Vehicle seat

Abstract

To enable more freely adjustment of a hardness of a bank part so as to secure various performances of a vehicle seat.SOLUTION: A vehicle seat comprises: a seat part 10 on which an occupant can be seated; and a bank part 11 bulged to a seat side on a seat width direction outside of the seat part 10. The bank part 11 has: a resin foam-made pad part 21 for forming an outer shape at the seat side and elastically supporting the occupant; and a support pad part 22 for supporting the pad part 21 from the reverse side. The support pad part 22 is formed of resin foam having higher density and harder than the pad part 21, and is formed with a plurality of hole-shaped fragile portions (a first fragile portion 31 to a fourth fragile portion 34) for assisting deformation when external force is applied so as to be opened only on the seat side of the support pad part 22.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat provided with a side support portion for supporting the side portion of an occupant, and this side support portion has two types of pad materials.

Background Art

[0002] Techniques related to this type of vehicle seat are disclosed in Patent Document 1. This vehicle seat has a seating portion made of soft urethane foam and a side support portion that rises on the seating side outside the seat width direction of this seating portion. And the side support portion has an outer shape on its seating side formed of soft urethane foam (pad material), and a high-hardness body is disposed on the back side of this pad. And by forming the high-hardness body with urethane foam (another pad material) having a higher density than the soft urethane foam, the high-hardness body can support the seating-side portion of the side support portion.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Incidentally, in the field of vehicle seats, there is a demand for freely adjusting the hardness of the gusset portion, that is, the ease of deformation, from the viewpoint of ensuring various performances thereof. For example, the top side of the gusset portion is made hard and the portion closer to the seating portion is made relatively soft. As a result, the hard top side of the gusset portion is less likely to bend, making it easier to ensure support for the occupant, and by making the gusset portion closer to the seating portion soft and easily bendable, it becomes easier to ensure the riding comfort for the occupant. However, if the hardness is determined only by the density of the high-hardness body as in the above-described technique, the hardness cannot be changed after molding or the like, and it becomes difficult to freely adjust the hardness of the gusset portion. Further, in a vehicle seat, it is desirable that various pad materials can be used. For example, from the viewpoint of ensuring recyclability, the use of recycled foam products is being considered. However, since the hardness (density) of the foam as a recycled product may vary from lot to lot, it is difficult to obtain the desired hardness of the gusset portion only by its density. The present invention has been devised in view of the above points, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to enable freer adjustment of the hardness of the gusset portion in order to ensure various performances of the vehicle seat.

Means for Solving the Problem

[0005] As means for solving the above problems, a vehicle seat according to a first invention includes a seating portion on which an occupant can sit, and a gusset portion that rises upward on the seating side outside the seat width direction of the seating portion. The gusset portion has a pad portion made of a foamed resin that forms the outer shape on the seating side and elastically supports the occupant, and a support pad portion that supports the pad portion from the back side. In this type of configuration, in order to ensure various performances of the vehicle seat, it is desirable that the hardness of the gusset portion can be adjusted more freely. Therefore, the support pad portion of the present invention is formed of a foamed resin that is denser and harder than the pad portion, and a plurality of hole-shaped weak portions that promote deformation when an external force is applied are formed so as to open only on the seating side of the support pad portion or the opposite side thereof. In the present invention, the hardness (ease of deformation) of the support pad portion can be adjusted by its density and the hole-shaped weak portions, and the hardness of the gusset portion can be freely adjusted.

[0006] The vehicle seat of the second invention is the vehicle seat of the first invention, in which an adjustment region is provided in the ridge portion from its top to the seating surface of the seating portion. In the adjustment region, a plurality of weak portions are provided so as to be arranged from the top side toward the seating surface side, and the capacity of the weak portion arranged on the top side is small and the capacity of the weak portion arranged on the seating surface side is large. Since the ridge portion of the present invention is provided with weak portions having a small capacity on its top side and maintains an appropriate hardness, it is easy to ensure the desired supportability. In addition, on the seating surface side of the ridge portion, by providing relatively large-capacity weak portions, it becomes easy to ensure the desired softness, and for example, it becomes possible to achieve the same softness as the seating portion.

[0007] The vehicle seat of the third invention is the vehicle seat of the second invention, in which the capacity of the weak portion is adjusted by at least one of the depth dimension of the weak portion and the opening area of the weak portion. In the present invention, the capacity of the weak portion can be adjusted by the depth dimension or the opening area while considering the configuration of the ridge portion.

[0008] The vehicle seat of the fourth invention is the vehicle seat of the first invention. When the direction from the top side to the seating surface side in the plane direction of the outer surface of the ridge portion is defined as one direction, a plurality of weak portions arranged on the top side and another weak portion arranged on the seating surface side are formed at appropriate intervals in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. In the present invention, by forming each weak portion at appropriate intervals in the one direction and the other direction, that is, intermittently, it is possible to freely adjust the hardness of the ridge portion over a wider range while suppressing the occurrence of discomfort caused by the weak portions as much as possible.

[0009] The vehicle seat of the fifth invention is the vehicle seat of any one of the first to fourth inventions, in which the weak portion is gradually inclined toward the side opposite to the seating side as it goes toward the outside in the seat width direction. In the present invention, by extending the weak portion in an appropriate direction, the appropriate position of the ridge portion to which an external force is applied can be deformed in an appropriate direction.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to the first invention of the present invention, in order to ensure various performances of the vehicle seat, the hardness of the earthen part can be adjusted more freely. According to the second invention, various performances can be ensured more reliably. According to the third invention, the hardness of the earthen part can be adjusted even more freely. According to the fourth invention, various performances can be ensured even more reliably. And according to the fifth invention, various performances can be ensured even more reliably.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In each figure, arrow lines indicating the front-rear direction, the up-down direction, and the left-right direction (seat width direction) of the vehicle seat are appropriately illustrated. In the seat cushion of each figure, the up-down direction is one direction, and the front-rear direction is the other direction orthogonal to one direction. In FIGS. 3 and 6 to 8, in order to facilitate the distinction between the pad part and the support pad part, only the support pad part is hatched and illustrated. Also, in each figure, for the sake of convenience, the seat cover is illustrated by a two-dot chain line or the illustration of the seat cover is omitted.

[0013] [Overview of Vehicle Seat] First, the overview of the vehicle seat 2 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. In this vehicle seat 2, the lower part of the seat back 6 is connected to the rear part of the seat cushion 4 serving as the seat part via a recliner (not shown). Further, a headrest 8 is provided on the upper part of the seat back 6. Here, the seat cushion 4 is formed in a rectangle that is long in the front-rear direction in a top view, and a seating part 10 where an occupant can sit is provided in the center of the seat width direction so as to extend in the seat front-rear direction. Further, on both sides (left and right) in the seat width direction of the seating part 10, a right-side armrest part 11 and a left-side armrest part 12 that support the side parts of the occupant are provided so as to bulge upward on the seating side, that is, the upper side of the seat. The right-side armrest part 11 and the left-side armrest part 12 have substantially the same configuration and are formed symmetrically left and right.

[0014] And as shown in FIG. 2, the seat cushion 4 has a plurality of pad parts (seating pad part 20, pad part 21, support pad part 22) that elastically support the occupant (in FIG. 2, for convenience, reference numerals corresponding to the respective configurations of the right-side armrest part 11 are attached, and reference numerals corresponding to the respective configurations of the left-side armrest part 12 are attached in parentheses). Further, the outer surface (appearance) of the seat cushion 4 is configured by a seat cover 4S provided so as to cover each pad. The seating pad part 20 is a part that forms the outer shape of the seating part 10, and its seating surface 100 (upper surface) is provided so as to extend in the front-rear direction at the center of the seat cushion 4. This seating pad part 20 can be formed of a foamed resin having an appropriate softness, for example, with an average density of 30 kg / m 3 ~70 kg / m 3 . As this type of foamed resin, various foamed resins can be exemplified, and in this embodiment, a polyurethane foam (molded urethane) obtained by mold molding is used.

[0015] Also, the right earthen part 11 and the left earthen part 12 shown in FIG. 2 have a pad part 21 arranged on the seating side thereof and a support pad part 22 that supports the pad part 21 from the back side (lower side). The pad part 21 is moderately soft from the viewpoint of ensuring riding comfort, and the support pad part 22 is moderately hard from the viewpoint of ensuring supportability. In the seat cushion 4, an intermediate pad part 23 is arranged along the back surface of the seating pad part 20, and this intermediate pad part 23 functions as a back material. And the support pad part 22 of the right earthen part 11 and the support pad part (22) of the left earthen part 12 are connected by the intermediate pad part 23.

[0016] By the way, in the seat cushion 4 shown in FIG. 2, from the viewpoint of ensuring various performances, there is a demand to freely adjust the hardness of the right earthen part 11 and the left earthen part 12. And in the above-described configuration, the hardness of the right earthen part 11 and the left earthen part 12 comes to be solely influenced by the hardness of the support pad part 22. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the hardness of the right earthen part 11 and the left earthen part 12 can be adjusted more freely by the configuration (a plurality of fragile parts) of the support pad part 22 described later. Hereinafter, taking the right earthen part 11 as an example, the details will be described in the order of the pad part 21, the support pad part 22, and a plurality of fragile parts (the first fragile part 31 to the fourth fragile part 34). In the right earthen part 11, the inner side in the seat width direction is the left side, and the outer side in the seat width direction is the right side.

[0017] [Pad part] First, as described above, the pad part 21 shown in FIG. 3 is a foamed resin part arranged on the seating side of the earthen part 11 and has appropriate softness. This pad part 21 is formed in a mat shape with an appropriate thickness dimension and is arranged in a portion from the inner side (left side) in the seat width direction of the earthen part 11 to the top part 11a at the front end. And the pad part portion (21a) covering the inner side in the seat width direction of the earthen part 11 gradually becomes thicker toward the rear side of the seat. For this reason, the earthen part 11 gradually increases in dimension in the seat width direction toward the root part 11b side (the lower side opposite to the top part 11a).

[0018] Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, the pad portion 21 can be formed separately from the seating pad portion 20, but in this embodiment, it is formed as an integral molded part with the seating pad portion 20. As a result, the pad portion 21 is made of the same pad material as the seating pad portion 20, for example, a molded urethane with an average density of 30 kg / m 3 ~70 kg / m 3 . The pad portion 21 is integrated with the seating pad portion 20 at the inner end (left side) in the seat width direction, and a groove portion 7 extending in the front-rear direction of the seat is formed at the boundary between the pad portion 21 and the seating pad portion 20. A hanging tool (not shown) for locking a part of the seat cover 4S is disposed in this groove portion 7.

[0019] [Support Pad Portion] Next, as shown in FIG. 3, the support pad portion 22 is a foamed resin part that supports the pad portion 21 from its back side (lower side) as described above and has an appropriate hardness. The support pad portion 22 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape that is long in the up-down direction of the seat in a sectional view, and its inner wall portion 22a on the inner side (left side) in the seat width direction is arranged to face the seating side (seating portion side). The support pad portion 22 supports the pad portion 21 with its inner wall portion 22a and the ceiling wall portion 22b on the top portion 11a side. The inner wall portion 22a of the support pad portion 22 has a shape following the shape of the inner side in the seat width direction of the embankment portion 11, that is, an inclined surface that gradually inclines outward (right side) in the seat width direction as it goes toward the upper side of the seat. The outer wall portion 22c on the outer side in the seat width direction of the support pad portion 22 is exposed from the pad portion 21. A concave portion 22e is formed in the lower wall portion 22d of the support pad portion 22 at the inner portion in the seat width direction, and the frame 4F of the seat cushion 4 is fitted into this concave portion 22e.

[0020] The support pad portion 22 shown in FIG. 3 is formed of a pad material harder than the pad portion 21, desirably having an average density of 1.5 times or more that of the pad portion 21, and more desirably 2 times or more. That is, the average density of the support pad portion 22 can be appropriately set in relation to the pad portion 21. When considering the pad portion 21 described above, typically the average density is 60 kg / m3 It is desirable to set the above. Here, as the pad material of the support pad portion 22, examples thereof include foamed resins of the same type or different types as the pad portion 21, and recycled products of foamed resins. From the perspective of single-materialization, the support pad portion 22 and the pad portion 21 can be formed of the same type of foamed resin, and from the perspective of ensuring recyclability, it is desirable to form the support pad portion 22 with recycled products. For example, assuming that the pad portion 21 is formed of molded urethane, the support pad portion 22 can be formed of various polyurethane foams, and it is particularly desirable to use chip urethane, which is a recycled product. Chip urethane is a recycled product obtained by solidifying crushed used polyurethane foam into a predetermined shape with the addition of an adhesive, and can be formed to a relatively high density (for example, up to an average density of 400 kg / m 3 to a certain extent) by means such as compression molding. The upper limit value of the average density of the support pad portion 22 is not particularly limited as long as it is within the moldable range. For example, by suppressing it to an average density of 140 kg / m 3 or less, it is not necessary to excessively form the fragile portion described later, and the labor during the manufacturing process can be reduced. The average density (average value of the apparent density) of each pad portion can be measured in accordance with "JIS K 7222:2005".

[0021] [Fragile portion] And in the support pad portion 22 shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of weak portions (first weak portion 31, second weak portion 32, third weak portion 33, fourth weak portion 34) are formed to promote the deformation of the earth retaining portion 11 when an external force is applied. The first weak portion 31 to the fourth weak portion 34 are formed in a hollow hole shape, and the opening 40 thereof is formed only in the inner wall portion 22a facing the seating side in the support pad portion 22 (in FIG. 3, for the sake of convenience, reference numeral 40 corresponding only to the openings of some weak portions is attached). That is, the first weak portion 31 to the fourth weak portion 34 do not open to the outer wall portion 22c etc. of the support pad portion 22 and are in a state of not penetrating the support pad portion 22 (non-penetrating state). And the first weak portion 31, the second weak portion 32, the third weak portion 33, and the fourth weak portion 34 are arranged at appropriate intervals (equal intervals in FIG. 3) in this order from the top 11a side of the support pad portion 22 toward the seating surface 100 side of the seating portion 10. Thereby, the first weak portion 31 is disposed close to the top 11a side, and the second weak portion 32 and the third weak portion 33 are arranged so as to gradually approach the seating surface 100 of the seating portion 10 in this order. Note that the fourth weak portion 34 is provided on the root portion 11b side of the earth retaining portion 11 and is disposed at a position slightly outside the seat and below the seating surface 100 of the seating portion 10.

[0022] And the first weak portion 31 to the fourth weak portion 34 shown in FIG. 3 are formed so as to obliquely extend downward on the side opposite to the seating side, that is, obliquely outward and rearward in the seat width direction, as it goes toward the outer side (right side) in the seat width direction. In the above-described configuration, when an external force F that presses the earth retaining portion 11 outward in the seat width direction is applied, the support pad portion between the vertically adjacent weak portions is compressed in the direction in which the external force F is applied, and further bends outward and upward in the seat width direction (refer to the pad portion shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3).

[0023] [Degree of hardness of the support pad portion (adjustment region)] Here, in the earthen hand portion 11 shown in FIG. 3, from the viewpoint of ensuring various performances, it is desirable that the hardness can be changed in the portion (adjustment region 50) between the top portion 11a of the support pad portion 22 and the seating surface 100 of the seating portion 10. That is, since the adjustment region 50 is the earthen hand portion that receives the seated occupant, it is desirable that its hardness can be freely changed. And in the adjustment region 50, the above-described first weak portion 31, second weak portion 32, and third weak portion 33 are arranged. Therefore, in this embodiment, by appropriately adjusting the capacities of the first weak portion 31 to the third weak portion 33, the hardness of the adjustment region 50 of the earthen hand portion 11 can be freely changed. That is, the support pad portion 22 becomes softer at the location where the weak portion is formed, and the softer it becomes as the capacity (volume) of this weak portion becomes larger. Therefore, in the support pad portion 22, by setting the capacities to gradually increase in the order of the first weak portion 31, the second weak portion 32, and the third weak portion 33, the first weak portion 31 on the top portion 11a side has the lowest capacity, and the third weak portion 33 on the seating surface 100 side has the highest capacity. As a result, the hardness is relatively maintained on the top portion 11a side of the earthen hand portion 11, and it becomes difficult for the support pad around the first weak portion 31 to bend. On the other hand, the support pad portion 22 becomes softer as it approaches the seating surface 100 of the seating portion 10, and in particular, the support pad portion 22 around the third weak portion 33 becomes easy to bend. By making the portion of the support pad portion 22 around the third weak portion 33 the softest in this way, for example, the portion of the support pad portion 22 can be made as soft as the seating portion 10. It should be noted that the fourth weak portion 34 outside the adjustment region 50 is desirably as high in capacity as possible.

[0024] And the capacities of the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 shown in FIG. 3 can be adjusted by at least one of their depth dimensions and opening areas. For example, when the vertical dimensions of the embankment portion 11 are small, the capacity difference between the weak portions can be adjusted solely by the depth dimension, and when the dimensions in the sheet width direction of the embankment portion 11 are small, it can be adjusted solely by the opening area. Here, the depth dimensions of the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 can be appropriately set in consideration of the number of formations of the weak portions, the extending direction, the thickness dimension of the support pad portion 22, etc. (in FIG. 3, for convenience, reference numerals corresponding to the depth dimensions of the first weak portion 31 and the third weak portion 33 are attached, and the reference numerals for the depth dimensions of the other weak portions are omitted). For example, when using a support pad portion 22 having general vertical and horizontal dimensions (thickness) in the single-person vehicle seat 2, the depth dimensions of the diagonally extending weak portions can be set in the range of 3 mm to 70 mm (note that the depth dimensions of the weak portions are not limited to the above values). And the depth dimension S1 of the first weak portion 31 with the lowest capacity can be set in the range of 3 mm to 40 mm, and the depth dimension S2 of the third weak portion 33 with the highest capacity can be set in the range of 4 mm to 70 mm. By thus optimizing the depth dimensions, the support pad portion between the weak portions to which an external force is applied is more likely to bend vertically. It is desirable that the depth dimension of the fourth weak portion 34 be set up to the position in front of the recess 22e of the lower wall portion 22d of the embankment portion 11.

[0025] Also, the opening areas (the areas of the openings 40) and the separation dimensions of the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 shown in FIG. 3 can be appropriately set in consideration of the number of formations of the weak portions, the dimensions of the support pad portion 22, etc. When the opening 40 is substantially circular, the opening area can be defined by its diameter dimension S3 (in FIG. 3, for convenience, only the reference numeral S3 corresponding to the diameter dimension of the third weak portion is attached). And when using a support pad portion 22 having general vertical and horizontal dimensions in the single-person vehicle seat 2, the opening areas of the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 are in the range of 100 mm 2 to 500 mm 2 Preferably, it is in the range of 250 mm 2 to 450 mm 2It can be set within the range (note that the opening area of each vulnerable part is not limited to the above value). Also, the range of the separation dimension S4 between adjacent vulnerable parts can be adjusted according to the range of the diameter dimension S3 of the vulnerable part corresponding to the above opening area (in FIG. 3, for the sake of convenience, only the separation dimension between the third vulnerable part and the fourth vulnerable part is labeled with the symbol S4). By appropriately separating each vulnerable part in this way and optimizing the opening area, the support pad part between the vulnerable parts to which an external force is applied can be smoothly compressed.

[0026] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 4, in the support pad part 22, a plurality of first to fourth vulnerable parts 31 to 34 can be arranged in a row in the front-rear direction of the seat. Here, in the embankment part 11, the surface direction of its outer surface (the direction in which the seat cover spreads) is at least one of the front-rear and up-down directions. When the up-down direction of the seat is set as one direction, the front-rear direction of the seat becomes the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. And on the top 11a side of the embankment part 11, a plurality of first vulnerable parts 31 are intermittently formed so as to be arranged in a row in the front-rear direction of the seat (in FIG. 4, for the sake of convenience, only the symbol corresponding to one vulnerable part in each row is attached). Also, below the seat of the row of the first vulnerable parts 31 (the first row 61), rows of the second vulnerable parts 32 (the second row 62), the third vulnerable parts 33 (the third row 63), and the fourth vulnerable parts 34 (the fourth row 64) are intermittently formed respectively. And the first vulnerable part 31 corresponds to the vulnerable part of the present invention, and the third vulnerable part 33 corresponds to another vulnerable part of the present invention. In the above-described configuration, an adjustment region 50 is formed over substantially the entire length of the embankment part 11. Thereby, the hardness of the support pad part 22 can be freely adjusted over substantially its entire length, that is, over a wider range. Also, by providing the first to fourth vulnerable parts 31 to 34 intermittently instead of continuously (in a long-hole shape) in the front-rear direction, it becomes difficult for the occupant to feel the presence of the first to fourth vulnerable parts 31 to 34 through the pad part 21, and it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an unintended sense of discomfort as much as possible.

[0027] [Behavior of the embankment part when the occupant is seated] In the vehicle seat 2 described above, from the viewpoint of ensuring its various performances, there is a demand to freely adjust the hardness of the earthen part 11. Therefore, the support pad part 22 of this embodiment is formed of a foamed resin that is denser and harder than the pad part 21, and a plurality of vulnerable parts that promote bending deformation when an external force is applied are formed so as to open only to the inner wall part 22a (seating side) of the support pad part 22. In the above-described configuration, the hardness (ease of deformation) of the support pad part 22 can be adjusted not only by its density but also by the first to fourth vulnerable parts 31 to 34, and the hardness of the earthen part 11 can be freely adjusted. As a result, various materials can be selected as the pad material of the support pad part 22, and recycled products such as chip urethane can also be used. That is, even if the hardness (density) of the recycled product varies from lot to lot, the hardness can be adjusted by the function of the vulnerable part. According to the above-described configuration, by appropriately changing the hardness of the support pad part 22, various performances of the earthen part 11 provided with the support pad part 22 can be ensured. Therefore, below, the function of the support pad part 22 adjusted to an appropriate hardness will be described more specifically by taking the case of when the vehicle is running and when it is turning as an example.

[0028] [Function of the vulnerable part] First, when the occupant shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is seated on the seating part 10, the earthen part 11 is arranged on the side of this occupant. When this occupant is seated, an external force F is applied to the earthen part 11 that supports the side of the occupant from the inner side to the outer side (from the left side to the right side) in the seat width direction. At this time, in the earthen part 11, the support pad part 22 on the seating surface 100 side shown in FIG. 3 is softened mainly by the function of the third vulnerable part 33. For this reason, the support pad part 22 portion around the third vulnerable part 33 (between the second vulnerable part 32, the third vulnerable part 33, and the fourth vulnerable part 34) is bent outward and upward in the seat width direction while being gradually compressed by the external force F (refer to the pad part portion indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). Thus, according to the above-described configuration, the seating surface 100 side of the earthen part 11 can be deformed by the external force F from the seated occupant, and it becomes a configuration that contributes to ensuring excellent riding comfort. Furthermore, it becomes difficult for a difference in hardness to occur between the earthen part 11 and the seating part 10, and it becomes a configuration in which the seated occupant hardly feels discomfort.

[0029] Also, referring to FIG. 3, when the vehicle is turning, the occupant who tries to move in the seat width direction is supported by the embankment portion 11. At this time, in the embankment portion 11, the support pad portion 22 on the top portion 11a side maintains an appropriate hardness by the action of the first fragile portion 31 or the like. For this reason, when the vehicle is turning, the occupant can be appropriately received by the embankment portion 11, and it becomes a configuration that contributes to ensuring excellent support for the occupant. Also, when the vehicle is turning, it is desirable to support the occupant by sinking the occupant into the base portion 11b of the embankment portion 11. Therefore, in the above-described configuration, by utilizing the fact that the external force F applied to the embankment portion 11 becomes large, the support pad portion 22 portion around the third fragile portion 33 is further greatly deflected (refer to the pad portion shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3). As a result, the occupant can be supported by sinking the occupant toward the base portion 11b side of the embankment portion 11, and it becomes a configuration that contributes to ensuring excellent support of the embankment portion 11.

[0030] As described above, in this embodiment, the hardness (easiness of deformation) of the support pad portion 22 can be adjusted by its density and the porous first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34, and the hardness of the earthen hand portion 11 can be freely adjusted. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the hardness of the earthen hand portion 11 can be adjusted more freely in order to ensure various performances of the vehicle seat 2. Furthermore, in the earthen hand portion 11 of this embodiment, since the first weak portion 31 with a small capacity is provided on the top side thereof and maintains an appropriate hardness, it is easy to ensure the desired supportability. Also, on the seating surface 100 side of the earthen hand portion 11, since the third weak portion 33 with a relatively large capacity is provided, it is easy to ensure the desired softness, and for example, it can be made as soft as the seating portion 10. Also, in this embodiment, the capacities of the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 can be adjusted by the depth dimension and the opening area according to the configuration of the earthen hand portion. Also, in this embodiment, by forming the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 at appropriate intervals, that is, intermittently, in the vertical direction (one direction) and the front-rear direction (the other direction) of the seat cushion 4, while suppressing the occurrence of discomfort due to each weak portion as much as possible, the hardness of the earthen hand portion 11 can be freely adjusted in a wider range. And in this embodiment, by extending the first to fourth weak portions 31 to 34 in appropriate directions, the appropriate part of the earthen hand portion 11 to which an external force is applied can be deformed in an appropriate direction.

[0031] [Another Example] Here, the above-described configuration can also be applied to the seat back 6 shown in FIG. 1. In this case, support pad portions that support the pad portions from the back side (the rear side in the standing state) are provided on the right earthen hand portion 11X and the left earthen hand portion 12X of the seat back 6, and first to fourth weak portions are further formed on the support pad portions. Thereby, the above-described effects can also be obtained in the seat back 6. Also, in the seat back 6, each weak portion formed in the seat front-rear direction (one direction) can be provided at appropriate intervals in a row in the seat vertical direction (the other direction). Thereby, the hardness of the right earthen hand portion 11X and the left earthen hand portion 12X (support pad portions) can be freely adjusted over substantially the entire length thereof.

[0032] [Modification Example 1] In addition to the above-described configuration, the support pad portion can have various configurations. For example, in the seat cushion 4A of Modification 1 shown in FIG. 5, the pad portion 21 and the support pad portion 22 are integrally formed and fixed more firmly. Here, the pad portion 21 is foam-molded in a cavity 71 provided in a mold 70 (in FIG. 5, for convenience, the outline of the mold and the cavity are illustrated by a two-dot chain line). Also, by previously setting the support pad portion 22 in the cavity 71, it becomes possible to integrate the support pad portion 22 simultaneously with the molding of the pad portion 21. Therefore, in this modification, the first to fourth weak portions 31A to 34A are opened only on the outer wall portion 22c or the concave portion 22e of the support pad portion 22, that is, on the side opposite to the inner wall portion 22a on the seating side. According to the above-described configuration, the openings of the first to fourth weak portions 31A, 32A, 33A, and 34A are provided on the side opposite to the cavity 71, and it becomes difficult for the molding material of the pad portion 21 in the cavity 71 to enter the first to fourth weak portions 31A to 34A. As a result, the first to fourth weak portions 31A to 34A can be provided in an appropriate state (hollow state) in the support pad portion 22.

[0033] [Modification 2] Next, in the seat cushion 4B of Modification 2 shown in FIG. 6, the first to fourth weak portions 31B to 34B are formed in the support pad portion 22 so as to extend in the sheet vertical direction. That is, the first weak portion 31B, the second weak portion 32B, the third weak portion 33B, and the fourth weak portion 34B are formed in a portion from the ceiling wall portion 22b to the inner wall portion 22a of the embankment portion 11 and are arranged in the sheet width direction. In this modification, by providing the weak portions in the range (wide range) from the ceiling wall portion 22b to the inner wall portion 22a of the embankment portion 11, the hardness of the adjustment region 50 of the embankment portion 11 can be adjusted as a whole. Such a configuration is effective when the support pad portion 22 is unexpectedly hard at a high density. Also, in the above-described configuration, even if the dimension of the embankment portion 11 in the sheet width direction is reduced, the vertical depth dimensions of the respective hole portions can be appropriately ensured.

[0034] [Modification 3] In the seat cushion 4C of Modification 3 shown in FIG. 7, first to fifth weak portions 31C to 35C are formed in the support pad portion 22 so as to extend in the seat width direction. That is, the first weak portion 31C, the second weak portion 32C, the third weak portion 33C, the fourth weak portion 34C, and the fifth weak portion 35C are formed on the inner wall portion 22a of the embankment portion 11 and are arranged in the up-and-down direction of the seat. And on the top portion 11a side of the embankment portion 11, the first weak portion 31C and the second weak portion 32C with a predetermined capacity are arranged. Further, on the base portion 11b side of the embankment portion 11, the third weak portion 33C, the fourth weak portion 34C, and the fifth weak portion 35C are arranged, and the capacity of the fourth weak portion 34C is the largest. In the embankment portion 11 of this modification, on the base portion 11b side thereof, the third weak portion 33C and the fifth weak portion 35C are arranged so as to be concentrated together with the fourth weak portion 34C having the largest capacity. For this reason, the base portion 11b side of the embankment portion 11 can be made softer. Further, in the above-described configuration, even if the dimension of the embankment portion 11 in the up-and-down direction of the seat is reduced, the left and right depth dimensions of each hole portion can be appropriately ensured.

[0035] [Modification 4] And in the seat cushion 4D of Modification 4 shown in FIG. 8, first to third weak portions 31 to 33 are formed in the support pad portion 22 in a direction opposite to that of the embodiment. That is, the first weak portion 31D, the second weak portion 32D, and the third weak portion 33D are formed so as to obliquely extend outward (right side) in the seat width direction and on the seating side (upper side). In the above-described configuration, when an external force that presses the embankment portion 11 outward in the seat width direction is applied, the support pad portion between the vertically adjacent weak portions is compressed in the direction in which the external force is applied, and further bends outward and downward in the seat width direction (refer to the pad portion shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8).

[0036] The vehicle seat of this embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various other embodiments can be adopted. In this example, the configuration of each pad portion was illustrated, but it is not intended to limit the configuration of each pad portion. For example, the seating pad portion and the pad portion can be formed separately. Also, the left and right support pad portions can be formed separately, and in this case, the intermediate pad portion can also be omitted. And at least one of the left and right side portions only needs to have a pad portion and a support pad portion.

[0037] Also, in this embodiment, the configuration of the vulnerable portion was illustrated, but it is not intended to limit the configuration of the vulnerable portion. For example, in the side portion, the number and formation position of the vulnerable portions can be set as appropriate, and the shape (such as the opening shape) of the vulnerable portion can also be set as appropriate. Also, in addition to the case where the vulnerable portion is formed in a hollow hole shape, a material softer than the pad portion may be present in at least a part of the vulnerable portion. That is, the vulnerable portion only needs to be formed in a hole shape in the support pad portion, and as long as the intended effect can be obtained, it is allowed to dispose or fill another soft material inside the vulnerable portion. Also, after making the capacity of each vulnerable portion the same, the vulnerable portions can be arranged sparsely on the top side and densely on the seating surface side, and rows of vulnerable portions can also be formed in other directions.

[0038] The weakened portions may or may not be formed in rows in other directions. For example, they may be formed continuously (in the shape of a long hole) in other directions. Note that the rows of weakened portions can be formed at least at two locations, namely the top side and the seating surface side. Also, it is not necessarily required to form them over substantially the entire length of the seat cushion (seat back). At least two rows may be formed in a part of the front-rear direction (vertical direction). For example, a row of weakened portions may be provided at least at one of the rear part of the seat cushion facing the occupant's buttocks, the front part of the seat cushion facing the occupant's legs, the rear part of the seat back facing the occupant's waist, and the upper part of the seat back facing the occupant's arms. Note that the number and shape of the weakened portions in each row can be set as appropriate, and the number of weakened portions in each row may be the same or different. Also, in the same row, in addition to forming weakened portions of the same shape and size, weakened portions of different shapes (different in opening shape (area) and depth dimension) may be formed. Further, the configurations of the embodiments (alternative examples) and the configurations of each modification can be used in appropriate combinations, and the extending directions of the respective weakened portions may be the same or different. And the configuration of the present embodiment can be applied not only to the seat cushion and the seat back but also to the headrest, and can be applied to vehicle seats in general, such as those in vehicles, airplanes, trains, ships, etc.

Explanation of Signs

[0039] 2 Vehicle seat 4 Seat cushion 6 Seat back 7 Groove portion 8 Headrest 4S Seat cover 4F Frame 10 Seating portion 11 (Right side) embankment 12 (Left side) embankment 11a Top 11b Root portion 20 Seating pad portion 21 Pad portion 22 Support pad portion 22a Inner wall portion 22b Ceiling wall portion 22c Outer wall portion 22d Bottom wall portion 22e recess 23 intermediate pad portion 31 first weak portion 32 second weak portion 33 third weak portion 34 fourth weak portion 40 opening 50 adjustment region 61 first row 62 second row 63 third row 64 fourth row 100 seating surface 4A (seat cushion of Modification 1) 31A to 34A (weak portions of Modification 1) 70 molding die 71 cavity 4B (seat cushion of Modification 2) 31B to 34B (weak portions of Modification 2) 4C (seat cushion of Modification 3) 31C to 35C (weak portions of Modification 3) 4D (seat cushion of Modification 4) 31D to 33D (weak portions of Modification 4)

Claims

1. In a vehicle seat including a seating portion where an occupant can be seated and a bank portion that rises on the seating side outside the seat width direction of the seating portion, the bank portion has a pad portion made of foamed resin that elastically supports the occupant with its outer shape on the seating side, and a support pad portion that supports the pad portion from the back side, the support pad portion is formed of foamed resin that is denser and harder than the pad portion, and a plurality of hole-shaped weak portions that promote deformation when an external force is applied are formed so as to open only on the seating side or the opposite side of the support pad portion. Vehicle seat.

2. An adjustment region is provided in the bank portion in a portion from the top thereof to the seating surface of the seating portion. In the adjustment region, a plurality of the weak portions are provided so as to be arranged from the top side toward the seating surface side, and the capacity of the weak portion arranged on the top side is small and the capacity of the weak portion arranged on the seating surface side is large. The vehicle seat according to claim 1.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 2, wherein the capacity of the weak portion is adjusted by at least one of the depth dimension of the weak portion and the opening area of the weak portion.

4. In the surface direction of the outer surface of the bank portion, when the direction from the top side to the seating surface side is taken as one direction, the weak portion arranged on the top side and another weak portion arranged on the seating surface side are formed in a plurality at appropriate intervals in another direction orthogonal to the one direction. The vehicle seat according to claim 2.

5. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the weak portion gradually inclines to the side opposite to the seating side as it goes toward the outside in the seat width direction.

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