Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Atoma International Corporation

Neil G Goodbred

Hans J Borlinghaus

Michael G Orlowsky

Mladen Humer

Steven J Cooper

A vehicle seat track assembly wherein guide elements are mounted on one of a pair of cooperating track structures. The guide elements have generally vertically facing guide surfaces which have been broached to be positioned a predetermined distance vertically from generally opposed spaced surfaces on the one track structure. The vertically facing guide surfaces slidably engage generally oppositely facing surfaces of another of the track structures so as to effectively prevent relative vertical movement in a direction tending to vertically separate the track structures. When used in a manually actuated mode, the track assembly includes a locking assembly comprising a pair of abutting metal plates stamped to provide abutting elongated mounting portions having a plurality of spaced abutting locking portions extending transversely therefrom, a mounting structure within which the mounting portions of the abutting plates extend and a spring constructed and arranged to resiliently bias the mounting structure and abutting plates into a locking position wherein the locking portions are within selected notches and to enable the mounting structure and abutting plates to be manually moved against the resilient bias into a releasing position wherein the locking portions are out of the notches.

Vehicle seat track assembly

The present invention provides an apparatus and method of utilization thereof of an anti-ratchet vehicle seat adjuster slide. A preferred embodiment provides an adjuster slide having an upper channel connected with the seat slidably mounted on a lower channel connected with the vehicle. The adjuster slide also has a latch pivotally connected with the upper channel having a range of pivotal movement independent of a lift bar which is also pivotally connected with the upper channel. To allow adjustment of the seat the lift bar is controlled by the operator and pulled upwards causing the latch to pivot upwards also and release from the lower channel. The latch also is provided with a tab having a curvilinear surface of engagement with the notches of the lower channel. The curvilinear surface of the latch tab allows the latch to have a generally constant cam angle of engagement with the notch of the lower channel regardless of the angular orientation of the latch when the tab is in engagement with one of the notches. The above action causes the tab is seek insertion into the latch and not to be pushed out of the latch due to the poor cam angle presentation.

Apparatus and method of anti-ratcheting vehicle seat adjuster slide

The present invention provides a seat adjuster slide mechanism and method of utilization of the same which is infinitely horizontally adjustable. The seat adjuster slide uses a vertically actuated cam. In its preferred embodiment two opposite surfaces of the cam are utilized and the cam 'floats' to equalize the cam angle. Therefore relative movement between the sliding members of the seat adjuster increase the locking force. The present invention also provides a seat adjuster master/slave slide assembly which utilizes one conventional non-infinitely variable type slider mechanism for the master slider in combination with the vertically actuated cam type slave slider adjuster. Use of the vertically actuated cam slider for the slave slider eliminates the prior alignment problem experienced when using a slave adjuster which is non-infinitely variable.

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Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Neil G Goodbred