Vehicle seat device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle seat device which enables a size of a drive part to be minimized while securing ease of getting in / out of a vehicle.SOLUTION: In a vehicle seat device, a seat body 60 in a getting in / off position is moved forward or backward between a first state in which the seat body 60 is disposed on a base part 30 and a second state in which the seat body 60 is spaced apart farther from a position on the base part 30 than in the first state by driving a support part 40. An elastically deformed deformation member 70 is provided so as to follow at least one of the seat body 60 which moves forward or backward between the states and the support part 40 to bias the seat body 60 in a forward or backward movement direction by a force generated when the deformation part is returned to an original basic state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle seat device including a horizontally rotatable base portion, a support portion that supports a seat body so that the seat body can move back and forth relative to the base portion, and a drive portion that drives the support portion. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technology related to this type of device. The seat moving device in this document has a slide member (corresponding to a support unit) that supports a seat body on a base member so that the seat body can move back and forth, and the slide member can be driven by a drive motor (corresponding to a drive unit). In the seat moving device described above, the base member is first rotated horizontally to displace the seat body, which faces forward of the vehicle, to a boarding / alighting position facing the side of the vehicle and toward the door opening. Then, by driving the drive motor, the seat body in the boarding / alighting position can be moved forward and backward inward and outward of the vehicle while supported by the slide member. In the above configuration, the seat body in the boarding / alighting position moves forward toward the outside of the vehicle together with the slide member driven by the drive motor. This causes the seat body in the boarding / alighting position to be swung outward of the vehicle, thereby ensuring ease of boarding and alighting. Then, the slide member is moved backward toward the inside of the vehicle, returning the seat body with the occupant seated to its original position on the base member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-126692 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the field of vehicle seat devices, there is a demand for miniaturizing the components thereof, particularly the drive motor (drive unit). In the above-described configuration, a slide member supporting the seat body is driven by a drive motor to move the seat body inward and outward from the vehicle. The amount of forward and backward movement (swing amount) of the seat body at the entry / exit position is set from the perspective of ensuring ease of entry and exit. The greater the swing amount, the better the configuration contributes to ensuring ease of entry and exit. In the above-described configuration, the size of the drive motor tends to increase in accordance with the swing amount of the seat body, making it difficult to miniaturize the drive motor while ensuring ease of entry and exit. The present invention was devised in light of the above-described problems, and the problem to be solved by the present invention is to minimize the size of the drive unit while ensuring ease of entry and exit from a vehicle seat device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] As a means for solving the above problems, a vehicle seat apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a horizontally rotatable base portion, a support portion supporting a seat body relative to the base portion so that the seat body can move forward and backward, and a drive portion for driving the support portion. The seat body is displaced between a seating position facing forward of the vehicle and a boarding / exiting position facing sideways of the vehicle by horizontal rotation of the base portion. The seat body in the boarding / exiting position is driven by the support portion to move forward and backward between a first state in which the seat body is disposed on the base portion and a second state in which the seat body is further removed from the base portion than the first state. With the above configuration, it is desirable to minimize the size of the drive portion while ensuring the boarding / exiting performance of the vehicle seat apparatus. Therefore, in the present invention, an elastically deformable member is provided to follow at least one of the seat body and the support portion, which move forward and backward between the states, and the force of the deformable member returning to its original state urges the seat body in the forward and backward movement direction. In the present invention, at least one of the seat body and the support part, which move back and forth between states, is biased in the direction of movement by the restoring force of the deformation member, which returns from the deformed state to its original basic state while following (accompanying) the seat body. According to the above-mentioned configuration, when the seat body moves between states, the force of the deformation member (the restoring force that acts as an auxiliary force) is obtained, which makes it possible to reduce the thrust of the drive unit and make this drive unit as small as possible.

[0006] The vehicle seat device of the second invention is the vehicle seat device of the first invention, in which the deformation member gradually deforms as the seat body moves forward from the first state to the second state, and reaches the basic state when the seat body moves backward from the second state to the first state. In this invention, the forward and backward movement of the seat body between the states allows the deformation member to accumulate or release a reinforcing force.

[0007] A vehicle seat device of a third invention is the vehicle seat device of the first or second invention, wherein the seat body at the entry / exit position moves backward from the second state toward the inside and upper side of the vehicle to become the first state, and the deformation member is configured to bias the seat body in the second state toward at least one of the inside and upper side of the vehicle. In this invention, the seat body moving backward toward the first state can be biased toward the inside or upper side of the vehicle by the action of the deformation member, which further contributes to the miniaturization of the drive unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the first aspect of the present invention, it is possible to minimize the size of the drive unit while ensuring the ease of entry and exit from the vehicle seat device. According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drive unit can be made even more compact by appropriately utilizing the movement of the seat body between states to store and release the assisting force. According to the third aspect of the present invention, the drive unit can be made even more compact by applying the assisting force when the seat body moves backward. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective top view of a vehicle showing a vehicle seat; [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic perspective rear view showing the basic configuration of a vehicle seat. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a schematic perspective side view of a vehicle seat device in a getting-in and getting-out position. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic perspective side view of a vehicle seat device in a first state; [Figure 5] 4 is a schematic perspective side view of the vehicle seat device in a second state. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of the vehicle seat device in a second state. [Figure 7] 3 is a schematic perspective side view of the vehicle seat device showing a deformation member when moving between states. FIG. [Figure 8] 2 is a schematic perspective side view of the vehicle seat device showing a deformation member in a basic state. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a vehicle seat device showing a modified example of a deformable member. [Figure 10] 10 is a schematic enlarged side view of a vehicle seat device showing a deformable member of a second embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. In each figure, arrows indicating the front-rear direction, left-right direction (vehicle width direction), and up-down direction (height direction) of the vehicle are appropriately shown. In each figure, the main components of the vehicle seat device are shown with solid lines, and other components may not be shown.

[0011] [Outline of vehicle seat device] First, a basic configuration of a vehicle seat apparatus 2 installed in a vehicle 1 will be described. The vehicle seat apparatus 2 shown in Fig. 1 is installed on a vehicle floor 3 and includes a seat body 60 on which an occupant can be seated. A door opening 4 is provided on the outer side of the vehicle width direction (the left side, which is the outer side of the vehicle) of the vehicle seat apparatus 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the vehicle seat apparatus 2 includes a fixed part 10 fixed on the vehicle floor 3, a sliding part 20 provided on the fixed part 10 so as to be slidable back and forth, and a base part 30 provided on the sliding part 20 so as to be horizontally rotatable. A support part 40 having a lifting base 50 and a drive part 52 is provided on the base part 30, and the seat body 60 is provided on the lifting base 50 of the support part 40 via an outer slide mechanism 55.

[0012] Next, a brief description will be given of the behavior of the vehicle seat apparatus 2 when an occupant gets in and out of the vehicle. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 , in this vehicle seat apparatus 2, when an occupant gets in and out of the vehicle, the slide portion 20 is slid back and forth relative to the fixed portion 10, thereby positioning the seat body 60 at a horizontally rotatable position. Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 , the base portion 30 is horizontally rotated relative to the slide portion 20, thereby displacing the seat body 60 from a seating position facing forward of the vehicle to a boarding / exit position facing sideways toward the door opening 4. With reference to FIG. 4 , the seat body 60 in the boarding / exit position is moved forward on the lift base 50 toward the outside of the vehicle (left side), which is the door opening 4 side, by the operation of the outer slide mechanism 55. This places the seat body 60 in a first state in which it protrudes outward from the base portion 30. In this first state, the rear end of the seat body 60 is positioned at the end of the base portion 30 facing outward of the vehicle, i.e., at the forward limit position on the base portion 30.

[0013] Then, as shown in Fig. 5, the support portion 40 is driven by the drive portion 52. As a result, the seat body 60 supported by the support portion 40 moves further forward from on the base portion 30 toward the outside of the vehicle, while gradually descending (rotating) toward the bottom of the vehicle. In the above-described configuration, the seat body 60 in the entry / exit position is in the second state in which it is swung outward and downward from the base portion 30, which contributes to ensuring excellent entry / exit performance. After the occupant sits on the seat body 60, the support portion 40 causes the seat body 60 to move backward toward the inside and upward of the vehicle, and it is positioned on the base portion 30 (see Figs. 3 and 4).

[0014] 4 and 5, in the vehicle seat apparatus 2 described above, the seat body 60 moves back and forth between a first state on the base portion 30 and a second state in which the seat body 60 is positioned outside the vehicle, driven by the support portion 40 driven by the drive portion 52. In this type of configuration, it is desirable to minimize the size of the drive portion 52 while ensuring ease of entry and exit. In the configuration described above, the seat body 60 in the second state shown in FIG. 5 is swung out significantly from above the base portion 30 to ensure ease of entry and exit, creating a gap 100 between the seat body 60 and the base portion 30 in the vehicle's interior and exterior directions. The size of the drive portion 52 in the configuration described above is selected based on the thrust force required to move the seat body 60 backward between the states (within the gap 100) when an occupant is seated. Therefore, in this embodiment, the deformable member 70 shown in FIG. 6 is used to minimize the size of the drive portion 52 while ensuring ease of entry and exit of the vehicle seat apparatus 2. Below, we will explain the basic configuration of the vehicle seat device 2 shown in Figure 2 etc. (fixed portion 10, slide portion 20, base portion 30, support portion 40, outer slide mechanism 55, seat body 60), and then we will explain in detail the configuration of the deformation member 70 shown in Figure 6 etc.

[0015] [Fixed and sliding parts] First, the fixed part 10 shown in FIG. 2 is fixed to the vehicle floor 3 and supports the sliding part 20 so that it can slide back and forth. Here, the sliding part 20 is a table-like (plate-like) part configured to be slidable in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle. A pair of front and rear sliders 14s fixed to the sliding part 20 are slidably fitted onto left and right slide rails 14 fixed to the fixed part 10 (for convenience, only the members on the left side are designated by corresponding reference numerals in FIG. 2). In addition, a slide drive mechanism 16 that slides the sliding part 20 back and forth is provided between the fixed part 10 and the sliding part 20. This slide drive mechanism 16 can slide the sliding part 20 back and forth by utilizing the threaded engagement between a trapezoidal screw 16w and a nut 16n. In addition, a slide lock mechanism 22 that locks the sliding part 20 from sliding back and forth is provided between the sliding part 20 and the seat main body 60 (a frame side wall part 62w described below).

[0016] [Base] Next, the base unit 30 shown in FIG. 2 is a table-like portion that supports the support unit 40 (described later), and is disposed on the slide unit 20 via the rotation mechanism 23. The rotation mechanism 23 includes an inner ring 23e and an outer ring 23r that are configured to rotate relative to each other, with the inner ring 23e fixed to the slide unit 20 and the outer ring 23r fixed to the base unit 30. The slide unit 20 is also provided with a motor and a gear mechanism (not shown) that serve as a drive source for the rotation mechanism 23, and a gear of this gear mechanism is engaged with the outer ring 23r. The rotation of the outer ring 23r relative to the inner ring 23e fixed to the slide unit 20 allows the base unit 30, to which the outer ring 23r is fixed, to rotate horizontally by approximately 90° between the seating position and the boarding / disembarking position (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

[0017] [Support part] Next, the support portion 40 shown in FIG. 2 is a portion that supports the seat body 60 while being supported by the base portion 30 so that the seat body 60 can move back and forth between a first state and a second state. The support portion 40 includes a slide member 41, a lifting and lowering slide mechanism 43, a pair of left and right four-bar link mechanisms (hereinafter referred to as four-bar link mechanisms 45), a lifting and lowering base 50, and a drive unit 52. The slide member 41 is installed on the base portion 30 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the seat, and can slide in the front-rear direction of the seat in response to the operation of the lifting and lowering slide mechanism 43. The lifting and lowering slide mechanism 43 is a drive mechanism that utilizes the threaded engagement between a trapezoidal screw portion 43w and a nut portion 43n, with the trapezoidal screw portion 43w supported on the base portion 30 and the nut portion 43n fixed to the slide member 41. The base portion 30 is also provided with the drive unit 52 that serves as a drive source for the lifting and lowering slide mechanism 43. The driving force of this drive unit 52 moves the nut portion 43n relative to the trapezoidal screw portion 43w in the seat fore-and-aft direction, causing the slide member 41 provided with this nut portion 43n to move forward and backward relative to the base portion 30 (see Figs. 4 and 5). With reference to Figs. 2 and 5, a base end portion (the end portion on the inside of the vehicle when in the boarding / exiting position) of a four-bar linkage mechanism 45 is axially connected to the slide member 41 so as to be able to rotate up and down (for convenience in each drawing, the reference numeral 45 corresponding to the four-bar linkage mechanism on the left side is used, and the reference numeral corresponding to the four-bar linkage mechanism on the right side is used in parentheses).

[0018] 2 and 5, a table-shaped lift base 50 is pivotally connected to the tip end of the four-bar linkage mechanism 45 (the end on the outer side of the vehicle when in the boarding / exiting position). Here, in the first state, the lift base 50 is disposed on the base unit 30, which is located on the outer side of the vehicle than the slide member 41. A seat body 60 is provided on the lift base 50 via an outer slide mechanism 55 (described in detail later). In the above-described configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, when the slide member 41 in the first state moves forward toward the front of the seat by the operation of the lift slide mechanism 43 (driven by the drive unit 52), the four-bar linkage mechanism 45 rotates downward due to the weight of the seat body 60 and the like. As a result, the lift base 50 and the seat body 60 move forward toward the outer side of the vehicle relative to the base unit 30 and descend toward the lower side of the vehicle, thereby reaching a second state in which they are disengaged from the base unit 30. Furthermore, when the slide member 41 moves backward toward the rear of the seat from the state shown in FIG. 5, the four-bar linkage mechanism 45 rotates upward toward the upper side of the vehicle while moving backward. As a result, the lift-up base 50 and the seat body 60 move backward toward the inside of the vehicle and rise upward toward the vehicle, to reach the first state in which they are disposed on the base portion 30 (see FIG. 4).

[0019] [Seat body and outer sliding mechanism] Next, a seat body 60 shown in FIG. 2 is mounted on the lift-up base 50 of the support portion 40 via an outer slide mechanism 55. The seat body 60 includes a seat cushion 64 and a seat back 66. A pair of left and right frame side walls 62w are provided on a seat frame 62 of the seat cushion 64 (for convenience, in FIG. 2, the reference numeral 62w corresponding to the left frame side wall is attached, and the reference numeral 62w corresponding to the right frame side wall is attached in parentheses). An outer slide mechanism 55 is provided on the underside of the seat frame 62. This outer slide mechanism 55 is a mechanism for sliding the seat body 60 in the front-rear direction of the seat relative to the lift-up base 50 of the support portion 40. The outer slide mechanism 55 has a rack 55r on the seat frame 62 side and a pinion 55p rotated by a motor (not shown) installed on the lift-up base 50. In the above-described configuration, when the pinion 55p of the lift-up base 50 rotates, the rack 55r on the seat frame 62 side moves forward (when rotated in the reverse direction, it moves backward). This allows the seat body 60 provided with the seat frame 62 to move forward and backward in the front-rear direction of the seat, that is, to move forward and backward in the inward and outward directions of the vehicle when in the getting-in and outward position (see FIGS. 3 and 4).

[0020] [Deformable parts] The deformable member 70 shown in FIG. 6 is a rod-shaped (linear) member extending in the vehicle's interior-exterior direction in the lifted / lowered position, and can be deformed from a contracted base state to an elastically elongated deformed state. The deformable member 70 can elastically return from the deformed state to the base state when no load is applied. Examples of this type of deformable member 70 include springs (coil springs, leaf springs, torsion bars, etc.) that elastically expand and contract, dampers, and elastic members such as rubber and elastomers. In the vehicle seat device 2, the base end of the deformable member 70 is pivotally supported by a first bracket 700 of the base unit 30 in a vertically rotatable manner. The tip end of the deformable member 70 is pivotally supported by a second bracket 701 of the support unit 40 (e.g., the lift base 50) in a vertically rotatable manner. In the above-described configuration, as the seat body 60 moves from the first state to the second state and the vehicle width direction gap 100 between the seat body 60 and the base unit 30 increases, the deformable member 70 gradually expands and deforms. At this time, as the seat body 60 descends downwards in the vehicle, the deformation member 70 undergoes elongation and deformation between the seat body 60 and the base portion 30, and gradually tilts obliquely downwards and outwards in the vehicle.

[0021] [Behavior of a vehicle seat device when passengers get in and out] 3 and 4, the seat body 60 at the entry / exit position moves forward relative to the lift base 50 as described above. This places the seat body 60 in a first state, where it is positioned at the outer end of the base portion 30 (the most forward position on the base portion 30). Referring to FIG. 5, the support portion 40 is driven by the drive unit 52, whereby the seat body 60 supported by the support portion 40 is placed in a second state, further removed from the base portion 30 than in the first state. At this time, the seat body 60 in the second state is swung downward and outward relative to the base portion 30, so as to create a gap 100 between the seat body 60 and the base portion 30 in the vehicle's inward / outward direction, from the viewpoint of ensuring entry / exit performance. In this type of configuration, it is desirable to ensure entry / exit performance by, for example, swinging the seat body 60 outward so as to create the gap 100, while minimizing the size of the drive unit 52 as much as possible. 6, the elastically deformed deformation member 70 is arranged to follow at least one of the seat body 60 and the support portion 40, which move back and forth between states, and the force of the deformation member 70 returning to its original basic state urges the seat body 60 in the direction of movement. With the above-described configuration, the seat body 60 can be moved back and forth between states by the operation of the support portion 40 by the drive portion 52 and the force of the deformation member 70 trying to return to its original state (a restoring force that serves as a supplementary force). The behavior and function of the deformation member 70 will now be specifically described, along with the behavior of the seat body 60 when moving between states.

[0022] [Behavior and function of deformable members] First, the seat body 60 in the first state described above is positioned at the forward limit position on the base portion 30 as shown in FIG. 4. When the seat body 60 is positioned on the base portion 30 in this manner, there is essentially no gap between them, and the deformable member 70 is maintained in its contracted basic state (see FIG. 8. Note that in the first state shown in FIG. 4, only the seat body 60 moves forward, and the position of the lift-adjustable base 50 does not move from the position shown in FIG. 8). Next, referring to FIG. 5, due to the operation of the lift-adjustable slide mechanism 43 (driven by the drive unit 52), the lift-adjustable base 50 and the seat body 60 move forward toward the outside of the vehicle relative to the base portion 30 and descend toward the vehicle bottom, thereby reaching a second state in which they are disengaged from the base portion 30. Then, as the seat body 60 and the like move forward between states, the gap 100 between them and the base portion 30 gradually increases. As a result, the deformable member 70 provided between the seat body 60 (lift-adjustable base 50) and the base portion 30 gradually expands and deforms along with the seat body 60 and the like, allowing it to accumulate its restoring force (reinforcement force). At this time, the four-bar link mechanism 45 supporting the seat body 60 rotates downward toward the vehicle lower side, so that the deformable member 70 gradually expands and deforms while tilting obliquely downward and outward from the vehicle.

[0023] Next, referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the seat body 60 in the second state, in which an occupant (not shown) is seated, is moved backward toward the base portion 30 by the operation of the support portion 40 driven by the drive unit 52. In the vehicle seat apparatus 2, the deformable member 70 in the deformed state is connected to the seat body 60 and the support portion 40 (lift-adjustable base 50), and thus returns to its original state following the backward movement between these states. Therefore, a force (elastic restoring force) of the deformable member 70 to return to its original state is applied to the seat body 60 and the support portion 40 during the backward movement, thereby biasing the seat body 60 in the backward movement direction. In particular, in this embodiment, the deformable member 70 gradually shortens while tilting obliquely upward and inward of the vehicle as the four-bar linkage 45 supporting the seat body 60 rotates upward toward the vehicle. As a result, the elastic restoring force of the deformable member 70 biases the backward-moving seat body 60 toward the base portion 30 by the inward and upward movement of the vehicle. According to the above-described configuration, the biasing force (enhancing force) of the deformable member 70 is added to balance the thrust of the drive unit 52 when the seat main body 60 is moved backward, thereby contributing to a reduction in the thrust (maximum output) of the drive unit 52. Then, the deformable member 70 returns to its original contracted basic state when the seat main body 60 returns to the first state on the base portion 30 (see FIG. 8).

[0024] As described above, in this embodiment, at least one of the seat body 60 and the support member 40, which move back and forth between states, is biased in the direction of movement by the restoring force of the deformable member 70, which returns the seat body 60 from a deformed state to its original base state. According to the above-described configuration, when the seat body 60 moves between states, the force of the deformable member 70 (the restoring force that serves as an intensifying force) is obtained, thereby reducing the thrust of the drive unit 52. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the ingress / egress performance of the vehicle seat apparatus 2 can be ensured while minimizing the size of the drive unit 52. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the force of the deformable member 70 (the intensifying force) can be accumulated or released by the movement of the seat body 60 back and forth between states. In this embodiment, the seat body 60, which moves backward toward the first state, can be biased toward the inside or upper side of the vehicle by the action of the deformable member 70, which further contributes to reducing the size of the drive unit 52.

[0025] [Variations] Here, the deformable member may have various configurations in addition to those described above, and may be disposed at an appropriate position in the vehicle seat apparatus 2. For example, referring to FIG. 9 , an extendable first deformable member 71 may be disposed between the slide member 41 (support portion 40) and an inner standing wall portion 703 on the base portion 30, which is disposed at a position closer to the vehicle interior than the slide member 41. Even with the above-described configuration, the forward movement of the seat main body 60 increases the gap between the slide member 41 and the inner standing wall portion 703, causing the first deformable member 71 to be extendable and deformable, thereby allowing the force (assistance force) to be accumulated. When the seat main body 60 and the support portion 40 move backward, the first deformable member 71 returns to its original state while following the backward movement of the slide member 41 of the support portion 40. As a result, the restoring force of the first deformable member 71, which tries to return to its original state, can urge the slide member 41 (support portion 40) in the backward movement direction. According to the above-described configuration, the first deformable member 71 acts to bias the slide member 41, thereby making it possible to bias the seat main body 60 which moves backward together with the slide member 41.

[0026] The vehicle seat apparatus 2 shown in FIG. 9 can also use an elastically contracting second deformable member 72. In its free state, the second deformable member 72 can return from an elastically contracted, deformed state to its extended, base state. Examples of this type of second deformable member 72 include springs (such as compression coil springs and leaf springs) that elastically contract and deform, and dampers. The second deformable member 72 can be provided, for example, between the slide member 41 (support portion 40) and an outer upright wall portion 704 on the base portion 30, which is located further outward from the slide member 41. With the above-described configuration, the forward movement of the seat body 60 reduces the gap between the slide member 41 and the outer upright wall portion 704, allowing the second deformable member 72 to contract and deform, thereby accumulating the force (reinforcement force). With the above-described configuration, when the seat body 60 and the support portion 40 move backward, the second deformable member 72 follows the backward movement of the slide member 41 of the support portion 40 and returns to its original base state. This allows the seat body 60, which moves backward together with the slide member 41, to be biased by the restoring force of the second deformable member 72 to return to its original shape.

[0027] [Example 2] Next, a vehicle seat device 2A of a second embodiment will be described. The vehicle seat device 2A shown in Fig. 10 has the same basic configuration as the vehicle seat device 2A of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that a flexible deformation member 74 capable of flexibly deforming is provided. First, in the vehicle seat device 2A of this embodiment, a base end of the four-bar link mechanism 45 is pivotally supported on the shaft portion 41A of the slide member 41 so as to be able to rotate up and down. Therefore, a torsion spring-like flexible deformation member 74 is interposed on the shaft portion 41A that supports the four-bar link mechanism 45, and its free end is placed in contact with the inner wall side of the slide member 41. In this state, the flexible deformation member 74 is flexibly deformed when the four-bar link mechanism 45 rotates downward, and returns to its basic state when the four-bar link mechanism 45 rotates upward. According to the above-described configuration, when the slide member 41 (support portion 40) moves forward, as the four-bar link mechanism 45 rotates downward about the shaft portion 41A, the flexible deformation member 74 is flexibly deformed, and the force (assisting force) is accumulated. Then, by driving the support portion 40 with the drive unit 52, the slide member 41 (support portion 40) moves backward with the flexible deformation member 74 following (accompanying) it. Next, as the four-bar link mechanism 45 supporting the seat main body 60 rotates upward in the vehicle, the flexible deformation member 74 gradually returns from the flexibly deformed state to its basic state. As a result, the elastic restoring force of the flexible deformation member 74, which tries to return to its original state, acts as an assisting force for the upward rotation of the four-bar link mechanism 45, thereby biasing the seat main body 60 upward in the vehicle.

[0028] [Variations] Alternatively, a leaf spring-like separate deformable member 75 as shown in FIG. 10 may be used as the deformable member that undergoes flexural deformation. In this case, the leaf spring-like separate deformable member 75 is provided at the tip end of the base portion 30 and is formed in a generally horizontal V-shape in side view. Furthermore, the four-bar linkage 45 is provided with an abutment shaft 45A extending in the vehicle width direction, and this abutment shaft 45A is positioned so as to abut against the separate deformable member 75. In the above-described configuration, when the seat body 60 moves forward, the four-bar linkage 45 rotates downward, causing the separate deformable member 75 to abut against the abutment shaft 45A of the four-bar linkage 45. The separate deformable member 75 then undergoes flexural deformation (closing deformation) in response to the downward rotation of the four-bar linkage 45, thereby allowing the force (auxiliary force) to be accumulated. Next, the drive unit 52 drives the support portion 40 to rotate the four-bar linkage 45 supporting the seat body 60 upward toward the vehicle. At this time, the deformed other deformation member 75 returns to its original state (a state in which it is expanded into a horizontal V-shape) while following the abutment shaft portion 45A. With the above-described configuration, the elastic restoring force of the other deformation member 75 that tries to return to its original state acts as an auxiliary force for the upward rotation of the four-bar link mechanism 45, thereby making it possible to bias the seat body 60 toward the upper side of the vehicle.

[0029] The vehicle seat apparatus of this embodiment is not limited to the above-described embodiment and may be embodied in various other embodiments. While the present embodiment illustrates the configuration of each deformable member, this is not intended to limit the configuration of each deformable member. For example, in a vehicle seat apparatus, one or more of the deformable members of each embodiment and each modified example may be used in combination. The deformable member that undergoes extensional deformation can be applied to various vehicle seat apparatuses in which the seat body moves forward and backward using a support portion, and can be provided between the base portion and the seat body when an external sliding mechanism is omitted. A deformable member that undergoes flexural deformation can also be applied to various vehicle seat apparatuses. For example, a flexible deformable member can be provided at the tip end of a four-bar linkage mechanism. Another deformable member can be provided below the tip end of the base member to support the seat body as it rotates downward toward the vehicle. Another deformable member may be provided on the underside of the seat body and supported by a support portion provided at the tip end of the base member. Note that the deformable member only needs to have a substantially elastically deformable portion, and other portions may be made of a rigid material that is less likely to deform.

[0030] Although the present embodiment describes an example in which the seat body is biased when moving backward, the seat body may also be biased when moving forward. That is, depending on the configuration of the vehicle seat apparatus, the size of the drive unit may be selected based on the thrust force required to move the seat body forward between positions (within the gap range) when an occupant is seated. In this case, the deformation member gradually deforms as the seat body moves backward from the second position to the first position, and the seat body moves forward from the first position to the second position to reach the base position. The seat body may only move forward and backward; it does not necessarily need to rotate in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, the seat body at the entry / exit position may move not only inward and outward directions of the vehicle but also in other directions (e.g., the front-rear direction when viewed from above the vehicle) when moving forward and backward between positions. The basic configuration of the vehicle seat apparatus may also be modified as appropriate and is not necessarily limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the outer slide mechanism may be configured to move the seat body forward and backward using the rotational force of a horizontal roller-shaped, tire-shaped, or spherical member. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 vehicle 2. Vehicle seat device 3 Vehicle floor 4 Door opening 10 Fixed part 14 Slide rail 14s slider 16 Slide drive mechanism 16n nut 16w trapezoidal screw 20 Slide section 22 Slide lock mechanism 23 Rotation mechanism 23r outer ring 23e Inner circle 30 Base 40 Support part 41 Slide member 41A Shaft 43n Nut part 43 Lifting slide mechanism 43w trapezoidal screw part 45 Four-bar link mechanism 45A Contact shaft part 50 Lifting base 52 Drive unit 55p Pinion 55r rack 55 External slide mechanism 60 seat body 62 seat frame 62w frame side wall 64 seat cushion 66 Seat back 70 Deformable member 71 First deformation member 72 Second deformation member 74 Flexible deformation member 75 Another deformed member 100 gaps 700 First Bracket 701 Second Bracket 703 Inner standing wall section 704 Outside standing wall section 2A (Second embodiment) vehicle seat device

Claims

1. A vehicle seat device comprising: a horizontally rotatable base portion; a support portion that supports a seat body so that the seat body can move forward and backward relative to the base portion; and a drive portion that drives the support portion, wherein the seat body is displaced between a seating position facing forward of the vehicle and a boarding / exiting position facing sideways of the vehicle by horizontal rotation of the base portion, The seat body at the boarding / exiting position is driven by the support portion to move back and forth between a first state in which the seat body is disposed on a base portion and a second state in which the seat body is further removed from the base portion than the first state, A vehicle seat device in which an elastically deformed deformation member is arranged to follow at least one of the seat body and the support part, which move back and forth between states, so that the force of the deformation member returning to its original basic state urges the seat body in the direction of forward and backward movement.

2. 2. The vehicle seat device according to claim 1, wherein the deformation member gradually deforms as the seat body moves forward from the first state to the second state, and the deformation member reaches the basic state when the seat body moves backward from the second state to the first state.

3. The seat body at the entry / exit position moves backward from the second state toward the inside and upper side of the vehicle to the first state, 3. The vehicle seat apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the deformable member is configured to bias the seat body in the second state toward at least one of an inner side of the vehicle and an upper side of the vehicle.

Images