Seat device for vehicle

Abstract

To make it possible to restrain foreign objects from entering the inside of a rotating mechanism in a seat device for a vehicle which is provided with the rotating mechanism including a rotating member to which a seat cushion frame supporting a seat cushion is attached and a base member which rotatably supports the rotating member from the lower side.SOLUTION: At least one part along a circumferential direction of an upper outer periphery of a rotating member 30 is covered from the outside with a cover 65.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat apparatus including a rotation mechanism having a rotation member to which a seat cushion frame supporting a seat cushion is attached, and a base member that rotatably supports the rotation member from below. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle seat apparatus including a rotation mechanism for enabling a seat to be rotated relative to a floor is known from Patent Document 1 and the like. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2010-173491 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, in order to facilitate the operation of the rotating mechanism located under the seat cushion, the intrusion of foreign objects into the rotating mechanism should be prevented as much as possible, but the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 does not disclose a structure for preventing the intrusion of foreign objects into the rotating mechanism.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide a vehicle seat apparatus capable of preventing intrusion of foreign matter into a rotation mechanism. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a first feature in that, in a vehicle seat device equipped with a rotating mechanism having a rotating member to which a seat cushion frame supporting a seat cushion is attached, and a base member that rotatably supports the rotating member from below, at least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member is covered from the outside with a cover.

[0007] In addition to the configuration of the first characteristic, the present invention has a second characteristic in that the cover is positioned in a position to cover the upper outer periphery of the rotating member from behind when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0008] The present invention has a third feature in that, in addition to the configuration of the second feature, the cover is formed by extending a skin of the seat cushion.

[0009] In addition to the configuration of the first or second characteristic, the present invention has a fourth characteristic in that the cover of the seat cushion is connected to the rear end edge of the upper end of the rotating member while contacting the outer surface of the cover when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0010] A fifth feature of the present invention is that, in addition to the configuration of the first, second or fourth feature, the seat cushion frame has a pair of side frames extending linearly and supported by the rotating member, and the cover is attached to the side frames.

[0011] A sixth feature of the present invention is that, in addition to the configuration of the first, second, fourth or fifth feature, the outer surface of the cover is formed in an arc shape that bulges outward from the rotating member.

[0012] A seventh feature of the present invention is that, in addition to any one of the configurations of the first to sixth features, a fixed cover member that covers at least the base member from the rear when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is fixedly positioned below the cover.

[0013] An eighth feature of the present invention is that, in addition to the configuration of the seventh feature, the fixed cover member is formed so as to be in relative sliding contact with the lower part of the cover when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0014] The present invention has a ninth feature in that, in addition to the seventh or eighth feature, the lower end position of a side cover that covers the side frame from the outside is set to be the same as the lower end position of the cover.

[0015] Furthermore, in addition to the configuration of the ninth characteristic, the present invention has a tenth characteristic in that the cover is formed integrally with at least one of the pair of side covers. Effect of the Invention

[0016] According to a first feature of the present invention, at least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member is covered from the outside with a cover, thereby preventing foreign matter from entering the rotating mechanism at least in the area covered by the cover.

[0017] In addition, according to the second feature of the present invention, when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cover covers the upper outer periphery of the rotating member from the rear, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward.

[0018] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the cover is formed from the surface skin of the seat cushion, so that it is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts when preventing foreign matter from entering the rotating mechanism.

[0019] According to a fourth feature of the present invention, the seat cushion cover is connected to the rear edge of the upper end of the rotating member when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the cover contacts the outer surface of the cover, so that the upper part of the cover can be connected to the seat cushion cover, and therefore, the intrusion of foreign objects into the rotating mechanism from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward can be more effectively prevented.

[0020] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the cover is attached to the pair of side frames of the seat cushion frame, so that the cover can be rotated together with the seat with a simple structure.

[0021] According to the sixth feature of the present invention, the outer surface of the cover is arc-shaped and bulges outward from the rotating member, so that when the cover rotates together with the seat, even if the cover comes into contact with luggage or the like on the floor inside the vehicle cabin, the cover and therefore the seat can rotate smoothly.

[0022] According to the seventh feature of the present invention, a fixed cover member is fixedly positioned below the cover, covering at least the base member from the rear when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward.

[0023] According to an eighth feature of the present invention, the fixed cover member is in relative sliding contact with the lower part of the cover, thereby more effectively preventing foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat and passenger seat are facing forward.

[0024] According to a ninth feature of the present invention, the lower end position of the side cover is the same as the lower end position of the cover, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat and passenger seat are facing in the vehicle width direction.

[0025] Furthermore, according to the tenth feature of the present invention, the cover is formed integrally with at least one of the pair of side covers, so that an increase in the number of parts due to the provision of the cover can be avoided and the assembly of the cover can be facilitated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view seen from the direction of an arrow 2 in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 with a seat cushion, a seat back, and a side cover removed. [Figure 4]6 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the slide rail and the rotation mechanism, taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 5. [Diagram 5] 5 is a view of the slide rail and the rotation mechanism as viewed from the direction of the arrow 5 in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the vehicle seat device taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 8 of the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a perspective view corresponding to FIG. 2 of a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the terms "front / rear," "left / right," and "up / down" refer to directions as viewed from a seated occupant in a seat facing forward.

[0028] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. First, in Figures 1 and 2, a seat 11 of a vehicle seat device 10 mounted on a vehicle includes a seat cushion 12 forming a seating area for an occupant and a seat back 13 arranged above the seat cushion 12, with side covers 14 provided on both sides of the seat cushion 12 and a headrest 15 for supporting the head of the occupant provided on the upper part of the seat back 13.

[0029] Referring also to Figure 3, the vehicle seat device 10 includes a pair of slide rails 16 that extend in a straight line parallel to each other with a gap between them in the left-right direction to enable the seat 11 to slide, and a rotation mechanism 17 that supports the seat 11 rotatably and can move along the slide rails 16.

[0030] The seat frame 18 of the vehicle seat device 10 includes a seat cushion frame 19 that supports the seat cushion 12, and a seat back frame 20 that is connected to the seat cushion frame 19 so as to support a seat back 13 arranged above the seat cushion 12.

[0031] The seat cushion frame 19 has a pair of side frames 19a arranged to extend linearly in the front-to-rear direction so as to be aligned at positions spaced apart from each other in the left-to-right direction, a pan frame 19b connecting the front ends of the side frames 19a, and a rear pipe 19c connecting the rear ends of the pair of side frames 19a.

[0032] A cushion-side pressure-receiving member 21 is bridged between the pan frame 19b and the rear pipe 19c. This cushion-side pressure-receiving member 21 has a plurality of seat springs 22 (four in this embodiment) formed by bending a metal wire in a zigzag pattern so as to snake left and right, and the seat springs 22 are arranged so that adjacent seat springs 22 are symmetrical with each other, and adjacent seat springs 22 are connected to each other by a plurality of resin intermediate connecting members 23 molded integrally with the seat springs 22 by insert molding.

[0033] The front ends of the plurality of seat springs 22 are engaged with locking portions 24 provided on the pan frame 19b of the seat frame 18. The rear ends of the adjacent seat springs 22 are engaged with the rear pipe 19c of the seat frame 18 and are connected by a resin rear end connecting member 25 molded integrally with the seat springs 22 by insert molding, and the rear end connecting member 25 is formed so as to cover the rear pipe 19c.

[0034] The seatback frame 20 has a pair of seatback side frames 20a extending in the vertical direction and aligned at positions spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction, an upper frame 20b connecting the upper ends of the seatback side frames 20a, and a lower frame 20c connecting the lower ends of the pair of seatback side frames 20a.

[0035] A back-side pressure-receiving member 26 made of resin or the like and capable of elastic deformation is disposed between the pair of seatback side frames 20a, and this back-side pressure-receiving member 26 is bridged between the left and right seatback side frames 20a via an upper connecting wire 27 and a lower connecting wire 28.

[0036] Referring to Figures 4 and 5 together, the seat frame 18 is placed on the rotation mechanism 17, and this rotation mechanism 17 includes a base member 29 movable along the slide rail 16, an annular rotating member 30 that supports the seat frame 18 and is rotatably supported on the base member 29, and a cover member 31 that covers a portion of the rotating member 30 from above and is fixed to the base member 29.

[0037] The base member 29 has an annular first bottom wall portion 29a, a cylindrical first side wall portion 29b rising upward from the outer periphery of the first bottom wall portion 29a, and a first flange portion 29c extending outward from the upper end portion of the first side wall portion 29b, the first flange portion 29c being formed in a rectangular shape. The base member 29 is disposed on the inner side of the width direction center portion of the pair of slide rails 16 and below the cushion side pressure-receiving member 21 in a plan view.

[0038] The cover member 31 also has an annular second bottom wall portion 31a that abuts against the first bottom wall portion 29a of the base member 29 from above, a cylindrical second side wall portion 31b that rises slightly upward from the outer periphery of the second bottom wall portion 31a, a first tapered portion 31c that is formed so as to have a larger diameter as it extends upward and is connected to the upper end of the second side wall portion 31b, an annular first flat wall portion 31d that is connected to the upper end of the first tapered portion 31c, and a cylindrical third side wall portion 31e that rises upward from the outer periphery of the first flat wall portion 31d, and the second bottom wall portion 31a is connected to the first bottom wall portion 29a of the base member 29 with a plurality of rivets 32.

[0039] The rotating member 30 has a second tapered portion 30a disposed at a position facing the first tapered portion 31c of the cover member 31 from the outside and formed so as to have a larger diameter toward the top, a cylindrical third side wall portion 30b rising upward from the upper end of the second tapered portion 30a so as to face the second side wall portion 31b of the cover member 31 from the outside, and a second flange portion 30c projecting outward from the third side wall portion 30b, the second flange portion 30c being formed in a rectangular shape. The side frames 19a of the seat cushion frame 19 in the seat frame 18 are fastened to the second flange portion 30c by a plurality of first bolts 34 and second nuts 35.

[0040] The rotating member 30 is rotatably supported by a ring-shaped rotating support portion 36 of the base member 29 via a bearing 37, and the rotating support portion 36 is formed such that a cross-sectional shape of the first bottom wall portion 29a and the first side wall portion 29b of the base member 29 is substantially L-shaped. will be done.

[0041] The bearing 37 is configured by holding balls 39 at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction of an annular retainer 38, and an annular recess 40 for allowing the balls 39 to roll is formed in the first tapered portion 31c of the rotating member 30.

[0042] The slide rail 16 is composed of a fixed rail 41 fixed to a floor surface 33 of the vehicle, and a movable rail 42 slidably fitted to the fixed rail 41. A protrusion 33a that extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and protrudes upward is formed on the floor surface 33, and by fixing the fixed rail 41 onto this protrusion 33a, it is possible to position the lower part of the rotation mechanism 17 lower than the lower end of the slide rail 16 in the vertical direction.

[0043] A support bracket 43 is connected to the movable rail 42, which extends to the inside of the pair of slide rails 16 and is formed integrally with or separately from the movable rail 42 (separately in this embodiment), and the base member 29 is fastened to the support bracket 43 by a second bolt 45 and a second nut 46 screwed onto the second bolt 45. In other words, the base member 29 is fixedly connected to the movable rail 42 via the support bracket 43.

[0044] The support bracket 43 is formed to have, integrally, a flat mounting plate portion 43a which is placed on the movable rail 42 so that its underside is fixed to the movable rail 42 by welding or the like, a side plate portion 43b which extends in the vertical direction at a position adjacent to the inside of the slide rail 16 and is connected to the mounting plate portion 43a at a right angle, and a flat connecting plate portion 43c which extends from the lower end of the side plate portion 43b to the side opposite the slide rail 16 and abuts against a first flange portion 29c of the base member 29 from below, and the connecting plate portion 43c is fastened to the first flange portion 29c of the base member 29.

[0045] A first hook member 47 is fixed to the side plate portion 43b of the support bracket 43 by welding or the like, and a second hook member 48 which cooperates with the first hook member 47 to form a deformation suppression mechanism 49 that suppresses the rotating member 30 from floating upward relative to the movable rail 42 is fixed to the third side plate portion 30b of the rotating member 30 by welding or the like and engages with the first hook member 47 while allowing the rotating member 30 to rotate.

[0046] The first hook member 47 is fixed to the support bracket 43 at a total of four locations corresponding to the front and rear ends of the pair of left and right movable rails 42, and the second hook member 48 is fixed to the third side plate portion 30b of the rotating member 30 at four locations corresponding to the first hook member 47.

[0047] 6 and 7, the locked and unlocked states of the rotating member 30 relative to the base member 29 and the cover member 31 are switched by operating a locking member 52 supported by the rotating member 30, and a rattle suppression member 53 linked to the operation of this locking member 52 is disposed between the cover member 31 and the rotating member 30.

[0048] A tapered push-out member 54 having a diameter increasing toward the top is disposed between the first tapered portion 31c of the cover member 31 and the second tapered portion 30a of the rotating member 30. The push-out member 54 is provided with accommodation holes 55 extending long in the circumferential direction of the push-out member 54 at a plurality of circumferentially spaced positions, and the rattle suppression member 53 interposed between the first tapered portion 31c of the cover member 31 and the second tapered portion 30a of the rotating member 30 is accommodated in the accommodation holes 55.

[0049] On the other hand, the locking member 52 is rotatably supported on the rotating member 30 via a shaft 51 having a vertical axis, and this locking member 52 is rotatable between a locked position where it engages with the first tapered portion 31c of the cover member 31 to prevent rotation of the rotating member 30 as shown in FIG. 6(a) and an unlocked position where it disengages from the first tapered portion 31c to allow rotation of the rotating member 30 as shown in FIG. 6(b), and is urged to rotate toward the locked position by a spring 56.

[0050] The connecting arm portion 52a of the locking member 52 is inserted into an insertion hole 57 formed in the second tapered portion 30a of the rotating member 30, and the tip portion of the connecting arm portion 52a can be inserted into a connecting hole 58 formed in the push-out member 54, and the locking member 52 is connected to the push-out member 54 by inserting the tip portion of the connecting arm portion 52a into the connecting hole 58. As shown in Fig. 6(b), when the locking member 52 is in the unlocked position, the connecting arm portion 52a is connected to the connecting hole 58, and a pressing force in the rotation direction of the push-out member 54 is applied from the connecting arm portion 52a to the push-out member 54.

[0051] In addition, the engagement arm 52b of the locking member 52 engages with a first through hole 59 formed in the second tapered portion 30a of the rotating member 30 and a second through hole 60 formed in the first tapered portion 31c of the cover member 31 in the locked position shown in FIG. 6(a), but disengages from the second through hole 60 to release the engagement with the cover member 31 in the unlocked position shown in FIG. 6(b), and the engagement arm 52b operates to straddle the push-out member 54 between the locked position and the unlocked position.

[0052] A recess 61 for accommodating a part of the rattle suppressing member 53 is formed in the second tapered portion 30a of the rotating member 30 so that the rattle suppressing member 53 can be tightly fitted therein.

[0053] The rattle suppression member 53 is formed in a wedge shape having a slope 53a whose height gradually decreases as it progresses in the movement direction 62 of the push-out member 54 in response to the operation of the locking member 52 from the unlocked position to the locked position, and the recess 61, which enables the rattle suppression member 53 to be tightly fitted in, is formed in a triangular shape having a recess side slope 61a opposite to the slope 53a and configured to accommodate a part of the rattle suppression member 53.

[0054] In addition, a coil spring 63 is compressed between the front end portion along the movement direction 62 of the longitudinal ends of the accommodating hole 55 formed in the push-out member 54 and the rattle suppression member 53, and the spring force exerted by this coil spring 63 urges the rattle suppression member 53 in the direction opposite to the movement direction 62.

[0055] When the locking member 52 is in the locked position, as shown in Figure 6(a), the inclined surface 53a of the rattle suppression member 53 tightly abuts against the recess side inclined surface 61a of the recess 61, thereby causing the rattle suppression member 52 to come into tight contact with the rotating member 30 and the cover member 31, thereby preventing rattle of the rotating member 30.

[0056] Furthermore, when the locking member 52 is in the unlocked position, as shown in Figure 6 (b), the rear end of each of the longitudinal ends of the accommodating hole 55 along the movement direction 62 abuts against the rattle suppression member 53, and the rattle suppression member 53 is pushed in the movement direction 62 against the force of the coil spring 63, so that the slope 53a of the rattle suppression member 53 moves away from the recess side slope 61a, and the rattle suppression state is released.

[0057] Referring also to Figure 8, at least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 in the rotating mechanism 17 is covered from the outside by a cover 65, and in this embodiment, when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cover 65 is positioned in a position covering the upper part of the third side wall portion 30b and the second flange portion 30c of the rotating member 30 from the rear.

[0058] Furthermore, when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cover 12a of the seat cushion 12 is connected to the rear end edge of the upper end of the rotating member 30, i.e., the rear end edge of the second flange portion 30c, and the upper part of the cover 65 is connected to the connecting portion of the cover 12a to the second flange portion 30c.

[0059] The cover 65 is attached to a pair of side frames 19a that form part of the seat cushion frame 19 via attachment arms 66 (see FIG. 5).

[0060] Moreover, the cover 65 has, integrally, a flat upper plate 65a, a lower plate 65b facing the upper plate 65a from below, a connecting plate 65c connecting the ends of the upper plate 65a and the lower plate 65b opposite the rotating member 30, and an end wall 65d connecting both widthwise ends of the upper plate 65a, the lower plate 65b and the connecting plate 65c, and the outer surface of this cover 65, i.e., the outer surface of the connecting plate 65c, is formed in an arc shape bulging outward from the rotating member 30.

[0061] In addition, a fixed cover member 67 that covers at least the base member 29 from the rear when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is fixedly positioned below the cover 65, and this fixed cover member 67 is attached, for example, to the rear end portion of the fixed rail 41 of the slide rail 16 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.

[0062] The fixed cover member 67, like the cover 65, has a flat upper plate 67a, a lower plate 67b facing the upper plate 67a from below, a connecting plate 67c connecting the ends of the upper plate 67a and the lower plate 67b opposite the rotating member 30, and an end wall 67d connecting both widthwise ends of the upper plate 67a, the lower plate 67b and the connecting plate 67c, and the outer surface of the connecting plate 67c is formed in an arc shape that bulges outward from the rotating member 30.

[0063] Moreover, the fixed cover member 67 is in relatively slidable contact with the lower part of the cover 65, and an upper plate part 67a at the upper end part of the fixed cover member 67 is in relatively slidable contact with the lower surface of the lower plate 65b of the cover 65.

[0064] The side frame 19a is covered from the outside by the side cover 14. The lower end position of this side cover 14 is set to be slightly above the upper surface of the mounting plate portion 43a of the support bracket 43 in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 4, and its vertical position is the same as the lower end position of the cover 65, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0065] Next, the operation of this first embodiment will be explained. At least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 which constitutes part of the rotating mechanism 17 equipped in the vehicle seat device 10 is covered from the outside by the cover 65, so that it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the rotating mechanism 17 at least in the portion covered by the cover 65.

[0066] In addition, the cover 65 is provided so that the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 faces forward in the vehicle front-rear direction. In this state, the cover 34 is positioned to cover the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 from the rear, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism 17 from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward.

[0067] In addition, when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the cover 12a of the seat cushion 12 is connected to the upper rear end edge of the rotating member 30 while being in contact with the outer surface of the cover 65, so that the upper part of the cover 65 can be connected to the cover 12a of the seat cushion 12, and therefore, the intrusion of foreign objects into the rotating mechanism 17 from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward can be more effectively prevented.

[0068] In addition, the seat cushion frame 19 has a pair of side frames 14 that extend linearly and are supported by the rotating member 30, and the cover 65 is attached to these side frames 14, so that the cover 65 can be rotated together with the seat 11 with a simple structure.

[0069] Furthermore, since the outer surface of the cover 65 is formed in an arc shape that bulges outward from the rotating member 30, even if the cover 65 comes into contact with luggage or the like on the floor inside the vehicle compartment when the cover 65 rotates together with the seat 11, the cover 65 and, by extension, the seat 11 can rotate smoothly.

[0070] In addition, a fixed cover member 67 that covers at least the base member 29 from the rear when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 faces forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is fixedly positioned below the cover 65, thereby preventing foreign objects from entering the rotation mechanism 17 from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat or passenger seat is facing forward.

[0071] Moreover, since the fixed cover member 67 is in relatively slidable contact with the lower part of the cover 65, it is possible to more effectively prevent foreign objects from entering the rotation mechanism 17 from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat and the passenger seat are facing forward. Also, since the outer surface of the fixed cover member 67 is formed in an arc shape that bulges outward from the rotation member 30, similar to the cover 65 above it, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of a gap between the seat 11 including the cover 65 and the fixed cover member 67 during the rotation of the seat 11, and it is possible to effectively prevent foreign objects from entering the rotation mechanism 17.

[0072] In addition, since the lower end position of the side cover 14 covering the seat cushion 12 from the outside is set to be the same as the lower end position of the cover 65, it is possible to prevent foreign objects from entering the rotating mechanism 17 from the rear passenger seat side when the driver's seat and passenger seat are facing in the vehicle width direction.

[0073] FIG. 9 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the parts corresponding to those in the first embodiment are simply shown with the same reference numerals assigned thereto, and detailed explanations thereof will be omitted.

[0074] A rotation mechanism 17 is disposed below a seat cushion 72 which constitutes a seat 71 together with the seat back 13. A cover mounting plate 74 which protrudes rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is fixed to a second tapered portion 30a of a rotating member 30 which constitutes part of the rotation mechanism 17, with the cover mounting plate 74 protruding rearward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle when an occupant seated on the seat cushion 72 is facing forward in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

[0075] On the other hand, a part of the surface 72a of the seat cushion 72 is extended downward so as to form a cover 75 that covers the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 from the rear when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 72 faces forward in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the lower end edge of this cover 75 is fixedly connected to the cover mounting plate 74. In this embodiment, a hook 76 fixed to the lower end edge of the cover 75 by sewing is fixed to the cover mounting plate 74. As a result, when the occupant sitting on the seat cushion 72 faces forward in the vehicle front-rear direction, the cover 75 covers the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 from the rear and is fixedly connected to the cover mounting plate 74, but the lower edge of the cover 75 may be directly fixed to the cover mounting plate 74 by adhesive or the like.

[0076] Further, a fixed cover member 77 is fixedly disposed below the cover 75 to cover at least the base member 29 from the rear in a state in which the occupant seated on the seat cushion 72 faces forward in the vehicle front-rear direction.

[0077] This fixed cover member 77 is attached, for example, to the rear end portion of the fixed rail 41 of the slide rail 16 in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and is formed integrally with a flat vertical wall portion 77a extending upward and downward along a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the slide rail 16, and a flat protruding plate portion 77b protruding rearward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle from the upper end of the vertical wall portion 77a.

[0078] The rear end edge of the protruding plate portion 77b along the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle is formed in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis of the rotating member 30 in order to contact the hook 76 and smooth the rotation of the hook 76 which rotates together with the rotating member 30.

[0079] According to the second embodiment, the cover 75 is formed by the skin 72a of the seat cushion 72, so that it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the rotating mechanism 17 without increasing the number of parts.

[0080] FIG. 10 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and parts corresponding to those of the first and second embodiments are simply shown with the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations are omitted.

[0081] At least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member 30 (see the first and second embodiments) in the rotating mechanism 17 is covered from the outside by a cover 78, and in this embodiment, when an occupant sitting on the seat cushion 12 is facing forward in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, the occupant is covered from the rear by the cover 78.

[0082] This cover 78 is basically configured in the same way as the cover 65 of the first embodiment described above, but is formed integrally with at least one of a pair of side covers 14 that cover from the outside a pair of side frames 14 (see the first embodiment) that constitute a part of the seat cushion frame 12. Moreover, the lower end position of the side cover 14 and the lower end position of the cover 77 are set to be the same, and a fixed cover member 67 is fixedly disposed below the cover 78.

[0083] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims.

[0084] For example, while in the above described embodiments the covers 65,78 are configured to rotate with the seats 11,71, it is possible for the covers 65,78 to be in a fixed position. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 10. Vehicle seat device 12. Seat cushion 12a... Epidermis 14 Side cover 17 Rotation mechanism 19···Seat cushion frame 19a···Side frame 29...Base member 30...Rotating member 65,75,78···Cover 67, 77...Fixed cover member

Claims

1. A vehicle seat device including a rotation mechanism having a rotation member to which a seat cushion frame supporting a seat cushion is attached and a base member that rotatably supports the rotation member from below, At least a portion of the circumferential direction of the upper outer periphery of the rotating member is surrounded from the outside by a cover, The seat cushion frame includes a pair of side frames arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and to extend linearly in the front-rear direction, and a rear pipe connecting rear ends of the side frames, The rear end of the cover is located rearward of the front end of the rear pipe and forward of the rear end of the seat cushion.

2. The vehicle seat device described in Claim 1, characterized in that the cover has a flat upper plate and a plate portion extending downward from the end of the upper plate opposite the rotating member.

3. A vehicle seat device as described in Claim 1, wherein the cover has a flat upper plate and end walls extending downward from both widthwise ends of the upper plate.

4. The cover has a flat upper plate, the base member rotatably supports the rotary member via a bearing; The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the upper plate is located rearward of the bearing.

5. The cover has a flat upper plate, the base member rotatably supports the rotary member via a bearing; The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the upper plate is positioned above the bearing.

6. A vehicle seat device as described in claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the cover is formed in an arc shape that bulges outward from the rotating member.

7. A side cover that covers the side frame from the outside, 2. The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower end positions of the side covers are set to be the same as the lower end position of the cover.

Images