Armrest and method for manufacturing the same

Abstract

To provide countermeasures against remaining of a gas as a void without being fully removed while a resin in a mold foams to rise causing degassing.SOLUTION: This armrest has a structure in which a support frame rotatably assembled to a vehicle body is buried in a foam molding. The support frame is provided with a pair of counter frames facing each other in the width direction of the armrest and extending in the longitudinal direction of the armrest; a stopper shaft extending in the width direction of the armrest, handed over to a position on one side in the thickness direction of the armrest in the base ends of the counter frames, and protruding at at least one end outside the foam molding, and a cross-linking member handed over to a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side in the thickness direction of the armrest in the base ends or a part near the base ends of the counter frames.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an armrest having a support frame embedded in a foam molded body and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A conventional armrest that is foam-molded in a vertical orientation is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7175174 (Fig. 15, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the resin foams and rises inside the mold, gas escapes from the top, but sometimes the gas does not escape completely and remains as a void. Therefore, a countermeasure is required. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] One aspect of the invention is an armrest having a structure in which a support frame, rotatably attached to a vehicle body, is embedded in a foam molded body, the support frame comprising a pair of opposing frames facing each other in the width direction of the armrest and extending in the longitudinal direction of the armrest, a stopper shaft extending in the width direction of the armrest and spanning one side of the thickness direction of the armrest between base ends of the pair of opposing frames, with at least one end protruding outside the foam molded body, and a bridging member spanning the base ends or portions close to the base ends of the pair of opposing frames, at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side of the thickness direction of the armrest. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an armrest according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the armrest taken along line AA in Figure 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the support frame. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the support frame. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the support frame taken along line BB in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of a foam molding die with a support frame set therein. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional side view of the support frame and cup holder set in the foam molding die. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the resin foaming and rising inside the foam molding die. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional side view of a foam molded product foamed in a foam molding die. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of a resin foaming and rising in a foam molding die in which a conventional support frame is set. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a foam molded product foam-molded in a foam molding die in which a conventional support frame is set. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0007] [First embodiment] An armrest 10 of this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1. In this embodiment, the armrest 10 is used in a rear seat of a vehicle. The armrest 10 can be rotated between a use state in which it extends forward to support the elbows of an occupant, and a storage state in which it extends upward to form part of the backrest.

[0008] In this embodiment, the armrest 10 has a flat shape with an elbow receiving surface 10A for receiving the elbow of the occupant and a backrest surface 10B for receiving the back of the occupant on the front and back, and the base end of the armrest 10 in the longitudinal direction is attached to the vehicle body (the rear seat in this embodiment). In this embodiment, a cup holder 30 is provided at the tip end portion of the armrest 10, and the cup holder 30 opens to the elbow receiving surface 10A of the armrest 10 that faces upward when in use. In the following, the front-to-back direction of the armrest 10 is referred to as the "thickness direction of the armrest 10" or simply as the "thickness direction".

[0009] Armrest 10 has a structure in which support frame 20 is embedded in foam molded body 12. In armrest 10 of this embodiment, foam molded body 12 is covered from the outside with bag-shaped skin material 15. A receiving recess 12A is formed in foam molded body 12 on the elbow receiving surface 10A side. Skin material 15 has an opening 15A (see FIG. 2) that overlaps with receiving recess 12A. Cup holder 30 is inserted through opening 15A of skin material 15 and received in receiving recess 12A of foam molded body 12.

[0010] The support frame 20 is rotatably attached to the vehicle body (the rear seat in this embodiment). In this embodiment, the support frame 20 is provided with a pair of opposing frames 21 that face each other in the width direction of the armrest 10 and extend in the longitudinal direction of the armrest 10. A rotation shaft portion 23 that protrudes outward from the foam molded body 12 is provided at the base end portion (the end portion on the base end side of the armrest 10) of the pair of opposing frames 21, and the rotation shaft portion 23 is attached to the vehicle body as a rotation shaft of the armrest 10. In this embodiment, the foam molded body 12 is substantially rectangular, but the base end surface of the foam molded body 12 (i.e., the armrest 10) is substantially arc-shaped when viewed from the width direction of the armrest 10. This makes it difficult for the base end portion of the armrest 10 to interfere with the rear seat when rotating.

[0011] 3, the support frame 20 is provided with a base end connecting member 22 that extends in the width direction of the armrest 10 and connects the base ends of the pair of opposing frames 21. In this embodiment, a stopper shaft 22A is provided as this base end connecting member 22. The stopper shaft 22A is disposed so that at least one end (e.g., both ends) protrudes outside the foam molded body 12, and the protruding portion abuts against the vehicle body (e.g., the rear seat) to function as a stopper that limits the rotation range of the armrest 10.

[0012] In this embodiment, the support frame 20 is also provided with a tip side connecting member 24 that connects the tip ends of the pair of opposing frames 21, and an intermediate connecting member 25 that connects the middle parts of the pair of opposing frames 21. For example, the tip side connecting member 24 is made of a round bar formed into a substantially C-shape, and is arranged so that the slit of the C faces the base end side of the armrest 10. The intermediate connecting member 25 is made of a round bar formed into a substantially U-shape, and is arranged so that it opens on the tip side of the armrest 10.

[0013] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5, in this embodiment, the support frame 20 is also provided with a bridging member 22B as a base end side connecting member 22 that connects the base ends of the pair of opposing frames 21. In this embodiment, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B that are inserted between the base ends of the pair of opposing frames 21 are arranged apart from each other in the thickness direction (front-back direction) of the armrest 10. Specifically, the stopper shaft 22A is arranged on the front side (the armrest receiving surface 10A side) of each opposing frame 21 (for example, the stopper shaft 22A is fixed to the opposing frame 21 by overlapping it from the front side). On the other hand, the bridging member 22B is arranged on the back side (the backrest surface 10B side) of each opposing frame 21 (for example, the stopper shaft 22A is fixed to the opposing frame 21 by overlapping it from the back side).

[0014] In this embodiment, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B (the pair of base end side connecting members 22) face each other in the thickness direction of the armrest 10. In this embodiment, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B are disposed substantially parallel to the rotating shaft portion 23, and for example, the rotating shaft portion 23 is disposed between the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B (for example, at the center).

[0015] 5, the region sandwiched between the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B in the thickness direction of the armrest 10 preferably includes the center of the foam molded body 12 (more preferably, is located approximately in the center). Moreover, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B are preferably disposed at positions that are approximately symmetrical in the thickness direction of the armrest 10. Furthermore, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B are preferably disposed at positions that divide the foam molded body 12 into approximately three equal parts in the thickness direction of the armrest.

[0016] The bridging member 22B may be, for example, plate-shaped or band-shaped, or may be rod-shaped. The bridging member 22B may be made of metal or non-metal. The bridging member 22B may be softer than the pair of opposing frames and the stopper shaft 22A. For example, the pair of opposing frames and the stopper shaft 22A may be made of metal, and the bridging member 22B may be made of non-metal. In this embodiment, the bridging member 22B is a tape, and is attached to the pair of opposing frames 21 (for example, attached from the backrest surface 10B side). For example, such a tape may be a craft tape.

[0017] As shown in Fig. 2, the cup holder 30 is formed in a container shape with a flange portion 33 extending outward from the edge of the opening. A cup receiving portion 32 for receiving a cup (not shown) is provided inside the cup holder 30. The cup holder 30 is received inside the substantially C-shaped tip end connecting member 24 of the support frame 20 and is fixed to the tip end connecting member 24.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 2, in the example of armrest 10 of this embodiment, a bezel 40 having an insertion opening 40A through which cup holder 30 is inserted is embedded in foam molded body 12. Bezel 40 is formed, for example, in a rectangular frame shape in a plan view with insertion opening 40A disposed on the inside. As shown in Fig. 2, in the example of armrest 10 of this embodiment, bezel 40 is fixed to tip-side connecting member 24 of support frame 20, and an edge portion of opening 15A of skin material 15 is sandwiched between flange portion 33 of cup holder 30 and bezel 40.

[0019] The armrest 10 of this embodiment is manufactured, for example, as follows. To manufacture the armrest 10, first, the support frame 20 is set in a foam molding die 70 as shown in Fig. 6. More specifically, as shown in Fig. 7, the support frame 20 is placed inside the skin 15 and set therein, and then the bezel 40 is inserted into the skin 15 from an opening 15A of the skin 15, and the bezel 40 is fixed to the support frame 20 (more specifically, the tip-side connecting member 24). Note that the skin 15, cup holder 30, bezel 40, etc. are not shown in Figs. 6, 8 to 11.

[0020] 7, the cup holder 30 is inserted into the opening 15A of the skin 15 and fixed to the support frame 20 (specifically, the tip-side connecting member 24). At this time, the skin 15 is sandwiched between the flange portion 33 and the bezel 40.

[0021] In foam molding, when the resin foams and rises inside the foam molding die 70, gas escapes from the upper side, but sometimes the gas does not escape completely and remains as voids V (see FIG. 11). Therefore, voids V often occur on the upper end side of the foam molded body 12. Here, the base end of the armrest 10 is the part that is attached to the rear seat, and therefore the base end is the part that is less noticeable in appearance. Therefore, in the example of this embodiment, the armrest 10 is foam molded in a vertical orientation with the base end facing up.

[0022] Next, foaming raw material 71 of foam molded body 12 is injected into skin 15 (see FIG. 7) and foamed. At this time, since the edge of opening 15A of skin 15 is sandwiched between flange 33 of cup holder 30 and bezel 40, foaming raw material 71 is prevented from leaking out of opening 15A of skin 15.

[0023] Then, when the foaming of the foaming raw material 71 is completed, the foamed molded body 12 is formed within the skin material 15, and the armrest 10 is completed in which the foamed molded body 12, the skin material 15, the support frame 20, the cup holder 30 and the bezel 40 are integrated (see Figure 9).

[0024] 10, there is a conventional support frame 20 that is provided with a stopper shaft 22A but does not have a bridging member 22B. In this configuration, voids V (see FIG. 11) are likely to occur at the base end of the foam molded body 12.

[0025] In response to this, the inventors of the present application have found through extensive research that voids V are likely to occur at the base end of the foam molded body 12 when only the base end side connecting member 22 arranged toward one side in the thickness direction of the armrest 10 is provided. Specifically, in this configuration, the stopper shaft 22A is arranged to extend in the width direction of the armrest 10, so that the rising foamed resin G is divided in the thickness direction near the base end of the support frame 20 (i.e., the upper end of the cavity of the foam molding die 70). Here, since the stopper shaft 22A is arranged toward one side in the thickness direction (the left side in FIG. 10), it is considered that the foamed resin G rising on the other side (the right side in FIG. 10) rises more easily (is easier to pass through) than the foamed resin G rising on one side in the thickness direction, and the rising speed is faster. Therefore, the foamed resin G rising on the other side wraps around from above, and the gas in the foam molding die 70 is likely to accumulate on the surface of one side. As a result, it is believed that voids V as shown in FIG. 11 are more likely to occur.

[0026] In contrast, in this embodiment, the support frame 20 is provided with a bridging member 22 as the base end side connecting member 22. As a result, the foamed resin G rising in the foam molding die 70 is divided in the thickness direction not only on one side but also on the other side. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8, the rising foamed resin G can be divided into three in the thickness direction, and it is possible to prevent the difference in the rising speed of the divided foamed resin G from becoming large. As a result, it is considered possible to prevent the foamed resin G from wrapping around from above and to prevent the generation of voids V in the armrest surface 10A (one side surface) and the backrest surface 10B (the other side surface). In fact, when the support frame 20 of this embodiment is used, the generation of voids V is suppressed compared to the conventional configuration.

[0027] As described above, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B are preferably disposed at positions that are approximately symmetrical in the thickness direction of the armrest 10. Furthermore, the stopper shaft 22A and the bridging member 22B are more preferably disposed at positions that divide the foamed molded body 12 into approximately three equal parts in the thickness direction of the armrest. With this configuration, it is possible to further prevent the difference in the rising speed of the divided foamed resin G from becoming large.

[0028] [Other embodiments] In the above embodiment, both of the pair of base end side connecting members 22 (stopper shaft 22A, bridging member 22B) are hung across the base end of the opposing frame 21, but it is sufficient that each base end side connecting member 22 is hung across the base end or a portion close to the base end of the opposing frame 21. Also, for example, the bridging member 22B may be disposed across the pair of opposing frames 21 from the base end to an intermediate portion (for example, a central portion or a portion close to the tip) in the longitudinal direction.

[0029] In the above embodiment, the bridging member 22B (e.g., a tape) needs only to be spanned across a pair of opposing frames 21 at least during foam molding of the foam molded body 12, and may be separated from at least one of the pair of opposing frames 21 after foam molding of the foam molded body 12.

[0030] The armrest 10 may be configured to be fixed in the usage state and not rotatable.

[0031] The armrest 10 does not necessarily have to be provided with the cup holder 30.

[0032] In the above embodiment, armrest 10 is formed by integrally molding foam molded body 12 with skin material 15 and cup holder 30. However, armrest 10 may be formed by later covering foam molded body 12 with support frame 20 embedded therein with skin material 15 and a cup holder.

[0033] The armrest 10 is not limited to be used in a vehicle, and may be used in a vehicle other than a vehicle. The armrest 10 does not have to be used in a rear seat, and may be used in a front seat, for example. The armrest 10 may be used in a seat provided in a vehicle other than a vehicle (for example, a seat provided in a building). In the above embodiment, an example is shown in which an insert part such as the support frame 20 is embedded in a foam molded body, and a configuration having a plurality of members such as the base end side connecting member 22 that divide the rising foamed resin G is applied to the armrest 10, but the armrest may be applied to articles other than an armrest.

[0034] <Additional Notes> The following describes the feature groups extracted from the above-described embodiments, while indicating their effects, etc., as necessary. Note that, in the following, for ease of understanding, the corresponding configurations in the above-described embodiments are appropriately indicated in parentheses, but these feature groups are not limited to the specific configurations indicated in parentheses.

[0035] For example, the following features of the present disclosure can be considered to have been conceived in response to the following problem in the background art: "Regarding an armrest in which a support frame is embedded in a foam molded body and a manufacturing method thereof, 'Conventional armrests are known that are foam molded in a vertical position (for example, Patent No. 7175174 (Figure 15, etc.)'. As the resin foams inside the mold and rises, gas escapes from the top, but sometimes the gas does not escape completely and remains as voids. As a result, a solution to this problem is needed.'" In addition, there has long been a demand for the development of new technologies related to armrests, manufacturing methods thereof, and supporting frames.

[0036] [Feature 1] An armrest having a structure in which a support frame rotatably attached to a vehicle body is embedded in a foam molding, The support frame includes: A pair of opposing frames facing each other in a width direction of the armrest and extending in a longitudinal direction of the armrest; A stopper shaft extends in the width direction of the armrest, is inserted between the base ends of the pair of opposing frames at one side in the thickness direction of the armrest, and has at least one end protruding outside the foam molded body; an armrest provided with a bridging member that is inserted across the base end or portion close to the base end of the pair of opposing frames at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side in the thickness direction of the armrest.

[0037] [Feature 2] 2. The armrest according to claim 1, wherein the bridging member is non-metallic.

[0038] [Feature 3] The armrest according to feature 1 or 2, wherein the bridging member is a tape attached to the pair of opposing frames.

[0039] [Feature 4] a cup holder provided at a tip end of the armrest; The armrest according to any one of features 1 to 3, further comprising a cup holder receptor (tip side connecting member 24) fixed between the pair of opposing frames and configured to receive the cup holder.

[0040] [Feature 5] 5. The armrest according to any one of Features 1 to 4, wherein the region sandwiched between the stopper shaft and the bridging member in the thickness direction of the armrest is located approximately in the center of the foam molded body.

[0041] [Feature 6] The armrest according to any one of Features 1 to 5, wherein the stopper shaft and the bridging member are disposed at positions that are approximately symmetrical in a thickness direction of the armrest.

[0042] [Feature 7] 7. The armrest according to any one of Features 1 to 6, wherein the stopper shaft and the bridging member are arranged at positions that divide the foam molded body into approximately three equal parts in a thickness direction of the armrest.

[0043] [Feature 8] A support frame for an armrest that is rotatably attached to a vehicle body and is embedded in a foam molding, A pair of opposing frames facing each other in a width direction of the armrest and extending in a longitudinal direction of the armrest; A stopper shaft extends in the width direction of the armrest, is inserted between the base ends of the pair of opposing frames at one side in the thickness direction of the armrest, and has at least one end protruding outside the foam molded body; A support frame comprising a bridging member that is inserted at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side of the armrest in the thickness direction at the base end or portion near the base end of the pair of opposing frames.

[0044] [Feature 9] A method for manufacturing an armrest, comprising the steps of: placing a support frame, which is rotatably attached to a vehicle body, in a foam molding die in an upright state with a base end portion including a rotation center facing up, and molding a foam molding body, the method comprising the steps of: A pair of base end side members are provided that are spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the armrest and extend across the base end or near the base end of a pair of opposing frames that face each other in the width direction of the armrest and extend in the longitudinal direction of the armrest, and are disposed in the width direction of the armrest. A method of manufacturing an armrest, in which the foaming resin rising within the foam molding mold is divided in the thickness direction of the armrest by the pair of base end side members and rises.

[0045] [Feature 10] one of the pair of base end side members extends in the width direction of the armrest, is fixed to the base end portions of the pair of opposing frames across one side of the armrest in the thickness direction, and is a stopper shaft having at least one end protruding outside the foam molded body; The manufacturing method of an armrest described in feature 9, wherein the other of the pair of base end side members is a bridging member that is inserted at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side of the armrest in the thickness direction at the base end or portion close to the base end of the pair of opposing frames.

[0046] [Feature 11] 11. The method for manufacturing an armrest according to feature 9 or 10, wherein a region sandwiched between the stopper shaft and the bridging member in a thickness direction of the armrest is disposed approximately at the center of the foam molded body.

[0047] [Feature 12] 12. A manufacturing method for an armrest according to any one of Features 9 to 11, wherein the stopper shaft and the bridging member are positioned approximately symmetrically in a thickness direction of the armrest.

[0048] [Feature 13] A method for manufacturing an armrest according to any one of Features 9 to 12, wherein the stopper shaft and the bridging member are positioned at positions that divide the foamed molded body into approximately three equal parts in the thickness direction of the armrest.

[0049] [Feature 14] 13. The method for manufacturing an armrest according to any one of Features 9 to 12, wherein the bridging member is the pair of opposing frames and is non-metallic.

[0050] [Feature 15] 15. The method for manufacturing an armrest according to any one of Features 9 to 14, wherein the bridging member is a tape attached to the pair of opposing frames.

[0051] According to the above features, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of voids in the armrest. Furthermore, according to the above features, a new technique is provided for the armrest, the manufacturing method thereof, and the support frame thereof.

[0052] In addition, although this specification and drawings disclose specific examples of the technology included in the scope of the claims, the technology described in the claims is not limited to these specific examples, but includes various modifications and variations of the specific examples, as well as parts of the specific examples taken alone. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 10 Armrest 12 Foam molding 20 Support frame 21 Opposing Frame 22 Bridge members 22 Base end connecting member 22A Stopper shaft 22B Bridge members 23 Rotating shaft 30 Cup holder 32 Cup Receptacle 70 Foam molding 71 Foaming materials G. Foam Resin V void

Claims

1. An armrest having a structure in which a support frame rotatably attached to a vehicle body is embedded in a foam molding, The support frame includes: A pair of opposing frames facing each other in a width direction of the armrest and extending in a longitudinal direction of the armrest; a stopper shaft extending in a width direction of the armrest and extending across one of the base ends of the pair of opposing frames at a position on one side of the armrest in a thickness direction, and at least one end of the stopper shaft protruding outside the foam molded body; a bridging member that is inserted across the base end or portions close to the base end of the pair of opposing frames at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side in the thickness direction of the armrest.

2. The armrest of claim 1 , wherein the bridging member is non-metallic.

3. 3. The armrest according to claim 1, wherein the bridging member is a tape attached to the pair of opposing frames.

4. a cup holder provided at a tip end of the armrest; The armrest according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a cup holder receptacle fixed between the pair of opposing frames and configured to receive the cup holder.

5. A method for manufacturing an armrest, comprising the steps of: placing a support frame, which is rotatably attached to a vehicle body, in a foam molding die in an upright state with a base end portion including a rotation center facing up, and molding a foam molding body, the method comprising the steps of: A pair of base end side members are provided that are disposed across the base end or near the base end of a pair of opposing frames of the support frame that face each other in the width direction of the armrest and extend in the longitudinal direction of the armrest, and are spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the armrest; A method of manufacturing an armrest, in which the foaming resin rising within the foam molding die is divided in the thickness direction of the armrest by the pair of base end side members and rises.

6. one of the pair of base end side members is a stopper shaft extending in a width direction of the armrest, being fixed to the base ends of the pair of opposing frames across one side of the armrest in a thickness direction, and having at least one end protruding outside the foam molded body; The manufacturing method of an armrest as described in claim 5, wherein the other of the pair of base end side members is a bridging member that is inserted at a position away from the stopper shaft to the other side of the armrest in the thickness direction at the base end or portion near the base end of the pair of opposing frames.

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