DE29911221U1 - Adjustment device for adjusting adjustment parts in motor vehicles - Google Patents

Description

Brose Vehicle Parts GmbH & Co.
Limited partnership, Coburg
Ketschendorfer Strasse 38-50

96450 Coburg

BRO721

Gearbox housing

Description

The invention relates to an adjusting device for adjusting adjusting parts in motor vehicles according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

From DE 93 11 960 Ul a drive for adjusting equipment parts in motor vehicles is known, in which an electric drive motor is followed by a gear arranged in a closed housing, which is operatively connected to a threaded spindle on the output side. The threaded spindle can be adjusted by means of the gear

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move longitudinally through a passage provided in the housing in order to produce the desired adjustment movement of a piece of equipment.

Another adjustment drive is known from GB 2 183 781 A; in this case, the adjustment movement is generated by a longitudinal movement of at least one rack, which is arranged in a housing provided with a corresponding passage.

The gear housings for the adjustment devices mentioned are manufactured in a large number of different variants. One reason for this variety of variants is that the gears for adjustment devices and thus also the gear housings have to be adapted to the different installation conditions in different types of motor vehicles.

An example of this is the height adjustment of the headrest of a motor vehicle seat. The drive of a headrest height adjustment typically comprises a motor that drives a worm gear on which a pinion is mounted coaxially. The rotational movement of the pinion driven by the motor moves a rack that is in engagement with the pinion, which leads to a corresponding adjustment of a headrest coupled to the rack.

Depending on the spatial conditions and the equipment of a motor vehicle, a different arrangement of the drive motor in the area of the backrest of the vehicle seat may be necessary. For example, the

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Motor can be arranged so that the motor shaft is parallel to the direction of movement of the rack. In other cases it is advantageous if the motor shaft runs perpendicular to the direction of movement of the rack. Depending on the relative arrangement of the motor shaft and rack, different gear housings are used for the drive unit.

This has the disadvantage that different types of gear housing must be kept ready when manufacturing the adjustment device.

The invention is based on the object of creating an adjustment device for adjusting adjustment parts in motor vehicles, which can be produced as simply and inexpensively as possible.

This object is achieved by an adjusting device having the features of patent claim 1.

According to this, it is provided that at least two passages are provided in the gear housing of the adjusting device for receiving the elongated, rigid gear element (in particular a spindle or a rack), wherein the gear element can be selectively brought into operative connection with a drive-side gear part in each of these passages.

The solution according to the invention has the advantage that different transmission variants can be realized with just one transmission housing, which are adapted to different installation conditions in motor vehicles. In particular

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The direction of the longitudinal movement of the gear element can be easily adapted to the direction of the desired adjustment movement by arranging it in a suitable passage in the gear housing.

It is known from German utility model 6 9 09 02 0 to provide the housing of a drive device with several passages for individual gear elements; however, in contrast to the present invention, this does not involve gear elements that are moved through the passages in the longitudinal direction (i.e. along their direction of extension) during operation of the drive device to generate an adjustment movement. Instead, it describes exclusively rotating gear elements.

The solution according to the invention can be used particularly advantageously if the adjustment part to be adjusted is connected directly, i.e. without the interposition of further gear components, to the elongated gear element by suitable fastening means. This results in a particularly compact structure of the adjustment device, with the adjustment part to be adjusted being arranged directly behind a passage of the gear housing.

Depending on the number of different transmission variants for which the transmission housing is to be used, it can comprise two or more passages for the elongated transmission element.

Depending on the type of different transmission variants, these passages can be arranged at an angle (especially transversely) or parallel to each other.

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The passages can be designed to accommodate a rack, a spindle or similar elongated gear elements that can be brought into operative connection with the drive-side gear unit.

The invention is explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments.

She shows:

Fig. la, b - a perspective view of a

combined engine and transmission housing according to the invention;

Fig. 2a - 2d - different views of a drive unit with the gear housing according to the invention in a first installation position;

Fig. 3a - 3d - different views of the drive unit

according to Figure 2 in a second installation position.

In Figures 1a and 1b, a housing of a drive unit for adjustment devices in motor vehicles is shown in perspective in two different views. The housing comprises a motor housing 1 and a gear housing 2.

The motor housing 1 serves to accommodate a drive motor, the motor shaft of which projects into the gear housing 2 and can be mounted there in a bearing 25.

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The gear housing 2 has a recess 21 in a housing area 20 in which a drive wheel (for example a worm wheel) can be mounted on a bearing pin 22. The gear housing 2 also has two passages 30, 31 through which an elongated gear element (for example a rack) can be brought into operative connection with a gear part (for example a drive pinion) to be mounted coaxially on the drive wheel.

The two passages 30, 31 are arranged perpendicular to each other, so that a gear element received by one of these two passages 30, 31 extends optionally parallel or perpendicular to the motor shaft.

Figure 2 shows a drive unit for a height adjustment for headrests with a drive housing according to Figure 1 in various views. Figure 2a shows a perspective view of the drive unit, Figure 2b a longitudinal section through the drive unit, Figure 2c a top view of the drive unit and Figure 2d a cross section through the drive unit.

The drive unit comprises a drive motor 10 which is mounted in a motor housing 1 and has a motor shaft 11 which projects into the gear housing 2, where it is rotatably mounted in a bearing 25. Furthermore, the part of the motor shaft 11 located in the gear housing 2 has a drive worm 12 which engages with a worm wheel 42 mounted on a bearing pin 22 in a housing area 20 of the gear housing 2. A pinion 43 is arranged coaxially behind the worm wheel 42 and is moved with the worm wheel 42.

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A rack 53 is guided in a passage 30 of the gear housing 2 that extends transversely to the motor shaft 11 and that engages with the pinion 43 via its toothing 54. Accordingly, a rotary movement of the motor 10 is converted into a longitudinal movement of the rack 53 via the drive worm 12, the worm wheel 42 and the pinion 43.

A holder 56 for a headrest is directly connected to the rack 53. This means that a longitudinal movement of the rack 53 leads directly to a corresponding height adjustment of a headrest mounted in the holder 56.

It is clear from Figures 2a to 2c that the adjustment movement of the headrest runs transversely to the direction of extension of the motor shaft 11.

If, due to the spatial conditions in the area of the backrest of the motor vehicle seat, it should be more advantageous to arrange the motor parallel to the adjustment direction of the headrest, in the present embodiment of the invention it is only necessary to insert the rack 53 into the passage 31 running parallel to the motor shaft 11.

Further details can be found in Figures 3a to 3d. Figure 3a shows a perspective view of a corresponding gear arrangement, Figure 3b

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a longitudinal section through the gear arrangement, Figure 3c a plan view of the gear arrangement and Figure 3d a cross section through the gear arrangement.

In Figure 3, corresponding components are provided with the same reference numerals as in Figure 2.

The difference between the gear arrangements according to Figure 2 and Figure 3 is that in the embodiment according to Figure 3 the rack 53 extends through the passage 31 parallel to the motor shaft 11.

As a result, the rotary motion of the motor 10 is converted via the drive worm 12, the worm wheel 22 and the pinion 43 into a movement of the rack 53 parallel to the direction of extension of the motor 10.

Since a total of two passages 30, 31 are provided in the gear housing 2 for optionally receiving the rack 53, the same gear housing 2 can be used for both the gear arrangement according to Figure 2 and the gear arrangement according to Figure 3. During production, only one gear housing therefore needs to be kept ready, with which different gear arrangements can be realized as required.

It should be noted that a total of four gear arrangements can be realized with the gear housing 2 shown here, which has two passages 30, 31 for a rack 53. This is because both in Fig.

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In both Figure 2 and Figure 3, another gear arrangement is possible by rotating the rack by 18 0° in the plane of the drawing.

Even greater variability can be achieved if more than two passages are provided in the gear housing to accommodate a corresponding gear element. These passages do not have to run perpendicular to each other, but other variants (e.g. parallel or acute-angled passages) are also conceivable.

The additional passage or passages are not used to accommodate additional gear elements, but rather to accommodate a specific gear element. This means that a specific gear element can be accommodated by one of the various passages; the remaining passages then remain empty (are not occupied).

It should also be noted that, instead of the rack 53, other elongated gear elements can also be used within the scope of the present invention, which move along their extension direction during operation. For example, the longitudinal adjustment of the headrest holder 56 can be carried out by means of a spindle and spindle nut, wherein the spindle nut is to be brought into engagement with a corresponding drive element in the housing area 20 and the spindle is guided in one of the passages.

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Claims (14)

1. Adjustment device for adjusting adjustment parts in motor vehicles with 1. a gear unit which is coupled on the one hand to a drive motor and on the other hand to the adjustment part to be adjusted via a longitudinally extended rigid gear element which can be moved along its extension direction during operation of the adjustment device, and 2. a gear housing which has a housing area for receiving the gear unit and a passage for longitudinally movable reception of the elongated gear element, characterized in that at least one further passage ( 31 ) is provided in the gear housing ( 2 ), so that the gear element ( 53 ) can be selectively brought into operative connection with the gear unit ( 12 , 42 , 43 ) through one of the passages ( 30 , 31 ). 2. Adjusting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the adjusting part to be adjusted can be connected to the gear element ( 53 ) without the interposition of further gear components. 3. Adjusting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least two passages ( 30 , 31 ) are provided for the gear element ( 53 ), which are arranged at an angle to one another. 4. Adjusting device according to claim 3, characterized in that the two passages ( 30 , 31 ) are arranged substantially at right angles to one another. 5. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two passages are provided for the gear element ( 53 ), which are arranged parallel to one another. 6. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gear element ( 53 ) can be brought into operative connection with the gear unit ( 12 , 42 , 43 ) essentially tangentially. 7. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the gear element ( 53 ) is designed as a rack. 8. Adjusting device according to claim 7, characterized in that the gear unit ( 12 , 42 , 43 ) comprises a worm wheel ( 42 ) by which a pinion ( 43 ) is moved, with which the rack is in engagement. 9. Adjusting device according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the gear element is designed as a spindle. 10. Drive unit according to claim 9, characterized in that the gear unit comprises a worm which drives an axially fixed, rotatable spindle nut with which the spindle is longitudinally movable in engagement. 11. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the passages ( 30 , 31 ) are designed to selectively accommodate a spindle or a rack ( 53 ). 12. Adjusting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive motor ( 10 ) is mounted in a motor housing ( 1 ) and the gear housing ( 2 ) is connectable to the motor housing ( 1 ) or is integrally formed on the motor housing ( 1 ). 13. Adjusting device according to claim 12, characterized in that the motor housing ( 1 ) is arranged in relation to the gear housing ( 2 ) such that the motor shaft ( 11 ) extends parallel to one of the passages ( 31 ). 14. Drive unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is a component of a seat adjustment device, e.g. a seat height adjustment or a height adjustment for headrests.