Seat cushion length variable device and vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a seat cushion length variable device which can absorb the change in a seat cushion length without depending on flexibility of a trim cover covering a pad, and can stabilize the operation.SOLUTION: A seat cushion length variable device 30 includes: a moving mechanism having a slide part 32 and a rotation mechanism 58; a flap 42 which extends to a seat lower side from the front end of the slide part 32, supports a pad flap part 18A provided on the front end of a pad 18 from the seat rear side, is displaced in a seat longitudinal direction by the moving mechanism, and is rotated around an axis in a seat width direction accompanied by the displacement; and a pad fixing member 74 that is mounted so as to be slidable in an extension direction E of the flap 42 with respect to the flap 42 and is energized in an extension direction E, and to which the pad flap part 18A is fixed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a seat cushion length adjusting device for changing the length of a seat cushion. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a structure of a seat cover (trim cover) that covers a seat cushion equipped with a seat cushion length varying device that elastically displaces a bent front portion (pad flap portion) of a cushion pad in the seat front-rear direction. This trim cover is composed of a side cover member that covers the upper surface and side surfaces of the cushion pad, and a main seat cover member whose rear end edge is connected to a width position of a predetermined front-rear portion of the upper surface of the side cover member and whose front end edge is placed on the underside along the pad flap portion and overlapped with the side cover member. The front end edge of the main seat cover member is connected to a bracket of the seat cushion length varying device via an elastic band material, and the elastic member expands and contracts in the seat front-rear direction in accordance with the elastic displacement of the pad flap portion. This allows the change in the seat cushion length to be absorbed without relying on the elasticity of the trim cover.

[0003] The following Patent Document 2 discloses a seat cushion length varying device equipped with a movable drum (flap) located at the front end of a cushion frame. When the seat cushion length changes, the flap displaces in the front-rear direction of the seat while rotating around an axis parallel to the seat width direction. This flap supports a pad flap portion provided at the front end of the cushion pad from the rear side of the seat. This seat cushion length varying device does not include a member such as the elastic band disclosed in the above Patent Document 1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2000-157376 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-136184 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] If the stretchable member (elastic member) disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied to the cushion length varying device disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is possible to absorb changes in the seat cushion length without relying on the stretchability of the trim cover. However, in a cushion length varying device equipped with a flap, frictional resistance generated between the pad flap portion and the flap increases, which may cause the operation of the cushion length varying device to become unstable.

[0006] In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to provide a cushion length adjusting device that can absorb changes in seat cushion length without relying on the elasticity of the trim cover that covers the pad and can stabilize operation, and a vehicle seat equipped with the cushion length adjusting device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The seat cushion length adjustment device of the first embodiment comprises a moving mechanism attached to the front of a frame of a seat cushion of a vehicle seat, a flap extending from the front end of the moving mechanism toward the lower side of the seat and supporting a pad flap portion provided at the front end of the pad of the seat cushion from the rear side of the seat, and being displaced in the fore-and-aft direction of the seat relative to the frame by the moving mechanism and rotated about an axis along the width direction of the seat in response to the displacement, and a pad fixing member attached to the flap so as to be slidable along the extension direction of the flap, biased in the extension direction, and to which the pad flap portion is fixed.

[0008] In the seat cushion length adjusting device of the first aspect, a moving mechanism is attached to a front part of a frame of a seat cushion of a vehicle seat. A flap extends from a front end part of the moving mechanism toward the lower side of the seat. The flap supports a pad flap part provided at a front end part of a pad of the seat cushion from the rear side of the seat. The flap is displaced in the front-rear direction of the seat with respect to the frame by the moving mechanism, and rotated about an axis along the width direction of the seat in accordance with the displacement. A pad fixing member is attached to the flap so as to be slidable along the extending direction. The pad fixing member is biased in the extending direction. The pad flap part is fixed to the pad fixing member.

[0009] During the above displacement and rotation, the pad flap portion displaces in the front-rear direction of the seat together with the pad fixing member and the flap. At this time, the pad fixing member biased in the above extension direction slides relative to the flap together with the pad flap portion. This sliding can absorb changes in the seat cushion length, so that changes in the seat cushion length can be absorbed without relying on the stretchability of the trim cover that covers the pad. Moreover, because the pad fixing member slides relative to the flap, frictional resistance generated between the pad flap portion and the flap can be reduced. This makes it possible to stabilize the operation of the cushion length varying device.

[0010] A second aspect of the seat cushion length adjusting device is the same as the first aspect, in which the pad fixing member has a corner covering portion that covers a corner portion of a lower end portion of the pad flap portion.

[0011] In the seat cushion length adjusting device of the second aspect, the corners of the lower end of the pad flap part are covered by the corner covering part of the pad fixing member, which prevents the corners from being crushed by the trim cover covering the pad due to, for example, the displacement of the pad flap part, thereby maintaining a good appearance of the seat cushion.

[0012] In the third aspect of the seat cushion length adjustment device, in the second aspect, the pad fixing member is biased in the extension direction by an elastic member formed in a long shape, and one longitudinal end of the elastic member is engaged with the pad fixing member, a longitudinal middle portion is wrapped around a wrapping portion provided on the flap from the underside of the seat, and the other longitudinal end is engaged with the flap or the moving mechanism above the seat from the wrapping portion.

[0013] In the seat cushion length adjusting device of the third aspect, the elastic member formed in a long shape has one end in the longitudinal direction engaged with the pad fixing member, the intermediate part in the longitudinal direction wound around a winding part provided on the flap from the seat lower side, and the other end in the longitudinal direction engaged with the flap or the moving mechanism on the seat upper side of the winding part. This allows the pad flap part to be biased in the flap extension direction. Since this elastic member expands and contracts along the flap extension direction, the elastic force of the elastic member when extended can be made smaller than in a configuration in which the elastic member expands and contracts along the seat front-rear direction. This allows the cushion length adjusting device to operate more stably.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the seat cushion length adjusting device is the third aspect, wherein the winding portion is a winding roller attached to the flap so as to be rotatable about an axis along the seat width direction.

[0015] In the fourth aspect of the seat cushion length adjusting device, the longitudinal middle portion of the elastic member is wound around a winding roller that is rotatably attached to the flap around an axis along the seat width direction. The winding roller rotates in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the elastic member, which makes the expansion and contraction of the elastic member smoother, thereby making it possible to further stabilize the operation of the cushion length adjusting device.

[0016] The seat cushion length adjusting device of the fifth aspect is any one of the first to fourth aspects, and an upper roller is provided on the upper part of the flap so as to be rotatable about an axis along the seat width direction relative to the flap and in contact with the pad flap portion.

[0017] In the seat cushion length adjusting device of the fifth aspect, an upper roller provided on the upper part of the flap is attached to the flap so as to be rotatable around an axis along the seat width direction. Since this upper roller is in contact with the pad flap portion, the roller rotates when the flap is displaced or rotated. This reduces frictional resistance generated between the pad flap portion and the flap, and further stabilizes the operation of the cushion length adjusting device.

[0018] A vehicle seat of a sixth aspect includes a seat cushion supporting the buttocks and thighs of an occupant, a seat back supporting the back of the occupant, and a seat cushion length adjusting device of any one of the first to fifth aspects, in which the moving mechanism is attached to the front of a frame of the seat cushion and the flap supports a pad flap portion provided at the front of a pad of the seat cushion from the rear side of the seat.

[0019] In the vehicle seat of the sixth aspect, the seat cushion supports the buttocks and thighs of the occupant, and the seat back supports the back of the occupant. The movement mechanism of the seat cushion length varying device is attached to the front part of the frame of the seat cushion, and the flap of the seat cushion length varying device supports a pad flap part provided on the front part of the pad of the seat cushion from the rear side of the seat. Since this seat cushion length varying device is any one of the first to fifth aspects, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained. Effect of the Invention

[0020] As described above, the seat cushion length adjusting device and vehicle seat of the present invention can absorb changes in the seat cushion length without relying on the elasticity of the trim cover covering the pad, and can stabilize operation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]1 is a side view showing a portion of a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, in which the seat cushion length is at its minimum. FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 1, illustrating a state in which the seat cushion length is at its maximum. [Diagram 3] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration around a seat cushion length adjusting device in a vehicle seat according to an embodiment, in which the seat cushion length is at its minimum. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a state in which the seat cushion length is intermediate. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 3 and showing a state in which the seat cushion length is at its maximum. [Figure 6] 2 is a perspective view showing a main part of a seat cushion length adjusting device. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a perspective view showing a pad fixing member included in the seat cushion length adjusting device. FIG. [Figure 8] 4 is a perspective view showing an elastic member included in the seat cushion length adjusting device. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a pad of a seat cushion. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a trim cover of the seat cushion. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which an elastic member is attached to a pad fixing member. [Figure 12A] FIG. 2 is a first perspective view showing a state in which a pad fixing member is attached to a pad. [Figure 12B] FIG. 4 is a second perspective view showing a state in which the pad fixing member is attached to the pad. [Figure 13A] FIG. 4 is a first perspective view showing a state in which the trim cover is placed on the pad. [Figure 13B] FIG. 4 is a second perspective view showing a state in which the trim cover is placed on the pad. [Figure 14] 11 is a side view showing a state in which the pad covered with the trim cover is attached to the frame of the seat cushion and the pad flap portion is folded. FIG. [Figure 15A]11 is a first side view illustrating a procedure for engaging the elastic member with a flap of the seat cushion length adjusting device. FIG. [Figure 15B] FIG. 11 is a first perspective view illustrating a procedure for fastening the elastic member to the flap. [Figure 16A] FIG. 11 is a second side view illustrating a procedure for fastening the elastic member to the flap. [Figure 16B] FIG. 11 is a second perspective view illustrating a procedure for fastening the elastic member to the flap. [Figure 17A] FIG. 11 is a third side view illustrating a procedure for fastening the elastic member to the flap. [Figure 17B] FIG. 11 is a third perspective view illustrating a procedure for fastening the elastic member to the flap. [Figure 18] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a trim cover of a vehicle seat according to a modified example of the embodiment. [Figure 19] 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover made of a knitted material is placed over a pad of a seat cushion of a vehicle seat according to a modified example of the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, a vehicle seat 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 17B. In each drawing, some symbols and hatching may be omitted in order to make the drawings easier to see. Arrows FR, LH, RH, and UP, which are appropriately written in each drawing, respectively indicate the front, left, right, and upper sides of the vehicle seat 10. Hereinafter, when the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions are simply used in the description, they will indicate the front-rear direction, left-right direction (width direction), and up-down direction of the vehicle seat 10.

[0023] 1 and 2, a vehicle seat 10 according to this embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 that supports the buttocks and thighs of an occupant, and a seat back 22 that supports the back of the occupant. A seat cushion length varying device 30 that changes the length of the seat cushion 12 is mounted on the front of the seat cushion 12.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6, the seat cushion length varying device 30 includes a slide section 32, a flap 42, a rotation mechanism 58, a pad fixing member 74, and two elastic members 82 on the left and right. The slide section 32 and the rotation mechanism 58 constitute a "moving mechanism" in the present invention. This moving mechanism displaces the flap 42 in the front-rear direction relative to the frame 14 (see Fig. 6) of the seat cushion 12, and rotates the flap 42 around an axis along the left-right direction (seat width direction) in accordance with the displacement. The slide section 32 has a slide section main body 34 made of, for example, a metal plate material.

[0025] The sliding portion main body 34 is in the form of a long plate with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction and the plate thickness direction approximately in the up-down direction, and is supported by the left and right side frames 16 (see FIG. 6) constituting a part of the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12 so as to be slidable (displaceable) in the front-rear direction between a rearmost position shown in FIG. 3 and a frontmost position shown in FIG. 5. The sliding portion main body 34 is slid by the driving force of a driving source (e.g., a motor with a feed screw) not shown. The sliding portion main body 34 may be configured to be slid manually.

[0026] The slide portion 32 has a first hinge portion 36 protruding forward from the left-right center of the front of the slide portion main body 34, and a second hinge portion 38 protruding downward from the left-right center of the front of the slide portion main body 34. A flap (flap bracket) 42 is rotatably connected to the first hinge portion 36 via a connecting shaft 40 whose axial direction is the left-right direction (seat width direction).

[0027] The flap 42 is made of, for example, a press-formed metal plate, and has a long plate shape with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction and the plate thickness direction approximately in the front-rear direction. The flap 42 extends from the front end of the slide portion 32 toward the lower side of the seat, and is rotatable around the connecting shaft 40 (i.e., around an axis along the seat width direction). A winding roller 44 is provided on the front side of the lower part of the flap 42, and two upper rollers 48, one on each side, are provided on the front side of the upper end of the flap 42.

[0028] The winding roller 44 is formed in a cylindrical shape with its axis extending in the left-right direction. Both axial ends of the winding roller 44 are rotatably supported by brackets 46 (see Figs. 14 to 17B; not shown in Fig. 6) fixed to both left-right ends of the flap 42. This allows the winding roller 44 to rotate around an axis extending in the left-right direction (sheet width direction) relative to the flap 42.

[0029] The left and right upper rollers 48 are formed in a cylindrical shape with the axial direction in the left-right direction. One axial end portion (outer end portion in the left-right direction) of the left and right upper rollers 48 is rotatably supported by the bracket 46 fixed to both left-right ends of the flap 42. The other axial end portion (center end portion in the left-right direction) of the left and right upper rollers 48 is rotatably supported by the bracket 46 (not shown) fixed to the center portion of the flap 42 in the left-right direction. This allows the left and right upper rollers 48 to rotate about an axis along the left-right direction relative to the flap 42.

[0030] The flap 42 is configured to be rotated around the connecting shaft 40 by the rotation mechanism 58 when the sliding portion 32 slides in the front-rear direction. By this rotation and the above-mentioned sliding, the flap 42 is displaced between the rearmost position shown in Fig. 3 and the frontmost position shown in Fig. 5.

[0031] The rotation mechanism 58 has a connecting bracket 60 supported by the second hinge portion 38, and a guide bracket 66 supported by the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12. In the present embodiment, as an example, two each of the second hinge portions 38, the connecting bracket 60, and the guide bracket 66 are provided side by side in the left-right direction.

[0032] The connecting bracket 60 is made of, for example, a metal plate material, and has a long plate shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction and the plate thickness direction being the left-right direction. The middle part of the connecting bracket 60 in the front-rear direction is rotatably connected to the lower end of the second hinge part 38 via a connecting shaft 62 whose axial direction is the left-right direction. The front end of the connecting bracket 60 is connected to a connecting part 50 provided on the rear surface (back surface) of the flap 42. The connecting part 50 is made of, for example, a press-formed metal plate material, and is fixed to the rear surface of the flap 42 by means of welding or the like.

[0033] The connecting portion 50 has an elongated hole 52 formed therein, which extends along the extending direction E of the flap 42 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). This elongated hole 52 penetrates the connecting portion 50 in the left-right direction. A connecting pin 64 fixed to the front end of the connecting bracket 60 is inserted into this elongated hole 52. The connecting pin 64 is cylindrical with its axial direction in the left-right direction, and is movable relative to the connecting portion 50 in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 52.

[0034] The guide bracket 66 is made of, for example, a metal plate material, and has an elongated plate shape with the longitudinal direction being the front-rear direction and the plate thickness direction being the left-right direction. The guide bracket 66 is fixed to a base bracket 68 that is bridged between the left and right side frames 16 of the seat cushion 12. The base bracket 68 is made of, for example, a metal plate material, and has an elongated plate shape with the longitudinal direction being the left-right direction and the plate thickness direction being approximately the up-down direction. The guide bracket 66 is fixed to the center of the base bracket 68 in the left-right direction by means of welding or the like, and extends downward from the base bracket 68.

[0035] The guide bracket 66 is formed with an elongated hole 70 whose longitudinal direction is approximately in the front-rear direction. This elongated hole 70 is bent at the center in the longitudinal direction. The front portion of the elongated hole 70 extends parallel to the sliding direction (approximately the front-rear direction) of the sliding portion 32. The rear portion of the elongated hole 70 is inclined rearward and downward relative to the front portion of the elongated hole 70. A connecting pin 72 fixed to the rear end portion of the connecting bracket 60 is inserted into this elongated hole 70. The connecting pin 72 is cylindrical with its axial direction in the left-right direction, and is movable relative to the guide bracket 66 in the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 70.

[0036] When the sliding portion 32 slides relative to the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12 between the rearmost position shown in FIG. 3 and the intermediate position shown in FIG. 4, the connecting bracket 60 slides together with the sliding portion 32 in the front-rear direction. At this time, the connecting pin 72 moves relative to the guide bracket 66 along the rear portion of the long hole 70, so that the connecting bracket 60 rotates about the connecting shaft 62 relative to the sliding portion 32. At this time, the connecting pin 64 moves relative to the flap 42 along the long hole 52, so that the flap 42 rotates about the connecting shaft 40 relative to the sliding portion 32. Due to this rotation and the above-mentioned sliding, the flap 42 is displaced between the rearmost position shown in FIG. 3 and the intermediate position shown in FIG. 4. At the rearmost position shown in FIG. 3, the flap 42 is inclined toward the rear as it moves downward, and at the intermediate position shown in FIG. 4, the flap 42 is inclined toward the front as it moves downward.

[0037] When the sliding portion 32 slides relative to the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12 between the intermediate position shown in Fig. 4 and the frontmost position shown in Fig. 5, the connecting bracket 60 slides in the front-rear direction together with the sliding portion 32. At this time, the connecting pin 72 moves relative to the guide bracket 66 along the front part of the long hole 70, so that the connecting bracket 60 does not rotate about the connecting shaft 62 relative to the sliding portion 32 and displaces in the approximately front-rear direction while maintaining the same posture. At this time, the connecting pin 64 does not move relative to the flap 42 along the long hole 52, so that the flap 42 does not rotate about the connecting shaft 40 relative to the sliding portion 32. For this reason, the flap 42 displaces in the approximately front-rear direction while maintaining the same posture between the intermediate position shown in Fig. 4 and the frontmost position shown in Fig. 5.

[0038] The flap 42 supports the pad flap portion 18A provided at the front end of the pad 18 of the seat cushion 12 from the rear side. The pad 18 (see FIG. 7) is made of a foam such as urethane foam, and constitutes the cushioning material of the seat cushion 12. The pad flap portion 18A provided at the front end of the pad 18 is an elongated plate whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction and whose thickness direction is the plate thickness direction of the flap 42 (approximately the front-rear direction), and is supported from the rear side by the flap 42, and an upper roller 48 provided on the upper part of the flap 42 contacts the rear surface of the pad flap portion 18A. A sheet-like protective member 19 is attached to the portion of the pad flap portion 18 that contacts the upper roller 48.

[0039] The pad 18 is covered with a trim cover 20 (see FIG. 8) that constitutes the cover of the seat cushion 12. The trim cover 20 is formed into a bag shape by sewing together a plurality of cover pieces made of, for example, a cloth material, leather, or synthetic leather, and is placed over the pad 18. The front end of the trim cover 20 is engaged with a pad fixing member 74 (see FIG. 9) that is fixed to the pad flap portion 18A.

[0040] The pad fixing member 74 is manufactured by, for example, injection molding of resin, and has a substantially plate-shaped main body 76 and a corner covering portion 78 provided on the periphery of the main body 76 as shown in FIG. 7. The main body 76 is plate-shaped with the left-right direction as the longitudinal direction and the plate thickness direction as the approximately front-rear direction. The corner covering portion 78 is composed of a lower wall portion 78A, a left wall portion 78B, and a right wall portion 78C that extend forward from the lower edge, left edge, and right edge of the main body 76, respectively. The front end of the lower wall portion 78A is bent upward, the front end of the left wall portion 78B is bent rightward, and the front end of the right wall portion 78C is bent leftward.

[0041] The lower part of the pad flap part 18A is inserted between the left wall part 78B and the right wall part 78C of the corner covering part 78, and the left and right corners of the lower end part of the pad flap part 18A are covered by the corner covering part 78. The rear surface of the pad flap part 18A is in contact with the front surface of the main body part 76, and the pad flap part 18A is fixed to the pad fixing member 74 by means of adhesion or the like. A plurality of J hooks 21 attached to the front end part of the trim cover 20 are hooked to the lower end part of the pad fixing member 74. The J hooks 21 are fasteners molded, for example, from resin into a J-shaped cross section, and are attached to the trim cover 20 by means of sewing or the like.

[0042] A plurality of (here, three) guide pieces 80 are provided on the rear surface side of the main body 76 of the pad fixing member 74 in the left-right direction. Two of the three guide pieces 80 are provided at both left-right ends of the main body 76, and the remaining guide piece 80 is provided at the left-right center of the main body 76. The three guide pieces 80 extend rearward from the upper end of the main body 76, bend toward the lower end of the main body 76, and extend parallel to the main body 76 to the lower side of the main body 76. Note that the plurality of guide pieces 80 may extend rearward from the lower end of the main body 76, bend toward the upper end of the main body 76, and extend parallel to the main body 76 to the upper side of the main body 76. Also, the guide pieces 80 extending from the upper end of the main body 76 as described above and the guide pieces 80 extending from the lower end of the main body 76 as described above may be arranged alternately in the left-right direction. The lower ends of the three guide pieces 80 are connected in the left-right direction by two left and right connection parts 80A (see FIG. 11). The above-mentioned winding roller 44 is disposed between the three guide pieces 80 and the main body 76. As a result, the pad fixing member 74 is attached to the flap 42 so as to be slidable along the extension direction E of the flap 42 (see FIGS. 3 to 5). The pad fixing member 74 is biased in the extension direction E of the flap 42 by the left and right elastic members 82 (see FIG. 10).

[0043] The left and right elastic members 82 are formed in a long strip shape from a rubber-like material such as rubber or an elastomer. The left and right elastic members 82 are disposed on the rear side of the main body 76 and on the left-right center side with respect to the left and right guide pieces 80. J hooks 84, 86 are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of the left and right elastic members 82, respectively. The J hooks 84, 86 are fasteners molded, for example, from resin into a J-shaped cross section, and are attached to the elastic members 82 by means of sewing or the like.

[0044] The J hooks 84 attached to one longitudinal end of each elastic member 82 are hooked onto the upper end of the main body 76. As a result, one longitudinal end of each elastic member 82 is engaged with the pad flap portion 18A via the pad fixing member 74. The longitudinal intermediate portion of each elastic member 82 is inserted between the left and right connecting portions 80A and the main body 76 described above.

[0045] Furthermore, the longitudinal middle portion of each elastic member 82 is wound around the winding roller 44 of the flap 42 from below, and is inserted through openings 54 (see Figs. 15B, 16B, and 17B) formed on both the left and right sides of the flap 42 and wired to the rear side of the flap 42. The J hooks 86 attached to the other longitudinal end of each elastic member 82 are inserted into left and right locking holes 56 formed in the upper part of the flap 42 above the winding roller 44 and hooked onto the upper part of the flap 42. The pad fixing member 74 is biased in the extension direction E relative to the flap 42 by these elastic members 82. The J hooks 86 attached to the other longitudinal end of each elastic member 82 may be configured to be hooked onto the front end of the slide portion 32 or the front end of the rotation mechanism 58 above the winding roller 44.

[0046] When the slide portion 32 slides relative to the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12 and the flap 42 rotates relative to the slide portion 32 around the connecting shaft 40, the pad fixing member 74 slides relative to the flap 42 along the extension direction E of the flap 42, and the left and right elastic members 82 expand and contract. This changes the length of the seat cushion 12 (i.e., the seat cushion length). As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, when the slide portion 32 and the flap 42 are located at the rearmost position, the seat cushion length is minimized. The slide portion 32 and the flap 42 are displaced toward the frontmost position shown in Figs. 2 and 5, so that the seat cushion length is increased. In addition, the slide portion 32 and the flap 42 are displaced toward the frontmost position, so that the backs of the knees and calves of the occupant seated on the seat cushion 12 are supported by the pad flap portion 18A.

[0047] When the seat cushion 12 having the seat cushion length adjusting device 30 having the above-mentioned configuration is assembled, as shown in Fig. 11, the J hooks 84 of the left and right elastic members 82 are hooked onto the upper end of the main body 76 of the pad fixing member 74, and one longitudinal end of the left and right elastic members 82 is engaged with the pad fixing member 74. Next, as shown in Figs. 12A and 12B, the pad fixing member 74 to which the left and right elastic members 82 are assembled is attached to the pad flap portion 18A of the pad 18 and fixed to the pad flap portion 18A by means of adhesion or the like. Next, as shown in Figs. 13A and 13B, the trim cover 20 is placed on the pad 18, and the multiple J hooks 21 attached to the front end of the trim cover 20 are engaged with the pad fixing member 74.

[0048] Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the pad 18 covered with the trim cover 20 is attached to the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12, and the pad flap portion 18A is folded so as to be along the flap 42 (see arrow B in FIG. 14). Next, as shown in FIG. 15A and FIG. 15B, the J hooks 86 of the left and right elastic members 82 are pulled downward of the winding roller 44. Next, as shown in FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B, the longitudinal intermediate portions of the left and right elastic members 82 are wound around the winding roller 44 from below, and the J hooks 86 of the left and right elastic members 82 are inserted into the left and right openings 54 of the flap 42. Next, as shown in FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B, the J hooks 86 of the left and right elastic members 82 are hooked into the left and right locking holes 56 formed in the upper part of the flap 42. This completes the assembly of the pad flap portion 18A to the flap 42.

[0049] Next, the operation and effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0050] In the vehicle seat 10 configured as described above, the seat cushion 12 supports the buttocks and thighs of the occupant, and the seat back 22 supports the back of the occupant. The seat cushion 12 is provided with a seat cushion length varying device 30 for varying the length of the seat cushion 12. In the seat cushion length varying device 30, the slide portion 32 is slid (displaced) in the front-rear direction relative to the frame 14 of the seat cushion 12. A flap 42 extends downward from the front end of the slide portion 32. The flap 42 is connected to the front end of the slide portion 32 so as to be rotatable about an axis along the seat width direction, and supports the pad flap portion 18A provided at the front end of the pad 18 of the seat cushion 12 from the rear side. The flap 42 is rotated in the front-rear direction by the rotation mechanism 58 in association with the sliding of the slide portion 32. As a result, the pad flap portion 18A supported from the rear side by the flap 42 rotates in the front-rear direction of the seat.

[0051] During the above-mentioned sliding and rotation, the pad fixing member 74, biased by the left and right elastic members 82 in the extending direction E of the flap 42, slides relative to the flap 42 together with the pad flap portion 18A. This sliding can absorb changes in the seat cushion length, so that the changes in the seat cushion length can be absorbed without relying on the stretchability of the trim cover 20 that covers the pad 18. Moreover, because the pad fixing member 74 slides relative to the flap 42, the frictional resistance generated between the pad flap portion 18A and the flap 42 can be reduced. This makes it possible to stabilize the operation of the cushion length varying device 30.

[0052] In this embodiment, the left and right corners of the lower end of the pad flap portion 18A are covered by the corner covering portion 78 of the pad fixing member 74. This prevents the left and right corners from being crushed by the trim cover 20 due to, for example, the displacement of the pad flap portion 18A, and therefore the appearance of the seat cushion 12 can be maintained in a good condition.

[0053] In this embodiment, the left and right elastic members 82 are disposed along the rear surface of the pad flap portion 18A and expand and contract along the extension direction E of the flap 42. Therefore, the elastic force of the elastic members 82 when expanded can be made smaller than in a configuration in which the elastic members 82 expand and contract along the front-rear direction. This makes it possible to stabilize the operation of the cushion length varying device 30.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the left and right elastic members 82 are arranged along the rear surface of the pad flap portion 18A, and the left and right elastic members 82 are arranged in positions that are not visible to the occupant, thereby improving the appearance of the vehicle seat 10 compared to a configuration in which the elastic members 82 are arranged in positions that are visible to the occupant.

[0055] In this embodiment, the left and right elastic members 82 are formed in an elongated shape. One longitudinal end of each of these elastic members 82 is secured to the pad flap portion 18A via the pad fixing member 74, a longitudinal middle portion is wound around a winding roller 44 provided on the flap 42 from below, and the other longitudinal end is secured to the upper portion of the flap 42. This makes it possible to bias the pad flap portion 18A in the extending direction E of the flap 42 with a simple configuration.

[0056] In this embodiment, intermediate portions of the left and right elastic members 82 in the longitudinal direction are wound around a winding roller 44 that is rotatably attached about an axis along the left-right direction (seat width direction) with respect to the flap 42. The winding roller 44 rotates in conjunction with the expansion and contraction of the left and right elastic members 82, which facilitates the expansion and contraction of the left and right elastic members 82, thereby making it possible to further stabilize the operation of the cushion length varying device 30.

[0057] In this embodiment, an upper roller 48 is provided on the upper portion of the flap 42, which is rotatably attached to the flap 42 about an axis along the seat width direction. Since the upper roller 48 is in contact with the pad flap portion 18A, the upper roller 48 rotates when the slide portion 32 slides or when the flap 42 rotates. This reduces the frictional resistance generated between the pad flap portion 18A and the flap 42, making the operation of the cushion length varying device 30 even more stable.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the curved portion R (see Figs. 1 and 2) curved upward in the pad flap portion 18A moves in the front-rear direction with the change in the seat cushion length. In the range in which the curved portion R moves, the side surface of the trim cover 20 needs to be curved to follow the curved portion R, but if the material of the trim cover 20 is hard, it is difficult to follow the curved portion R. For this reason, as in a modified example shown in Fig. 18, the side surface of the trim cover 20 may be made of a skin piece 20A made of a soft material such as knit in the range in which the curved portion R moves in the front-rear direction. In that case, as shown in Fig. 19, for example, a cover 90 made of a soft material such as knit may be placed over the range in which the curved portion R moves in the pad flap portion 18A, and a part of the cover 90 may be exposed to the outside in the left-right direction of the vehicle seat 10.

[0059] The cover 90 may be attached to the pad flap portion 18A by, for example, inserting a hanging wire into a hanging bag attached to the end of the cover 90 and connecting an insert wire embedded in the pad flap portion 18A to the hanging wire with a hog ring. By using a soft material such as knit as in this modified example, the operation of the cushion length varying device 30 can be made even more stable.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the left and right elastic members 82 are formed in an elongated shape from a rubber-like material, but the present invention is not limited to this. The elastic members may be coil springs or the like, or may be formed in an elongated shape from a coil spring and a string. In the above embodiment, the winding roller 44 and the upper roller 48, which are the winding parts, are rotatably attached to the flap 42, but the present invention is not limited to this. The winding parts may be made of a metal plate, a wire, a resin plate, or the like, and the upper roller 48 may be replaced by a sliding part made of a metal plate, a wire, a resin plate, or the like.

[0061] In addition, the present invention can be implemented in various modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 10 Vehicle seats 12 Seat cushion 14 Frame 18 Pads 18A Pad flap section 22 Seat back 30 Seat cushion length adjustment device 32 Slide section (movement mechanism) 42 Flap 44 Winding roller 48 Upper roller 58 Rotation mechanism (movement mechanism) 74 Pad fixing member 78 Corner covering 82 Elastic Members E Extension direction

Claims

1. A moving mechanism attached to a front portion of a frame of a seat cushion of a vehicle seat; a flap extending from a front end of the moving mechanism toward a lower side of the seat and supporting a pad flap portion provided at a front end of the pad of the seat cushion from a rear side of the seat, and displaced in the front-rear direction of the seat with respect to the frame by the moving mechanism and rotated about an axis along the seat width direction in accordance with the displacement; a pad fixing member that is slidably attached to the flap along an extension direction of the flap, biased in the extension direction, and to which the pad flap portion is fixed; A seat cushion length adjustment device.

2. The seat cushion length adjusting device according to claim 1 , wherein the pad fixing member has a corner covering portion which covers a corner of a lower end portion of the pad flap portion.

3. The pad fixing member is biased in the extending direction by an elastic member formed in an elongated shape, The seat cushion length adjustment device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one longitudinal end of the elastic member is engaged with the pad fixing member, a longitudinal middle portion is wrapped around a wrapping portion provided on the flap from the underside of the seat, and the other longitudinal end is engaged with the flap or the moving mechanism above the seat from the wrapping portion.

4. 4. The seat cushion length adjusting device according to claim 3, wherein the winding portion is a winding roller attached to the flap so as to be rotatable about an axis extending in the seat width direction.

5. 3. The seat cushion length adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein an upper roller is provided on the upper portion of the flap so as to be rotatable about an axis along the seat width direction relative to the flap and in contact with the pad flap portion.

6. a seat cushion that supports the buttocks and thighs of an occupant; A seat back that supports the back of the occupant; 3. The seat cushion length adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the moving mechanism is attached to a front part of a frame of the seat cushion, and the flap supports a pad flap portion provided at a front part of a pad of the seat cushion from a rear side of the seat; A vehicle seat comprising:

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