Vehicle seating equipment, motor vehicle and manufacturing process

Abstract

Vehicle seating arrangement (1) for a rear bench seat of a motor vehicle (2) comprising several vehicle seats (6-8), with at least one seat pan (5) designed as a sheet metal part (9-11) which serves to support at least one of the vehicle seats (6-8) of the rear bench seat, wherein the seat pan (5) rests on a body structure (3) of the vehicle at least at its edges and is attached to the body structure (3), characterized in that the seat pan (5) is designed in multiple parts and has a sheet metal part (9-11) for each of the vehicle seats (6-8), and that the sheet metal parts (9-11) are arranged spaced apart from each other.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle seat device for a rear seat of a motor vehicle having a plurality of vehicle seats, with at least one seat pan designed as a sheet metal part, which serves to support at least one of the vehicle seats of the rear seat, wherein the seat pan rests on a body structure of the vehicle at least at the edge to form a cavity underneath and is fastened to the body structure.

[0002] Furthermore, the invention relates to a motor vehicle with such a vehicle seat device and a method for producing such a motor vehicle.

[0003] Vehicle seating devices of the type mentioned above are known from the prior art. For example, the published patent application DE 10 2018 210 442 A1 discloses a generic vehicle seating device for a rear seat of a motor vehicle. The rear seat has several vehicle seats, to which the seat pan is assigned. The seat pan extends over the vehicle seats of the rear seat and forms a closed seat pan for all three vehicle seats. To enable an advantageous overall assembly process for the motor vehicle, it is proposed to design the seat pan as an integral component of the body and, for this purpose, to screw the seat pan to the body structure during assembly of the body structure. The screw connection can be loosened if necessary, for example to access cavities located beneath the seat pan or a cavity located underneath.However, attaching the screw connection means increased installation time and an increased overall weight of the vehicle seating system.

[0004] Document DE 10 2012 200 441 A1 relates to a vehicle seat assembly comprising a seat frame made of structural foam and having a main body portion with a front portion and a rear portion, and a wire attachment bracket having a front attachment clamp, a rear attachment clamp, and a connecting portion extending between the front and rear attachment clamps. The front attachment clamp can be attached to a vehicle floor pan to secure the front portion of the seat frame to the vehicle floor pan, and the rear attachment clamp can be attached to a vehicle floor pan to secure the rear portion of the seat frame to the vehicle floor pan.In at least one embodiment, the vehicle seat assembly further comprises a cushion supported by the frame, the cushion being softer than the seat frame, and a trim material disposed over the cushion.

[0005] The prior art also includes the documents DE 10 2012 012 358 A1 and JP 2013- 252 772 A.

[0006] The invention is therefore based on the object of creating an improved vehicle seat device which, on the one hand, is lightweight and, on the other hand, is easy to assemble and integrate into the body structure.

[0007] The object underlying the invention is achieved by a vehicle seat device having the features of claim 1. This has the advantage that the seat pan itself has a reduced weight while still ensuring sufficiently high stability and load-bearing capacity. Furthermore, a permanently advantageous integration into the body structure is achieved by joining the seat pan to the respective body structure. According to the invention, the seat pan is designed in several parts and has a sheet metal part for each of the vehicle seats, and the sheet metal parts are arranged at a distance from one another.Because the seat pan is made up of several parts and the sheet metal parts of the seat pan are spaced apart from one another so that there are free spaces between the sheet metal parts, this ensures that the cavity underneath the seat pan is still easily accessible even after the seat pan has been installed, and that the overall weight of the seat pan is reduced due to the small amount of material.

[0008] Particularly preferred is welding the sheet metal parts to the body structure. This welding creates a permanent, integral bond between the sheet metal parts of the seat pan and the body structure. Welding eliminates the weight of additional screws and the space required for screwing. Furthermore, the sheet metal parts then form an integral part of the body structure and ensure high load-bearing capacity. The respective sheet metal part is thus attached to the body structure without the use of screws.

[0009] The body structure preferably has at least one heel plate that is or can be attached to a vehicle floor, and on whose free upper side at least one of the sheet metal parts of the seat pan rests, in particular at the edge. The heel plate thus supports the sheet metal part, so that it extends at least substantially horizontally or parallel to the vehicle floor.

[0010] Particularly preferably, the sheet metal part rests on the heel plate on the one hand and on a cross member of the body structure arranged at a distance therefrom on the other hand, in order to form the cavity between the heel plate and the cross member. Because the sheet metal parts are arranged at a distance from one another, the cavity is permanently accessible through the gaps between the sheet metal parts in the seat pan, even though the sheet metal parts are firmly connected to the body structure. Furthermore, it is preferably provided that each of the sheet metal parts of the seat pan rests on the heel plate, so that a continuous heel plate is present on which the sheet metal parts of the seat pan rest. This ensures high stability for the vehicle seating device as a whole.

[0011] In particular, the respective sheet metal part rests on the heel plate at its edge. This advantageously provides stable support for the sheet metal part on the heel plate. In particular, it also rests on the aforementioned cross member at its edge.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the respective sheet metal part is welded directly to the heel plate. This ensures a direct, positive connection between the sheet metal part and the heel plate, which ensures a secure hold and high robustness of the vehicle seat assembly.

[0013] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, a grid structure is mounted on the heel plate, to which the respective sheet metal part is welded. The grid structure allows the positioning of the sheet metal parts relative to the heel plate to be more variable than with direct attachment to the heel plate. The grid structure thus offers the possibility of supporting the respective sheet metal part at a distance from the heel plate and / or the cross member, thereby increasing the load-bearing capacity of the sheet metal parts and thus of the seat pan. Furthermore, the sheet metal parts can be made smaller, since they do not have to extend all the way to the heel plate or the cross member. The grid structure thus also forms a component of the body structure of the motor vehicle.

[0014] Particularly preferably, the lattice structure is a wire frame. This is designed to save weight and is easy to preform and mount on or integrate into the body structure.

[0015] The advantageous design of the vehicle seat assembly ensures, in particular, that the sheet metal parts can be subjected to the painting process together with the rest of the body structure, which coats the vehicle's body shell and thus protects it from corrosion damage, for example. The seat pan thus already represents an integrated component of the body shell.

[0016] The motor vehicle according to the invention with the features of claim 10 is characterized by the inventive design of the vehicle seat device. This results in the advantages already mentioned.

[0017] The method according to the invention with the features of claim 11 is characterized in that the body structure is first manufactured, and the sheet metal parts are welded to the body structure, so that they ultimately also form part of the body structure, and that the painting is only carried out subsequently. This results in the advantages already mentioned.

[0018] Further advantages and preferred features and combinations of features emerge in particular from the above description and from the claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows an advantageous vehicle seat device in a perspective top view according to a first embodiment, Fig. 2 the vehicle seat device according to the first embodiment in a side view, Fig. 3 a second embodiment of the vehicle seat device in a perspective detailed view.

[0019] Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an advantageous vehicle seat assembly 1 for a motor vehicle 2, of which only a body structure 3 is shown here in the area of ​​the vehicle floor 4. The vehicle seat assembly 1 is designed as a rear seat for the motor vehicle 2 and thus extends across almost the entire width of the motor vehicle 2, i.e., transversely to the longitudinal center axis of the motor vehicle 2.

[0020] The vehicle seat device 1 has a seat pan 5 which is designed in several parts and which serves, according to the present exemplary embodiment, to support three vehicle seats 6, 7 and 8, each of which has a seat part and a backrest associated with the seat part, wherein Fig. 1, only the seat parts are indicated by dashed lines. For each of the vehicle seats 6 to 8, the seat pan 5 has a sheet metal part 9, 10, 11. The sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 are arranged spaced apart from one another, as viewed transversely of the motor vehicle 2, so that there is a gap between each of the adjacent sheet metal parts 9, 10 and 10, 11. In this case, the gaps are wider than the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 themselves.

[0021] The body structure 3 has a cross member 12 located at the rear in the forward direction of travel, which thus extends transversely to the longitudinal center axis of the motor vehicle 2 and projects upwards from the vehicle floor 4.

[0022] Viewed in the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle 2, a heel plate 13 is arranged at a distance from the cross member 12. This heel plate 13 rests on the vehicle floor 4 and extends transversely, essentially parallel to the cross member 12. A recess 14 in the body structure 3 is thus formed between the cross member 12 and the heel plate 13. This recess 14 is partially covered by the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11, so that a cavity 15 is created beneath the seat pan 5.

[0023] The sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 rest on the edge of the cross member 12 on the one hand and on the free upper side of the heel plate 13 on the other. At the contact points, the respective sheet metal part 9, 10, 11 is welded to the heel plate 13 or to the cross member 12, thus creating a materially bonded and permanently load-bearing connection between the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 and the heel plate 13 on the one hand, and the cross member 12 on the other.

[0024] Fig. Figure 2 shows a perspective side view of the vehicle seat assembly 1, in which the recess 14 between the heel plate 13 and the cross member 12 and the resulting cavity 15 are clearly visible. The sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 preferably do not have a straight line in their longitudinal extension, but are provided with one or more curves to provide optimal support for the vehicle seats 6, 7, 8 located thereon or to be arranged thereon, both in terms of load-bearing capacity and seating comfort.

[0025] The sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11, together with the remaining body structure 3, form the bodyshell or body-in-white of the motor vehicle 2. The bodyshell is subjected to a painting process in which the bodyshell is coated, in particular, with a corrosion-inhibiting coating. The seat pan 5 thus forms an integral part of the bodyshell. The spaced-apart arrangement of the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 ensures that the underlying cavity 15 remains accessible and thus usable even after assembly.

[0026] Fig. Figure 3 shows a further embodiment of the vehicle seat assembly 1, with only the seat pan 5 being shown here. Elements already known from the previous embodiment are provided with the same reference numerals, so reference is made to the above description. The following will essentially focus on the differences.

[0027] In contrast to the previous exemplary embodiment, the seat pan 5 now has, in addition to the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11, a lattice structure 16 designed as a wire frame 17 or wire grid. The lattice structure 16 is thus formed by several interconnected, in particular welded, wire elements that extend in a coarse mesh. The sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 are held on the lattice structure 16, with the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 essentially resting on the wires, although some of the wires can also run above the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 or even run through openings in the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11. The lattice structure 16 aligns the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 with one another even before the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 are mounted on the body structure 3, thus making mounting the seat pan 5 on the body structure 3 even easier.To secure the seat pan 5, the sheet metal parts 9, 10, 11 are either welded directly to the heel plate 13 and the cross member 12, or they are welded to the grid structure 16, which is then welded and secured to the upper side of the heel plate 13 and the cross member 12. This also results in the advantages already mentioned above. List of reference symbols 1 vehicle seat device 2 motor vehicles 3 Body structure 4 Vehicle floor 5 Seat pan 6 vehicle seat 7 Vehicle seat 8 Vehicle seat 9 Sheet metal part 10 sheet metal part 11 Sheet metal part 12 cross members 13 Heel plate 14 Deepening 15 cavity 16 Lattice structure 17 wire frames

Claims

[1] Vehicle seat device (1) for a rear seat of a motor vehicle (2) having a plurality of vehicle seats (6-8), with at least one seat pan (5) designed as a sheet metal part (9-11), which serves to support at least one of the vehicle seats (6-8) of the rear seat, wherein the seat pan (5) rests on a body structure (3) of the vehicle at least at the edge and is fastened to the body structure (3), characterized by that the seat pan (5) is designed in several parts and has a sheet metal part (9-11) for each of the vehicle seats (6-8), and that the sheet metal parts (9-11) are arranged at a distance from one another. [2] Vehicle seat device (1) according to claim 1, characterized by that the sheet metal parts (9-11) are attached to the body structure (3) by welding to the body structure (3). [3] Vehicle seat device (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the body structure (3) has at least one heel plate (13) which is fastened to a vehicle floor (4) and on whose free upper side at least one of the sheet metal parts (9-11) of the seat pan (5) rests. [4] Vehicle seat device (1) according to claim 3, characterized by that each of the sheet metal parts (9-11) of the seat pan (5) rests on the heel plate (13). [5] Vehicle seat device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 3 or 4, characterized by that the respective sheet metal part (9-11) rests on the edge of the heel plate (13). [6] Vehicle seat device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 5, characterized by that the respective sheet metal part (9-11) is welded directly to the heel plate (13). [7] Vehicle seat device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 6, characterized bythat a grid structure (16) is mounted on the heel plate (13), to which the respective sheet metal part (9-11) is held welded. [8] Vehicle seat device (1) according to claim 7, characterized by that the grid structure (16) is a wire frame (17). [9] Vehicle seat device (1) according to one of the preceding claims 3 to 8, characterized by that the respective sheet metal part (9-11) rests on the heel plate (13) on the one hand and on a cross member (12) of the body structure (3) arranged at a distance therefrom on the other hand in order to form a cavity (15) between the heel plate (13) and the cross member (12). [10] Motor vehicle (2) with a vehicle seat device (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9. [11] Method for producing a motor vehicle (2), in which a body structure (3) is manufactured, the body structure (3) is painted and a vehicle seat device (1) is arranged on the body structure (3), which is manufactured according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by that first the body structure (3) is manufactured and the sheet metal parts (9-11) are welded to the body structure (3), and that the painting is then carried out.

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