Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of vehicles, specifically to a vehicle seat. The present invention further relates to a recliner arrangement for the vehicle seat and a vehicle comprising the vehicle seat.

Background

A traditional vehicle seat generally comprises a seat backrest, a seat surface and a recliner arrangement for adjusting a relative position of the seat backrest relative to the seat surface.

FIGs.1A-1 E show a traditional recliner arrangement T comprising a handle 10’, a recliner 20’, a snail spring 30’, a recliner adaptor 40’ and a retaining washer 50’. The handle 10’ is a one-piece part including a grip portion 11’, a shaft portion 12’ and an end stop 13’ in the form of a flange between the grip portion and the shaft portion, the shaft portion 12’ extending through respective holes 21 ’ of the recliner adaptor 40’ and the recliner 20’. The recliner 20’ is connected to the recliner adaptor 40’ and configured as a disc with a hole 21 and a cam 22’. The cam 22’ defines a cam hole (being part of the recliner hole 21’) for engaging a corresponding portion of the shaft portion 12’ in a closed (i.e. , locked) state of the recliner 20’, so as to lock the recliner. The snail spring 30’ lies on the end stop 13’ and includes two ends, in which one end is fixed at a positioning hook 41’ of the recliner adaptor 40’ and the other end is fixed at the grip portion 11’. The recliner adaptor 40’ is fixed at a seat basin (the recliner generally comprises a fixed disc and a movable disc, in which the fixed disc is connected to the recliner adaptor and fixed at the seat basin, and the movable disc is fixed at the seat backrest). The retaining washer 50’ is snapped onto the shaft portion 12’ of the handle 10’, such that the recliner 20’ is positioned between the end stop 13’ and the retaining washer 50’. As shown in FIG.1 E, in an open state of the recliner 20’, there is a gap G’ between the cam hole of the cam 22’ of the recliner 20’ and the corresponding portion of the shaft portion 12’. Thus, during assembly, the retaining washer 50’ and the snail spring 30’ are needed to position the end stop against the recliner 20’, so as to allow the handle 10’ to be secured in place.

During using the recliner, the recliner can be opened when the handle is turned clockwise and closed (locked) when the handle is turned counter-clockwise. Alternatively, it is also possible that the recliner can be closed when the handle is turned clockwise and opened when the handle is turned counter-clockwise.

However, such a recliner arrangement has the following disadvantages. First of all, a snail spring and retaining nut are needed to position the handle against the recliner for assembling the recliner and the handle together. Besides, due to use of the snail spring and friction caused by the handle positioned against the recliner, a relatively large force is needed to operate the handle. Moreover, if the orientation D1’ of the cam hole of the recliner deviates from a vertical direction V’ during assembly as shown in FIG.1 F, the orientation D2’ of the handle after assembly will deviate from a vertical direction V’ as shown in FIG.1G, which will in turn cause the end stop on the handle to interfere with the recliner adaptor, resulting in a failure of the end stop as shown in FIG.1 FI. In addition, due to presence of the gap G’, a back play exists from the open state to the closed state of the recliner, which results in unsatisfactory comforts.

DE 102006030239 additionally discloses a vehicle seat including a seat backrest, a seat surface and seat recliners for adjusting the relative position between them, the seat recliners being coupled with one another by a one-piece transmission bar, wherein the transmission bar engages with openings of the seat recliners for transmission of a torque, and a drive device is provided for simultaneous adjustment of both recliners.

DE 19831581 also discloses a vehicle seat including a seat back, a seat surface and an adjustable hinge, wherein the hinge has two interlocking parts. The first part is coupled to the seat surface and the second part is coupled to the seat back. The relative position between the seat back and the seat surface is adjusted by the hinge.

DE102018202199 discloses another vehicle seat including a seat back, a seat surface and a seat recliner, which recliner is also coupled by a transmission bar, wherein the recliner includes a first part and a second part that are rotatable relative to each other.

Summary of the Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved recliner arrangement for a vehicle seat that can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.

For this purpose, a recliner arrangement for a vehicle seat comprises a handle, a recliner and a recliner adaptor, wherein the recliner is connected to the recliner adaptor and the handle extends through respective holes of the recliner adaptor and the recliner, and the recliner has a cam. According to embodiments of the present invention, the cam is provided with an inclined surface at a hole wall of the cam hole, and/or the handle is provided with an inclined surface at a corresponding portion of its outer circumference, such that the handle and the cam hole are press-fitted with each other. By using the press-fitted arrangement, the contact surface between the handle and the recliner is reduced, thereby reducing the pressure and eliminating the gap present in the traditional arrangement.

Preferably, the handle is a two-piece part including a shaft portion and a grip portion that are joined together, wherein the shaft portion extends through the respective holes of the recliner adaptor and the recliner, and the shaft portion is provided with the inclined surface. In this way, the hole wall of the cam hole may have an inclined surface (relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle), or may not have an inclined surface, but is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the handle.

According to an embodiment, the joining method may be welding (such as laser welding and arc welding), crimping or the like.

According to an embodiment, the grip portion has a through hole into which the shaft portion is inserted. Preferably, the shaft portion has a cross section whose size is less than that of the through hole of the grip portion. Preferably, the inserted end of the shaft portion is in flush with an end of the grip portion.

The shaft portion and the grip portion are welded together over a part of the grip portion, for example, welded in a length of 3mm. Preferably, the shaft portion and the grip portion are welded in the circumferential direction.

According to an embodiment, the grip portion has an end stop, which is, for example, in the form of a flange, at an end toward the recliner. The end stop is positioned against the recliner.

According to an embodiment, the shaft portion is provided with a step, which is provided with the inclined surface at an outer circumference thereof. Preferably, the step has a draft angle, so as to be press-fitted with the cam hole.

According to an embodiment, the inclined surface has a truncated conical configuration.

The present invention further provides a vehicle seat comprising the above-mentioned recliner arrangement and a vehicle comprising the vehicle seat.

According to the present invention, by using the above-mentioned press-fitted arrangement, there is no need for the traditional additional retaining washer and snail spring. Moreover, the handle can be positioned at an accurate position after assembly, and the end stop can function well due to the accurate position of the handle. In addition, since there is no gap between the cam hole of the recliner and the corresponding portion of the handle, no back play exists, which results in improved comforts.

Description of Figures

The features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent by describing the embodiments of the present invention in detail with reference to the figures. Apparently, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments rather than all of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, a person skilled in the art may figure out other embodiments without making inventive efforts, and all of these embodiments shall fall within the scope claimed in the present invention. In the figures:

FIGs.1A-1 H are schematic views of a recliner arrangement in the prior art, in which FIG.1A and FIG.1 B are a right perspective view and a left perspective view, respectively; FIG.1 C is an exploded perspective view; FIG.1 D is a sectional view; FIG.1 E is a partial magnified view of FIG.1 D; FIG.1 F is a right side view with only a recliner being illustrated; FIG.1G is a right side view with a handle and snail spring being assembled; and FIG.1 FI is right side view with a snail spring being removed.

FIGs.2A-2F are schematic views of a recliner arrangement according to the embodiments of the present invention, in which FIG.2A and FIG.2B are a perspective view and an exploded perspective view, respectively; FIG.2C is a partial right side view; FIG.2D is a sectional view; and FIG.2E is a A-A partial cutaway view of FIG.2D, wherein, for the sake of clarity, FIGs.2A-2E do not show a recliner adaptor, and FIG.2F is a partial magnified view of FIG.2D with the recliner adaptor.

FIG.3 is a side view of a handle of the recliner arrangement according to the embodiments of the present invention.

FIG.4 is a partial right side view of the recliner arrangement according to the embodiments of the present invention.

Embodiments

The recliner arrangement according to the embodiments of the present invention is described below in detail with reference to the figures. For the convenience of description, directional terms are used in the description with reference to the orientation of the handle of the recliner arrangement. For example, the right side refers to the side of the handle, while the left side refers to the opposite side. In addition, the inclined surface refers to a surface inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the handle.

FIGs.2A-2F show a recliner arrangement 1 comprising a handle 10, a recliner 20, and a recliner adaptor 40 (see FIG.4).

As shown in FIG.2B, the handle 10 is a two-piece part including a grip portion 11 and a shaft portion 12. The grip portion 11 has a through hole into which the shaft portion 12 is inserted, and an end of the shaft portion 12 is in flush with an end of the grip portion11 (best shown in FIG.2D). The shaft portion 12 is cylindrical, and extends through respective holes of the recliner adaptor 40 and the recliner 20. The shaft portion 12 and the grip portion 11 are only welded together over a part of the length of the grip portion 11 in the circumferential direction (welded over a length of 3mm in this embodiment, see FIG.2D). FIG.2C shows a seam S in the circumferential direction. The grip portion 11 has an end stop 13 in the form of a flange at an end toward the recliner 20, and the end stop is positioned against the recliner 20.

For the convenience of insertion, the diameter of the shaft portion 12 is slightly smaller than the hole diameter of the through hole of the grip portion 11. For example, the shaft portion 12 has a diameter of D8-0.1 and the hole diameter is D8.05+0.1 .

The recliner 20 is configured as a disc with a hole 21 and a cam 22, the cam defining a cam hole (being part of the hole 21 of the recliner 20). Accordingly, the shaft portion 12 is provided with a substantially octangular step 12a in a corresponding portion thereof. The step is provided with an inclined surface at the outer circumference, and the cam hole of the cam 22 is also provided with an inclined surface, such that the shaft portion 12 and the cam hole are press-fitted with each other, in which the inclined surfaces are truncated conical. This is best shown in FIGs.2E and 2F.

FIG.3 only shows a shaft portion 12, and the step 12a has a draft angle a. This configuration facilitates the press-fitting with the cam hole of the cam 22.

By using the above-mentioned recliner arrangement, due to the press-fitting, during using the recliner, the recliner can be opened when the handle is turned clockwise and closed (locked) when the handle is turned counter-clockwise. Alternatively, it is also possible that the recliner can be closed when the handle is turned clockwise and opened when the handle is turned counter-clockwise. Thus, there is no need for an additional retaining washer and snail spring for securing the handle. Moreover, since the contact surface between the handle and the recliner is reduced, the pressure is also reduced. In addition, due to the press-fitting, there is no gap between the cam hole of the cam of the recliner and the step, thus no back play exists, which results in improved comforts.

FIG.4 is a partial right side view of the recliner arrangement 1 , which shows the grip portion 11 and the end stop 13 of the handle 10, the recliner 20, and the recliner adaptor 40. The recliner 20 comprises a fixed disc and a movable disc that is rotatable relative to the fixed disc (neither of them is indicated). The movable disc is mounted to the seat backrest, and the fixed disc is connected to the recliner adaptor 40. The recliner adaptor 40 is fixed to the seat basin.

Due to use of the above-mentioned recliner arrangement, the handle (the grip portion 11 to be specific) can be positioned at an accurate position after assembly, which in turn allows the end stop 13 to function well without interfering with the recliner adaptor 40.

In some cases, the features disclosed in the present invention may be used independent of other features. On the other hand, when necessary, the features disclosed in the present invention may be combined together to form various combinations. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown here, but covers the broadest scope in conformity with the principle disclosed here.

Listing of Reference Signs

1’ Recliner arrangement

10’ Handle

11’ Grip portion

12’ Shaft portion

13’ End stop

20’ Recliner

21’ Hole

22’ Cam

30’ Snail spring

40’ Recliner adaptor

41’ Positioning hook

50’ Retaining washer

D1 ’ Orientation of hole 21’

D2’ Orientation of handle 10’

G’ Gap

V’ Vertical direction

I Recliner arrangement 10 Handle

II Grip portion

12 Shaft portion 12a Step

13 End stop

20 Recliner

21 Hole

22 Cam

40 Recliner adaptor S Seam I Length of Seam a Draft angle