an elastic shaft 23 with an adjustment mechanism of the seat.The corresponding rotary motion of elastic shafts 1 8 and 23 is transmitted to lifting devices 24, 25 operating in the manner of screw drives onto the frame 26 of the seating area with the result that the latter is raised or lowered in accordance with the selected direction of rotation of the drive motor of the sun wheel 1. The frame 26 of the sitting area is mounted in a bearing 27.

In the representation according to Figure 4 the setting lever 13 assumes a different position represented therein. Toothed wheels 7 and 8 are in engagement with planet wheel 5. The toothed wheel 7 also drives toothed wheel 22. The wheel 8 drives elastic shaft 1 9 which is connected to a lifting device 28 on the front side of the frame 26 of the sitting area. The lifting devices 24, 25 are driven by means of the elastic shafts 1 8, 23. The frame 26 of the sitting area is therefore raised or lowered in accordance with the direction of rotation of the drive motor of the sun wheel both at the front and also at the rear.

In the representation according to Figure 5 only the toothed wheel 8 is in engagement with the planet wheel 5, so that one switching the driving motor of the sun wheel 1 the elastic shaft 19 is set in rotation and thereby the lifting device 28 is actuated. A lifting or a lowering of the front side of the frame 26 of the sitting area is the result of this.

If the setting lever 1 3 is moved over to the position shown in Figure 6, then only the toothed wheel 9 is in engagement with the planet wheel 5.

Toothed wheel 9 drives an elastic shaft 20 which in turn drives a pinion of a rack and pinion gear 29, 30 (Fig. 7). The toothed rack 30 of this rack and pinion gear 29,30 is connected with the frame 26 of the sitting area in such a manner that in accordance with the direction of movement of the toothed rack 30 the vehicle seat is moved in the direction of vehicle travel or in the opposite direction. For this purpose the frame 26 of the sitting area is mounted in bearings 31 to 33.

The embodiment according to Figure 8 differs from that shown in Figures 1 to 7 essentially in that the central axis of the arrangement and therefore of the sun wheel 1 extends approximately perpendicularly to the sitting level of the sitting area of the vehicle seat. The setting lever 1 3 then assumes the position shown. In this arrangement the sun wheel 1 can be driven by means of a toothed pinion 34 which engages with a toothed crown of the sun wheel 1. In this sun wheel, for example, three planet wheels are disposed, the external toothed rims of which engage into the internal toothed rim of sun wheel 1. By means of the corresponding connection of the eccentric connected with the setting lever 13 and bearing the planet wheels, it is possible to drive corresponding toothed wheels. These toothed wheels also have internal toothed rims with which lead screws of the corresponding adjustment devices of the seat engage. lit is possible to provide, in addition to the internal toothing of the toothed wheel 1, a further internal toothing disposed concentrically therewith and with which a planet wheel engages which mates in a corresponding setting with a toothed rack 35, through which the vehicle seat can be moved in the direction of travel or in the opposite direction.

It will be appreciated that the described arrangement is compact and space-saving on account of the internally toothed sun wheel and the mounting of the planet wheel on an eccentric.

The arrangement further permits non-forcing insertion of the drive wheels or other elements such as toothed racks into engagement with the planet wheel.

Claims

1. An adjusting arrangement for controlling the movement of an object in at least two directions, the object having at least one toothed driving element associated with each direction of movement, the arrangement comprising a control member having an eccentric, a drivable internally toothed sun wheel, and at least one toothed planet wheel movable by means of said control member in such a manner that it is selectively engageable with each said toothed driving element to cause motion of the object in each different direction, the control member eccentric being rotatably mounted in said planet wheel.

2. An arrangement as claimed in claim 1, in which the sun wheel defines a cavity having a bottom and side wall bearing the internal toothing, and external toothing of the or each planet wheel mates with the internal toothing of the sun wheel.

3. An arrangement as claimed in claims 1 or 2, in which the toothing of the planet wheel has a pitch diameter which is smaller than a pitch diameter of the internal toothing of said sun wheel.

4. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the toothing of the planet wheel has a tooth width which is greater than a tooth width of the internal toothing of said sun wheel.

5. An arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, in which the control member further comprises a centric part, and a setting lever, both the eccentric and centric parts being rotatable by means of said setting lever, about an axis, the planet wheel having a rotation axis which corresponds to said rotation axis of said eccentric and centric parts.

6. An arrangement as claimed in claim 5, in which said control member comprises a setting slide with several engagement positions in which said setting lever is guided, each engagement position being associated with at least one direction of movement of the object.

7. An arrangement as claimed in claim 6, in which said centric part is rotatably mounted in the setting slide.

8. An adjusting gear for enabling driving motion to be selectively transmitted to any of a plurality of externally toothed drive elements, the gear comprising an internally toothed sun wheel, an externally toothed planet wheel having a first axial portion engaging with said sun wheel, the planet wheel having a second axial portion projecting from the sun wheel means for driving the sun wheel selectively in rotation in either sense, said plurality of drive elements being disposed about said second axial portion of said planet wheel, and a lever coupled to said planet wheel so as to adjust its positoin such that it engages with one or more of said drive elements.

9. A driving arrangement substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 to 7 or Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.