Seat structure for vehicle

Abstract

The present application provides a vehicle seat structure capable of inhibiting water adhering to the floor in a vehicle cabin from being supplied to the side of a supply target. The vehicle seat structure includes a vehicle seat having a seat cushion that supports the hips of a seated occupant from the lower side of the vehicle and is supported on the floor of the vehicle. The vehicle seat structure also includes a seat cushion side air duct path provided in the seat cushion for drawing air in the vehicle cabin and causing the drawn air in the vehicle cabin to flow toward the side of the supply target. Furthermore, the vehicle seat structure includes a connection portion that connects an opening provided in the floor and the seat cushion side air duct path in the vertical direction of the vehicle and causes air from the seat cushion side air duct path side to flow toward the side of the supply target.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a seat structure for vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a battery cooling structure that draws in air from a vehicle interior and supplies it to the battery. The battery cooling structure described in this document includes an air intake duct, a floor mat disposed on the floor of the vehicle interior, and an exhaust duct. An air intake port is formed in the air intake duct, opening into the vehicle interior. The air intake duct, driven by a blower, draws in air from the vehicle interior through the air intake port and supplies it to the battery. An opening is formed in the floor mat through which the air intake duct passes. The exhaust duct discharges air from the battery into the space beneath the floor mat. Furthermore, the air intake duct is provided with a fixing bracket, a flange, and a bottom portion that supports the edge of the floor mat defining the opening. In this structure, by providing the support portion supporting the edge of the floor mat in the air intake duct, it is possible to prevent air discharged from the exhaust duct into the space beneath the floor mat from flowing back to the air intake port through the opening. This prevents air whose temperature has risen after cooling the battery from being drawn into the air intake duct, thereby improving the battery cooling efficiency.

[0003] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-285070 Summary of the Invention

[0004] However, while the structure described in Patent Document 1 is useful in terms of improving the cooling efficiency of the battery, there is room for improvement in terms of preventing moisture adhering to the floor, carpet, or other interior surfaces of the vehicle from being supplied to the battery or other objects on which air is supplied.

[0005] In view of the above, the object of the present invention is to obtain a vehicle seat structure that can suppress the supply of moisture adhering to the floor inside the vehicle interior to the air supply object side.

[0006] The vehicle seat structure of the first embodiment includes: a vehicle seat having a seat cushion that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant from the lower side of the vehicle and is supported on the floor of the vehicle; a seat cushion side air duct path disposed in the seat cushion for drawing air from the vehicle interior and causing the drawn air from the vehicle interior to flow toward the object to be supplied; and a connecting portion that connects an opening formed in the floor in the vertical direction of the vehicle to the seat cushion side air duct path and causes air from the seat cushion side air duct path side to flow toward the object to be supplied.

[0007] In the vehicle seat structure of the first embodiment, a seat cushion-side air duct path is provided in the seat cushion. Furthermore, an opening formed in the floor and the seat cushion-side air duct path are connected in the vertical direction of the vehicle via a connecting portion. Air from the vehicle interior drawn into the seat cushion-side air duct path provided in the seat cushion flows towards the object being supplied with air through the seat cushion-side air duct path and the connecting portion. In this structure, it is possible to suppress the supply of moisture adhering to the floor constituting the vehicle interior to the object being supplied with air.

[0008] In the second type of vehicle seat structure, the connecting part is extendable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, as described in the first type of vehicle seat structure.

[0009] In the second type of vehicle seat structure, the connecting part can extend and retract in the vertical direction of the vehicle. In this structure, even when the position of the seat cushion relative to the floor in the vertical direction is changed, the connection between the opening formed in the floor and the air duct path on the side of the seat cushion can be maintained.

[0010] Invention Effects

[0011] The vehicle seat structure of the present invention has an excellent effect in preventing moisture adhering to the floor inside the vehicle from being supplied to the air supply object side. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross-section obtained by cutting the vehicle seat and other parts along the vertical and horizontal directions of the vehicle.

[0013] Figure 2 It is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cross-section obtained by cutting the seat cushion, etc., along the vertical and width directions of the vehicle. Detailed Implementation

[0014] use Figure 1 and Figure 2 The following describes a vehicle seat 10, etc., which incorporates a vehicle seat structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In addition, in each figure, arrow FR appropriately indicates the front side of the vehicle, arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle, arrow LH indicates the left side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction), and arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction (left-right direction). Furthermore, in the following description, unless otherwise stated, front-back, up-down, and left-right directions refer to front-back in the vehicle front-back direction, up-down in the vehicle up-down direction, and left-right in the vehicle left-right direction.

[0015] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the vehicle seat 10 includes a seat cushion 12 that supports the buttocks of the seated occupant from below and a seat back 14 that supports the back of the seated occupant from the rear. The vehicle seat 10 is supported on the vehicle floor 18 by a pair of left and right support members 16 fixed to the lower part of the seat cushion 12. An air supply device 22 is provided on the seat cushion 12 and below the seat cushion 12 to supply air from the vehicle interior 20 toward a supply object disposed below the vehicle floor 18. In this embodiment, the supply object is a battery (not shown) disposed below the floor 18, but the supply object may be something other than a battery.

[0016] The air supply device 22 is configured to include: a connecting part 28, which connects in the vertical direction to the seat side air duct path 24 disposed on the seat cushion 12, the opening 26 formed in the floor 18 and the seat side air duct path 24; a floor side air duct path 30, which is connected to the connecting part 28; and a blower 32, which is connected to the floor side air duct path 30.

[0017] The seat cushion side air duct path 24 is formed by creating a groove inside the cushion body 34, which forms part of the seat cushion 12, and covering the inner surface of the groove with resin. The seat cushion side air duct path 24 is formed in the center of the seat width direction of the seat cushion 12 along the front-rear direction. A plurality of front side openings 36 are formed at the front end of the seat cushion side air duct path 24. The plurality of front side openings 36 are exposed in the space in front of the vehicle seat 10 at the front end of the seat cushion 12. A plurality of rear side openings 38 are formed at the upper part of the rear end of the seat cushion side air duct path 24. The plurality of rear side openings 38 are covered from the top by a part of the cushion body 34. A connecting part 28, described later, is connected to the lower part of the rear end of the seat cushion side air duct path 24.

[0018] The connecting portion 28 is configured to include: a first connecting portion 40, fixed to the lower part of the rear end of the seat cushion side air duct path 24; a second connecting portion 42, fixed to the floor 18; and a spring 44 disposed between the first connecting portion 40 and the second connecting portion 42. The first connecting portion 40 includes: a first annular portion 46, formed in an annular shape and fixed to the lower part of the rear end of the seat cushion side air duct path 24; and a first cylindrical portion 48, protruding downward from the first annular portion 46 and formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction. The second connecting portion 42 includes: a second annular portion 50, formed in an annular shape and fixed to the floor 18 at the periphery of the opening 26; and a second cylindrical portion 52, protruding upward from the second annular portion 50 and formed in a cylindrical shape with the vertical direction as the axial direction. The first cylindrical portion 48 is inserted into the second cylindrical portion 52 from the upper side. Furthermore, with the first cylindrical portion 48 inserted into the second cylindrical portion 52, the first connecting portion 40 displaces relative to the second connecting portion 42 in the vertical direction, thereby allowing the connecting portion 28 to extend and retract in the vertical direction. The spring 44 is a compression coil spring provided between the first annular portion 46 of the first connecting portion 40 and the second cylindrical portion 52 of the second connecting portion 42 in the vertical direction. The first connecting portion 40 applies force to the upper side of the second connecting portion 42 via this spring 44.

[0019] like Figure 2 As shown, the floor-side air duct path 30 is formed as a cylinder with its vertical axis, and has a first air duct section 54 whose upper end is connected to the second connecting portion 42 from the lower side of the floor 18. Furthermore, the floor-side air duct path 30 has a second air duct section 56 formed as a cylinder with its horizontal axis and connected to the first air duct section 54. The end of the second air duct section 56 opposite to the first air duct section 54 is connected to the blower 32.

[0020] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in the embodiment described above, when the blower 32 is operating, the pressure in the seat-side air duct path 24, which is connected to the blower 32 via the floor-side air duct path 30 and the connecting part 28, becomes lower than the pressure in the vehicle interior 20. Consequently, air from the vehicle interior 20 flows into the seat-side air duct path 24 through multiple front side openings 36, and also flows into the seat-side air duct path 24 through a portion of the cushion body 34 and multiple rear side openings 38. The air from the vehicle interior 20 flowing into the seat-side air duct path 24 is supplied to the battery via the connecting part 28, the floor-side air duct path 30, and the blower 32. Therefore, the battery and other components can be cooled using the air in the vehicle interior 20, whose temperature and humidity have been regulated by a vehicle air conditioning unit (not shown).

[0021] In this embodiment, the air inside the vehicle interior 20 is supplied to the battery via a connecting portion 28, which connects the seat cushion-side air duct path 24 provided on the seat cushion 12 and the opening 26 formed on the floor 18 in the vertical direction to the seat cushion-side air duct path 24. In this structure, moisture adhering to the floor 18 constituting the floor of the vehicle interior 20 can be suppressed from being supplied to the battery side along with the air inside the vehicle interior 20.

[0022] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the connecting portion 28 is extendable and retractable in the vertical direction. In this structure, even when the position of the seat cushion 12 relative to the floor 18 in the vertical direction is changed, the connection between the opening 26 formed in the floor 18 and the air duct path 24 on the seat cushion side can be maintained. Alternatively, in a structure where it is not necessary to adjust the position of the seat cushion 12 relative to the floor 18 in the vertical direction, the connecting portion 28 may not extend or retract in the vertical direction.

[0023] In this embodiment, air from the seated occupant's buttocks flows into the seat cushion side air duct path 24 through a portion of the cushion body 34 and multiple rear side openings 38. This helps to suppress the rise in temperature and humidity near the seated occupant's buttocks. Alternatively, the multiple rear side openings 38 can be configured to be selectively opened and closed.

[0024] Furthermore, it can also be configured such that by providing a filter in the connection part 28, foreign objects in the air inside the vehicle compartment 20 passing through the connection part 28 can be removed.

[0025] The present invention has been described above as an embodiment of the invention, but the invention is not limited to the above description. Of course, various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0026] Symbol Explanation

[0027] 10-Vehicle seat, 12-Seat cushion, 18-Floor, 20-Vehicle interior, 24-Seat cushion side air duct path, 26-Opening, 28-Connecting part.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat structure, characterized in that, have: A vehicle seat having a seat cushion that supports the buttocks of a seated occupant from the underside of the vehicle and is supported on the vehicle floor. A seat cushion-side air duct path, disposed within the seat cushion, is used to draw air from the vehicle interior and direct the drawn air towards the object being supplied; and A connecting part connects the opening formed in the floor to the seat side air duct path in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and allows air from the seat side air duct path to flow toward the object to be supplied.

2. The vehicle seat structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connecting part can extend and retract in the vertical direction of the vehicle.

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