2010

NTN Corporation (hereafter, NTN) has received the Automotive Components Parts Award at the 2010 “CHO” MONODZUKURI Innovative Parts and Components Award sponsored by the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, Ltd.

Award Name

2010 “CHO” MONODZUKURI Innovative Parts and Components Award, Automotive Components Award

Awarded Product

Torque diode for seat lifter

Product overview

Jointly developed with Shiroki Corporation as a part in the mechanism used to manually adjust automobile seat height. Mechanical elements that have a similar function include worm gears, however the torque diode is more compact with the input and output shaft on the same axis. A high seat retention force is achieved by adopting wedge-shaped clutch technology that uses rollers.

Reason for receiving the award

The product is used in many seat lifters found in automobile seats of Japanese and overseas models due to the advantages of quiet and step-free operation, as well as a minimal force required for use. The product has been rated highly with more compact automobile seat designs and reduced user input due to the lower effort required when adjusting the seat height.