Seat cushion for vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a seat cushion for a vehicle seat for preventing occurrence of a submarine phenomenon by being actuated at the time of head-on collision to suppress forward movement of a seating occupant with a simple structure.SOLUTION: A seat cushion for a vehicle seat includes: an oscillation panel support pipe 16 disposed while extending in a seat width direction on the front side of a frame body part 10; an oscillation panel 18 attached to the oscillation panel support pipe 16 so as to vertically oscillate; and a stopper member 19 stopping oscillation of the oscillation panel 18 in a normal condition and enabling the oscillation panel 18 to oscillate when a vehicle is suddenly decelerated. The oscillation panel 18 is disposed on the front side rather than a longitudinal-direction center part of the frame body part 10 and is attached to the oscillation panel support pipe 16 on the front side rather than the longitudinal-direction center part of the oscillation panel 18. The rear inclined part 18b of the oscillation panel 18 enabled to be oscillated when the vehicle is suddenly decelerated moves downward by frontward movement of the seating occupant, and thereby a front flat part 18a and a front bent part 18c are moved upward to suppress forward movement of the seating occupant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat cushion for a vehicle. More specifically, it relates to a seat cushion for a vehicle that operates during a frontal collision to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant and prevent the occurrence of the submarining phenomenon.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in the seat cushion of a vehicle such as an automobile, when receiving an impact due to a frontal collision or the like, there is known a seat cushion that has a function of preventing the occurrence of the submarining phenomenon, in which the seated occupant separates from the restraint of the seat belt, slides off the seat, and slides under the dashboard or the like. In the seat cushion of an automobile disclosed in Patent Document 1, it includes a seat position adjustment mechanism and a sinking prevention mechanism that prevents the seated occupant from sinking during a frontal collision. The seat position adjustment mechanism includes an accompanying member that moves together with the seat body. The sinking prevention mechanism includes a base portion coupled to the accompanying member, a spring held by the base portion, a holding member that normally engages with the spring to hold the spring force in an accumulated state and releases the spring force by disengaging from the spring, a trigger portion that disengages the holding member from the spring during a frontal collision, and an operating portion that rises to push up the legs of the seated occupant based on the released spring force.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the prior art described in Patent Document 1, since spring force is used to raise the operating portion, there is a problem that the number of parts is large, the structure is complex, and it is likely to lead to an increase in size and mass.

[0005] In view of such problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a seat cushion for a vehicle seat that has a simple structure, operates during a frontal collision, suppresses the forward movement of the seated occupant, and prevents the occurrence of the submarining phenomenon.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A first invention of the present invention is a seat cushion for a vehicle seat, comprising: a shaft disposed to extend in the seat width direction on the front side of a cushion frame body; a panel swingably attached to the shaft in the vertical direction; and a stopper member that stops the swing of the panel with respect to the cushion frame body in a normal state and enables the panel to swing when the vehicle decelerates rapidly. The panel is disposed in front of the center in the front-rear direction of the cushion frame body, and is attached to the shaft on the front side of the center in the front-rear direction of the panel. When the vehicle decelerates rapidly, a rear portion, which is a portion behind the shaft of the swingable panel, is pressed downward and moved by the forward movement of the seated occupant, so that a front portion, which is a portion in front of the shaft, moves upward to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant.

[0007] According to the first invention, the panel swingably attached to the shaft in the vertical direction is stopped from swinging by the stopper member in a normal state and is enabled to swing when the vehicle decelerates rapidly due to a frontal collision or the like. Then, the forward movement of the seated occupant presses the rear portion, which is a portion behind the shaft of the panel, downward and moves it, so that the front portion, which is a portion in front of the shaft, moves upward to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant. As a result, it is possible to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant and prevent the occurrence of the submarining phenomenon with a simple structure without using a power source such as a spring force.

[0008] A second invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the dimension of the panel in the seat width direction is substantially equal to the dimension of the pelvis of the seated occupant in the seat width direction.

[0009] According to the second invention, when the vehicle decelerates rapidly due to a frontal collision or the like, a force from the seated occupant is sufficiently transmitted to the portion behind the shaft of the panel that becomes swingable due to the forward movement of the seated occupant, and the front portion of the panel moves upward steadily to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant.

[0010] According to a third invention of the present invention, in the first invention or the second invention, the stopper member is characterized by comprising a pin that moves in the seat width direction and an inflator that operates when the vehicle decelerates rapidly to move the pin.

[0011] According to the third invention, since the swinging of the panel can be stopped or released by a stopper member having a simple structure composed of a pin and an inflator, an increase in size can be suppressed.

[0012] According to a fourth invention of the present invention, in the first invention or the second invention, the rear portion of the panel is characterized by being an inclined surface that inclines downward and rearward in a state where it is made non-swingable by the stopper member.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, when the vehicle decelerates rapidly due to a frontal collision or the like, the seated occupant moves forward, and the pelvis of the seated occupant approaches the rear portion of the panel from a direction closer to being perpendicular, so that it is easy to transmit a force to the rear portion of the panel.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Based on FIGS. 1 to 4, the seat cushion 1 of an automobile seat according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the description of directions is based on the up, down, front, rear, left, and right directions indicated by arrows in each figure. The up, down, front, rear, left, and right directions are the up, down, front, rear, left, and right directions based on the seated occupant when the seat cushion 1 is mounted on an automobile. The left-right direction corresponds to the seat width direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 3, the seat cushion 1, which is the seating part of an automobile seat, has a cushion frame 2 forming a skeleton, a cushion pad 3 which is a cushion body placed on the cushion frame 2, and a cushion cover 4 which is a skin material covering the cushion pad 3.

[0017] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cushion frame 2 includes a frame body portion 10 formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a top view, a slide rail 20 connected to the floor F and extending in the front-rear direction, and a lifter mechanism portion 30 that supports the frame body portion 10 so as to be vertically movable with respect to the slide rail 20. The frame body portion 10 is formed by connecting a pair of left and right side frames 11 extending in the front-rear direction at the left and right side portions with a cylindrical front pipe 12 extending in the left-right direction at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction, and connecting with a cylindrical rear pipe 13 extending in the left-right direction at the rear side. The pair of left and right side frames 11 are long iron press parts extending in the front-rear direction, and flange portions extending outward in the seat width direction are provided at the upper and lower end portions thereof, respectively, to enhance bending rigidity. The front pipe 12 is an iron part fixedly attached to the pair of left and right side frames 11 so as not to rotate. The rear pipe 13 is an iron part rotatably attached to the pair of left and right side frames 11 about an axis extending in the left-right direction. A right front panel 14, which is a press part, is attached to the front end portion side of the right side frame 11, and a left front panel 15, which is a press part, is attached to the front end portion side of the left side frame 11. A swing panel support pipe 16 extends in the left-right direction and is attached in a spanning manner between the right front panel 14 and the left front panel 15. An S-spring structure 17 that abuts against the lower surface of the cushion pad 3 and supports the cushion pad 3 is attached in a spanning manner between the front pipe 12 and the rear pipe 13. The S-spring structure 17 is formed by bending a wire to form four S-springs 17a extending in the front-rear direction and arranging them in the left-right direction and connecting and integrating them with a resin connecting member 17b. The front end portion side of each S-spring 17a is bent in a hook shape along the outer peripheral surface of the front pipe 12 and is locked to the front pipe 12 via a resin sliding member 17c for smooth relative rotation. The rear end portion side of each S-spring 17a is bent in a hook shape along the outer peripheral surface of the rear pipe 13 and is locked to the rear pipe 13 via a resin sliding member 17d for smooth relative rotation. Here, the swing panel support pipe 16 corresponds to the "shaft" in the claims. Also, the frame body portion 10 corresponds to the "cushion frame body" in the claims.

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the slide rail 20 is a member in which a pair of left and right upper rails 22 are slidably assembled in the front-rear direction with respect to a pair of left and right lower rails 21 extending in the front-rear direction and fixed to the floor F. The front-rear positions of the pair of left and right upper rails 22 can be changed with respect to the pair of left and right lower rails 21.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the lifter mechanism portion 30 is pivotally attached in the vertical direction to a front bracket 31 whose lower end side is fixed to the upper surface of the upper rail 22, and a pair of left and right front link members 33 whose upper end side is pivotally connected in the vertical direction to the front end side of the pair of left and right side frames 11. And a pair of left and right rear link members 34 whose lower end side is pivotally attached in the vertical direction to a rear bracket 32 whose lower end side is fixed to the upper surface of the upper rail 22 and whose upper end side is connected to the rear pipe 13. A four-bar link mechanism is constituted by the side frame 11, the upper rail 22, the front link member 33, and the rear link member 34. By rotating the rear pipe 13, the side frame 11 moves up and down while maintaining parallelism with respect to the upper rail 22.

[0020] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front pipe 12 is arranged to extend in the left-right direction at a substantially central portion in the front-rear direction of the frame body portion 10. And in the space between the right front panel 14 and the left front panel 15 in front of the front pipe 12, a swing panel 18 having a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above is pivotally attached in the vertical direction to a swing panel support pipe 16. Here, the swing panel 18 corresponds to the "panel" in the claims.

[0021] The left - right dimension of the swing panel 18 is substantially the same as the left - right dimension of the S - spring structure 17 and is approximately equal to the left - right dimension of the pelvis P1, P2 of the seated occupant. In the normal state shown in FIG. 3, the swing panel 18 has a front flat portion 18a extending in a substantially horizontal direction, a rear inclined portion 18b extending rearward and downward from the rear end of the front flat portion 18a, and a front curved portion 18c extending forward and upward from the front end of the front flat portion 18a and curving and extending downward from the middle. When viewed from above, the boundary line 18d between the front flat portion 18a and the rear inclined portion 18b is arranged to extend in the left - right direction at a position that approximately bisects the front - rear length of the swing panel 18. Here, the rear inclined portion 18b corresponds to the "rear part" in the claims, and the front flat portion 18a and the front curved portion 18c correspond to the "front part" in the claims.

[0022] On the lower surface of the front flat portion 18a, a pair of left - right plate - shaped brackets 18e are vertically downward - extending and attached perpendicular to the lower surface of the front flat portion 18a. The pair of left - right brackets 18e are connected to the swing panel support pipe 16 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction. The front - rear dimension from the front end of the front curved portion 18c to the central axis of the swing panel support pipe 16 is approximately 1 / 2 of the front - rear dimension from the central axis of the swing panel support pipe 16 to the rear end of the rear inclined portion 18b.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, a stopper member 19 is disposed below the front curved portion 18c. The stopper member 19 includes an inflator 19a that operates when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like, and a pin 19b that moves in the axial direction by the operation of the inflator 19a. The inflator 19a has a cylindrical shape and includes a columnar shaft member 19c that has a common central axis and moves in the axial direction. When the inflator 19a is not operating, the shaft member 19c protrudes rightward and rapidly moves leftward when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like. The pin 19b has a cylindrical shape and is inserted into a pin hole 14b (see FIG. 4) that penetrates in the left-right direction and is provided in the vertical wall portion 14a of the right front panel 14 when the inflator 19a is not operating. The left end portion of the pin 19b is connected to the right end portion of the shaft member 19c with their central axes aligned. As a result, when the inflator 19a is not operating, which is the normal state, the swing panel 18 is prevented from swinging with respect to the cushion frame 2, and when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like, the pin 19b is pulled by the shaft member 19c and pulled out from the pin hole 14b, so that the swing panel 18 can rotate about the swing panel support pipe 16.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the cushion pad 3, which is a foamed molded body of urethane resin, is placed on the cushion frame 2 in a state where the swing panel 18 is in the normal state. At this time, the cushion pad 3 abuts on the upper surface of the swing panel 18 and the upper surface of the S spring structure 17, and the pelvis P1 of the seated occupant is above the S spring structure 17. The upper surface and side surface of the cushion pad 3 are covered with a cushion cover 4 made of leather or fabric.

[0025] In a normal state where the pelvis P1 of the seated occupant is above the S spring structure 17, when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like, the inflator 19a of the stopper member 19 operates to pull out the pin 19b from the pin hole 14b. Then, the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18 that has become rotatable about the swing panel support pipe 16 moves forward, and the pelvis P2 of the seated occupant presses downward via the cushion pad 3. Then, the swing panel 18 rotates about the swing panel support pipe 16 and assumes the state shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3. At this time, the front flat portion 18a and the front curved portion 18c of the swing panel 18 move upward and push up the front end side of the cushion pad 3, so that the pelvis P2 of the seated occupant is prevented from further moving forward and the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon due to slipping off the seat cushion 1 can be prevented.

[0026] The present embodiment configured as described above has the following effects. The swing panel 18 attached to the swing panel support pipe 16 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction is stopped from swinging by the stopper member 19 in a normal state, and is made swingable by the stopper member 19 when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like. Then, the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18 is pressed and moves downward by the forward movement of the seated occupant, so that the front flat portion 18a and the front curved portion 18c move upward to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant and prevent the occurrence of the submarine phenomenon with a simple structure without using a power source such as a spring force.

[0027] Further, the dimension of the swing panel 18 in the left-right direction, that is, the seat width direction, is substantially equal to the dimension of the pelvises P1 and P2 of the seated occupant in the seat width direction. Thereby, when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like, the force from the seated occupant is sufficiently transmitted to the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18 that has become swingable due to the forward movement of the seated occupant, and the front flat portion 18a and the front curved portion 18c of the swing panel 18 move upward steadily to suppress the forward movement of the seated occupant.

[0028] Furthermore, the stopper member 19 is composed of a pin 19b that moves in the left-right direction, i.e., the seat width direction, and an inflater 19a that operates when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like and moves the pin 19b. Thus, the stopper member 19 having a simple structure composed of the pin 19b and the inflater 19a can stop or release the swinging of the swing panel 18, so that an increase in size can be suppressed.

[0029] In addition, the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18 is an inclined surface that inclines downward and rearward in a state where the swing panel 18 is made non-swingable by the stopper member 19. Thus, when the vehicle suddenly decelerates due to a frontal collision or the like, the seated occupant moves forward, and the pelvises P1, P2 of the seated occupant approach the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18 from a direction closer to perpendicular, so that force is easily transmitted to the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18.

[0030] As described above, specific embodiments have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to their appearance and configuration, and various changes, additions, and deletions are possible without changing the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the stopper member 19 is disposed on the front curved portion 18c of the swing panel 18, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the stopper member 19 may be disposed on the rear inclined portion 18b of the swing panel 18. Further, the stopper member 19 may be disposed on the right front panel 14 or the left front panel 15 so that the pin 19b enters and exits through a through hole provided in the swing panel 18. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the seat cushion 1 in an automotive seat, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention may be applied to seats in vehicles other than automobiles, such as airplanes, ships, and railway vehicles.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0031] 1 Seat cushion 2 Cushion frame 10 Frame portion (cushion frame main body) 16 Swing panel support pipe (shaft) 18 Swing panel (panel) 18a Front flat portion (front part) 18b Rear inclined portion (rear part) 18c front curved portion (front part) 19 stopper member 19a inflator 19b pin P1 pelvis P2 pelvis

Claims

1. A seat cushion for a vehicle seat, comprising: a shaft disposed in front of a cushion frame body and extending in a seat width direction, a panel attached to the shaft so as to be swingable up and down, and a stopper member which stops the swinging of the panel relative to the cushion frame body in a normal state and allows the panel to swing when the vehicle suddenly decelerates, The panel is disposed forward of a center portion of the cushion frame body in a front-rear direction and is attached to the shaft forward of the center portion of the panel in a front-rear direction, When the vehicle suddenly decelerates, the rear part of the panel, which is the part behind the shaft, becomes pivotable and moves downward due to the forward movement of the seated occupant, causing the front part, which is the part in front of the shaft, to move upward, thereby suppressing the forward movement of the seated occupant.

2. 2. The seat cushion for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein a dimension of said panel in the seat width direction is substantially equal to a dimension of a pelvis of said seated occupant in the seat width direction.

3. 3. A seat cushion for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein said stopper member comprises a pin which moves in the seat width direction, and an inflator which is actuated when the vehicle suddenly decelerates to move said pin.

4. 3. The seat cushion for a vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the rear portion of the panel is an inclined surface that slopes downward and rearward when the rear portion is prevented from swinging by the stopper member.

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