Vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat which can reduce the number of components mounted on a seat back frame, and can suppress weight increase.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat 10 includes: an upper frame 16 which has an upper part 16U extending in a seat width direction, and a pair of right and left side parts 16S which are bent from both ends in the seat width direction of the upper part 16U and extend, and constitutes a seat back frame 12 by connecting the upper ends of the pair of right and left side frames 14; and a resin upper panel 20 which has a pair of right and left holder parts 28 for holding a resin support member 30 for liftably supporting a pair of right and left headrest stays 17 of a headrest 18, and is mounted on the upper frame 16.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] A vehicle seat in which a pair of hinge brackets protrude from an upper cross member of a seatback frame and a headrest support member that supports a headrest is rotatably supported by the pair of hinge brackets has been known for some time (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2003-312338 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the seat back frame of the vehicle seat as described above, the hinge bracket, headrest support member, etc. are made of iron plate, which increases the weight of the vehicle seat. Also, since there are many parts (hinge bracket, headrest support member, etc.) attached to the seat back frame, the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat increases.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat that can reduce the number of parts attached to a seat back frame and suppress an increase in weight. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first aspect of the vehicle seat of the present invention includes an upper frame having an upper portion extending in the seat width direction and a pair of left and right side portions bending and extending from both ends of the upper portion in the seat width direction, the upper frame constituting a seat back frame by connecting the upper ends of the pair of left and right side frames, and a resin upper panel attached to the upper frame, the upper panel having a pair of left and right holder portions that hold resin support members that support a pair of left and right headrest stays of a headrest so that they can be raised and lowered.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the invention, a resin upper panel is attached to an upper frame that constitutes a seat back frame by connecting upper ends of a pair of left and right side frames, and the upper panel has a pair of left and right holder parts that hold resin support members that support a pair of left and right headrest stays of a headrest so that they can be raised and lowered.

[0008] In other words, the holder portion that holds the support member is integrally formed with the upper panel. Therefore, the number of parts to be attached to the seat back frame is reduced compared to when the holder portion and the upper panel are separate parts. Also, because the support member and the upper panel are made of resin, weight increase is suppressed compared to when they are made of metal.

[0009] In addition, a second aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is a vehicle seat according to the first aspect, wherein the upper panel has a connecting portion rotatably attached to the upper portion of the upper frame, and a pair of left and right fitting portions that are fitted into the pair of left and right side portions of the upper frame from the rear side of the seat, respectively, and the fitting portions are configured to come off the pair of left and right side portions when a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the upper panel from the front side of the seat.

[0010] According to the second aspect of the invention, the upper panel is rotatably attached to the upper part of the upper frame by the connecting portion, and is attached by being fitted to a pair of left and right side portions of the upper frame from the rear side of the seat by a pair of left and right fitting portions, respectively. Each fitting portion is configured to come off the pair of left and right side portions of the upper frame when a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the upper panel from the front side of the seat.

[0011] In other words, when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is input from the front of the seat, the upper panel rotates to tilt forward, moving the headrest toward the front lower side of the seat. Therefore, when the occupant moves toward the seat back during a rear-end collision, the headrest can support the occupant's head early, improving whiplash prevention performance for the occupant.

[0012] Furthermore, a third aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is the vehicle seat of the second aspect, wherein the connecting portion is attached by fitting into the upper portion of the upper frame from the front side of the seat or the upper side of the seat.

[0013] According to the third aspect of the invention, the connecting portion is fitted and attached to the upper portion of the upper frame from the front side or the upper side of the seat, so that even if a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the upper panel from the front side of the seat and the upper panel rotates so as to tilt forward, the connecting portion is prevented from coming off the upper portion of the upper frame.

[0014] Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is the vehicle seat of the second aspect, wherein the connection portion is attached so as to cover the entire circumferential direction of the upper portion of the upper frame when viewed from the seat width direction.

[0015] According to the fourth aspect of the invention, the connecting portion is attached so as to cover the entire circumferential portion of the upper portion of the upper frame when viewed in the seat width direction, so that even if a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the upper panel from the front side of the seat and the upper panel rotates so as to tilt forward, the connecting portion is more effectively prevented from coming off the upper portion of the upper frame.

[0016] Furthermore, a fifth aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is the vehicle seat of any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the upper panel has a retaining portion to which an air blowing device capable of blowing air toward an occupant is attached.

[0017] According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the upper panel has a holding portion to which a blower capable of blowing air toward an occupant is attached, and therefore the number of parts to be attached to the seat back frame is reduced compared to when the upper panel does not have a holding portion to which the blower is attached, for example, when a holding member for attaching the blower is attached to the seat back frame separately from the upper panel.

[0018] In addition, a sixth aspect of the vehicle seat according to the present invention is a vehicle seat of any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein a support member for supporting the back of an occupant is provided between the pair of left and right side frames, and the upper panel has a support portion for supporting upper ends of the pair of left and right linear elastic bodies attached to the support member.

[0019] According to the sixth aspect of the invention, the upper panel has a support portion that supports the upper ends of the pair of left and right linear elastic bodies attached to a support member that is provided between the pair of left and right side frames and supports the back of the occupant. Therefore, the number of parts to be attached to the seat back frame can be reduced compared to when the upper panel does not have the support portion, for example, when the support member that supports the upper ends of the pair of left and right linear elastic bodies is attached to the seat back frame separately from the upper panel. Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the number of parts attached to the seat back frame, and to suppress an increase in weight. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a seat back frame and an upper panel of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 1 is a schematic side view showing a seat back frame and an upper panel of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1A is a schematic front view showing a seat back frame and an upper panel of a vehicle seat according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1B is a schematic rear view showing the seat back frame and the upper panel of the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. [Figure 4] 2 is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged view of a joint portion of an upper panel attached to a seat back frame of the vehicle seat according to the embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an enlarged view of a fitting portion of an upper panel that fits into a seat back frame of the vehicle seat according to the embodiment; FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a schematic side view showing a state of a seat back frame and an upper panel during a rear collision of a vehicle equipped with the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. FIG. [Figure 7] 10A to 10C are schematic side views showing, in an enlarged manner, first to third modified examples of a joint portion of an upper panel attached to a seat back frame of a vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For convenience of explanation, the arrow UP shown in each drawing indicates the upward direction of the vehicle seat, the arrow FR indicates the forward direction of the vehicle seat, and the arrow RH indicates the rightward direction of the vehicle seat. In addition, in the following explanation, when the directions of up / down, front / rear, and left / right are described without special mention, they refer to up / down, front / rear, and left / right of the vehicle seat. In addition, the left / right direction is synonymous with the seat width direction.

[0023] 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment has a seatback frame 12 provided inside a seatback (not shown). In a side view seen from the seat width direction, the seatback frame 12 has a pair of left and right side frames 14 that extend in the up-down direction and become wider toward the lower side. The lower end (lower end) of each side frame 14 is rotatably attached to the inside in the seat width direction of the rear end (rear end) of each side frame of a seat cushion frame provided inside a seat cushion (not shown).

[0024] The seatback frame 12 also has a cylindrical upper frame 16 that integrally connects the upper ends of a pair of left and right side frames 14 and constitutes the upper portion of the seatback frame 12. The upper frame 16 is formed in a generally inverted U-shape with the lower side open when viewed from the front. That is, the upper frame 16 has an upper portion 16U extending in the seat width direction, and a pair of left and right side portions 16S extending downward from both left and right ends of the upper portion 16U. The lower ends of the side portions 16S are attached to the upper ends of the side frames 14 (see FIG. 2).

[0025] 1 to 3, a resin upper panel 20 is attached to the upper frame 16. The upper panel 20 has a main body 22 formed in a substantially isosceles trapezoid shape when viewed from the front, a connecting portion 24 integrally formed at an upper end of the main body 22 with a predetermined gap therebetween in the left-right direction and rotatably attached to an upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16, and a pair of left and right fitting portions 26 integrally formed at lower portions of both left and right ends of the main body 22 and fitted into each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16 from the rear side.

[0026] 4, the joint 24 is fitted and attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 from the front side. That is, the joint 24 has a recess 24A formed in a substantially "C" shape in a side view seen from the axial direction (seat width direction) of the upper frame 16, and the recess 24A is fitted into the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16. The joint 24 is attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16, so that the upper panel 20 is positioned in the up-down direction.

[0027] Note that the connecting portion 24 is not limited to being fitted and attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 from the front side as long as it is configured so as not to come off from the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 during a rear-end collision of the vehicle, which will be described later. For example, the connecting portion 24 may be configured so as to be fitted and attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 from above.

[0028] 5, each fitting portion 26 is attached by fitting into each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16 from the rear side. That is, each fitting portion 26 has a recess 26A formed in a substantially "C" shape in a plan view seen from the top-bottom direction, and the recess 26A is fitted into each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16. By attaching each fitting portion 26 to each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16, the position of the upper panel 20 in the left-right direction is determined.

[0029] 6, each fitting portion 26 is configured to come off from each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16 when a load of a predetermined value or more is input from the front side to the main body portion 22 of the upper panel 20. Specifically, the fitting force of each fitting portion 26 with respect to each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16 is set by adjusting the amount of fitting (the circumferential length covering each side portion 16S) and the amount of elastic deformation (plate thickness), etc.

[0030] For example, the fitting force of each fitting portion 26 is set so that the load generated when an occupant equivalent to AM95 (the 95th percentile of adult American males) of a crash test dummy (Hybrid III) leans against the seat bag will not cause the seat bag to come off the side portion 16S of the upper frame 16. Therefore, the above-mentioned "load equal to or greater than a predetermined value" refers to a load equal to or greater than that load.

[0031] In addition, the fitting force of each fitting portion 26 is set so that the headrest 18 will not come off from the side portion 16S of the upper frame 16 when a load is input to the rear upper end of the headrest 18 from diagonally above and rearward at a predetermined angle (for example, 45 degrees from the horizontal), for example, when the head of an occupant seated in a seat (rear seat) at the rear of the vehicle seat 10 collides with the rear upper end of the headrest 18 due to inertial force during a frontal collision of the vehicle (not shown).

[0032] 1 to 3, the upper panel 20 has a pair of left and right holder parts 28 formed integrally with the upper part of the main body part 22 at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction. Each holder part 28 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and after a cover or the like (not shown) is attached to the seat back frame 12, a bush 30 made of resin as a support member is fitted into each holder part 28 from above.

[0033] That is, each holder part 28 is configured to be able to hold each bush 30 on its upper part by frictionally fitting (pressing) the shaft part of each bush 30. Although not shown in the drawings, either a locking claw or a locking hole may be formed on the shaft part of each bush 30, and the other of a locking claw or a locking hole may be formed on the upper part of each holder part 28, so that each bush 30 is attached to the upper part of each holder part 28 by the locking fit therebetween.

[0034] A through hole 30A having a circular shape in plan view is formed in the axial center of each bush 30, and as shown in Fig. 2, a pair of left and right headrest stays 17 of the headrest 18 are inserted into the through holes 30A. Each bush 30 is provided with a locking mechanism (not shown) that can lock the headrest 18 at a desired height position by fitting into one of a plurality of recesses (not shown) formed in the headrest stay 17. In other words, each bush 30 is configured to support the headrest stay 17 so that it can be raised and lowered, and to fix the headrest 18 at a desired height position.

[0035] 3, the upper panel 20 has a planar holding portion 22A in the center of the main body 22 to which is attached an air blower 32 capable of blowing air to an occupant (not shown) seated in the vehicle seat 10. A support member 34 (see FIGS. 2 and 6) for supporting the back of the occupant is provided between the pair of left and right side frames 14.

[0036] 1, the upper panel 20 has a support portion 23 at the lower end of the main body portion 22, which supports upper ends of spring members 36 as a pair of left and right linear elastic bodies attached to a support member 34 by inserting therethrough. That is, the support portion 23 is formed in a substantially "L" shape in a side view, and the support portion 23 has insertion holes 23A formed at a predetermined interval in the left-right direction, through which the spring members 36 are inserted with friction.

[0037] Next, the operation of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment configured as above will be described.

[0038] As described above, the resin upper panel 20 is attached to the upper frame 16 which connects the upper ends of the pair of left and right side frames 14 to form the seat back frame 12. The upper panel 20 has a pair of left and right holder parts 28 which hold the resin bushes 30 which support the pair of left and right headrest stays 17 of the headrest 18 so that they can be raised and lowered.

[0039] That is, the holder portion 28 that holds the resin bushing 30 is integrally formed with the resin upper panel 20. Therefore, compared to a case in which the holder portion 28 and the upper panel 20 are separate members, the number of parts to be attached to the upper frame 16 of the seatback frame 12 can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost of the vehicle seat 10 can be reduced.

[0040] Moreover, because the upper panel 20 has the joining portion 24 and the fitting portion 26, the holder portion 28 (upper panel 20) can be attached to the upper frame 16 more easily than in the case where, for example, a metal holder portion is attached to the upper frame 16 by welding. Also, because the bush 30 and the upper panel 20 are made of resin, it is possible to suppress an increase in weight of the vehicle seat 10 (reduce the weight of the vehicle seat 10) and also improve recyclability, compared to the case where they are made of metal.

[0041] The upper panel 20 is rotatably attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 by a connecting portion 24, and is attached by being fitted from the rear side to a pair of left and right side portions 16S of the upper frame 16 by a pair of left and right fitting portions 26. As shown by arrow F in Fig. 6, when a load of a predetermined value or more is input from the front side to the upper panel 20 by an occupant who tries to move rearward due to inertial force during a rear-end collision of the vehicle, each fitting portion 26 is configured to come off each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16.

[0042] In other words, when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is input from the front side, the upper panel 20 rotates so as to tilt forward with the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 as a rotation fulcrum (rotation center), and moves the headrest 18 toward the front and lower side as shown by the arrow G in Fig. 6. This causes the pair of left and right spring members 36 supported by the support portion 23 of the upper panel 20 to move toward the rear side, and the support member 34 moves toward the rear side.

[0043] Therefore, in the event of a rear-end collision of the vehicle, the reaction force from the seat back is reduced, and the occupant can move rearward so as to sink into the seat back. Then, the headrest 18, which has moved forward and downward, comes into contact with the head of the occupant who has moved toward the seat back early, and the headrest 18 can support the head of the occupant early. This makes it possible to prevent the occupant from suffering a whiplash injury (improve whiplash prevention performance for the occupant).

[0044] Furthermore, the connecting portion 24 is fitted and attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 from the front side (or upward side). Therefore, even if a load of a predetermined value or more is input to the upper panel 20 from the front side and the upper panel 20 (headrest 18) rotates so as to tilt forward, the connecting portion 24 can be prevented from coming off the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16.

[0045] Furthermore, the upper panel 20 has a holding portion 22A in its main body 22 to which a blower 32 capable of blowing air toward an occupant is attached. Therefore, when the upper panel 20 does not have the holding portion 22A to which the blower 32 is attached, the number of parts attached to the seat back frame 12 can be reduced compared to when, for example, a holding member for attaching the blower 32 is attached to the seat back frame 12 separately from the upper panel 20.

[0046] In addition, the upper panel 20 has a support portion 23 that supports the upper ends of a pair of left and right spring members 36 attached to a support member 34 that is provided between the pair of left and right side frames 14 and supports the back of the occupant. Therefore, when the upper panel 20 does not have the support portion 23, the number of parts attached to the seat back frame 12 can be reduced compared to when, for example, a support member that supports the upper ends of the pair of left and right spring members 36 is attached to the seat back frame 12 separately from the upper panel 20.

[0047] The function of the vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment has been described above, but the shape of the connecting portion 24 is not limited to the shape shown in Fig. 4 and may be, for example, the shape shown in Fig. 7. That is, the connecting portion 24 may be attached so as to cover the entire circumferential direction of the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 in a side view.

[0048] Specifically, as in the first modified example shown in Figure 7(A), the connecting portion 24 may be composed of a base portion 24B having a recess 24A that is approximately semicircular in side view, and a lid portion 24C that has the recess 24A that is approximately semicircular in side view and is integrally connected to the base portion 24B via a hinge portion 24D, and the lid portion 24C may be configured to be rotatable around the hinge portion 24D relative to the base portion 24B.

[0049] In this case, for example, a locking hole 24E is formed in the open end of the base 24B opposite the hinge portion 24D, and a locking claw 24F is formed in the open end of the lid portion 24C opposite the hinge portion 24D, so that the locking claw 24F is inserted into and locked in the locking hole 24E. By inserting the locking claw 24F into and locking the locking hole 24E, the connecting portion 24 can be attached to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16.

[0050] 7(B), the base 24B and the lid 24C of the connecting part 24 may be configured as separate bodies. In this case, for example, by forming locking holes 24E at both open end portions of the base 24B and forming locking claws 24F at both open end portions of the lid 24C, which are inserted into and locked with the locking holes 24E, the connecting part 24 can be attached to the upper part 16U of the upper frame 16 by inserting and locking the locking claws 24F into the locking holes 24E.

[0051] 7(C), at least the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 may be disposed inside a mold (not shown), and when the upper panel 20 is molded, the connecting portions 24 may be attached integrally (non-removably) to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16. In this case, it is preferable that the pair of left and right fitting portions 26 are molded in a state where they are not fitted into the respective side portions 16S of the upper frame 16.

[0052] According to the connecting portion 24 having the shapes shown in the first to third modified examples, the connecting force to the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16 is higher than that in the case of the shape shown in Fig. 4. Therefore, even if a load of a predetermined value or more is input from the front side to the upper panel 20 and the upper panel 20 (headrest 18) rotates so as to tilt forward, the connecting portion 24 can be more effectively prevented from coming off the upper portion 16U of the upper frame 16.

[0053] Although the vehicle seat 10 according to the present embodiment has been described above with reference to the drawings, the vehicle seat 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated one, and can be appropriately modified in design within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the first and second modified examples, the locking claws 24F may be formed on the base 24B, and the locking holes 24E may be formed on the lid 24C. Also, each spring member 36 may be inserted into each insertion hole 23A of the support portion 23 without friction.

[0054] Furthermore, the shapes of the main body portion 22 and the holder portion 28 in the upper panel 20 are not limited to those shown in the drawings. For example, although not shown, one or more reinforcing ribs or the like may be formed on the outer peripheral surface of the holder portion 28 along its longitudinal direction (axial direction). Furthermore, since each fitting portion 26 is merely removed from each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16, it is possible to manually refit each fitting portion 26 to each side portion 16S of the upper frame 16. In other words, the upper panel 20 in this embodiment can be easily returned to its original state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 Vehicle seats 12 Seat back frame 14 Side frame 16 Upper Frame 16U top 16S Side 17 Headrest stay 18 Headrest 20 Upper Panel 22A Holding part 23 Support part 24 Joint 26 Fitting part 28 Holder part 30 Bush (support member) 32 Blower 34 Support material 36 Spring member (linear elastic body)

Claims

1. an upper frame that includes an upper portion extending in a seat width direction and a pair of left and right side portions that are bent and extend from both ends of the upper portion in the seat width direction, and that connects upper ends of the pair of left and right side frames to form a seat back frame; a resin upper panel attached to the upper frame, the upper panel having a pair of left and right holder portions for holding resin support members that support a pair of left and right headrest stays of a headrest in a vertically movable manner; A vehicle seat comprising:

2. The upper panel is A coupling portion rotatably attached to the upper portion of the upper frame; a pair of left and right fitting portions that are fitted and attached to the pair of left and right side portions of the upper frame from a rear side of the seat; having The vehicle seat according to claim 1 , wherein the fitting portion is configured to disengage from the pair of left and right side portions when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined value is input to the upper panel from a front side of the seat.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2 , wherein the connecting portion is attached to the upper portion of the upper frame by being fitted from a front side of the seat or from an upper side of the seat.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 2 , wherein the joint portion is attached so as to cover an entire circumferential portion of the upper portion of the upper frame when viewed in a seat width direction.

5. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the upper panel has a holding portion to which an air blower capable of blowing air toward an occupant is attached.

6. A support member for supporting the back of an occupant is provided between the pair of left and right side frames, 5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the upper panel has support portions that support upper ends of the pair of left and right linear elastic bodies attached to the support member.

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