Packing structure of vehicular seat

Abstract

To provide a packing structure of a vehicular seat that enables the seat to be packed and unpacked with good workability, is lightweight and is advantageous in reducing material costs and transportation costs.SOLUTION: A fixing base for fixing a plurality of vehicular seats onto a loading surface of a general-purpose transportation member is configured as a fixing base assembly body assembled from blacks made of corrugate boards. Seat rail loading surfaces, arranged in parallel so that the vehicular seats are arranged side by side in a longitudinal direction, include a front-row seat loading region and a rear-row seat loading region arranged with an interval behind the front-row seat loading region. Rail position regulating parts that regulate respective positions of seat rails are formed integrally in the fixing base assembly body, which comprise fixing members that respectively fix the vehicular seats loaded on the front-row seat loading region and on the rear-row seat loading region to regulate the seats from moving upward.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a packaging structure for transporting a vehicle seat. [Background technology]

[0002] When vehicle seats are transported in transport containers (intermodal containers) to a distant destination (e.g. overseas), a packaging structure is adopted in which multiple seats are fixed to a returnable rack via a special mounting frame and then loaded into the transport container in that state to prevent the cargo from collapsing due to vibrations or shocks during transport.

[0003] The mounting frame is made of steel and is large and heavy in itself, so it is delivered to the packaging site in several pieces and assembled before the seats are packaged. Each seat is bolted to the mounting frame using the bolt holes for mounting to the vehicle body. Since there are two bolt holes, one at the front and one at the back, on the left and right slide rails of the seat, for example, after fixing the seat using the front bolt hole, it is necessary to slide the seat forward to access the rear bolt hole that is hidden by the seat. This sliding operation and bolt tightening work must be repeated for each seat, and at the destination, the unpacking work must be done in the reverse order, which was very time-consuming.

[0004] Moreover, because returnable racks are versatile, it is preferable to use them to transport other items rather than sending them empty. In that case, it is desirable to collect the mounting frames as well, but due to time constraints and transportation costs, they are often not actually collected and end up as one-way (disposable) packaging materials.

[0005] In Patent Document 1, a packaging structure is adopted in which half of the sheets are stored in an upside-down position in order to improve the spatial storage capacity inside the packaging box. However, as mentioned above, various factors other than storage efficiency are related to the transportation cost, and it is self-evident that problems remain, such as the ease of packing and unpacking, the manufacturing costs of the dedicated mounting frame, and the collection costs. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 3863863 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a packaging structure for a vehicle seat that is easy to pack and unpack, lightweight, and advantageous in reducing material costs and transportation costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, the inventors conducted intensive research and discovered that even lightweight cardboard can be turned into a packaging material with the strength and durability required to align and fix vehicle seats by ingeniously designing the structure, which led to the invention.

[0009] That is, the present invention provides a packaging structure for vehicle seats, the packaging structure including a fixing base for fixing a plurality of vehicle seats onto a loading surface of a general-purpose transport member, the fixing base being configured as a fixing base assembly assembled from a corrugated board blank, At least one pair of seat rail mounting surfaces extending in the first direction and arranged in parallel on the loading surface, with the first direction being the front-rear direction of the seats, for arranging vehicle seats in a line in the front-rear direction, each of the seat rail mounting surfaces including a front row seat mounting area and a rear row seat mounting area arranged at a distance therebetween; a rail position regulating portion that regulates a position in the first direction and a position in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of each of the seat rails of the vehicle seats placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area, a rail front end regulating portion that regulates a front end position of each seat rail of the vehicle seat placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area; a rail rear end regulating portion that regulates rear end positions of seat rails of the vehicle seats placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area; A rail position regulating unit including: a fixing member that fixes each of the vehicle seats placed in the front seat placement area and the rear seat placement area so as to restrict upward movement of the vehicle seats; The packaging structure for a vehicle seat includes: Effect of the Invention

[0010] As described above, in the packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to the present invention, the fixing base for fixing the vehicle seat onto the loading surface of a general-purpose transport member is formed from a cardboard blank, which is lightweight and advantageous in reducing material costs and transportation costs. In addition, the seat can be fixed using the structure of the fixing base itself, and sliding operation of the seat rails is not required, so the seats can be positioned close to each other at the front and rear, which is advantageous in improving loading efficiency and also has the advantage of improving the workability of packaging and unpacking. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a packaging structure for a vehicle seat. [Diagram 2] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which a fixing base is placed on a pallet. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vertical member and a blank thereof; [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a vertical member and a blank thereof; [Diagram 5]FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first cross member and a blank thereof; [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a second cross member and a blank thereof; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an end member and a blank thereof; [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fixing base according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the assembly of the fixing base. [Figure 10] 13 is a plan view of a main portion showing a fitting portion of a fixing base. FIG. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 10 taken along line B-B. [Figure 13] 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. [Figure 14] 13 is a side view showing a state in which the seat is fixed to the fixing base. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the seat is fixed to the fixing base. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0013] Fig. 1 shows a state in which a vehicle seat 9 is fixed and arranged on a pallet 8 of a returnable rack using a fixing base (fixing base assembly) according to the present invention. A stackable returnable rack is formed by erecting removable outer frames 81, 82 on the four sides of the pallet 8. In Fig. 1, the outer frame 81 on the first side (long side) on the near side has been removed.

[0014] Pallet 8 is made of steel, and has an opening at the bottom of the first side (long side) for inserting the forks of a forklift. A protruding edge 86 is provided along the top of the first side of pallet 8, and engagement portions 83 that engage with the lower edge of first outer frame 81 are provided approximately at the center and both ends in the longitudinal direction (second direction W) on this protruding edge 86.

[0015] Engagement portions 84 that engage with the lower edge of the second outer frame 82 are provided at the upper portion of the second side (short side) of the pallet 8, approximately at the center and both ends in the longitudinal direction (first direction FR). These engagement portions 84 are structured so that when the first outer frame 81 is removed, the space corresponding to its thickness is utilized to slide the lower edge of the second outer frame 82 laterally (in the first direction FR) to engage with it.

[0016] When the first outer frame 81 is positioned in a predetermined position using the engagement portions 83 with the lower edge of the second outer frame 82 engaged by these engagement portions 84, the first outer frame 81 prevents the second outer frame 82 from moving laterally, making it impossible to remove from the pallet 8, and when the first outer frame 81 is connected to the second outer frame 82 by the locking mechanism 85 on the top of the second outer frame 82, the first outer frame 81 also becomes impossible to remove.

[0017] The pallet 8 (returnable rack) with the above configuration is a general-purpose transport equipment (RTI) and does not have a fixed structure for specific items on the loading surface. Therefore, in the past, vehicle seats were fixed with bolts using a steel mounting frame, but as mentioned above, since space is required to slide the seats back and forth, six seats (three sets) were fixed horizontally in three rows of two seats each in Figure 1.

[0018] In contrast, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, two fixing bases 11 made of cardboard are used to fix eight vehicle seats 9 (four sets) in two rows of four seats each. The cardboard sheets used for each member (blank) constituting the fixing base 11 are cardboard made of paper (double-sided cardboard) with liners attached to both sides of a corrugated core. As described later, each member is made by bending a single cardboard blank, and the fixing means for the seats are also integrally formed. Therefore, when fixing the seats, it is not necessary to slide the seats back and forth, and the seats can be arranged close to each other in the front and rear. The fixing base 11 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0019] As shown in Figures 2 and 8, the fixing base 11 of the embodiment has a basic lattice-like structure in which four (two sets) vertical members 12, 13 extending in a first direction (FR) and arranged in parallel on the loading surface of the pallet 8, and four (two sets) horizontal members 14, 15 extending in a second direction (W) perpendicular to the first direction (FR) and arranged in parallel on the loading surface are interlocked at their respective intersections.

[0020] Basically, each pair of vertical members 12, 13 is disposed corresponding to the left and right seat rails 94 of each seat 9, and serves as a structural element supporting the weight of the seat 9. Meanwhile, each pair of horizontal members 14, 15 has a function of defining the distance between the vertical members 12, 13, and of holding the vertical members 12, 13, each having a vertically long rectangular cross section, in an upright position, and furthermore, the first horizontal member 14 disposed near the front end of the seat 9 provides the front end regulating portion 49 (lateral regulating portion 461, 471) of the left and right seat rails 94, and the second horizontal member 15 disposed below the rear of the seat 9 provides the rear end regulating portion 59 (lateral regulating portion 561, 571) of the left and right seat rails 94 and the tether flap 58 that anchors the rear of the seat 9.

[0021] As described below, the vertical members 12, 13 and the horizontal members 14, 15 are each formed into a hollow rectangular tube by bending a single cardboard blank, and therefore the fitting portions at each intersection are basically composed of a pair of fitting grooves 24, 25, 34, 35 corresponding to the left and right side walls 22, 32 and the front and rear side walls 42, 44, 52, 54, respectively.

[0022] The folded portion of the cardboard cannot maintain the folded angle against external forces by itself, but by fitting the vertical members 12, 13 and the horizontal members 14, 15 together, the cross-sectional shapes of each are finally fixed and deformation into a parallelogram due to vertical or lateral loads is prevented. Each pair of fitting grooves 24, 25, 34, 35 is not formed in only one of the vertical members 12, 13 or the horizontal members 14, 15, but is formed in each so that they share the cross section and complement each other's cross-sectional shapes, forming complementary fitting portions.

[0023] The upper surfaces (21, 31) of the vertical members 12, 13 provide a placement surface on which the seat rails 94 of the vehicle seat 9 are placed. In the illustrated embodiment, a configuration is adopted in which four vehicle seats 9 are placed on one fixing base 11, with two seats in two rows, but in order to accommodate seats with different heights of left and right seat rails, for example, seats with seat rails on the center side of the vehicle attached to the floor tunnel of the vehicle body and seat rails near the left and right doors attached to the vehicle floor, the vertical member 12 near the center in the width direction (W) is higher than the vertical members 13 on both sides, and correspondingly, the heights of the upper surfaces of each of the horizontal members 14, 15 near the center and both sides in the width direction (W) are different, and the horizontal members 14, 15 have a higher surface near the center. In other words, a pair of left and right seats 9 can be fixed in the same layout as when they are attached to the vehicle body.

[0024] The bottom surfaces (43, 53) of the horizontal members 14, 15 are arranged on the same plane as the bottom surfaces (23, 33) of the vertical members 12, 13, so that a part of the load of the sheet 9 carried by the vertical members 12, 13 on their upper surfaces (21, 31) is distributed to the horizontal members 14, 15 via the fitting portions (24, 25, 34, 35). The specific configurations of the vertical members 12, 13 and the horizontal members 14, 15 will be described below in order.

[0025] (Vertical member) Figures 3 and 4 show each vertical member 12, 13 and its respective blank 12', 13', and as is clear from the figures, the vertical members 12, 13 are basically of the same structure, differing only in height, so corresponding elements are given corresponding symbols.

[0026] The vertical members 12, 13 are formed into a rectangular tube shape extending in the longitudinal direction L by folding a single cardboard blank 12', 13', whose flute direction FL intersects with the longitudinal direction L, along fold lines (creases, scores) parallel to the longitudinal direction L.

[0027] In the illustrated example, the blanks 12', 13' have side walls 22, 32 (outer walls), top walls 21, 31 (outer upper walls), and opposite side walls 22, 32 (outer walls) continuing from the bottom wall 23, 33 located in the center of the width direction (FL) on the proximal side in the figure, and inner walls 28, 38, inner upper walls 29, 39, and opposite inner walls 28, 38 continuing from the distal side in the figure.The outer walls 22, 32 and outer upper walls 21, 31 are folded so as to overlap with the outer surfaces of the respective inner walls 28, 38 and inner upper walls 29, 39 around the bottom wall 23, 33, so that the side walls 22, 32 and the top walls 21, 31 on both sides are formed into a square tube shape composed of double walls, except for the bottom wall 23, 33.

[0028] Each blank 12', 13' is punched out of a cardboard sheet. At this time, the fitting grooves 24, 25, 34, 35 constituting the respective fitting parts, the fitting grooves 26, 36 for fitting the front and rear end members 16 described later, the division lines (notches) for forming the rail rear end regulating parts 27, 37, and the through grooves 241, 341 for fixing the front end of the seat rail with a cable tie or the like are formed, and fold lines (creases, scores) are also processed.

[0029] In each of the fitting portions, the bottom walls 23, 33 are removed to form openings or notches. The width of each of the fitting grooves 24, 25, 34, 35 corresponds to the thickness of two cardboard sheets so that the groove can be fitted into the side wall of the corresponding fitting portion and clamped, as shown in Fig. 12. Furthermore, an enlarged lead-in edge is formed at the lead-in end of each of the fitting grooves 24, 25, 34, 35.

[0030] Further, the rail rear end regulating portions 27, 37 are not provided with fold lines (rules) that define the bottom walls 23, 33. Therefore, as shown in Figures 12 and 13, when the vertical members 12, 13 are formed, the rail rear end regulating portions 27, 37 rise continuously from the side walls 22, 32 (and the inner walls 28, 38) in a double inner and outer configuration without any bent portions.

[0031] That is, the rail rear end regulating portions 27, 37 are side wall portions extending upward from the respective side walls 22, 32 (and the inner side walls 28, 38). In particular, by providing such extended side wall portions (27, 37) in the longitudinal center portions of the vertical members 12, 13 where the fitting grooves 25, 35 with the second horizontal member 15 corresponding to the front row seats and the fitting grooves 24, 34 with the first horizontal member 14 corresponding to the rear row seats are formed close to each other, there is an advantage that the second horizontal member 15 on the front side and the first horizontal member 14 on the rear side can be disposed close to each other while suppressing a decrease in strength of the side walls 22, 32 in this portion.

[0032] In addition, the through grooves 241, 341 are formed as folded pieces on one side of the inner walls 28, 38 by the notches on both sides of the groove and the lines at the base, and after the vertical members 12, 13 are constructed, the bottom surfaces of the through grooves 241, 341 are formed by folding the pieces inwardly of the through grooves 241, 341.

[0033] Since the upper surface of the upper walls 21, 31 of each vertical member 12, 13 becomes a support surface for the seat rail 94 of the vehicle seat 9, the width of the upper walls 21, 31 is set corresponding to the width of the seat rail 94. In the example shown in Fig. 11, the width of the upper wall 31 (21) is approximately the same as the width of the seat rail 94 (lower rail 96 of the slide rail), but can be set within a range of, for example, about 80 to 150% of the width of the seat rail 94.

[0034] The height of the side walls 22, 32 of each vertical member 12, 13 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable that the height be set to more than twice the width of the upper wall 31 so that when the fitting grooves 34, 35 of the lower vertical member 13 are formed to about 50% of the height of the side wall 32, as shown in Figure 12, a side wall 32 of about the same width as the upper wall 31 remains in the remaining portion.

[0035] (1st horizontal member) 5 shows the first horizontal member 14 and its blank 14'. The first horizontal member 14 is also formed into a square tube shape extending in the longitudinal direction L by folding a single corrugated cardboard blank 14', with the flute direction FL being the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction L, along fold lines (creases, scores) parallel to the longitudinal direction L. However, it has two cross-sectional shape parts with different heights, separated by step parts 410, near the center and on both sides in the width direction (W).

[0036] In the illustrated example, the blank 14' has a front wall 42 and a top wall 41 (outer top wall) that are continuous with the bottom wall 43 located in the center in the width direction (FL) on the near side of the figure, and a rear wall 44 and an inner top wall 45 that are continuous with the bottom wall 43 on the distal side of the figure, but the top wall 41 and the inner top wall 45 are each divided into three parts near the center and both sides in the width direction (W) by dividing lines (notches) corresponding to the step portion 410, and are further divided into seven parts each by mating grooves 46, 47 (cutout portions) that form the mating portion.

[0037] The first cross member 14 has a front wall 42 and a rear wall 44 folded at right angles in front of and behind the bottom wall 43 of the blank 14', and further has an upper wall 41 (outer upper wall) folded rearward from the front wall 42 superimposed on an inner upper wall 45 folded forward from the rear wall 44, and the locking piece 411 of the front wall 42 engages with the slit 451 of the inner upper wall 45, so that the upper wall 41 is formed as a double wall and into a square tube shape having a step portion 410.

[0038] The bottom wall 43 of the first horizontal member 14 is disposed on the same plane as the bottom walls 23, 33 of the vertical members 12, 13, but the upper wall 41 is located higher than the upper wall 21 of the vertical member 12 on the high side and higher than the upper wall 31 of the vertical member 13 on the low side, and lateral direction restricting portions 461, 471 that restrict the lateral position of the front end portions of the seat rails 94 of the vehicle seat 9 are defined at the upper edges of the respective fitting portions (46, 47). In addition, rail front end restricting portions 49 that extend upwardly beyond the upper walls 21, 31 of the vertical members 12, 13 are defined at the intermediate portions of each pair of fitting grooves 46, 47 in the front wall 42.

[0039] In addition, in the front wall 42 of the first horizontal member 14, three openings 42 are formed for inserting the clamped portions 68 of the end members 16 described later in the first horizontal member 14 located at the forefront. Although such openings 420 are not necessary in the first horizontal members 14 other than the forefront one, all the first horizontal members 14 are formed in the same shape in order to reduce costs by standardizing parts.

[0040] As described above, the horizontal members 14, 15 have the function of determining the distance between the vertical members 12, 13 and of holding the vertical members 12, 13, which have a vertically long rectangular cross section, in an upright position, and are not required to directly support the weight of the sheet 9. Therefore, strength against compressive forces from both sides and stability on the pallet loading surface are more important than strength against compressive forces from above. Therefore, the horizontal members 14, 15 are designed to have a larger rectangular tubular cross section than the vertical members 12, 13, thereby ensuring compressive strength and stability.

[0041] (2nd horizontal member) 6 shows the second horizontal member 15 and its blank 15'. The second horizontal member 15 is also formed into a square tube shape extending in the longitudinal direction L by folding a single corrugated cardboard blank 15', with the flute direction FL being the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction L, along fold lines (creases, scores) parallel to the longitudinal direction L, and like the first horizontal member 14, has two cross-sectional shape parts with different heights between the center part and both side parts in the width direction (W) via step parts 510.

[0042] In the illustrated example, the blank 15' has a front wall 52, an upper wall 51, and an inner rear wall 55 connected to the front side of the bottom wall 53 located in the center of the width direction (FL) in the figure, and a rear wall 54 and a tether flap 58 connected to the distal side of the bottom wall 53 in the figure.

[0043] The top wall 51 and the inner rear side wall 55 are divided into three parts, a central part in the width direction (W) and parts on both sides thereof, by a dividing line (notch) corresponding to the step portion 510, and the top wall 51 is further divided into seven parts by mating grooves 56, 57 (openings) that constitute the mating portion, but the other side of the divided top wall 51 is connected to the inner rear side wall 55, and the mating grooves 56, 57 are defined by openings rather than cutouts.

[0044] The second cross member 15 has a front wall 52 and a rear wall 54 folded at right angles in front of and behind the bottom wall 53 of the blank 15', an upper wall 51 folded rearward from the upper edge of the front wall 52, and an inner rear wall 55 folded downward from the rear edge of the upper wall 51 is overlapped on the inside of the rear wall 54. Lock pieces 541 extending from the rear wall 54 on both sides of the width direction W of the tether flap 58 are inserted into holes 511 in the upper wall 51, so that the rear wall 54, which is the starting point of the tether flap 58, is formed into a double wall and has a rectangular tube shape having a step portion 510.

[0045] As with the first horizontal member 14, the bottom wall 53 of the second horizontal member 15 is disposed on the same plane as the bottom walls 23, 33 of the vertical members 12, 13, but the upper wall 51 is located higher than the upper wall 21 of the vertical member 12 on the high side and higher than the upper wall 31 of the vertical member 13 on the low side, and edges 561, 571 that regulate the lateral position of the rear end of the seat rail 94 of the vehicle seat 9 are defined at the upper part of each fitting part (56, 57). In addition, rail rear end regulating parts 59 that extend upwardly above the upper walls 21, 31 of the vertical members 12, 13 are defined at the middle parts of each pair of fitting grooves 56, 57 in the rear side wall 54 and the inner rear side wall 55.

[0046] (Tether flap for fixing the seat) The tether flap 58 has a base 581, an intermediate portion 582, and a tip portion 583 that are continuous with the rear wall 54 via fold lines, and the tip portion 583 has four portions divided by fold lines (rules, scores), namely, a first portion 586, a second portion 587, a third portion 588, and a fourth portion 589, and a lock piece 584 is formed on both sides of the first portion 586 by a pair of dividing lines (notches), and a notch 585 is formed in the fourth portion 589.

[0047] The base portion 581 has a base end side continuous with the rear side wall 54, which is tapered to reduce its width in order to form the above-mentioned lock pieces 541. In other words, the base portion 581 extending from between the lock pieces 541 is widened, thereby ensuring a desired width for the tether flap 58.

[0048] As described below, the tether flap 58 is positioned by placing the left and right seat rails 94 of the vehicle seat 9 on the upper surfaces of the vertical members 12, 13, and then inserted from the rear into the gap 90 between the rear of the seat cushion 91 and the lower part of the seat back 92. At the front of the seat back 92, the tip portion 583 is bent to overlap the first portion 586 with the fourth portion 589, and the lock piece 584 is bent and engaged with the cutout portion 585, so that the first portion 586 (fourth portion 589), the second portion 587 and the third portion 588 form a triangular tubular sleeve (enlarged cross-sectional portion; 583), thereby fixing the rear of the vehicle seat 9 to the second horizontal member 15.

[0049] (End member for fixing the base) The fixing base 11 having the basic structure as described above is provided with end members 16 at the front and rear ends in the first direction (L) for providing clamped portions 68 for fixing the fixing base 11 to the pallet 8. The end members 16 are standardized at the front and rear ends of the fixing base 11 for the purpose of reducing costs through standardization of parts.

[0050] 7 shows an end member 16 and its blank 16'. As shown in the figure, the end member 16 is formed by folding and stacking a single corrugated board blank 16' with a flute direction FL intersecting the longitudinal direction L (second direction) along fold lines (creases) extending parallel to the longitudinal direction L, forming a four-layered portion, an upper surface 62, a lower surface 63, an upper inner core 64, and a lower inner core 65, and is continuous with a tip surface 61 extending in the stacking direction between the tips of the upper surface 62 and the lower surface 63 that constitute a clamped portion 68 via a folded portion.

[0051] The back surface of the blank 16' in the illustrated example, on which fold lines (creases) are formed, is shown on the upper surface side in the drawing, and with a three-part tip surface 61 as the center, an upper surface 62 and an upper inner core 64 are continuous with one side via the fold lines, and a lower surface 63 and a lower inner core 65 are continuous with the other side via fold lines. As a result, the end member 16 is configured, for example, by forming a first portion in which the upper inner core 64 is folded over (on the back surface) on the upper surface 62, and a second portion in which the lower inner core 65 is folded over (on the back surface) on the lower surface 63, and folding the two portions over so that the lower surface of the upper inner core 64 contacts the upper surface of the lower inner core 65, and by bending and locking a lock piece 69 extending from the upper surface 62 into the notches 60 in the upper inner core 64, lower inner core 65, and lower surface 63.

[0052] The end member 16 has mating grooves 66, 67 formed on the edge opposite the protruding direction of the clamped portion 68 including the three tip portions 61, which correspond to the mating grooves 26, 36 at the front and rear ends of the vertical members 12, 13, respectively, and are mated with them from the front and rear.

[0053] (Assembly of the fixing base) As described above, when assembling the fixing base 11 from the vertical members 12, 13, horizontal members 14, 15, and end member 16, which are constructed by bending the cardboard blanks 12', 13', 14', 15', 16', the following steps are taken, for example. In this example, the first horizontal member 14 at the forefront is not assembled in advance, but is assembled last by fitting it to the vertical members 12, 13, as described later.

[0054] First, as shown in FIG. 9, the mating grooves 24, 25 of the two central vertical members 12 and the mating grooves 34, 35 of the two side vertical members 13 are fitted from above into the mating grooves 56, 46, 56 and 57, 47, 57 of the three horizontal members 15, 14, 15, excluding the frontmost first horizontal member 14.

[0055] Next, the fitting grooves 66, 67 of the front and rear end members 16, 16 are fitted from the front and rear into the fitting grooves 26, 36 at the front and rear ends of the vertical members 12, 13, respectively, to assemble the front and rear end members 16, 16 to the vertical members 12, 13.

[0056] Finally, the rear side wall 44 and the inner upper wall 45 are folded relative to the bottom wall 43 of the frontmost first horizontal member 14 in an unassembled state to obtain a semi-assembled state, and the fitting grooves 46, 47 are fitted from below into the fitting grooves 24, 34 of the front ends of the vertical members 12, 13, the clamped portion 68 of the end member 16 at the front end is inserted through the opening 420 of the first horizontal member 14, the front side wall 42 and the upper wall 41 of the first horizontal member 14 are folded so as to roll up the end member 16, and the lock piece 411 of the upper wall 41 is engaged with the slit 451 of the inner upper wall 45, completing the assembly of the first horizontal member 14 and its attachment to the vertical members 12, 13. This completes the assembly of the fixing base 11.

[0057] As shown in Fig. 8, when the assembled fixing base 11 is folded forward with each tether flap 58, it becomes flat, and is lightweight and not bulky even in the assembled state, which has the advantage of allowing for low-cost storage and transportation. Therefore, it may be delivered to the packaging location for the vehicle seat 9 in a pre-assembled state. In addition, since it can be easily assembled without requiring special equipment or tools, it may be delivered to the packaging location in a blank state and assembled at the packaging location.

[0058] (Installation of the fixing base on the pallet and loading of the sheets) At the packaging location of the vehicle seat 9, first, as shown in Fig. 2, the two fixing bases 11 are placed side by side on the loading surface of the pallet 8. The length of each of the vertical members 12, 13 of each fixing base 11 is dimensioned so that it fits the length of the second side (short side) of the loading surface of the pallet 8, and the length of each of the horizontal members 14, 15 is 1 / 2 the length of the first side (long side) of the loading surface of the pallet 8, that is, the total length of each of the horizontal members 14, 15 of the two fixing bases 11 fits the length of the first side (long side) of the loading surface. Therefore, when the two fixing bases 11 are placed side by side on the loading surface of the pallet 8, the movement of each fixing base 11 in the front-rear direction FR (first direction) and the lateral direction W (second direction) is restricted.

[0059] In this state, the clamped portions 68 of the end members 16 protruding from the front and rear ends of the vertical members 12, 13 of each fixing base 11 extend onto the protruding edge 86 of the first side (long side) of the pallet 8, as shown in Figure 1.

[0060] Next, the tether flaps 58 of each fixing base 11 are folded backward and removed from the seat placement space. Then, the seats 9 are lifted up using a hanger (not shown) or the like, and the seats 9 are loaded on the front placement surface, which is the furthest away, of the eight seat placement surfaces in two rows, front to back, in that order, followed by the rear placement surface, and so on, followed by the front and rear placement surfaces on the proximal side.

[0061] That is, the posture of the seat 9 is aligned with the direction of the support surface of the fixing base 11, the front ends of the left and right seat rails 94 are regulated by the front end regulating portion 49, and inserted between the edges constituting the lateral regulating portions 461, 471 (upper parts of the mating portions 46, 47), so that the left and right seat rails 94 are positioned and placed at a predetermined position between the front end regulating portions 49 (lateral regulating portions 461, 471) and the rear end regulating portions 59 (27, 37, lateral regulating portions 561, 571) on the support surface of the vertical members 12, 13.

[0062] In this state, the cable ties 241b, 341b are inserted into the through grooves 241, 341 (see FIGS. 3, 4) of the vertical members 12, 13 to fix the front ends of the seat rails 94 to the vertical members 12, 13. At this time, in order to protect the front ends of the seat rails 94 of each seat 9, a cushion sheet or the like may be interposed between the front ends and the fitting portions 46, 47.

[0063] Furthermore, the tether flap 58 is inserted from the rear into the gap 90 between the rear of the seat cushion 91 and the lower part of the seat back 92, and at the front side of the seat back 92, as shown in Figure 1 or Figure 14, the tip portion 583 of the tether flap 58 is bent to form a triangular tubular sleeve (enlarged cross-sectional portion), and the lock piece 584 is engaged with the cutout portion 585.

[0064] By this operation, the tip portion 583 of the tether flap 58 cannot be removed from the gap 90 , and the rear portion of the seat 9 is fixed to the second horizontal member 15 by the tether flap 58 .

[0065] Since the fore-aft and lateral positions of the front and rear ends of the left and right seat rails 94 are restricted, the seat 9 is tethered to the second cross member 15 by the tether flap 58, and is fixed onto the fixing base 11 by preventing it from moving upward, i.e., "floating."

[0066] The above process is repeated to fix eight vehicle seats 9 (four seats x two rows, four sets) to the two fixing bases 11, and then a resin sheet is placed over the entire eight seats 9. Although not shown in the drawings, each seat 9 is covered in advance with a bag-shaped resin sheet.

[0067] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower edge of the second outer frame 82 is engaged with the engagement portion 84 on the second side (short side) of the pallet 8, and then the lower edge of the first outer frame 81 is engaged with the engagement portion 83 to position it in a predetermined position, and each clamped portion 68 of the end member 16 is clamped between the lower edge adjacent to the engagement portion 83 and the protruding edge 86 of the pallet 8. In this state, the first outer frame 81 is connected to the second outer frame 82 by the upper locking mechanism 85, and the pallet 8 is integrated with the first outer frame 81 and the second outer frame 82 to form a returnable rack.

[0068] Through the above operation, the clamped portion 68 is finally clamped between the protruding edge 86 of the pallet 8 and the lower edge of the first outer frame 81, thereby restricting the upward movement of each fixing base 11 and restricting its movement in the front-rear direction FR and the lateral direction W on the pallet 8. Furthermore, the first outer frame 81 and the second outer frame 82 of the pallet 8 restrict the movement of each fixing base 11 in the front-rear direction FR and the lateral direction W, forming a packaging structure 100 in which the eight sheets 9 fixed to the two fixing bases 11 are fixedly loaded at predetermined positions within the returnable rack formed by the pallet 8 and the first outer frame 81 and the second outer frame 82.

[0069] The packaging structure 100 has the advantage that the fixing of each fixing base 11 to the pallet 8 is completed by the normal work of constructing a returnable rack on the pallet 8, and also that the end member 16 on which the clamped portion 68 is formed is fitted to the front end and rear end of each of the vertical members 12, 13 from the front and rear directions, thereby preventing the end member 16 from coming off due to an external force (inertia force) that tends to move the fixing base 11 upward. Another advantage is that the removal of each fixing base 11 from the pallet 8 is completed by the normal work of disassembling the returnable rack.

[0070] (Main components and effects) The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to the present invention has the following features and effects.

[0071] (1) In a basic form, the fixing base (11) for fixing a plurality of vehicle seats (9) onto the loading surface of a general-purpose transport member (8) is included, and the fixing base (11) is configured as a fixing base assembly assembled from corrugated board blanks (12', 13', 14', 15', 16'). Therefore, the blanks are folded along pre-machined creases to form each component, and the fixing base can be constructed simply by combining these components together. This allows for a significant reduction in material costs and manufacturing costs compared to conventional steel fixing materials.

[0072] Moreover, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the fixing base (11) has at least one pair of seat rail mounting surfaces (21, 31) extending in a first direction (FR) and arranged in parallel in order to arrange the vehicle seats (9) in a front-to-rear arrangement, each of which includes a front row seat mounting area (21a, 31a) and a rear row seat mounting area (21b, 31b) arranged with a gap therebetween to the rear of the front row seat mounting area (21a, 31a), and a rail position regulating portion that regulates the position of each seat rail (94; 94a, 94b) of the vehicle seat mounted in each of the seat mounting areas in the first direction (FR) and in a second direction (W) perpendicular thereto, (i) a rail front end regulating portion (FR direction: 49, W direction: 461, 471) that regulates the front end position of each seat rail of the vehicle seat placed in each of the seat placement areas; (ii) A rail position regulating portion is provided, the rail position regulating portion including a rail rear end regulating portion (FR direction: 27, 37, 59, W direction: 561, 571) that regulates the rear end position of each seat rail of the vehicle seat placed in each of the seat placement areas.

[0073] With this configuration, simply by placing the vehicle seat on each mounting area (21a, 31a, 21b, 31b) of the fixing base 11, the position of the vehicle seat in the planar directions (FR direction, W direction) can be regulated by utilizing the structure of the fixing base 11 itself.

[0074] Therefore, by simply restricting the upward movement of the vehicle seat using a disposable fixing member such as a cable tie and / or a fixing member integrated with the fixing base 11 such as a tether flap 58, the vehicle seat can be fixed in a close position, maximizing the planar loading efficiency of the vehicle seat. In addition, there is no need to repeatedly tighten the bolts or slide the seat for that purpose, which has the advantage of significantly improving the workability during packaging and also significantly improving the workability during unpacking at the destination.

[0075] In addition, it is significantly lighter than steel fixing materials, and transportation costs, especially those for marine transportation, are significantly reduced. Moreover, it has the advantage that it can be recycled as a paper resource when used as a one-way (disposable) packaging material.

[0076] Furthermore, while being lightweight, it has sufficient strength and durability for practical use, and compared to steel fixing materials, it has moderate cushioning properties, so that the fixing base 11 has the advantage of mitigating the impacts and vibrations acting on the vehicle seat during transportation.

[0077] (2) In a preferred embodiment, the fixing base 11 has at least one set of vertical members (12, 13) extending in a first direction (FR) and arranged in parallel, and at least two sets of horizontal members (14, 15) extending in a second direction (W) and arranged in parallel, including a first set of horizontal members (14, 15) and a second set of horizontal members (14, 15) arranged behind the first set of horizontal members, each set including one first horizontal member (14) and one second horizontal member (15), the vertical members (12, 13) and the horizontal members (14, 15) are interlocked with each other at intersections (46, 47, 56, 57) to form a lattice shape, and the seat rail mounting surface is defined by the upper surfaces (21, 31) of the set of vertical members (12, 13).

[0078] With this configuration, as shown in Figure 15, the fixing base 11, except for the vertical members 12, 13 that define the seat rail mounting surface and the horizontal members 14, 15 that determine its position (spacing) in the horizontal direction (W), has openings or gaps, and in addition to the material itself being lightweight, the structure also contributes to weight reduction, and there is an advantage in that the amount of material used can be reduced.

[0079] Furthermore, since the rail front end regulating portion (49, 461, 471) is defined in the fitting portion (46, 47) between the first horizontal member (14) and the vertical member (12, 13) and the rail rear end regulating portion (59, 561, 571) is defined in the fitting portion (56, 57) between the second horizontal member (15) and the vertical member (12, 13), the rail front end regulating portion and the rail rear end regulating portion can be formed by utilizing the edges of the fitting portions necessary to form the lattice structure, and there is no need to add additional openings or cuts to form them, which has the advantage of suppressing the decrease in strength and increase in assembly labor that would otherwise be associated with the addition of openings or cuts.

[0080] (3) In an even more preferred embodiment, the set of vertical members (12, 13) are each formed into a rectangular tubular shape extending in the first direction (FR) from a cardboard blank (12', 13') whose flute direction (FL) is a direction intersecting the first direction (FR), and each set of horizontal members (14, 15) are each formed into a rectangular tubular shape extending in the second direction (W) from a cardboard blank whose flute direction (FL) is a direction intersecting the second direction (W).

[0081] With this configuration, the up-down direction of both side walls 22, 32 of each vertical member 12, 13 is the flute direction of the cardboard, and the cross direction of the upper wall continuing to the upper ends of both side walls via the bent parts (the direction connecting the upper ends of both side walls) is the flute direction of the cardboard, so that the compressive strength against the load of the sheet 9 is maximized. Also, the bending strength of the contact surface (placing surface) with the sheet rail 94 is maximized, and the load of the sheet 9 can be distributed and stably supported. Also, the compressive strength in the longitudinal direction of each horizontal member, i.e., the lateral direction of the fixing base 11 is ensured, and the dimensional stability of the spacing between the vertical members against external forces and vibrations is ensured, which is advantageous in ensuring the rigidity of the fixing base.

[0082] (4) In an even more preferred embodiment, the set of vertical members (12, 13) has a rail end restriction portion (27, 37) extending upward from the upper end of the side wall (22, 32) between the mating portion (56, 57) with the second horizontal member (15) of the first set and the mating portion (46, 47) with the first horizontal member (14) of the second set.

[0083] This portion can be a relatively weak structural portion of the vertical members 12, 13 due to the proximity of the mating grooves (25, 35) corresponding to the mating portion (56, 57) with the second cross member (15) of the first set and the mating grooves (24, 34) corresponding to the mating portion (46, 47) with the first cross member (14) of the second set. However, by forming a rail end inter-reach control portion (27, 37) in this portion, which serves as an extended side wall portion that extends the side wall upward, there is an advantage in that the reduction in strength due to the proximity of the second cross member (15) of the first set and the first cross member (14) of the second set is suppressed.

[0084] In addition, between the rear end of the seat rail of the front row seat 9a and the front end of the seat rail of the rear row seat 9b, which are arranged closely together, there is formed a rail rear end regulating portion 27, 37 (of the front row seat 9a) extending upward from the upper end of the side wall (22, 32) of the vertical member (12, 13), which serves as a reinforcing structure that reinforces the rail front end regulating portion 49 of the rear row seat 9b (also serves as a rail front end regulating portion), and the rail end regulating portion (27, 37) interposed between the rear end of the seat rail of the front row seat 9a and the front end of the seat rail of the rear row seat 9b, which are arranged closely together, prevents contact and collision between the seat rails of the front row seat and the rear row seat in the event of the application of an unexpected external force.

[0085] (5) In another preferred aspect, the rail position regulating portion is an engagement hole formed in the seat rail mounting surface (21, 31), into which a pin protruding from the underside of the seat rail (94) of the vehicle seat (9) is loosely inserted to regulate the maximum range of movement of the pin.

[0086] This configuration allows the seat rail with a protrusion such as a pin on the underside to be placed comfortably, and also prevents the seat rail from falling off the placement surface when an unexpected external force is applied, since the maximum movement range is restricted by the engagement of the pin with the engagement hole. Also, the function of the rail front end restriction part or the rail rear end restriction part can be at least partially replaced.

[0087] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the present invention.

[0088] For example, in the above embodiment, a lattice-shaped fixing base assembly is formed in which two sets of rectangular tubular vertical members and two sets of rectangular tubular horizontal members are combined with each other at their intersections, but the assembly can also have a lattice structure other than a rectangular tube, such as a lattice structure of ribs, or a structure other than a lattice.

[0089] In addition, in the above embodiment, two fixing bases capable of fixing four vehicle seats are arranged side by side on one pallet to load eight seats, but it is also possible to configure a fixing base capable of fixing two vehicle seats arranged front to back, and to configure multiple such fixing bases, for example four of them arranged side by side to load eight seats.

[0090] In addition, in the above embodiment, the direction parallel to the short side of the pallet 8 is defined as the first direction, but the direction parallel to the long side of the pallet 8 may be defined as the first direction, and the fixing base assembly may be formed by a plurality of vertical members extending in a direction parallel to the long side of the pallet 8 and a plurality of horizontal members extending in a direction parallel to the short side of the pallet 8. In that case, the end member (16) may be configured to be fitted into the end of each of the horizontal members (14, 15).

[0091] In the above embodiment, the front end of the seat rail 94 is fixed to the vertical members 12, 13 with a cable tie, and the rear of the seat 9 is fixed with a tether flap 58 integral with the second horizontal member 15, but the rear end of the seat rail 94 can be fixed to the vertical members 12, 13 with a cable tie without using a tether flap. Note that as disposable fixing members other than the cable tie, packing bands, tape, string-like members such as wire, adhesive tape, etc. can also be used.

[0092] In the above embodiment, the end members 16 having the clamped portions 68 are fitted to the front and rear ends of each vertical member as the means for fixing the fixing base to the pallet, but instead of either or both of the end members, a clamped portion can be formed at the end of each vertical member by using a blank for each vertical member. Even if the fixing base is fixed to the pallet by means other than the clamped portions or by materials other than cardboard, such as packing bands, various effects can be expected from the cardboard fixing base, such as reduced weight and reduced manufacturing costs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 11 Fixing base 12, 13 Vertical members 14 1st horizontal member 15 Second horizontal member 16 End member 24, 25, 26, 34, 35, 36 Fitting groove 46, 47, 56, 57 Fitting groove 49 Rail front end regulation part 58 Tether flap (fixing member) 27, 37, 59 Rail rear end regulation part 66, 67 Fitting groove 68 Clamped part 241b, 341b Cable tie (fixing member) 461, 471, 561, 571 Lateral restriction part

Claims

1. A packaging structure for vehicle seats, comprising a fixing base for fixing a plurality of vehicle seats onto a loading surface of a general-purpose transportation member, the fixing base being configured as a fixing base assembly assembled from a corrugated board blank, At least one pair of seat rail mounting surfaces extending in the first direction and arranged in parallel in order to arrange vehicle seats in a front-rear direction on the loading surface, with the first direction being a front-rear direction of the seats, each of the seat rail mounting surfaces including a front row seat mounting area and a rear row seat mounting area arranged at a distance therebetween; a rail position regulating portion that regulates a position in the first direction and a position in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction of each of the seat rails of the vehicle seats placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area, a rail front end regulating portion that regulates a front end position of each seat rail of the vehicle seat placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area; a rail rear end regulating portion that regulates rear end positions of seat rails of the vehicle seats placed in the front row seat placement area and the rear row seat placement area; A rail position regulating unit including: a fixing member that fixes each of the vehicle seats placed in the front seat placement area and the rear seat placement area so as to restrict upward movement of the vehicle seats; A packaging structure for a vehicle seat comprising:

2. The fixing base assembly includes: At least one set of longitudinal members extending in the first direction and arranged in parallel; at least two sets of cross members extending in the second direction and arranged in parallel, the first set of cross members being arranged aft of the first set of cross members and the second set of cross members being arranged aft of the first set of cross members, each set including one first cross member and one second cross member; The vertical members and the horizontal members are formed in a lattice shape by being interlocked with each other at their intersections, The seat rail mounting surface is defined by upper surfaces of the pair of vertical members, The rail front end regulating portion is defined at a fitting portion between the first horizontal member and the vertical member, The rail rear end regulating portion is defined at a fitting portion between the second horizontal member and the vertical member. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1.

3. The set of vertical members is formed into a rectangular tube shape extending in the first direction from a corrugated board blank having a flute direction intersecting the first direction, 3. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein each of the sets of cross members is formed into a rectangular tubular shape extending in the second direction from a corrugated cardboard blank having a flute direction that intersects with the second direction.

4. 4. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 3, wherein the set of vertical members has a rail end regulating portion extending upward from an upper end of a side wall between an engagement portion with the second horizontal member of the first set and an engagement portion with the first horizontal member of the second set.

5. 3. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the rail position regulating portion is an engagement hole formed on the seat rail mounting surface, and includes an engagement hole into which a pin protruding from an underside of the seat rail of the vehicle seat is loosely inserted to regulate a maximum movement range of the seat rail.

6. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the fixing member includes a cable tie or a disposable fixing member that fixes the seat rail of the vehicle seat to the vertical member.

7. 6. The packaging structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the fixing member includes a tether flap formed integrally with the second horizontal member.

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