Cushion body for vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a cushion body applied to a vehicle seat having an air conditioning function while suppressing an increase in cost.SOLUTION: A cushion pad 4 includes: a pad body 10 having a groove-like recessed part 11f opening toward a direction of a front surface 4a; and a tabular pad 20 covering an opening part 11e of the recessed part 11f and constituting a part of the front surface 4a. A molded felt body 30 is arranged on an erected wall part 11g and a second bottom surface part 11d inside the recessed part 11f. An exposed part 34 exposed outwardly is formed in a part of a bottom surface part 32 in the felt body 30. A felt opening 35 is formed in the exposed part 34, and a blower 40 for sucking air from the felt opening 35 is arranged through a bracket 41 while maintaining a substantially airtight state. A plurality of through holes 21 is formed in a portion corresponding to the recessed part 11f, in the tabular pad 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cushion body for a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a cushion body for a vehicle seat having an air conditioning function. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, some automobile seats have an air conditioning function of blowing air toward the body of a seated person through an air passage provided inside the cushion body and sucking air from around the body of the seated person. The cushion body of an automobile seat described in Patent Document 1 is formed by joining a plate-like body to the surface of a foam body so as to close the groove opening of an air distribution groove that is recessed in a cross-sectional shape from the front surface to the back surface and is formed in a groove shape along the surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-144804 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the cushion body described in Patent Document 1, the air distribution grooves are formed as depressions in the foam, so the rigidity of the walls is low, and when an occupant sits on the plate-like body, the cross-sectional shape of the air distribution grooves collapses, which may impede ventilation. In order to prevent the cross-sectional shape of the air distribution grooves from collapsing, it is possible to provide a highly rigid hollow resin duct in the air distribution groove, but this would result in an increase in costs.

[0005] In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a cushion body for a vehicle seat having an air conditioning function while suppressing an increase in cost. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention of the present invention is a cushion body for a vehicle seat, comprising a pad body having a groove-shaped recess that opens toward the side of the seat occupant, and a plate-shaped pad that covers the opening of the recess and constitutes a part of the side of the seat occupant, a molded felt body is arranged in contact with the inner wall surface of the recess, an exposed portion that is exposed to the outside is formed on a part of the bottom surface of the felt body opposite the side of the seat occupant, and an air hole is formed in the exposed portion to connect the outside to the recess, a blower device that supplies air to the air hole or sucks air from the air hole is arranged in a substantially airtight state on the outer side of the exposed portion of the felt body, and a portion of the plate-shaped pad corresponding to the recess has a plurality of through holes extending from the recess toward the side of the seat occupant.

[0007] According to the first invention, the molded felt body is disposed in contact with the inner wall surface of the groove-shaped recess of the pad body, so that the cross-sectional shape of the recess is not easily distorted even if the body pressure of the seated person is applied to the pad body through the plate-shaped pad. This allows air supplied into the recess through the ventilation hole by the blower device to be blown toward the body of the seated person from the multiple through holes, and air sucked into the recess from around the body of the seated person through the multiple through holes to be released to the outside through the ventilation hole without any problems. In addition, since the felt body is press-molded from a nonwoven fabric with a large basis weight, it is less expensive than a hollow resin molded body formed by blow molding or the like, and the increase in the cost of the cushion body can be suppressed. Note that the "almost airtight state" refers to a state in which airtightness is maintained to a degree that does not damage the air conditioning function.

[0008] The second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the above-mentioned first invention, the felt body is arranged in contact with the inner wall surface of the recess of the pad body by impregnating and solidifying a part of the raw material of the pad body during molding of the pad body.

[0009] According to the second invention, the felt body is integrated with the pad body when it is molded, and therefore there is no need to provide a separate bonding process, etc., and the manufacturing process can be simplified. In addition, the rigidity of the felt body is significantly increased by impregnating the felt body with part of the raw material of the pad body and solidifying, so that the cross-sectional shape of the recess is less likely to collapse when the body pressure of a seated person is applied to the pad body.

[0010] The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the felt body has a brim-shaped portion that is positioned in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the opening in the pad body.

[0011] According to the third invention, the felt body has not only a portion corresponding to the inner wall surface of the recess in the pad body but also a brim-shaped portion abutting the outer peripheral edge of the opening, thereby further increasing rigidity and making the cross-sectional shape of the recess less likely to collapse when the body pressure of the seated person is applied to the pad body.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-mentioned first or second aspect, characterized in that the blower device is directly attached to the exposed portion of the felt body.

[0013] According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the blower device is directly attached to the felt body, so the structure is simple and no other parts such as a bracket are required, making it possible to suppress an increase in the number of parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a seat cushion to which a cushion pad is applied in an automobile rear seat according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the cushion pad of the automobile rear seat in the embodiment, as viewed from above, showing only the right side. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5]3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 2. [Figure 6] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view illustrating another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] 1 to 7 show one embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is an example in which the present invention is applied to a seat cushion 2 in an automobile rear seat 1. In each drawing, arrows indicate the directions when the automobile rear seat 1 is installed in an automobile. In the following description, directions will be described based on these directions. The automobile rear seat 1 of this embodiment is a three-seater bench seat, has a left-right length substantially the same as the width of the passenger compartment, and is provided with a seat cushion 2 that serves as a seating area, and a seat back 3 that serves as a backrest. Here, the automobile rear seat 1 corresponds to the "vehicle seat" in the claims.

[0016] As shown in Figs. 1 to 3, the seat cushion 2 is placed and fixed on a floor F that constitutes a part of the body of an automobile. The seat cushion 2 is formed by covering a cushion pad 4, which is a cushion material into which a cushion frame (not shown) that forms a skeleton is inserted, with a cushion cover 5, which is a skin material. The seat cushion 2 has a pair of left and right seat parts 2A on the left and right, and a central seat part 2B that is disposed between the left and right seat parts 2A, and is formed in a symmetrical shape. Here, the cushion pad 4 corresponds to the "cushion body" in the claims.

[0017] 1 to 4, the cushion pad 4 has a front surface 4a which is the side facing the seated person, i.e., the upper surface, and a back surface 4b which is the side opposite to the seated person, i.e., the lower surface. The cushion pad 4 also has a pad body 10 which is a main part integrally molded from urethane foam with a cushion frame inserted, and a plate-like pad 20 which is partially placed and fixed on the pad body 10. The pad body 10 is a foam molded body of urethane resin, and its density is 0.04 g / cm 3 The pad body 10 has a front side surface 10a which is an upper surface, and a back side surface 10b which is a lower surface. The front side surface 10a of each of the left and right seat parts 2A has a main part 11 which supports the buttocks and thighs of the seated occupant from below, a right side part 12 and a left side part 13 which are located on both the left and right sides of the main part 11 and support the buttocks and thighs of the seated occupant from the sides, and a protruding part 14 which protrudes upward at the rear end. Between the main part 11 and the right side part 12 and between the main part 11 and the left side part 13, vertical grooves 15 which open upward and extend in the front-rear direction are arranged. In the main part 11, a horizontal groove 16 which opens upward and connects the left and right vertical grooves 15 and extends in the left-right direction is arranged in the approximately center part in the front-rear direction. The horizontal groove 16 is formed in a curved shape which is convex toward the front when viewed from above. A rear lateral groove 17 that opens upward and extends in the left-right direction is disposed between the main portion 11 and the protruding portion 14. The rear surface 4b of the cushion pad 4 coincides with the rear side surface 10b. Here, the front surface 4a corresponds to the "side surface of the seated person" in the claims.

[0018] As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, a main rear surface portion 11a constituting a part of the upper surface of the cushion pad 4 is formed in a portion between the lateral groove 16 and the rear lateral groove 17 in the front side surface 10a of the main part 11. A main front surface portion 11b constituting a part of the upper surface of the cushion pad 4 is formed in a portion of the front side surface 10a of the main part 11, rearward from the front end, having a front-rear dimension of about 1 / 3 of the front-rear dimension of the main rear surface portion 11a and having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The main rear surface portion 11a and the main front surface portion 11b constitute a part of the surface 4a of the cushion pad 4. A first bottom surface portion 11c recessed downward from a part of the surface 4a of the cushion pad 4 and a second bottom surface portion 11d recessed further downward from the first bottom surface portion 11c are formed in a substantially rectangular portion when viewed from above, surrounded by the rear end edge portion 11b1 of the main front surface portion 11b, the left and right vertical grooves 15, and the lateral grooves 16. The dimension of the first bottom surface portion 11c recessed from a part of the surface 4a of the cushion pad 4 is formed to be approximately equal to the thickness of the plate-shaped pad 20. In other words, when the plate-shaped pad 20 is placed on the first bottom surface portion 11c via the felt body 30, the upper surface of the plate-shaped pad 20 forms a part of the surface 4a of the cushion pad 4. The recess 11f is recessed from the opening 11e opening in the first bottom surface portion 11c to the second bottom surface portion 11d. The dimension of the second bottom surface portion 11d recessed from the first bottom surface portion 11c is formed to be approximately equal to the thickness of the plate-shaped pad 20. The first bottom surface portion 11c and the second bottom surface portion 11d are connected by a standing wall portion 11g extending approximately in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 2, the opening 11e has five parts extending radially from a substantially central portion, namely, a front right portion 11e1, a front left portion 11e2, a rear right portion 11e3, a rear middle portion 11e4, and a rear left portion 11e5, when viewed from above. The second bottom surface portion 11d is also formed in substantially the same shape as the opening 11e when viewed from above, so that the recess 11f is formed of five groove-like portions extending radially from a substantially central portion. The second bottom surface portion 11d is formed with a pad opening 11h having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above, which leads to the back side surface 10b of the main portion 11. Here, the first bottom surface portion 11c corresponds to the "peripheral edge portion" in the claims.

[0019] As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, the first bottom surface portion 11c, the vertical wall portion 11g, and the second bottom surface portion 11d are provided with a felt body 30, which is a nonwoven fabric with a large basis weight that has been previously shaped by thermoforming, and is foamed and arranged during foaming of the pad body 10. In detail, the felt body 30 has a flange-shaped portion 31 corresponding to the first bottom surface portion 11c, a bottom surface portion 32 corresponding to the second bottom surface portion 11d, and a side wall portion 33 corresponding to the vertical wall portion 11g. The first bottom surface portion 11c and the flange-shaped portion 31, and the vertical wall portion 11g and the side wall portion 33 are identical in shape, but the bottom surface portion 32 has an exposed portion 34 that covers the pad opening 11h of the second bottom surface portion 11d and has a lower surface exposed to the outside. A circular felt opening 35 that penetrates vertically is formed in the center of the exposed portion 34. A blower 40 for sucking air is provided below the exposed portion 34 so that air can be sucked downward through the felt openings 35. When the felt body 30 is foamed integrally during foam molding of the pad body 10, the brim portion 31, the side wall portion 33, and the bottom portion 32 are impregnated with part of the raw material of the pad body 10 and solidified, thereby firmly connecting the felt body 30 and increasing its rigidity. Here, the felt openings 35 correspond to the "ventilation holes" in the claims.

[0020] As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, the plate-shaped pad 20 is a foamed urethane resin body, and its density is set lower than that of the pad body 10. The thickness of the plate-shaped pad 20 is set so that when the plate-shaped pad 20 is placed on the flange 31 of the felt body 30 foamed integrally with the pad body 10, the upper surface of the plate-shaped pad 20 smoothly continues to the main rear surface portion 11a and the main front surface portion 11b and forms a part of the surface 4a of the cushion pad 4. The plate-shaped pad 20 is formed with a plurality of through holes 21 having an elliptical cross section penetrating in the vertical direction. Specifically, when the plate-shaped pad 20 is placed on the flange 31 of the felt body 30 foamed integrally with the pad body 10, three through holes 21 are provided in each of the portions corresponding to the front right portion 11e1 and the front left portion 11e2, two through holes in each of the portions corresponding to the rear right portion 11e3 and the rear left portion 11e5, and five through holes in each of the portions corresponding to the rear middle portion 11e4. The plate-like pad 20 is connected by adhesion to a flange portion 31 of a felt body 30 which is foamed and integrally formed with the pad body 10 .

[0021] As shown in Figs. 2 to 7, the blower 40 is an electric air suction device that sucks air from above and releases it downward. The blower 40 is supported by a bracket 41 made of a metal plate and connected to the pad body 10. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the bracket 41 is fixed to a connecting plate 42 that is connected to the pad body 10 by being foamed integrally with the pad body 10, and is connected to the pad body 10. The bracket 41 is fixed to the connecting plate 42 by passing a stud bolt 42a arranged to extend downward on the connecting plate 42 through a bolt hole 41d in the bracket 41 and tightening it with a nut 43. The bracket 41 has a bulging surface portion 41a that bulges upward and is circular when viewed from above. The bulging surface portion 41a has fan-shaped bracket openings 41c that are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction around a center 41b. By providing a plurality of bracket openings 41c, the fan of the blower 40 can be protected without being exposed. The upper surface of the bulging surface portion 41a abuts against the lower surface of the exposed portion 34 of the felt body 30, so that the lower surface of the peripheral portion of the felt opening 35 and the lower surface of the outer peripheral portion of the bracket opening 41c are in a substantially airtight state. The central axis of the blower 40 coincides with the center 41b when viewed from above. As a result, when the blower 40 is operated, air sucked from above the cushion pad 4 through the through hole 21 of the plate-like pad 20 is discharged to the lower side of the cushion pad 4 through the recess 11f, the felt opening 35 of the felt body 30, and the bracket opening 41c of the bracket 41. Here, the blower 40 and the bracket 41 correspond to the "blower device" in the claims.

[0022] The present embodiment configured as above provides the following advantageous effects. In the recess 11f of the pad body 10 in the cushion pad 4, the side wall portion 33 of the felt body 30 is disposed on the vertical wall portion 11g, and the bottom surface portion 32 of the felt body 30 is disposed on the second bottom surface portion 11d. This increases the rigidity of the vertical wall portion 11g and the second bottom surface portion 11d, and the cross-sectional shape of the recess 11f is less likely to collapse even if the body pressure of a seated occupant is applied to the pad body 10 through the plate-like pad 20. Furthermore, since a sufficient air flow passage is secured, the air sucked into the recess 11f through the through hole 21 by the blower 40 can be discharged to the underside of the cushion pad 4 through the felt opening 35 of the felt body 30 and the bracket opening 41c of the bracket 41 without any hindrance.

[0023] In addition, the felt body 30 is integrated with the pad body 10 when it is molded, so there is no need to provide a separate bonding process or the like, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. In addition, the felt body 30 is impregnated with a part of the raw material of the pad body 10 and solidifies, so that the brim-shaped portion 31, the side wall portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 32 of the felt body 30 can significantly increase the rigidity of the first bottom surface portion 11c, the standing wall portion 11g, and the second bottom surface portion 11d of the pad body 10, respectively. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the recess 11f can be made less likely to collapse when the body pressure of a seated occupant is applied. In addition, the first bottom surface portion 11c, the standing wall portion 11g, and the second bottom surface portion 11d, which have significantly increased rigidity, are formed inside the pad body 10, which can contribute to suppressing the occurrence of the so-called submarine phenomenon.

[0024] FIG. 8 shows another embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the mounting structure of the blower 40 to the pad body 10 is different. The same reference numerals are used to omit the description of the common structures. A felt body side mounting member 51 is attached from above to the peripheral edge of the felt opening 35 in the exposed portion 34 of the felt body 30. The felt body side mounting member 51 has a cylindrical tubular portion 51a and a flange portion 51b extending radially from the upper end of the tubular portion 51a. Three notches 51c are formed in the tubular portion 51a at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each notch 51c has a vertical notch 51d extending in the axial direction and a horizontal notch 51e extending circumferentially from the upper end of the vertical notch 51d. The circumferential dimension of the vertical notch 51d and the circumferential dimension of the horizontal notch 51e are set to be approximately equal. The tubular portion 51a is inserted into the felt opening 35 from above, and the lower surface of the flange portion 51b is in contact with the upper surface of the felt body 30, and the two are integrated by adhesion. A cylindrical blower-side mounting member 52 is attached to the upper surface side of the blower 40 in a substantially airtight state. Three engagement protrusions 52a are formed on the outer diameter portion of the upper end side of the blower-side mounting member 52, which protrude radially and extend circumferentially, at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, corresponding to the cutouts 51c of the felt body-side mounting member 51. The circumferential dimension of the engagement protrusions 52a is set to be slightly smaller than the circumferential dimension of the vertical cutouts 51d. When the blower-side mounting member 52 is rotated in the circumferential direction with the blower 40 attached, the engagement protrusions 52a of the blower-side mounting member 52 are inserted into the vertical notches 51d of the felt body-side mounting member 51 and abutted against the upper end, the engagement protrusions 52a are stopped from rotating in the horizontal notches 51e. As a result, the blower-side mounting member 52 is in a connected state with the axial movement of the felt body-side mounting member 51 stopped, and the blower 40 is connected to the felt body 30 while maintaining a substantially airtight state. This makes it possible to achieve the same effect as the first embodiment with a simple structure that does not require other parts such as the bracket 41 and suppresses an increase in the number of parts. Here, the felt body-side mounting member 51, the blower-side mounting member 52, and the blower 40 correspond to the "blower device" in the claims.

[0025] Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those external appearances and configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned.

[0026] 1. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the seat cushion 2 of the rear seat 1 for an automobile. However, regardless of this, the present invention can also be applied to the seat back 3 of the rear seat 1 for an automobile, or to a cushion pad or back pad of a front seat for an automobile.

[0027] 2. In the above embodiment, the felt body 30 is attached to the pad body 10 by being foamed integrally with the pad body 10 during foam molding. However, it may also be attached by adhesion or the like.

[0028] 3. In the above embodiment, the plate-like pad 20 is a foamed molded product of urethane resin. However, it may be formed by cutting a slab of urethane and forming a plurality of through holes 21 therein.

[0029] 4. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to an automobile seat, but it may also be applied to seats installed in airplanes, ships, trains, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0030] 1. Automobile rear seats (vehicle seats) 2 Seat cushion 4 Cushion pad (cushion body) 4a Surface (seated person side) 4b Back 10 Pad body 10a Front side 10b Back side 11a Main rear section 11b Main front part 11 Main Section 11f Recess 11e opening 20 Plate-shaped pad 21 Through hole 30 Felt body 31 Collar 32 Bottom part 33 Side wall 34 Exposed part 35 Felt opening (vent hole) 40 Blower (blower device) 41 Bracket (blower device) 51 Felt body side mounting member (blower device) 52 Blower side mounting member (blower device)

Claims

1. A cushion body for a vehicle seat, comprising: The seat cushion has a pad body having a groove-shaped recess that opens toward the side surface of the seat occupant, and a plate-shaped pad that covers the opening of the recess and constitutes a part of the side surface of the seat occupant, A molded felt body is disposed in contact with the inner wall surface of the recess, A part of the bottom surface of the felt body on the side opposite to the seat occupant side is formed with an exposed portion that is exposed to the outside, A vent hole is formed in the exposed portion to communicate between the outside and the recessed portion, a blower device for supplying air to the ventilation hole or for sucking air from the ventilation hole is disposed on the outer side of the exposed portion of the felt body in a substantially airtight state; A cushion body for a vehicle seat, in which a plurality of through holes extending from the recess toward the side of the seat occupant are formed in a portion of the plate-like pad corresponding to the recess.

2. In claim 1, The felt body is a cushion body for a vehicle seat that is arranged in contact with the inner wall surface of the recess of the pad body by impregnating and solidifying a portion of the raw material of the pad body during molding of the pad body.

3. In claim 1 or 2, The felt body has a flange-shaped portion that is disposed in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the opening in the pad body.

4. In claim 1 or 2, A cushion body for a vehicle seat, wherein the blower device is directly attached to the exposed portion of the felt body.

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