Seat

Abstract

To provide a seat capable of alleviating unpleasant feeling imparted to an occupant by the shock of the impact transmitted when the electric motor reverses rotation thereof.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment of the invention, a control unit, after a striker rotates in a normal direction, causes the striker to rotate in a reverse direction so as to eliminate a gap between the striker and a wedge. Accordingly, when an electric motor rotates in the reverse direction next time, the striker and the wedge do not collide against each other. This process alleviates shock of the collision from being transmitted to an occupant, so as to enable inhibiting unpleasant feeling from being imparted to an occupant when the electric motor rotates next time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a seat with a reclining mechanism that allows the angle of the seat back to be changed. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, when the seat back is engaged and fixed by the locking device, the rotation of the electric motor is reversed, thereby eliminating backlash that occurs at the meshing portion between the output gear and the sector gear. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-125072 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In a Taumel mechanism type recliner, which has an internal gear, an external gear, a wedge (also called a wedge member), and a striker, the portion where the wedge and striker come into contact when the electric motor rotates forward (hereinafter referred to as the first contact portion) is different from the portion where the wedge and striker come into contact when the electric motor rotates reversely (hereinafter referred to as the second contact portion).

[0005] When the electric motor rotates in the forward direction, the first contact portion is in contact and the second contact portion is not in contact, creating a gap. Conversely, when the electric motor rotates in the reverse direction, the second contact portion is in contact and the first contact portion is not in contact, creating a gap.

[0006] For this reason, when the electric motor reverses from forward rotation to reverse rotation, and when the electric motor reverses from reverse rotation to forward rotation, the contact portions between the striker and the wedge, which were separated by a gap until the electric motor reversed, collide with each other.

[0007] Therefore, when the electric motor rotates in the opposite direction, the impact of the collision is transmitted to the seat occupant, which may cause the seat occupant to feel uncomfortable. In view of the above, the present disclosure discloses an example of a seat that is capable of mitigating the impact. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A seat with a reclining mechanism that allows the angle of the seat back to be changed desirably has at least one of the following configuration requirements, for example. In other words, the constituent elements are a recliner (7) for changing the angle of the seat back, the recliner (7) having an internal gear (7B), an external gear (7A), wedges (7C, 7D) and a striker (7E), an electric motor (9) that generates a driving force for rotating the striker (7E), and a control unit (10) that controls the operation of the electric motor (9), the control unit (10) being capable of performing reversal control.

[0009] The reversal control is executed after the electric motor (9) is rotated in the operating direction, and the control unit (10) desirably rotates the electric motor (9) in the reversal direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back does not change when the reversal control is executed. The reversal direction is the opposite direction to the operating direction. The operating direction is the direction of rotation of the electric motor (9) when the angle of the seat back changes.

[0010] As a result, in this seat, for example, when the electric motor (9) reverses from forward rotation to reverse rotation, the gap between the wedge (7C, 7D) and the striker (7E) has already disappeared. Therefore, the striker (7E) does not collide with the wedge (7C, 7D) when the electric motor (9) reverses. As a result, the impact can be mitigated, and discomfort felt by the seated occupant can be suppressed.

[0011] The sheet may have the following configuration, for example. In other words, when the torque generated by the electric motor (9) required to change the angle of the seat back is set as the release torque, it is desirable for the control unit (10) to set the torque generated by the electric motor (9) to less than the release torque when performing the reversal control.

[0012] The control unit (10) is capable of executing automatic control for setting the angle of the seat back to a predetermined angle, and further, it is preferable that the control unit (10) executes reversal control after executing the automatic control.

[0013] It is desirable that the control unit (10) executes a power supply cut-off control to cut off the power supply to the electric motor (9) before starting the execution of the reverse rotation control, so that the reverse rotation control can be executed after the electric motor (9) has completely stopped.

[0014] Furthermore, it is preferable that the control unit (10) executes the automatic control, the de-energization control, and the reversal control as one continuous operation sequence, which can prevent other controls, such as interrupt control, from being executed during the execution of the operation sequence.

[0015] Incidentally, the symbols in the above parentheses are examples showing the corresponding relationship with the specific configurations etc. described in the embodiments described below, and the present disclosure is not limited to the specific configurations etc. shown by the symbols in the above parentheses. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a vehicle seat according to a first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the recliner according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the electric motor according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a chart showing electric motor control according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the recliner according to the first embodiment during normal rotation. [Figure 6]FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the recliner according to the first embodiment when rotating in reverse. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] The following "embodiment of the invention" shows an example of an embodiment that falls within the technical scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the invention-specific matters described in the claims are not limited to the specific configurations and structures shown in the following embodiment.

[0018] In this embodiment, an example of a seat according to the present disclosure is applied to a seat (hereinafter, referred to as a vehicle seat) mounted on a vehicle such as a car. At least one of each member or portion described with a reference symbol is provided, unless otherwise specified by "one".

[0019] In other words, unless otherwise specified, such as "one", two or more members may be provided. The vehicle seat shown in the present disclosure includes at least the components such as the members or parts that are labeled and described, and at least one of the structural parts shown in the drawings.

[0020] (First embodiment) <1. Overview of vehicle seats> 1, the vehicle seat 1 includes at least a seat cushion 3 and a seat back 5. The seat cushion 3 is a portion for supporting the buttocks of a seated person. The seat cushion 3 includes a cushion frame (not shown) and the like.

[0021] The cushion frame is a member that constitutes the framework of the seat cushion 3. The seat back 5 is a portion for supporting the back of a seated occupant. The seat back 5 is configured to include a back frame 5A.

[0022] The back frame 5A is a member that constitutes the framework of the seat back 5, and has two side frames 5B, 5C and two connecting members 5D, 5E, etc. The side frame 5B is a member that is disposed on one end side of the seat back 5 in the seat width direction and extends in the vertical direction.

[0023] The side frame 5C is a member disposed on the other end side of the seat back 5 in the seat width direction and extending in the vertical direction. The connecting member 5D extends in the seat width direction and connects the upper end sides of the two side frames 5B, 5C. The connecting member 5E extends in the seat width direction and connects the lower end sides of the two side frames 5B, 5C.

[0024] The back frame 5A is connected to the cushion frame via a recliner 7. In other words, the vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment is a seat with a reclining mechanism that allows the angle of the seat back 5 relative to the seat cushion 3 to be changed.

[0025] The vehicle seat 1 according to this embodiment includes two recliners 7. The first recliner 7 connects the side frame 5B and the cushion frame. The second recliner 7 connects the side frame 5C and the cushion frame.

[0026] The two recliners 7 have the same structure. As shown in Fig. 2, each recliner 7 is a Taumel mechanism type recliner having an external gear 7A, an internal gear 7B, wedges 7C and 7D, a striker 7E, a spring 7F, and a ring cover 7G.

[0027] The external gear 7A rotates while revolving in mesh with the internal gear 7B. At this time, because the number of teeth of the external gear 7A is smaller than the number of teeth of the internal gear 7B, the external gear 7A and the internal gear 7B are misaligned relative to each other as the internal gear 7B revolves.

[0028] The striker 7E drives the external gear 7A. The striker 7E is driven by an electric motor 9 (see FIG. 1). The driving force of the electric motor 9 is supplied to each of the two recliners 7 via a drive shaft 9A (see FIG. 1).

[0029] Therefore, when the electric motor 9 operates, the angle of the seat back 5 changes with respect to the seat cushion 3. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the electric motor 9 when the angle of the seat back 5 changes is referred to as the actuation direction, and the opposite direction to the actuation direction is referred to as the inversion direction.

[0030] In other words, when the "direction of operation" is the "forward direction," the "direction of inversion" is the "reverse direction." When the "direction of operation" is the "reverse direction," the "direction of inversion" is the "forward direction."

[0031] <2. Electric motor operation control> <2.1 Overview of the control system> In addition to the above-mentioned components, the vehicle seat 1 includes at least a control unit 10, a mode selection switch 11, and a position sensor 12, as shown in FIG. The controller 9 controls the operation of the controller 9.

[0032] The control unit 10 is a microcomputer type controller having at least a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc. Software for executing automatic control, power supply cut control, and reverse control, which will be described later, is pre-installed in a non-volatile storage unit such as a ROM.

[0033] The mode selection switch 11 is an operation unit that is operated by a user of the vehicle seat 1. By operating the mode selection switch 11, the user can set the posture of the vehicle seat 1 (in this embodiment, the angle of the seat back 5) to a predetermined mode.

[0034] That is, in this embodiment, a "driving mode" and a "rest mode" are provided as predetermined modes. The driving mode is a mode in which the angle of the seat back 5 is set to an angle suitable for driving a vehicle.

[0035] In the rest mode, the angle of the seat back 5 is larger than that in the driving mode, and the seat back 5 is inclined to a large extent. The angle of the seat back 5 in each mode is an angle preset by the user. The set angle is stored in the non-volatile storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0036] The position sensor 12 directly or indirectly detects the position of the striker 7E. A detection signal from the position sensor 12 and a signal from the mode selection switch 11 are input to the control unit 10.

[0037] <Details of electric motor control> When either the driving mode or the rest mode is selected, the control unit 10 executes a sequence corresponding to the selected mode by treating automatic control, power cut control, and reverse control as one continuous operation sequence, as shown in Fig. 4. Note that "executing a sequence corresponding to the selected mode" is also called "mode playback."

[0038] <Automatic control> The automatic control is a control that sets the angle of the seat back 5 to "an angle corresponding to the selected mode." Specifically, for example, when the rest mode is selected, the control unit 10 uses the detection value of the position sensor 12 to grasp the current angle of the seat back 5, and then operates the electric motor 9 to set the angle of the seat back 5 to the angle for the rest mode.

[0039] <Reverse control> The reversal control is executed after the electric motor 9 rotates in the operating direction, that is, after the automatic control is executed. During the execution of the reversal control, the control unit 10 rotates the electric motor 9 in the reversal direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back 5 does not change.

[0040] Furthermore, when the reversal control is executed, the control unit 10 sets the torque generated by the electric motor 9 to be less than the release torque. The release torque refers to the torque generated by the electric motor 9 that is necessary to change the angle of the seat back 5.

[0041] The control unit 10 according to the present embodiment controls the torque generated by the electric motor 9 through duty control that changes and controls the ratio of the time during which current is applied to the electric motor 9. Specifically, the duty ratio during the reverse control is a smaller value than the duty ratio when the automatic control is completed.

[0042] <Power cut control> The de-energization control is executed before the start of the reverse control, and is a control for stopping the power supply to the electric motor 9. Specifically, the control unit 10 executes the reverse control after stopping the power supply to the electric motor 9 for a predetermined time from the end of the automatic control.

[0043] The execution time of the de-energization control is the time required for the rotation of the striker 7E to completely stop, because the rotation of the striker 7E does not immediately stop even when the power supply to the electric motor 9 is stopped due to the inertia of the rotating mechanical parts and the electric motor 9, etc.

[0044] <3. Features of the vehicle seat according to this embodiment> When the electric motor 9 rotates in the forward direction, the wedge 7D comes into contact with the portion 7E1 of the striker 7E, as shown in Fig. 5. When the electric motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction, the wedge 7C comes into contact with the portion 7E2 of the striker 7E, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0045] That is, when the electric motor 9 rotates in the forward direction, the wedge 7D and the striker 7E come into contact with each other, and a gap G1 is generated between the wedge 7C and the striker 7E, as shown in Fig. 5. When the electric motor 9 rotates in the reverse direction, the wedge 7C and the striker 7E come into contact with each other, and a gap G2 is generated between the wedge 7D and the striker 7E, as shown in Fig. 6.

[0046] For this reason, in conventional vehicle seats, when the electric motor 9 reverses from forward rotation to reverse rotation, and when the electric motor 9 reverses from reverse rotation to forward rotation, the striker 7E and the wedges 7C and 7D, which were separated by gaps G1 and G2 until the electric motor 9 reversed, collide with each other.

[0047] In response to this, after executing the automatic control, the control unit 10 rotates the electric motor 9 in the opposite direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back 5 does not change, so that when playback of the rest mode or driving mode is completed, the gap between the wedges 7C, 7D and the striker 7E disappears.

[0048] Specifically, for example, when the forward rotation of the striker 7E stops, the control unit 10 reverses the striker 7E to eliminate the gap G1 that occurred during the forward rotation. Therefore, the next time the electric motor 9 reverses, no collision occurs between the striker 7E and the wedge 7C.

[0049] In addition, the control unit 10 reverses the striker 7E even after the reverse rotation of the striker 7E has stopped, eliminating the gap G2 that occurred during the reverse rotation, so that the next time the electric motor 9 rotates forward, no collision will occur between the striker 7E and the wedge 7D.

[0050] As described above, in this embodiment, the striker 7E rotates in the reverse direction to eliminate the gap after the electric motor 9 rotates forward or backward. Therefore, the next time the electric motor 9 rotates, the impact of the collision is lessened from being transmitted to the seated person, and the seated person can be prevented from feeling uncomfortable.

[0051] The control unit 10 executes the inversion control by setting the torque generated by the electric motor 9 to be less than the release torque, thereby preventing the seat back 5 from deviating from a predetermined angle when the mode regeneration ends.

[0052] Before starting the execution of the reversal control, the control unit 10 executes a power supply stop control to stop the power supply to the electric motor 9. This can reliably eliminate the gaps G1, G2 between the wedges 7C, 7D and the striker 7E when the reversal control is executed.

[0053] Furthermore, if, after the automatic control is terminated, reversal control is executed without executing power supply cut control, there is a risk that the gaps G1, G2 between the wedges 7C, 7D and the striker 7E will not disappear due to the rotational inertia of the rotating equipment.

[0054] The control unit 10 executes the automatic control, the power supply stop control, and the inversion control as one continuous operation sequence. This prevents other interrupt operations from intervening until the mode regeneration is completed. In addition, the gap between the wedges 7C, 7D and the striker 7E can be reliably eliminated when the mode regeneration is completed.

[0055] (Other embodiments) In the above-described embodiment, the reversal control is performed on the recliner 7 that operates the seat back 5. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the present disclosure may be configured to perform the reversal control after performing the control to displace a movable part other than the seat back 5 (for example, an ottoman).

[0056] In the above-described embodiment, the Taumel mechanism including the internal gear 7B, the external gear 7A, the wedges 7C and 7D, and the striker 7E is used to perform inversion control on the device that displaces the movable part such as the seat back 5. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0057] In the above-described embodiment, the electric motor 9 is controlled so that the torque generated by the electric motor 9 is less than the release torque when the reverse control is executed. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this.

[0058] That is, the disclosure may be configured to include, for example, a detector that directly or indirectly detects the gaps G1, G2, and to control the electric motor 9 using a detection value of the detector. Note that in the control using the detection value, the motor torque may be equal to or greater than the release torque.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the reverse control is executed after the automatic control is executed to set the angle of the seat back to a predetermined angle. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the present disclosure may be configured to execute the reverse control after the seat occupant operates a switch to rotate the electric motor 9 forward or backward, for example.

[0060] In the above-described embodiment, the power supply stop control is executed before the inversion control is started. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the present disclosure may be configured such that the power supply stop control is eliminated, for example.

[0061] In the above-described embodiment, the automatic control, the de-energization control, and the reverse control are executed as one operation sequence. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this. That is, the present disclosure may be, for example, a single operation sequence in which the automatic control, the de-energization control, and the reverse control are each independent of each other.

[0062] In the above embodiment, the vehicle seat according to the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle. However, the application of the invention disclosed in this specification is not limited thereto. That is, the disclosure can be applied to, for example, seats used in vehicles such as railroad cars, ships, and aircraft, as well as stationary seats used in theaters, homes, and the like.

[0063] Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments as long as it is consistent with the gist of the disclosure described in the above-mentioned embodiments. Therefore, the present disclosure may be a configuration in which at least two of the above-mentioned embodiments are combined, or a configuration in which any of the components illustrated or the components described with reference numerals in the above-mentioned embodiments are eliminated. It is also possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1. Vehicle seat 3. Seat cushion 5… Seat back 7… Recliner 7A… External gear 7B… Internal gear 7C, 7D... Wedges 7E… Striker 7F... Spring 7D… Wedge 8. Striker 9… Electric motor 10... Control section

Claims

1. In seats with a reclining mechanism that allows the angle of the seat back to be changed, A recliner for changing the angle of the seat back, the recliner having an internal gear, an external gear, a wedge and a striker; an electric motor that generates a driving force for driving the striker; A control unit that controls the operation of the electric motor and is capable of executing reverse control, When the rotation direction of the electric motor when the angle of the seat back changes is defined as an actuation direction, and the opposite direction to the actuation direction is defined as an inversion direction, The reversal control is executed after the electric motor is rotated in an operating direction, and when the reversal control is executed, the control unit rotates the electric motor in the reversal direction within a range in which the angle of the seat back does not change.

2. When a torque generated by the electric motor required to change the angle of the seat back is a release torque, The seat according to claim 1 , wherein, when the reversal control is performed, the control unit controls the torque generated by the electric motor to be less than a release torque.

3. The control unit is capable of automatically controlling the angle of the seat back to a predetermined angle, The seat according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: the control unit executing the reversal control after executing the automatic control.

4. The seat according to claim 3 , wherein the control unit executes a current supply stop control to stop the current supply to the electric motor before starting the execution of the reversal control.

5. The seat according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit executes the automatic control, the power supply cut-off control, and the reversal control as one continuous operation sequence.

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