TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a motion guiding device for guiding a movable member such as a car seat of a vehicle in a moving direction, and a groove shield unit.

BACKGROUND ART

As a typical motion guiding device, a slide rail device including a lower rail (base member) fixed to a vehicle body of a vehicle and an upper rail (movable member) fixed to a seat has been known (see Patent Literature 1). The lower rail has a guiding groove formed along a longitudinal direction of the lower rail. The upper rail is movably disposed along the guiding groove.

An opening of the guiding groove is covered with a pair of mutually engageable groove shield members. Sliders each connected to the pair of groove shield members are attached to opposite ends of the upper rail in a moving direction. Each of the groove shield members includes a drop-off prevention stepped portion. The drop-off prevention stepped portion is received in a housing portion of each of protectors (side covers) fixed to the lower rail.

Each of the side covers includes: a body that is in a substantially square C shape or in a C shape in its entirety and defines the housing portion therein; and a positioning piece extending downward from a lower surface of the body. The housing portion is formed in the body such that the drop-off prevention stepped portion is movable in a direction orthogonal to a longitudinal direction of the groove shield members, thereby bringing the groove shield members into an unshielded state and a shielded state.

In the side cover, a part of the body in contact with an upper surface of the lower rail is fixed to the lower rail, and the positioning piece is fixed to a side wall of the lower rail.

With the above-described slide rail device, in accordance with the movement of the upper rail, one of the sliders, which is at the front of the upper rail in the moving direction, releases the engagement of the groove shield members to unshield the opening while the other one of the sliders, which is at the back of the upper rail in the moving direction, brings the groove shield members into engagement to shield the opening. Since the opening of the guiding groove is thus shielded and unshielded, the opening of the guiding groove is kept in a shielded state, where the opening is shielded by the groove shield members, at the front and the back of the upper rail in the moving direction.

CITATION LIST

Patent Literature(s)

Patent Literature 1: International Publication No. WO2010/067437

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Problem(s) to be Solved by the Invention

In the slide rail device disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the body of the side cover is entirely in a substantially square C shape or in a C shape, and the portion of the body in contact with the lower rail is fixed to the lower rail. Accordingly, an entire thickness of the body is increased by a thickness of the portion.

An object of the invention is to provide a motion guiding device and a groove shield unit which are capable of providing a side cover reduced in thickness.

Means for Solving the Problem(s)

According to an aspect of the invention, a motion guiding device includes: a base member formed with a guiding groove; a movable member (30) movably disposed along the guiding groove; a pair of side covers defining an opening of the guiding groove therebetween; and a slide fastener including a pair of fastener stringers held by the pair of side covers and a pair of sliders attached to opposite ends of the movable member in a moving direction, each of the pair of fastener stringers including: a fastener tape covering the opening of the guiding groove; and a fastener element provided to the fastener tape and connected with the pair of sliders such that the pair of sliders are slidable, each of the pair of side covers including: a cover body piece engaged with the fastener tape such that the fastener tape are movable in a direction intersecting with a moving direction of the movable member to open and close the slide fastener; and a fixing piece extending from the cover body piece and fixed to the base member, the cover body piece including: a support projection projecting from a surface of the cover body piece and formed at a position closer to the fastener tape with respect to the fixing piece.

According to the above aspect of the invention, since a single cover body piece has a part engaged with the fastener tape, the thickness of the body of the side cover is reducible to be slim, as compared with a body entirely formed substantially in a square C-shape or C-shape.

In the motion guiding device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the cover body piece further includes: an edge at a position closer to the fastener tape with respect to the fixing piece; and a concave groove formed between the edge and the support projection, and the fastener tape includes a bulging portion located in the concave groove.

With this arrangement, when the fastener tape is moved to open and close the slide fastener (hereinafter, occasionally simply referred to as “the opening and closing movement”) in accordance with the movement of the movable member, the bulging portion slides between the edge and the support projection within the concave groove. Accordingly, the fastener tape can be avoided from being bent by being pressed onto the side cover at the opening movement.

Moreover, when the bulging portion is in contact with the edge of the cover body piece, the fastener tape is in engagement with the side cover, so that the fastener tape can be avoided from dropping off.

In the motion guiding device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the support projection includes a tip end (431A) extending toward the edge of the cover body piece, and a dimension of an opening defined between the tip end and the edge is smaller than a diameter of the bulging portion.

With this arrangement, since the opening between the tip end of the support projection and the edge of the cover body piece is formed narrow, the bulging portion of the fastener tape does not drop off from the concave groove of the side cover. Accordingly, the slide fastener and the side cover can be handled in a combined state, which facilitates setting of the slide fastener and attaching of the side cover to the base member.

In the motion guiding device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the edge of the cover body piece includes an inclined surface on an inner surface forming the concave groove, the inclined surface extending toward the support projections with an inclination directed from the tip end of the support projection to a base end.

With this arrangement, the tip end of the support projection extends toward the edge of the cover body piece. Even when the fastener tape is bent in order to dispose the bulging portion into the concave groove, the inclined surface enables the fastener tape to be guided in a direction for the opening and closing movement, so that the slide fastener can be smoothly opened and closed.

In the motion guiding device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the support projection is continuous in a longitudinal direction of the cover body piece.

With this arrangement, the support projection can be in contact with the base member along the longitudinal direction of the cover body piece, so that the support projection can support the cover body piece more firmly than, for instance, the support projection partially in contact with the base member in the longitudinal direction of the cover body piece.

In the motion guiding device according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the fastener tape includes at least one elongated hole along a moving direction of the fastener tape to open and close the slide fastener, and the support projection is disposed in the elongated hole.

With this arrangement, since the fastener tape is capable of the opening and closing movement within a range in which the support projection is in no contact with one longitudinal end of the elongated hole, the fastener tape can be avoided from being bent by being pressed onto the side cover by the opening movement.

Moreover, when the support projection is brought into contact with the other longitudinal end of the elongated hole, the fastener tape is engaged with the side cover, so that the fastener tape can be avoided from dropping off.

Further, since the concave groove is not required to be formed between the edge and the support projection in the cover body piece, the width of the cover body piece is reducible.

According to another aspect of the invention, a groove shield unit includes: a pair of side covers; and a slide fastener including a pair of fastener stringers held by the pair of side covers and a pair of sliders connected to the pair of fastener stringers, each of the pair of fastener stringers including: a fastener tape; and a fastener element provided to the fastener tape and connected with the pair of sliders such that the pair of sliders are slidable, each of the pair of side covers including: a cover body piece engaged with the fastener tape such that the fastener tape is movable to open and close the slide faster; and a fixing piece extending from the cover body piece, the cover body piece including: a support projection projecting from a surface of the cover body piece and formed at a position closer to the fastener tape with respect to the fixing piece.

According to the above aspect of the invention, the groove shield unit can produce the same effects as the motion guiding device according to the above aspect of the invention.

In the groove shield unit according to the above aspect, it is preferable that the cover body piece further includes: an edge at a position closer to the fastener tape with respect to the fixing piece; and a concave groove formed between the edge and the support projection, the fastener tape includes a bulging portion located in the concave groove, and the support projection includes a tip end extending toward the edge of the cover body piece.

With this arrangement, at the time of the opening and closing movement of the fastener tape, the bulging portion slides between the edge and the support projection within the concave groove. Accordingly, the fastener tape can be avoided from being bent by being pressed onto the side cover by the opening movement.

Moreover, when the bulging portion is in contact with the edge of the cover body piece, the fastener tape is in engagement with the side cover, so that the fastener tape can be avoided from dropping off.

Further, since the opening between the tip end of the support projection and the edge of the cover body piece is formed narrow, the bulging portion of the fastener tape is unlikely to drop off from the concave groove of the side cover. Accordingly, the slide fastener and the side cover can be handled in a combined state as a single unit, which facilitates setting of the slide fastener and attaching of the side cover to the base member.

According to the above aspects of the invention, a motion guiding device and a groove shield unit which are capable of providing a side cover reduced in thickness can be provided.

