Vehicular seat frame support structure

Abstract

To provide a vehicular seat frame support structure which prevents, when a seat frame vibrates during traveling of a vehicle, a noise occurred between a seat frame and a partition member supporting the seat frame.SOLUTION: A vehicular seat frame support structure comprises: a seat frame 120 which constitutes a seat back 106 of a vehicle 100 and extends in a vehicle width direction; a partition member 112 which separates a passenger compartment 108 from a cargo chamber 110 at a rear part of the seat back 106; and a flexible buffer member 130 which is arranged at the partition member 112 to support the seat frame 120. The buffer member 130 is displaced or deformed according to oscillation of the seat frame 120 around a rotation shaft 146 of the seat back 106 to keep contacting with the seat frame 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat frame support structure. [Background Art]

[0002] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a vehicle seat is composed of a seat cushion and a seat back frame (seat frame) that supports the seat cushion. This seat back frame forms the framework of the seat back of the rear seat.

[0003] In a vehicle where the passenger compartment (cabin) and the luggage compartment (luggage room) are separated at the rear of the vehicle by a partition member (back panel) that constitutes the body panel, the seat back frame (seat frame) is supported by the partition member. Since the partition member and the seat frame are both rigid members made of metal, there is a technology that uses a cushioning member (protector) molded from resin or the like when fixing the seat frame to the partition member.

Prior art documents

Patent documents

[0004]

Patent document 1

Summary of the invention

[0005] However, since the seat frame is usually supported by the partition member at multiple points, if an error in the mounting position occurs due to manufacturing errors between the two, the seat frame will be floating from the intended position of the cushioning member at some point. In other words, a gap will be created between the seat frame and the cushioning member, and because of this gap, the seat frame will swing when the vehicle is moving, repeatedly coming into contact with and separating from the cushioning member, causing abnormal noise.

[0006] ​As a countermeasure, there is a technique of winding a felt tape around the seat frame. However, the felt tape is damaged when the seat frame is detached, and it deteriorates over time due to vibrations during driving or the like, so it is not sufficient as a countermeasure.

[0007] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle seat frame support structure capable of preventing the seat frame and the buffer member from repeatedly coming into contact and separating even when the seat frame swings during vehicle driving, and preventing the abnormal noise generated by such repeated contact and separation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the present invention is a vehicle seat frame support structure including a seat frame that constitutes a seat back of a vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction, a partition member that partitions a passenger compartment and a cargo compartment behind the seat back, and a flexible buffer member provided on the partition member to support the seat frame. In the vehicle seat frame support structure, the buffer member is characterized in that it maintains contact with the seat frame by being displaced or deformed in response to the swing of the seat frame around the rotation axis of the seat back.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle seat frame support structure capable of preventing the seat frame and the buffer member from repeatedly coming into contact and separating even when the seat frame swings during vehicle driving, and preventing the abnormal noise generated by such repeated contact and separation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

Figure 1

Figure 2

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Figure 8

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] One embodiment of the present invention is a vehicle seat frame support structure including a seat frame that constitutes a seat back of a vehicle and extends in the vehicle width direction, a partition member that partitions a passenger compartment and a cargo compartment behind the seat back, and a flexible buffer member that is provided on the partition member and supports the seat frame. The buffer member is characterized in that it maintains contact with the seat frame by being displaced or deformed in response to the swinging of the seat frame around the rotation axis of the seat back.

[0012] According to the present invention, even when the seat frame swings during vehicle travel, the buffer member is displaced or deformed in response to this swinging and maintains contact with the seat frame. In this way, the seat frame is less likely to float with respect to the buffer member, and the contact time between the two becomes longer. Therefore, even when the seat frame swings, it is possible to prevent the seat frame and the buffer member from repeatedly coming into contact and separating, and it is possible to prevent the abnormal noise generated by such repeated contact and separation.

[0013] The buffer member may maintain contact with the seat frame by being displaced or deformed in the direction pushed by the seat frame and being able to return to the reference position before supporting the seat frame.

[0014] According to the above configuration, just by supporting the seat frame with the buffer member, the buffer member is elastically deformed and can maintain contact with the seat frame. Therefore, it is possible to prevent abnormal noise generated by the swinging of the seat frame with a simple configuration.

[0015] The above buffer member has a frame contact portion that contacts the seat frame and is displaced or deformed, and a support portion that supports the frame contact portion and is fixed to the partition member and immovable with respect to the partition member. The frame contact portion can return to the reference position by being displaced or deformed with respect to the support portion, and the boundary between the support portion and the frame contact portion may be set at a position separated from the seat frame by a predetermined distance.

[0016] According to the above configuration, since the above boundary, that is, the deformation base point of the frame contact portion, is separated from the seat frame, the frame contact portion is easily elastically deformed, and it becomes easier for the frame contact portion to maintain contact with the seat frame.

[0017] The above frame contact portion extends downward from the support portion and contacts the seat frame, and the frame contact portion preferably has a smaller radius of curvature as it goes from a position separated from the seat frame to a position of contact when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

[0018] According to the above configuration, the frame contact portion can increase the distance between the contact location with the seat frame and the deformation starting point, so it is easily elastically deformed.

[0019] The above frame contact portion includes a pair of contact pieces that contact the seat frame so as to sandwich the seat frame, and the pair of contact pieces are preferably cantilever-supported on the support portion such that the above contact positions are free ends.

[0020] According to the above configuration, since the pair of contact pieces are cantilever-supported on the support portion respectively, that is, supported only by the support portion, the contact pieces (frame contact portion) are more easily elastically deformed.

Embodiment

[0021] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in such embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals to omit redundant description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a vehicle seat frame support structure according to the present invention. In FIG. 1 and all other drawings, the vehicle front-rear direction is indicated by arrows F (Forward) and B (Backward) respectively, the left and right in the vehicle width direction are indicated by arrows L (Leftward) and R (Rightward) respectively, and the up-down direction is indicated by arrows U (upward) and D (downward) respectively.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1, an embodiment of the present invention will be described using the rear row seat 104 at the very end of the two-row seat. FIG. 1 shows only the right side body 102 of the vehicle 100 and the rear row seat 104, and the seats and other elements in the front two rows are not shown. Behind the seat back 106 of the rear row seat 104, a partition member 112 that partitions the passenger compartment 108 and the luggage compartment 110 is provided. By the partition member 112, the passenger compartment 108 and the luggage compartment 110 are vertically partitioned behind the seat back 106. Since the passenger compartment 108 refers to the space where people ride, it goes without saying that not only the space above the partition member 112 but also the space where the rear row seat 104 and the like are arranged in front of it are included in the passenger compartment 108. In this embodiment, since the rear row seat 104 is a type of seat where the seat back does not tilt forward with respect to the seat portion, the seat back 106 functions as a partition member that partitions the passenger compartment 108 and the luggage compartment 110 in the front-rear direction together with the partition member 112. The partition member 112 may be configured to extend downward along the back surface of the seat back 106 to partition the passenger compartment 108 and the luggage compartment 110 in the front-rear direction.

[0024] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the partition member 112 in Figure 1. Figure 2(a) shows the partition member 112 alone, and Figure 2(b) is an enlarged view of a part of the partition member 112 in Figure 2(a). As shown in Figure 2(a), three brackets 114, 116, and 118 are provided side by side in the vehicle width direction at the front end portion 112a of the partition member 112 that slopes downward. Figure 2(b) shows an enlarged view of the central bracket 116 among these three brackets 114, 116, and 118.

[0025] These three brackets 114, 116, and 118 support the seat back 106. Specifically, as shown in Figure 2(b), they support a seat frame 120 that extends across the vehicle width direction and constitutes the seat back 106. Although the seat back 106 is not shown in Figure 2, when the seat back 106 contacts the partition member 112 as shown in Figure 1, the bracket 116 supports the seat frame 120 that is virtually shown by a two-dot chain line in Figure 2(b).

[0026] As shown in Figure 2(b), the seat frame 120 has a shape that curves downward at the location where it is supported by the bracket 116, and has a similar shape at the locations where it is supported by the other two brackets 114 and 118. In this way, the seat frame 120 is supported by the partition member 112 at a total of three locations.

[0027] Note that the framework of the entire seat including the seat back 106 is usually called a seat frame, but in this text, for the convenience of explanation, the portion that extends across the vehicle width direction and is shown in Figure 2(b), which is a part of the seat frame, is called the seat frame 120.

[0028] Figure 3 is a side view of the bracket 116 in Figure 2. Figures 3(a) and (b) are both views of the bracket 116 seen from the left side of the vehicle, showing the states before and after the bracket 116 supports the seat frame 120, respectively.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the bracket 116 in FIG. 2. In FIG. 4, the bracket 116 is shown alone. As shown in FIG. 4, grooves 116b and 116d that are open upward in a U shape are formed in the left and right side walls 116a and 116c of the bracket 116, respectively. The bracket 116 further includes a front wall 116e that connects the front ends of the left and right side walls 116a and 116c, and legs 116f and 116g that extend outward in the vehicle width direction from the rear ends of the left and right side walls 116a and 116c and are joined to the front end portion 112a of the partition member 112 that is inclined downward.

[0030] FIG. 3(b) shows a state in which the seat frame 120 is inserted into the grooves 116b and 116d from above and supported by the bracket 116. Since the bracket 116 has a bilaterally symmetric configuration, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the left side wall 116a of the left and right side walls 116a and 116c will be used as a representative to describe the configuration of this embodiment.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a flexible buffer member 130 that is substantially U-shaped in side view is attached to the groove 116b formed in the side wall 116a of the bracket 116. It is this buffer member 130 that directly supports the seat frame 120. The buffer member 130 is attached to the groove 116b of the bracket 116 in a posture in which the U shape is slightly inclined rearward. A buffer member having the same shape as the buffer member 130 is also attached to the right side wall 116c of the bracket 116. However, since they have the same shape, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the buffer member 130 will be used as a representative to describe the configuration of this embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the buffer member 130 in FIG. 3(a). As shown in FIG. 5, since the buffer member 130 has a symmetric shape on the front side and the rear side, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the shape of the front side of the buffer member 130 will be described as a representative.

[0033] The buffer member 130 has a groove 131 formed along its outer periphery, which is continuous from the front side to the rear side. The groove 131 has a front inner surface 131a, a left inner surface 131b, and a right inner surface 131c. The buffer member 130 is joined to the side wall 116a of the bracket 116 at the left inner surface 131b of the groove 131. However, the buffer member 130 may be joined to the side wall 116a of the bracket 116 at the right inner surface 131c.

[0034] The upper half of the U-shape of the buffer member 130 shown in FIG. 5, that is, the part having the front inner surface 131a, the left inner surface 131b, and the right inner surface 131c and having a U-shaped cross section up to the imaginary line 134 shown by the dashed line, is called the support part 132. The support part 132 is a part that supports the contact piece 140 described later. The support portion 132 is fixed to the partition member 112 via a bracket 116. Therefore, the support portion 132 is an immovable portion relative to the partition member 112. The cushioning member 130 also has a support portion 133 similar to the support portion 132 on its rear side.

[0035] Figure 6 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of the cushioning member 130 in Figure 5. Figure 6(a) is a perspective view of the cushioning member 130 seen from a different direction than in Figure 5, and Figure 6(b) is a cross-sectional view of the cushioning member 130 in Figure 6(a) taken along line AA.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 6, a pair of contact pieces 140, 142 extend from the lower ends of a pair of support parts 132, 133 of the cushioning member 130 so as to sandwich the seat frame 120 (not shown in FIG. 6, see FIG. 3(b)). These J-shaped contact pieces 140, 142 are collectively called the frame contact part. Note that a belt-like or sheet-like second cushioning member such as a felt tape may be wrapped around the seat frame 120. In this case, the frame contact parts (contact pieces 140, 142) may be in contact with the seat frame 120 via the second cushioning member.

[0037] Such a felt tape is considered to be a part of the seat frame 120. In other words, if the cushioning member 130 is in contact with the felt tape, it is understood to be in contact with the seat frame 120.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 6(b), the pair of contact pieces 140 and 142 are curved such that the distance between them becomes shorter as they approach the seat frame 120 downward. That is, when viewed in the vehicle width direction, the contact pieces 140 and 142 have a smaller radius of curvature toward the tips (lower ends) 140a and 142a, and finally become equal to the radius of the circular cross section of the seat frame 120. Therefore, although the tips 140a and 142a of the contact pieces 140 and 142 are separated from each other, they can easily support the seat frame 120.

[0039] There is a connecting portion 144 between the separated tips 140a and 142a of the contact pieces 140 and 142, which connects the left inner surface 131b and the right inner surface 131c that are continuous from the support portions 132 and 133.

[0040] On the other hand, although the pair of contact pieces 140 and 142 extend downward continuously from the lower ends of the support portions 132 and 133, they do not contact the left inner surface 131b and the right inner surface 131c that are continuous from the support portions 132 and 133. That is, the pair of contact pieces 140 and 142 are cantilever-supported by the support portions 132 and 133, respectively, such that the tips 140a and 142a that contact the seat frame 120 become free ends.

[0041] The contact pieces 140 and 142 are within the flexible buffer member 130 and are formed of a material that is more flexible than the support portions 132 and 133. Therefore, the contact pieces 140 and 142 of the buffer member 130 are displaced or deformed in the direction pushed by the seat frame 120 while being supported by the support portions 132 and 133 as shown in FIG. 3(b). And if the seat frame 120 is removed, it can return to the reference position shown in FIG. 3(a) before supporting the seat frame 120. By displacing or deforming the contact pieces 140 and 142 in this way, the buffer member 130 can maintain contact with the seat frame 120.

[0042] As described by stating "displacement or deformation", when the contact pieces 140 and 142 are pushed against the seat frame 120 as shown in Fig. 3(b), they may elastically deform so as to be recessed downward or in the front - rear direction, or the position itself may be displaced downward or in the front - rear direction. The contact pieces 140 and 142 may cause such displacement and deformation simultaneously.

[0043] As described above, since the tips 140a and 142a of the contact pieces 140 and 142 shown in Fig. 3(b) are separated from each other, the contact pieces 140 and 142 are more likely to elastically deform compared to the case where the tips 140a and 142a are continuous with each other.

[0044] Also, in that the pair of contact pieces 140 and 142 are respectively cantilever - supported by the support portions 132 and 133, that is, supported only by the support portions 132 and 133, the contact pieces 140 and 142 are more likely to elastically deform.

[0045] As shown in Fig. 3(a), a gap V is formed between the contact pieces 140 and 142, and this gap V is set to be smaller than the diameter of the seat frame 120. Therefore, even when the seat frame 120 floats from the connecting portion 144, the seat frame 120 can be supported by the tips 140a and 142a of the contact pieces 140 and 142.

[0046] Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing the swinging state of the seat frame 120 in Fig. 2(b). Since the seat frame 120 is supported by the partition members 112 at a plurality of (three) locations as shown in Fig. 2(a), due to the mounting position error caused by the manufacturing error between the two, at any location, the seat frame 120 may float from the bottom of the buffer member 130. That is, a gap may occur between the seat frame 120 and the buffer member 130 if the contact pieces 140 and 142 in the present embodiment are not present.

[0047] The seat frame 120 is attached to the floor panel 145 by a seat frame attachment portion 147, and swings as indicated by an arrow 148 about a rotation axis 146 of a seat back 106 located at the seat frame attachment portion 147. At this time, due to the above-described gap, the seat frame 120 repeatedly contacts and separates from the buffer member 130 during vehicle travel, generating abnormal noise.

[0048] However, according to the present embodiment, even if the seat frame 120 swings, in response to this swing, as already described, the contact pieces 140 and 142 of the buffer member 130 are displaced or deformed, and the buffer member 130 can maintain contact with the seat frame. In this way, the seat frame 120 is less likely to float with respect to the buffer member 130, and the contact time between the two becomes longer. That is, it is possible to prevent the seat frame 120 and the buffer member 130 from repeatedly contacting and separating, and it is possible to prevent the abnormal noise generated by such repeated contacting and separating.

[0049] Also, as shown in FIG. 3, the contact pieces 140 and 142 that contact the seat frame 120 are J-shaped along the curvature of a U-shaped groove 116b (FIG. 4) of the bracket 116. Therefore, even if the contact pieces 140 and 142 are displaced or deformed as shown in FIGS. 3(a) to 3(b), the contact pieces 140 and 142 can always maintain a smooth contact state without colliding with the groove 116b of the bracket 116. Accordingly, according to the present embodiment, abnormal noise due to collision between the buffer member 130 and the bracket 116 can also be suppressed.

[0050] Furthermore, it is not necessary to reduce the front-rear dimension, that is, the clearance, of the groove 116b of the bracket 116 into which the seat frame 120 is inserted in order to prevent abnormal noise. Therefore, the clearance of the groove 116b can be increased, and the assemblability of the rear row seat 104 is also improved.

[0051] In this embodiment, the buffer member 130 including the contact pieces 140 and 142 is made of a flexible resin. However, the buffer member 130 may be manufactured from other elastic bodies. Alternatively, the buffer member 130 including the contact pieces 140 and 142 itself may not have flexibility or elasticity, and the contact pieces 140 and 142 may be displaced by other members, such as elastic bodies like springs and rubbers.

[0052] Moreover, according to this embodiment, just by supporting the seat frame 120 on the contact pieces 140 and 142 of the buffer member 130, the contact pieces 140 and 142 can be elastically deformed to maintain contact with the seat frame 120. Therefore, abnormal noises generated by the rocking of the seat frame 120 can be prevented with a simple configuration.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3(b), the boundary between the support portion 132 and the contact piece 140 (virtual line 134), that is, the deformation starting point of the contact piece 140, is set at a position separated from the seat frame 120 by a distance Y.

[0054] Thus, since the deformation base point (virtual line 134) of the contact piece 140 is separated from the seat frame 120, the contact pieces 140 and 142 are easily elastically deformed, and it is easier for the contact pieces 140 and 142 to maintain contact with the seat frame 120. Further, since this distance Y is set to a value larger than the error in the attachment positions of the seat frame 120 to the brackets 114, 116, and 118, the contact pieces 140 and 142 are easily elastically deformed even if there are such errors.

[0055] FIG. 8 is a side view of a modified example of the buffer member 130 in FIG. 3(a). In FIG. 8, only the elements different from those in FIG. 3(a) are illustrated with different reference numerals, and the other elements are illustrated with the same reference numerals. The buffer member 150 according to this modified example is not only substantially U-shaped in side view, but also extends forward along the groove 116b of the bracket 116, and is further connected to the buffer member on the right side (not shown) along the upper edge of the front wall 116e. Since the left and right buffer members are connected in this way, the rigidity of the buffer member is increased.

[0056] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that those skilled in the art can conceive of various modification examples or correction examples within the scope described in the claims, and it is naturally understood that those also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

[0057] In addition, regardless of the dependency relationship of the claims of the present invention, the inventions described in the claims and the embodiments can be freely combined and implemented.

Industrial Applicability

[0058] The present invention can be used for a vehicle seat frame support structure.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0059] 100 … Vehicle 102 … Side body 104 … Rear seat 106 … Seat back 108 … Passenger compartment 110 … Cargo compartment 112 … Partition member 114, 116, 118 … Brackets 116a … Side wall of the bracket 116b … Groove of the bracket 120 … Seat frame 130, 150 … Buffer members 132, 133 … Support portions 140, 142 … Contact pieces 144 … Connecting portion 146 … Rotation axis of the seat back

Claims

1. A seat frame that forms a seat back of the vehicle and extends in a vehicle width direction; a partition member that separates a vehicle interior from a luggage compartment behind the seat back; a flexible cushioning member provided on the partition member and supporting the seat frame, A vehicle seat frame support structure, characterized in that the cushioning member maintains contact with the seat frame by being displaced or deformed in response to the pivoting of the seat frame around the pivot axis of the seat back.

2. 2. The vehicle seat frame support structure according to claim 1, wherein the cushioning member is displaced or deformed in a direction in which it is pressed by the seat frame and is capable of returning to a reference position before supporting the seat frame, thereby maintaining contact with the seat frame.

3. The buffer member is a frame contact portion that comes into contact with the seat frame and is displaced or deformed; a support portion that supports the frame contact portion, the support portion being fixed to the partition member and immovable with respect to the partition member; the frame contact portion is capable of returning to the reference position by the displacement or deformation relative to the support portion, 3. The vehicle seat frame support structure according to claim 2, wherein a boundary between the support portion and the frame contact portion is set at a position spaced a predetermined distance from the seat frame.

4. The frame contact portion extends downward from the support portion and contacts the seat frame, 4. The vehicle seat frame support structure according to claim 3, wherein the frame contact portion has a radius of curvature that decreases from a position away from the seat frame toward a position where the frame contacts the seat frame when viewed in the vehicle width direction.

5. the frame contact portion includes a pair of contact pieces that contact the seat frame so as to sandwich the seat frame, 5. The vehicle seat frame support structure according to claim 4, wherein the pair of contact pieces are cantilevered on the support portion so that the contact positions are free ends.

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