Abstract: A seat reclining device includes a base member formed with a shaft hole; a rotating member including an internal gear; at least three lock members each including an external gear; a shaft portion formed integrally with the base member and including a convex guiding surface for swinging the lock member along a circular orbit; a cam provided with an axially projecting portion passing through the shaft hole; and at least three guide projections formed integrally with the base member. The axially projecting portion includes a centering outer peripheral surface which is slidably in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the shaft hole. The guide projections and the lock members are located alternately in the circumferential direction.

Abstract: A seat reclining apparatus includes a folding operation lever displacing a reclining lock mechanism to a lock release position. When the folding operation lever is operated to a folding operation position, the reclining lock mechanism is displaced from a lock position to the lock release position. A seatback is displaced to a folded position by a biasing force of a folding biasing unit. A neutral position returning unit that retains a releasing lever disposed between the folding operation lever and the reclining lock mechanism when the seatback is inclined forward beyond a predetermined neutral position, and does not retain the releasing lever when the seatback is inclined rearward beyond the neutral position is further provided. A configuration for returning the seatback to the neutral position can be provided by a simple structure and only a slight design change at a lower production cost, and assembling is performed simply.

Abstract: Shift lever apparatus includes: a shift lever adapted to be shifted in a longitudinal direction to select one of ranges in an automatic mode and to be inclined in a lateral direction to select a range in a manual mode; a frame member; a longitudinal slide plate slidable in the frame member in the longitudinal direction together with the shift lever; and a lateral slide plate slidable in the lateral direction relative to the longitudinal slide plate in accordance with a shift operation of the shift lever. The lateral slide plate includes a current shift position indicator to indicate a current shift position of the shift lever. The lateral slide plate further includes a buffer portion to mitigate impact at an end of a stroke of the lateral slide plate in the lateral direction.

Abstract: The steering column assembly includes: an upper clamp 7; a distance bracket 8 fixed to an outer tube 4; a clamp bolt 9 including a shank 9b inserted in tilt long holes formed in the upper clamp 7 and telescopic long holes formed in the distance bracket 8; an operation lever 10 configured to rotate integrally with the bolt 9; a cam body 11 configured of an eccentric cam 41 and a ring 42, the eccentric cam 41 being provided on the shank 9b, the radial dimension of the eccentric cam 41 gradually changing in its circumferential direction, and the ring 42 rotatably fitted on the outer periphery of the eccentric cam 41. The cam body 11 rotates and is pressed against an inner tube 5 to lock the inner tube 5 to an outer tube 4.

Abstract: In a seat slide device applicable to an automotive vehicle, a lock mechanism includes: a lock arm disposed on an upper rail to be pivotable around a pivotal center axis; lock pawls formed on the lock arm along the elongate direction of the upper rail; lock holes formed on a lower rail and the upper rail, the lock pawls being inserted through the lock holes to lock the upper rail with respect to the lower rail; a pair of slits formed at predetermined front-and-rear positions of a side surface of the upper rail; and a bearing bracket, the bearing bracket and the lock arm being disposed within an enclosed space between the upper rail and the lower rail and including a pair of bearing portions and both ends of the lock arm and the pair of bearing portions being disposed within inner spaces defined by the pair of slits.

Abstract: A shift lever assembly includes a shift lever swingably with a rotational axis as a swing support point, an axis supporting bracket for supporting the rotational axis, two axis supporting elements for supporting both ends of the rotational axis together with the axis supporting bracket. In addition, two beams are provided with each of the axis supporting elements. The beams will break off in case where an impact load is to be applied via the shift lever. Furthermore, a metal plate is provided with the axis supporting bracket for each of the axis supporting elements. The metal plate will be bent by the each of the axis supporting elements moving after break-offs of the beams. According to the shift lever assembly, stroke displacement for energy absorbing can be made relatively long. In addition, relatively large impact energy can be absorbed with short stroke displacement.

Abstract: A shift lever apparatus for changing the change-speed ranges of a transmission of an automotive vehicle. The shift lever apparatus includes an indicator panel indicating positions which respectively correspond to the change-speed ranges. A slide member is provided to be movable in relation to a shift lever. A guide device is disposed to slidably guide the slide member and includes a descending guide section which allows the slide member to be guided to separate downward from the indicator panel. A mark piece is provided to indicate one of the positions of the indicator panel to represent the present change-speed range of the transmission. Additionally, a support member is fixedly connected to at least the major part of the slide member. The support member is free from following deformation of the slide member. The mark piece is fixedly connected to the support member.

Abstract: A steering column device for a vehicle which includes: a steering column jacket; a detachable bracket detachably attached to an attachment bracket for supporting the steering column jacket; a tearable first energy absorbing member having one end fixed to the attachment bracket and the other end fixed to the detachable bracket; a tearable second energy absorbing member having one end fixed to the detachable bracket and the other end engageable with the attachment bracket; and an engaging device for engagement between the second energy absorbing member and the attachment bracket. The engaging device leaves the second energy absorbing member unengaged with the attachment bracket under a low-impact load condition, and has the second energy absorbing member engaged with the attachment bracket under a high-impact load condition.

Abstract: A seat reclining apparatus includes: a disk-shaped base-side case; a disk-shaped arm-side case; a center shaft rotatably disposed in center part of the base-side case and center part of the arm-side case; a cam member fitted on the center shaft to rotate integrally with the center shaft; a lock tooth unit which cooperates with the cam member and engaged with a inner circumferential tooth portion formed on an inner periphery portion of the arm-side case; a lock spring; a protrusion protruding from an outer surface of the base-side case; and a recess at a position corresponding to the protrusion on an inner surface of the base-side case, wherein the lock spring is arranged in a space formed by the recess and a component accommodation space formed between the base-side case and arm-side case.

Abstract: A shift lever apparatus for an automatic transmission includes: a lever main body including a rod insertion hole provided thereto and a receiving member insertion hole, and swingably supported by a shifter main body; a compression rod inserted in the rod insertion hole from a lower end of the lever main body; a spring, inserted into the rod insertion hole from the lower end of the lever main body, for pressing the compression rod toward an upper end of the lever main body; and a spring receiving member inserted into the receiving member insertion hole, and including a concave portion for holding a lower end of the spring.

Abstract: In a clearance-free supporting structure for a pivotal axle applicable to an operation device of a multi-stage automatic transmission, at least one pair of first projections is formed on a housing between which the pivotal axle is inserted to enable a pivotal movement of the pivotal axle, a pair of left and right truncated cone shaped portions are formed on the pivotal axle, at least one pair of second projections is formed on the housing to graspably contact with the pair of left and right truncated cone shaped portions to enable the pivotal movement of the pivotal axle, at least one recessed portion formed on the housing at a position placed in proximity to a base portion of each of the pair of first projections to enable a slidable contact thereof with the pivotal axle, and a biasing device biases the pivotal axle to be pressed toward the recessed portion.

Abstract: A check mechanism for a shift lever apparatus includes: a base bracket formed with press-fit holes and locked parts; a shift lever swingably supported by the base bracket; a check member being supported by the shift lever, the check member moving in response to a swing of the shift lever; a check block attached to the base bracket and formed with a check groove; press-fit protrusions provided in the check block being pressed fit into the press-fit holes and having a plurality of ribs on its cylindrical outer periphery; and locking claw parts which being provided in the check block, the locking claw parts being locked to the locked parts formed in the base bracket in a state that the press-fit protrusions being completely pressed fit into the corresponding press-fit holes.

Abstract: A seat reclining apparatus includes an internal gear, an external gear, an eccentric drive mechanism, and a base plate. The internal gear is secured to a seatback arm. The external gear includes an external tooth portion being in meshing contact with the internal gear, the external tooth portion having a smaller number of teeth than the internal gear. The eccentric drive mechanism rotates the external gear with respect to the internal gear in meshing contact with the internal gear. The base plate is secured to a seatcushion arm. The base plate includes an internal tooth portion press-fitted to the external tooth portion of the external gear. The internal tooth portion of the base plate includes a part press-fitted to the external tooth portion of the external gear and a part loose-fitted to the external tooth portion of the external gear.

Abstract: A seat reclining device is comprised of a base member connected to one of a seat back and a seat cushion; a rotating member connected to the other of the seat back and the seat cushion; a lock tooth having an external gear engageable with the internal gear of the rotating member; a shaft portion having an inner-periphery guiding surface for swinging the lock tooth on the shaft portion; and a weak portion formed at an end portion of the lock tooth opposite to the external gear across the shaft portion.

Abstract: An upper rod having a guide groove at its lower end portion and a lower rod having a guide groove at its upper end portion are provided, a protrusion and a slit are provided on the lower rod and a lever main unit, respectively, and a lower rod position regulator which regulates a rotational position of the lower rod and a position thereof along a direction of a central axis to a position that matches a position pin insertion hole is provided. The upper rod, the lower rod, and a spring are inserted into a rod insertion hole of the lever main unit, a position pin attached to an insertion jig is inserted from the position pin insertion hole of the lever main unit, and the insertion jig inserted is entered in both guide grooves of the upper rod and the lower rod to push and separate the upper rod and the lower rod from each other, so that the position pin is interposed into a position between the upper rod and the lower rod.

Abstract: A steering column apparatus for a vehicle includes: a vehicle body fixing bracket; an uncoupling bracket fixed to a moving side column jacket; a coupling pin that couples the vehicle body fixing bracket and the uncoupling bracket such that they are separated from each other; a cutter member that cancels a coupled state of the coupling pin; an energy absorbing member coupled to the vehicle body fixing bracket and the uncoupling bracket to be capable of performing uncoupling therebetween and absorbs impact energy in a coupled state when the moving side column jacket moves in a front direction of a vehicle body; and an actuator that moves the cutter member to a separating position and cancels coupling of the energy absorbing member. In the apparatus, the actuator is actuated when it is determined to be low load setting, and the actuator is not actuated when it is determined to be high load setting.

Abstract: An automotive seat reclining device includes a base member coupled to one of a seat cushion and a seat back, a pivot member coupled to the other of the seat cushion and the seat back and having gear teeth, a shaft member formed integrally with the base member and having a cylindrical shaft surface, a lock member having first and second opposite end surfaces and lock teeth formed in the second end surface, a cam member for moving the lock member to engage the lock teeth with the gear teeth and disengage the lock teeth from the gear teeth, first and second guide members formed integrally with the base member to guide the lock member along a path around the shaft member and a stress absorbing protrusion formed integrally with the shaft surface on an opposite side of the shaft member from the lock teeth.

Abstract: A seat reclining apparatus for a vehicle including a base member and a rotational member having an internal gear. A lock tooth is provided having an external gear engageable with the internal gear. A shaft section is provided is provided having an outer peripheral side guide surface. A cam is provided for having an inner peripheral side guide surface. Each of a pair of guide sections biasing the lock tooth to engage the external gear with the internal gear. The lock tooth has an outer peripheral side slide surface and a contact face. One of the guide sections has a backup surface. The one of the guide sections has a step portion formed between the outer peripheral side guide surface and the backup surface. Further, the lock tooth has a protruding section contactable with the step portion.

Abstract: A support apparatus for a steering column of an automotive vehicle. The support apparatus comprises an upper and lower brackets through which a lower housing of the steering column is installed to a vehicle body. The lower housing is releasable from the vehicle body through first and second releasing mechanisms. The second releasing mechanism includes a part defining a through-hole through which the front end section of the lower housing is projectable forward. An engaging and releasing device is provided such that the lower housing is engageable with the lower bracket and releasable from the lower bracket when a forward load is applied to the steering column through the engaging and releasing device. Additionally, a guide member is disposed forward of the through-hole to slidingly guide the bottom surface of the lower housing forward generally when the lower housing exits the through-hole.

Abstract: An impact absorbing structure for vehicle steering systems includes a support and release mechanism for a tilt rotation center which mechanism makes it easy to change an impact load bearing capacity in a head-on collision. A steering column and a steering shaft are coaxially coupled to each other and are longitudinally rigid against compression. The steering column is supported by an upper bracket which can be released from a vehicle body in response to an impact and by a lower bracket which defines a tilt rotation center. A notch which has an open side to the front of the vehicle is formed in the lower bracket. A pivot, which is rigidly coupled to the steering shaft and provides a center of the tilt rotation, is engaged with the notch including a protrusion near the closed end.