Armrest structure for vehicle sheet

Abstract

To provide an armrest structure of a vehicle sheet capable of rotating an armrest in an erected posture together with a seat back with a very simple structure.SOLUTION: An armrest structure 10 includes a guide part 20 provided in a seat back 16, and an engaging part 30 provided in an armrest 28. The guide part 20 has: a support hole part 22 formed into a nearly elliptical shape; and a guide hole part 24 formed into a circular shape nearly around the support hole part 22. The engaging part 30 has: a columnar spindle 32 inserted into the support hole part 22 and rotatably supported; and a pin 34 which is inserted into the guide hole part 24 and is movably formed along the guide hole part 24. A notch part 26 continuous with the guide hole part 24 is formed at an end part 24A of the guide hole part 24, a projection part 36 configured to be engageable with the notch part 26 is formed at the pin 34, and the projection part 36 is configured to be engaged with the notch part 26 when the sheet back 16 is rotated from a reclined state to an erected state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an armrest structure for a vehicle seat.

Background Art

[0002] In an armrest provided so as to be storable in a seat back of a vehicle seat such as a rear seat, when rotating the seat back in a state of being tilted forward to a state of standing upright toward the rear side, it has been conventionally known that the armrest can be rotated to a posture of standing upright together with the seat back (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the one described in the above Patent Document 1, the mechanism for rotating the armrest to a posture of standing upright together with the seat back is complicated, the number of parts is large, and the manufacturing cost increases.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to obtain an armrest structure for a vehicle seat in which the armrest can be rotated to a posture of standing upright together with the seat back with an extremely simple configuration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, the armrest structure of the vehicle seat according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a guide portion provided on the seat back of the vehicle seat, and an engaging portion provided on the armrest and engaging with the guide portion. The guide portion has a support hole portion formed in a substantially elliptical shape, and a guide hole portion formed in an arc shape centered on the support hole portion. The engaging portion has a columnar support shaft that is inserted into the support hole portion and rotatably supported, and a pin that is inserted into the guide hole portion and is formed to be movable along the guide hole portion. At one end of the guide hole portion, a notch portion continuous with the guide hole portion is formed, and a protrusion portion configured to be able to be locked to the notch portion is formed on the pin. When the seat back in the reclined state is rotated to the upright state, the protrusion portion is configured to be locked to the notch portion.

[0007] According to the invention of the first aspect, a guide portion is provided on the seat back of the vehicle seat, and an engaging portion that engages with the guide portion is provided on the armrest. The guide portion has a support hole portion formed in a substantially elliptical shape and a guide hole portion formed in an arc shape centered on the support hole portion. The engaging portion has a columnar support shaft that is inserted into the support hole portion and rotatably supported, and a pin that is inserted into the guide hole portion and is formed to be movable along the guide hole portion.

[0008] Here, a notch portion continuous with the guide hole portion is formed at one end of the guide hole portion, and a protrusion portion configured to be able to be locked to the notch portion is formed on the pin. When the seat back in the reclined state is rotated to the upright state, the protrusion portion is configured to be locked to the notch portion. That is, when the seat back in the reclined state is rotated to the upright state, the rotation of the armrest is blocked. Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to rotate the armrest to an upright posture together with the seat back with a very simple configuration.

[0009] Moreover, the armrest structure of the vehicle seat according to the second aspect of the present invention is the armrest structure of the vehicle seat according to the first aspect, and the extending direction of the notch portion is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion.

[0010] According to the invention of the second aspect, the extending direction of the notch portion is a direction along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion. Therefore, the protrusion is more likely to be locked in the notch portion by the action of gravity than in the case where the extending direction of the notch portion is not a direction along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion.

[0011] Further, the armrest structure of the vehicle seat according to the third aspect of the present invention is the armrest structure of the vehicle seat according to the first or second aspect, and the protrusion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the axial direction of the pin.

[0012] According to the invention of the third aspect, the protrusion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the axial direction of the pin. Therefore, the protrusion is more likely to be locked in the notch portion than in the case where the protrusion is formed in an arc shape, for example.

Effect of the Invention

[0013] As described above, according to the present invention, the armrest can be rotated to a posture in which it stands up together with the seat back with an extremely simple configuration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the arrow UP appropriately shown in each figure is the upward direction of the vehicle seat, the arrow FR is the forward direction of the vehicle seat, and the arrow LH is the left direction of the vehicle seat. In the following description, when the directions of up and down, front and back, and left and right are described without special mention, they indicate up and down, front and back, and left and right in the vehicle seat. Also, the left and right directions are synonymous with the seat width direction.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 12 provided with the armrest structure 10 according to this embodiment is, for example, a center seat in the rear seat. This vehicle seat (center seat) 12 includes a seat cushion 14 on which a passenger sits (supports the passenger's buttocks and thighs), a seat back 16 that supports the passenger's back, a headrest 18 that supports the passenger's head, and an armrest 28 that is rotatably and retractably provided on the seat back 16.

[0017] The seat back 16 is configured to be rotatable in the front-rear direction about a rotation axis (not shown) provided at its lower end with the vehicle width direction as the axial direction. That is, this seat back 16 is configured to be able to take a posture of rotating forward and being laid down and a posture of rotating backward and standing up.

[0018] The armrest 28 is provided so as to be storable in a storage space 16S formed in a concave shape in the seat back 16, which is substantially the same size as the armrest 28. This armrest 28 is for an occupant sitting on the left or right vehicle seat 11 of the vehicle seat 12. When the armrest 28 is stored in the storage space 16S of the seat back 16, an occupant can sit on the vehicle seat 12.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, guide portions 20 are integrally provided at the lower ends of the left and right wall surfaces 16A (see FIG. 1) facing the seat width direction in the storage space 16S of the seat back 16. Since each guide portion 20 has a symmetric shape and the same configuration, only one side guide portion 20 will be described below.

[0020] The guide portion 20 has a plate-shaped main body portion 20A formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape in a side view seen from the seat width direction. The main body portion 20A is formed with a predetermined plate thickness. The guide portion 20 has a support hole portion 22 formed in a substantially elliptical shape in the main body portion 20A and a guide hole portion 24 formed in an arc shape centered on the support hole portion 22 in the main body portion 20A.

[0021] On the other hand, engagement portions 30 that engage with the respective guide portions 20 are integrally provided at the lower ends of the left and right wall surfaces 28A facing the seat width direction of the armrest 28 in a state where the armrest 28 is stored in the storage space 16S of the seat back 16. Since each engagement portion 30 also has a symmetric shape and the same configuration, only one side engagement portion 30 will be described below.

[0022] The engagement portion 30 has a columnar support shaft 32 that is inserted into the support hole portion 22 formed in the guide portion 20 (main body portion 20A) and is rotatably supported, and a substantially columnar pin 34 that is inserted into the guide hole portion 24 formed in the guide portion 20 (main body portion 20A) and is formed to be movable along the guide hole portion 24.

[0023] Further, a notch portion 26 continuous with the guide hole portion 24 is formed in the main body portion 20A of the guide portion 20 at one end portion 24A (the end portion located on the front side when the seat back 16 is in the upright posture) of the guide hole portion 24. A protrusion 36 configured to be engageable with the notch portion 26 is integrally formed on the pin 34.

[0024] Specifically, the notch portion 26 is formed in a substantially elliptical shape with a predetermined width and a predetermined length in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion 22. That is, the extending direction of the notch portion 26 is the direction along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion 22. Hereinafter, the other end portion of the guide hole portion 24 will be referred to as "end portion 24B", one end portion of the support hole portion 22 on the extending direction side of the notch portion 26 will be referred to as "end portion 22A", and the other end portion will be referred to as "end portion 22B".

[0025] Further, when viewed from the axial direction of the pin 34, the protrusion 36 projects outward in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface of the pin 34 in a substantially rectangular shape with a width smaller than the radius of the pin 34 and a predetermined length, and the projecting direction is along the extending direction of the notch portion 26 in a state where the pin 34 is located at one end portion 24A of the guide hole portion 24. Therefore, the width of the guide hole portion 24 is set to a width that allows the pin 34 having the protrusion 36 to be movable (see FIG. 5).

[0026] Next, the operation of the armrest structure 10 of the vehicle seat 12 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

[0027] First, a comparative example shown in FIG. 6 will be described. The support hole portion 122 in the guide portion 120 of the vehicle seat 112 according to this comparative example is formed in a circular shape, and the notch portion 26 is not formed in the guide hole portion 124. Further, the support shaft 132 in the engaging portion 130 of the armrest 128 according to this comparative example is formed in a columnar shape and is inserted into the support hole portion 122 with almost no gap. Further, the protrusion 36 is not formed on the pin 134.

[0028] Therefore, in the case of the armrest structure 100 of the vehicle seat 112 according to this comparative example, when the seat back 116 in the state of being tilted forward is rotated to the state of standing upright toward the rear side, the armrest 128 rotates downward. That is, the armrest 128 falls from the storage space 116S of the seat back 116.

[0029] On the other hand, in the armrest structure 10 of the vehicle seat 12 according to the present embodiment, when the seat back 16 in the state of being tilted forward is rotated to the state of standing upright toward the rear side, the armrest 28 can be prevented from rotating downward. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the seat back 16 in the state of being tilted forward is rotated rearward so as to be in an upright posture, the engaging portion 30 of the armrest 28 is lowered downward by the action of gravity.

[0030] Specifically, the support shaft 32 is located at one end portion 22A of the support hole portion 22, the pin 34 moves from one end portion 24A of the guide hole portion 24 toward the notch portion 26 side, and the protrusion portion 36 thereof is locked to the notch portion 26. Therefore, when the seat back 16 in the state of being tilted forward is rotated to the state of standing upright toward the rear side, the armrest 28 is prevented from rotating downward (falling from the storage space 16S of the seat back 16).

[0031] As described above, according to the armrest structure 10 according to the present embodiment, although the configuration is extremely simple, the armrest 28 can be rotated to the posture of standing upright together with the seat back 16. Further, the mechanism for rotating the armrest 28 to the posture of standing upright together with the seat back 16 is established with an extremely simple configuration only by changing the shape of the support hole portion 22 and the guide hole portion 24 and the shape of the pin 34. Therefore, the number of parts does not increase, and an increase in the manufacturing cost can be suppressed.

[0032] Moreover, since the extending direction of the notch portion 26 is along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion 22, the protruding portion 36 is more likely to be locked to the notch portion 26 by the action of gravity than when the extending direction of the notch portion 26 is not along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion 22. Also, when viewed from the axial direction of the pin 34, since the protruding portion 36 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape, the protruding portion 36 is more likely to be locked to the notch portion 26 than when the protruding portion 36 is formed in an arc shape, for example.

[0033] In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, when the seat back 16 takes an upright posture, the engaging portion 30 of the armrest 28 moves downward by the action of gravity, and the support shaft 32 is located at the other end portion 22B of the support hole portion 22. Then, the pin 34 moves in a direction away from the notch portion 26 at one end portion 24A of the guide hole portion 24.

[0034] Therefore, when the armrest 28 is rotated forward in this state, as shown in FIG. 5, the pin 34 can move along the guide hole portion 24 from one end portion 24A to the other end portion 24B of the guide hole portion 24 while the support shaft 32 remains located at the other end portion 22B of the support hole portion 22. That is, even if the notch portion 26 is formed in the guide hole portion 24 and the protruding portion 36 is formed on the pin 34, the armrest 28 can be rotated forward without any trouble. Also, when the armrest 28 is stored in the storage space 16S, the armrest 28 can be rotated backward without any trouble.

[0035] As described above, the armrest structure 10 of the vehicle seat 12 according to the present embodiment has been described with reference to the drawings. However, the armrest structure 10 according to the present embodiment is not limited to the illustrated one, and can be appropriately designed and changed within a range not departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the protruding portion 36 does not have to be formed over the entire axial direction of the pin 34, and may be formed only in a predetermined region where it can be locked to the notch portion 26 in the axial direction of the pin 34.

[0036] Further, the extending direction of the notch portion 26 does not have to be along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion 22 as long as the protruding portion 36 of the pin 34 can be locked by the action of gravity and the locking of the protruding portion 36 is released when the armrest 28 is used. Also, the protruding portion 36 does not have to be formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the axial direction of the pin 34 as long as it can be effectively locked to the notch portion 26 by the action of gravity.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0037] 10 Armrest structure 12 Vehicle seat 16 Seat back 20 Guide portion 22 Support hole portion 24 Guide hole portion 26 Notch portion 28 Armrest 30 Engaging portion 32 Support shaft 34 Pin 36 Protruding portion

Claims

1. A guide portion provided on a seat back of a vehicle seat, An engaging portion provided on an armrest and engaging with the guide portion, Comprising, The guide portion is, A support hole portion formed in a substantially elliptical shape, A guide hole portion formed in an arc shape centered on the support hole portion, Having, The engaging portion is, A columnar support shaft that is inserted into the support hole portion and rotatably supported, A pin that is inserted into the guide hole portion and is formed to be movable along the guide hole portion, Having, At one end of the guide hole portion, a notch portion continuous with the guide hole portion is formed, and a protrusion portion configured to be lockable to the notch portion is formed on the pin, An armrest structure for a vehicle seat configured such that when the seat back in a reclined state is rotated to an upright state, the protrusion portion is locked to the notch portion.

2. The extending direction of the notch portion is along the longitudinal direction of the support hole portion. The armrest structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1.

3. The protrusion portion is formed in a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from the axial direction of the pin. The armrest structure for a vehicle seat according to claim 1 or claim 2.

Images