Vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat having high usability.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 1 comprises: a seat cushion 2 located in front of a rear wheel house 11 of a vehicle, for supporting buttocks and thighs of an occupant; a seat back 3 for supporting a back of the occupant; a reclining mechanism part 4 for tilting the seat back 3 relative to the seat cushion 2; a raising / lowering mechanism part which can raise / lower the seat cushion 2 in a vertical direction relative to a vehicle floor surface, and which, when seat arrangement is being changed by the reclining mechanism part 4 toward a backward brought-down state where the seat back 3 is brought down backward, raises the seat cushion 2 in the vertical direction in conjunction with tilting of the seat back 3 into the backward brought-down state so that the seat back 3 is located above the rear wheel house 11 so as to avoid interference with the rear wheel house 11; and an air-conditioning mechanism part 6 for blowing conditioned air 10 to a vehicle rear space 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat for a rear seat of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] In a vehicle seat for the rear seat of a vehicle, it is known that the seat back of the rear seat can be tilted backward to be as nearly horizontal as possible (hereinafter, simply referred to as a flat state) (see, for example, Patent Document 1). By changing the seat arrangement to such a flat state, it becomes possible to use the interior of the vehicle more spaciously. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 2-76533 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, when attempting to fold back the rear seat backs, a part of the seat back (the side backs in Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1) interferes with the rear wheel house of the vehicle (the tire house in Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1). For this reason, in Patent Document 1, only this part and the remaining part of the seat back that can be separated (the center back in Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1) can be put into a flat state. In other words, in Patent Document 1, the entire seat back cannot be put into a completely flat state, and the interior of the vehicle cannot be used to the maximum extent.

[0005] Thus, further ingenuity is required to improve the usability of vehicle seats for the rear seats of a vehicle.

[0006] In consideration of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to realize a vehicle seat that is highly usable, and in particular, has an object to provide a vehicle seat that allows for wide use of the rear space of the vehicle after the seat arrangement is transformed into a completely flat state, and further has air conditioning equipment installed in a location that is unlikely to be touched by the user. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a vehicle seat, comprising: A vehicle seat for a rear seat of a vehicle, a seat cushion located in front of a rear wheel house of the vehicle and supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant; A seat back that supports the back of the occupant; a reclining mechanism that tilts the seat back relative to the seat cushion; a lifting mechanism capable of lifting and lowering the seat cushion along a vertical direction relative to a vehicle floor surface, the lifting mechanism lifting the seat cushion along the vertical direction in conjunction with the tilting of the seat back to the backward-tilted state so that the seat back is positioned above the rear wheel house avoiding interference with the rear wheel house when the seat arrangement is changed by the reclining mechanism to the backward-tilted state in which the seat back is tilted backward; The seat back is characterized by comprising an air conditioning mechanism having a plurality of air vents provided on the seating surface of the seat back, an air passage communicating with the air vents and allowing conditioned air to flow, and an air conditioning fan communicating with the air passage and generating the conditioned air within the air passage.

[0008] The invention described in claim 2 is the vehicle seat described in claim 1, The vehicle seat is arranged in a plurality of rows independent of each other along the vehicle width direction, and each of the plurality of lifting mechanisms lifts and lowers the seat cushion to be lifted and lowered independently of each other.

[0009] The invention described in claim 3 is the vehicle seat described in claim 1 or 2, The air conditioning fan is The seat back is characterized in that it is installed near a corner of a seat back frame that constitutes the seat back.

[0010] The invention described in claim 4 is the vehicle seat described in claim 1 or 2, The air conditioning fan is The fan is characterized in that it is either an intake fan or an exhaust fan.

[0011] The invention described in claim 5 is the vehicle seat described in claim 1 or 2, The air passage is an air passage groove portion provided inside the seat back and connecting the air vent hole and the air conditioning fan; a groove covering portion that covers the air passage groove portion from a back surface of the seat back that faces the seating surface; The present invention is characterized by having the following. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the invention described in claim 1, the seat cushion has a lifting mechanism that can lift and lower the seat cushion vertically relative to the vehicle floor surface, and when the seat back is tilted backward by the reclining mechanism to change the seat arrangement, the lifting mechanism can be used to adjust the height of the seat cushion to a position where the seat back does not interfere with the rear wheel. As a result, the height of the seat cushion seating surface and the seat back seating surface can be made the same, and there is almost no difference in height. This allows the seat arrangement to be changed to a completely flat state (full flat state), making it possible to use the rear space of the vehicle as widely as possible after the change.

[0013] In addition, by providing an air conditioning mechanism, when the seat back is transformed into the above-mentioned rearward seat arrangement, conditioned air can be ventilated in the space at the rear of the vehicle, improving comfort for the user.

[0014] According to the invention described in claim 2, the heights of adjacent rear seats can be changed relatively, making it easier to adjust the height of the seat cushions so that, for example, the eye levels of a parent and child lying down are at the same height.

[0015] According to the invention described in claim 3, the air conditioning fan of the air conditioning mechanism is installed near the corner of the seat back frame. This allows it to be stably fixed because it is installed in a highly rigid location without getting in the way of the occupant, and makes it easier to suppress the generation of vibrations and noise even when the air conditioning fan is operating.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 4, either the intake fan or the exhaust fan can be used as an air conditioning fan, and the direction of airflow (ventilation) in the rear space of the vehicle can be set as desired, improving user comfort.

[0017] According to the invention recited in claim 5, an air passage in the air conditioning mechanism is formed by a combination of the air passage groove and the groove cover, allowing conditioned air to flow inside the seat back. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the configuration of the vehicle seat in FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating the effects of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an air passage groove portion. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a seat back. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and that appropriate design changes, improvements, etc. may be made based on the ordinary knowledge of a person skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic front view of a configuration of a vehicle seat 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic side view of the configuration of the vehicle seat 1 in Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the effect of this embodiment, Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an air passage groove, and Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a cross section of a seat back. Note that in Figs. 1-5, in order to simplify the explanation, some components are omitted from the illustration.

[0021] The vehicle seat 1 is a vehicle seat for use in the rear seat of a vehicle, and mainly comprises a seat cushion 2, a seat back 3, a reclining mechanism 4, a lifting mechanism 5, and an air conditioning mechanism 6.

[0022] The seat cushion 2 is located in front of the rear wheel house 11 of the vehicle, and is a part of the vehicle seat 1 that supports the buttocks and thighs of an occupant. The seat cushion 2 has a cushion main body 21 made of a cushioning material that absorbs shock when an occupant sits on it, and a cushion frame 22 made of a rigid material that supports the cushion main body 21 from the inside. On the other hand, the seat back 3 has a seat back main body 31, like the seat cushion 2, made of a cushioning material that absorbs shock, and a seat back frame 32 made of a rigid material that supports the seat back main body 31 from the inside.

[0023] The seat back 3 is a part of the vehicle seat 1 that supports the back of an occupant. The seat back 3 is connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 2 via a reclining mechanism 4, which will be described later.

[0024] The reclining mechanism 4 is a part of the vehicle seat 1 that tilts the seat back 3 relative to the seat cushion 2. The reclining mechanism 4 also plays a role in connecting the seat back 3 to the rear end of the seat cushion 2.

[0025] The lifting mechanism 5 is a part of the vehicle seat 1 that can raise and lower the seat cushion 2 in the vertical direction (the up-down direction in Figs. 1 and 2) relative to the vehicle floor surface 14. When the reclining mechanism 4 changes the seat arrangement toward a reclined state in which the seat back 3 is reclined backward, the lifting mechanism 5 lifts the seat cushion 2 in the vertical direction in conjunction with the tilting of the seat back 3 toward the reclined state so that the seat back 3 is positioned above the rear wheel house 11 while avoiding interference with the rear wheel house 11. More specifically, in Fig. 2, the lifting mechanism 5 lifts the seat cushion 2 together with the seat back 3 connected to the rear end of the seat cushion 2 in the direction B in the figure in conjunction with the seat back 3 rotating in the direction A in the figure and approaching the reclined state.

[0026] In this specification, the term "backward tilted state" means that the seat back 3 is in a state close to being nearly horizontal with respect to the vertical direction. In addition, in this specification, the term "linked to the tilting to the backward tilted state" means that the seat back 3 is linked to the tilting of the seat back 3 after the seat back 3 has tilted and approached the backward tilted state to a predetermined level, in other words, after the seat back 3 has rotated to a predetermined angle with respect to the seat cushion 2. In other words, the seat cushion 2 does not start to rise only when the upward facing seat back 3 shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 is slightly tilted backward. In fact, the lifting mechanism unit 5 can lift the seat cushion 2 in the direction B while maintaining the upward posture of the seat back 3 shown by the solid line in FIG. 2 (i.e., without tilting the seat back 3).

[0027] Here, the lifting mechanism 5 is connected to the cushion frame 22 in the seat cushion 2, and the seat cushion 2 is lifted by pushing up the cushion frame 22 in the direction B in the figure using a gear mechanism (not shown) that transmits the rotational driving force of a motor or the like. As such a gear mechanism, a conventional seat height adjustment device mechanism such as those described in JP-A-2006-182039 and JP-A-2001-138780 can be used. In this case, as the above-mentioned interlocking mechanism, for example, a mechanism is considered in which, when the seat back 3 rotates beyond the above-mentioned predetermined angle, a switch of the rotational driving source such as the motor is turned on and the rotational driving force is transmitted to the gear mechanism.

[0028] In this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 5 uses such a gear mechanism, but the present invention may use a lifting mechanism using another lifting mechanism. For example, a lifting mechanism using hydraulic pressure, air pressure, or the like may be used.

[0029] In FIG. 3, the vehicle seat 1 in the seat arrangement before the seat back 3 is tilted backward, in other words, in the seat arrangement in which the seat back 3 is in an "inverted state" with respect to the vehicle floor surface 14 (or in the "normal seat arrangement"), is shown by a dotted line. Also, the vehicle seat 1 in the seat arrangement in the backward state is shown by a solid line vertically above the position of the vehicle seat 1 shown by the dotted line and above the rear wheel house 11. As the seat back 3 approaches the backward state, the seat cushion 2 rises, so that the seat back 3 can be linearly connected to the seat cushion 2 in the horizontal direction without a step while avoiding interference with the rear wheel house 11 as shown in FIG. 3. In this case, unlike Patent Document 1, the entire seat back 3 is in a completely flat state. As a result, it is possible to use the vehicle rear space 7 in the vehicle to the maximum extent so that the occupant can lie on his / her stomach in the vehicle as shown in FIG. 3, and a highly usable vehicle seat is realized.

[0030] Here, it is preferable that a plurality of vehicle seats 1 are arranged side by side independently of one another along the vehicle width direction, and that each of the plurality of lifting mechanism units 5 lifts and lowers the seat cushion 2 to be lifted and lowered independently of one another.

[0031] In this preferred embodiment, in a normal seat arrangement, the height of adjacent rear seats can be changed relatively to match the eye level of people of different builds (for example, a parent and child). Also, when placing a child seat (junior seat) on the rear seat, the height of the child seat can be directly adjusted to a desired position without having to use a separate cushion or the like to raise the child seat height.

[0032] The vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment includes an air conditioning mechanism 6 having a plurality of air vents 9 provided in the seating surface 3a of the seat back 3, an air passage 12 provided inside the seat back 3 and communicating with the air vents 9 to allow air-conditioned air 10 to flow, and an air conditioning fan 13 communicating with the air passage 12 to generate air-conditioned air 10 in the air passage 12. One end 12a of the air passage 12 is connected to the air conditioning fan 13, and the other end 12b of the air passage 12 is connected to each of the plurality of air vents 9. Note that, in FIG. 1 and other figures, the air vents 9 are shown as large circular ones for the sake of simplicity, but are not limited thereto, and may be any size that allows air-conditioned air 10 to pass through, as described below.

[0033] As described above, the vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment is equipped with an air conditioning mechanism 6 inside the seat back 3, and thus can provide ventilation (air conditioning air 10) to the rear space 7 of the vehicle after the seat back 3 is transformed into a seat arrangement in which it is tilted backwards.

[0034] Here, the air conditioning fan 13 of the air conditioning mechanism 6 is provided inside the seat back 3, particularly near a corner 33 of a seat back frame 32 that forms the framework of the seat back 3. The seat back frame 32 supports the load applied by passengers seated in the rear seats. Also, in the above-mentioned completely flat state, the seat back frame 32 is made of a metallic material (rigid material) having high rigidity in order to support the load applied from above by a user 8 or the like sitting on the seat back 3.

[0035] 1, the corner 33 corresponds to a bending portion of the seat back frame 32 having a substantially U-shape, and corresponds to a position above the right shoulder of the occupant when seated. Generally, a locking mechanism (not shown) of the reclining mechanism 4 that tilts the seat back 3 is often provided at this position.

[0036] Therefore, in the seat back frame 32, the corner 33 and its vicinity are particularly rigid, and because they are located above the right shoulder of the occupant when seated, they are unlikely to come into contact with the seated occupant. This allows the air conditioning fan 13 to be stably installed. Furthermore, even when the air conditioning fan 13 is operated, there is no risk of vibrations or the like occurring due to the rotation of the fan, and the generation of associated vibration noise (noise) can also be suppressed.

[0037] Furthermore, the seating comfort of the occupant is not impaired, and even after the seat cushion 2 and the seat back 3 are transformed into a completely flat seat arrangement, the head, arms, elbows, legs, etc. of the user 8 are unlikely to come into contact with the air conditioning fan 13 even when the user 8 lies down.

[0038] In Fig. 1 and other figures, the vehicle seat 1 arranged on the right side of the rear seat has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this and can be applied to a vehicle seat arranged on the left side of the rear seat in the same manner. In this case, an air conditioning fan (not shown) of the air conditioning mechanism can be provided at a position corresponding to the left shoulder position of the occupant when seated. This can provide the same effects as those described above.

[0039] Furthermore, in the vehicle seat 1 of this embodiment, the air conditioning fan 13 of the air conditioning mechanism unit 6 may be either a so-called intake fan or an exhaust fan. As shown in FIG. 3, by adopting an exhaust fan as the air conditioning fan 13, the air conditioning wind 10 that flows from the air conditioning fan 13 to the air vent 9 can be generated in the air passage 12 as the air conditioning fan 13 operates. That is, the air (interior air 15) in the vehicle rear space 7 can be sucked in through an intake port (not shown) provided in the air conditioning fan 13, the air conditioning wind 10 that flows between one end 12a of the air passage and the other end 12b of the air passage can be generated, and the air conditioning wind 10 can be exhausted through the air vent 9. As a result, the vehicle rear space 7 can be aerated or ventilated by the air conditioning wind 10 blown into the vehicle rear space 7. Furthermore, the air (air conditioning wind 10) can be circulated in the vehicle rear space 7.

[0040] On the other hand, by adopting an intake fan as the air conditioning fan 13, air (in-vehicle air 15) in the vehicle rear space 7 can be sucked in through the vent hole 9 provided in the seating surface 3a of the seat back 3 as the air conditioning fan 13 operates, and conditioned air 10 can be generated in the air passage 12, flowing between the other end 12b of the air passage and one end 12a of the air passage (air conditioning fan 13), and the conditioned air 10 can be exhausted from an exhaust port (not shown) of the air conditioning fan 13. As a result, the vehicle rear space 7 can be aerated or ventilated by the conditioned air 10 blown into the vehicle rear space 7, as in the above case. Furthermore, air (conditioned air 10) can be circulated in the vehicle rear space 7.

[0041] The flow direction of the conditioned airflow 10 may be determined arbitrarily by switching the operating direction (exhaust direction, intake direction) of the air conditioning fan 13. In addition, the volume of the conditioned airflow 10 to be generated and the temperature of the conditioned airflow 10 can also be adjusted arbitrarily. These air conditioning functions are well known, so a description thereof will be omitted here.

[0042] 1, the air vents 9 in the air conditioning mechanism 6 are provided as a plurality of openings in the seating surface 3a of the seat back 3. Here, as described above, the seat back 3 is configured to include a seat back frame 32 formed inside and a seat back main body 31 that covers the seat back frame 32. Furthermore, the seat back 3 may be provided with a seat cover that covers all or part of the seat back main body 31. Furthermore, the air vents 9 do not have to be completely open, and may be any material that covers the openings with, for example, a mesh material or the like and allows the air conditioned air 10 to flow through.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 1, the air passage 12 of the vehicle seat 1 communicates with an air conditioning fan 13 provided near a corner 33, in other words, at an obliquely upper position of the seat back 3, and is formed downward along the longitudinal direction of the seat back 3. A substantially rectangular recess is provided in the back surface 18 of the seat back 3, and a plurality of groove-like air passage grooves 16 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the seat back 3 (corresponding to the vertical direction of the paper in Fig. 4). Furthermore, adjacent air passage grooves 16 are connected to each other at their respective upper ends.

[0044] Furthermore, each air passage groove 16 extends to the other end 12b of the air passage and is connected to the vent hole 9. Also, the air passage groove 16 branches midway and similarly extends to the other end 12b of the air passage and is connected to the vent hole 9 (see FIG. 4). Furthermore, the back surface portion 18 of the seat back 3 has a groove covering portion 17 for covering a substantially rectangular recessed portion. This allows the groove covering portion 17 to be fitted into the recessed portion of the back surface portion 18 as shown in FIG. 5.

[0045] As a result, an air passage 12 surrounded by the air passage groove portion 16 and the groove covering portion 17 is formed inside the seat back 3 (seat back main body 31), and the air conditioning wind 10 generated by the air conditioning fan 13 can flow through the air passage 12.

[0046] Here, the groove covering portion 17 may be, for example, a felt-like cloth member that can be fitted to cover the recessed portion provided in the back surface portion 18 of the seat back 3. This makes it possible to easily form the air passage 12 inside the seat back 3.

[0047] By providing the air conditioning mechanism 6 configured as described above, after the seat arrangement is transformed into a completely flat state, a user 8 using the vehicle rear space 7 can ventilate the vehicle rear space 7 with the conditioned air 10, which is the intake air or exhaust air generated by the air conditioning fan 13, and circulate the conditioned air 10. These ventilation, ventilation, or circulation functions make it easy to replace the air in the space of the vehicle rear space 7. This improves the comfort of the user 8 when using the vehicle.

[0048] In addition, the air passage groove 16 can be easily accessed by removing the groove cover 17 from the back surface 18 of the seat back 3. Therefore, even if a malfunction occurs in the air conditioning mechanism 6 including the air conditioning fan 13, or if dirt or dust accumulates in the air passage 12 for some reason and the air conditioning air 10 cannot circulate stably, the groove cover 17 can be removed once to quickly remove the cause of the malfunction. Then, the air conditioning mechanism 6 can be used again by fitting the groove cover 17 into the back surface 18. This allows maintenance work to be easily performed and does not impair the comfort of the user 8.

[0049] The above is a description of the embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In the above description of the embodiment, the vehicle seat 1 for the rear seat of a vehicle has been particularly described, but the "rear seat" here simply means the rear seat located behind the driver's seat. Therefore, in the case of a vehicle in which multiple seats are lined up in the traveling direction of the vehicle (for example, in the case of a long and narrow vehicle such as a bus), the present invention can naturally be applied to seats other than the rearmost seat. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The present invention is useful for realizing a vehicle seat as a rear seat with high usability. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1 Vehicle seat 2 Seat cushion 2a,3a Seating surface 3 Seat back 4 Reclining mechanism 5 Lifting mechanism 6 Air conditioning mechanism section 7. Rear space of vehicle 8 User 9. Ventilation holes 10 Air Conditioning 11 Rear wheel house 12 Air passage 12a One end of the air passage 12b Other end of air passage 13 Air conditioning fan 14 Vehicle floor surface 15. Air in the car 16 Air passage groove 17 Groove covering part 18 Back section 21 Cushion body 22 Cushion Frame 31 Seat back body 32 Seat back frame 33 Corner

Claims

1. A vehicle seat for a rear seat of a vehicle, a seat cushion located in front of a rear wheel house of the vehicle and supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant; A seat back that supports the back of the occupant; a reclining mechanism that tilts the seat back relative to the seat cushion; a lifting mechanism capable of lifting and lowering the seat cushion along a vertical direction relative to a vehicle floor surface, the lifting mechanism lifting the seat cushion along the vertical direction in conjunction with the tilting of the seat back to the backward-tilted state so that the seat back is positioned above the rear wheel house avoiding interference with the rear wheel house when the seat arrangement is changed by the reclining mechanism to the backward-tilted state in which the seat back is tilted backward; a vehicle seat including: a plurality of air vents provided on the seating surface of the seat back; an air passage communicating with the air vents and allowing conditioned air to flow; and an air conditioning mechanism unit communicating with the air passage and having an air conditioning fan for generating the conditioned air within the air passage.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of the vehicle seats are arranged side by side independently of one another along a vehicle width direction, and each of the plurality of lifting mechanisms lifts and lowers the seat cushion to be lifted and lowered independently of one another.

3. The air conditioning fan is 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the seat back is disposed in the vicinity of a corner of a seat back frame that constitutes the seat back.

4. The air conditioning fan is 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the fan is either an intake fan or the exhaust fan.

5. The air passage is an air passage groove portion provided inside the seat back and connecting the air vent hole and the air conditioning fan; 3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, further comprising a groove covering portion that covers the air passage groove from a rear surface of the seat back that faces the seating surface.

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