Seat pad and vehicular seat

Abstract

To suppress an abnormal sound generated when foamed bodies with different hardness rub together.SOLUTION: A seat cushion pad 20 includes: a first pad part 20A composed of a foamed body; a second pad part 20B composed of a foamed body with hardness different from the hardness of the foamed body and foaming-molded integrally with the first pad part 20A; a different hardness groove part 36 extending along a border between the first pad part 20A and the second pad part 20B; and a plurality of ribs 38 formed at at least one of the first pad part 20A and the second pad part 20B in the different hardness groove part 36, aligned with intervals in an extension direction of the different hardness groove part 36, and having a protrusion height from the at least one of the first pad part and the second pad part set to be smaller than a width of the different hardness groove part 36.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat, and particularly to a seat pad.

Background Art

[0002] In the vehicle seat pad disclosed in FIG. 7 of Patent Document 1 below, a recess is formed in the bottom surface portion of a pad body composed of a foam. An insertion body composed of a foam having a hardness different from that of the above-described foam is inserted into the recess. In the gap between the pad body and the insertion body, a convex portion is provided on the side surface of the insertion body, and the contact area between the convex portion and the side surface of the recess is reduced. Thereby, the generation of rubbing noise is suppressed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In a foam molding die for manufacturing a seat pad of different hardness foams in which a plurality of foams having different hardnesses are integrally foam molded, there may be provided a partition plate or the like for preventing the raw materials of different types of foams from mixing with each other. In such a case, the formed seat pad has a configuration in which a groove portion is formed at the boundary between two foams having different hardnesses. In a vehicle seat provided with such a seat pad, the above-described groove portion is crushed by an input from a seated person or the like, so that the foams having different hardnesses rub against each other. As a result, abnormal noise may be generated due to the stick-slip phenomenon.

[0005] In view of the above facts, an object of the present invention is to obtain a seat pad and a vehicle seat that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by rubbing between foams having different hardnesses and can suppress the mixing of the stock solutions of different types of foams.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The seat pad according to the first aspect includes a first pad portion formed of a foam, a second pad portion formed of a foam having a hardness different from that of the foam, the second pad portion being foam-molded integrally with the first pad portion, a groove portion extending along a boundary between the first pad portion and the second pad portion, and a plurality of ribs formed in at least one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion within the groove portion, the plurality of ribs being arranged at intervals in an extending direction of the groove portion, and a protruding height from the at least one being set to be smaller than a width of the groove portion.

[0007] In the seat pad according to the first aspect, the first pad portion and the second pad portion formed of foams having different hardnesses are foam-molded integrally, and the groove portion extends along the boundary between the first pad portion and the second pad portion. A plurality of ribs are formed in at least one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion within this groove portion. The plurality of ribs are arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the groove portion. Thereby, when the groove portion is crushed by an input from a seated person or the like, the contact area between the foams having different hardnesses is reduced. As a result, the generation of abnormal noise due to the stick-slip phenomenon can be suppressed. Moreover, the protruding height of the plurality of ribs from the at least one is set to be smaller than the width of the groove portion. For this reason, at the time of molding this cushion pad, the formation location of the groove portion can be partitioned by a partition plate or the like provided in the foam molding die, so that it is possible to suppress the stock solutions of the foams of the respective pad portions from mixing near the above boundary.

[0008] The seat pad according to the second aspect is the seat pad according to the first aspect, wherein the plurality of ribs are provided at least on an opening side of the groove portion.

[0009] In the seat pad according to the second aspect, a plurality of ribs formed on at least one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion are provided at least on the opening side of the groove portion. On the opening side of the groove portion, the foams of the respective pad portions are more likely to come into contact with each other than on the bottom side of the groove portion. However, by providing a plurality of ribs as described above, the contact area between the foams is reduced. As a result, the generation of abnormal noise due to the stick-slip phenomenon can be effectively suppressed.

[0010] The vehicle seat according to the third aspect includes the seat pad according to the first aspect or the second aspect, a frame that supports the seat pad, and a trim cover that covers the seat pad.

[0011] In the vehicle seat according to the third aspect, the seat pad supported by the frame is covered with the trim cover. Since this seat pad is of the first aspect or the second aspect, the above-described effects can be obtained.

Advantages of the Invention

[0012] As described above, according to the seat pad and the vehicle seat according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise caused by the rubbing of foams having different hardnesses.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0013]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Hereinafter, a vehicle seat 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Note that in each figure, some reference numerals may be omitted for ease of viewing the drawings. Also, the arrows FR, RH, and UP appropriately shown in each figure indicate the front, right, and upper directions of the vehicle seat 10, respectively. Hereinafter, when simply describing using the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions, it shall indicate the directions with respect to the vehicle seat 10.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle seat 10 according to the present embodiment includes a seat cushion 12 that supports the buttocks and thighs of the seated person, a seat back 14 that supports the back of the seated person, and a headrest 16 that supports the head of the seated person. This vehicle seat 10 is, for example, a front seat of a vehicle.

[0016] The seat cushion 12 has a frame 18 (see FIG. 5), a cushion pad 20 (see FIGS. 2 to 5) which is a cushion material supported by the frame 18, and a trim cover 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) that covers the cushion pad 20. The cushion pad 20 corresponds to the "seat pad" in the present invention. Note that in FIG. 5, B is the buttocks of the seated person.

[0017] The frame 18 is composed of, for example, a press-formed metal plate material or a metal pipe material. The cushion pad 20 is composed of a foam (here, urethane foam) and is attached to the frame 18 from above. The trim cover 22 is formed in a bag shape by sewing a plurality of skin pieces made of, for example, a cloth material, leather, synthetic leather, etc., and is covered over the cushion pad 20 from above.

[0018] The cushion pad 20 is made of urethane with different hardness foams of different hardnesses, and has a main part 24 that supports the buttocks and thighs of the seated person from below, left and right side support parts 26 that support the buttocks and thighs of the seated person from the sides, and a rear part 28 that connects the left and right side support parts 26 in the left - right direction behind the main part 24. The left and right side support parts 26 and the rear part 28 protrude above the main part 24.

[0019] In this cushion pad 20, a hanging groove part 30 for hanging the trim cover 22 into the cushion pad 20 and sewing margin substitute groove parts 32, 34 for accommodating the sewing margin of the trim cover 22 are formed. These hanging groove part 30 and sewing margin substitute groove parts 32, 34 are each open upward. The hanging groove part 30 is formed between the main part 24, the left and right side support parts 26 and the rear part 28, and has a substantially U - shaped opening on the front side in plan view. The sewing margin substitute groove part 32 is formed between the rear end parts of the left and right side support parts 26 and the left and right end parts of the rear part 28 respectively, extends in a substantially front - rear direction, and the front end part communicates with the hanging groove part 30. The sewing margin substitute groove part 34 is formed at the rear parts of the left and right side support parts 26 respectively, extends in a substantially left - right direction, and the inner end parts in the left - right direction communicate with the hanging groove part 30.

[0020] In the left and right side support parts 26, different hardness groove parts 36 are respectively formed. The left and right different hardness groove parts 36 respectively correspond to the "groove parts" in the present invention and are open upward. The left and right different hardness groove parts 36 extend in the front - rear direction near the center in the left - right direction of the left and right side support parts 26. The front end parts of the left and right different hardness groove parts 36 are bent inward in the left - right direction and communicate with the hanging groove part 30. The rear end parts of the left and right different hardness groove parts 36 communicate with the left and right sewing margin substitute groove parts 32.

[0021] The cushion pad 20 configured as described above is composed of a first pad portion 20A (the portion not dotted in FIG. 2) and a second pad portion 20B (the portion dotted in FIG. 2). The first pad portion 20A is composed of a portion in the left and right side support portions 26 that is on the front side of the left and right sewing substitute groove portions 32 and on the inner side in the left - right direction of the left and right different - hardness groove portions 36, a main portion 24, and a rear portion 28. The second pad portion 20B is composed of a portion in the left and right side support portions 26 that is on the front side of the left and right sewing substitute groove portions 32 and on the outer side in the left - right direction of the left and right different - hardness groove portions 36, and a portion in the left and right side support portions 26 that is on the rear side of the left and right sewing substitute groove portions 34.

[0022] The first pad portion 20A and the second pad portion 20B are integrally foam - molded. The hardness of the urethane foam constituting the second pad portion 20B is set higher than the hardness of the urethane foam constituting the first pad portion 20A. Thereby, the support performance of the buttocks and thighs by the left and right side support portions 26 is enhanced.

[0023] The left and right different - hardness groove portions 36 extend substantially in the front - rear direction along the boundary between the first pad portion 20A and the second pad portion 20B. In each different - hardness groove portion 36, a plurality of beads 38 are formed in the second pad portion 20B. Each bead 38 extends in the vertical direction (the depth direction of each different - hardness groove portion) within each different - hardness groove portion 36 and is arranged at intervals in the extending direction of each different - hardness groove portion 36. In the present embodiment, each bead 38 extends from the bottom side to the opening side of each different - hardness groove portion 36 and is provided over the entire depth direction of each different - hardness groove portion 36. The protruding height of each bead 38 from the second pad portion 20B is set smaller than the width of each different - hardness groove portion 36, and the portion of each different - hardness groove portion 36 on the first pad portion 20A side extends continuously in the substantially front - rear direction.

[0024] A foaming mold (not shown) for foaming the cushion pad 20 having the above-described configuration is provided with a blade 40 shown in FIG. 6. The blade 40 is a partition plate for forming the different-hardness groove portion 36 on the right side. On one side surface in the plate thickness direction of the blade 40, a plurality of recesses 42 for forming a plurality of beads 38 are formed. The plurality of recesses 42 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the blade 40. In addition, the above-described foaming mold is provided with a blade (not shown) for forming the different-hardness groove portion 36 on the left side. This blade is formed in a shape symmetric with the blade 40 about the left and right.

[0025] In the present embodiment, the depth dimension D (see FIG. 5) of each different-hardness groove portion 36 is set within a range of, for example, 20 mm to 40 mm, the width dimension W2 (see FIG. 3) of each bead 38 is set within a range of, for example, 5 mm to 15 mm, the pitch P (see FIG. 3) at which the plurality of beads 38 are arranged is set within a range of, for example, 10 mm to 30 mm, the width dimension W1 (see FIG. 3) of each different-hardness groove portion 36 is set within a range of, for example, 3 mm to 10 mm, and the protruding height dimension H (see FIG. 3) of each bead 38 from the second pad portion 20B within each different-hardness groove portion 36 is set within a range of 3 mm to 5 mm. That is, in the present embodiment, the protruding height of each bead 38 from the second pad portion 20B is set to be smaller than the width of the different-hardness groove portion 36.

[0026] In the vehicle seat 10 having the above-described configuration, the cushion pad 20 supported by the frame 18 is covered with the trim cover 22. In this cushion pad 20, the first pad portion 20A and the second pad portion 20B formed of urethane foams having different hardnesses are integrally foam-molded, and the different-hardness groove portion 36 extends along the boundary between the first pad portion 20A and the second pad portion 20B.

[0027] In the second pad portion 20B within the different-hardness groove portion 36, a plurality of beads 38 are formed. The plurality of beads 38 are arranged at intervals in the extending direction of the different-hardness groove portion 36. Thereby, when the different-hardness groove portion 36 is crushed by an input from a seated person or the like, the contact area between the urethane foams having different hardnesses is reduced. As a result, the generation of abnormal noise due to the stick-slip phenomenon can be suppressed. Moreover, the protruding height dimension H of the plurality of beads 38 from the second pad portion 20B is set to be smaller than the width dimension W1 of the different-hardness groove portion 36. For this reason, when the cushion pad 20 is molded, the location where the different-hardness groove portion 36 is formed can be partitioned by the blade 40 provided in the foam molding die, so that it is possible to suppress the mixing of the raw liquid of the urethane foam of each pad portion 20A, 20B near the above-mentioned boundary.

[0028] In addition, in the above embodiment, the plurality of beads 38 are provided over the entire depth direction of the different-hardness groove portion 36. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The plurality of beads 38 may be provided at least on the opening side (upper side in FIG. 5) of the different-hardness groove portion 36. On the opening side of the different-hardness groove portion 36, the urethane foams of the respective pad portions 20A, 20B are more likely to come into contact with each other than on the bottom side of the different-hardness groove portion 36. However, by providing the plurality of beads 38 on the opening side of the different-hardness groove portion 36, the contact area between the above-mentioned urethane foams is reduced. Thereby, the generation of abnormal noise due to the stick-slip phenomenon can be effectively suppressed.

[0029] Also, in the above embodiment, the configuration is such that the plurality of beads 38 are formed in the second pad portion 20B within the different-hardness groove portion 36. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. A configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of ribs are formed in the first pad portion 20A within the different-hardness groove portion 36, or a configuration may be adopted in which a plurality of ribs are formed in both the first pad portion 20A and the second pad portion 20B within the different-hardness groove portion 36.

[0030] In the above-described embodiment, the cushion pad 20, which is the cushion material of the seat cushion 12, has been described as the seat pad in the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The back pad, which is the cushion material of the seat back, may be the seat pad in the present invention.

[0031] In addition, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the gist thereof. Needless to say, the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 10 Vehicle seat 18 Frame 20 Cushion pad (seat pad) 20A First pad portion 20B Second pad portion 22 Trim cover 36 Different hardness groove portion (groove portion) 38 Bead

Claims

1. a first pad portion formed of a foam; a second pad portion formed of a foam having a different hardness from the foam and foam-molded integrally with the first pad portion; a groove portion extending along a boundary between the first pad portion and the second pad portion; a plurality of ribs formed in at least one of the first pad portion and the second pad portion within the groove portion, arranged at intervals in an extending direction of the groove portion, and having a protruding height from the at least one set to be smaller than a width of the groove portion; A seat pad comprising the above.

2. The seat pad according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of ribs are provided at least on an opening side of the groove portion.

3. A vehicle seat comprising the seat pad according to claim 1 or claim 2, a frame supporting the seat pad, and a trim cover covering the seat pad. ​

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