IP Library Granted Patent US 12,391,151
Granted Patent B2
US 12,391,151 · App. 18/497,013 · Granted Aug 19, 2025

Longitudinal adjuster for a vehicle seat, and vehicle seat

Inventors: Ingo Quast (Duesseldorf, DE); Erik Sprenger (Wermelskirchen, DE)
Assignee: Adient US LLC
B60N2/02253B60N2/067
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,391,151
App. No.
18/497,013
Granted
Aug 19, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A longitudinal adjuster may have one pair of rails and a drive device for the pair of rails. The pair of rails has a first rail and a second rail, on which the first rail is guided displaceably. The drive device has a geared motor with an output shaft, a motor, a gear unit, a spindle, and a coupling arrangement for coupling the spindle and the output shaft. The spindle is mounted rotatably about a spindle axis. The coupling arrangement may have a flexible coupling which is connected in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner on the one hand to a spindle end and on the other hand to a shaft end of the output shaft and is designed to damp vibrations and/or to compensate for an offset between the spindle end and the shaft end. A vehicle seat may have the longitudinal adjuster.

Claims (28)

1. A longitudinal adjuster, comprising:

one pair of rails and

a drive device for the pair of rails,

wherein the pair of rails has a first rail and a second rail, on which the first rail is guided displaceably,

wherein the drive device has at least one geared motor with an output shaft, a motor, a gear unit, a spindle, which can be driven by the output shaft via the gear unit, and a coupling arrangement for coupling the spindle and the output shaft,

wherein the spindle is mounted rotatably about a spindle axis,

wherein the coupling arrangement comprises a flexible coupling which is connected in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner on the one hand to a spindle end and on the other hand to a shaft end of the output shaft and which connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other,

wherein the flexible coupling is configured as a claw coupling,

wherein the claw coupling is provided with respective claws at both ends, and a nut element arranged in a form-fitting manner on the spindle end is provided with claw mating elements.

2. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other in such a manner that these ends are connected pliably and/or compressibly to each other and move flexibly towards each other or move away from each other or move relative to each other compensating for an angular offset.

3. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other in such a manner that the spindle and the output shaft are separated from each other in terms of vibration.

4. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other in such a manner that they are mounted movably with respect to each other in at least two degrees of freedom in a plane with respect to the spindle axis and in a plane perpendicular to the spindle axis.

5. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other and is designed to damp vibrations and/or to compensate for an offset between the spindle end and shaft end.

6. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling is configured as a hose coupling.

7. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 6 , wherein the hose coupling has an inside diameter which is smaller than an outside diameter of the spindle end and of the shaft end.

8. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 6 , wherein the hose coupling is torsionally rigid.

9. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 , wherein the claw coupling is coupled in a form-fitting manner to the spindle end and to the shaft end.

10. The longitudinal adjuster according to one of claim 1 , wherein the flexible coupling is configured as a compensating coupling and is designed to compensate for an angular offset and/or a parallel offset, between the spindle and the output shaft.

11. The longitudinal adjuster according to claim 10 , wherein the compensating coupling is configured as a sleeve coupling which comprises a plurality of recesses which are configured and arranged in such a manner that bending regions are alternately formed.

12. A vehicle seat with the longitudinal adjuster according to claim 1 .

13. A longitudinal adjuster, comprising:

one pair of rails and

a drive device for the pair of rails,

wherein the pair of rails has a first rail and a second rail, on which the first rail is guided displaceably,

wherein the drive device has at least one geared motor with an output shaft, a motor, a gear unit, a spindle, which can be driven by the output shaft via the gear unit, and a coupling arrangement for coupling the spindle and the output shaft,

wherein the spindle is mounted rotatably about a spindle axis,

wherein the coupling arrangement comprises a flexible coupling which is connected in a form-fitting and/or force-fitting manner on the one hand to a spindle end and on the other hand to a shaft end of the output shaft and which connects the spindle end and the shaft end flexibly to each other,

wherein the flexible coupling is configured as a compensating coupling and is designed to compensate for an angular offset and/or a parallel offset, between the spindle and the output shaft.

Assignments (2)
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Dec 5, 2025
From: ADIENT US LLC
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 073872/0954 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 30, 2023
From: QUAST, INGO; SPRENGER, ERIK
To: ADIENT US LLC
Reel/Frame 065381/0641 →
Priority Claims (2)
DE 10 2022 211 556.2 · Nov 1, 2022 · national
EP 23203813 · Oct 16, 2023 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240140274A1 · May 2, 2024
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