Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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B KGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Technical Field
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.
Prior Art
D~-PS 2 952 030 issued 26 November 1981 to Audi NSU
Auto Union AG, 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 move-
ment 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
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elements~ The sun wheel in this arrangement is
designed as a flat disc o~ comparatively large
diameter, on the circumference of which each
externally toothed driving element is disposed.
drive plnion engages with each driving element and is
connected with a drive motor. Tn~ sliding guide is
incorporated into the control member. Pins firmly
connected with each pivoting arm engage with said
slidlng gui~e.
This known device is too bulky to be suitable for the
vertical and longitudinal adjustment of vehicle seats
wherer as is well known, only limited space is
available~ Alsor it is difficult to dPsign the
slidlng guiae so exactly that a non-forciny engagement
of the planet wheels wi~h tne external toothed wheel
of the sun wheel and therefore also with the
associated drive wheels is ensured.
The object of the inven~ion is therefore to simplify
this known arrangement constructionally and to ensure
a non for~ing engagement of t~e planet wheels with the
toothing of the sun wheel or the drive wheelsO
The present invention provides an adjusting
arrangement for controlling the movement of an object
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in at leas~ two directions~ the object having at least
one toothed driving element associated with each
direction of movement, the arrangement including a
control member having an eccentric, a drivable
internally toothed sun wheelr 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 o~ject in each different direction, the control
member eccentric being rotatably mounted in said
planet wheelO
Figure 1 is a vertical part section through an
arrang2ment accordlng to the invention;
Figure 2 is an isometric part exploded view on an
enlarged scale of the arrangement of Figure l;
Figures 3 to 6 are diagrammatic views of ~he sun
wheel, the planet wheel and the drive wheels in
various setting positions of the arrangement;
Figure 7 is an isvmetric ~epresentation of a motor
vehicle seat frame wi~h tne arrangement incorporated
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therein; and
Figure 8 is an isometric representation of a motor
vehicle seat frame with a modified arrangement
incorporated therein.
Reference numeral 1 deno~es a sun wheel which can be
driven by means of a pole-changeable motor not
represented further in tne drawing. Tne 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 wi~h tne sun wheel 1 is an axle 3 which is
connected with a hand wheel 4, so that the arrangement
can be driven either by tne drive motor (not shown) or
by hand.
There is also provided at least one planet wheel 5.
Tne external toothing ~ o~ this planet wheel engages
with the internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel~ The
pitch diameter d of the external toothing 6 of ~he
planet wheel 5 is smaller than the pi~ch diameter ~ of
the internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel 1. The
planet wheel S thus engages within the sun wheel 1 t as
a result of which an outstandingly compact, space-
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saving arrangement is ensured which for the first timeopens up tne possibility of disposing this arrangement
in a motor vehicle seat where space conditions are
extremely limited.
Tne tooth width ~ of the external toothing 6 of the
plane thwel 5 is greater than tne tooth width ~ of the
internal toothing 2 of the sun wheel l.
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 differen~ directions of movement of
the object. In the present case tne driving elements
are toothed wheels 7 to 10. The contro} member
includes an eccentrie part ll and a centric part 12.
On the eccentric part ll of this eccentric arrangement
11,12 tne planet wheel 5 is rotatably mounted. It is
clear ~hat the structure of the eccentric as well as
the situatlon oE the individual toothed wheels 7 to 10
relative to the planet wheel 5 are so selected that in
a particuldr setting position of the control member
the desired engagement of thP teeth of the required
toothed wheel 7 to 10 with tne teeth of tne plane~
wheel 5 or planet wheels is ef~ected. The man skilled
in tlle art will appreciate how this selection may be
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performed for a specific case. The selection may be
empirically determined.
Tne two parts 11,12 of the eccentric which forms the
control member for the plane~ wheel 5 are rotatable by
means of a setting lever 13 about a shaft 3. The
centre line m-m of the shaft coincides with that of
the driving axle 14 of the sun wheel. The setting
lever 13 is guided in a setting slide 15 with several
engagement positions~ Each engagement position is
associated with at least one direction of movement of
the objert~ The centric part 12 of the eccentric
11,12 is rota~ably mounted in tne setting slide 15 in
bearings 16,17.
As ~igure 2 shows, the driving elements in ~he form of
toothed wheels 7 to 10 are conne~ted with elastic
shafts 18 to 21 by means of which the corresponding
adjustment devices f~r tne vertical and longitudinal
displacement of ~he vehicle seat can be ac~uated.
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, a~ shown in ~hese Figures shoula ~e
noted.
s~
I$ the motor (no~ shown) is set in motion it drives
the sun wheel 1, the internal toothing 2 of which sets
the plane~ wheel 5 in rotary motion by means of its
external toothing 6. If the setting lever 13 assumes
the engagement position represented in Figure 3 of the
drawings, then tne toothed wheel 7 is in engagement
with the planet wheel 5, while the toothed wheels 8 to
are out of engagement. The ~oothed wheel 7
drives the elastic sha~t 18. As the toothed wheel 7
engages wi~h a toothed wheel 22 the two toothed wheels
7 and 22 ro~ate in opposite directionsL Toothed
wheel 22 is connected by means of an elas~ic shaft 23
with an adjustment mechanism of the seat~ The
corresponding rotary motion of elastic shafts 18 and
23 is transmitted to lif~ing devices 24,25 operating
in the manner of screw drives onto tne frame 26 of the
sea~ing 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 tne 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 wi~h planet wheel 5. The toothed wheel ~
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also drives toothed wheel 22. The wheel 8 drives
elastic shaft 19 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 18,23. The frame 26
of tne 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 fron~ and also at
the rear.
In the representation according to Figure S only the
toothed wheel 8 is in engagement with the planet wheel
5, so that on switching the driving motor of the sun
wheel 1 the elastic shaf~ 19 is set in rotation and
thereby the lifting device 28 is actuated. A lifting
or a lowering of t~le front side of tne frame 26 of the
sltting area is the result of this.
If the setting lever 13 is moved over to the position
shown in Figure 6~ then only the toothed wheel 9 is in
engagement with the planet wheel 5. ~oothed wheel 9
drives an elastic shaft 20 which in turn driYes a
pini~n of a ra~k and pinion gear 29~3Q (~igO7). The
toothed rack 30 of this rack and pinion geae 29,30 is
connected with tne frame 26 of the ~itting area in
such a manner tha~ in accordance with the direz~ion of
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movement of the toothed rack 30 the vehicle seat is
moved in the direction of vehicle tr2vel or in the
opposite dlrection. For this purpose the frame 26 of
tne sitting area is mounted in bearings 31 to 33.
The embodiment according to Figure 8 differ~ from that
shown in Figures 1 to 7 essPntially in that the
central axis of the arrangement and therefore of the
sun wheel 1 extends approximately perpendicularly to
the sltting level of the sltting area of the vehicle
sea~. The setting lever 13 then assumes the position
shown. In this arrangement the sun wheel 1 can be
driven by mean~ of a toothed pinion 3~ which engages
with a toothed crown of the sun wheel 1. In this sun
wheelr for example, tnree planet wheels are disposed,
the external toothed rims of which engage into ~he
internal toothed rim of sun wheel 1. By means of the
corresponding connection of the Pccentric 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
~oothed rims with which lead screws of the
corresponding adjustment devices of the seat engage.
I~ is possible to provide, in addition to the internal
toothing of tne toothed wheel 1, a further internal
toothing disposed concentrically therewith and with
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which a planet wheel engages which mates in a
corresponding se~ting wi~h 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
i5 compact and space-saving on account of the
internally ~oothed 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.
