Vehicle seat

Abstract

The invention provides a vehicle seat. A vehicle seat of the present invention is provided in a vehicle so as to be aligned in the seating direction of an occupant. The vehicle seat includes: a seat portion on which the occupant is seated; the backrest part is arranged on the seat part; and a panel member which has a plate shape extending in the width direction of the backrest part, and which is bridged between the upper part of a frame member constituting the skeleton of the backrest part and the lower part of the frame member so as to protrude and extend toward the rear of the backrest part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle seat. Background Art

[0002] In vehicles such as automobiles, there are provided a driver's seat for a driver to sit on, and seats for passengers to sit on. In addition, for vehicles, a plurality of seats are arranged in a manner arranged in a front-rear direction of the vehicle (for example, referring to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-30371) mostly. Summary of the invention

[0003] In above-mentioned vehicle, when frontal collision, the occupant sitting on the seat of rear side is likely to collide with the backrest of the seat of front side.In this case, from the viewpoint of occupant protection, expectation can absorb the impact of the occupant sitting on the seat of rear side well.

[0004] Various methods of devices for solving the above-mentioned problems are described. One method of the present invention is a vehicle seat. The vehicle seat is arranged on a vehicle in a manner arranged in the seating direction of an occupant. The vehicle seat includes: a seat portion on which the occupant sits; a backrest portion arranged on the seat portion; and a panel member in the form of a plate extending in the width direction of the backrest portion, and is mounted between an upper portion of a frame member constituting the skeleton of the backrest portion and a lower portion of the frame member in a manner protruding and extending toward the rear of the backrest portion.

[0005] In the above structure, when the vehicle collides, the occupant (specifically, his head) sitting on the seat on the rear side of the sitting direction (hereinafter referred to as the rear seat) may collide with the rear surface of the backrest of the seat on the front side of the sitting direction (hereinafter referred to as the front seat).

[0006] In this regard, in the above structure, the panel component is provided on the frame component in a manner that it protrudes and extends like a bulge toward the rear. Therefore, when the head of the occupant sitting on the rear seat collides with the rear surface of the backrest of the front seat during a vehicle collision, the occupant's head can collide with the panel component. Moreover, at this time, by deforming the panel component toward the front side, the occupant can be blocked by the panel component while absorbing the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant. Thus, it is possible to prevent the occupant from colliding with a component having high rigidity, such as a frame component. According to the above structure, by adopting such a method, a high occupant protection performance is exerted.

[0007] In the above-mentioned vehicle seat, it can also be set as follows, that is, the panel component has an upper panel constituting the upper part and a lower panel constituting the lower part, and a structure is formed in which the lower part of the upper panel and the upper part of the lower panel are joined together in an overlapping state in the seating direction. It can also be set as follows, that is, the part in the panel component that is joined together in the overlapping state, that is, the joining part, is arranged on the movement trajectory of the occupant's head when the vehicle collides.

[0008] According to the above structure, when the head of the occupant collides with the panel component during a vehicle collision, the head of the occupant can be blocked by the joint portion of the panel component, in other words, by a portion with moderately high rigidity. Thus, since the deformation of the portion of the panel component that the occupant's head collides with and its surrounding portions can be moderately suppressed, the movement of the occupant's head can be suppressed. Moreover, at this time, a larger deformation is allowed for the portion of the panel component that is different from the joint portion, in other words, for the portion that is composed of only the upper panel or the lower panel and therefore has low rigidity. Therefore, according to the above structure, although the deformation of the joint portion of the panel component is suppressed, the function of absorbing the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant can be obtained by the larger deformation of the portion that is different from the joint portion.

[0009] In the vehicle seat, the panel member may have a through hole provided at a portion different from the joining portion. According to the above structure, since the rigidity of the different portion can be reduced by providing a through hole at a portion different from the joining portion (hereinafter referred to as the different portion) in the panel member, the different portion can be deformed more greatly.

[0010] In the above-mentioned vehicle seat, it can also be set as follows, that is, the frame part has a pair of side frames arranged at intervals in the width direction and extending in the up and down directions, and a metal wire part composed of metal wire is installed between the pair of side frames in a manner extending in a winding shape. It can also be set as follows, that is, at least one of the upper and lower parts of the panel part can be fixed to the metal wire part.

[0011] According to the above structure, when the panel component is not deformed, the panel component can be firmly supported on the side frame via the metal wire component. In addition, although the panel component is supported on the metal wire component in this way, when the panel component is deformed, the metal wire component is deformed in a manner that reduces the degree of winding, so that the panel component can be deformed to a large extent. In this way, according to the above structure, by providing the metal wire component in a winding shape, it is possible to achieve the function of firmly supporting the panel component when the panel component is not deformed, and the function of greatly deforming the panel component when the panel component is deformed.

[0012] In the above-mentioned vehicle seat, it can also be set as follows, that is, the frame part has a pair of side frames arranged at intervals in the width direction and extending in the up and down directions, and a connecting frame extending in the width direction in a manner of connecting the pair of side frames, and a metal wire part composed of metal wire is installed between the pair of side frames in a manner of extending in a winding shape. It can also be set as follows, that is, the lower part of the panel part is fixed to the metal wire part, and the upper part of the panel part is fixed to the connecting frame.

[0013] In order to reduce the amount of movement of the head of the occupant during a vehicle collision, it is preferred to appropriately suppress the deformation of the panel component at the initial stage of the collision period when the head of the occupant collides with the panel component. Usually, the head of the occupant sitting on the vehicle seat will move forward and obliquely downward during a vehicle collision. Therefore, it can be said that the head of the occupant will collide with the upper part of the panel component at the initial stage of the collision period. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of movement of the head of the occupant during a vehicle collision, it is preferred to make the upper part of the panel component more difficult to deform appropriately.

[0014] On the other hand, if the deformation of the panel component is suppressed throughout the entire collision period, the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant may not be well absorbed. Therefore, it is preferred that the panel component be relatively easy to deform in the later period of the collision period. In the later period of the collision period, the deformation of the panel component will develop to the lower part of the panel component. Therefore, in order to properly absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant, it is preferred that the lower part of such a panel component be relatively easy to deform.

[0015] In this regard, according to the above structure, since the upper part of the panel component is fixed and supported on the connecting frame of the frame component having high rigidity, the upper part of the panel component can be made to be relatively difficult to deform appropriately. Thus, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant during a vehicle collision can be suppressed. Moreover, since the lower part of the panel component is fixed on the meandering metal wire component, the lower part of the panel component can be made to be relatively easy to deform. Thus, since the panel component can be deformed to a large extent, the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant can be appropriately absorbed.

[0016] According to the present invention, high occupant protection performance is exhibited. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like symbols represent like elements, and in which:

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of a vehicle seat according to one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 2 It is a rear view showing the internal structure of the backrest portion of the vehicle seat.

[0020] Figure 3 It is a perspective view showing the internal structure of the backrest portion of the vehicle seat.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the panel member and its surroundings when not deformed.

[0022] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the structure of a panel member and its surroundings when deformed. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] An embodiment of a vehicle seat is described below. Hereinafter, the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle is referred to as the front-to-rear direction L, the width direction of the vehicle is referred to as the vehicle width direction W, and the up-down direction of the vehicle is referred to as the up-down direction H. In addition, the front side and the rear side in the front-to-rear direction L are referred to as simply “front side” and “rear side”, respectively, the right side and the left side in the vehicle width direction W are referred to as simply “right side” and “left side”, respectively, and the upper side and the lower side in the up-down direction H are referred to as simply “upper side” and “lower side”, respectively.

[0024] <Vehicle>

[0025] like Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1 , a plurality of seats 20 are provided in the vehicle 10. The plurality of seats 20 are arranged in a row in the front-rear direction L. Figure 1, only two seats among the plurality of seats 20 are shown. The plurality of seats 20 have the same structure. In the present embodiment, the front-rear direction L is consistent with the seating direction of each seat 20. Specifically, each seat 20 is configured so that the occupant M can sit facing the front of the vehicle 10. Each of the plurality of seats 20 has a seat belt device 21.

[0026] <Seats>

[0027] The seat 20 has a seat portion 22 and a backrest portion 23. The seat portion 22 constitutes a portion for the occupant M to sit on. The seat portion 22 has a frame member (not shown) constituting a skeleton. The frame member of the seat portion 22 is fixed to the floor 11 of the vehicle 10. Thus, the seat portion 22 is fixed to the floor 11 of the vehicle 10. In the present embodiment, the frame member of the seat portion 22 is disposed inside the seat portion 22. Specifically, the frame member of the seat portion 22 is in a state of being covered by a seat cushion made of an elastic material such as polyurethane foam and a skin covering the seat cushion.

[0028] <Backrest>

[0029] like Figure 1 to Figure 3 As shown, the backrest portion 23 constitutes a portion that supports the back of the occupant M sitting on the seat 20. In the present embodiment, the width direction of the backrest portion 23 coincides with the vehicle width direction W.

[0030] like Figure 2 as well as Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the backrest 23 has a frame member 30 constituting a skeleton. The frame member 30 is integrally formed by a member made of a metal material such as a metal pipe or a metal plate. The frame member 30 has a pair of side frames 31R, 31L, a connecting frame 32, and a reinforcing member 34. The pair of side frames 31R, 31L are arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction W in a manner extending in the up-down direction H. A bracket 33 for mounting the seat belt device 21 is integrally provided on the right side frame 31R. The connecting frame 32 extends in the vehicle width direction W in a manner integrally connecting the upper end of the right side frame 31R and the upper end of the left side frame 31L. The reinforcing member 34 is formed of a metal plate. One end of the reinforcing member 34 is welded and fixed to the lower part of the right side frame 31R, and more specifically, is welded and fixed to the middle position of the right side frame 31R in the up-down direction H. The other end of the reinforcing member 34 is welded and fixed to the lower portion of the left side frame 31L, specifically, to the middle position of the left side frame 31L in the up-down direction H. In this manner, the reinforcing member 34 is provided between the side frames 31R and 31L so as to integrally connect the lower portion of the right side frame 31R and the lower portion of the left side frame 31L.

[0031] In the present embodiment, the lower portion of the frame member 30 of the backrest portion 23 is attached to and supported by the rear portion of the frame member of the seat portion 22 . Thus, the backrest portion 23 is provided on the seat portion 22 .

[0032] The seat 20 of the present embodiment is provided with a panel member 40 and a wire member 50 for the purpose of protecting an occupant during a collision of the vehicle 10. Hereinafter, the panel member 40 and the wire member 50 will be described in detail.

[0033] The panel member 40 and the wire member 50 are provided on the frame member 30 of the backrest portion 23. In the present embodiment, the frame member 30, the panel member 40, and the wire member 50 are provided inside the backrest portion 23. Specifically, the frame member 30, the panel member 40, and the wire member 50 are covered by a seat cushion made of an elastic material such as polyurethane foam and a skin covering the seat cushion.

[0034] <Panel parts>

[0035] The panel member 40 includes an upper panel 41 constituting an upper portion and a lower panel 43 constituting a lower portion.

[0036] The upper panel 41 is made of a metal plate. The upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 is in the shape of a generally flat plate extending in the front-rear direction L and the vehicle width direction W. A through hole 44 having a rectangular cross-section is provided in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 at the center in the extension direction. In addition, in the present embodiment, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 corresponds to a portion different from the joining portion. The lower portion 41B of the upper panel 41 is in the shape of a generally flat plate extending in the upward and downward direction H and the vehicle width direction W. The lower portion 41B of the upper panel 41 extends in a manner protruding toward the lower side from the rear end of the upper portion 41U. The upper portion 41U and the lower portion 41B of the upper panel 41 extend in a manner forming an obtuse angle.

[0037] The lower panel 43 is made of a metal plate. An upper portion 43U of the lower panel 43 is substantially in the shape of a flat plate extending in the up-down direction H and the vehicle width direction W. The upper portion 43U of the lower panel 43 is welded and fixed to the lower portion 41B of the upper panel 41 in a state overlapped in the front-rear direction L. Figure 1 The line LH in FIG. 1 shows the movement trajectory of the head of the occupant M when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, when the occupant M of a standard body type is seated on the seat 20 in a correct posture wearing the seat belt. Figure 1 to Figure 3As clearly stated in the above, the portion where the lower portion 41B of the upper panel 41 and the upper portion 43U of the lower panel 43 are joined together in an overlapping state, that is, the joint portion 45 is arranged in the moving trajectory of the head of the occupant M when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision (see Figure 1 On the line LH).

[0038] The middle portion 43M of the lower panel 43 in the up-down direction H is substantially in the shape of a flat plate extending in the vehicle width direction W. The middle portion 43M of the lower panel 43 extends in a manner protruding forward and obliquely downward from the lower end of the upper portion 43U. The upper portion 43U and the middle portion 43M of the lower panel 43 extend at an obtuse angle.

[0039] The lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43 is in the shape of a plate extending in the vehicle width direction W and the vertical direction H. The lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43 extends in a manner protruding downward from the lower end of the middle portion 43M. Extended in a letter-shaped manner.

[0040] <Wire parts>

[0041] The metal wire component 50 is made of metal wire. The metal wire component 50 is installed between a pair of side frames 31R and 31L. Specifically, one end of the metal wire component 50 is welded and fixed at the middle position of the side frame 31R on the right side in the up-down direction H. The other end of the metal wire component 50 is welded and fixed at the middle position of the side frame 31L on the left side in the up-down direction H. In the present embodiment, the metal wire component 50 is arranged on the upper side compared with the reinforcing component 34. In addition, the metal wire component 50 extends in a meandering shape between the pair of side frames 31R and 31L. Specifically, the metal wire component 50 has a plurality of bent portions 51 that are bent into a shape that is approximately right angles.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the panel member 40 is mounted between the upper portion of the frame member 30 and the lower portion of the frame member 30. Specifically, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 constituting the upper portion of the panel member 40 is welded and fixed to the connecting frame 32 constituting the upper portion of the frame member 30. In addition, the lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43 constituting the lower portion of the panel member 40 is welded and fixed to the wire member 50. Thus, the lower portion of the panel member 40 is fixed to the lower portion of the frame member 30 via the wire member 50, specifically, fixed to the middle position in the up-down direction H of the side frames 31R, 31L. In the present embodiment, by fixing the panel member 40 to the frame member 30 in this manner, the panel member 40 has a shape that protrudes and extends between the upper portion and the lower portion of the frame member 30 as if bulging toward the rear.

[0043] <Function>

[0044] Next, the function of the seat 20 of the present embodiment when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision will be described. When the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, the head of the occupant M who is sitting on the seat 20 while wearing the seat belt will be moved like Figure 1 The backrest 23 of the front seat 20 moves forward and obliquely downward as shown by the arrow mark A. At this time, the head of the occupant M who is sitting on the rear seat 20 collides with the rear surface of the backrest 23 of the front seat 20.

[0045] In this embodiment, if Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , a panel member 40 extending in the vehicle width direction W is provided on the frame member 30 of the backrest portion 23 so as to protrude and extend rearward. The joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is arranged in the movement trajectory of the head of the occupant M when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 Therefore, when the head of the occupant M hits the backrest 23 of the front seat 20 during a frontal collision of the vehicle 10, the head of the occupant M collides with the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 inside the backrest 23 via the seat cushion or the surface of the backrest 23. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , the panel member 40 is then deformed in a manner bent toward the front side due to the load generated by the head of the occupant M. Figure 5 In FIG. 1 , the panel member 40 after deformation is shown by a solid line, and the panel member 40 before deformation is shown by a single-dot chain line.

[0046] like Figure 3 to Figure 5As shown in the figure, in the present embodiment, the lower portion 41B of the panel member 40 is fixed to the wire member 50. Therefore, when the panel member 40 is deformed to the front side by the load generated by the head of the occupant M, the wire member 50 is pressed to the front side by the panel member 40. At this time, the wire member 50 is deformed to the front side in a manner that the degree of meandering becomes smaller, specifically, the degree of bending of each bent portion 51 becomes smaller. In the present embodiment, such a manner is adopted so that the panel member 40 is deformed to the front side while the fixed portion of the wire member 50 and the lower portion 41B of the panel member 40 is moved to the front side.

[0047] According to the present embodiment, by deforming the panel member 40 toward the front side when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, the panel member 40 can absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the head of the occupant M and block the head of the occupant M. As a result, since the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M can be reduced, the head of the occupant M is suppressed from moving to the lower part of the frame member 30. Therefore, it is suppressed that the head of the occupant M hits the reinforcing member 34 provided at the lower part of the frame member 30. According to the seat 20 of the present embodiment, by adopting such a method, a high occupant protection performance is exerted.

[0048] Here, in order to reduce the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M during a frontal collision of the vehicle 10, it is preferable to appropriately suppress the deformation of the panel member 40 at the initial stage of the collision when the head of the occupant M collides with the panel member 40. By adopting such a mode, since the load generated by the head of the occupant M can be appropriately blocked by the panel member 40 at the initial stage of the collision, it is possible to absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the head of the occupant M to a certain extent. As a result, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M can be suppressed.

[0049] In this regard, in the present embodiment, the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is arranged on the moving track of the head of the occupant M at the time of the frontal collision of the vehicle 10. Therefore, at the time of the frontal collision of the vehicle 10, first, the head of the occupant M collides with the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40. Then, since the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is composed of the two panels 41 and 43 overlapped together, the rigidity becomes higher than the portion of the panel member 40 other than the joint portion 45, more specifically, the portion composed of one of the two panels 41 and 43.

[0050] According to the present embodiment, when the head of the occupant M collides with the panel member 40 during a frontal collision of the vehicle 10, the head of the occupant M is blocked by the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40, in other words, by a portion having a moderately high rigidity. Thus, since the portion of the panel member 40 against which the head of the occupant M collides and the surrounding portion are appropriately suppressed from deformation, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M is suppressed.

[0051] Furthermore, as described above, when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, the head of the occupant M who is sitting on the seat 20 while wearing the seat belt moves forward and obliquely downward. Therefore, it can be said that the head of the occupant M collides with the upper part of the panel member 40 at the beginning of the collision. Therefore, in order to reduce the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M when the vehicle 10 is in a frontal collision, it is preferable to make the upper part of the panel member 40 less likely to deform appropriately.

[0052] In this regard, in the present embodiment, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 constituting the upper portion of the panel member 40 is directly fixed and supported on the connecting frame 32 in the highly rigid frame member 30. As a result, the upper portion of the panel member 40 is less likely to deform appropriately than the lower portion of the panel member 40 fixed to the frame member 30 via the relatively low rigidity wire member 50. Thus, according to the present embodiment, since the upper portion of the panel member 40, which is the portion against which the head of the occupant M collides in the initial stage of the collision, is less likely to deform appropriately, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M is suppressed.

[0053] Although it is preferred that the upper portion of the panel member 40 has a moderately high rigidity, if the upper portion of the panel member 40 has an excessively high rigidity, the panel member 40 will not be sufficiently deformed, and may not be able to well absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M. In the present embodiment, based on the results of various experiments or simulations conducted by the inventors, the extended shape of the panel member 40, the shapes of the upper panel 41 and the lower panel 43, and the shape of the through hole 44 are specified in such a manner as to appropriately increase the rigidity of the upper portion of the panel member 40.

[0054] In the present embodiment, in the panel member 40, a through hole 44 is provided in the portion consisting of only the upper panel 41, that is, in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. The provision of the through hole 44 reduces the rigidity of the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. Therefore, compared with the case where the through hole 44 is not provided, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 is deformed to a greater extent.

[0055] According to the present embodiment, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 can be greatly deformed by a simple structure in which the through hole 44 is provided in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. Therefore, although the deformation of the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is suppressed, the function of absorbing the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M can be obtained by the large deformation of the portion different from the joint portion 45, that is, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. In addition, according to the present embodiment, compared with a structure in which the through hole 44 is not provided in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41, the rigidity of the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 can be set with a higher degree of freedom.

[0056] If the deformation of the panel member 40 is suppressed throughout the entire collision period, even if the panel member 40 is provided, it may not be possible to well absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M. Therefore, it is preferable to make the panel member 40 relatively easy to deform in the later period of the collision period. In the later period of the collision period, the deformation of the panel member 40 will develop to the lower part of the panel member 40. Therefore, in order to appropriately absorb the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M by deforming the panel member 40, it is preferable to make the lower part of such a panel member 40 relatively easy to deform.

[0057] In this regard, in the present embodiment, the lower portion of the panel member 40, more specifically, the portion on the lower side compared to the joint portion 45, is composed only of the lower panel 43. As a result, the lower portion of the panel member 40, more specifically, the middle portion 43M and the lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43, are more easily deformed than the upper portion of the panel member 40 having the highly rigid joint portion 45. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even in the later period of the collision, since the panel member 40 can be appropriately deformed, the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M can be appropriately absorbed.

[0058] In addition, in the present embodiment, in the lower part of the panel member 40, the lower part 41B of the lower panel 43 is fixed to the lower part of the frame member 30 via the wire member 50. And the wire member 50 extends in a meandering shape between the pair of side frames 31R, 31L. According to the present embodiment, when the panel member 40 is not deformed when the vehicle 10 does not have a frontal collision, the panel member 40 is firmly supported on the side frames 31R, 31L via the wire member 50 in a meandering shape. And, when the panel member 40 is deformed at the time of the frontal collision of the vehicle 10, the wire member 50 is deformed in a manner that the degree of the meandering becomes smaller, so that the panel member 40 can be deformed greatly in the front direction. In this way, according to the present embodiment, by providing the meandering wire member 50, the function of firmly supporting the panel member 40 when the panel member 40 is not deformed and the function of greatly deforming the panel member 40 when the panel member 40 is deformed are achieved.

[0059] <Effect>

[0060] According to this embodiment, the effects described below can be obtained. The seat 20 has a plate-shaped panel member 40 extending in the vehicle width direction W. The panel member 40 is provided between the upper portion of the frame member 30 and the lower portion of the frame member 30 in a manner that protrudes and extends like a bulge toward the rear of the backrest portion 23.

[0061] According to the present embodiment, since the head of the occupant M can be prevented from moving to the lower portion of the frame member 30, it is possible to prevent the head of the occupant M from colliding with the reinforcing member 34 provided at the lower portion of the frame member 30. According to the present embodiment, by adopting such a method, a high occupant protection performance is achieved.

[0062] The joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is arranged on the moving track of the head of the occupant M during the frontal collision of the vehicle 10. According to the present embodiment, when the head of the occupant M collides with the panel member 40 during the frontal collision of the vehicle 10, the head of the occupant M can be stopped by the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40, in other words, by the portion having a moderately high rigidity. Thus, since the deformation of the portion of the panel member 40 where the head of the occupant M collides and the surrounding portion thereof can be moderately suppressed, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M can be suppressed. Moreover, at this time, a large deformation is allowed for the portion of the panel member 40 different from the joint portion 45, in other words, for the portion having a low rigidity because it is composed of only the upper panel 41 or the lower panel 43. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, although the deformation of the joint portion 45 of the panel member 40 is suppressed, the function of absorbing the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M can be obtained by the relatively large deformation of the portion different from the joint portion 45.

[0063] The panel member 40 has a through hole 44 provided in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. According to the present embodiment, the rigidity of the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 can be reduced by providing a through hole in the portion of the panel member 40 different from the joint portion 45, that is, in the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41. Thus, the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 can be deformed more greatly when the vehicle 10 is subjected to a frontal collision.

[0064] The metal wire member 50 made of metal wire is installed between the pair of side frames 31R and 31L in a manner extending in a meandering shape. The lower portion of the panel member 40 is fixed to the metal wire member 50. According to the present embodiment, by providing the meandering metal wire member 50, it is possible to achieve the function of firmly supporting the panel member 40 when the panel member 40 is not deformed, and the function of greatly deforming the panel member 40 when the panel member 40 is deformed.

[0065] The upper portion of the panel member 40 is fixed and supported on the connection frame 32 of the frame member 30 having high rigidity. Thus, since the upper portion of the panel member 40, which is the portion hit by the head of the occupant M, can be appropriately difficult to deform at the beginning of the collision, the amount of movement of the head of the occupant M during the frontal collision of the vehicle 10 can be suppressed. The lower portion of the panel member 40 is fixed to the meandering wire member 50. Thus, since the panel member 40 can be greatly deformed forward, the energy accompanying the collision of the occupant M can be appropriately absorbed.

[0066] <Change Example>

[0067] In addition, the above-mentioned embodiment can be modified and implemented as follows. The above-mentioned embodiment and the following modified examples can be combined and implemented within the scope of no technical contradiction.

[0068] The panel member 40 may be formed of a base panel and a sub-panel, and the sub-panel may be overlapped and joined to the base panel to form a joined portion formed of a part of the base panel and the entire sub-panel.

[0069] As the panel component 40, a component formed of a single metal plate, which does not have a portion where two metal plates are joined together in an overlapped state, i.e., a joined portion, can be used. In the case where the panel component is formed of a single metal plate, a through hole can be provided at any position in the panel component, thereby adding a rigidity difference to each part of the panel component.

[0070] The upper panel 41 or the lower panel 43 may be formed of a plurality of overlapping metal plates. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 44 formed on the upper portion 41U of the upper panel 41 or the number of the through holes 44 formed may be changed arbitrarily. In short, the cross-sectional shape or the number of the through holes 44 may be specified in such a manner that the upper portion of the upper panel 41 is easily deformed appropriately. If the upper portion of the upper panel 41 is easily deformed appropriately, the through holes 44 may be omitted.

[0071] Alternatively, a through hole may be provided in the middle portion 43M or the lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43. According to this configuration, the rigidity of the middle portion 43M or the lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43, which is a portion of the panel member 40 different from the joint portion 45, can be reduced by providing a simple structure such as a through hole. Thus, the middle portion 43M or the lower portion 43B of the lower panel 43 can be deformed more greatly when the vehicle 10 is hit head-on.

[0072] The wire member 50 is not limited to a structure extending in a meandering shape between the pair of side frames 31R and 31L, and may be a structure extending in a curved shape so as to protrude rearward or a structure extending in a straight line.

[0073] The fixing method of the panel member 40 can be changed arbitrarily. For example, a wire member that is laid between the pair of side frames 31R and 31L can be provided on the upper portion of the frame member 30, and the upper portion of the panel member 40 can be fixed to the wire member. In addition, a connecting frame that extends in the vehicle width direction W in a manner that connects the pair of side frames 31R and 31L can be provided on the lower portion of the frame member 30, and the lower portion of the panel member 40 can be fixed to the connecting frame by welding.

[0074] The shapes of the parts of the upper panel 41 or the parts of the lower panel 43 are not limited to being flat plates, and any changes such as being bent in one direction can be made. In short, when the panel member 40 is mounted between the upper part of the frame member 30 and the lower part of the frame member 30, the panel member 40 can be formed into a shape that protrudes and extends like a bulge toward the rear of the backrest 23.

[0075] The vehicle seats involved in the above-mentioned embodiments can be applied as long as they are configured so that the seating direction is consistent with the vehicle width direction W and they are arranged in a row in the vehicle width direction W, or they are vehicle seats arranged in the seating direction of the occupant, etc.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat, which is arranged on a vehicle in a manner aligned with a seating direction of an occupant, the vehicle seat comprising: A seat portion for the passenger to sit on; a backrest portion disposed on the seat portion; The panel member is in the form of a plate extending in the width direction of the backrest portion and is bridged between an upper portion of a frame member constituting a framework of the backrest portion and a lower portion of the frame member so as to protrude and extend toward the rear of the backrest portion.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein: The panel member has an upper panel constituting an upper portion and a lower panel constituting a lower portion, and has a structure in which a lower portion of the upper panel and an upper portion of the lower panel are joined together in an overlapping state in the seating direction. The joined portion, which is a portion of the panel members joined together in the overlapped state, is arranged on a movement trajectory of the head of the occupant when the vehicle collides.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein: The panel member has a through hole provided at a portion different from the engaging portion.

4. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The frame member includes a pair of side frames that are arranged at intervals in the width direction and extend in the up-down direction, and a wire member composed of a metal wire is spanned between the pair of side frames so as to extend in a meandering shape. At least one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the panel member is fixed to the metal wire member.

5. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The frame member includes a pair of side frames arranged at intervals in the width direction and extending in the up-down direction, and a connecting frame extending in the width direction in a manner connecting the pair of side frames, and a metal wire member composed of metal wires is laid between the pair of side frames in a manner extending in a meandering shape. The lower portion of the panel member is fixed to the metal wire member, and the upper portion of the panel member is fixed to the connecting frame.

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