Seat

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a seat having a reclining device capable of changing an angle of a seat back. The seat is provided with: a tilt angle adjuster for changing the angle of the seat back, the tilt angle adjuster having an internal gear, an external gear, a wedge, and a striker; the electric motor is used for generating a driving force for driving the collision block; and a control unit that controls the operation of the electric motor and is capable of executing reverse control. When the rotation direction of the electric motor when the angle of the seat back changes is defined as the operation direction and the direction opposite to the operation direction is defined as the reverse direction, the reverse control is executed after the electric motor is rotated in the operation direction, and when the reverse control is executed, the reverse control is executed after the electric motor is rotated in the operation direction. The control unit rotates the electric motor in the reverse direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back does not change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a seat having a reclining mechanism capable of changing the angle of a seat back. Background Art

[0002] For example, in the invention described in Japanese Patent No. 2020-125072, when the seat back is engaged and fixed by the locking device, the rotation of the electric motor is reversed to eliminate the backlash generated in the meshing portion between the output gear and the sector gear. Summary of the invention

[0003] However, in a tilt angle adjuster of a Taumel mechanism (differential transmission mechanism) type having an internal gear, an external gear, a wedge (also called a wedge-shaped component) and a striker, a portion where the wedge and the striker contact when the electric motor rotates forward (hereinafter referred to as a first contact portion) is different from a portion where the wedge and the striker contact when the electric motor rotates reversely (hereinafter referred to as a second contact portion).

[0004] Furthermore, when the electric motor is rotating in the forward direction, the first contact portion is in contact, the second contact portion is not in contact, and a gap is generated. Conversely, when the electric motor is rotating in the reverse direction, the second contact portion is in contact, the first contact portion is not in contact, and a gap is generated.

[0005] Therefore, when the electric motor is reversed from forward rotation to reverse rotation, and when the electric motor is reversed from reverse rotation to forward rotation, the contact portions between the striker and the wedge block separated by the gap before the reverse rotation collide.

[0006] Therefore, when the electric motor rotates in the reverse direction, the impact of the collision will be transmitted to the seated person, which may cause discomfort to the seated person. In view of the above problems, the present disclosure discloses an example of a seat that can reduce the above impact.

[0007] It is preferable that the seat having a reclining mechanism capable of changing the angle of the seat back has, for example, at least one of the following components.

[0008] That is, the components are: a reclining angle adjuster, which is used to change the angle of the seat back and has an internal gear, an external gear, a wedge block, and a bump block; an electric motor, which generates a driving force for rotating the bump block; and a control unit, which controls the action of the electric motor and is capable of performing reverse control.

[0009] Furthermore, the reverse control is a control performed after the electric motor is rotated in the action direction. When the reverse control is performed, it is preferred that the control unit rotates the electric motor in the reverse direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back does not change. In addition, the reverse direction refers to a direction opposite to the action direction. The action direction refers to the rotation direction of the electric motor when the angle of the seat back changes.

[0010] Thus, in the seat, for example, when the electric motor is reversed from forward rotation to reverse rotation, the gap between the wedge block and the striker block has been eliminated. Therefore, when the electric motor is reversed, the striker block and the wedge block do not collide with each other. Furthermore, since the above-mentioned impact can be alleviated, the discomfort of the seated person can be suppressed.

[0011] When the torque generated by the electric motor required for changing the angle of the seat back is used as the release torque, the control unit preferably adjusts the torque generated by the electric motor to be smaller than the release torque when the reverse control is performed.

[0012] Preferably, the control unit can execute automatic control to make the angle of the seat back a preset angle, and preferably, the control unit executes reverse control after executing the automatic control.

[0013] Preferably, the control unit performs a energization stop control, which is a control for stopping energization of the electric motor, before starting the reverse rotation control. Thus, the control unit can perform the reverse rotation control after the electric motor is completely stopped.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit executes the automatic control, the energization stop control, and the reversal control as one continuous action sequence, thereby preventing other controls such as the interruption control from being executed during the execution of the action sequence. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing a vehicle seat according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 2 1 is an exploded view showing a tilt angle adjuster according to an embodiment.

[0017] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing a control system of an electric motor according to an embodiment.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a diagram showing the electric motor control according to the embodiment.

[0019] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing the tilt angle adjuster during forward rotation according to the embodiment.

[0020] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing the tilt angle adjuster during reverse rotation according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] An example of an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0022] The "embodiment" described below is an example of an embodiment to which the present disclosure belongs. That is, the technical solutions and the like described in the claims are not limited to the specific structures or configurations and the like shown in the following embodiment.

[0023] In the present embodiment, an example of a vehicle seat installed in a vehicle such as a vehicle is described. Unless otherwise stated in advance as "one", at least one component or portion is provided.

[0024] That is, unless it is stated in advance that "one" or the like, two or more of the components may be provided. The vehicle seat shown in the present disclosure includes at least components or parts and other constituent elements described by reference numerals, and the structural parts shown in the drawings.

[0025] <1. Overview of vehicle seats>

[0026] like Figure 1 As shown, the vehicle seat 1 includes at least a seat cushion 3 and a seat back 5. The seat cushion 3 is a portion for supporting the buttocks of a seated person. The seat cushion 3 includes a seat cushion frame (not shown) and the like.

[0027] The seat cushion frame is a member constituting the framework of the seat cushion 3. The seat back 5 is a portion for supporting the back of a seated person. The seat back 5 includes a back frame 5A and the like.

[0028] The back frame 5A is a member constituting the framework of the seat back 5 and includes two side frames 5B, 5C, two connecting members 5D, 5E, etc. The side frame 5B is a member disposed at one end side of the seat back 5 in the seat width direction and extending in the vertical direction.

[0029] The side frame 5C is a member that is disposed on the other end side of the seat back 5 in the seat width direction and extends in the up-down direction. The connecting member 5D extends in the seat width direction and connects the upper ends of the two side frames 5B and 5C to each other. The connecting member 5E extends in the seat width direction and connects the lower ends of the two side frames 5B and 5C to each other.

[0030] The seat back frame 5A is connected to the seat cushion frame via the reclining angle adjuster 7. That is, the vehicle seat 1 is a seat having a reclining mechanism that can change the angle of the seat back 5 relative to the seat cushion 3.

[0031] The vehicle seat 1 includes two reclining angle adjusters 7. The first reclining angle adjuster 7 connects the side frame 5B and the seat cushion frame to each other. The second reclining angle adjuster 7 connects the side frame 5C and the seat cushion frame to each other.

[0032] The structures of the two tilt angle adjusters 7 are exactly the same. Figure 2 As shown, each tilt angle adjuster 7 is a Taumel mechanism (differential transmission mechanism) type tilt angle adjuster having an external gear 7A, an internal gear 7B, wedges 7C and 7D, a striker 7E, a spring 7F, and a ring cover 7G.

[0033] In addition, the external gear 7A meshes with the internal gear 7B and rotates while revolving. At this time, since the number of teeth of the external gear 7A is less than that of the internal gear 7B, the external gear 7A and the internal gear 7B are relatively misaligned with the revolving of the internal gear 7B.

[0034] The impact block 7E drives the external gear 7A. The impact block 7E is driven by an electric motor 9 (see Figure 1 The driving force of the electric motor 9 is transmitted through the drive shaft 9A (see Figure 1 ) are respectively supplied to the two tilt angle adjusters 7.

[0035] Therefore, when the electric motor 9 is operated, the angle of the seat back 5 relative to the seat cushion 3 changes. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the electric motor 9 when the angle of the seat back 5 changes is referred to as the action direction, and the direction opposite to the action direction is referred to as the reverse direction.

[0036] That is, when the "action direction" is "forward rotation direction", the "reverse direction" is "reverse rotation direction". When the "action direction" is "reverse rotation direction", the "reverse direction" is "forward rotation direction".

[0037] <2. Electric motor motion control>

[0038] <2.1 Overview of Control System>

[0039] In addition to the above components, Figure 3 As shown, the vehicle seat 1 further includes at least a control unit 10, a mode selection switch 11, and a position sensor 12. The control unit 10 is a controller that controls the operation of the electric motor 9.

[0040] The control unit 10 is a microcomputer-type controller having at least a CPU, a ROM (read only memory), and a RAM (random access memory). Software for executing the following automatic control, power-on / off control, and reverse control is pre-installed in a non-volatile storage unit such as the ROM.

[0041] The mode selection switch 11 is an operation unit operated by a user of the vehicle seat 1 . The user can adjust the posture of the vehicle seat 1 (the angle of the seat back 5 in this embodiment) to a preset mode by operating the mode selection switch 11 .

[0042] As the preset modes, a “driving mode” and a “resting mode” may be preset. The driving mode is a mode in which the angle of the seat back 5 is set to an angle suitable for driving a car.

[0043] The rest mode is a mode in which the angle of the seat back 5 is greater than that of the seat back 5 in the driving mode, and the seat back 5 is in a relatively large tilt state. The angle of the seat back 5 in each mode is a pre-set angle by the user. The set angle is stored in the non-volatile storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0044] The position sensor 12 directly or indirectly detects the position of the striker 7E. A detection signal of the position sensor 12 and a signal of the mode selection switch 11 are input to the control unit 10.

[0045] <Detailed Configuration of Electric Motor Control>

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, when any one of the driving mode and the rest mode is selected, the control unit 10 will execute the action sequence corresponding to the selected mode, that is, the automatic control, the power-on stop control, and the reverse control are executed as a continuous action sequence. In addition, executing the action sequence corresponding to the selected mode is also called "mode regeneration".

[0047] <Automatic Control>

[0048] Automatic control refers to control to adjust the angle of the seat back 5 to "an angle corresponding to the selected mode". Specifically, for example, when the rest mode is selected, the control unit 10 determines the angle of the seat back 5 at that time using the detection value of the position sensor 12, and then the control unit 10 operates the electric motor to adjust the angle of the seat back 5 to the angle for the rest mode.

[0049] <Reverse Control>

[0050] The reverse control is executed after the electric motor 9 rotates in the operating direction, that is, after the automatic control is executed. When executing the reverse control, the control unit 10 rotates the electric motor 9 in the reverse direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back 5 does not change.

[0051] When the reverse rotation control is executed, the control unit 10 adjusts the torque generated by the electric motor 9 to be smaller than the release torque. The release torque is the torque generated by the electric motor 9 required to change the angle of the seat back 5.

[0052] The control unit 10 controls the torque generated by the electric motor 9 by duty ratio control for changing and controlling the energization time ratio of the electric motor 9. Specifically, the duty ratio during the reverse control is smaller than the duty ratio when the automatic control ends.

[0053] <Power-on stop control>

[0054] The energization stop control is a control executed before starting the reverse rotation control, and is a control to stop energizing the electric motor 9. Specifically, the control unit 10 stops supplying power to the electric motor 9 within a preset time from the time when the automatic control ends, and then executes the reverse rotation control.

[0055] Due to the inertia of the rotating mechanical parts and the electric motor 9, the rotation of the striker 7E does not stop immediately even after the power supply to the electric motor 9 is stopped. Therefore, the execution time of the power supply stop control (in other words, the time to stop the power supply) is the time required for the rotation of the striker 7E to stop completely.

[0056] <3. Features of the vehicle seat of this embodiment>

[0057] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the electric motor 9 rotates in the forward direction, the wedge block 7D contacts the portion 7E1 of the impact block 7E. Figure 6 As shown, when the electric motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction, the wedge block 7C contacts the portion 7E2 of the striker 7E.

[0058] That is to say, Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , when the electric motor 9 is rotating in the forward direction, the wedge block 7D contacts the impact block 7E, and a gap G1 is generated between the wedge block 7C and the impact block 7E. Figure 6 As shown, when the electric motor 9 is rotating in the reverse direction, the wedge block 7C and the striker block 7E are in contact with each other, and a gap G2 is generated between the wedge block 7C and the striker block 7E.

[0059] Therefore, in the conventional vehicle seat, when the electric motor 9 is reversed from forward rotation to reverse rotation, and when the electric motor 9 is reversed from reverse rotation to forward rotation, the impact block 7E and the wedge blocks 7C and 7D separated by the gaps G1 and G2 before the reversal will collide.

[0060] In this regard, after the automatic control is executed, the control unit 10 rotates the electric motor 9 in the reverse direction within a range where the angle of the seat back 5 does not change. Therefore, when the regeneration in the rest mode or driving mode ends, the gap between the wedge blocks 7C, 7D and the striker 7E is eliminated.

[0061] Specifically, for example, when the forward rotation of the striker 7E stops, the control unit 10 reverses the striker 7E to eliminate the gap G1 generated during the forward rotation. Therefore, when the electric motor 9 rotates reversely next time, the striker 7E and the wedge 7C do not collide.

[0062] Furthermore, the control unit 10 reverses the striker 7E after the reverse rotation of the striker 7E stops, thereby eliminating the gap G2 generated during the reverse rotation. Therefore, when the electric motor 9 rotates forward next time, the striker 7E and the wedge 7D do not collide with each other.

[0063] As described above, in this embodiment, after the electric motor 9 rotates forward or reversely, the collision block 7E reverses to eliminate the gap. Therefore, when the electric motor 9 rotates next time, the impact of the collision can be reduced and transmitted to the seated person, thereby suppressing the seated person's discomfort.

[0064] The control unit 10 performs the reverse rotation control while adjusting the torque generated by the electric motor 9 to be smaller than the release torque. This can suppress the seat back 5 from deviating from a preset angle when the regeneration mode ends.

[0065] The control unit 10 executes the energization stop control before starting the reverse rotation control, which is a control for stopping the energization of the electric motor 9. This ensures that the gaps G1 and G2 between the wedge blocks 7C and 7D and the striker 7E are eliminated when the reverse rotation control is executed.

[0066] Furthermore, if the reverse rotation control is executed after the automatic control is completed instead of the energization stop control, the gaps G1 and G2 between the wedge blocks 7C and 7D and the striker 7E may not be eliminated due to the rotational inertia of the rotating device.

[0067] The control unit 10 executes the automatic control, the power-on stop control, and the reverse control as a continuous action sequence. This can prevent other interruption operations from intervening before the mode regeneration ends. Furthermore, the gap between the wedge blocks 7C, 7D and the impact block 7E can be reliably eliminated when the mode regeneration ends.

[0068] (Other Implementations)

[0069] In the above embodiment, the reverse control is performed on the reclining angle adjuster 7 for operating the seat back 5. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the reverse control may be performed after the control for displacing a movable part other than the seat back 5 (for example, a leg support device) is performed.

[0070] In the above-described embodiment, the reverse control is performed on the device that displaces the movable part such as the seat back 5 by using the Taumel mechanism (differential transmission mechanism) having the internal gear 7B, the external gear 7A, the wedges 7C and 7D, and the striker 7E. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0071] In the above-described embodiment, when the reverse rotation control is performed, the electric motor 9 is controlled so that the torque generated by the electric motor 9 is smaller than the release torque. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0072] For example, the present disclosure may be configured to include a detector that directly or indirectly detects the gaps G1 and G2 and to use the detection value of the detector to control the electric motor 9. When controlling using the detection value, the torque of the electric motor may be greater than the release torque.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the reverse control is performed after the automatic control is performed, wherein the automatic control adjusts the angle of the seat back to a preset angle. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the present disclosure may be configured such that the reverse control is performed after the seated person performs a switch operation to switch the electric motor 9 to forward rotation or reverse rotation.

[0074] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the energization stop control is executed before the reverse rotation control is started. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the energization stop control may be abolished.

[0075] In the above embodiment, the automatic control, the energization stop control, and the reversing control are executed as one action sequence. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the automatic control, the energization stop control, and the reversing control may each be an independent action sequence.

[0076] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the vehicle seat of the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle. However, the application of the invention disclosed in this specification is not limited thereto. For example, the seat of the present disclosure can also be applied to seats used in vehicles such as railway vehicles, ships, and aircraft, as well as fixed seats used in theaters or homes.

[0077] In addition, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments as long as it complies with the disclosure of the above-mentioned embodiments. It may be a configuration that combines at least two of the above-mentioned multiple embodiments, or it may be a configuration that abolishes any of the illustrated constituent elements or constituent elements that are described by marking symbols in the above-mentioned embodiments.

Claims

1. A seat having a tilt mechanism capable of changing the angle of a seat back, the seat comprising: a tilt angle adjuster, the tilt angle adjuster is used to change the angle of the seat back and has an inner gear, an outer gear, a wedge block, and a bump block; an electric motor that generates a driving force for driving the impact block; and a control unit that controls the operation of the electric motor and is capable of performing reverse rotation control, and When the rotation direction of the electric motor when the angle of the seat back changes is defined as an operating direction, and the direction opposite to the operating direction is defined as a reverse direction, The reverse control is a control executed after the electric motor is rotated in the operating direction. When the reverse control is executed, the control unit rotates the electric motor in the reverse direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back does not change.

2. The seat according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the torque generated by the electric motor required for changing the angle of the seat back is used as the release torque, When the reverse rotation control is executed, the control unit adjusts the torque generated in the electric motor to be smaller than a release torque.

3. The seat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The control unit is capable of automatically controlling the seat back to have an angle set in advance. Furthermore, the control unit executes the reversal control after executing the automatic control.

4. The seat according to claim 3, characterized in that: The control unit executes a energization stop control for stopping energization of the electric motor before starting the reverse rotation control.

5. The seat according to claim 4, characterized in that: The control unit executes the automatic control, the energization stop control, and the reversal control as one continuous operation sequence.

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