Seat device for vehicle

Abstract

To reduce such a possibility that the skin obstructs the upheaval deformation of a pad member caused by an air bag device, and achieve the required submarine suppression effect.SOLUTION: A seat device 10 for vehicle includes: a frame 16; a seat cushion 22 which is provided on the frame 16 and includes a pad member 40 and a skin 42 that covers the pad member 40; and an air bag device 54 which is installed in the frame 16 to deform the front part of the pad member 40 so that it bulges upwards. The skin 42 includes a folding part (extension part) 46 which is extendable so as to allow upheaval deformation of the pad member 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat apparatus, and more particularly to a vehicle seat apparatus incorporating a mechanism for suppressing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known seat devices for vehicles such as automobiles that incorporate a submarine suppression mechanism that uses an airbag device to deform the front of the seat cushion by raising it upward in order to suppress the submarine phenomenon, in which the lower half of a seat occupant slides forward off the seat cushion when a large acceleration acts on the seat occupant in the forward / rearward direction (e.g., Patent Documents 1 and 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-193844 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2007-153030 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The seat cushion includes a padding material made of polyurethane foam or the like and a skin made of leather, resin sheet or the like that covers the padding material. When the padding material is deformed by the airbag device, the skin tends to be taut and inhibit the deformation of the padding material, which reduces the submarine suppression effect.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to reduce the inhibition by the surface layer of the rising deformation of the pad member caused by the airbag device, thereby achieving the desired submarine suppression effect. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A vehicle seat device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle seat device (10) having a frame (10), a seat cushion (22) including a pad member (40) provided on the frame and a cover (42) covering the pad member, and an airbag device (54) provided on the frame so as to deform a front portion of the pad member so as to rise upward, and the cover includes a deployment portion (46, 42C, 80A, 43A, 45A) that is extensible to allow the rising deformation of the pad member.

[0007] According to this configuration, the obstruction of the protruding deformation of the pad member by the surface skin is reduced, and the desired submarine suppression effect is obtained.

[0008] In the above vehicle seat apparatus, the deployment portion preferably includes a folded-up portion (46) of the cover.

[0009] According to this configuration, the deployment section can be obtained with a simple configuration.

[0010] In the above vehicle seat device, the deployment portion preferably includes a joint (82) that joins the overlapping portions (42C, 80A) of the skins in a breakable manner when the airbag device is deployed.

[0011] According to this configuration, the deployment section can be obtained with a simple configuration.

[0012] In the above vehicle seat device, the deployment portion preferably includes a first joint (82) that joins the two overlapping end portions (42C, 80A) of the skin in a manner that allows them to be broken when the airbag device is deployed, and a second joint (84) that is located closer to the end portions than the first joint and joins the two overlapping end portions of the skin in a manner that allows them to be unbreakable when the airbag device is deployed.

[0013] According to this configuration, the deployment section can be obtained with a simple configuration.

[0014] In the vehicle seat apparatus, preferably, the joint portion includes a stitched portion.

[0015] This configuration provides a reliable joint.

[0016] In the vehicle seat device, preferably, the deployment portion includes a clip (90) that resiliently grips two overlapping end portions (43A, 45A) of the skin, and the clip is configured to release the end portions when the airbag device is deployed.

[0017] According to this configuration, the deployment section can be easily configured by utilizing the hanging portion of the skin.

[0018] In the vehicle seat apparatus described above, preferably, the clip forms a hanging portion for the cover.

[0019] According to this configuration, the hanging portion of the skin is utilized as the deployment portion.

[0020] In the vehicle seat device, the pad member preferably has a groove (41) extending in the transverse direction on its upper surface at a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to the airbag device.

[0021] With this configuration, the pad member can be easily deformed and raised by the airbag device.

[0022] In the vehicle seat apparatus, the pad member preferably has a groove (41) extending laterally on its lower surface at a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to the airbag device.

[0023] With this configuration, the pad member can be easily deformed and raised by the airbag device.

[0024] The vehicle seat device preferably further includes a harness (58) extending between the frame and the seat cushion and connected to the airbag device, and a cover member (60) fixed to the frame and covering the harness.

[0025] With this configuration, the harness is less likely to break. Effect of the Invention

[0026] According to the above configuration, According to the vehicle seat device of the present invention, the inhibition of the rising deformation of the pad member by the surface layer is reduced, and the required submarine suppression effect is obtained. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a partially sectional perspective view showing a vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view showing a front pan and an airbag device of a vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment; [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a harness arrangement portion of a vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment; [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle seat device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a harness arrangement portion of a vehicle seat device according to a third embodiment; [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle seat device according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view of a vehicle seat device according to a fifth embodiment; [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main portion of a vehicle seat device according to another embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an enlarged perspective view showing a front pan and an airbag device of a vehicle seat apparatus according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0028] (Embodiment 1) A vehicle seat device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat device 10 is a seat device for an automobile, and is mounted on a slider (upper rail) 14 slidably engaged with left and right guide rails (lower rails) 12 installed on a floor panel (not shown) of the automobile, and its position in the fore-and-aft direction can be changed.

[0030] The vehicle seat device 10 has a seat cushion frame 16 fixed to a slider 14, a support shaft 18 extending in the left-right direction (lateral direction) at the rear of the seat cushion frame 16, and a seat back frame 20 that includes a lower end attached to the support shaft 18 and is tiltable around the support shaft 18. A seat cushion 22 that supports the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant is attached to the upper part of the seat cushion frame 16. A seat back 24 that forms a backrest for the seated occupant is attached to the front part of the seat back frame 20. A headrest 26 is attached to the upper part of the seat back 24.

[0031] The seat cushion frame 16 includes left and right side members 30 extending parallel to each other in the fore-and-aft direction, a front pan 32 extending in the left-right direction to connect front portions of the left and right side members 30 to each other, and a rear rod 34 extending in the left-right direction to connect rear portions of the left and right side members 30 to each other, and has a rectangular frame shape in a plan view.

[0032] The seat cushion 22 has a pad member 40 made of foamed polyurethane resin or the like, and a skin 42 that covers the outer surface of the pad member 40 except for the bottom surface, and has a rectangular shape in a plan view. The seat cushion 22 is supported on both the left and right sides by the left and right side members 30, at the front by the front pan 32, and at the rear by the rear rod 34, and extends so as to present a substantially horizontal upper surface.

[0033] The skin 42 is made of leather, a resin sheet, a woven fabric, or the like. As shown in Fig. 2, the skin 42 has a front part 42A extending along the front part 40A of the pad member 40. The front part 42A of the skin 42 has a folded part 46 that is folded back and forth at a predetermined vertical length on the lower side and overlaps front and rear. Adjacent folded parts 46 are attached to each other with a double-sided adhesive tape (not shown) or the like to maintain the overlapping state.

[0034] The folded-back portion 46 serves as a deployment portion that extends to increase the front-to-rear length of the upper surface portion of the skin 42 under the condition of bonding failure when it receives a tension of a predetermined value or more so as to allow for the rising deformation of the pad member 40 caused by the deployment action of the airbag device 54 described later. Note that the tension referred to here is a vertical tension, which is the front-to-rear direction on the upper surface of the skin 42.

[0035] The cover 42 is folded rearward from the lower end of the folded-back portion 46, and extends rearward below the pad member 40, with a fastening fitting 50 attached to the end of the rearward extending portion 42B by stitching 48 or the like. The fastening fitting 50 has a hook portion 50A at its tip which engages with the rear edge portion 32A of the front pan 32. This engagement applies a predetermined tension to the cover 42 in a steady state. The tension applied to the cover 42 in this steady state is set to a level that does not destroy the bonding of the folded-back portion 46.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the front pan 32 includes a recessed portion 32B that is long in the left-right direction. A mount bracket 52, which has a lower surface shape similar to the upper surface shape of the front pan 32, is fixed to the upper surface of the front pan 32 by fasteners 56 such as rivets. An airbag device 54 is attached to the mount bracket 52 at a portion corresponding to the recessed portion 32B. The airbag device 54 includes an inflator (not shown) and an airbag (not shown), and the airbag is inflated by operating the inflator in response to an external electric signal. Hereinafter, this inflation of the airbag is referred to as the deployment operation of the airbag device 54. The deployment operation of the airbag device 54 may be performed when longitudinal acceleration equal to or greater than a predetermined value acts on the vehicle seat device 10 and the seated occupant, such as during a vehicle collision.

[0037] A groove 41 extending in the left-right direction (lateral direction) is formed on the upper surface of the pad member 40 at a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to the airbag device 54.

[0038] When the airbag device 54 deploys in response to an external electric signal, the front part of the pad member 40 deforms so as to rise upward in a mountain shape with the apex directly above the airbag device 54. When the front part of the pad member 40 rises, the thighs of the seated occupant are lifted along the rising deformation. This action causes the rising deformation of the pad member 40 to resist the lower body of the seated occupant from sliding forward from the seat cushion 22, suppressing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon.

[0039] When the pad member 40 is deformed upward, a tension of a predetermined value or more is applied to the skin 42. This tension breaks the adhesion of the folded portion 46 of the skin 42, and the folded portion 46 unfolds. As a result, the front-to-rear length of the upper surface of the skin 42 is stretched to increase.

[0040] This behavior reduces the obstruction by the cover 42 of the rising deformation of the pad member 40 caused by the deployment action of the airbag device 54, and the rising deformation of the pad member 40 is performed satisfactorily, thereby obtaining the required submarine suppression effect.

[0041] The provision of the grooves 41 reduces the force required for the rising deformation of the pad member 40 due to the deployment action of the airbag device 54. As a result, the rising deformation of the pad member 40 is ensured even if a high-output airbag device 54 is not used, and the reliability of the submarine suppression effect is improved.

[0042] 1, in order to send an electrical signal from outside to the airbag device 54, a harness (electrical wires) 58 is wired on the front pan 32. The harness 58 extends between the upper surface of the front flange portion 32C of the front pan 32 and the lower surface of the pad member 40 of the seat cushion 22, and is connected to the airbag device 54.

[0043] 1 and 3, a cover member 60 is provided on the upper surface of the front flange portion 32C, covering the harness 58 over substantially the entire length of the portion extending in the front-rear direction on the upper surface of the front flange portion 32C. As shown in FIG. 4(A), the cover member 60 is an electrically insulating resin molded product, and has a semi-cylindrical portion 60A that houses the harness 58, flange portions 60B that extend outward from both edges of the semi-cylindrical portion 60A, and a plurality of locking claw portions 62 that have a check shape and extend downward from the lower surface of the flange portion 60B. The cover member 60 is fixed to the front pan 32 by inserting each of the locking claw portions 62 into a through hole 32D formed in the front flange portion 32C.

[0044] The cover member 60 prevents the harness 58 from being broken due to interference with the pad member 40 caused by shock or vibration when sitting down or by the pad member 40 being bulging and deforming.

[0045] The cover member 60 may be configured by combining two left and right halves 64, 66 as shown in Fig. 4(B). In this case, the locking claw portion 62 is formed on the flange portions 64A, 66A of each of the halves 64, 66. As shown in Fig. 4(C), the cover member 60 may have a split-half structure in which a receiving portion 68 for the harness 58 can be opened and closed by a hinge 68A. In this case, the locking claw portion 62 is formed on a base portion 68B of the receiving portion 68.

[0046] (Embodiment 2) A second embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 5. In Fig. 5, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 2, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0047] The skin 42 includes an auxiliary skin 80 having an end portion 80A overlapping the end portion 42C of the rear extension portion 42B in the front-rear direction. A fastening fitting 50 is attached to the auxiliary skin 80 by stitching 48 or the like. The fastening fitting 50 has a hook portion 50A at its tip that engages with the rear edge portion 32A of the front pan 32.

[0048] End portion 42C and end portion 80A overlap each other with a predetermined vertical length, and are joined to each other in two stages by a first joint portion 82 that can be broken when airbag device 54 is deployed, and a second joint portion 84 that is located closer to the terminal side of end portions 42C, 80A than first joint portion 82 and is joined so as to be unbreakable when airbag device 54 is deployed, forming a deployment portion that extends the vertical length of skin 42. First joint portion 82 and second joint portion 84 are formed by stitching having different stitching strengths, adhesion having different adhesive strengths, or the like.

[0049] In a steady state, as shown in FIG. 5, the first joint 82 and the second joint 84 are not broken, and the first joint 82 and the second joint 84 are overlapping each other with a predetermined vertical length.

[0050] When the front part of the pad member 40 is deformed upward by the deployment operation of the airbag device 54, a tension of a predetermined value or more is applied to the skin 42, and the first joint portion 82 is broken. As a result, the overlapping portions of the end portion 42C and the end portion 80A are separated from each other, and the skin 42 is stretched to increase the front-to-rear length of the upper surface portion.

[0051] This behavior reduces the obstruction by the cover 42 of the uplift deformation of the pad member 40 caused by the deployment action of the airbag device 54, and the uplift deformation of the pad member 40 is performed satisfactorily, so that the required submarine suppression effect is obtained in this embodiment as well.

[0052] Since the second joint portion 84 maintains the jointed state even after the airbag device 54 is deployed, the pad member 40 is not exposed to the outside.

[0053] The skin 42 and the auxiliary skin 80 may be integral, and the end portion 42C and the end portion 80A may be bent into a U-shape. In this case, the second joint portion 84 may be omitted.

[0054] (Embodiment 3) A vehicle seat device according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6. In Fig. 6, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 2 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 2, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0055] The pad member 40 has a hanging groove 86 extending in the left-right direction in the middle part in the front-rear direction. The hanging groove 86 is a bottomed groove that opens to the upper surface of the pad member 40.

[0056] The skin 42 includes a rear skin 43 covering the rear side of the hanging groove 86 of the pad member 40, and a front skin 45 covering the front side of the hanging groove 86 of the pad member 40. The rear skin 43 has a front end portion 43A dropped into the hanging groove 86. The front skin 45 has a rear end portion 45A dropped into the hanging groove 86. The front end portion 43A and the rear end portion 45A overlap each other over a predetermined vertical length, and an anchor member 90 is connected to the terminal portions by stitching 88.

[0057] The pad member 40 has a clip member 92 made of a resin molded product fixed to the bottom of the hanging groove 86. The clip member 92 has a pair of front and rear gripping claws 92A and a lateral U-shaped operating arm 92B that extends from the front gripping claw 92A to a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to a position directly above the airbag device 54.

[0058] The pair of front and rear gripping claw portions 92A resiliently grip the anchor member 90 while applying vertical tension to the rear skin 43 and the front skin 45 under steady state conditions, and the operating arm portion 92B receives an upward force at its free end from the airbag device 54 when the airbag device 54 deploys, thereby deforming the pair of front and rear gripping claw portions 92A in directions away from each other.

[0059] As a result, when the airbag device 54 deploys, the anchor member 90 disengages from the clip member 92, allowing the front end portion 43A of the rear skin 43 and the rear end portion 45A of the front skin 45 to freely slip upward from the hanging groove 86.

[0060] When the front part of the pad member 40 is raised and deformed by the deployment action of the airbag device 54, the front end portion 43A of the rear skin 43 and the rear end portion 45A of the front skin 45 can freely move upward from the hanging groove 86, and the skin 42 can be stretched vertically with resistance.

[0061] This reduces the obstruction by the cover 42 of the rising deformation of the pad member 40 caused by the deployment action of the airbag device 54, and the rising deformation of the pad member 40 is performed satisfactorily, so that the required submarine suppression effect is obtained in this embodiment as well.

[0062] In this embodiment, the hanging groove 86 functions in the same manner as the groove 41 in the first embodiment, and the force required for the rising deformation of the pad member 40 due to the deployment action of the airbag device 54 is reduced.

[0063] (Embodiment 4) A fourth embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6 are given the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 6, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0064] In the fourth embodiment, the clip member 92 is disposed at a position where the hanging groove 86 and the clip member 92 correspond to a position directly above the airbag device 54. In this embodiment, the clip member 92 has a pair of flange portions 92C extending outward from a pair of gripping claw portions 92A.

[0065] When the airbag device 54 deploys, an upward force is applied to the bottom of the clip member 92 from the airbag device 54, causing the pair of front and rear gripping claws 92A to deform in directions away from each other.

[0066] As a result, when the airbag device 54 deploys, similarly to embodiment 3, the anchor member 90 disengages from the clip member 92, and the front end portion 43A of the rear skin 43 and the rear end portion 45A of the front skin 45 are able to freely slip upward from the hanging groove 86.

[0067] As a result, even in the fourth embodiment, the obstruction by the skin 42 of the rising deformation of the pad member 40 due to the deployment action of the airbag device 54 is reduced, and the rising deformation of the pad member 40 is performed satisfactorily, and the required submarine suppression effect is obtained in this embodiment as well.

[0068] Also in this embodiment, the hanging groove 86 functions in the same manner as the groove 41 in the first embodiment, and the force required for the rising deformation of the pad member 40 due to the deployment action of the airbag device 54 is reduced.

[0069] (Embodiment 5) A fifth embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. In Fig. 8, parts corresponding to those in Fig. 1 are given the same reference numerals as those in Fig. 1, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0070] In the fifth embodiment, the front pan 32 of the seat cushion frame 16 is provided at the front end portions of the left and right side members 30 so as to be tiltable upward toward the front by a pivot 100 extending horizontally.

[0071] The front pan 32 is biased upward by a compression coil spring 102 provided between the front pan 32 and a support plate 15 connected to the slider 14 .

[0072] A locking member 108 is provided on the support plate 15 by a bracket 104 so as to be rotatable about a horizontal axis. The locking member 108 is biased by a torsion coil spring (not shown) in a direction in which a locking claw portion 108A engages with an engagement recess 110 formed in the front pan 32.

[0073] When the locking claw portion 108A of the locking member 108 is engaged with the engagement recess 110, the front pan 32 takes a substantially horizontal position, and accordingly the seat cushion 22 maintains a stationary state in a substantially horizontal position.

[0074] The locking member 108 is driven by an actuator (not shown) in a direction in which the locking claw portion 108A is disengaged from the engagement recess 110. When the locking claw portion 108A of the locking member 108 is disengaged from the engagement recess 110, the front pan 32 is tilted upward toward the front about the pivot 100 by the spring force of the compression coil spring 102. In accordance with this tilting, the front portion of the seat cushion frame 16 is deformed so as to tilt upward toward the front. This increases the resistance of the lower body of the seated occupant to sliding forward from the seat cushion 22, suppressing the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon.

[0075] Although the description of the specific embodiment is finished above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment and can be widely modified. For example, as shown in Fig. 9, the groove 41 may extend in the left-right direction on the lower surface of the pad member 40 at a position in the front-rear direction corresponding to the airbag device 54. As shown in Fig. 10, the harness 58 may be arranged to extend from the airbag device 54 over the front pan 32 toward the rear edge 32A of the front pan 32. In this case, the harness 58 is covered by the cover member 60 over the entire length of the portion that extends along the front pan 32. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10: Vehicle seat device 14: Slider 15: Support plate 16: Seat cushion frame 18: Support shaft 20: Seat back frame 22: Seat cushion 24: Seat back 26: Headrest 30: Side member 32: Front pan 32A: Trailing edge 32B: Recess 32C: Front flange 32D: Through hole 34: Rear rod 40: Pad material 40A: Front 41: Groove 42: Epidermis 42A: Front 42B: Rear extension part 42C :Terminal part 43: Posterior epidermis 43A: Front end 45: Anterior epidermis 45A: Posterior end 46: Folded section 48: Suture 50: Locking hardware 50A: Hook part 52: Mounting bracket 54: Airbag device 56: Fasteners 58: Harness 60: Cover member 60A: Semi-cylindrical section 60B: Flange part 62: Locking claw part 64 :Half body 66 :half body 68: Acceptance Department 68A: Hinge 68B: Base 80: Auxiliary epidermis 80A: End part 82: First joint 84: Second joint 86: Hanging groove 88: Suture 90: Anchor member 92: Clip material 92A: Gripping claw part 92B: Operating arm part 92C: Flange part 100: Axis 102: Compression coil spring 104: Bracket 108: Locking member 108A:Latching claw part 110: Engagement recess

Claims

1. A vehicle seat device comprising: a frame; a seat cushion including a pad member provided on the frame and a skin covering the pad member; and an airbag device provided on the frame to deform a front portion of the pad member so as to rise upward, A groove is formed on the upper surface of the pad member so as to extend in the left-right direction, The vehicle seat apparatus, wherein the airbag device overlaps with the groove in a thickness direction of the pad member.

2. The skin has an expandable portion that can be stretched to allow the pad member to be raised and deformed, The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the deployment portion is disposed within the groove.

3. The skin has an anchor member provided in the deployment portion, 3. The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the pad member has a clip member capable of gripping the anchor member.

4. A vehicle seat apparatus as described in Claim 3, characterized in that the clip member is provided at the bottom of the groove.

5. A vehicle seat device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the anchor member and the clip member are released from their gripping state when they receive a force from the airbag device during the deployment operation of the airbag device.

6. A vehicle seat device as described in Claim 5, characterized in that, when viewed from the left-right direction, the clip member is positioned above the airbag device.

7. The clip member has a pair of gripping claw portions that grip the anchor member, and a pair of flange portions that extend outwardly from the pair of gripping claw portions, 7. The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the flange portion is disposed above the airbag apparatus when viewed from the left-right direction.

8. A vehicle seat device as described in claim 3, characterized in that the front-to-rear width of the clip member is larger than the front-to-rear width of the airbag device.

9. A vehicle seat apparatus as described in Claim 7, characterized in that the flange portion extends from the groove into the interior of the pad member.

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