Vehicle power seat adjuster with self-locking track assemblies
US5899428A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 6, 1996 |
| Grant date | May 4, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 6, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16C29/04
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A power seat adjuster includes a drive shaft rotatably driven by a motor fixedly connected to a movable track of a vehicle seat track assembly. The drive shaft threadingly engages a drive nut fixedly connected to a fixed track of one track assembly. The fixed and movable tracks have opposed, longitudinally extending grooves which form an elongated bore receiving a plurality of polymeric balls to slidably interconnect the movable and fixed tracks. Upon high impact loads, the polymeric balls deform to bring opposed surfaces of the movable and fixed tracks into contact to lock the movable and fixed tracks into a single unit for direct transfer of the impact loads from the movable track to the fixed track and therefrom to the vehicle floor.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.