Seat cover structure for vehicle seat

Abstract

To provide a seat cover structure for a vehicle seat that can stably form an R-shaped curved line at each sewn portion between pieces that curve in a direction substantially perpendicular to the seat surface.SOLUTION: A back cover includes: a side cover 6 including a fold-planned portion 67 at an R-shaped end that convexly faces inward when viewed from an out-of-plane direction; and a main cover 5 including a seam allowance 52 at a linear end 51 when viewed from the out-of-plane direction. A first sewn portion 65 is provided along a folded end 63 that is an end formed in a state where a planned fold portion 67 is folded back to face each other, thereby a folded fixed portion 66 is formed with the fold-planned portion 67 being fixed in the folded state. The seam allowance 52 is overlapped with the folded fixed portion 66 with the faces facing each other, and the side cover 6 and main cover 5 are sewn together by a second sewn portion 7 provided on an inner side of the first sewn portion 65 when viewed from the out-of-plane direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seat cover structure for a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a seat cover structure for a vehicle seat having a curved seam. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicle seats equipped in automobiles and other vehicles, seat covers, which are upholstery materials that cover the seat pad, which is a cushion body, are formed by sewing multiple pieces together. A structure is known in which the falling direction of the seam allowance, where the sewn parts connecting the pieces are formed, is kept constant so that it does not collapse irregularly or meander when the seat cover is placed over the seat pad. In the seat cover structure described in Patent Document 1, the seam allowance of the second cover piece is overlapped and sewn to the folded-over part of the first cover piece while the folded-over part is folded. This increases the rigidity of the seam allowance and makes it less likely to bend, thereby keeping the falling direction of the seam allowance constant and preventing meandering of the sewn part. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-287780 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the seat cover described in Patent Document 1, the sewn portions extend parallel to the substantially horizontal seating surface and do not curve perpendicular to the seating surface, so it was sufficient to increase the rigidity of the seam portions in the sewn portions to bend out of the plane (perpendicular to the plane). However, in sewn portions that curve substantially perpendicular to the seating surface, such as the sewn portions of the main top panel portion in the center of the seat width direction and the side top panel portions on both sides of the main top panel portion, it was necessary to increase the rigidity of the seam portions in the in-plane direction (horizontal to the plane).

[0005] In view of such demands, an object of the present invention is to provide a seat cover structure for a vehicle seat that can stably form an R-shaped curved line at a sewn portion between pieces that curves in a direction approximately perpendicular to the seating surface. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention of the present invention is a seat cover structure for a vehicle seat, comprising a first cover piece having a planned fold-over portion at an R-shaped end that is convex toward the inside when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, and a second cover piece having a seam allowance at a straight end when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, wherein a first sewing portion is provided along the folded end, which is the end when the planned fold-over portion is folded back to face each other, thereby fixing the planned fold-over portion in a folded state to form a folded-over fixing portion, and the first cover piece and the second cover piece are sewn together by a second sewing portion that is inside the first sewing portion when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, with the seam allowance overlapping the folded-over fixing portion with the front facing each other.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seat cover has a first cover piece and a second cover piece sewn together at the second sewn part with the seam allowances facing each other over the folded-over fastening part. The folded end of the folded-over fastening part has an R-shape that convexly faces inward when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, and the seam allowance is linear when viewed from the out-of-plane direction. This applies a contracting force to the second sewn part in the sewing direction, increasing the rigidity of the folded-over fastening part and the seam allowance in the in-plane direction. This allows the R-shaped curved line of the second sewn part between the first cover piece and the second cover piece to be stably formed when the seat cover is placed over the seat pad.

[0008] A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the portion to be folded is formed with a plurality of slits extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the folded end.

[0009] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the portion to be folded back hardly applies unnecessary force to the folded back end when folded back, so that meandering of the folded back end can be suppressed.

[0010] The third invention of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the end of the second cover piece has a plurality of V-shaped notches arranged at equal intervals when viewed from the out-of-plane direction.

[0011] According to the third aspect of the present invention, when sewing at the second sewn portion, the folded end and the end of the seam allowance can be sewn together in a state where they are well aligned with each other. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of an automobile seat to which a seat cover structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied; [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view of the side cover and the main cover before the stitching in part II of FIG. 1 is formed. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 2 is a plan view of the side cover and the main cover as viewed from the out-of-plane direction before forming the sewn portion in part II of FIG. 1. This shows the state in which the portion to be folded back of the side cover has been formed. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 2 is a plan view of the side cover and the main cover in a state where a stitched portion of part II in FIG. 1 has been formed. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VIII-VIII of FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The seat cover structure of an automobile seat 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. In the following description, directions will be described based on the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions shown in each figure. Here, the up-down, front-rear, left-right directions are determined based on the automobile seat 1 when it is attached to an automobile floor F. Here, the automobile seat 1 corresponds to the "vehicle seat" in the claims.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, an automobile seat 1 includes a seat cushion 2 that supports the buttocks and thighs of a seated occupant, a seat back 3 that supports the waist and back of the seated occupant, and a headrest 4 that supports the head of the seated occupant.

[0015] The seat back 3 has a back frame (not shown) that forms the skeleton, a back pad 9 as a cushioning material placed over the back frame, and a back cover 10 as a covering material that covers the back pad 9. The back pad 9 is an elastic body made of urethane foam resin, and its outer shape determines the outer shape of the seat back 3. The seat cushion 2 and headrest 4 are of a commonly used and well-known configuration, so their explanation will be omitted. Here, the back cover 10 corresponds to the "seat cover" in the claims.

[0016] 1, the seat back 3 has a seat back main portion 3A that supports the waist and back of the seated occupant from behind, and seat back side portions 3B that are located on both the left and right sides of the seat back main portion 3A and support the waist and back of the seated occupant from the sides. Each seat back side portion 3B is formed to protrude forward relative to the seat back main portion 3A.

[0017] The back cover 10 is formed into a bag-like shape with a downward opening by connecting multiple pieces by stitching. The back cover 10 in part II, which is the boundary between the seatback main portion 3A and the seatback side portion 3B indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 1, is formed by sewing the right end of the main cover 5 of the seatback main portion 3A to the left end of the side cover 6 of the seatback side portion 3B at a second stitching portion 7 (see FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 8, the main cover 5 is formed by laminating a fabric layer 5a on the seating surface side and a cover pad layer 5b on the opposite side from the seating surface. The fabric layer 5a may be a leather layer or a synthetic leather layer. The cover pad layer 5b is formed of a thin urethane slab pad, and a thin woven lining may be laminated on the surface opposite to the fabric layer 5a. The side cover 6 is formed by laminating a fabric layer 6a on the seating surface side and a cover pad layer 6b on the opposite side from the seating surface. The fabric layer 6a may be a leather layer or a synthetic leather layer. The cover pad layer 6b may be formed of a thin urethane slab pad, and a thin woven lining may be laminated on the surface opposite to the fabric layer 6a. The fabric layer 5a and the fabric layer 6a may be the same. The cover pad layer 5b and the cover pad layer 6b may be the same, but making the thickness of the cover pad layer 5b greater than the thickness of the cover pad layer 6b will improve the feel when sitting on them. Here, the side cover 6 and the main cover 5 correspond to the "first cover piece" and the "second cover piece" in the claims, respectively.

[0018] The procedure for sewing the main cover 5 and the side cover 6 together at the second sewn portion 7 will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , before being sewn at the second sewn portion 7, the main cover 5 has a straight edge 51 to be sewn. Before being sewn at the second sewn portion 7, the side cover 6 has an edge 61 to be sewn that is curved inward. That is, the center of the curve is located outside the edge 61. The fan-shaped portion extending inward from the edge 61 by a predetermined distance (for example, approximately 10 mm) is the to-be-folded portion 67. The to-be-folded portion 67 has a plurality of slits 62 formed therein, each extending radially at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction. Each slit 62 has a dimension of approximately 10 mm from its outer edge 62 a to its inner edge 62 b. The curve connecting the outer edges 62 a of the slits 62 is the edge 61, and the curve connecting the inner edges 62 b of the slits 62 is the folded edge 63. The portion between adjacent slits 62 is the folded piece 64. The seam allowance 52 is a strip-shaped portion of about 10 mm, the same dimension as the slit 62, extending from the end 51 of the main cover 5 toward the inside in the in-plane direction.

[0020] Next, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, each folded piece 64 of the side cover 6 is folded back from the folded end 63 so that the cover pad layers 6b abut against each other (this creates a double-fold seam). Then, in the folded state, each folded piece 64 is sewn to the main body at a first sewn portion 65 extending along the folded end 63. The distance between the first sewn portion 65 and the folded end 63 is approximately 2 to 5 mm. The portion where each folded piece 64 folded back from the folded end 63 is sewn to the main body at the first sewn portion 65 forms a folded fixed portion 66.

[0021] Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , the side cover 6 and the main cover 5 are overlapped so that the fabric layers 6a and 5a abut against each other, and then sewn together at the second sewn section 7 while aligning the folded end 63 of the side cover 6 with the end 51 of the main cover 5. The second sewn section 7 extends parallel to the first sewn section 65, with a gap of approximately 5 to 7 mm between them. At this time, the main cover 5 is sewn to the side cover 6 at the second sewn section 7 with the end 51 stretched. Therefore, a contracting force is applied in the in-plane direction to the seam allowance section 8 formed by each folded-back fixing section 66 and the seam allowance 52, increasing the rigidity in the in-plane direction (the up-down direction). As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 , the main cover 5 is expanded relative to the side cover 6, with the second sewn section 7 as a base point, so that the fabric layer 5a is separated from the fabric layer 6a, and the main cover 5 is connected to other pieces by sewing to form the back cover 10.

[0022] 1 and 8, when the back cover 10 is placed on the back pad 9 placed on the back frame, the seam portion 8 is positioned in the vertical groove 91 that opens forward and extends vertically in the back pad 9. As a result, the rigidity of the seam portion 8 in the front-to-back direction, which is the in-plane direction, is increased, so that the R-shaped curved line that is convex toward the rear, formed by the second sewn portion 7, can be stably formed.

[0023] The present embodiment configured as described above provides the following advantageous effects. The back cover 10 is formed by sewing the side cover 6 and the main cover 5 together at the second sewn portion 7 in a state in which the fabric layers 6a and 5a are overlapping and abutting against the folded-over fastening portion 66, with the seam allowance 52. The folded end 63 of the folded-over fastening portion 66 has an R-shape that convexly faces inward in the in-plane direction (the front direction), and the seam allowance 52 is linear when viewed from the out-of-plane direction (the left-right direction). This applies a contracting force to the second sewn portion 7 in the sewing direction, increasing the rigidity of the seam allowance portion 8 in the in-plane direction (the front-to-rear direction). This allows the R-shaped curved line of the second sewn portion 7 between the side cover 6 and the main cover 5 to be stably formed.

[0024] Furthermore, in the intended folding portion 67, a plurality of folding pieces 64 are formed by a plurality of slits 62 extending in a direction approximately perpendicular to the folded end portion 63. As a result, the folding pieces 64 do not apply unnecessary force to the folded end portion 63 when folded back, and therefore meandering of the folded end portion 63 can be suppressed.

[0025] Although specific embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to those external appearances and configurations, and various modifications, additions, and deletions are possible within the scope of the present invention. For example, the following can be mentioned.

[0026] 1. In the above embodiment, the end 51 of the main cover 5 is configured to be linear when viewed from the out-of-plane direction. However, this is not limited to this, and as shown in Fig. 9, it may be configured to have a plurality of V-shaped notches 53 at equal intervals when viewed from the out-of-plane direction. This allows the folded end 63 and the end of the seam allowance 52 to be sewn together in a state where they are well aligned when sewing at the second sewn portion 7.

[0027] 2. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the second sewn portion 7 between the side cover 6 and the main cover 5, but this is not limited to this, and the present invention can also be applied to the sewn portion between the pieces that make up the side cover 6 or the main cover 5.

[0028] 3. In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the seat back 3 of the automobile seat 1, but it may also be applied to the seat cushion 2, or to seats for airplanes, ships, railway vehicles, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 1. Automobile seats (vehicle seats) 3 Seat back 5 Main cover (second cover piece) 5a Fabric Layer 6 Side cover (first cover piece) 5b Cover pad layer 6a Fabric Layer 6b Cover pad layer 7 2nd sewing section 8 Seam allowance 9 Back Pad 10 Back cover (seat cover) 51 End 52 seam allowance 61 End 62 Slit 62a outer end 62b Inner edge 63 Folded end 64 Folded piece 65 1st sewing section 66 Folded fixing part 67 Scheduled Turnaround Section

Claims

1. A seat cover structure for a vehicle seat, a first cover piece having a turn-up portion at an end of an R-shape that is convex toward the inside when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, and a second cover piece having a seam allowance at an end that is linear when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, a first sewn portion is provided along a folded end portion, which is an end portion when the intended fold-back portion is folded back to face the back surface, so that the intended fold-back portion is fixed in the folded state and serves as a fold-back fixed portion; A seat cover structure for a vehicle seat in which the first cover piece and the second cover piece are sewn together by a second sewing portion that is inside the first sewing portion when viewed from the out-of-plane direction, with the seam allowance overlapping the folded-over fixed portion in a surface-matching state.

2. In claim 1, A seat cover structure for a vehicle seat, wherein the intended folding portion has a plurality of slits formed therein, the slits extending in a direction substantially perpendicular to the folding end portion.

3. In claim 1 or claim 2 A seat cover structure for a vehicle seat, wherein a plurality of V-shaped notches are provided at equal intervals on the end of the second cover piece when viewed from the out-of-plane direction.

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